Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Engaging teachers in an eating disorder preventive intervention.

OBJECTIVE This study evaluated the effectiveness at 1-year follow-up of a psychoeducational eating disorders preventive intervention implemented by specifically trained teachers. METHOD Participating teachers participated in a 5-week training program. One hundred forty-one female students attending nine classes at a vocational training school in Mestre (Venice) were assessed via a structured clinical interview (Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I disorders) and via the 40-item Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-40). Three classes were randomly selected to participate in a 6-week prevention program conducted by the trained teachers. RESULTS Our data show that a disturbing number of the girls who were asymptomatic at baseline had developed a full or partial eating disorder 1 year later. This was the case for 2 (5%) participants and 10 (11%) subjects in the control group. Subjects in the prevention group differed significantly from the control group at the 1-year follow-up. This was the case for their EAT Bulimia subscale scores, which showed a significant improvement. The intervention group also revealed a lower development of food restraint and pathologic body attitudes. DISCUSSION Given the sample size, our findings must be considered cautiously. However, they suggest that students can benefit from participation in a preventive intervention program conducted by teachers, and the benefits appear to be particularly pronounced for bulimic symptoms.
A role for microtubules in endothelial cell protrusion in three‐dimensional matrices

Most cells reside in vivo in a three‐dimensional (3D) environment surrounded by extracellular matrix and other neighbouring cells, conditions that are different from those found by cells cultured in vitro on two‐dimensional (2D) substrata. Cell morphology and behaviour are very different under these two different conditions, but the structural basis for these differences is still not understood, especially the role of microtubules (MTs). To address this issue, we studied the early spreading behaviour of bovine aortic endothelial cells (BAECs) cultured in 3D collagen matrices and on 2D substrata, in the presence of MT‐disrupting drugs.
Temporally and spatially regulated expression of a candidate G-protein-coupled receptor during cerebral cortical development.

Genes expressed in layer-specific patterns in the mammalian cerebral cortex may play a role in specifying the identity of different cortical layers. Using PCR-differential display, we identified a cDNA that encodes rCNL3, a gene cloned previously by sequence homology to G-protein-coupled receptors. rCNL3 is expressed predominantly in layers 2-4 of the young rat cortex and in the developing and adult striatum. Cortical expression of rCNL3 begins postnatally at P3 and continues at high levels until around P15, while striatal expression begins at E20 and continues through adulthood. rCNL3 expression is not detectable in the ventricular zone precursors that generate the neurons of layers 2-4. The expression pattern of rCNL3 in the developing cortex suggests that rCNL3 is not involved in the initial specification of laminar fate, but rather may be involved with later differentiation events within the superficial cortical layers.
The Effect of Hemispheric Synchronization on Intraoperative Analgesia

In this double-blinded randomized study, we sought to confirm that patients undergoing general anesthesia who were exposed to a hemispheric synchronization (Hemi-Sync) musical recording during surgery had a smaller analgesia requirement, as was suggested in a previous study. Bispectral index monitoring was used to adjust depth of hypnosis, and hemodynamic variables were used to determine analgesia administration. Consented patients underwent either laparoscopic bariatric or one-level lumbar disk surgery. After endotracheal intubation and application of headphones, baseline heart rate and arterial blood pressure were established. Isoflurane was titrated to maintain sedation on the basis of a target bispectral index range of 40–60, and 25-&mgr;g increments of fentanyl were administered in response to increases in heart rate and systolic arterial blood pressure. Bariatric patients who listened to Hemi-Sync required one-third less fentanyl than the control group (mean [SD]: 0.015 [0.01] vs 0.024 &mgr;g · kg−1 · min−1 [0.01]) (P = 0.009). It is interesting to note that lumbar patients in the experimental and control groups required similar amounts of fentanyl (0.012 [0.01] vs 0.015 &mgr;g · kg−1 · min−1 [0.01]). End-tidal isoflurane concentration was similar for Hemi-Sync and blank-tape patients (bariatric, 0.74% (0.14) vs 0.77% (0.21); lumbar, 0.36% [0.16] vs 0.39% [0.12]). The bariatric patients in this study demonstrated that Hemi-Sync may be an innovative intraoperative supplement to analgesia.
Emergence of Group A Streptococcus Strains with Different Mechanisms of Macrolide Resistance

