Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Regulation of PI-3-Kinase and Akt Signaling in T Lymphocytes and Other Cells by TNFR Family Molecules

Activation of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) and Akt (protein kinase B) is a common response triggered by a range of membrane-bound receptors on many cell types. In T lymphocytes, the PI3K-Akt pathway promotes clonal expansion, differentiation, and survival of effector cells and suppresses the generation of regulatory T cells. PI3K activation is tightly controlled by signals through the T cell receptor (TCR) and the co-stimulatory receptor CD28, however sustained and periodic signals from additional co-receptors are now being recognized as critical contributors to the activation of this pathway. Accumulating evidence suggests that many members of the Tumor Necrosis Factor receptor (TNFR) superfamily, TNFR2 (TNFRSF1B), OX40 (TNFRSF4), 4-1BB (TNFRSF9), HVEM (TNFRSF14), and DR3 (TNFRSF25), that are constitutive or inducible on T cells, can directly or indirectly promote activity in the PI3K-Akt pathway. We discuss recent data which suggests that ligation of one TNFR family molecule organizes a signalosome, via TNFR-associated factor (TRAF) adapter proteins in T cell membrane lipid microdomains, that results in the subsequent accumulation of highly concentrated depots of PI3K and Akt in close proximity to TCR signaling units. We propose this may be a generalizable mechanism applicable to other TNFR family molecules that will result in a quantitative contribution of these signalosomes to enhancing and sustaining PI3K and Akt activation triggered by the TCR. We also review data that other TNFR molecules, such as CD40 (TNFRSF5), RANK (TNFRSF11A), FN14 (TNFRSF12A), TACI (TNFRSF13B), BAFFR (TNFRSF13C), and NGFR (TNFRSF16), contribute to the activation of this pathway in diverse cell types through a similar ability to recruit PI3K or Akt into their signaling complexes.
The PAG Crowd: A Graph Based Approach for Efficient Data‐Driven Crowd Simulation

We present a data‐driven method for the real‐time synthesis of believable steering behaviours for virtual crowds. The proposed method interlinks the input examples into a structure we call the perception‐action graph (PAG) which can be used at run‐time to efficiently synthesize believable virtual crowds. A virtual character's state is encoded using a temporal representation, the Temporal Perception Pattern (TPP). The graph nodes store groups of similar TPPs whereas edges connecting the nodes store actions (trajectories) that were partially responsible for the transformation between the TPPs. The proposed method is being tested on various scenarios using different input data and compared against a nearest neighbours approach which is commonly employed in other data‐driven crowd simulation systems. The results show up to an order of magnitude speed‐up with similar or better simulation quality.
NGC 3741: the dark halo profile from the most extended rotation curve

We present new H i observations of the nearby dwarf galaxy NGC 3741. This galaxy has an extremely extended H i disc, which allows us to trace the rotation curve out to unprecedented distances in terms of the optical disc: we reach 42 B-band exponential scalelengths or about 7 kpc. The H i disc is strongly warped, but the warp is very symmetric. The distribution and kinematics are accurately derived by building model data cubes, which closely reproduce the observations. In order to account for the observed features in the data cube, radial motions of the order of 5–13 km s−1 are needed. They are consistent with an inner bar of several hundreds of pc and accretion of material in the outer regions. The observed rotation curve was decomposed into its stellar, gaseous and dark components. The Burkert dark halo (with a central constant density core) provides very good fits. The dark halo density distribution predicted by the Λ cold dark matter (CDM) theory fails to fit the data, unless NGC 3741 is a 2. 5σ exception to the predicted relation between concentration parameter and virial mass and at the same time a high value of the virial mass (though poorly constrained) of 1011 M⊙. Noticeably, modified Newtonian dynamics (MOND) seems to be consistent with the observed rotation curve. Scaling up the contribution of the gaseous disc also gives a good fit.
Radiosynthesis and pharmacokinetics of [18F]fluoroethyl bufalin in hepatocellular carcinoma-bearing mice

