Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Panelism in Action: Labour's 1999 European Parliamentary Candidate Selections

The 1999 European Assembly elections were fought under newly devised rules. The adoption of a more proportional electoral procedure in place of the traditional single member majoritarian system was designed to bring the UK into line with the other EU member states. This departure from 'first past the post' necessitated a change in the way prospective Members of the European Parliament were selected. In the event this proved controversial. Of further contention was the decision to adopt a closed list system whereby electors were not able to vote for a preferred candidate. Prospective MEPs were thus numerically ranked in multiple member constituencies. The selection of European parliamentary candidates attracted considerable media interest. Various newspapers covered, with relish, the purging of Europhiles from the already minimal compliment of Conservative MEPs. Aside from Tom Spencer, who resigned for personal reasons following revelations about his personal life, others such as Brendan Donnelly and John Stevens declined to serve as candidates following their effective demotion by the party's selection procedure. Donnelly and Stevens took their grievance further and formed a new organisation, the Pro Euro Conservatives, in order to (unsuccessfully) contest the forthcoming elections. Another Europhile, London MEP James Moorhouse, left the party for the Liberal Democrats in protest at William Hague's policy pronouncements. By contrast the new crop of prospective MEPs appeared to reflect the strong strain of Euroscepticism within the Conservative grassroots. The Hague leadership welcomed membership involvement in this matter. By contrast the Labour hierarchy proved more circumspect about its candidate selection procedure. This paper seeks to assess whether there is substance to the charge that the new system has in effect enabled officials from the Millbank headquarters to dictate who would and would not become MEPs.
The dyslexia-associated protein KIAA0319 interacts with adaptor protein 2 and follows the classical clathrin-mediated endocytosis pathway

Recently, genetic studies have implicated KIAA0319 in developmental dyslexia, the most common of the childhood learning disorders. The first functional data indicated that the KIAA0319 protein is expressed on the plasma membrane and may be involved in neuronal migration. Further analysis of the subcellular distribution of the overexpressed protein in mammalian cells indicates that KIAA0319 can colocalize with the early endosomal marker early endosome antigen 1 (EEA1) in large intracellular vesicles, suggesting that it is endocytosed. Antibody internalization assays with full-length KIAA0319 and deletion constructs confirmed that KIAA0319 is internalized and showed the importance of the cytoplasmic juxtamembranal region in this process. The present study has identified the medium subunit (μ2) of adaptor protein 2 (AP-2) as a binding partner of KIAA0319 in a yeast two-hybrid screen. Using Rab5 mutants or depletion of the μ-subunit of AP-2 or clathrin heavy chain by RNA interference, we demonstrate that KIAA0319 follows a clathrin-mediated endocytic pathway. We also identify tyrosine-995 of KIAA0319 as a critical amino acid required for the interaction with AP-2 and subsequent internalization. These results suggest the surface expression of KIAA0319 is regulated by endocytosis, supporting the idea that the internalization and recycling of the protein may be involved in fine tuning its role in neuronal migration.
Bacteriology of Human Experimental Gingivitis: Effect of Plaque Age

Twenty-five subjects with previously excellent hygiene and healthy gingiva developed heavy plaque accumulations and bleeding or nonbleeding gingivitis about certain papilla after 21 days of no oral hygiene. Gingival marginal plaque about a single papilla was collected at 0, 1, 2, and 3 weeks of no oral hygiene in each subject. The plaque was dispersed, serially diluted, and plated on MM10 sucrose agar in an oxygen-free atmosphere. From 50 to 100 colonies from a single high-dilution plate were characterized for each sample. Over 8,500 isolates were partially characterized and placed into one of 29 taxonomic species or groups. The flora was predominantly gram-positive at all time periods. Streptococcal species dominated in the 0- and 1-week-old plaques, i.e. 62 and 43% of the colonyforming units (CFU), but dropped to 26 to 32% of the CFU in the 2- and 3-week-old plaques. Actinomyces species dominated in the older plaques, i.e., 40 to 50% of the CFU. Actinomyces israelii was the most prominent species in the older plaques. Veillonella accounted for 15 to 20% of the CFU at all time periods. Although the other gram-negative species increased with time, collectively they averaged less than 5% of the CFU at week 3. The shift from a Streptococcus-dominated plaque to an Actinomyces-dominated plaque was the most striking microbial change observed as the plaque aged.
Antagonism of IL-4 Signaling by a Phosphodiesterase-4 Inhibitor, Rolipram, in Human T Cells

