Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cold Preservation of Human Adult Hepatocytes for Liver Cell Therapy

Hepatocyte transplantation is a promising alternative therapy for the treatment of hepatic failure, hepatocellular deficiency, and genetic metabolic disorders. Hypothermic preservation of isolated human hepatocytes is potentially a simple and convenient strategy to provide on-demand hepatocytes in sufficient quantity and of the quality required for biotherapy. In this study, first we assessed how cold storage in three clinically safe preservative solutions (UW, HTS-FRS, and IGL-1) affects the viability and in vitro functionality of human hepatocytes. Then we evaluated whether such cold-preserved human hepatocytes could engraft and repopulate damaged livers in a mouse model of liver failure. Human hepatocytes showed comparable viabilities after cold preservation in the three solutions. The ability of fresh and cold-stored hepatocytes to attach to a collagen substratum and to synthesize and secrete albumin, coagulation factor VII, and urea in the medium after 3 days in culture was also equally preserved. Cold-stored hepatocytes were then transplanted in the spleen of immunodeficient mice previously infected with adenoviruses containing a thymidine kinase construct and treated with a single dose of ganciclovir to induce liver injury. Engraftment and liver repopulation were monitored over time by measuring the blood level of human albumin and by assessing the expression of specific human hepatic mRNAs and proteins in the recipient livers by RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry, respectively. Our findings show that cold-stored human hepatocytes in IGL-1 and HTS-FRS preservative solutions can survive, engraft, and proliferate in a damaged mouse liver. These results demonstrate the usefulness of human hepatocyte hypothermic preservation for cell transplantation.
Gamblers as Personal Finance Activists

Gambling behavior can serve as an informative indicator of important household heterogeneity that is difficult to observe directly in data. We present, to the best of our knowledge, the first comprehensive study of the consumption and personal finance of gamblers using a nationwide representative household survey. We find that consumers are more likely to gamble when income is higher than its normal level predicted by observable characteristics, and that nongambling expenditures tend to increase with gambling activities. In addition, gamblers are more likely to concurrently have various types of debt and assets, assuming a more active position on household balance sheets. However, gamblers do not necessarily have a higher net worth than comparable nongamblers. Gamblers also tend to engage in health-wise risky behaviors, such as smoking and heavy drinking, while paying out-of-pocket on life and health insurance. We present extensive evidence that such behavior differences observed in the data are not primarily due to different degrees of careless reporting to the survey. Rather, we argue that our findings are consistent with the notion that certain consumers, namely, the active participants in personal finance markets, take on gambling as a form of entertainment.
Long-term Trends in Wage Discrimination Against Ethnic Minorities: USA and UK

This paper assesses two economic perspectives on racial discrimination in labour markets: the ‘Chicago school’ claims racial discrimination is a temporary phenomenon which is removed by competition; whereas more recent economics claims that labour markets are imperfect, so discrimination may be long-lasting. This paper reports evidence from USA and UK on earnings of ethnic minorities relative to the white majority. In recent decades, USA and UK governments have enacted legislation to prevent discrimination; this has been partly effective, but discrimination persists in both countries. Further action is required to reduce inefficiencies associated with discrimination.
Information and Learning in Bertrand and Cournot Experimental Duopolies