Purpose Bufalin, the main component of a Chinese traditional medicine chansu, shows convincing anticancer effects in a lot of tumor cell lines. However, its in vivo behavior is still unclear. This research aimed to evaluate how bufalin was dynamically absorbed after intravenous injection in animal models. We developed a radiosynthesis method of [18F]fluoroethyl bufalin to noninvasively evaluate the tissue biodistribution and pharmacokinetics in hepatocellular carcinoma-bearing mice. Methods [18F]fluoroethyl bufalin was synthesized with conjugation of 18F-CH2CH2OTs and bufalin. The radiochemical purity was proved by the radio-high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The pharmacokinetic studies of [18F]fluoroethyl bufalin were then performed in Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) mice. Furthermore, the biodistribution and metabolism of [18F]fluoroethyl bufalin in HepG2 and SMMC-7721 tumor-bearing nude mice were studied in vivo by micro-positron emission tomography (micro-PET). Results The radiochemical purity (RCP) of [18F]fluoroethyl bufalin confirmed by radio-HPLC was 99%±0.18%, and [18F]fluoroethyl bufalin showed good in vitro and in vivo stabilities. Blood dynamics of [18F]fluoroethyl bufalin conformed to the two compartments in the ICR mice model. The pharmacokinetic parameters of [18F]fluoroethyl bufalin were calculated by DAS 2.0 software. The area under concentration–time curve (AUC0–t) and the values of clearance (CL) were 540.137 μg/L·min and 0.001 L/min/kg, respectively. The half-life of distribution (t1/2α) and half-life of elimination (t1/2β) were 0.693 and 510.223 min, respectively. Micro-PET imaging showed that [18F]fluoroethyl bufalin was quickly distributed via the blood circulation; the major tissue biodistribution of [18F]fluoroethyl bufalin in HepG2 and SMMC-7721 tumor-bearing mice was liver and bladder. Conclusion [18F]fluoroethyl bufalin was accumulated rapidly in the liver at an early time point (5 min) post injection (pi) and then declined slowly, mainly through both the hepatic pathway and the renal pathway. Our study showed the biodistribution of [18F]fluoroethyl bufalin in micro-PET images and provided visible information for demonstrating the bioactivities of bufalin.
Corporate social responsibility in China:impact of regulations, market orientation and ownership structure

Purpose – This paper aims to report on a study that contributes to the understanding of the determinants of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the largest emerging market, namely China. Design/methodology/approach – The approach is a survey of 600 hotels that resulted in 143 returned responses from top managers. Findings – Market orientation is the most significant predicator of CSR followed by government regulations. In contrast, ownership structure is found to have little effect. Originality/value – Previous research on CSR focuses on its nature and impact on business performance, and is carried out mainly in developed countries. This research contributes to one's understanding of the determinants of CSR in emerging markets like China. © 2007, Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Erectile dysfunction in men receiving methadone and buprenorphine maintenance treatment.

