Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The antecedents of aggressive behavior among men with schizophrenia: a prospective investigation of patients in community treatment.

The association between psychotic symptoms and violence is unclear, due in part to methodological features of investigations that have examined this question, and in part to the fact that the association likely differs by disorder and treatment conditions. Using data from The Comparative Study of the Prevention of Crime and Violence by Mentally Ill Persons, we examined 128 men with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder discharged from general and forensic psychiatric hospitals in Canada, Finland, Germany, and Sweden. The association between symptoms and aggressive behavior was studied during two 6 month periods when the patients lived in the community. Severe positive and negative symptoms of psychosis, depression, and anxiety were measured at the beginning of each of the 6 month periods. In addition, at the beginning of the second 6 month period changes in symptoms in the previous period were indexed. Aggressive behavior was measured in each 6 month period by reports from patients and from collaterals. During the first 6 months post-discharge, after controlling for the presence of antisocial personality disorder or PCL score and past diagnoses of alcohol/drug abuse/dependence, the presence of a severe positive symptom significantly increased the risk of aggressive behavior. During the second 6 month period, after controlling for antisocial personality disorder or PCL score and self-reported alcohol/drug use, the presence of a severe positive symptom, a TCO symptom, and an increase in TCO symptoms significantly increased the risk of aggressive behavior. Neither depot medications nor obligatory community treatment reduced the risk of aggressive behavior after controlling for the presence of a severe positive symptom and/or TCO symptoms. These findings suggest that, among men with schizophrenia being treated in the community, the presence of severe psychotic symptoms and the development of TCO symptoms are antecedents of aggressive behavior.
Ammonium as a signal for physiological and morphological responses in plants

Ammonium is a major inorganic nitrogen source for plants. At low external supplies, ammonium promotes plant growth, while at high external supplies it causes toxicity. Ammonium triggers rapid changes in cytosolic pH, in gene expression, and in post-translational modifications of proteins, leading to apoplastic acidification, co-ordinated ammonium uptake, enhanced ammonium assimilation, altered oxidative and phytohormonal status, and reshaped root system architecture. Some of these responses are dependent on AMT-type ammonium transporters and are not linked to a nutritional effect, indicating that ammonium is perceived as a signaling molecule by plant cells. This review summarizes current knowledge of ammonium-triggered physiological and morphological responses and highlights existing and putative mechanisms mediating ammonium signaling and sensing events in plants. We put forward the hypothesis that sensing of ammonium takes place at multiple steps along its transport, storage, and assimilation pathways.
Improve the Design of Human-Computer Interface in Digital Games

The objective of this paper is to explore the priority of the improvement in respect of the users' requirements of digital game and to identify the engineering characteristics of Human-Computer Interface that can be better improved. Focused on the two most popular games (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Play Game and Action Game), this paper applies Quality Function Deployment to find out the priority of improvement which customers require, that is, customer attributes. To find out the correlation matrix of House of Quality, this paper analyzes the engineering characteristics of three human-computer interfaces and further conducted surveys among these experts. We found that the prioritized customer attributes that need to be improved first is the computer self efficacy in the massively multiplayer online role play games, while the action games needs to improve the controllability of the players. In addition, the engineering characteristic of human computer interfaces is instinctive control that should be improved first. The results provide theoretical and practical contributions that help the manufacturers to improve the human-computer interface design.
Mechanism of NMDA receptor contribution to axon‐to‐glia signaling in the crayfish medial giant nerve fiber

