Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Aminoimidazole carboxamide ribonucleotide ameliorates experimental autoimmune uveitis.

PURPOSE To investigate the anti-inflammatory effect of an adenosine monophosphate (AMP) analog, aminoimidazole carboxamide ribonucleotide (AICAR), in experimental autoimmune uveoretinitis (EAU). METHODS C57BL/6 mice were injected daily with AICAR (200 mg/kg, intraperitoneally [IP]) from day 0, the day of interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein (IRBP) immunization, until day 21. The severity of uveitis was assessed clinically and histopathologically. T-cell proliferation and cytokine production of IFN-γ, IL-17, and IL-10 in response to IRBP stimulation were determined. In addition, regulatory T-cell (Treg) populations were measured. Co-stimulatory molecule expression (CD40, 80, 86, and I-Ab) on dendritic cells (DCs) in EAU and on bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (BMDCs) treated with AICAR was measured. RESULTS AICAR treatment significantly reduced clinical and histologic severity of EAU as well as ocular cytokine production. An anti-inflammatory effect associated with the inhibition of T-cell proliferation and Th1 and Th17 cytokine production was observed. Increases in the Th2 response and Treg population were not observed with AICAR treatment. AICAR did significantly inhibit BMDC maturation by reducing co-stimulatory molecule expression. CONCLUSIONS AICAR attenuates EAU by preventing generation of Ag-specific Th1 and Th17 cells. Impaired DC maturation may be an underlying mechanism for this anti-inflammatory effect observed with AICAR.
[Family-based behavioral treatment for obese children - results and two year follow up].

INTRODUCTION Childhood obesity has become a worldwide epidemic and Icelandic children have not been exempt from increasing rates of obesity. Epstein´s family-based behavioral treatment for childhood obesity has demonstrated favorable outcomes in research settings, but research in clinical settings has been called for. The objective of this study was to replicate and confirm the effects observed in the US research setting. MATERIAL AND METHODS Participants were 84 obese children (age-range: 8-13 years) and a participating parent. Sixty-one families completed a 12 week treatment lasting 18 weeks, and were followed for one and two years post-treatment. Measurements at baseline and end of treatment included height and weight, daily activity, daily fruit and vegetable consumption, blood pressure, blood profiles and measures of psychological well-being. Measurements also included parental height, weight and depression scores. RESULTS Among treatment completers BMI-SDS (body-mass index standard deviation score) decreased significantly from pre- to post- treatment (F(2.60)=110.31, p<0.001) which was maintained at one-year (F(2.60)=1.33, p=0.253) and two-years (F(2.60)= 3,19, p=0.079) post treatment. There was a significant reduction in blood pressure (upper: t(59)=-2.01, p<0.05, lower: t(59)=-4.00, p<0.001). Among a subsample (n=23) of participants, significant reductions were observed in fasting insulin levels, (t(22)=6.1, p<0.05), triglycerides (t(22)=0.31, p<0.05) and total cholesterol (t(22)=0.35, p<0.05). Significant improvements were observed for measures of psychological well-being (depressive symptoms: (F(1.59)=6.67, p<0.05); anxiety: (F(1,57)= 4.54, p%lt;0.05) and children´s self-concept (F(1.59)=19.2, p<0.001). A significant reduction was observed in parental BMI scores from pre- to post- treatment (F(1.59)= 71.54, p%lt;0.001) but a significant increase was evident at one year post-treatment (F(1.59)=41.87, p%lt;0.001). Improvements were observed for measures of parental depression from pre- to post- treatment (F(1.60)= 12.93, p<0.01). CONCLUSION Epstein´s family-based behavioural treatment showed promising effects on weight status, and emotional as well as physical markers, both in the short and long term in a clinical sample of obese Icelandic children.
East Timor in Transition: Health and Health Care