ABSTRACT The mechanisms of resistance to macrolides in seven group A streptococcal (Streptococcus pyogenes) isolates that were the cause of pharyngitis in children who were unsuccessfully treated with azithromycin (10 mg/kg of body weight/day for 3 days) were evaluated. All posttreatment strains were found to be genetically related to the pretreatment isolates by random amplified polymorphism DNA analysis and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. Two isolates had acquired either a mef(A) or an erm(B) gene, responsible for macrolide efflux and ribosomal modification, respectively. Three isolates displayed mutations in the gene encoding the L4 ribosomal protein that is part of the exit tunnel within the 50S subunit of the bacterial ribosome. In the two remaining posttreatment strains, the mechanisms of macrolide resistance could not be elucidated.
Erasure error correction with hardware detection

Error-control coding methods have been the primary method used to protect digital communications from transmission errors. Such codes are well understood and their capabilities for error detection and correction clearly established in the literature. For correction purposes, error location is required; for this reason error-control codes' detection capabilities significantly exceed their correction capabilities. If error location information can be determined and supplied prior to processing by code-checking circuitry, such correction capability can be significantly enhanced in special circumstances. One such circumstance is that of bit "erasures". This work focuses on the use of undefined logic levels (near neither V/sub dd/ nor V/sub ss/) as an erasure detection method. It is shown how the error correction capabilities of error-correction codes of various d/sub min/ are enhanced by pre-detection of erasures. An implementation example is presented: this 9-bit parity-based erasure correction circuit is described; test results of the the fabricated circuit are presented as a comparison with capabilities of a simple parity checker. Specific details of extension to higher-order codes are presented.
The Saccharomyces cerevisiae HSP12 gene is activated by the high-osmolarity glycerol pathway and negatively regulated by protein kinase A

The HSP12 gene encodes one of the two major small heat shock proteins of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Hsp12 accumulates massively in yeast cells exposed to heat shock, osmostress, oxidative stress, and high concentrations of alcohol as well as in early-stationary-phase cells. We have cloned an extended 5'-flanking region of the HSP12 gene in order to identify cis-acting elements involved in regulation of this highly expressed stress gene. A detailed analysis of the HSP12 promoter region revealed that five repeats of the stress-responsive CCCCT motif (stress-responsive element [STRE]) are essential to confer wild-type induced levels on a reporter gene upon osmostress, heat shock, and entry into stationary phase. Disruption of the HOG1 and PBS2 genes leads to a dramatic decrease of the HSP12 inducibility in osmostressed cells, whereas overproduction of Hog1 produces a fivefold increase in wild-type induced levels upon a shift to a high salt concentration. On the other hand, mutations resulting in high protein kinase A (PKA) activity reduce or abolish the accumulation of the HSP12 mRNA in stressed cells. Conversely, mutants containing defective PKA catalytic subunits exhibit high basal levels of HSP12 mRNA. Taken together, these results suggest that HSP12 is a target of the high-osmolarity glycerol (HOG) response pathway under negative control of the Ras-PKA pathway. Furthermore, they confirm earlier observations that STRE-like sequences are responsive to a broad range of stresses and that the HOG and Ras-PKA pathways have antagonistic effects upon CCCCT-driven transcription.
A Role for Information Technology in the Japanese Economy: A CGE Analysis

In this paper we investigate the system-wide impact of e-commerce in Japan using a computable general equilibrium model developed for 1995. E-commerce improves the efficiency of marketing and reduces the cost of marketing, typically referred as emarketing marginsf in the literature. The extent of impact of e-commerce on the economy has not been analyzed adequately. This paper is one of the earlier analyses on estimating implications of information technology on Japanese economy. The e-commerce affects the economy in two ways by reducing the cost through B-to-B and B-to-C transactions. An estimate from Mitsubishi Research Institute (MRI) of the reduction in the price due to the penetration of e-commerce in different sectors in Japan indicates a possible price reduction ranging from 14.2% in automobile to 6.59% in machine equipment and so on. Our CGE model simulates the penetration of e-commerce in the Japanese economy, which may reduce the market margins through direct selling on the Internet or the like. The results, overall, indicate that e-commerce has positive welfare benefits for consumers and also it leads to structural changes in the economy.
Peasant balances and agroecological scaling in Puerto Rican coffee farming

