Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Luteinizing Hormone Surge Regulates Circadian Clock Gene Expression in the Chicken Ovary

The molecular circadian clock mechanism is highly conserved between mammalian and avian species. Avian circadian timing is regulated at multiple oscillatory sites, including the retina, pineal, and hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). Based on the authors’ previous studies on the rat ovary, it was hypothesized that ovarian clock timing is regulated by the luteinizing hormone (LH) surge. The authors used the chicken as a model to test this hypothesis, because the timing of the endogenous LH surge is accurately predicted from the time of oviposition. Therefore, tissues can be removed before and after the LH surge, allowing one to determine the effect of LH on specific clock genes. The authors first examined the 24-h expression patterns of the avian circadian clock genes of Bmal1, Cry1, and Per2 in primary oscillatory tissues (hypothalamus and pineal) as well as peripheral tissues (liver and ovary). Second, the authors determined changes in clock gene expression after the endogenous LH surge. Clock genes were rhythmically expressed in each tissue, but LH influenced expression of these clock genes only in the ovary. The data suggest that expression of ovarian circadian clock genes may be influenced by the LH surge in vivo and directly by LH in cultured granulosa cells. LH induced rhythmic expression of Per1 and Bmal1 in arrhythmic, cultured granulosa cells. Furthermore, LH altered the phase and amplitude of clock gene rhythms in serum-shocked granulosa cells. Thus, the LH surge may be a mechanistic link for communicating circadian timing information from the central pacemaker to the ovary. (Author correspondence: stischkau@siumed.edu)
Asymmetry of Information, Regulatory Lags and Optimal Incentive Contracts: Theory and Evidence

procurements. The procurement process and the equilibrium bidding behavior is modelled in sections II and III and the effect of contract parameters and other structural variables on expected procurement costs are explicitly derived. The existing models are enriched by incorporating a technology for cost reduction where the investment in cost reduction made by the contractor is unobservable to the utility. In the presence of such informational asymmetry, the optimal incentive parameter to be used is derived in terms of information available to the utility. In section IV the effects of changing contractual parameters and other structural variables (number of contractors bidding, the riskiness of the production process, etc.) on equilibrium bidding behavior and ex post cost reduction incentives are derived. In section V we relate some of the implications of our model to a sample
Pattern of Adverse Drug Reactions Due to Cancer Chemotherapy in Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital in Bangladesh

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the pattern of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) occurring in cancer patients treated with chemotherapy in tertiary care hospitals in Bangladesh. A prospective hospital based study over a period of six month was carried out in the Department of oncology, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University and Dhaka Medical College Hospital. The data were subjected to descriptive analysis. A total of 50 patients having ADRs due to cancer chemotherapy were randomly selected. Adverse drug reactions were mostly occurred in the age group between 41-50 years (26%). Considering socio-economic status of cancer patients married persons (82%) have significantly higher risk than unmarried (18%). Prevalence of breast cancer (20%), cervical cancer (14%) and leukemia (16%) were higher and they were treated mostly by adjuvant chemotherapy (46%) and secondly by chemotherapy (38%) alone. In most cases ADRs were developed in patients receiving alkylating agents (40%) and antimetabolites (40%) as anticancer therapy. The five certain ADRs observed in the current study were nausea, stomatitis, alopecia, myelosuppression and increased ESR level in both male and female patients. Moreover, hematological system was affected severely by alkylating agents and antimetabolites. Similar studies covering more patients from different regions are needed to validate our findings. Key words: ADRs; Cancer; Chemotherapy; Tertiary hospital; Bangladesh. DOI: 10.3329/dujps.v8i1. 5330 Dhaka Univ. J. Pharm. Sci. 8(1): 11-16, 2009 (June)
The Epidemiology of Psychiatric Illness in Industrialised Society*

There is no convincing evidence that the amount of formal psychiatric illness is any greater in industrialised than in non-industrialised societies, although the amount of social deviance probably is greater. It is seriously questioned whether modern industrialised society is any more stressful than any other type of society either current or in any earlier era. However, lack of comparable data between different societies and between different time periods presents major methodological problems in fully assessing these issues.
Institutional Research in the Future: Challenges Within Higher Education and the Need for Excellence in Professional Practice

