Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The cultural psychology of social influence: Implications for organizational politics.

Organizational politics defined as social influence attempts directed at those who can provide rewards that will help promote or protect the self interests of the actor (Kacmar & Carison 1997, p 657) is a reality of organizational life. Not surprisingly, a large research industry has devel oped on the existence antecedents and consequences of organizational politics (see Ferris Adams Kolodinsky Hochwarter & Ammeter 2002 Ferris Hochwarter Douglas Blass Kolodinsky & Treadway 2002 for reviews) Like most organizational phenomena organizational politics is context dependent Specifically the organizational context is a determi nant of the degree of politics ithin organizations as well as a bound ary condition for outcomes of organizational politics (e g Ferris Adams et al, 2002 Andrews Kacmar & Harris 2009) As such accounting for contextual contingencies is critical for fully understanding the nature and consequences of organizational politics In addition to organizational contexts organizational politics likely are shaped by the broader national culture. It has been long argued that orga nizations are open systems and therefore are influenced by the societies in which they are embedded (Katz & Kahn, 1978). Moreover, societal culture has a powerful impact on a wide range of behaviors within organizations (see Gelfand Erez & Aycan 2007 for a review) and organizational politics
Media Violence and Social Neuroscience

Decades of research have demonstrated that exposure to violence on television can cause increases in aggression. The recent emergence of violent video games has raised new questions regarding the effects of violent media. The General Aggression Model (GAM) predicts that exposure to violent media increases aggressive behavior through one of three primary pathways (arousal, cognitions, and affect). Past psychophysiological research has supported GAM but has been limited to examining arousal-related variables. Recent advances in social neuroscience have opened the door to investigations of exposure to violent media on cognitive and affective components and their neurocognitive underpinnings. Neuroscience tools have the potential to provide answers to the new questions posed by recent advances in media technology.
Optimal receiver cost and wavelength number minimization in all-optical ring networks

Reducing both power consumption and the ecological impact of networks has become a priority. Solutions which allow us to reduce these factors are based on all-optical technologies. All-optical rings are beginning to be deployed as metropolitan networks and new more energy efficient equipments are being proposed. We present one of these equipments and explain how to reduce the CAPEX of such networks by properly dimensioning them. Receivers located in nodes read information from wavelengths. We study a dimensioning problem which consists in minimizing the number of wavelengths and the total number of receivers in a ring for a given traffic matrix. We prove that this problem is NP-complete and propose a heuristic algorithm. The solution has been validated under realistic traffic conditions and achieved near-optimal results. The solution could be extended to wider networks if we consider working with multi-ring networks.
The α2δ Auxiliary Subunit Reduces Affinity of ω-Conotoxins for Recombinant N-type (Cav2.2) Calcium Channels*

The ω-conotoxins from fish-hunting cone snails are potent inhibitors of voltage-gated calcium channels. The ω-conotoxins MVIIA and CVID are selective N-type calcium channel inhibitors with potential in the treatment of chronic pain. The β and α2δ-1 auxiliary subunits influence the expression and characteristics of the α1B subunit of N-type channels and are differentially regulated in disease states, including pain. In this study, we examined the influence of these auxiliary subunits on the ability of the ω-conotoxins GVIA, MVIIA, CVID and analogues to inhibit peripheral and central forms of the rat N-type channels. Although the β3 subunit had little influence on the on- and off-rates of ω-conotoxins, coexpression of α2δ with α1B significantly reduced on-rates and equilibrium inhibition at both the central and peripheral isoforms of the N-type channels. The α2δ also enhanced the selectivity of MVIIA, but not CVID, for the central isoform. Similar but less pronounced trends were also observed for N-type channels expressed in human embryonic kidney cells. The influence of α2δ was not affected by oocyte deglycosylation. The extent of recovery from the ω-conotoxin block was least for GVIA, intermediate for MVIIA, and almost complete for CVID. Application of a hyperpolarizing holding potential (-120 mV) did not significantly enhance the extent of CVID recovery. Interestingly, [R10K]MVIIA and [O10K]GVIA had greater recovery from the block, whereas [K10R]CVID had reduced recovery from the block, indicating that position 10 had an important influence on the extent of ω-conotoxin reversibility. Recovery from CVID block was reduced in the presence of α2δ in human embryonic kidney cells and in oocytes expressing α1B-b. These results may have implications for the antinociceptive properties of ω-conotoxins, given that the α2δ subunit is up-regulated in certain pain states.
Does oral antioxidant administration improve semen parameters in infertile men?

