Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Angiotensin II Induces Neutrophil Accumulation In Vivo Through Generation and Release of CXC Chemokines

Background—Angiotensin II (Ang II) is implicated in the development of cardiac ischemic disorders in which prominent neutrophil accumulation occurs. Ang II can be generated intravascularly by the renin-angiotensin system or extravascularly by mast cell chymase. In this study, we characterized the ability of Ang II to induce neutrophil accumulation. Methods and Results—Intraperitoneal administration of Ang II (1 nmol/L) induced significant neutrophil recruitment within 4 hours (13.3±2.3×106 neutrophils per rat versus 0.7±0.5×106 in control animals), which disappeared by 24 hours. Maximal levels of CXC chemokines were detected 1 hour after Ang II injection (577±224 pmol/L cytokine-inducible neutrophil chemoattractant [CINC]/keratinocyte-derived chemokine [KC] versus 5±3, and 281±120 pmol/L macrophage inflammatory protein [MIP-2] versus 14±6). Intravital microscopy within the rat mesenteric microcirculation showed that the short-term (30 to 60 minutes) leukocyte–endothelial cell interactions induced by Ang II were attenuated by an anti-rat CINC/KC antibody and nearly abolished by the CXCR2 antagonist SB-517785-M. In human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) or human pulmonary artery media in culture, Ang II induced interleukin (IL)-8 mRNA expression at 1, 4, and 24 hours and the release of IL-8 at 4 hours through interaction with Ang II type 1 receptors. When HUVECs were pretreated with IL-1 for 24 hours to promote IL-8 storage in Weibel-Palade bodies, the Ang II–induced IL-8 release was more rapid and of greater magnitude. Conclusions—Ang II provokes rapid neutrophil recruitment, mediated through the release of CXC chemokines such as CINC/KC and MIP-2 in rats and IL-8 in humans, and may contribute to the infiltration of neutrophils observed in acute myocardial infarction.
Monetary Regime Switches and Central Bank Preferences

Monetary policy objectives and targets are not necessarily constant over time. The regime‐switching literature has typically analyzed and interpreted changes in policymakers' behavior through simple interest rate rules. This paper analyzes policy regime switches by explicitly modeling policymakers' behavior and objectives. We show that changes in the parameters of simple rules do not necessarily correspond to changes in policymakers' preferences. In fact, capturing and interpreting regime changes in preferences through interest rate rules can lead to misleading results.
The Economics of Agglomeration

Despite the drop in transport and commuting costs since the mid-19th century, sizable and lasting differences across locations at very different spatial scales remain the most striking feature of the space-economy. The main challenges of the economics of agglomeration are therefore (a) to explain why people and economic activities are agglomerated in a few places and (b) to understand why some places fare better than others. To meet these challenges, the usual route is to appeal to the fundamental trade-off between (internal and external) increasing returns and various mobility costs. This trade-off has a major implication for the organization of the space-economy: High transport and commuting costs foster the dispersion of economic activities, while strong increasing returns act as a strong agglomeration force. The first issue is to explain the existence of large and persistent regional disparities within nations or continents. At that spatial scale, the mobility of commodities and production factors is critical. By combining new trade theories with the mobility of firms and workers, economic geography shows that a core periphery structure can emerge as a stable market outcome. Second, at the urban scale, cities stem from the interplay between agglomeration and dispersion forces: The former explain why firms and consumers want to be close to each other whereas the latter put an upper limit on city sizes. Housing and commuting costs, which increase with population size, are the most natural candidates for the dispersion force. What generates agglomeration forces is less obvious. The literature on urban economics has highlighted the fact that urban size is the source of various benefits, which increase firm productivity and consumer welfare. Within cities, agglomeration also occurs in the form of shopping districts where firms selling differentiated products congregate. Strategic location considerations and product differentiation play a central role in the emergence of commercial districts because firms compete with a small number of close retailers.
A comparison of medley and freestyle performance for national and international swimmers between 1994 and 2011

