Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of growth hormone or chromium picolinate on swine metabolism and inflammatory cytokine production after endotoxin challenge exposure.

OBJECTIVE To determine whether recombinant porcine somatotropin (PST) or chromium picolinate (CrP) affected cytokine production and metabolism in swine after endotoxin challenge exposure. ANIMALS 20 Poland China X Landrace pigs, 5/group. PROCEDURE Pigs were given CrP-supplemented feed at body weight of 20 kg; PST treatment began at 60 kg, and both treatments continued through body weight of 90 kg. At 90 kg, pigs were challenge exposed with 20 micrograms of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)/kg of body weight. Blood samples were obtained at various times through 24 hours after LPS challenge exposure. RESULTS In all pigs not given PST, glucose concentration decreased 2 to 4 hours after LPS. In PST-treated pigs, blood glucose concentration was decreased at 6 to 8 hours after LPS. Plasma insulin concentration paralleled changes in glucose concentration. Nonesterified fatty acid concentration was high 2 to 24 hours after LPS in pigs not given PST and at 6 to 24 h in PST-treated pigs. Plasma urea nitrogen concentration was high at 6 to 24 hours after LPS in pigs not given PST. The urea nitrogen values in PST-treated pigs were lower at all times. Serum aspartate transaminase activity was high 6 to 24 hours after LPS in pigs not given PST, whereas PST treatment prevented the increase in this enzyme activity. In untreated (PST) pigs, plasma bilirubin (total and direct) concentrations were high 4 to 8 hours after LPS and returned to normal at 24 hours. The PST- and CrP-treated pigs maintained normal plasma bilirubin concentrations. Interleukin 6 activity was unaffected by CrP and PST treatments. Treatment with CrP and PST decreased the tumor necrosis factor alpha response to LPS, compared with that in control pigs. CONCLUSIONS PST, and to a lesser extent CrP, provide protection against the adverse metabolic effects of LPS-induced septic shock.
A survey research of satisfaction levels of graduate students enrolled in a nationally ranked top-10 program at a mid-western university

The purpose of this study was to determine the satisfaction level of existing master’s students attending a two-week summer session towards the same master's program in education with specializations in career and human resources education. Increased competition, dynamic educational environment, challenges such as budget cut, higher costs in obtaining college education, changing demographics in the population, declining enrollments, and a general public call for accountability have educational institutions realize the importance of student satisfaction (Cheng & Tam, 1997; Kotler & Fox, 1995). A survey research design was utilized to carry out this study. Findings indicate the majority of the students were either satisfied or extremely satisfied with the department’s master’s program.
Evidence for a co-moving sub-stellar companion of GQ Lup

We present a companion of the ≤2 Myr young classical T Tauri star GQ Lup in the Lupus star forming region at 140 ± 50 pc from imaging, astrometry, and spectroscopy. With direct K-band imaging using VLT/NACO, we detected an object 6 mag fainter than GQ Lup located 0.7 �� west of it. Compared to images obtained 2 to 5 years earlier with Subaru/CIAO and HST/PC, this object shares the proper motion of GQ Lup by 5 and 7σ, respectively, hence it is a co-moving companion. Its K −Lcolor is consistent with a spectral type early to mid L. Our NACO K-band spectrum yields spectral type M9−L4 with H2O and CO absorption, consistent with the new GAIA-Dusty template spectrum for log g � 2t o 3a ndTeff � 2000 K with ∼2 Rjup radius at ∼140 pc, hence few Jupiter masses. Using the theoretical models from Wuchterl & Tscharnuter (2003), Burrows et al. (1997), and Baraffe et al. (2002), the mass lies between 1 and 42 Jupiter masses.
Use of micro-focused ultrasound with visualization to lift and tighten lax knee skin