East Timor was liberated from 400 years of conquest and exploitation in an armed struggle that ended, in September 1999, in a conflagration that destroyed its social and physical infrastructures. For two years the territory has been under United Nations administration. Political conditions remain unstable as the result of many intrinsic and external factors. Its economy continues to depend upon infusions of funds from multilateral, bilateral, and private sources. Efforts by expatriates to introduce Euro-American cultural and technical models have been applied to the factors that determine health, with modest results. East Timor expects to be totally independent of foreign control early in 2002. Its future health will depend upon continuing collaboration between international and local leadership in evolving effective government, economy, and health services designed, managed, and executed by Timorese.
Evidence Relating Dietary Sodium to Cardiovascular Disease

The expectation that dietary sodium intake might influence cardiovascular disease occurrence has been based upon its impact on blood pressure (BP). Solid experimental data confirms the ability of large (75–100 mmols/24 hours) changes in dietary sodium to reduce pressure by, on average, mid-low single digits. However, there is substantial inter-individual variation in BP response. In addition, sodium restriction generates other, sometimes undesirable effects, including increased insulin resistance, activation of the renin-angiotensin system, and increased sympathetic nerve activity. The health effects of salt restriction are, therefore, the sum of these recognized, and probably other unrecognized, intermediate effects. Ideally, salt restriction would be tested in a randomized clinical trial. In its absence, there are 9 observational studies linking baseline sodium intake, estimated by either 24 hour urine or dietary intake, to morbidity and mortality. The results have been inconsistent. The only study in hypertensive patients, there was an inverse relation of sodium to cardiovascular outcome. In a Japanese study, stroke incidence was increased among males with the highest salt intake. Two studies found a direct relation of sodium intake to cardiovascular mortality in an obese minority of the group studied. Taken together, these results suggest, not surprisingly given the genetic, behavioral, and environmental variety of humankind, that heterogeneity best describes the relation of sodium intake to cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. In short, the available data provides no support for any universal recommendation of a particular level of dietary sodium.
The Cholera Toxin B Subunit Directly Costimulates Antigen‐Primed CD4+ T Cells Ex Vivo

The nontoxic B subunit of cholera toxin (CTB) has been used as an adjuvant in experimental systems of mucosal vaccination. However, the mechanisms behind its adjuvant effects remain unclear. Here, we have used an ex vivo system to elucidate these mechanisms in antigen‐specific T cells. Using splenocytes from keyhole limpet haemocyanin (KLH)‐immunized mice, initial experiments showed that recombinant CTB (rCTB) did not affect the KLH‐specific proliferation of splenocytes isolated from mice immunized 2 weeks earlier. However, rCTB strongly enhanced the KLH‐specific proliferation of splenocytes from mice immunized with KLH 4 weeks prior. This adjuvant effect was dose‐dependent, with maximum at 30–300 ng/ml rCTB. At higher doses of CTB this effect declined because of the induction of apoptosis. Using antibody depletion and coculture systems, we show that rCTB directly costimulates KLH‐specific CD4+ and CD8+ T‐cell proliferation but not B cells. Enzyme‐linked immunospot (ELISPOT) assays revealed that rCTB also enhanced the KLH‐specific CD4+ T‐cell‐mediated production of interleukin‐2 (IL‐2), IL‐4 and interferon‐γ(IFN‐γ) by four to fivefold. Characterizing the adjuvant effect of rCTB in vivo confirmed the results above, i.e. rCTB mediated a twofold increase in the ex vivo T‐cell response when used as a classical adjuvant in a secondary, but not in a primary KLH‐immunization regimen. Together these data show that rCTB can act as a strong adjuvant, by directly costimulating antigen‐primed CD4+ and CD8+ T cell in a dose‐dependent manner. This new insight might be valuable in the future rational design of bacterial toxin‐based vaccines.
Effect of Silicon-Based Fertilizer Applications on the Reproduction and Development of the Citrus Mealybug (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) Feeding on Green Coleus