It is well established that oxidative stress (OS) plays a major role in male infertility. OS occurs when the production of potentially destructive reactive oxygen species (ROS) exceeds the body's own natural antioxidant defenses, resulting in cellular damage. Antioxidant and trace element supplementation to infertile men has shown considerable improvement in sperm parameters; however, the issue of oral administration of antioxidants as therapy for male sub-fertility still remains a debate. Also, very recently, there has been an alarming report on the adverse effect of antioxidant administration by a group of researchers from the Copenhagen University (2007). One of the main reasons for an increase in the risk of death may be excessive interference with the natural defense mechanism within the body by knocking out ‘free radicals’. Also, commercially available antioxidants are expensive for a developing country like India. Hence, study of the actual efficacy of oral antioxidant consisted of lycopene, carotene, wheat germ oil, calcium ascorbate, vitamin B12, selenium and zinc needs further attention.
Design of an Experimental Device for Biaxial Tension Tests Used in a Uniaxial Test Machine

In the present study, a set of novel clamping apparatus that could deliver biaxial stretching motions with the use of a uniaxial tensile testing machine was designed and manufactured. The conversion of uniaxial motion into biaxial stretching motions is achieved by a sliding mechanism that consists of two blocks sliding in two mutually perpendicular grooves, respectively. During the biaxial tension test, a cross-shaped specimen sitting in the grooves are stretched by the two blocks driven by a pulling rod. The different stress ratios could be obtained by adjusting the groove surface shape and the lengths of specimen wings. In the clamping apparatus design stage, the finite element simulations were performed to examine the validity of the sliding mechanism and the frictional force generated between the sliding blocks and the grooves. The coefficient of friction was determined afterwards from the comparison of the pulling forces obtained in the experiments with those calculated by the finite element simulations. In addition, the optimum geometry and dimension of the cross-shaped specimen used in the biaxial tension tests were investigated by the finite element analysis as well. The slotted specimen proposed by Kuwabara et al. was taken as the basic design. A sufficiently large area in the central region of specimen where the principal stress directions aligned with the groove direction was obtained for gluing the strain gauges to the specimen for the biaxial stretching tests. The number of slots and associated slot widths were also examined to optimize the shape of the specimens. The proposed clamping apparatus was manufactured and the biaxial tension tests were conducted with cross-shaped specimens made of advanced high strength steel sheets. The validity of the designed clamping apparatus used for biaxial tension tests was confirmed and the congruence of various yield criteria applied to the advanced high strength steel sheets subjected to biaxial stress states was discussed.
A Real Ghost Fluid Method for the Simulation of Multimedium Compressible Flow

In the previous ghost fluid methods (GFMs) developed, the focus is on the definition of ghost fluid states while the pressure and velocity in the real fluid sides are taken for granted, except for the correction made to the density at the real fluid nodes next to the interface to overcome the possible problems related to overheating. It has been found that such GFMs encounter many difficulties when applied to shock impedance matching (-like) problems due to the inability of accurately imposing interfacial conditions. By predicting the flow states for the real fluid nodes just next to the interface and the ghost fluid nodes using the Riemann problem solver, a more accurate interface boundary condition can be imposed and the said difficulties are mitigated to a large extent. This leads to the development of a proposed real-GFM in this work. A simple yet efficient extension of the present method to multidimensions is also introduced. In order to overcome issues associated with the severe bunching of level set contours due to the large flow velocity gradient, an extension (artificial) velocity field is constructed in the computation of the level set function. The present method is applied to various one- and two-dimensional problems involving strong shock-interface interaction and complex flow physics.
Contribution of Estrone Sulfate to Cell Proliferation in Aromatase Inhibitor (AI) -Resistant, Hormone Receptor-Positive Breast Cancer