INTRODUCTION Use of opiates/opioids is associated with hypoactive sexual desire, erectile and orgasmic dysfunction. AIM To determine prevalence and investigate etiology of sexual dysfunction in men on methadone or buprenorphine maintenance treatment (MMT, BMT). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF), hormone assays, Beck Depression Inventory. METHODS A total of 103 men (mean age 37.6 +/- 7.9) on MMT (N = 84) or BMT (N = 19) were evaluated using the IIEF, hormone assays, Beck Depression Inventory, body mass index (BMI), demographic, and other substance use measures. RESULTS Mean total IIEF scores for partnered men were lower for MMT (50.4 +/- 18.2; N = 53) than reference groups (61.4 +/- 16.8; N = 415; P < 0.0001) or BMT (61.4 +/- 7.0; N = 14; P = 0.048). Among partnered men on MMT, 53% had erectile dysfunction (ED) compared with 24% of reference groups; 26% had moderate to severe ED, 12.1% in under 40s and 40.0% among those 40+ years. On multiple regression, depression, older age, and lower total testosterone were associated with lower IIEF and EF domain; on multivariate analysis, there were no significant associations between IIEF or EF and free testosterone, opioid dose, cannabis or other substance use, viral hepatitis, or BMI. Total testosterone accounted for 16% of IIEF and 15% of EF variance. Men without sexual partners had lower Desire and Erection Confidence scores and less recent sexual activity, suggesting potentially higher prevalence of sexual dysfunction in this group. CONCLUSION Men on MMT, but not BMT, have high prevalence of ED, related to hypogonadism and depression. Practitioners should screen for sexual dysfunction in men receiving opioid replacement treatment. Future studies of sexual dysfunction in opioid-treated men should examine the potential benefits of dose reduction, androgen replacement, treatment of depression, and choice of opioid.
Analyzing Drivers of Regional Carbon Dioxide Emissions for China

China faces the challenge of balancing unprecedented economic growth and environmental sustainability. Rather than a homogenous country that can be analyzed at the national level, China is a vast country with significant regional differences in physical geography, regional economy, demographics, industry structure, and household consumption patterns. There are pronounced differences between the much‐developed Eastern‐Coastal economic zone and the less developed Central and Western economic zones in China. Such variations lead to large regional discrepancies in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Using the 28 regional input‐output tables of China for 2002 and 2007 and structural decomposition analysis (SDA), we analyze how changes in population, technology, economic structure, urbanization, and household consumption patterns drive regional CO2 emissions.
Modeling Volatility Changes in the 10-Year Treasury Note Yield

This paper examines the daily volatility of changes in yield on the 10-year Treasury note utilizing the iterated cumulative sums of squares algorithm (Inclan and Tiao, 1994). The ICSS algorithm can detect regime shifts in the volatility of the interest rate changes. A general model allows for endogenously determined changes in variance while the more restrictive model forces the variance to follow the same process throughout the sample period. A comparison of the out-of-sample volatility forecasting performance of two competing models is made using asymmetric error measures. The asymmetric error statistics penalize models for under- or over-predicting volatility. The results shed light on the importance of ignoring volatility regime shifts when performing out-of-sample forecasts. The findings are important to financial market participants who require accurate forecasts of future volatility in order to implement and evaluate asset performance.
International Market Volatility Indexes: A Study on Vx1, Vdax and VIX

It is well known that finding an accurate forecast of future volatility turns out to be very useful for pricing derivatives, hedging strategies or for the calculation of the Value at Risk. The market's assessment of the underlying asset's volatility as reflected in the option price is known as the implied volatility of the option. Based on teaching derived from these recent papers written on the forecasting ability of implied volatility, this paper deals with the accuracy of international volatility indexes (VX1, VDAX and VIX). First, we find that VX1, VIX and VDAX are good tools for predicting future realized volatility and we also show that past implied volatility informs more about future implied volatility than past realized volatility. We, also, embed each of the implied volatility indexes as an exogenous term in the GARCH variance equation and find that all of them dominates the GARCH terms. Second, We also compute parameters of a stochastic volatility model using implied volatility indexes. Third, we study the transmission mechanisms of implied volatility indexes.
Discovery of a Novel Accessory Structure of the Pitviper Infrared Receptor Organ (Serpentes: Viperidae)

The facial pits of rattlesnakes, copperheads, lanceheads, bushmasters and other American and Asian pitvipers (Crotalinae) are highly innervated and densely vascularized infrared (IR) receptor organs. For over a century, studies have focused on a small sample of model species from North America and Asia. Based on an expanded survey of Central and South American crotalines, we report a conspicuous accessory structure composed of well-defined papillae that project from the anterior orbital adnexa. The papillae are continuous with the inner chamber of the IR receptor organ and our histological and ultrastructural data suggest that they possess a well-developed nervous network and extensive vascularization; however, they lack the characteristic IR-sensitive terminal nerve masses found in the IR-receptive pit membrane. The function of the IR receptor organ papillae is unknown.
T-Cell Assays for Tuberculosis Infection: Deriving Cut-Offs for Conversions Using Reproducibility Data