The change in swim performance over time has been investigated for freestyle, but not for other strokes, such as in the medley. The aim of the study was to examine changes in 200 m and 400 m swim performances in medley swimmers at national (Switzerland) and international level (world championship finals) from 1994 to 2011. The 200 m and 400 m freestyle performances were also analyzed for comparison. Swim performances were analyzed using linear regression and one-way analysis of variance. Male Swiss swimmers improved swim speed by 5.4% in the 200 m medley, 5.3% in the 200 m freestyle, 5.1% in the 400 m medley, and 5.7% in the 400 m freestyle (P < 0.01). Female Swiss swimmers improved swim speed by 4.4% in the 200 m medley, 3.3% in the 200 m freestyle, 3.9% in the 400 m medley, and 3.4% in the 400 m freestyle (P < 0.05). Male swimmers at international level improved swim speed by 4.5% in the 200 m medley, 4.6% in the 200 m freestyle, 2.6% in the 400 m medley, and 2.7% in the 400 m freestyle (P < 0.01). Female swimmers improved swim speed by 4.3% in the 200 m medley, 3.5% in the 400 m medley, and 3.1% in the 400 m freestyle (P ≤ 0.02), but 200 m freestyle performance remained unchanged (P > 0.05). The sex difference in national swim performance remained unchanged at 10.2% ± 0.6% for the 200 m medley (P > 0.05) and increased from 8.8% to 9.8% for the 400 m medley (P < 0.05). In freestyle, it increased from 8.8% to 10.7% in the 200 m, and from 7.8% to 9.4% in the 400 m (P < 0.01). The sex difference in international athletes remained unchanged at 11.1% ± 0.9% in the 200 m medley, 10.1% ± 0.8% in the 400 m medley, 10.0% ± 1.3% in the 200 m, and 9.2% ± 0.6% in the 400 m freestyle (P > 0.05). For the 400 m medley, the sex difference was lower compared to the 200 m medley for national (9.3% ± 0.8% vs 10.2% ± 0.6%, P = 0.01) and for international (10.1% ± 0.8% vs 11.1% ± 0.9%) athletes. For the 400 m freestyle, the sex difference was lower compared to the 200 m freestyle for national (7.9% ± 0.9% vs 9.3% ± 0.8%) and international (9.2% ± 0.6% vs 10.0% ± 1.3%) athletes (P < 0.01), and lower in the freestyle than the medley for the same distances (P < 0.01). Future studies should investigate the reasons for the greater sex difference in the medley than the freestyle.
Locally Optimally Emitting Clouds and the Variable Broad Emission Line Spectrum of NGC 5548

In recent work Baldwin et al. proposed that in the geometrically extended broad-line regions (BLRs) of quasars and active galactic nuclei, a range in line-emitting gas properties (e.g., density, column density) might exist at each radius and showed that under these conditions the broad emission line spectra of these objects may be dominated by selection effects introduced by the atomic physics and general radiative transfer within the large pool of line-emitting entities. In this picture, the light we see originates in a vast amalgam of emitters but is dominated by those emitters best able to reprocess the incident continuum into a particular emission line. We test this "locally optimally emitting clouds" (LOC) model against the extensive spectroscopic database of the Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 5548. The time-averaged, integrated-light UV broad emission line spectrum from the 1993 Hubble Space Telescope (HST) monitoring campaign is reproduced via the optimization of three global geometric parameters: the outer radius, the index controlling the radial cloud covering fraction of the continuum source, and the integrated cloud covering fraction. We make an ad hoc selection from the range of successful models, and for a simple spherical BLR geometry we simulate the emission-line light curves for the 1989 IUE and 1993 HST campaigns, using the respective observed UV continuum light curves as drivers. We find good agreement between the predicted and observed light curves and lags—a demonstration of the LOC picture's viability as a means to understanding the BLR environment. Finally, we discuss the next step in developing the LOC picture, which involves the marriage of echo-mapping techniques with spectral simulation grids such as those presented here, using the constraints provided by a high-quality, temporally well-sampled spectroscopic data set.
PAPER Special Issue on Recent Progress in Electromagnetic Compatibility Technology Common-Mode-Current Generation Caused by Difference of Unbalance of Transmission Lines on a Printed Circuit Board with Narrow Ground Pattern