ABSTRACT This paper examines the relationship between agroecological scaling and the agrarian question, based on Puerto Rico’s contradictory agricultural and demographic tendencies in the aftermath of Hurricanes Irma and Maria. We find that labor-based intensification, literally rebuilding and recovering the diversity of farms devastated by the hurricanes, is a necessary step toward scaling out agroecology in Puerto Rico. The rebuilding of farms requires both ample manual labor and accumulated local knowledge, two elements which are difficult to bring together in Puerto Rico due to a complex interplay of historical and social factors. Decades of public policy based on the belief that the small farmer is not essential to Puerto Rico have produced a series of obstacles for farmers who wish to recover their farms. The peasant economy, a field of study that recognizes peasant farmers as capable subjects of their own historical resistance – within and against economies of empire – can be a powerful tool in the effort to recover local food systems and (re)create a vibrant small farmer sector. Here, we explore peasant balances, a capacity to aggregate daily farm management decisions into coherent, multifunctional economic strategies that allow for dynamic responses to changing environmental, social and market conditions, and how these balances relate to Puerto Rican coffee farmers’ capacity to stay on the land and transition toward agroecological production. Fieldwork included qualitative interviews with leaders of small farmers’ organizations, Puerto Rican government officials and farmers in the mountainous central region between August 2017 and March 2018.
Synthesis and Cleavage of Influenza Virus Proteins

The NWS strain of influenza virus grows rapidly in and kills the MDCK dog kidney cell strain. Within 1 to 2 hr, the virus inhibits host cell protein synthesis and for 3 to 4 hr more it directs the synthesis of influenza virus proteins at a rate about twice that of uninfected cell synthesis. The rates of virus ribonucleic acid (RNA) and protein synthesis reach a maximum within the first few hours after infection and then drop. Plaque assays exhibit a linear dose-response, indicating that only one virion is necessary for productive infection. We have confirmed earlier reports regarding the fragmented nature of the RNA genome of purified influenza virions. However, high resolution gel electrophoresis indicated that each size class of viral RNA is heterogenous, so that there are at least 10 and probably more fragment sizes of RNA in these virions. Repeated attempts to detect infectivity in preparations of extracted viral RNA were completely negative (over a 108-fold loss of infectivity after extraction). Even infection of the “infectious” RNA-treated cells with intact, related, influenza viruses failed to support infectivity of the isolated RNA or to rescue a host range genetic marker of the RNA. Purified influenza virions exhibit only three major protein peaks based on separation according to molecular weights. These three major virion proteins are the only major virion proteins synthesized in infected cells. This is true throughout the infectious cycle from several hours after infection until the cells are dying. However, the molecular weight of these virion proteins differs slightly depending upon the cell type in which the virus is grown. No host membrane proteins are incorporated into the virions as they bud through the cell membrane. Pulse-chase labeling early after infection or prolonged chase experiments indicate that influenza virus proteins are cleaved from one or more precursor polypeptides. In fact, each of the three major peaks seems to be a heterogeneous mixture of polypeptides in various stages of cleavage. Peptide analysis confirms that the three major peaks share common peptides, but the exact precursor product relationships are not clear. There may be one or several precursor proteins. Also there could be overlapping messenger RNA molecules of varying length giving rise to polypeptides of various sizes and overlapping sequences. Late in infection, amino acid labeling shows a preponderance of internal nucleocapsid protein synthesis, indicating that either this protein is much more stable to cleavage in infection or it is made from a more stable messenger. There is no obvious relationship between virion RNA fragments and viral protein sizes, so these fragments may be artifacts.
A note on the normative content of the Atkinson inequality aversion parameter

