Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Osteopontin deficiency dampens the pro-atherogenic effect of uraemia.

AIMS Uraemia is a strong risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Osteopontin (OPN) is highly expressed in aortas of uraemic apolipoprotein E knockout (E KO) mice. OPN affects key atherogenic processes, i.e. inflammation and phenotypic modulation of smooth muscle cells (SMCs). We explored the role of OPN on vascular pathology in uraemic mice. METHODS AND RESULTS Uraemia was induced by 5/6 nephrectomy in E KO and in OPN and E double KO mice (E/OPN KO). In E KO mice, uraemia increased the relative surface plaque area in the aortic arch (from 28 ± 2% [n = 15], to 37 ± 3% [n = 20] of the aortic arch area, P < 0.05). A positive correlation was observed between plasma OPN and aortic atherosclerosis in uraemic E KO mice (r(2) = 0.48, P = 0.001). In contrast, aortic atherosclerosis was not increased by uraemia in E/OPN KO mice. OPN deficiency in haematopoietic cells (including macrophages) did not affect development of uraemic atherosclerosis, even though OPN-deficient foam cells had decreased inflammatory capacity. Gene expression analyses indicated that uraemia de-differentiates SMCs in the arterial wall. This effect was dampened in whole-body OPN-deficient mice. CONCLUSION The data suggest that OPN promotes development of uraemic atherosclerosis possibly by changing the phenotype of vascular smooth muscle cells.
Cell-type-specific Jumonji histone demethylase gene expression in the healthy rat CNS: detection by a novel flow cytometry method

Our understanding of how histone demethylation contributes to the regulation of basal gene expression in the brain is largely unknown in any injury model, and especially in the healthy adult brain. Although Jumonji genes are often regulated transcriptionally, cell-specific gene expression of Jumonji histone demethylases in the brain remains poorly understood. Thus, in the present study we profiled the mRNA levels of 26 Jumonji genes in microglia (CD11b+), neurons (NeuN+) and astrocytes (GFAP+) from the healthy adult rat brain. We optimized a method combining a mZBF (modified zinc-based fixative) and FCM (flow cytometry) to simultaneously sort cells from non-transgenic animals. We evaluated cell-surface, intracellular and nuclear proteins, including histones, as well as messenger- and micro-RNAs in different cell types simultaneously from a single-sorted sample. We found that 12 Jumonji genes were differentially expressed between adult microglia, neurons and astrocytes. While JMJD2D was neuron-restricted, PHF8 and JMJD1C were expressed in all three cell types although the expression was highest in neurons. JMJD3 and JMJD5 were expressed in all cell types, but were highly enriched in microglia; astrocytes had the lowest expression of UTX and JHDM1D. Levels of global H3K27 (H3 lysine 27) methylation varied among cell types and appeared to be lowest in microglia, indicating that differences in basal gene expression of specific Jumonji histone demethylases may contribute to cell-specific gene expression in the CNS (central nervous system). This multiparametric technique will be valuable for simultaneously assaying chromatin modifications and gene regulation in the adult CNS.
Lost in Transition? The Returns to Education Acquired Under Communism 15 Years after the Fall of the Berlin Wall

Using data for 22 economies in Eastern and Western Europe, we find evidence that having studied under communism is relatively penalized in the economies of the late 2000s. This evidence, however, is limited to males and to primary and secondary education, and holds for eight CEE economies but not for the East Germans who have studied in the former German Democratic Republic. We also find that post-secondary education acquired under communism yields higher, not lower, payoffs than similar education in Western Europe.
Cross-modal perception of actively explored objects

Many objects in our world can be picked up and freely manipulated, thus allowing information about an object to be available to both the visual and haptic systems. However, we understand very little about how object information is shared across the modalities. Under constrained viewing cross-modal object recognition is most efficient when the same surface of an object is presented to the visual and haptic systems [5]. Here we tested cross modal recognition of novel objects under active manipulation and unconstrained viewing of the objects. These objects were designed such that each surface of the object provided unique information. In Experiment 1, participants were allowed 30 seconds to learn the objects visually or haptically. Haptic learning resulted in relatively poor haptic recognition performance relative to visual recognition. In Experiment 2, we increased the learning time for haptic exploration and found equivalent haptic and visual recognition, but a cost in cross modal recognition. In Exper iment 3, participants learned the objects using both modalities together, vision alone or haptics alone. Recognition performance was tested using both modalities together. We found that recognition performance was significantly better when objects were learned by both modalities than either of the modalities alone. Our results suggest that efficient cross modal performance depends on the spatial correspondence of object surface information across modalities.
Price Versus Quantities Versus Indexed Quantities