Electrical stimulation of crayfish giant axons at high frequency activates group II metabotropic and NMDA glutamate receptors on adjacent glial cells via release of N‐acetylaspartylglutamate and glutamate formed upon its hydrolysis. This produces a transient depolarization followed by a prolonged hyperpolarization of glial cells that involves nicotinic acetylcholine receptor activation. The hyperpolarization is nearly completely blocked by antagonists of metabotropic glutamate receptors but only slightly reduced by inhibition of NMDA receptors. We report that the NMDA‐induced hyperpolarization of glial cells is reduced by decreased calcium in the solution bathing the giant nerve fiber, while removal of sodium ions or block of voltage‐dependent calcium channels completely prevents the glial response to NMDA. Inhibition of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors or removal of extracellular Cl− converts the glial response from a hyperpolarization to a depolarization that is sensitive to NMDA receptor antagonist. We propose that NMDA receptor activation by glutamate, formed from extracellular N‐acetylaspartylglutamate during nerve stimulation, contributes to glial hyperpolarization by increasing intracellular Ca2+ via opening of voltage‐sensitive Ca2+ channels. Based on our previous work, we propose further that the added Ca2+ supplements that produced by N‐acetylaspartylglutamate and glutamate acting on group II metabotropic glutamate receptors to cause an increased release of acetylcholine and a larger hyperpolarization. GLIA 38:80–86, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Molecular Characterization of Reticuloendotheliosis Virus Insertions in the Genome of Field and Vaccine Strains of Fowl Poxvirus

Abstract Evidence of the widespread occurrence of reticuloendotheliosis virus (REV) sequence insertions in fowl poxvirus (FPV) genome of field isolates and vaccine strains has increased in recent years. However, only those strains carrying a near intact REV provirus are more likely to cause problems in the field. Detection of the intact provirus or REV protein expression from FPV stocks has proven to be technically difficult. The objective of the present study was to evaluate current and newly developed REV and FPV polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays to detect the presence of REV provirus in FPV samples. The second objective was to characterize REV insertions among recent “variant” FPV field isolates and vaccine strains. With REV, FPV, and heterologous REV-FPV primers, five FPV field isolates and four commercial vaccines were analyzed by PCR and nucleotide sequence analysis. Intact and truncated REV 5′ long terminal repeat (LTR) sequences were detected in all FPV field isolates and vaccine strains, indicating heterogeneous REV genome populations. However only truncated 3′ LTR and envelope sequences were detected among field isolates and in one vaccine strain. Amplifications of the REV envelope and 3′ LTR provided strong evidence to indicate that these isolates carry a near intact REV genome. Three of the four FPV vaccine strains analyzed carried a solo complete or truncated 5′ LTR sequence, indicating that intact REV provirus was not present. Comparison of PCR assays indicated that assays amplifying REV envelope and REV 3′ LTR sequences provided a more accurate assessment of REV provirus than PCR assays that amplify the REV 5′ LTR region. Therefore, to differentiate FPV strains that carry intact REV provirus from those that carry solo 5′ LTR sequences, positive PCR results with primers that amplify the 5′ LTR should be confirmed with more specific PCR assays, such as the envelope, or the REV 3′ LTR PCR.
Tetanus: a retrospective study of clinical presentations and outcomes in a medical teaching hospital.

BACKGROUND Tetanus has been a serious infectious disease with high mortality and morbidity. Some clinical factors can predict its severity. OBJECTIVE Survey the clinical profiles, their correlation with the severity of tetanus and the final outcomes after treatment. MATERIAL AND METHOD A retrospective study of the medical records of patients with tetanus who attended Songklanagarind hospital between January 1982 and June 2008 was done. The correlation between clinical profiles and severity was analyzed by Fisher exact test to detect the significant correlation (p < 0.05). RESULTS Forty-seven cases of tetanus, composed of 36 male and 11 female patients, were reviewed. The mean age of onset was 45.5 years (SD = 19.6 years). Generalized tetanus was the most common form found (91.4%). History of injury or wound was reported in 80.8%. Age over sixty, puncture wound, onset time of less than seven days, and generalized tetanus, significantly correlated with clinical severity. Only two cases died, but the rest of the cases had residual muscle rigidity after treatment. CONCLUSION The overall clinical features of tetanus and their correlation with the disease severity were presented. Unlike in the past, patients with tetanus can now be reversible under appropriate intensive critical care.
Development of Idioms in Meaning