Abstract Introduction: Public interest in noninvasive, aesthetic treatments for the rejuvenation of appearance continues to grow. The following prospective, open-label, nonrandomized trial was conducted to evaluate the safety and efficacy of micro-focused ultrasound with visualization (MFU-V) for achieving lift and tightening of lax skin above the knee. Materials and methods: Healthy adult women (N = 30) with mild- to moderate bilateral skin laxity above the knees were enrolled. MFU-V was applied to a grid of eight 25 mm2 squares above each knee. MFU-V was first applied using a 4 MHz, 4.5 mm transducer followed by a 7 MHz, 3.0 mm transducer. Approximately 480 treatment lines applied to each knee. The primary efficacy endpoint was lifting and tightening of lax skin above the knee as determined by the principle investigator using the Physician Global Aesthetic Improvement Scale (PGAIS). Results: Among 28 evaluable subjects, 24 subjects (86%) showed improved lifting and tightening of knee skin laxity at 90- and 180-day follow-up visits. Three subjects showed no change and the appearance of one subject worsened. There were no adverse events or evidence of skin injury. Conclusion: Similar to its safety and efficacy for tightening facial skin and reducing wrinkles, MFU-V is an effective, noninvasive method for reducing skin laxity and improving the appearance of skin above the knee. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01708434.
The effects of post-surgical administration of goserelin plus anastrozole compared to goserelin alone in patients with severe endometriosis: a prospective randomized trial.

BACKGROUND Among patients using GnRH analogues for endometriosis it has been postulated that peripheral and inflammation-induced in-situ aromatization of adrenal androgens are probably the main reasons for the high rates of failure during follow-up. We hypothesized that in cases with premenopausal severe endometriosis, use of a combination of anastrozole and goserelin to achieve almost maximal endocrine blockade of estrogen synthesis after conservative surgery may increase the pain-free interval and reduce the recurrence rates as compared to goserelin alone. METHODS In a prospective randomized trial, we evaluated the efficacy of using either a combination of anastrozole and goserelin for 6 months or goserelin alone for 6 months after conservative surgery for severe endometriosis. The primary outcome measures were the symptom recurrence rates and the impact of treatment on endometriosis-related multidimensional score. The secondary outcome measures were the impact of allocated treatment regimens on menopausal quality of life and on lumbar spine bone mineral density (BMD). RESULTS When we analyzed the Kaplan-Meier survival curves, we detected a statistically significant advantage of goserelin plus anastrozole as compared to goserelin only, in terms of the median time to detect symptom recurrence (>2.4 versus 1.7 months; log-rank test; P=0.0089). This statistically significant advantage occurred with a relative risk of 4.3 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.3-9.8]. Three cases out of 40 recurred in the goserelin plus anastrozole arm (7.5%), whereas we detected recurrences in 14 cases out of 40 cases in the goserelin-only arm (35%) during the follow-up period of 24 months. Based on these data, the interpretation of Kaplan-Meier curves indicates that at the end of follow-up, 54.7 versus 10.4%, respectively, of the patients were free of recurrence. The mean of the differences in terms of Deltabaseline-24 months post-medical therapy multidimensional score were statistically significant in favour of goserelin and anastrozole (9.2 +/- 2.1 versus 6.7 +/- 2.8; paired t-test; P<0.0001; 95% CI 1.5-4.0). We observed a statistically significant difference in suppression of estradiol concentrations and a significantly greater BMD loss at the end of treatment in the goserelin and anastrozole arm as compared to goserelin-only arm. However, this did not elicit deterioration in menopausal quality of life and the observed bone loss was not significant in terms of DeltaBMD between the groups at 2 years of treatment withdrawal. CONCLUSIONS Six months of treatment with anastrozole and goserelin as compared to goserelin alone increased the pain-free interval and decreased symptom recurrence rates in patients following surgery for severe endometriosis. Furthermore, menopausal quality of life and BMD at 2 years after medical therapy remained unaffected.
Effects of exact repetition and conceptual repetition on free recall and primed word-fragment completion.

Experiments are reported in which effects of repeating words exactly (e.g., elephant, elephant) or repeating some meaningful aspect--a synonym (pachyderm), an associate (tusk), or a category coordinate (hippopotamus)--were examined on free recall and word-fragment completion. In free recall, large effects of both exact repetition and conceptual repetition were found; the magnitude of the latter was about half that of the former. In contrast, in primed word-fragment completion, repetition effects were rather small and there was no evidence of indirect (or conceptual) priming. Also, presentation of synonyms, associates, and coordinates in isolation failed to prime word-fragment completion. The results provide further evidence that the basis of primed word-fragment completion is different from that of free recall; the former seems to have a perceptual (or perhaps lexical) basis, whereas the latter relies more on meaningful processing.
Leveraging Alliance Networks through Information Technology: Evidence from Panel Regressions