Background: Phosphodiesterase (PDE4) inhibitors prevent breakdown of cAMP and affect the increase in cellular levels of cAMP, which is known to regulate immune cell functions. Because IL-4 plays a causal role in the pathogenesis of allergic disorders, we were interested to study the modulatory mechanisms of a PDE4 inhibitor, rolipram, in IL-4-mediated signaling in T cells. Methods: Human peripheral T cells were stimulated with IL-4 in combination with rolipram, and RT-PCR was performed using primers specific for IL-5. To monitor activation of transcription factors, immunostaining was employed. Results: Rolipram or a cAMP-analogue, 8-Br-cAMP, significantly downregulated IL-4-induced expression of IL-5 mRNA. The rolipram-induced inhibition of IL-5 mRNA was mediated by activation of protein kinase A (PKA), because rolipram-downregulated mRNA expression of IL-5 was restored by PKA inhibitors. Immunostaining revealed that rolipram interfered with IL-4-induced nuclear translocation of activator protein (AP)-1 components. Conclusions: This is the first demonstration of suppression of IL-4 signaling by PDE4 inhibitors via prevention of nuclear translocation of AP-1.
Activation of Expression of the c‐fos Oncogene by UVA Irradiation in Cultured Human Skin Fibroblasts

Abstract— Both broad‐spectrum and near‐monochromatic (334 nm, 365 nm and 405 nm) UVA (320–380 nm) and near‐visible radiations strongly activate accumulation of mRNA corresponding to the nuclear oncogene and transcription factor, c‐fos, in cultured human skin fibroblasts within a dose‐range encountered in the environment. The oxidizing component of UVA is clearly of central importance to the activation observed because the absence of reduced glutathione strongly enhances the response. In contrast to observations in rodent cells, we observe negligible activation of the gene in human cells after UVB (290–320 nm) radiation. The results of this study provide evidence that UVA radiation strongly activates c‐fos gene expression in human dermal fibroblasts, a phenomena that is likely to be reflected in UVA‐mediated modulation of genes containing active AP‐1‐based enhancer elements in the promoter region.
Biophysical and pharmacological characterization of hypotonically activated chloride currents in cortical astrocytes

Rat cortical astrocytes regulate their cell volume in response to hypotonic challenge. This regulation is believed to depend largely on the release of chloride or organic osmolytes through anion channels. Using whole‐cell recordings, we identified weakly outwardly rectifying chloride currents that could be activated in response to hypotonic challenge. These currents exhibited the following permeability sequence upon replacement of chloride in the bathing solution with various anions: I−>NO3−>Cl−>Gluc− ≥MeS−>Ise−. Interestingly, extracellular I−, albeit showing the greatest permeability, blocked the currents with an IC50 of ≈50 mM. Currents were almost completely inhibited by 123 μM NPPB and partially inhibited by 200 μM niflumic acid or 200 μM DIDS. Additionally, the total number of Cl− ions effluxed through the hypotonically activated channels was markedly similar to the total solute efflux during volume regulation. We therefore propose the hypotonically activated chloride channel as a major contributor to volume regulation of astrocytes. To examine potential candidate chloride channel genes expressed by astrocytes, we employed RT‐PCR to demonstrate the presence of transcripts for ClC‐2, 3, 4, 5, and 7, as well as for VDAC and CFTR in cultured astrocytes. Moreover, we performed immunostaining with antibodies against each of these channels and showed the strongest expression of ClC‐2 and ClC‐3, strong expression of ClC‐5 and VDAC, weak expression of ClC‐7 and very weak expression of ClC‐4 and CFTR. Intriguingly, although we found at least seven Cl− channel proteins from three different gene families in astrocytes, none appeared to be active in resting cells. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Processing technology of embedded thin-film resistor materials

It is relatively rare for us to research Embedded Thin-Film Resistor (ETFR) Materials in domestic. This paper describes the development history and present situation of the ETFR, the whole process technology is told, the urgency of domestic products is revealed, the thermal stability and microscopic characteristics of the Ni-Cr (80/20 wt.%) ETFR material that we have researched are introduced, the possible development and application is also tentatively discussed.
Serum uric acid concentration as non-classic cardiovascular risk factor in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: effect of treatment with ethinyl-estradiol plus cyproterone acetate versus metformin.