ABSTRACT Mealybugs are major insect pests of greenhouses, interiorscapes, and conservatories because they feed on a wide-range of horticultural crops. Furthermore, mealybugs are difficult to regulate with insecticides due to the presence of a nearly impervious protective waxy covering, which means that alternative management strategies are required. As such, this study, involving two replicated experiments, was designed to determine the value of applying silicon-based fertilizers, as potassium silicate, to coleus, Solenstemon scutellanoides (L.) Codd, plants as a way to prevent outbreaks of the citrus mealybug, Planococcus citri (Risso) (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae). The first experiment evaluated the effects of different application methods (foliar and drench), at 50 ppm silicon, using the commercially-available product, ProTek 0-0-3 The Silicon Solution. The second experiment entailed applying the silicon-based fertilizer as a drench to the growing medium at different rates (0, 100, 400, 800, and 1,600 ppm silicon). We determined the effects of the silicon-based fertilizer treatments on citrus mealybug life history parameters including number of eggs laid by the adult female, body size, and developmental time from first instar to ovipositing adult female. Furthermore, we used a plant alkaline fusion technique to assess the concentration (milligrams per kilogram or ppm) of silicon in the coleus plant tissues at variable time intervals (days). In general, this technique involved dry-ashing plant tissue in a muffle furnace, followed by alkaline fusion and then colormetric analysis. The silicon-based fertilizer application treatments, in both experiments, did not negatively affect any of the citrus mealybug life history parameters measured. In the first experiment, citrus mealybug female egg load ranged from 199.5 (drench application) to 219.4 (combination spray and drench application), and developmental time (days) from first instar crawler to ovipositing female ranged from 34.2 (combination spray and drench application) to 35.7 (drench application). For the second experiment, citrus mealybug female egg load ranged from 223.1 (1,600 ppm silicon) to 249.2 (800 ppm silicon). Developmental time from first-instar crawler to ovipositing female ranged from 35.0 (400 ppm silicon) to 36.6 (800 ppm silicon). Our results indicate that coleus is a silicon “rejector,” and as such, applications of silicon-based fertilizers may not benefit dicot plants such as coleus as much as monocot plants in regards to avoiding insect pest outbreaks because dicots tend not to accumulate sufficient quantities of silicon.
Natural cytotoxic reactivity of mouse lymphoid cells against syngeneic and allogeneic tumors. II. Characterization of effector cells

Studies were performed to characterize the effector cells responsible for natural cytotoxicity of mouse lymphoid cells against a variety of syngeneic and allogeneic tumor lines. Since spleen cells from normal nude mice were found to be highly cytotoxic, they were used for most of these experiments. Only a small proportion of the reactivity was affected by treatment with anti‐θ serum plus complement. Macrophages did not appear to be responsible for the reactivity, since treatment with carbonyl iron/magnet or carrageenan did not affect the levels of cytotoxicity. The effector cells were non‐adherent, since passage over nylon columns resulted in a considerable increase in activity. The active cells did not have receptors for immunoglobulin or complement, since removal of cells with these receptors by columns or monolayers containing sheep erythrocyteantibody (EA) complexes or EA‐complement complexes did not remove activity. Antibody‐dependent cell‐mediated cytotoxicity appeared to be ruled out as the mechanism for natural cytotoxicity, since aggregated gamma globulin and a potent anti‐immunoglobulin reagent did not inhibit reactivity, and since no role for humoral factors could be demonstrated. The natural effector cell was found to be quite labile at 37° C, losing much of its activity after 4 h. Since no surface markers could be detected on the effector cells, and the mechanism for cytotoxicity appeared distinct from others previously described, it is proposed that the natural cytotoxicity against mouse tumor cells is mediated by a unique subpopulation of lymphoid cells, which are tentatively designated N‐cells.
A bidirectional contactless power transfer system with dual-side power flow control

This paper proposed a bidirectional contactless power transfer (CPT) system with controllers at both primary and secondary sides to regulate the power flow. By involving energy feedback mode in the converters of both sides, a backward power flow channel from load to source is achieved which helps pumping out the surplus power from the output filter capacitor to the resonant tank at the secondary side and from the resonant tank to the power supply at the primary side. Furthermore, synchronous rectifying and zero current switching technologies are involved to reducing switching losses. Therefore, with the proposed dual-side control method, rapid regulation and high efficiency can be achieved. Simulation and experimental results show that the output voltage can be controlled to be constant against load variation by regulating the power flow direction dynamically.
Performance of Microfinance Institutions in Europe—Does Social Capital Matter?