Despite the expectation that Information Technology (IT) is valuable in managing and leveraging multiple alliance relationships and the resultant alliance networks, a paucity in theoretical and empirical examination persists in the literature. Employing social network analysis (SNA), we examined whether IT investment moderates the effect exerted by a firm’s structural properties in alliance networks (direct partners, indirect partners, and structural holes) on its performance. Drawing upon previous research on dynamic capabilities and the knowledge-based view of the firm, we propose a conceptual model and discuss a potential underlying mechanism. Our empirical analysis of 306 U.S. public firms, which provide 971 observations during an 8-year span from 1998 to 2005, suggests that IT investment helps firms to (1) manage the burden of increasing complexity in coordinating multiple alliances, and (2) overcome the relative informational disadvantage resulted from their limited access to indirect partners and structural holes.
Potent Tumor-Specific Protection Ignited by Adoptively Transferred CD4+ T Cells1

Administration of anti-CD25 mAb before an aggressive murine breast tumor inoculation provoked effective antitumor immunity. Compared with CD4+ T cells purified from anti-CD25 mAb-pretreated mice that did not reject tumor, CD4+ T cells purified from anti-CD25 mAb-pretreated mice that rejected tumor stimulated by dendritic cells (DCs) produced more IFN-γ and IL-2, and less IL-17 in vitro, and ignited protective antitumor immunity in vivo in an adoptive transfer model. Tumor Ag-loaded DCs activated naive CD8+ T cells in the presence of these CD4+ T cells in vitro. Tumor Ag and adoptively transferred CD4+ T cells were both required for inducing a long-term tumor-specific IFN-γ-producing cellular response and potent protective antitumor activity. Although adoptively transferred CD4+ T cells ignited effective tumor-specific antitumor immunity in wild-type mice, they failed to do so in endogenous NK cell-depleted, Gr-1+ cell-depleted, CD40−/−, CD11c+ DC-depleted, B cell−/−, CD8+ T cell-depleted, or IFN-γ−/− mice. Collectively, the data suggest that adoptively transferred CD4+ T cells orchestrate both endogenous innate and adaptive immunity to generate effective tumor-specific long-term protective antitumor immunity. The data also demonstrate the pivotal role of endogenous DCs in the tumor-specific protection ignited by adoptively transferred CD4+ T cells. Thus, these findings highlight the importance of adoptively transferred CD4+ T cells, as well as host immune components, in generating effective tumor-specific long-term antitumor activity.
Analisa Pengaruh Hedonic Dan Utilitarian Value Terhadap Repurchase Intention Pada Industri Pusat Kebugaran Kelas Menengah Atas Di Sidoarjo

An increasing rate of Indonesian economic growth has pushed the middle class people to the greater number. This condition also makes the middle class consumers to become more consumptive, especially on the need for leisure. This consumptive behavior can be traced by exhibiting the growth of the middle class fitness center, which is significantly faster than the exclusive one. There are two attributes to define how the consumptive behavior works in the middle class fitness center, it is by using hedonic value and utilitarian value as the primary consideration of buying process. The researcher hypothesized that those two different attributes have direct relationships to customer satisfaction and repurchase intention, as this paper would reveal the truth of those ideas. This research uses Partial Least Square (PLS) to analyze the relationships between the variables. Also, there are 120 respondents involved to gather the data.
A Head-Up Display-Based P300 Brain–Computer Interface for Destination Selection

In this paper, we propose a P300 brain-computer interface (BCI) with visual stimuli presented on a head-up display and we apply this BCI for selecting destinations of a simulated vehicle in a virtual scene. To improve the usability of the selection system, we analyze the effects of the number of electroencephalogram (EEG) rounds on system performance. Experimental results from eight participants show that the BCI-based model of destination selection can be built with EEG data from eight channels, and participants can use this BCI to select a desired destination with an accuracy value of 93.6% ± 1.6% (mean value with standard error) in about 12 s of selection time. This paper lays a foundation for developing vehicles that use a BCI to select a desired destination from a list of predefined destinations and then use an autonomous navigation system to reach the desired destination.
Ultrastructural alterations and HSP 70 induction in Elodea ca-nadensisMichx. exposed to heavy metals