BACKGROUND Serum uric acid levels have emerged as a cardiovascular risk factor, and interventions aimed to decrease its level have been related with an improvement in clinical and non-clinical cardiovascular outcomes. METHODS Serum uric acid levels were measured in 40 polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) patients and 40 non-hyperandrogenic women matched for BMI and grade of obesity, and were followed-up in 34 PCOS patients who were randomized to an oral contraceptive containing 35 mg ethinyl-estradiol plus 2 mg cyproterone acetate (Diane(35) Diario) or metformin (850 mg twice daily) for 24 weeks. RESULTS There were no statistically significant differences in uric acid levels between PCOS and non-hyperandrogenic control women. Considering all PCOS and non-hyperandrogenic control women as a whole, obese women showed higher uric acid concentrations than lean and overweight women, and the main determinant of serum uric acid level was the BMI. In PCOS women, Diane(35) Diario treatment was related with a decrease in uric acid levels (P = 0.018), whereas no changes were observed with metformin. CONCLUSIONS Obesity is the main determinant of serum uric acid concentrations in PCOS patients, yet amelioration of androgen excess with an antiandrogenic contraceptive pill results in a significant decrease in these levels, an effect that is not observed with metformin. ClinicalTrials.gov NLM Identifier: NCT00428311.
Social learning social influence and new models of fertility.

This book chapter offers a theoretical model of fertility control that accounts for diffusion of information through social learning and social influence. It is posited that diffusion can slow down or speed up fertility declines shape patterns of contraceptive choice and help or hinder family planning program efforts. The authors consider the US and other low-fertility settings suitable for testing diffusion models. The proposed empirical model is a variant of the interdependent preferences model proposed by Pollak (1976) and expanded by Alessie and Kapteyn (1991) and Case (1991). Evidence from recent studies suggests that adolescent fertility decisions and attitudes are influenced strongly by peers and friends as well as parents. Most of the research findings on social effects focus on adolescent fertility and confirm the importance of social effects on adolescent fertility. The authors caution that much of this literature is flawed in research design and overestimates the importance of social effects. Evidence suggests that the social effects that have contributed to fears about health strongly influenced use of oral contraceptives and IUDs during the 1960s and 1970s. Evidence also identifies the importance of social networks in the use of reproductive and contraceptive services. It is possible that the unacceptability of nonmaternal child care depressed fertility in the 1970s and that increased acceptance during the 1980s had a mild pronatalist effect on fertility during the 1980s and 1990s. The proposed empirical model estimates contraceptive use in the absence of social effects. Social effects affect the pace of aggregate fertility change. The pace of change in fertility determinants may not match the pace of fertility change itself. A social effects model must account for how networks are formed and change over time. It is hoped that social effects models will be developed and tested.
SPARC and tumor growth: Where the seed meets the soil?

Matricellular proteins mediate interactions between cells and their extracellular environment. This functional protein family includes several structurally unrelated members, such as SPARC, thrombospondin 1, tenascin C, and osteopontin, as well as some homologs of these proteins, such as thrombospondin 2 and tensascin X. SPARC, a prototypic matricellular protein, and its homolog hevin, have deadhesive effects on cultured cells and have been characterized as antiproliferative factors in some cellular contexts. Both proteins are produced at high levels in many types of cancers, especially by cells associated with tumor stroma and vasculature. In this Prospect article we summarize evidence for SPARC and hevin in the regulation of tumor cell growth, differentiation, and metastasis, and we propose that matricellular proteins such as these perform critical functions in desmoplastic responses of tumors that culminate in their dissemination and eventual colonization of other sites. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Comparison of MB-Check, BACTEC, and egg-based media for recovery of mycobacteria