Background Although interferon-gamma release assays (IGRA) are promising alternatives to the tuberculin skin test, interpretation of repeated testing results is hampered by lack of evidence on optimal cut-offs for conversions and reversions. A logical start is to determine the within-person variability of T-cell responses during serial testing. Methodology/Principal Findings We performed a pilot study in India, to evaluate the short-term reproducibility of QuantiFERON-TB Gold In Tube assay (QFT) among 14 healthcare workers (HCWs) who underwent 4 serial QFT tests on day 0, 3, 9 and 12. QFT ELISA was repeated twice on the same sets of specimens. We assessed two types of reproducibility: 1) test-retest reproducibility (between-test variability), and 2) within-person reproducibility over time. Test-retest reproducibility: with dichotomous test results, extremely high concordance was noticed between two tests performed on the same sets of specimens: of the 56 samples, the test and re-test results agreed for all but 2 individuals (κ = 0.94). Discordance was noted in subjects who had IFN-γ values around the cut-off point, with both increases and decreases noted. With continuous IFN-γ results, re-test results tended to produce higher estimates of IFN-γ than the original test. Within-person reproducibility: when continuous IFN-γ data were analyzed, the within-person reproducibility was moderate to high. While persons with negative QFT results generally stayed negative, positive results tended to vary over time. Our data showed that increases of more than 16% in the IFN-γ levels are statistically improbable in the short-term. Conclusions Conservatively assuming that long-term variability might be at least twice higher than short-term, we hypothesize that a QFT conversion requires two conditions to be met: 1) change from negative to positive result, and 2) at least 30% increase in the baseline IFN-γ response. Larger studies are needed to confirm our preliminary findings, and determine the conversion thresholds for IGRAs.
'Other Information' as an Explanatory Factor for the Market Reactions to Firms' Meeting or Beating Analyst Forecasts

Although the extant literature finds that analyst forecasts are one of the most critical thresholds for setting market's expectations, we find that the market reacts negatively to 41-percent of firms that meet or beat analyst forecasts and positively to 43-percent of firms that miss analyst forecasts. Kothari (2001) argues that seemingly counterintuitive market reactions, like these, are attributable to (1) the market reacting to information not captured in the accounting process; and, (2) the transitory nature of earnings. The extant literature provides ample evidence of the latter, suggesting that counterintuitive reactions are often attributable to the transitory components of earnings. We find evidence supporting this claim as well, but we find that the market also reacts to 'other information', and these reactions are incremental to the reactions attributable to transitory earnings. Further tests reveal that these reactions to 'other information' may be attributable to commonly identified factors in the literature, such as long-run growth, market risk, analysts' forecast precision, price decreases from the prior quarter and firm size, but we find evidence that these reactions are also attributable to information contained in analyst forecasts beyond these factors. Our findings suggest, however, that these counterintuitive market reactions are, in part, attributable to the market overestimating the persistence of 'other information'.
Trade Structure and Growth

Lederman and Maloney examine the empirical relationships between trade structure and economic growth, particularly the influence of natural resource abundance, export concentration, and intra-industry trade. They test the robustness of these relationships across proxies, control variables, and estimation techniques. The authors find trade variables to be important determinants of growth, especially natural resource abundance and export concentration. In contrast with much of the recent literature, natural resource abundance appears to have a positive effect on growth, whereas export concentration hampers growth, even after controlling for physical and human capital accumulation, among other factors.
The role of fibrinogen, fibrin and fibrin(ogen) degradation products (FDPs) in tumor progression