The development of idioms in meaning is not the same as that of words. Apart from the enlargement and narrowness widely mentioned, the idiom meaning also sees the transfer in applicable scope and the change in affective meaning, which is decided by the nature of idioms. The article aims at providing a full analysis of the development of idioms in meaning.
Stimulation of Alpha7 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Attenuates Nicotine-Induced Upregulation of MMP, MCP-1, and RANTES through Modulating ERK1/2/AP-1 Signaling Pathway in RAW264.7 and MOVAS Cells

Vagus nerve stimulation through alpha7 nicotine acetylcholine receptors (α7-nAChR) signaling had been demonstrated attenuation of inflammation. This study aimed to determine whether PNU-282987, a selective α7-nAChR agonist, affected activities of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) and inflammatory cytokines in nicotine-treatment RAW264.7 and MOVAS cells and to assess the underlying molecular mechanisms. RAW264.7 and MOVAS cells were treated with nicotine at different concentrations (0, 1, 10, and 100 ng/ml) for 0–120 min. Nicotine markedly stimulated the phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase1/2 (ERK1/2) and c-Jun in RAW264.7 cells. Pretreatment with U0126 significantly suppressed phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and further attenuated nicotine-induced activation of c-Jun and upregulation of MMP-2, MMP-9, monocyte chemotactic protein- (MCP-) 1, and regulated upon activation normal T cell expressed and secreted (RANTES). Similarly, nicotine treatment also increased phosphorylation of c-Jun and expressions of MMP-2, MMP-9, MCP-1, and RANTES in MOVAS cells. When cells were pretreated with PNU-282987, nicotine-induced activations of ERK1/2 and c-Jun in RAW264.7 cells and c-Jun in MOVAS cells were effectively inhibited. Furthermore, nicotine-induced secretions of MMP-2, MMP-9, MCP-1, and RANTES were remarkably downregulated. Treatment with α7-nAChR agonist inhibits nicotine-induced upregulation of MMP and inflammatory cytokines through modulating ERK1/2/AP-1 signaling in RAW264.7 cells and AP-1 in MOVAS cells, providing a new therapeutic for abdominal aortic aneurysm.
Chromaffin Cell F-actin Disassembly and Potentiation of Catecholamine Release in Response to Protein Kinase C Activation by Phorbol Esters Is Mediated through Myristoylated Alanine-rich C Kinase Substrate Phosphorylation*

The large majority of chromaffin vesicles are excluded from the plasma membrane by a cortical F-actin network. Treatment of chromaffin cells with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate produces disassembly of cortical F-actin, increasing the number of vesicles at release sites (Vitale, M. L., Seward, E. P., and Trifaró, J. M. (1995) Neuron 14, 353–363). Here, we provide evidence for involvement of myristoylated alanine-rich protein kinase C substrate (MARCKS), a protein kinase C substrate, in chromaffin cell secretion. MARCKS binds and cross-links F-actin, the latter is inhibited by protein kinase C-induced MARCKS phosphorylation. MARCKS was found in chromaffin cells by immunoblotting. MARCKS was also detected by immunoprecipitation. In intact or permeabilized cells MARCKS phosphorylation increased upon stimulation with 10−7 m phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate. This was accompanied by cortical F-actin disassembly and potentiation of secretion. MARCKS phosphorylation, cortical F-actin disassembly, and potentiation of Ca2+-evoked secretion were inhibited by a peptide (MARCKS phosphorylation site domain sequence (MPSD)) with amino acid sequence corresponding to MARCKS phosphorylation site. MPSD was phosphorylated in the process. A similar peptide (alanine-substituted phosphorylated site domain) with four serine residues of MPSD substituted by alanines was ineffective. These results provide the first evidence for MARCKS involvement in chromaffin cell secretion and suggest that regulation of cortical F-actin cross-linking might be involved in this process.
On the online shortest path problem with limited arc cost dependencies