Abstract — The effects of the heavy metals lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) on the ultrastructure and the induction of Heat Shock Protein 70 (HSP 70) have been studied in Elodea canadensis Michx. As for the ultrastructural effects, sublethal concentrations of the metals caused alterations of the cell fine ultrastruc-ture. Lead and cadmium induced alterations: chloroplast were swollen with altered thylakoid organization, many cy-toplasmic vesicles appeared, cell wall organization changed. As for HSP, cadmium stress caused the most severe damages, inducing (and/or enhancing) proteins reacting vs HSP70 antibodies, suggesting that these molecular chaperones might be involved in the resistance to toxic effects of cadmium and lead in E. canadensis. Therefore, the induction of HSP 70 in E. canadensis would confer a higher resistance to pollutants under stressful conditions, lethal for other mosses and higher plant species.
Tau binding to microtubules does not directly affect microtubule‐based vesicle motility

Tau protein is a major microtubule (MT)‐associated brain protein enriched in axons. Multiple functional roles are proposed for tau protein, including MT stabilization, generation of cell processes, and targeting of phosphotransferases to MTs. Recently, experiments involving exogenous tau expression in cultured cells suggested a role for tau as a regulator of kinesin‐1‐based motility. Tau was proposed to inhibit attachment of kinesin‐1 to MTs by competing for the kinesin‐1 binding site. In this work, we evaluated effects of tau on fast axonal transport (FAT) by using vesicle motility assays in isolated squid axoplasm. Effects of recombinant tau constructs on both kinesin‐1 and cytoplasmic dynein‐dependent FAT rates were evaluated by video microscopy. Exogenous tau binding to endogenous squid MTs was evidenced by a dramatic change in individual MT morphologies. However, perfusion of tau at concentrations ∼20‐fold higher than physiological levels showed no effect on FAT. In contrast, perfusion of a cytoplasmic dynein‐derived peptide that competes with kinesin‐1 and cytoplasmic dynein binding to MTs in vitro rapidly inhibited FAT in both directions. Taken together, our results indicate that binding of tau to MTs does not directly affect kinesin‐1‐ or cytoplasmic dynein‐based motilities. In contrast, our results provide further evidence indicating that the functional binding sites for kinesin‐1 and cytoplasmic dynein on MTs overlap. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Vowel Reduction in Russian: A Unified Accountof Standard, Dialectal, and “Dissimilative” Patterns

This paper provides an Optimality-Theoretic analysis of a number of Russian vowel reduction patterns. In particular, the analysis presented here relies on a non-unitary approach (Crosswhite 1999) to two-pattern vowel reduction systems, such as those typically seen in Russian dialects. Furthermore, a particularly complex dialectal pattern, traditionally referred to as "dissimilative" reduction, is analyzed here without use of direct featural dissimilation. Instead, constraints on sonority, lengthening under stress, and foot form conspire to allow the quality of the stressed vowel of some word to indirectly affect the surface quality of the preceding unstressed vowel.
From solitary waves to static patterns via spatiotemporal intermittency.

Among the very rich range of possibilities for the dynamics of one dimensional fronts, we present, in a film draining experiment, the first observation of a continuous transition from solitary waves to a static spatially periodic pattern. Between these two extreme situations, a regime of colliding solitary waves exhibiting chaos with spatiotemporal intermittency is observed. These observations suggest the description of the static periodic pattern as being the result of a dense packing of propagating solitary waves, and its destabilization to spatiotemporal intermittency as the attempt of some solitary waves to propagate
Estimation of a US dairy sector model by maximum simulated likelihood

This paper estimates a multivariate Tobit system of monthly wholesale dairy prices where four prices are lower censored by the dairy price support programme. Using Maximum Simulated Likelihood (MSL) the effects of simulation noise are tested/corrected for and the relevance of estimating multivariate versus the single Tobit equations discussed.
An Arithmetic Theory of Consistency Enforcement