We develop a stochastic model to rank different policies (tax, fixed cap and relative cap) according to their expected total social costs. Three types of uncertainties are taken into account: uncertainty about abatement costs, business-as-usual (BAU) emissions and future economic output (the two latter being correlated). Two parameters: the ratio of slopes of marginal benefits and marginal costs, and the above-mentioned correlation, are crucial to determine which instrument is preferred. When marginal benefits are relatively flatter than marginal costs, prices are preferred over fixed caps (Weitzman’s result). When the former correlation is higher than a parameter-dependent threshold, relative caps are preferred to fixed caps. An intermediate condition is found to compare the tax instrument and the relative cap. The model is then empirically tested for seven different regions (China, the United States, Europe, India, Russia, Brazil and Japan). We find that tax is preferred to caps (absolute or relative) in all cases, and that relative caps are preferred to fixed caps in the US and emerging countries (except Brazil where it is ambiguous), whereas fixed cap are preferred to relative cap in Europe and Japan.
In vitro comparison of the antibacterial effect of three intracanal irrigants and diode laser on root canals infected with Enterococcus faecalis

Introduction Bacteria are the primary etiology of pulpal and periradicular pathosis. In endodontically treated teeth with persistent infections only one or a few bacterial species are present of which the most important is Enterococcus faecalis. The aim of this study was to compare antibacterial efficacy of canal disinfectants including 5.25% sodium hypochlorite, 2% chlorhexidine, MTAD (a mixture of doxycycline, citric acid and a detergent (Tween 80) and 830 nm diode laser. Methods and Materials The canals of 135 extracted single rooted human teeth were prepared using rotary instruments. The canals were contaminated with Enterococcus faecalis for 4 weeks and then were divided into 4 groups of 30 teeth in each, a positive control group containing 10 teeth and a negative control group of 5 teeth. After using the disinfectants, samples obtained from canals by paper points and also shaving the canal walls were cultured. The Kruskal-Wallis test was used to analyze the results. Results The results showed the bacterial reduction as follows: 99.97±0.14 for sodium hypochlorite, 99.65±1.13 for chlorhexidine, 97.56±6.36 for laser and 96.91±5.60 for MTAD. The count of CFU obtained from dentin shavings was: 16/96±91/23 for sodium hypochlorite, 82/73±186/63 . for chlorhexidine, 47/26±112/21 for laser and 341/34±1139/83 for MTAD. Conclusion According to the results, sodium hypochlorite was the most effective agent against Enterococcus faecalis.
Developing Indicators of Inpatient Adverse Drug Events Through Nonlinear Analysis Using Administrative Data

Background:Because of uniform availability, hospital administrative data are appealing for surveillance of adverse drug events (ADEs). Expert-generated surveillance rules that rely on the presence of International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) codes have limited accuracy. Rules based on nonlinear associations among all types of available administrative data may be more accurate. Objectives:By applying hierarchically optimal classification tree analysis (HOCTA) to administrative data, derive and validate surveillance rules for bleeding/anticoagulation problems and delirium/psychosis. Research Design:Retrospective cohort design. Subjects:A random sample of 3987 admissions drawn from all 41 Utah acute-care hospitals in 2001 and 2003. Measures:Professional nurse reviewers identified ADEs using implicit chart review. Pharmacists assigned Medical Dictionary for Regulatory Activities codes to ADE descriptions for identification of clinical groups of events. Hospitals provided patient demographic, admission, and ICD9-CM data. Results:Incidence proportions were 0.8% for drug-induced bleeding/anticoagulation problems and 1.0% for drug-induced delirium/psychosis. The model for bleeding had very good discrimination and sensitivity at 0.87 and 86% and fair positive predictive value (PPV) at 12%. The model for delirium had excellent sensitivity at 94%, good discrimination at 0.83, but low PPV at 3%. Poisoning and adverse event codes designed for the targeted ADEs had low sensitivities and, when forced in, degraded model accuracy. Conclusions:Hierarchically optimal classification tree analysis is a promising method for rapidly developing clinically meaningful surveillance rules for administrative data. The resultant model for drug-induced bleeding and anticoagulation problems may be useful for retrospective ADE screening and rate estimation.
TAF4, a subunit of transcription factor II D, directs promoter occupancy of nuclear receptor HNF4A during post-natal hepatocyte differentiation

The functions of the TAF subunits of mammalian TFIID in physiological processes remain poorly characterised. In this study, we describe a novel function of TAFs in directing genomic occupancy of a transcriptional activator. Using liver-specific inactivation in mice, we show that the TAF4 subunit of TFIID is required for post-natal hepatocyte maturation. TAF4 promotes pre-initiation complex (PIC) formation at post-natal expressed liver function genes and down-regulates a subset of embryonic expressed genes by increased RNA polymerase II pausing. The TAF4–TAF12 heterodimer interacts directly with HNF4A and in vivo TAF4 is necessary to maintain HNF4A-directed embryonic gene expression at post-natal stages and promotes HNF4A occupancy of functional cis-regulatory elements adjacent to the transcription start sites of post-natal expressed genes. Stable HNF4A occupancy of these regulatory elements requires TAF4-dependent PIC formation highlighting that these are mutually dependent events. Local promoter-proximal HNF4A–TFIID interactions therefore act as instructive signals for post-natal hepatocyte differentiation. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.7554/eLife.03613. 001
P o S ( L A T 2 0 0 5 ) 1 3 4 Low Energy Constants from the zero mode contribution to the pseudoscalar correlator