The upcoming challenge for higher education institutions (HEIs) globally is how to respond to an increasing variety of societal needs but with fewer public resources and increased accountability demands. In this chapter we draw attention to the central role institutional research (IR) professionals play in positioning HEIs in a competitive and globalized environment, and the need for them to have a well-developed set of skills (both generic and specialized) to provide and inform the decision-making process. We conclude by posing some questions to consider for the practice of IR into the future.
Further Evidence on the Value of A Priori Information

IN A 1976 PAPER in this Journal, William Brainard and I reported the results of applying a mixed estimation procedure to the asset demand equations of savings and loan associations and mutual savings banks. In each sector, the least squares estimates were both implausible and receptive to a priori information. Even with the simplifying assumptions of normality and exchangeability, the incorporation of prior information through a mixed estimation technique yielded estimates which predicted reasonable asset responses to a wide variety of experiments. Actual root mean square errors for one to eight quarter ahead predictions were also calculated within and outside the sample period used for estimation. For savings and loans, the least squares estimates, mixed estimates and even our pure priors (using prior means for all parameters other than the intercept) forecast out of sample about equally well. Although their overall records were roughly comparable, there were some differences in forecasting particular variables a specific number of quarters ahead. Surprisingly often, one method would forecast better than another method one quarter ahead but not as well as eight quarters ahead. For mutual savings banks, the pure priors outforecast the pure data for five of the six assets in the one quarter ahead tests and were roughly comparable to least squares in the farther ahead tests. The mixed predictions were more accurate than least squares in every case but one, short term bonds one quarter ahead. For both sectors, naive autoregressive forecasts had an impressive accuracy one quarter ahead that declined dramatically as the forecasting period lengthened. A number of developments may now have made these results obsolete. The Federal Reserve Board's flow of funds data have been revised and, with the passage of time, there are now more data available. In addition, the orthogonalization routine in the computer program that we used has been changed. Computational accuracy has been a continuing concern because of the need to invert fairly large moment matrices for highly intercorrelated variables. In the Kim Peck version of TSP which we originally used there were two orthogonalization options. The routine we utilized was advertised as providing "extra precision," and did seem to give more stable estimates during a variety of tests we conducted involving transformations of the data base. These two program options have now been replaced by a presumably even more accurate algorithm. In the present paper I have reestimated the asset demand equations using the current TSP orthogonalization routine and the revised and enlarged data base. The prior probability distributions are identical to those used in the earlier paper.
On Exact Index Numbers

W E shall motivate our investigation of exact index numbers by presenting an example of application of index number theory. We consider a profit-maximizing, price-taking firm endowed with a continuously differentiable non-decreasing and concave production function F(q). Suppose we have observations on the normalized prices p (nominal prices divided by the price of output) and the quantities of the inputs q at two distinct points in time, but not the outputs. An index number formula for the unobserved output is a function of the normalized prices and the quantities of the inputs at the two points, say I(P1,P2,q1,q2), which gives a measure of the ratio of the outputs at the two points, that is,
The Effects of Inflation News on High Frequency Stock Returns

Previous research using daily returns finds conflicting evidence about the relationship between unanticipated inflation (news) and stock returns. We explore the relationship by looking at the response (in minutes and trades) of size-based stock portfolios to unexpected changes in the regularly scheduled Producer Price Index and Consumer Price Index announcements. In particular, we answer the following three questions: (1) Do stocks respond to inflation news? (2) What is the speed and path of that response? (3) Is the response stable or does it vary with the economy, the direction of the news, or time?
PKC-dependent coupling of calcium permeation through transient receptor potential canonical 3 (TRPC3) to calcineurin signaling in HL-1 myocytes