Aromatase inhibitors (AIs) effectively treat hormone receptor-positive postmenopausal breast cancer, but some patients do not respond to treatment or experience recurrence. Mechanisms of AI resistance include ligand-independent activation of the estrogen receptor (ER) and signaling via other growth factor receptors; however, these do not account for all forms of resistance. Here we present an alternative mechanism of AI resistance. We ectopically expressed aromatase in MCF-7 cells expressing green fluorescent protein as an index of ER activity. Aromatase-overexpressing MCF-7 cells were cultured in estrogen-depleted medium supplemented with testosterone and the AI, letrozole, to establish letrozole-resistant (LR) cell lines. Compared with parental cells, LR cells had higher mRNA levels of steroid sulfatase (STS), which converts estrone sulfate (E1S) to estrone, and the organic anion transporter peptides (OATPs), which mediate the uptake of E1S into cells. LR cells proliferated more in E1S-supplemented medium than did parental cells, and LR proliferation was effectively inhibited by an STS inhibitor in combination with letrozole and by ER-targeting drugs. Analysis of ER-positive primary breast cancer tissues showed a significant correlation between the increases in the mRNA levels of STS and the OATPs in the LR cell lines, which supports the validity of this AI-resistant model. This is the first study to demonstrate the contribution of STS and OATPs in E1S metabolism to the proliferation of AI-resistant breast cancer cells. We suggest that E1S metabolism represents a new target in AI-resistant breast cancer treatment.
Microcontroller-Based Peak Current Mode Control Using Digital Slope Compensation

Microcontroller-based peak current mode control of a buck converter is investigated. The new solution uses a discrete time controller with digital slope compensation. This is implemented using only a single-chip microcontroller to achieve desirable cycle-by-cycle peak current limiting. The digital controller is implemented as a two-pole, two-zero linear difference equation designed using a continuous time model of the buck converter and a discrete time transform. Subharmonic oscillations are removed with digital slope compensation using a discrete staircase ramp. A 16 W hardware implementation directly compares analog and digital control. Frequency response measurements are taken and it is shown that the crossover frequency and expected phase margin of the digital control system match that of its analog counterpart.
Molecular Characterization of Lal2, an SRK-Like Gene Linked to the S-Locus in the Wild Mustard Leavenworthia alabamica

Single-locus sporophytic self-incompatibility inhibits inbreeding in many members of the mustard family (Brassicaceae). To investigate the genetics of self-incompatibility in the wild mustard Leavenworthia alabamica, diallel crosses were conducted between full siblings. Patterns of incompatibility were consistent with the action of single-locus sporophytic self-incompatibility. DNA sequences related to S-locus receptor kinase (SRK), the gene involved in self-pollen recognition in mustards, were cloned and sequenced. A single sequence with high identity to SRK and several other groups of sequences (Lal1, Lal2, Lal3, Lal8, and Lal14) were isolated from L. alabamica. We propose that either Lal2 sequences are divergent alleles of SRK or Lal2 is in tight linkage with SRK because (1) Lal2 alleles cosegregate with S-alleles inferred from dialleles in all 97 cases tested in five families; (2) Lal2 sequences are highly diverse at both synonymous and nonsynonymous sites and exhibit patterns of selective constraint similar to those observed at SRK in Brassica and Arabidopsis; and (3) transcripts of one Lal2 allele were detected in leaves and the styles of open flowers, but were most abundant in the stigmas of maturing buds. We discuss the utility of the S-linked polymorphism at Lal2 for studying the evolutionary forces acting on self-incompatibility in Leavenworthia.
Amino-Terminal Precursor Sequence Modulates Canine Distemper Virus Fusion Protein Function