Abstract This paper investigates performance drivers of microfinance suppliers in Europe. As such suppliers, in contrast to advanced microfinance suppliers in developing economies, typically focus on uncollateralized microcredit services to individuals at the margins of society and of labor markets, we draw on the theory of social capital and empirically investigate the role that social capital may play in the overall performance of European microfinance suppliers. We build a unique, unbalanced panel data set of 302 microfinance service providers in Europe covering the years 2008–2015, and measure their performance in terms of credit risk, financial and social performance, and efficiency. Pursuing an econometric approach, we test a series of hypotheses using various measures of conditions conducive to building social capital on both the institutional and the country level, such as the client base of a microfinance supplier and the level of cultural fractionalization in a society. Our findings confirm that a higher intensity of social capital is positively associated with all areas of the performance of microfinance suppliers in Europe. Our conclusions could help in the design and launch of microfinance institutions in those European countries in which microfinance markets are developed not at all or only to a very limited extent. Our paper thus contributes to the nascent literature on microfinance in developed economies by applying and extending the theoretical framework and empirical models on social capital and microfinance that were originally elaborated for developing economies.
Carbon footprints of 13 000 cities

While it is understood that cities generate the majority of carbon emissions, for most cities, towns, and rural areas around the world no carbon footprint (CF) has been estimated. The Gridded Global Model of City Footprints (GGMCF) presented here downscales national CFs into a 250 m gridded model using data on population, purchasing power, and existing subnational CF studies from the US, China, EU, and Japan. Studies have shown that CFs are highly concentrated by income, with the top decile of earners driving 30%–45% of emissions. Even allowing for significant modeling uncertainties, we find that emissions are similarly concentrated in a small number of cities. The highest emitting 100 urban areas (defined as contiguous population clusters) account for 18% of the global carbon footprint. While many of the cities with the highest footprints are in countries with high carbon footprints, nearly one quarter of the top cities (41 of the top 200) are in countries with relatively low emissions. In these cities population and affluence combine to drive footprints at a scale similar to those of cities in high-income countries. We conclude that concerted action by a limited number of local governments can have a disproportionate impact on global emissions.
Members of the LATERAL ORGAN BOUNDARIES DOMAIN Transcription Factor Family Are Involved in the Regulation of Secondary Growth in Populus[W]

This work reports the isolation and characterization of a novel gene of the LBD family of transcription factors, which regulates phloem development during secondary woody growth of a poplar tree. This discovery reveals a novel regulatory step that directs secondary woody growth and is likely mediated through auxin signaling and suppression of meristem and/or activation of phloem identity genes. Regulation of secondary (woody) growth is of substantial economic and environmental interest but is poorly understood. We identified and subsequently characterized an activation-tagged poplar (Populus tremula × Populus alba) mutant with enhanced woody growth and changes in bark texture caused primarily by increased secondary phloem production. Molecular characterization of the mutation through positioning of the tag and retransformation experiments shows that the phenotype is conditioned by activation of an uncharacterized gene that encodes a novel member of the LATERAL ORGAN BOUNDARIES DOMAIN (LBD) family of transcription factors. Homology analysis showed highest similarity to an uncharacterized LBD1 gene from Arabidopsis thaliana, and we consequently named it Populus tremula × Populus alba (Pta) LBD1. Dominant-negative suppression of Pta LBD1 via translational fusion with the repressor SRDX domain caused decreased diameter growth and suppressed and highly irregular phloem development. In wild-type plants, LBD1 was most highly expressed in the phloem and cambial zone. Two key Class I KNOTTED1-like homeobox genes that promote meristem identity in the cambium were downregulated, while an Altered Phloem Development gene that is known to promote phloem differentiation was upregulated in the mutant. A set of four LBD genes, including the LBD1 gene, was predominantly expressed in wood-forming tissues, suggesting a broader regulatory role of these transcription factors during secondary woody growth in poplar.
Collateral damage to marine and terrestrial ecosystems from Yankee whaling in the 19th century