In this paper we report the results from a series of experiments on Cournot (homogeneous and differentiated products) and Bertrand (differentiated products) duopoly markets with no uncertainty, fixed endpoints and random matching. For each set, the experiments are designed with three alternative information set up: I) no information (participants are only informed on their own payoff for the period), 2) average industrial profit (participants are informed on their own performance, as well as on the average profit in all markets), 3) imitation (players are informed, on request, on their rivals’ past successful actions). The effect of different information structures on individual behaviour in market experiments is a long debated issue. Recently, using evolutionary arguments, it has been argued that the imitation of successful strategies induces more competitive equilibria in market games (M. Schaffer, 1989; F. Vega-Redondo 1997). By the same token, the information on the industry’s average profitability might induce more collusive outcomes, if such markets signals are perceived by players as aspiration levels and if they therefore try new strategies anytime their profits fall below such threshold (F. Palomino and F. Vega-Redondo, 1999; H. Dixon, 2000). Our aim is to test such predictions in duopoly price and quantity games. We find that the imitation learning rule prevails when players have full information on their rivals’ previous choices, and such learning behaviour induces more competitive outcomes in the Cournot market designs. As for the aspiration learning rule, the evidence is unclear. Whilst in the majority of the cases, players experiment new strategies when their payoff falls below the average profit, as predicted by the aspiration rule, we find no evidence of convergence to collusion, though in the Cournot experiments, the fraction of players choosing cooperative actions in the last stages of the game significantly increase in the second information setting.
Stock Market Reaction to Capital Gains Tax Changes: Empirical Evidence from the 1997 and 1998 Tax Acts

This paper analyzes the impact of changes in capital gains taxes on equity values. Seven necessary conditions are outlined for stock prices to be affected by a change in the taxation of long-term capital gains. Specifically, the marginal investor must be an individual, investing for the requisite holding period, selling in a taxable disposition, and compliant. His short-term capital gains from all investments equal or exceed short-term capital losses, and his long-term capital gains from all investments equal or exceed long-term capital losses. In addition, the capital gains tax change must alter the investor's expectation of the taxes that will be generated when he sells in the future, and inelasticities in the supply of capital must prevent immediate economic readjustment. The paper then reviews four studies that estimate the stock market reaction to capital gains tax changes in the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997 and the Internal Revenue Service Restructuring and Reform Act of 1998. The recency of these legislative changes and the conditions under which they were enacted provide useful settings for recalibrating the relation between stock prices and capital gains taxation. Although evaluating different firms and event periods, the studies generally find: • Stock prices react to changes in the capital gains tax policy. • Stock prices react quickly to information about tax legislation. • The stock price reaction is largely complete by public announcement of the change. • The magnitude of the stock price reaction is material. These findings join a growing literature documenting that capital gains tax policy plays a role in establishing equity values.
PENGARUH INFLASI, KURS DAN TINGKAT SUKU BUNGA TERHADAP NON PERFORMING LOAN PADA PT. BANK TABUNGAN NEGARA (PERSERO) Tbk CABANG PADANG

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mendapatkan bukti empiris pengaruh inflasi, kurs, dan tingkat suku bunga terhadap non performing loan Pada PT Bank Tabungan Negara (Persero) Tbk Cabang Padang. Pada penelitian ini digunakan periode observasi yang digunakan mulai dari tahun 2008 – 2013. Jenis data yang digunakan adalah data sekunder yang diperoleh dari laporan keuangan PT Bank Tabungan Negara (Persero) Tbk Cabang Padang. Untuk melakukan pengujian hipotesis digunakan model regresi linear berganda dengan melihat nilai uji t-statistik. Berdasarkan hasil pengujian hipotesis ditemukan bahwa inflasi, dan tingkat suku bunga secara individual berpengaruh signifikan terhadap non performing loan pada PT Bank Tabungan Negara (Persero) Cabang Padang, sedangkan kurs tidak berpengaruh signifikan terhadap non performing loan pada PT Bank Tabungan Negara (Persero) Cabang Padang.
Clinical and genetic investigation of families with type II Waardenburg syndrome

The present study aimed to investigate the molecular pathology of Waardenburg syndrome type II in three families, in order to provide genetic diagnosis and hereditary counseling for family members. Relevant clinical examinations were conducted on the probands of the three pedigrees. Peripheral blood samples of the probands and related family members were collected and genomic DNA was extracted. The coding sequences of paired box 3 (PAX3), microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF), sex-determining region Y-box 10 (SOX10) and snail family zinc finger 2 (SNAI2) were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction and DNA sequencing. The heterozygous mutation, c. 649_651delAGA in exon 7 of the MITF gene was detected in the proband and all patients of pedigree 1; however, no pathological mutation of the relevant genes (MITF, SNAI2, SOX10 or PAX3) was detected in pedigrees 2 and 3. The heterozygous mutation c. 649_651delAGA in exon 7 of the MITF gene is therefore considered the disease-causing mutation in pedigree 1. However, there are novel disease-causing genes in Waardenburg syndrome type II, which require further research.
Boardroom Strategizing in Professional Associations: Processual and Institutional Perspectives*