ABSTRACT The fusion (F) proteins of most paramyxoviruses are classical type I glycoproteins with a short hydrophobic leader sequence closely following the translation initiation codon. The predicted reading frame of the canine distemper virus (CDV) F protein is more complex, with a short hydrophobic sequence beginning 115 codons downstream of the first AUG. To verify if the sequence between the first AUG and the hydrophobic region is translated, we produced a specific antiserum that indeed detected a short-lived F protein precursor that we named PreF0. A peptide resulting from PreF0 cleavage was identified and named Pre, and its half-life was measured to be about 30 min. PreF0 cleavage was completed before proteolytic activation of F0 into its F1 and F2 subunits by furin. To test the hypothesis that the Pre peptide may influence protein activity, we compared the function of F proteins synthesized with that peptide to that of F proteins synthesized with a shorter amino-terminal signal sequence. F proteins synthesized with the Pre peptide were more stable and less active. Thus, the Pre peptide modulates the function of the CDV F protein. Interestingly, a distinct two-hit activation process has been recently described for human respiratory syncytial virus, another paramyxovirus.
CpG oligonucleotides enhance the tumor antigen-specific immune response of a granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor-based vaccine strategy in neuroblastoma.

Granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF)-transduced autologous tumor cells form the basis of many immunotherapeutic strategies. We tested whether combining this approach with T-helper 1 (Th-1)-like immunostimulatory CpG oligodeoxynucleotides (CpG ODNs) would improve therapeutic efficacy in an established model of murine neuroblastoma. The weakly immunogenic Neuro-2a cell line was used in syngeneic A/J mice. CpG 1826 was tested for its antitumor effect alone and as an adjuvant to Neuro-2a cells retrovirally transduced to express murine GM-CSF (GM/Neuro-2a). Three days after wild-type (WT) tumor cell inoculation, mice in different groups were s.c. vaccinated in the opposite leg with combinations of WT neuro2a, irradiated (15 Gy) WT or GM/Neuro-2a transfectants with or without CpG 1826 (200 micro g). To test for the induction of memory responses, mice that rejected their tumor were rechallenged with WT Neuro-2a (1 x 10(6)) 7 weeks after vaccination. All of the mice in the control (unvaccinated) group died within 3 weeks after Neuro-2a inoculation. Most of the vaccinated groups had only minimal-to-modest antitumor responses, and the mice succumbed to tumor. Tumor growth was remarkably inhibited in the group of mice that received irradiated GM/Neuro-2a plus CpG and four (50%) of eight mice in this group survived tumor free. Tumor-free mice were resistant to further WT tumor cell challenge, indicating a memory response. Mechanistic studies showed that CpG alone induced a favorable Th-1-like cytokine immune response and vaccine-induced tumor cell killing was dependent on both CD4 and CD8 T cells that killed tumor cell targets by apoptosis. These results demonstrate that CpG ODNs enhanced the antitumor effect of irradiated GM-CSF secreting Neuro-2a cells. This vaccine strategy elicits a potent tumor antigen-specific immune response against established murine neuroblastoma and generates systemic neuroblastoma-specific immunity.
Energy efficient cloud content delivery in core networks

In this paper, we introduce a framework for designing an energy efficient cloud service for content delivery applications over non-bypass IP/WDM core networks. We develop a Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP) model to optimize network related factors including the location of the cloud in the network and whether it should be centralized or distributed, and cloud capability factors including the number of servers, switches, routers and amount of storage required at each cloud location. Our results indicate that distributing the cloud into many mini clouds in the network based on content popularity yields 40% total saving in power consumption compared to power un-aware centralized content delivery.
Advances in understanding pituitary tumors

Pituitary tumors are common in the general population. Since neuroimaging techniques have improved, pituitary tumors are more often diagnosed incidentally. About 16.7% of the general population show changes in the pituitary gland. Predominantly, pituitary tumors are benign pituitary adenomas. Pituitary carcinomas or aggressive pituitary tumors are extremely rare. They might develop from benign adenomas. New genetic and epigenetic abnormalities help us to understand pituitary tumorigenesis and might lead to therapeutical targeting drugs in the future. Macroadenomas (>1 cm) can lead to visual field disturbances, compression of cranial nerves, hypopituitarism, and infiltration of the cavernous sinuses. The functional status of the pituitary tumor is important. About half to one third of all pituitary tumors are non-functioning pituitary adenomas. The other pituitary tumors show a specific pattern of hormone secretion. About 25% to 41% of all pituitary tumors are prolactinomas, acromegaly with production of growth hormone represents 10% to 15% of adenomas, Cushing's disease with production of adrenocorticotropic hormone accounts for 10%, and other hormonal characteristics are less common. Transsphenoidal resection and total adenomectomy are desirable. Radiosurgery has enriched the surgical treatment options. Surgical treatment is the intervention of choice except for prolactinomas, where pharmaceutical treatment is recommended. Pharmaceutical treatment consists of dopamine agonists such as cabergoline and somatostatin analogues that include octreotide and pasireotide; retinoic acid is of theoretical interest while peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma-ligands are not clinically useful. In acromegaly, pegvisomant is a further treatment option. Temozolomide should be considered in aggressive pituitary tumors. In general, pharmaceutical options developed recently have extended the repertoire of treatment possibilities of pituitary tumors.
Sexuality in persons with limb amputation