SUMMARY This paper explains a mechanism of commonmode generation on a printed circuit board with a narrow ground pattern. A transmission line has its value of degree of unbalance. At a connection point of two transmission lines having different degrees of unbalance, common mode voltage is generated proportional to the difference, and it drives common mode current. The authors propose a method to evaluate common mode current distribution and verify it by measurement. Although calculated common mode current is larger than measured one by a few dBs, both of them are proportional to the degree of unbalance. An EMI reduction technique, ‘unbalance matching,’ is also proposed.
Social rank and symptom change in eating disorders: a 6-month longitudinal study.

BACKGROUND Following previous cross-sectional research adopting an evolutionary approach to social rank and eating disorders, the present study explored the predictive value of social rank for changes in eating disorder symptoms in a 6-month longitudinal study. METHODS Seventy-three women and men with a history of eating disorders were followed up over 6 months. A broad range of measures of social rank were used to determine whether social rank at baseline predicted residual changes in eating disorder symptoms. RESULTS Low social rank (in terms of perceived external entrapment and submissive behaviour) predicted an increase in symptoms of anorexia but not symptoms of bulimia. The predictive value of low social rank was not mediated by changes in depressive symptoms. CONCLUSION Perceived low rank predicts an increase in anorexic symptoms. However, further research is required to determine the precise nature of how social rank exerts its influence on the development of eating disorder symptoms. KEY PRACTITIONER MESSAGE Self-perceived low social rank predicts an increase in anorexic symptoms but not bulimic symptoms. The effect of low social rank on changes in anorexic symptoms was not mediated by changes in depressive symptoms. Interventions for anorexia nervosa may need to incorporate techniques for increasing status and/or self-compassion.
Processing Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy Signal with a Kalman Filter to Assess Working Memory during Simulated Flight

Working memory (WM) is a key executive function for operating aircraft, especially when pilots have to recall series of air traffic control instructions. There is a need to implement tools to monitor WM as its limitation may jeopardize flight safety. An innovative way to address this issue is to adopt a Neuroergonomics approach that merges knowledge and methods from Human Factors, System Engineering, and Neuroscience. A challenge of great importance for Neuroergonomics is to implement efficient brain imaging techniques to measure the brain at work and to design Brain Computer Interfaces (BCI). We used functional near infrared spectroscopy as it has been already successfully tested to measure WM capacity in complex environment with air traffic controllers (ATC), pilots, or unmanned vehicle operators. However, the extraction of relevant features from the raw signal in ecological environment is still a critical issue due to the complexity of implementing real-time signal processing techniques without a priori knowledge. We proposed to implement the Kalman filtering approach, a signal processing technique that is efficient when the dynamics of the signal can be modeled. We based our approach on the Boynton model of hemodynamic response. We conducted a first experiment with nine participants involving a basic WM task to estimate the noise covariances of the Kalman filter. We then conducted a more ecological experiment in our flight simulator with 18 pilots who interacted with ATC instructions (two levels of difficulty). The data was processed with the same Kalman filter settings implemented in the first experiment. This filter was benchmarked with a classical pass-band IIR filter and a Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) filter. Statistical analysis revealed that the Kalman filter was the most efficient to separate the two levels of load, by increasing the observed effect size in prefrontal areas involved in WM. In addition, the use of a Kalman filter increased the performance of the classification of WM levels based on brain signal. The results suggest that Kalman filter is a suitable approach for real-time improvement of near infrared spectroscopy signal in ecological situations and the development of BCI.
The Selection of Teachers and School Administrators: A Synthesis of the Literature.