The aim of the note is to parametrize necessary and sufficient conditions for the Atkinson social welfare functions to satisfy proportional transfer principles. These social welfare functions satisfy the proportional ex post transfer principle if, and only if, the inequality aversion parameter is no smaller than 1. Moreover, these social welfare functions satisfy the proportional transfer principle if, and only if, the inequality aversion parameter is greater than 2. The results are illustrated with French data.
Long-term patient survival in ANCA-associated vasculitis

Background Wegener's granulomatosis and microscopic polyangiitis are antineutrophil cytoplasm antibodies (ANCA)-associated vasculitides with significant morbidity and mortality. The long-term survival of patients with ANCA associated vasculitis treated with current regimens is uncertain. Objective To describe the long-term patient survival and possible prognostic factors at presentation in an international, multicentre, prospectively recruited representative patient cohort who were treated according to strictly defined protocols at presentation and included the full spectrum of ANCA-associated vasculitis disease. Methods Outcome data were collected for 535 patients who had been recruited at the time of diagnosis to four randomised controlled trials between 1995 and 2002. Trial eligibility was defined by disease severity and extent, covered the spectrum of severity of ANCA-associated vasculitis and used consistent diagnostic criteria. Demographic, clinical and laboratory parameters at trial entry were tested as potential prognostic factors in multivariable models. Results The median duration of follow-up was 5.2 years and 133 (25%) deaths were recorded. Compared with an age- and sex-matched general population there was a mortality ratio of 2.6 (95% CI 2.2 to 3.1). Main causes of death within the first year were infection (48%) and active vasculitis (19%). After the first year the major causes of death were cardiovascular disease (26%), malignancy (22%) and infection (20%). Multivariable analysis showed an estimated glomerular filtration rate <15 ml/min, advancing age, higher Birmingham Vasculitis Activity Score, lower haemoglobin and higher white cell count were significant negative prognostic factors for patient survival. Conclusion Patients with ANCA-associated vasculitis treated with conventional regimens are at increased risk of death compared with an age- and sex-matched population.
The bone marrow hematopoietic microenvironment is impaired in iron‐overloaded mice

Increasing numbers of reports have described hematopoietic improvement after iron chelation therapy in iron‐overloaded patients. These observations indicate that excess iron could affect hematopoiesis unfavorably. To investigate how excess iron affects hematopoiesis in vivo, we generated iron‐overloaded mice and examined hematopoietic parameters in these mice.
Phosphorylation of a Vesicular Monoamine Transporter by Casein Kinase II*

The vesicular monoamine transporters (VMATs) package monoamine neurotransmitters into secretory vesicles for regulated exocytotic release. One isoform occurs in the adrenal gland (VMAT1) and another in the brain (VMAT2). To assess their potential for regulation, we have investigated the phosphorylation of the VMATs. Using heterologous expression in Chinese hamster ovary, PC12, and COS cells, we find that rat VMAT2, but not VMAT1, is constitutively phosphorylated. Phosphoamino acid analysis indicates that this phosphorylation occurs on serine residues, and the analysis of VMAT1-VMAT2 chimeras and site-directed mutagenesis localize the phosphorylation sites to serines 512 and 514 at the carboxyl terminus of VMAT2. Since these residues occur in an acidic region, we tested the ability of the acidotropic kinases casein kinase I (CKI) and casein kinase II (CKII) to phosphorylate bacterial fusion proteins containing the carboxyl terminus of VMAT2. Purified CKI and CKII phosphorylate the wild-type carboxyl terminus of VMAT2, but not a double mutant with both serines 512 and 514 replaced by alanine. The protein kinase inhibitor CKI-7 and unlabeled GTP both block in vitro phosphorylation by cell homogenates, indicating a role for CKII and possibly CKI in vivo Both kinases phosphorylate the VMAT2 fusion protein to a much greater extent than a similar fusion protein containing the carboxyl terminus of VMAT1, consistent with differential phosphorylation of the two transporters observed in intact cells. These results provide the first demonstration of phosphorylation of a vesicular neurotransmitter transporter and a potential mechanism for differential regulation of the two VMATs.
Ascorbic acid might play a role in the sclerotial differentiation of Sclerotium rolfsii