Cardiac transient receptor potential canonical (TRPC) channels are crucial upstream components of Ca2+/calcineurin/nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT) signaling, thereby controlling cardiac transcriptional programs. The linkage between TRPC-mediated Ca2+ signals and NFAT activity is still incompletely understood. TRPC conductances may govern calcineurin activity and NFAT translocation by supplying Ca2+ either directly through the TRPC pore into a regulatory microdomain or indirectly via promotion of voltage-dependent Ca2+ entry. Here, we show that a point mutation in the TRPC3 selectivity filter (E630Q), which disrupts Ca2+ permeability but preserves monovalent permeation, abrogates agonist-induced NFAT signaling in HEK293 cells as well as in murine HL-1 atrial myocytes. The E630Q mutation fully retains the ability to convert phospholipase C-linked stimuli into L-type (CaV1.2) channel-mediated Ca2+ entry in HL-1 cells, thereby generating a dihydropyridine-sensitive Ca2+ signal that is isolated from the NFAT pathway. Prevention of PKC-dependent modulation of TRPC3 by either inhibition of cellular kinase activity or mutation of a critical phosphorylation site in TRPC3 (T573A), which disrupts targeting of calcineurin into the channel complex, converts cardiac TRPC3-mediated Ca2+ signaling into a transcriptionally silent mode. Thus, we demonstrate a dichotomy of TRPC-mediated Ca2+ signaling in the heart constituting two distinct pathways that are differentially linked to gene transcription. Coupling of TRPC3 activity to NFAT translocation requires microdomain Ca2+ signaling by PKC-modified TRPC3 complexes. Our results identify TRPC3 as a pivotal signaling gateway in Ca2+-dependent control of cardiac gene expression.
Capability contingent: the impact of organisational learning styles on innovation performance

In today's highly competitive and rapidly changing business environment, organisational learning can ensure an enterprise's survival and develop new opportunities. However, considering the different resources and capabilities available to an organisation, what kind of organisational learning style should an enterprise adopt to achieve its goal of organisational learning and innovation? This study aimed to determine the best learning styles and innovation performance under different contingencies. This study thus developed eight relevant hypotheses and then conducted an empirical study involving the top managers of 650 manufacturing companies listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange Corporation and the Over The Counter Market in Taiwan. The result of the path analysis of 154 valid samples indicated that the learning styles required for both incremental and radical innovation are substantially different between the four distinct contingencies when combining internal capacity and external relationships.
Inter‐relation between Interleukin (IL)‐1, IL‐6 and Body Fat Regulating Circuits of the Hypothalamic Arcuate Nucleus

Interleukin (IL)‐1 and IL‐6 are immune modulating cytokines that also affect metabolic function because both IL‐1 receptor I deficient (IL‐1RI−/−) and IL‐6 deficient (IL‐6−/−) mice develop late‐onset obesity and leptin resistance. Both IL‐1 and IL‐6 appear to target the central nervous system (CNS) to increase energy expenditure. The hypothalamic arcuate nucleus (ARC) is a major relay between the periphery and CNS in body fat regulation (e.g. by being a target of leptin). The present study aimed to investigate the possible mechanisms responsible for the effects exerted by endogenous IL‐1 and IL‐6 on body fat at the level of the ARC, as well as possible interactions between IL‐1 and IL‐6. Therefore, we measured the gene expression of neuropeptides of the ARC involved in energy balance in IL‐1RI−/− and IL‐6−/− mice. We also investigated the interactions between expression of IL‐1 and IL‐6 in these mice, and mapped IL‐6 receptor α (IL‐6Rα) in the ARC. The expression of the obesity promoting peptide neuropeptide Y (NPY), found in the ARC, was increased in IL‐1RI−/− mice. The expression of NPY and agouti‐related peptide (AgRP), known to be co‐expressed with NPY in ARC neurones, was increased in cold exposed IL‐6−/− mice. IL‐6Rα immunoreactivity was densely localised in the ARC, especially in the medial part, and was partly found in NPY positive cell bodies and also α‐melanocyte‐stimulating hormone positive cell bodies. The expression of hypothalamic IL‐6 was decreased in IL‐1RI−/− mice, whereas IL‐1ß expression was increased in IL‐6−/− mice. The results of the present study indicate that depletion of the activity of the fat suppressing cytokines IL‐1 and IL‐6 in knockout mice can increase the expression of the obesity promoting neuropeptide NPY in the ARC. Depletion of IL‐1 activity suppresses IL‐6 expression, and IL‐6Rα‐like immunoreactivity is present in neurones in the medial ARC, including neurones containing NPY. Therefore, IL‐6, IL‐1 and NPY/AgRP could interact at the level of the hypothalamic ARC in the regulation of body fat.
The Russian Currency Basket: The Rising Role of the Euro for Russia's Exchange Rate Policies