This paper is concerned with the stochastic shortest path problem with recourse when limited forms of spatial and temporal arc cost dependencies are accounted for. Recourse is defined as the opportunity for a decision maker to reevaluate his or her remaining path when en‐route information is available. Formulations with recourse typically provide opportunities for corrective actions when information becomes available; information here is modeled as arc cost dependencies, defined as spatial and temporal. System properties are stated and proved and solution algorithms are developed for limited cases of spatial and temporal arc cost dependencies. The numerical results verify some of the theoretical insights and demonstrate the applicability of the introduced algorithms. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The Governance of British Higher Education: The Struggle for Policy Control

How has the system of governance changed? Do British higher education institutions still exercise autonomous control over their development as was widely believed to be the case but a few years ago? These questions are pursued through a three-pronged strategy. Firstly, to examine the institutional changes which have occurred since the 1988 Education Reform and the emergence of the funding council model of governance. In particular, we want to know how the various institutional actors - the higher education institutions, the government departments and the funding councils - interact with one another to shape policy outcomes. Secondly, to explore the political context within which these institutional actors have to work. This means examining the role of the political parties, policy networks and the parliamentary forces all of which have a major stake in influencing the direction of higher education policy. This section of the book incorporates the move towards political devolution in the United Kingdom and examines what is different, and what is similar, about higher education policy-making in Scotland and Wales in comparison to England.Thirdly, the book observes the process of policy-making and change in relation to critical issues: the funding of higher education, the research assessment exercises, the quality assurance regime, and the widening participation agenda. In effect it examines policy-making in action. (c) Copyright 2006, Book Data Limited,UK Table of Contents From the contents:Acknowledgements. - Part One: Understanding Change and Interpreting Modes of Governance. - Part Two: Shaping Policy. - Part Three: The Politics of Higher Education in Action. - Part Four: Institutional Autonomy in the Age of Mass Higher Education. - Acronyms. - References. - Index.
The impact of occupational stress factors on temporary work disability related to arterial hypertension and its complications

Aim. To determine which specific groups of occupational stress factors influence the duration of temporary work disability related to arterial hypertension and joint complications/co-morbidities. Methodology. Workers (n = 1398; 1009 in the exposed group, 389 in the control group) with arterial hypertension who worked at one workplace for a minimum of 10 years were divided into 10 subgroups, depending on the presence of joint complications/co-morbidities. The intensity of seven groups of occupational stress factors, the total score of Occupational Stress Index (OSI) and the average number of lost working days during 1 year were analysed. Results. The number of lost working days due to arterial hypertension and joint complications/co-morbidities was significantly higher in the exposed group. In all subgroups of the exposed group there was a high correlation between the number of lost working days and the total OSI score. Specific occupational stress factors were associated with specific complications: High Demands with chronic myocardial infarction, Strictness with cerebral haemorrhage, Conflict/Uncertainty with cerebral infarction, Extrinsic Time Pressure with acute myocardial infarction, and Avoidance/Symbolic Aversiveness with non-insulin-dependent diabetes. Conclusion. There are specific groups of occupational stress factors which can influence the duration of work disability associated with certain complications and co-morbidities of arterial hypertension.
Involvement of dynorphin A and not substance P in the spinal antianalgesic action of capsaicin against morphine-induced antinociception in mice.