We apply different types of overlap operators in quenched QC D simulations to compute the zero mode contribution to the pseudo-scalar correlator. In part icular we use the conventional Neuberger Dirac operator and the overlap hypercube Dirac opera tor. Confronting our data with the analytical predictions by Chiral Perturbation Theory we ev aluate the pion decay constant and the parameterα of the quenched chiral Lagrangian.
Development of a 9-months pregnant hybrid phantom and its internal dosimetry for thyroid agents

As a consequence of fetal radiosensitivity, the estimation of internal dose received by a fetus from radiopharmaceuticals applied to the mother is often important in nuclear medicine. A new 9-months pregnant phantom based on magnetic resonance (MR) images tied to the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) reference voxel phantom has been developed. Maternal and fetal organs were segmented from a set of pelvic MR images of a 9-months pregnant subject using 3D-DOCTORTM and then imported into the 3D modeling software package RhinocerosTM for combining with the adult female ICRP voxel phantom and further modeling. Next, the phantom organs were rescaled to match with reference masses described in ICRP Publications. The internal anatomy of previous pregnant phantom models had been limited to the fetal brain and skeleton only, but the fetus model developed in this study incorporates 20 different organs. The current reference phantom has been developed for application in comprehensive dosimetric study in nuclear medicine. The internal dosimetry calculations were performed for thyroid agents using the Monte Carlo transport method. Biokinetic data for these radiopharmaceuticals were used to estimate cumulated activity during pregnancy and maternal and fetal organ doses at seven different maximum thyroid uptake levels. Calculating the dose distribution was also presented in a sagittal view of the pregnant model utilizing the mesh tally function. The comparisons showed, in general, an overestimation of the absorbed dose to the fetus and an underestimation of the fetal thyroid dose in previous studies compared with the values based on the current hybrid phantom.
Dead reckoning of a biped robot on various terrain by Kaiman filter adaptive to ground reaction force

A novel Kaiman filter to estimate position of a biped robot is proposed. It combines the kinematics and the double-integral of acceleration, only using internal sensors and achieving high-rate estimation. The kinematics computation is rooted to the anchoring pivot, which is the most invariant point in the foot with respect to the ground. The idea is the same with the authors previous method, but the estimation accuracy has been largely improved by referring to the ground reaction force. Namely, the anchoring pivot is estimated based on both the velocity information and the force information. The efficacy of the proposed method is verified through simulations of walking and hopping motions.
MODELING PORTFOLIO RETURNS ON BUCHAREST STOCK EXCHANGE USING THE FAMA-FRENCH MULTIFACTOR MODEL

The Fama–French three-factor model is known to explain the cross-section of average returns better than the market beta alone across various international equity markets. No such implementation exists, however, for the Romanian capital market. This paper contributes to the existing literature by calibrating the model on the Bucharest Stock Exchange and by relying on a complex, correct and complete database. We show that the three-factor model captures more variation in portfolio returns than the classical model (as attested by the higher adjusted R 2 ) while it also passes standard diagnosis tests (the hypothesis that pricing errors are jointly equal to 0 cannot be rejected by the GRS test statistics on the regressions intercepts). Robustness check demonstrates that the model is informative on seemingly unrelated time series; further, we also provide a simple application of performance attribution.
Challenging the Performance Movement: Accountability, Complexity, and Democratic Values

List of TablesPreface 1. The Ubiquitous Nature of Performance 2. The Performance Mindset 3. One Size Fits All 4. Demeaning Professionals: Throwing Out the Baby with the Bathwater? 5. Competing Values: Can the Performance Movement Deal with Equity? 6. The Reality of Fragmentation: Power and Authority in the U.S. Political System 7. Intergovernmental Relationships: Power and Authority in the U.S. Political System 8. Information, Interests, and Ideology 9. Competing Values in a Global Context: Performance Activities in the World Bank 10. Conflicting Patterns of Assumptions: Where Do We Go From Here? Index
Information and Communication Technology Use and Economic Growth