This study examines strategic decision-making at the boardroom level of two non-profit professional associations, penetrating directors&apos' strategic orientations, discourse and decisions in their holistic context. In comparison with the predominantly survey and interview based literature on board level strategy behaviour, this study employs a longitudinal complete member researcher, participant observer methodology. Its findings are analysed from an institutional theory perspective and reveal selective championing of strategies by directors, the evaluation of strategic proposals and progress in predominantly financial resource/outcome terms, and directors&apos' attention to navigating strategic initiatives through organizational politics. Also revealed are private sector philosophies imported into the non-profit boardroom, the predominantly ceremonial role of formal strategic plans, and an informally enacted strategic discourse. This study offers a unique insider view of strategizing at the highest organizational level.
Fruit and Vegetable Purchasing Patterns and Preferences in South Delhi

This study examines associations between consumer characteristics, beliefs, and preferences and fruit and vegetable (FV) purchasing and intake in South Delhi, India. Home interviews were conducted with 245 households, using a structured questionnaire to assess FV consumption and purchasing frequency, spending, place of purchase, mode of travel, knowledge and attitudes toward organics, and beliefs about barriers to FV consumption. In-depth interviews with 62 experts and key informants validated survey findings that street vendors and markets are currently the dominant source of FV in South Delhi and that affordability, not accessibility, is the main barrier to increasing FV intake.
Assuming the Inevitable? Overcoming the Inevitability of Outer Space Weaponization and Conflict

Is armed conflict in and from space inevitable? In recent years a consensus has emerged that space has become increasingly militarized – in the sense that technologies placed in outer space are increasingly used to facilitate and augment traditional military activities. But actual use of weapons in or from outer space remains highly controversial. The aim of this article is to assess the attitudes of major space-faring powers towards space weaponization. Central here, the article argues, is the question of whether the weaponization of space and/or conflict in space (taken here to mean the occurrence of military conflict in outer space itself, or from the Earth directed at any systems deployed in outer space) is inevitable, and the extent to which the major space powers espouse this proposition. This article shows that the idea of inevitability retains a prominent place (although for subtly differing reasons) in American, Chinese, and Russian perspectives on space weaponization. What it is that is inevitable frequently varies, based on assumed but underspecified technological developments. This risks creating a discursively constructed security dilemma that increases the likelihood of actual space weaponization. It leads to the conclusion that renewed negotiations between the major space powers and international cooperative agreements are essential to combat the fatalism of the inevitability thesis.
A Re-examination of Exchange Rate Exposure: Industry-level Analysis of Indian Firms

This study examines the relationship between exchange rate changes and firm value. For this purpose, a sample of 342 Indian non-financial firms grouped into 20 industry portfolios is studied over the period of April 2006 to March 2011. The sensitivity of industry’s stock returns to actual and unanticipated changes in exchange rate is determined. The study reports a higher number of industries significantly exposed to real exchange rate changes than nominal changes which implies that the firms should focus more on their real currency exposure especially in the emerging markets experiencing high inflation. The results also suggest that the Indian industries gain (loss) from the depreciation (appreciation) of the rupee against foreign currencies. The results are robust to the use of bilateral exchange rate and estimation models. The findings have practical and theoretical implications.
A novel peroxisome proliferator–activated receptor γ ligand, MCC-555, induces apoptosis via posttranscriptional regulation of NAG-1 in colorectal cancer cells