To meet the need of school decision-makers for an improved teacher and administrator selection process, this paper describes the "state of the art" in selections processes and recommends modifications that could be instituted in most school systems. Over 200 references are cited, with an emphasis on research findings from the last 10 to 15 years. The first two chapters are on teacher and adm.inistrator selection, respectively. The third chapter concerns documents dealing,directly with women and minorities in education professions. Among the major findings of the report are --that most school districts lack an established policy for the selection of teachers or administrators. In addition, the author found that the personal interview is the most utilized selection technique, although hiring officials have seldom had any training in interview techniques, Finally, there is overwhelming evidence that the effectiveness of different selection criteria depends largely on thi nature of the local environment. Among the recommendations are that school districts develop a systematic research-based selection program; conduct extensive, planned interviews; continuously monitor the effectiveness of the selection process; and actively recruit members of groups that are underrepresented. (MLF) * Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * * from the original document. * ***********************************************************************
Protected landscapes: a guide for policy-makers and planners. IVth World Congress on National Parks and protected areas, Caracas, Venezuela.

Preface. Foreword. The Lake District declaration. Protected landscapes. Protected landscapes and sustainability. International cooperation for protected landscapes. Values of protected landscapes. Selection of protected landscapes. Legal measures and administrative structures. National policies and protected landscapes. Protected landscape policy and partnership. Management of protected landscapes. Benefits to residents of protected landscapes. The concept in action: case studies around the world. Appendices
Dissociable Components of Error Processing on the Functional Significance of the Pe Vis-à-vis the Ern/ne Performance Monitoring Processes Reflected in the Ne and Pe Review of Studies That Report Both Ne and Pe: Associations and Dissociations Pharmacological Effects

We conducted a literature review to examine the functional significance of the error positivity (Pe), an error-related electrophysiological brain potential often observed in combination with the error negativity (Ne). The review revealed many dissociations between documented effects on the Ne and Pe, suggesting that these components reflect different aspects of error processing. We found little support for the proposed hypotheses that the Pe is associated with the affective processing of errors or with posterror behavioral adaptation. Some support was found for the hypothesis that the Pe reflects conscious recognition of an error. Finally, we discuss the notion that the Pe may reflect a P3b associated with the motivational significance of the error. We conclude that more research is needed to test predictions of the various Pe hypotheses, and that more rigorous investigation of the neural generators of the Pe may contribute to a better understanding of the neurocognitive processes involved in error monitoring. Over the last decade, the study of error monitoring has been advanced considerably by the study of two event-related brain potential (ERP) components that can be observed when people make errors: the error(related) neg-ativity (Ne or ERN) and the error positivity (Pe; Falken-stein, Hohnsbein, Hoormann, & Blanke, 1991). The Ne is a sharp negative deflection with a frontocentral scalp distribution peaking 60–80 ms following an erroneous response. The Ne is typically followed by the Pe, a slow positive wave with a diffuse scalp distribution and maximum amplitude between 200–400 ms. Whereas the sensitivity of the Ne to various experimental factors and individual differences has been scrutinized extensively (Holroyd, Nieuwenhuis, Mars, & Coles, 2004), the Pe has not been studied with the same rigor. Likewise, whereas several theoretical and mechanistic accounts of the processes reflected in the Ne have been developed (cf. Yeung, Cohen, & Botvinick, 2004), the functional significance of the Pe remains pretty much in the dark. We examine associations and dissociations between the reported effects on the Ne and Pe by reviewing and analyzing the available literature. Although the resulting pattern of outcomes is not entirely consistent, a picture emerges that tentatively supports a conceptualization in terms of error salience or significance, suggesting that the Pe reflects processes similar to those expressed in the P3b. We also discuss some research avenues that might lead to more rigorous experimental investigation and new hypotheses of the neurocognitive processes underlying the Pe. Largely overlapping brain areas in the …
WOMEN IN INDIA: HOW FREE? HOW EQUAL?