Consistency enforcement starts from a given program specification S and a static invariant I and aims to replace S by a slightly modified program specification SI that is provably consistent with respect to I. One formalization which suggests itself is to define SI as the greatest consistent specialization of S with respect to I, where specialization is a partial order on semantic equivalence classes of program specifications.In this paper we present such a theory on the basis of arithmetic logic. We show that with mild technical restrictions and mild restrictions concerning recursive program specifications it is possible to obtain the greatest consistent specialization gradually and independently from the order of given invariants as well as by replacing basic commands by their respective greatest consistent specialization. Furthermore, this approach allows to discuss computability and decidability aspects for the first time.
Effectiveness of colorectal cancer screening: results from a population‐based case‐control evaluation in Saarland, Germany

In order to evaluate the effectiveness of colorectal cancer screening by the faecal occult blood test (FOBT) in Germany a population-based case-control study was conducted in Saarland, a southwestern state of Germany. As cases, we identified 522 persons (244 males, 278 females) who died of colorectal cancer between 1983 and 1986 between the ages of 55 and 75 years. For 163 male cases complete screening histories were retrieved together with up to five age-matched controls who had not died of colorectal cancer identified from the files of the case's referring general practitioner (GP). For 209 female cases screening histories were retrieved from their GPs and gynaecologists as well as for age-matched controls. Individual screening histories were established with emphasis on identifying whether FOBTs were carried out asymptomatically or symptomatically. In the time period 6–36 months prior to diagnosis 13|X%of the male cases and 14|X% of the male controls had at least one asymptomatic FORT with a corresponding matched odds ratio of 0.92 (95|X%CI: 0.61, 1.75). For the same prediagnostic period 16|X% of the female cases and 29|X% of the female controls had at least one asymptomatic FOBT leading to an odds ratio of 0.43 (95|X% CI: 0.27, 0.68). Thus, for males where participation rates are generally low, no protective effect could be seen but for females where participation rates are higher a clear protective effect is seen. Possibilities for bias need to be taken into consideration when interpreting these results. Organizational measures ensuring a high penetrance of a mass screening programme are seen as a way to elevate efficacy.
Chieftaincy, the State, and Democracy: Political Legitimacy in Post-Apartheid South Africa

Chieftaincy, the State, and Democracy: Political Legitimacy in Post-Apartheid South Africa. By J. Michael Williams. Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 2010. Pp. viii, 282; maps, bibliography, index, list of abbreviations. $65.00 cloth, $24.95 paper. "One of the most vivid political reminders of the apartheid past, the institution of chieftaincy" (p. 1), has maintained its legitimacy in a country where the ruling African National Congress (ANC) has dedicated itself since 1994 to eradicating that past. J. Michael Williams explores how the "conflicting worldviews about the nature of authority and the right to rule" (p. 2) between chieftaincy and the post-apartheid state have produced an inevitable struggle about political legitimacy. To understand how this struggle plays out at the local level, he focuses on three chieftaincies in KwaZulu-Natal in order to "tell the stories of real South Africans dealing with the everyday struggles that exist in the postapartheid dispensation" (p. 31). Utilizing "the multiple legitimacies framework," he argues "that even though both the democratic state institutions and the chieftaincy seek to exercise exclusive political control in the rural areas" (p. 19), neither is able to dominate. Instead, the outcome is a "syncretism of authority relations" in which "the different sources of legitimacy overlap" (p. 19). Having introduced his overall argument in the Introduction, Williams uses the next six chapters to understand how and why the chieftaincy in each of his three study areas remains "a central pillar to the local populations" (p. 38). The second chapter, "The Binding Together of the People," examines chieftaincy in historical perspective and how through the changing circumstance of colonial and apartheid rule the principle of the unity of the community through the chieftaincy persevered. This was in large part due to the chiefs and izinduna ("headmen") learning "to selectively invoke particular principles and ideas in different circumstances" (p. 79). The third chapter "examines the national debates concerning the chieftaincy in the 1990s" (p. 80), and the official integration of the institution into the new constitutional order, which resulted in the creation of a mixed polity. With the passage of the Traditional Leadership and Governance Framework Act (TLGF Act) in 2003, the ANC seemingly came to recognize "the unique qualities of the chieftaincy and that it indeed occupies a space distinct from the state or civil society" (p. 106). The next chapters focus on the local level to gain insight into how the TLGF Act was largely reactive to events unfolding from the early 1990s. …