Apoptosis and/or differentiation induction caused by the peroxisome proliferator–activated receptor γ (PPARγ) ligand is a promising approach to cancer therapy. The thiazolidinedione derivative MCC-555 has an apoptotic activity in human colorectal cancer cells, accompanied by up-regulation of a proapoptotic nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug–activated gene (NAG-1) in a PPARγ-independent manner. Treatment with MCC-555 resulted in the induction of NAG-1 expression and apoptosis in HCT-116 cells. Down-regulation of NAG-1 by small interfering RNA suppressed MCC-555-induced apoptosis. MCC-555 was found to affect NAG-1 mRNA stability. To further define the underlying mechanism of RNA stability affected by MCC-555, we cloned the 3′-untranslated region (3′UTR) of human NAG-1 mRNA, which contains four copies of an AU-rich element (ARE), downstream from the luciferase gene. The reporter activity was reduced to ∼70% by inserting the 3′UTR. In addition, deletion of ARE sequences in the 3′UTR or MCC-555 treatment substantially restored activity. This effect of MCC-555 on the ARE-mediated mRNA degradation was inhibited by extracellular signal–regulated kinase (ERK) pathway inhibitors. Subsequently, rapid phosphorylation of ERK1/2 by MCC-555 treatment was detected. Moreover, ERK small interfering RNA suppressed MCC-555-induced NAG-1 expression. These results suggest that ARE sequences in the 3′UTR of the NAG-1 gene contribute to mRNA degradation and ERK1/2 phosphorylation is responsible for the stabilization of NAG-1 mRNA. These findings may provide a novel explanation for the antitumorigenic and/or proapoptotic action of MCC-555 in human colorectal cancer and the ability of pharmacologic approaches to be used against diseases caused by alterations of RNA stability. [Mol Cancer Ther 2006;5(5):1352–61]
Different effects of alpha- and beta-adrenergic stimulation on cytosolic pH and myofilament responsiveness to Ca2+ in cardiac myocytes.

alpha-Adrenergic stimulation (alpha-AS) and beta-adrenergic stimulation (beta-AS) of the myocardium are associated respectively with an increase and a decrease in myofilament responsiveness to Ca2+. We hypothesized that changes in cytosolic pH (pH(i)) may modulate these opposite actions of alpha-AS and beta-AS. The effects of alpha-AS (50 microM phenylephrine and 1 microM nadolol) and beta-AS (0.05 microM isoproterenol) on contraction and either cytosolic Ca2+ (Cai) or pH(i) were assessed in adult rat ventricular myocytes bathed in bicarbonate buffer (pH 7.36 +/- 0.05). In cells loaded with the ester derivative (AM form) of indo-1, the 410/490-nm ratio of emitted fluorescence indexed Cai. Myofilament responsiveness to Ca2+ was assessed by the relaxation phase of the length-indo-1 fluorescence relation during a twitch. alpha-AS and beta-AS shifted this relation in opposite directions, indicating that alpha-AS increased and beta-AS decreased myofilament responsiveness to Ca2+. In addition, the positive inotropic action of alpha-AS was associated with an increased Cai transient amplitude in 50% of the myocytes (n = 12), whereas beta-AS always increased Cai (n = 5). In cells loaded with the fluorescent pH(i) probe SNARF-1 AM, the emitted 590/640-nm fluorescence is a measure of pH(i). The effect of alpha-AS on the extent of cell shortening during the twitch (ES) was expressed as the percentage of resting cell length. Both ES and pH(i) were assessed in myocytes bathed in 1.5 mM [Ca2+] and stimulated at 0.5 Hz (control ES, 7.4 +/- 1.5%; control pH(i), 7.11 +/- 0.05; n = 10). alpha-AS enhanced both ES (delta ES, 1.8 +/- 0.6%; p less than 0.05) and pH(i) (delta pH(i), 0.06 +/- 0.01; p less than 0.005), and there was a significant correlation between delta ES and delta pH(i) (r = 0.76, p less than 0.05). A similar effect of alpha-AS on pH(i) was observed in the absence of electrical stimulation (n = 8). The alpha-AS-induced enhancement of ES and pH(i) was abolished by 10 microM ethylisopropylamiloride, a Na(+)-H+ exchange inhibitor (n = 7). In additional experiments, myocytes were preincubated either with 0.2 microM 4 beta-phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (n = 8) or with 5 nM staurosporine (n = 8), which have been shown to downregulate and inhibit Ca(2+)-activated phospholipid-dependent protein kinase C, respectively. In either group, alpha-AS had no effect on pH(i) and decreased ES to approximately 60% of control. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Symptoms of depression among community-dwelling elderly African-American and White older adults