Women in India: How Free? How Equal? The United Nations sponsored photo exhibition, was first exhibited on UN Day (24th Of October, 2001). The idea of the exhibit evolved out of a report authored by Kalyani Menon-Sen and A.K Shiva Kumar. On 9th January 2002, the exhibit opened to the public at the IIC Annexe, New Delhi. Armed with experience as a photographer and a photo editor, I stepped into the shoes of a curator. With just five weeks in hand to curate a gender sensitive show, the effort seemed sheer madness. At the onset, I had clarity about just one thing. I was looking for stories, bodies of work that would raise questions about the status of women in India. The audience for the exhibition was a major factor in determining the kind of genre I was looking at. The exhibit was sponsored primarily for the UN Day celebrations. Photographs produced within the documentary/reportage genre seemed best suited to the space and the audience. Works outside these two traditions would have needed another platform and a lot more time to integrate together. The single image in itself didn't matter. Yet it was in the pursuit of that single image that the photographers ended up creating very powerful and evocative bodies of works. Gender inequality exists world over. The differences are just a question of degrees. And India is no exception. Approximately 481 million women live here. A phenomenal number striving for a decent life. Some get ahead through sheer accident of birth, some through hard determination while a large number remain marginalized. In comparison to women in developed countries, the status of women in India of course seems abysmal. Tradition, economic status, lack of education all contribute in large measure to keeping women subservient. Empowered women are a minority. Albeit, a growing one. Feminism in India is still an intellectual concept. Freedom and equality mean different things to different women.
Measuring Government Inclusiveness: An Application to Health Policy

This paper examines the issue of government inclusiveness—i.e., the extent to which a government can be characterized as “pro-poor”—within the context of inequalities in the health sector. The paper discusses different ways of measuring government inclusiveness and argues that benefit incidence analysis comes closest to measuring the extent to which a government can be characterized as pro-poor. Using this perspective, the paper examines broad determinants of government inclusiveness, especially the role of democracy. Analysis of data indicates a positive relationship between democratization and government inclusiveness, even after controlling for additional determinants of “pro-poorness. ” Ethnic heterogeneity, on the other hand, has a negative effect on government inclusiveness. Overall, the analysis suggests the importance of political freedoms for ensuring that the poor benefit from government programs. In countries with high levels of ethnic diversity, special provisions may need to be made to ensure that elite capture of government expenditure does not occur.
Shape regularized active contour based on dynamic programming for anatomical structure segmentation

We present a method to incorporate nonlinear shape prior constraints into segmenting different anatomical structures in medical images. Kernel space density estimation (KSDE) is used to derive the nonlinear shape statistics and enable building a single model for a class of objects with nonlinearly varying shapes. The object contour is coerced by image-based energy into the correct shape sub-distribution (e.g., left or right lung), without the need for model selection. In contrast to an earlier algorithm that uses a local gradient-descent search (susceptible to local minima), we propose an algorithm that iterates between dynamic programming (DP) and shape regularization. DP is capable of finding an optimal contour in the search space that maximizes a cost function related to the difference between the interior and exterior of the object. To enforce the nonlinear shape prior, we propose two shape regularization methods, global and local regularization. Global regularization is applied after each DP search to move the entire shape vector in the shape space in a gradient descent fashion to the position of probable shapes learned from training. The regularized shape is used as the starting shape for the next iteration. Local regularization is accomplished through modifying the search space of the DP. The modified search space only allows a certain amount of deformation of the local shape from the starting shape. Both regularization methods ensure the consistency between the resulted shape with the training shapes, while still preserving DP’s ability to search over a large range and avoid local minima. Our algorithm was applied to two different segmentation tasks for radiographic images: lung field and clavicle segmentation. Both applications have shown that our method is effective and versatile in segmenting various anatomical structures under prior shape constraints; and it is robust to noise and local minima caused by clutter (e.g., blood vessels) and other similar structures (e.g., ribs). We believe that the proposed algorithm represents a major step in the paradigm shift to object segmentation under nonlinear shape constraints.