In recent years, progress in information and communication technology (ICT) has caused many structural changes such as reorganizing of economics, globalization, and trade extension, which leads to capital flows and enhancing information availability. Moreover, ICT plays a significant role in development of each economic sector, especially during liberalization process. Growth economists predict that economic growth is driven by investments in ICT. However, empirical studies on this issue have produced mixed results, regarding to different research methodology and geographical configuration of the study. This paper examines the impact of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) use on economic growth using the Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) estimator within the framework of a dynamic panel data approach and applies it to 159 countries over the period 2000 to 2009. The results indicate that there is a positive relationship between growth rate of real GDP per capita and ICT use index (as measured by the number of internet users, fixed broadband internet subscribers and the number of mobile subscription per 100 inhabitants). We also find that the effect of ICT use on economic growth is higher in high income group rather than other groups. This implies that if these countries seek to enhance their economic growth, they need to implement specific policies that facilitate ICT use.
Combining Creativity and Control: Understanding Individual Motivation in Large-Scale Collaborative Creativity

Recent research has shown that management control systems (MCS) can improve performance in contexts characterized by high levels of task uncertainty. This seems to conflict with a second stream of research, which argues that MCSs risk undermining the intrinsic motivation needed for effective performance in such settings. To solve this puzzle, we build on theories of perceived locus of causality and self-construal and develop an integrative model summarized in 15 propositions. To explicate our proposed solution and to show its robustness, we focus on the class of activities we call large-scale collaborative creativity (LSCC) - contexts where individuals face a dual challenge of demonstrating creativity and embracing the formal controls that coordinate their creative activities with others'. We argue that LSCC requires the simultaneous activation of intrinsic and identified forms of motivation, and simultaneously independent and interdependent self-construals. Against some scholarship that argues or assumes that such simultaneous combinations are infeasible, we argue that they can be fostered through appropriate attraction-selection-attrition policies and management control systems design. We also show how our propositions can enrich our understanding of motivation in other settings, where creativity and/or coordination demands are less pressing.
Star formation efficiency in galaxy interactions and mergers: a statistical study

We investigate the enhancement of star formation efficiency in galaxy interactions and mergers by numerical simulations of several hundred galaxy collisions. All morphological types along the Hubble sequence are considered in the initial conditions of the two colliding galaxies, with varying bulge-to-disk ratios and gas mass fractions. Different types of orbits are simulated, direct and retrograde, according to the initial relative energy and impact parameter, and the resulting star formation history is compared to that occuring in the two galaxies when they are isolated. Our principal results are (1) retrograde encounters have greater star formation efficiency (SFE) than direct encounters, (2) the amount of gas available in the galaxy is not the main parameter governing the SFE in the burst phase, (3) there is a negative correlation between the amplitude of the star forming burst and the tidal forces exerted per unit of time, which is due to the large amount of gas dragged outside the galaxy by tidal tails in strong interactions, (4) globally, the Kennicutt-Schmidt law is seen to apply statistically for isolated galaxies, interacting pairs and mergers, (5) enhanced star formation occurs essentially in nuclear starbursts, triggered by inward gas flows driven by non-axisymmetries in the galaxy disks. Direct encounters develop more pronounced asymmetries than retrograde ones. Based on these statistical results we derive general laws for the enhancement of star formation in galaxy interactions and mergers, as a function of the main parameters of the encounter.
DETERMINING QUASAR BLACK HOLE MASS FUNCTIONS FROM THEIR BROAD EMISSION LINES: APPLICATION TO THE BRIGHT QUASAR SURVEY

We describe a Bayesian approach to estimating quasar black hole mass functions (BHMF) using the broad emission lines to estimate black hole mass. We show how using the broad-line mass estimates in combination with statistical techniques developed for luminosity function estimation (e.g., the 1/Va correction) leads to statistically biased results. We derive the likelihood function for the BHMF based on the broad-line mass estimates, and derive the posterior distribution for the BHMF, given the observed data. We develop our statistical approach for a flexible model where the BHMF is modeled as a mixture of Gaussian functions. Statistical inference is performed using Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods, and we describe a Metropolis–Hastings algorithm to perform the MCMC. The MCMC simulates random draws from the probability distribution of the BHMF parameters, given the data, and we use a simulated data set to show how these random draws may be used to estimate the probability distribution for the BHMF. In addition, we show how the MCMC output may be used to estimate the probability distribution of any quantities derived from the BHMF, such as the peak in the space density of quasars. Our method has the advantage that it is able to constrain the BHMF even beyond the survey detection limits at the adopted confidence level, accounts for measurement errors and the intrinsic uncertainty in broad-line mass estimates, and provides a natural way of estimating the probability distribution of any quantities derived from the BHMF. We conclude by using our method to estimate the local active BHMF using the z < 0.5 Bright Quasar Survey sources. At z ∼ 0.2, the quasar BHMF falls off approximately as a power law with slope ∼2 for MBH ≳ 108 M☉. Our analysis implies that at a given MBH, z < 0.5 broad-line quasars have a typical Eddington ratio of ∼0.4 and a dispersion in Eddington ratio of ≲0.5 dex.