Abstract Yankee whalers of the 19th century had major impacts on populations of large whales, but these leviathans were not the only taxa targeted. Here, we describe the “collateral damage,” the opportunistic or targeted taking of nongreat whale species by the American whaling industry. Using data from 5,064 records from 79 whaling logs occurring between 1840 and 1901, we show that Yankee whalers captured 5,255 animals across three large ocean basins from 32 different taxonomic categories, including a wide range of marine and terrestrial species. The taxa with the greatest number of individuals captured were walruses (Odobenus rosmarus), ducks (family Anatidae), and cod (Gadus sp.). By biomass, the most captured species were walruses, grampus (a poorly defined group within Odontoceti), and seals (family Otariidae). The whalers captured over 2.4 million kg of nongreat whale meat equaling approximately 34 kg of meat per ship per day at sea. The species and areas targeted shifted over time in response to overexploitation of whale populations, with likely intensive local impacts on terrestrial species associated with multiyear whaling camps. Our results show that the ecosystem impacts of whaling reverberated on both marine and coastal environments.
The Buen Pastor cemetery in Trujillo, Venezuela: measuring dengue vector output from a public area

As vector control of dengue typically targets individual households to eliminate breeding sites or control adult mosquitoes during epidemics, public spaces are frequently neglected. To investigate the importance of such places as sources of dengue vectors, a study of Aedes aegypti productivity in a cemetery in northern Venezuela, using standard entomological indices for assessing dengue vector infestations, was carried out in the wet season in May 2003. Containers were found on 72.8% of graves; 44% of the containers held water and in 46.9% of these we found A. aegypti larvae and/or pupae. The average density of Aedes‐infested containers was 39 per hectare. There were no significant differences in infestation rates between container types (vases, planters or others) or materials (cement, plastic, glass, etc.). Containers with 1–5 l of water held the greatest proportion of the pupae found in the cemetery (46.7%); containers with <100 ml of water contained no pupae. The mean number of pupae produced in the cemetery was estimated at 4185 pupae/ha per 48 h and the daily output of potential vector mosquitoes from the entire cemetery was calculated at approximately 3000 females per day. These mosquitoes presumably left the cemetery to feed in the nearby communities, thus thwarting the environmental management and health education programmes that had reduced household dengue vector infestations. The study shows the importance of public places as sources of dengue vectors in urban areas, and the need to include such areas in vector control programmes.
Increasing prevalence of allergic rhinitis symptoms in an adult Danish population

There is evidence that the prevalence of respiratory allergy is increasing. This is mainly based on studies in children and young adults. The aim of the study was to compare the prevalences of self‐reported symptoms of respiratory allergy among Danish adults in two surveys 8 years apart. Identical questionnaires were mailed to two random general population samples in 1989 and 1997. The response rates were 86.1% (n=3603) and 86.4% (n=817), respectively. The sampling frame and sampling method were identical in both surveys. The changes in the prevalences of symptoms were expressed by sex‐ and age‐adjusted odds ratios comparing 1997 to 1989. We found a significant increase in the prevalence of seasonal rhinitis symptoms (OR=1.6, 95% CI 1.4–1.9), rhinitis symptoms on exposure to pollen (OR=1.6, 95% CI 1.4–1.9), rhinitis symptoms on exposure to furry animals (odds ratio 1.6, 95% CI 1.3–2.0), rhinitis symptoms on exposure to house dust (OR=1.3, 95% CI 1.1–1.6), and breathlessness on exposure to pollen (OR=1.5, 95% CI 1.0–2.0). The observed increases were independent of sex and age. The questionnaire was validated in relation to allergen skin test reactivity in a subgroup of the responders to the 1989 survey. When the estimated associations between symptoms and skin test reactivity were considered, the results suggested an increase in allergy to pollen and animal dander. In conclusion, we found evidence of increased prevalence of allergic rhinitis symptoms associated with skin test reactivity.