Participation of fibrin, fibrinogen, and their degradation products in pathogenesis and progression of cancer may lead to complications of thromboembolic events. The tumor may be a source of fibrinogen. Fibrinogen inside the tumor is one of the factors of its growth and metastasis. Fibrinogen, fibrin and their degradation products possess proinflammatory activity. They indirectly stimulate endothelium to secrete von Willebrand factor, leading to activation of platelets accompanying neoplastic disorders. Fragments E and D are the end products of fibrin(ogen) degradation and E and DD are the end products of stabilized fibrin. E stimulates proliferation, migration and differentiation of endothelial cells, contributing to tumor vasculature. Increased levels of DD are observed in malignant neoplasms, such as breast, lung, colon and ovary cancers. In breast cancers DD correlates with progression of disease and metastasis. The role of fibrinogen and the products of its degradation in the progression of various tumors is not sufficiently understood.
P-value-based regulatory motif discovery using positional weight matrices

To analyze gene regulatory networks, the sequence-dependent DNA/RNA binding affinities of proteins and noncoding RNAs are crucial. Often, these are deduced from sets of sequences enriched in factor binding sites. Two classes of computational approaches exist. The first describe binding motifs by sequence patterns and search the patterns with highest statistical significance for enrichment. The second class uses the more powerful position weight matrices (PWMs). Instead of maximizing the statistical significance of enrichment, they maximize a likelihood. Here we present XXmotif (eXhaustive evaluation of matriX motifs), the first PWM-based motif discovery method that can optimize PWMs by directly minimizing their P-values of enrichment. Optimization requires computing millions of enrichment P-values for thousands of PWMs. For a given PWM, the enrichment P-value is calculated efficiently from the match P-values of all possible motif placements in the input sequences using order statistics. The approach can naturally combine P-values for motif enrichment, conservation, and localization. On ChIP-chip/seq, miRNA knock-down, and coexpression data sets from yeast and metazoans, XXmotif outperformed state-of-the-art tools, both in numbers of correctly identified motifs and in the quality of PWMs. In segmentation modules of D. melanogaster, we detect the known key regulators and several new motifs. In human core promoters, XXmotif reports most previously described and eight novel motifs sharply peaked around the transcription start site, among them an Initiator motif similar to the fly and yeast versions. XXmotif's sensitivity, reliability, and usability will help to leverage the quickly accumulating wealth of functional genomics data.
The impact of motivations, personal values and management skills on the performance of SMEs in South Africa

Purpose - – The purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate the impact of motivation, personal values and managerial skills of managers on the performance of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in South Africa. Design/methodology/approach - – Data were collected through the use of self-administered questionnaire in a survey. Data analysis included factor analysis, descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation and regression analysis. Findings - – The findings revealed significant positive relationships between motivations, personal values and managerial skills of SME owners on performance. Research limitations/implications - – Access to external finance (debt or equity) is one of the factors that can impact on the performance of growing SMEs. The non-accessibility of debt finance from commercial banks and trade creditors is seen as one of the major contributing factors to the failure of SMEs in South Africa. This study did not link access to finance to performance. Practical implications - – The failure rate of SMEs is very high in South Africa. The study suggests that SME owners should incorporate values and improve management skills. In addition, SMEs that are motivated by opportunity have a better chance of survival. Social implications - – To reduce unemployment and poverty in South Africa. Originality/value - – This study adds to the understanding of the relationship between of personal values, motivations and management skills of managers and the performance of SMEs from a developing country perspective.
First-passage-time densities for time-non-homogeneous diffusion processes

In this paper we study a Volterra integral equation of the second kind, including two arbitrary continuous functions, in order to determine first-passage-time probability density functions through time-dependent boundaries for time-non-homogeneous one-dimensional diffusion processes with natural boundaries. These results generalize those which were obtained for time-homogeneous diffusion processes by Giorno et al. [3], and for some particular classes of time-non-homogeneous diffusion processes by Gutiérrez et al. [4], [5].