Certain phytopathogenic fungi differentiate by forming sclerotia by an unclear biochemical mechanism. We have proposed that sclerotial differentiation might be regulated by fungal antioxidant defense. Part of this defense might be ascorbic acid, which in its reduced form is a well-known antioxidant. This natural antioxidant was studied in Sclerotium rolfsii in relation to oxidative-growth conditions, developmental stages and strain-differentiating ability. The transition of a sclerotial strain from the undifferentiated to the differentiated stage was accompanied by a sharp shift in the ratio of reduced/oxidized ascorbate toward the oxidized form. Ascorbate profiles and lipid peroxidation levels were different between the sclerotial strain grown under high- and low-oxidative stress conditions, as well as between a nonsclerotial S. rolfsii strain grown under high-oxidative stress conditions. In addition, the ratio of reduced/oxidized ascorbate in the nonsclerotial strain remained unchanged throughout growth. Lipid peroxidation under high-oxidative stress conditions in sclerotial S. rolfsii colonies one day before differentiation was 3.6-fold higher than in same-day colonies of this strain grown under low-oxidative stress conditions and 2.5-fold higher than in similar-day colonies of the nonsclerotial strain grown under high-oxidative stress conditions. Exogenous ascorbate caused a concentration-dependent reduction of lipid peroxidation and a proportional inhibition of the degree of sclerotial differentiation in the sclerotial strain grown under high-oxidative stress conditions by lowering its lipid peroxidation before differentiation to levels similar to the strain grown under low-oxidative stress conditions and to the nonsclerotial strain. Ascorbic acid might be produced by the sclerotial strain to reduce oxidative stress, although less efficiently than the nondifferenting strain. The data of this study support our theory that oxidative stress might be the triggering factor of sclerotial differentiation in phytopathogenic fungi.
Differences in the amount of lipolysis induced by atrial natriuretic peptide in small and large adipocytes

Atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) is a 28‐amino acid polypeptide that is primarily secreted by the heart. ANP is believed to be a hormone that regulates cardiovascular dynamics and renal functions; however, studies conducted in the past few decades revealed that ANP is also a potent lipolytic agent in human adipocytes that functions through the cGMP‐dependent pathway. In this study, we separated human adipocytes within the same fat depot into small and large fractions using their floating properties and nylon filters of different pore sizes. Real‐time PCR revealed that large adipocytes expressed higher mRNA levels of natriuretic peptide receptor (NPR)‐A and hormone sensitive lipase, and binding studies showed that large adipocytes expressed more NPR‐A on the membrane than small adipocytes. This finding was confirmed by the increase in the amount of glycerol that was released from adipocytes as the cell size increased. Taken together, these results clearly suggest that adipocyte size is an important determinant of ANP‐stimulated lipolysis. Copyright © 2008 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A HIERARCHICAL ANALYSIS OF GENETIC DIFFERENTIATION IN A MONTANE LEAF BEETLE CHRYSOMELA AENEICOLLIS (COLEOPTERA: CHRYSOMELIDAE)

Herbivorous insects that use the same host plants as larvae and adults can have a subdivided population structure that corresponds to the distribution of their hosts. Having a subdivided population structure favors local adaptation of subpopulations to small‐scale environmental differences and it may promote their genetic divergence. In this paper, I present the results of a hierarchical study of population structure in a montane willow leaf beetle, Chrysomela aeneicollis (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae). This species spends its entire life associated with the larval host (Salix spp.), which occurs in patches along high‐elevation streams and in montane bogs. I analyzed the genetic differentiation of C. aeneicollis populations along three drainages in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California at five enzyme loci: ak‐1, idh‐2, mpi‐1, pgi‐1, and pgm‐1, using recent modifications of Wright's F‐statistics. My results demonstrated significant differentiation (FST = 0.043) among drainages that are less than 40 kilometers apart. One locus, pgi‐1, showed much greater differentiation than the other four (FST = 0.412), suggesting that it is under natural selection. C. aeneicollis populations were also subdivided within drainages, with significant differentiation 1) among patches of willows (spanning less than three kilometers) and 2) in some cases, among trees within a willow patch. My results demonstrate that this species has the capacity to adapt to local environmental variation at small spatial scales.