In previous publications we proposed that dynorphin A (1-17) (Dyn) functions as an antianalgesic agent in the spinal cord of mice. Whether endogenously released or administered directly to the spinal cord, this antianalgesic action attenuates the antinociceptive effect of morphine (Mor) in the mouse tail-flick test. Because this action of Dyn in the spinal cord appeared to be congruous with the function of substance P (SP), experiments were designed to compare the actions of the two on Mor-induced antinociception. Inhibition of the tail-flick response induced by i.c. v. administration of Mor was attenuated by intrathecal (i.t.) administration of SP or Dyn. This antianalgesic effect of Dyn (5 fmol) but not SP (74 pmol) was antagonized by naloxone and nor-binaltorphimine administered i.t. Capsaicin (Cap) i.t. at a 0.1-microgram dose, like SP and Dyn, antagonized the antinociceptive effect of Mor given i.c. v. Excellent evidence exists to indicate that, in rats, Cap (30-70 micrograms i.t.) releases SP in the spinal cord and that Mor inhibits this release. Present experiments indicated, however, that i.t. administration of low doses of Cap (0.05-0.5 microgram) in mice preferentially released Dyn and not SP as based on the following results. 1) The antianalgesic action of Cap i.t. against Mor i.c. v. was antagonized by naloxone and nor-binaltorphimine i.t. as was Dyn i.t. (but not SP i.t.). 2) A SP antagonist, (D-Pro2, D-Phe7, D-Trp9)-SP, did not reverse the effect of Cap or Dyn given i.t. , even though it antagonized the effect of SP. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Comprehensive Optimization of Parametric Kernels for Graphics Processing Units

This work deals with the optimization of computer programs targeting Graphics Processing Units (GPUs). The goal is to lift, from programmers to optimizing compilers, the heavy burden of determining program details that are dependent on the hardware characteristics. The expected benefit is to improve robustness, portability and efficiency of the generated computer programs. We address these requirements by: (1) treating machine and program parameters as unknown symbols during code generation, and (2) generating optimized programs in the form of a case discussion, based on the possible values of the machine and program parameters. By taking advantage of recent advances in the area of computer algebra, preliminary experimentation yield promising results.
Interaction of Pseudomonas solanacearum with Suspension-Cultured Tobacco Cells and Tobacco Leaf Cell Walls In Vitro

Attachment of radiolabeled Pseudomonas solanacearum cells to suspension-cultured tobacco cells and tobacco leaf cell walls was measured in vitro by a filtration technique that allowed separation of attached and unattached bacteria. An avirulent strain (B1) attached more rapidly to suspension-cultured cells than did the virulent parent strain (K60), and B1 attachment was less sensitive to inhibition by high ionic strength than was K60. Attachment of B1 bacteria to suspension-cultured cells and to leaf cell walls was comparable (50 to 70%), but only a small proportion (10 to 20%) of K60 bacteria attached to leaf cell walls under optimal conditions. With high bacterial populations (108 bacteria per ml), attachment of K60 to suspension-cultured cells was greatly reduced. Attachment of both strains was completely inhibited by pretreating bacterial cells with heat (41°C) or azide and was partially inhibited by EDTA and kanamycin. The mechanism of attachment is not known, but ionic forces may be involved.
Selective genetic analysis of myoma pseudocapsule and potential biological impact on uterine fibroid medical therapy

Objective: Mutations in Mediator Complex Subunit 12 (MED12) gene are typical genomic aberrations, commonly detected in a high percentage of uterine leiomyomas (ULs). The aim of this investigation was to define the fibroid or non-tumor origin of uterine leiomyoma pseudocapsule (PC) surrounding fibroids and its possible therapeutic targets in uterine fibroid management. Research design and methods: A non-randomized observational study was performed on 36 women, not subjected to any previous drug treatment, undergoing laparoscopic intracapsular myomectomy. Specimens of myometrium (UM), ULs and corresponding PCs were sampled to analyze MED12 gene status, by direct sequencing of exon 2. Main outcome measures: Defining the status of MED12 gene in PCs associated to ULs harboring mutations. Results: PCs always showed a wild type MED12 gene status, even when associated to a UL harboring a specific MED12 aberration. Conclusions: The wild-type status of MED12 gene in the PCs indicates the non-tumoral origin of this structure: it appears as a protective structure for the healthy tissue that could enhance regenerative mechanisms. The limitations of this study, as the restrained number of patients, will be solved in the future extending the analysis to a larger cohort of women, as tester of such pharmacological treatments on PC.