In 2005, the Bank of Russia has made three announcements that indicate an increasing role for the euro in the Russian exchange rate strategy. On February 4 2005 the Bank of Russia announced that it has started to stabilize the daily volatilities of the Russian ruble against a dollar- euro currency basket. While the announced weight of the euro was 10% (90% dollar) by then, the Bank of Russia increased this weight to currently 40% within ten months. Bank of Russia representatives have stressed the intention to increase the weight of the euro the Russian currency basket further up to 50% but without indicating a specific time horizon. Other statements of Bank of Russia representatives have stressed the rising role of euro as intervention and reserve currency. This paper reviews the recent trends in Russian exchange rate strategy with a focus on the role of the euro.
Justifying IT system investments

One person may see an IT system investment as unavoidable expenditure, while another may see it as an investment and expect a return at least as high as the return on capital employed. The decision process may also be influenced by political criteria at the expense of rational justifications, which presents a challenge for the choice and use of formal evaluation methods. Nevertheless, these tools can be used successfully if there is sufficient knowledge of the phenomenon being examined. For example, in the cost-benefit analysis of IT projects, failure to identify the benefits will simply result in a detailed description of the project's costs. Focusing on both macro- and micro-level issues, this paper takes a look at the phenomena and challenges involved in decision processes when justifying IT investments.
Prolactin Negatively Regulates Caveolin-1 Gene Expression in the Mammary Gland during Lactation, via a Ras-dependent Mechanism*

Caveolin-1 is a 22-kDa integral membrane protein that has been suggested to function as a negative regulator of mitogen-stimulated proliferation in a variety of cell types, including mammary epithelial cells. Because much of our insight into caveolin-1 function has come from the study of human breast tumor-derived cell lines in culture, the normal physiological regulators of caveolin-1 expression in the mammary gland remain unknown. Here, we examine caveolin-1 expression in mice at different stages of mammary gland development. We show that caveolin-1 expression is significantly down-regulated during late pregnancy and lactation. Upon weaning, mammary gland expression of caveolin-1 rapidly returns to non-pregnant “steady-state” levels. Injection of virgin mice with a battery of hormones normally up-regulated during lactation demonstrates that prolactin is the main mediator of caveolin-1 down-regulation. Virtually identical results were obtained with human mammary epithelial cells (hTERT-HME1) in culture. In addition, we demonstrate that prolactin-mediated down-regulation of caveolin-1 expression occurs at the level of transcriptional control and via a Ras-dependent mechanism. Interestingly, in the mammary gland, both mammary epithelial cells and the surrounding mammary adipocytes show prolactin-mediated down-regulation of caveolin-1. This hormone-dependent regulation of caveolin-1 expression is specific to the mammary fat pad. Finally, we employed HC11 cells, a well-established model of mammary epithelial cell differentiation, to study the possible functional effects of caveolin-1 expression. In the presence of lactogenic hormones, recombinant expression of caveolin-1 in HC11 cells dramatically suppresses the induction of the promoter activity and the synthesis of β-casein, an established reporter of lactogenic differentiation and milk production. These findings may explain why caveolin-1 levels are normally down-regulated during lactation. This report is the first demonstration that caveolin-1 levels are down-regulated during a normal physiological event in vivo, i.e. lactation, because previous reports have only documented that down-regulation of caveolin-1 occurs during cell transformation and tumorigenesis.
BESR in the Hotel Sector