Eighty-five (85) persons with limb amputation participated in a self-report survey with the aim of describing their physical and psychological status in their sexual life. The questionnaire was organised to reveal not only the physical aspect of sexual life but also life satisfaction. The results indicated that: 1) 43.5% of the respondents talked about sexual issues with somebody in daily life; 2) 60.0% of the respondents engaged in coitus; and 3) the existence of a partner was shown to be a factor associated with satisfaction with sexual life.
Comparisons in the Recovery Response From Resistance Exercise Between Young and Middle-Aged Men

Abstract Gordon, JA III, Hoffman, JR, Arroyo, E, Varanoske, AN, Coker, NA, Gepner, Y, Wells, AJ, Stout, JR, and Fukuda, DH. Comparisons in the recovery response from resistance exercise between young and middle-aged men. J Strength Cond Res 31(12): 3454–3462, 2017—The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of a bout of high-volume isokinetic resistance exercise protocol (HVP) on lower-body strength and markers of inflammation and muscle damage during recovery between young and middle-aged adult men. Nineteen recreationally trained men were classified as either a young adult (YA: 21.8 ± 2.0 years; 90.7 ± 11.6 kg) or a middle-aged adult (MA: 47.0 ± 4.4 years; 96.0 ± 21.5 kg) group. The HVP consisted of 8 sets of 10 repetitions, with 1 minute of rest between each set, performed on an isokinetic dynamometer at 60°·s−1. Maximal voluntary isometric contractions and isokinetic peak torque (PKT) and average torque (AVGT) (measured at 240° and 60°·s−1, respectively) were assessed at baseline (BL), immediately post (IP), 120 minutes, 24, and 48 hours after HVP. Blood was obtained at BL, IP, 30, 60, 120 minute, 24, and 48 hours after HVP to assess muscle damage and inflammation. All performance data were analyzed using repeated measures analysis of covariance, whereas all inflammatory and muscle damage markers were analyzed using a 2-way (time × group) repeated measures analysis of variance. Results revealed no between-group differences for PKT, AVGT, or rate of torque development at 200 ms (RTD200). No between-group differences in myoglobin, creatine kinase, C-reactive protein, or interleukin-6 were observed. Although BL differences in muscle performance were observed between YA and MA, no between-group differences were noted in performance recovery measures from high-volume isokinetic exercise in recreationally trained men. These results also indicate that the inflammatory and muscle damage response from high-volume isokinetic exercise is similar between recreationally trained, young, and middle-aged adult men.
Ensembles and Experiments in Classical and Quantum Physics

A philosophically consistent axiomatic approach to classical and quantum mechanics is given. The approach realizes a strong formal implementation of Bohr's correspondence principle. In all instances, classical and quantum concepts are fully parallel: the same general theory has a classical realization and a quantum realization. Extending the ''probability via expectation'' approach of Whittle to noncommuting quantities, this paper defines quantities, ensembles, and experiments as mathematical concepts and shows how to model complementarity, uncertainty, probability, nonlocality and dynamics in these terms. The approach carries no connotation of unlimited repeatability; hence it can be applied to unique systems such as the universe. Consistent experiments provide an elegant solution to the reality problem, confirming the insistence of the orthodox Copenhagen interpretation on that there is nothing but ensembles, while avoiding its elusive reality picture. The weak law of large numbers explains the emergence of classical properties for macroscopic systems.