Background. Few studies have explored the variance in individual symptoms by race in older adults. Methods. Data were analysed from the Duke site of the Established Populations for Epidemiologic Studies of the Elderly (EPESE), a community sample of persons 65 years-of-age and older, 54% of whom were African-Americans. Of the 3401 subjects with adequate data on depressive symptomatology, confirmatory factor analysis and LISREL were first used to confirm the presence of the factor structure previously reported for the CES-D. Next, bivariate analysis was performed to determine the prevalence of individual symptoms by race. Finally, LISREL analysis was performed to control for potential confounding variables. Results. When bivariate comparisons of specific symptoms by race were explored, African-Americans were more likely to report less hope about the future, poor appetite, difficulty concentrating, requiring more effort for usual activities, less talking, feeling people were unfriendly, feeling disliked by others and being more ‘bothered’ than usual. When LISREL analyses were applied to these data (controlling for education, income, cognitive impairment, chronic health problems and disability and other factors) racial differences in somatic complaints and life satisfaction disappeared, yet differences in interpersonal relations persisted. Conclusions. This study confirms earlier findings of minimal overall differences in symptom frequency between African-American and non-African-American community-dwelling older adults in controlled studies.
Restaurant marketing: selection and segmentation in Hong Kong.

Determinant attribute analysis technique that isolates critical product attributes, can be a useful marketing tool for organizations hoping to penetrate new markets, and re‐examine their current market needs. Uses restaurants in Hong Kong as an example. While consumers say that food quality and food type are the critical variables for restaurant selection or rejection, other “lesser” choice variables may be the deciding factors in the final restaurants selection or reflection. The four restaurant types which emerged from the study are: fine dining/gourmet; theme/atmosphere; family/popular; and convenience/fast‐food restaurants. The results indicate that customers’ perceptions and therefore their preferences of choice variables, varied considerably by restaurant type, dining‐out occasion, age, and occupation. Suggests that the importance of perceivably unimportant attributes, can determine customers’ final restaurant choice. It is suggested, therefore, that the quality of food and type of food should not be the only attributes underpinning the restaurateurs’ marketing strategies in Hong Kong.
Remifentanil for INSURE in preterm infants: a pilot study for evaluation of efficacy and safety aspects.

AIM To evaluate intubating conditions, extubation times and outcome in preterm infants receiving remifentanil as induction agent for the INSURE procedure. METHODS In twenty-one preterm infants of 29 to 32 weeks gestation and signs of respiratory distress, we utilized remifentanil as induction agent for the INSURE procedure. Following intubation and surfactant application, the infants were mechanically ventilated until respiratory drive was judged to be satisfactory for continuing CPAP therapy. Intubating conditions were classified by our own scoring system by rating limb movements, coughing and breathing. Heart rate, blood pressure and oxygen saturation were recorded during the entire INSURE procedure. RESULTS Remifentanil provided excellent or good intubating conditions in all patients. We observed no serious side effects after remifentanil infusion, in particular, no thorax rigidity, clinically significant bradycardia or arterial hypotension. Average extubation time after surfactant administration was 16.9 min (1-45 min); none of the infants had to be reintubated. Following extubation, the infants required only 3.3 days (1-8 days) of CPAP therapy. None exhibited serious complications of prematurity like periventricular leucomalacia, intraventricular haemorrhage >I degree, necrotizing enterocolitis or retinopathy. CONCLUSION In this pilot study, INSURE with remifentanil was associated with good intubating conditions and early extubation resulting in an excellent neonatal outcome.