The rate of recovery and time to the detection of mycobacteria from clinical specimens were measured for biphasic (MB-Check; Nippon Roche Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan) and radiometric (BACTEC; Nippon Becton Dickinson Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan) liquid-based culture systems and egg-based media (3% Ogawa and Ogawa K). From the 245 sputum specimens processed, a total of 86 (35.1%) mycobacterial isolates were detected. Of these, 81 (94.2%) and 80 (93.0%) isolates were detected with the MB-Check and BACTEC systems, respectively, and 65 (75.6%) isolates were detected with the 3% Ogawa egg method. The difference in the percentages of positive cultures between the two systems based on liquid media and the 3% Ogawa egg method was significant (P less than 0.01). This difference was even greater among smear-negative specimens. The detection time was shorter with the liquid-based systems. The mean times to the detection of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex were 19.1 days with the MB-Check system, 13.4 days with the BACTEC system, and 21.7 days with the 3% Ogawa egg method. These results indicate that both the MB-Check and the BACTEC systems, based on liquid media, are efficient for the recovery of mycobacteria.
Climate Change and Trade--The EU Aviation Directive and the WTO

With limited progress in the UN climate change negotiations, the EU has been looking at ways to further reduce global CO 2 emissions by extending the scope of its cap and trade system, most recently by including flights entering and leaving EU airspace. With the EU Aviation Directive entering into force on 1 January 2012, all airlines will need to hold permits to cover their CO 2 emissions for flights operating in EU airspace. For instance, Singapore Airlines will be required to hold permits for CO 2 emissions for its flights from Singapore to Frankfurt, which will include all CO 2 emissions over Singapore, third countries, the high seas and EU airspace. As climate change is a global challenge, national and regional efforts to reduce CO 2 emissions have an international impact by nature, particularly on trade. With the World Trade Organization (WTO) responsible for regulating world trade, this article analyses the consistency of the EU Aviation Directive with WTO rules. The EU's decision to include both non-EU and EU airlines under its cap and trade system is a response to the so-called carbon leakage and competitiveness issues that would have arisen if the scheme had been limited to EU airlines only. Carbon leakage arises when a carbon price leads domestic businesses to relocate to countries not pricing carbon or to increased imports of goods from countries not pricing carbon, resulting in no net reduction in global CO 2 emissions. Competitiveness issues occur when a carbon price increases the price of domestically produced goods, causing consumers to substitute with cheaper imports from countries not pricing carbon, ultimately harming domestic industry and undermining support for these policies. With airlines providing an important international services trade, including CO 2 emissions from aviation under the EU cap and trade system has important implications for international trade, particularly since air transport functions as an enabler of other forms of trade such as just-in-time manufacturing strategies, tourism, and business links. Despite the number of ways in which the Aviation Directive is in conflict with WTO rules, the article demonstrates that the type of WTO rules that the EU Aviation might violate are useful disciplines on how countries develop and apply climate change action that impedes international trade. Developing climate change measures consistently with WTO rules strikes an appropriate balance between giving WTO Members the policy space to take action to reduce CO 2 emissions while maintaining an open and non-discriminatory trading system that supports economic growth and global welfare. Oxford University Press 2012, all rights reserved, Oxford University Press.
Value Creation in top Asian firms

Previous studies have employed the trade-orientated gross value-added models to determine a country’s economic performance and competitiveness, correlating value creation with parameters such as GDP and total export value (Daudin et al. 2011; Koopman et al. 2012). Whilst this method is useful on a macro level, it does not capture the degree of value creation undertaken at firm level. Hence, we borrow the accounting concept of residual income (Ohlson 1995; Frankel & Lee 1998) to evaluate firm level value creation. This will allow us to bypass the need to generalising all firms in the same industry and disregard the trade metric in terms of foreign imported intermediates. Using the 1997 financial crisis as a starting point, we investigate top Asian listed firms and opine that these firms are the leading force for a country’s economic growth. We show that value creation as measured by residual income is highly correlated with GDP per capita (0.816) and changes in GDP per capita (0.551). We find that: 1) high income countries consistently generate higher value vs. middle income countries and the latter countries have not created enough value or at a rate sufficiently fast to catch up; 2) oil and gas producers create most value; 3) firms in countries receiving the IMF package suffered from low/negative value creation in the immediate aftermath but rebounded strongly to be outperforming those firms in the countries that opted out; and 4) low and moderately levered firms create more value than the highly indebted firms.
Distinct modes of DNA damage response in S. pombe G0 and vegetative cells