Abstract This paper looks at tourist support for business environmental and social responsibility (BESR) in the context of tourism. Traditionally perceived as a smokeless industry, tourism has been slow to address its negative impacts until the late 1980s, when ecotourism became a buzzword. However, the flaws of ecotourism entail a shift of focus towards the role of key tourism players including hotels in sustainable tourism. Documented evidence on the incorporation of environmental and social measures in big hotel corporations, indicate an awareness of this role in the sector. Nevertheless, the dissemination of such awareness is in question due to the potentially big investment and organizational change involved. The difficulty may be even more so if not appreciated and supported by the market. Unfortunately, there is little evidence to show if tourists are prioritizing “responsible” hotels. In other words, do tourists have the propensity to choose hotel attributes based on environmental and social criteria? This paper provides an outlook on the demand of tourists for responsible hotels in Pulau Pinang, Malaysia. Specifically, it looks at main criteria used when choosing a hotel, tourists' preference as well as their attitude, interest and opinion relating to green and socially responsible hotel. The research found that most tourists still choose a hotel based on price, service quality and a hotel's physical attractiveness rather than environmental and social attributes. Most tourists also prefer non-environmentally friendly options in hotel rooms such as individual soap cakes, fresh towels and air conditioning compared to the alternatives given. The propensity towards responsible attributes (local culture, local cuisine, happy, friendly and knowledgeable staff) seems to depend on how relevant the attributes are to the quality of their holiday experience. Those that have indirect effects (conservation effort, employment of local, certification, environmental image) are not perceived as important. In addition, the findings do not support the general (local) idea that foreign tourists are more “caring” about environmental and social issues compared to the regional/domestic tourists. Overall, the results imply that suggestion about the rising number of environmentally conscious tourists cannot be substantiated. Therefore, there is a need to re-examine the contention that tourists are a major driver of sustainable tourism.
A SIMPLE AND ACCURATE FORMULA TO ESTIMATE LEFT HEPATIC GRAFT VOLUME IN LIVING-DONOR ADULT LIVER TRANSPLANTATION

Background. In the field of living-donor adult liver transplantation, a small-for-size graft often occurs, particularly when using left-lobe grafts. This is because of the limited volumes associated with left-lobe grafts. The accurate preoperative evaluation of graft volumes is crucial to avoid this complication. The aim of this study is to clarify the usefulness of a new formula to estimate the left-lobe graft volume. Method. In 61 left-lobe grafts, a new formula was created with stepwise regression analysis using the following variables: height, weight, the thoracic and abdominal distance from anterior to posterior side (A-P), and distance from left to right side (L-R) of the initial 20 donors. With another 41 donors, the difference between the actual and estimated graft volume using the formula and two-and three-dimensional computed tomography was prospectively evaluated. Results. On the basis of the results of the stepwise regression analysis, a new formula was created as follows: graft volume (ml)=313.4+7.7×weight (kg)−12.6×thoracic L-R (cm). The difference between the actual and estimated graft volumes using the formula was significantly better (10.8±9.5%) than that of the volumetry using two-dimensional computed tomography (16.3±10.1%) (P <0.05). Conclusions. In conclusion, the new formula can estimate the actual graft volume more accurately than conventional volumetry with two-dimensional computed tomography. The formula is useful to estimate the volume of left-lobe graft in living-donor adult liver transplantation.
Advance care planning in care homes for older people: an English perspective

Advance care planning (ACP) as a process of discussing and recording wishes for future care and treatment is increasingly being promoted and discussed in the UK, reflecting recent changes in legislation. This study describes current ACP practice in care homes for older people drawing on data from a questionnaire survey (n = 213) of, and interviews (n = 15) with, care home managers. Whilst consultation about general care is taking place in the majority of homes surveyed using both formal and informal processes, the number of residents that have completed any ACP processes varies. Managers face intrinsic and extrinsic challenges related to the ascertaining of, and the implementing of wishes as they address ACP in the care home context. Until these wider contextual factors are addressed it will be difficult for staff in care homes to effectively undertake and implement ACP in care homes.