Upon nitrogen‐starvation, mostly G2 vegetative (VE) fission yeast cells promote two rounds of division and enter the G0 state with 1C DNA via an uncommitted G1. Whilst G0 cells are permanently arrested, they keep viability through recycling the intracellular nitrogen. We here show that, whilst the DNA damages are efficiently repaired in G0 cells, neither Chk1 activation nor Cdc2 implication for Crb2 (53BP1 like) do not occur. ATR‐like Rad3 and non‐hyperphosphorylated Crb2 participate the repair processes in G0 cells that are more sensitive to UV and γ‐ray than in VE cells. The sensitivity like in VE cells is restored after replication in the nitrogen‐replenished medium, suggesting that the damage hyper‐sensitive nature of G0 cells is due to the error‐prone repair for single DNA duplex chromosome. The double‐strand break (DSB) repair in G0 cells required Pku80, one of non‐homologous end joining (NHEJ) proteins. S. pombe G0 cells upon DNA damages thus respond distinctively from VE cells in regard with regulation of checkpoint proteins and the mode of repair that is dependent upon the use of NHEJ.
Color Naming and the Phototoxic Effects of Sunlight on the Eye

Many languages have no basic color term for “blue. ” Instead, they call short-wavelength stimuli “green” or “dark. ” We show that this cultural, linguistic phenomenon could result from accelerated aging of the eye because of high, chronic exposure to ultraviolet-B (UV-B) in sunlight (e.g., phototoxic lens brunescence). Reviewing 203 world languages, we found a significant relationship between UV dosage and color naming: In low-UV localities, languages generally have the word “blue”; in high-UV areas, languages without “blue” prevail. Furthermore, speakers of these non-“blue” languages often show blue-yellow color vision deficiency. We tested our phototoxicity hypothesis in a color-naming experiment, using computerized, colorimetric simulations of Munsell colors as viewed through clear and brunescent lenses. As predicted, our young subjects used “blue” as in English when the simulated lens was clear, but named colors as in tropical languages when the lens was dense. Our within-subjects design precludes a cultural explanation for this result.
The mechanism of acute fasting‐induced antidepressant‐like effects in mice

Acute fasting induced antidepressant‐like effects. However, the exact brain region and mechanism of these actions are still largely unknown. Therefore, in this study the antidepressant‐like effects of acute fasting on c‐Fos expression and BDNF levels were investigated. Consistent with our previous findings, immobility time was remarkably shortened by 9 hrs fasting in the forced swimming test. Furthermore, these antidepressant‐like effects of 9 fasting were inhibited by a 5‐HT2A/2C receptor agonist (±)‐1‐(2, 5‐dimethoxy‐4‐iodophenyl)‐2‐aminopropane hydrochloride (DOI), and the effect of DOI was blocked by pretreatment with a selective 5‐HT2A receptor antagonist ketanserin. Immunohistochemical study has shown that c‐Fos level was significantly increased by 9 hrs fasting in prefrontal cortex but not hippocampus and habenular. Fasting‐induced c‐Fos expression was further enhanced by DOI in prefrontal cortex, and these enhancements were inhibited by ketanserin. The increased BDNF levels by fasting were markedly inhibited by DOI in frontal cortex and hippocampus, and these effects of DOI on BDNF levels were also blocked by ketanserin. These findings suggest that the antidepressant‐like effects of acute fasting may be exerted via 5‐HT2A receptor and particularly sensitive to neural activity in the prefrontal cortex. Furthermore, these antidepressant‐like effects are also mediated by CREB and BDNF pathway in hippocampus and frontal cortex. Therefore, fasting may be potentially helpful against depression.