Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
IL-10 Accelerates Re-Endothelialization and Inhibits Post-Injury Intimal Hyperplasia following Carotid Artery Denudation

The role of inflammation on atherosclerosis and restenosis is well established. Restenosis is thought to be a complex response to injury, which includes early thrombus formation, acute inflammation and neo-intimal growth. Inflammatory cells are likely contributors in the host response to vascular injury, via cytokines and chemokines secretion, including TNF-alpha (TNF). We have previously shown that IL-10 inhibits TNF and other inflammatory mediators produced in response to cardiovascular injuries. The specific effect of IL-10 on endothelial cell (ECs) biology is not well elucidated. Here we report that in a mouse model of carotid denudation, IL-10 knock-out mice (IL-10KO) displayed significantly delayed Re-endothelialization and enhanced neo-intimal growth compared to their WT counterparts. Exogenous recombinant IL-10 treatment dramatically blunted the neo-intimal thickening while significantly accelerating the recovery of the injured endothelium in WT mice. In vitro, IL-10 inhibited negative effects of TNF on ECs proliferation, ECs cell cycle, ECs-monocyte adhesion and ECs apoptosis. Furthermore, IL-10 treatment attenuated TNF-induced smooth muscle cells proliferation. Our data suggest that IL-10 differentially regulate endothelial and vascular smooth cells proliferation and function and thus inhibits neo-intimal hyperplasia. Thus, these results may provide insights necessary to develop new therapeutic strategies to limit vascular restenosis during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in the clinics.
A new robust non-local algorithm for band-to-band tunneling simulation and its application to Tunnel-FET

A new non-local algorithm for accurately calculating the band-to-band tunneling current suitable for TCAD semiconductor simulators is proposed in this abstract. The proposed algorithm captures the essential physics of multi-dimensional tunneling in a 2D structure, and is designed to be robust and to achieve independence on the mesh grid. The new algorithm enables accurate modeling of T-FET and investigation of its device physics. Application on T-FET is demonstrated. The physical origin of the saturation of Id-Vd curve of T-FET is analyzed and clarified for the first time.
Managing Fiscal Strain in Major American Cities: Understanding Retrenchment in the Public Sector

Preface Introduction The Evolution of Financial Decline The Causes and Consequences of Urban Fiscal Stress Reacting To Fiscal Stress Responding to Fiscal Stress: The Use of Revenue Strategies in Local Government Productivity Improvement and Alternative Service Delivery Cutting Strategies and Patterns of Response Retrenchment and the Urban Policy Process Toward an Explanation of How Cities Manage Financial Strain Research Procedures and Data Sources Identifying Patterns of Retrenchment Policies in Local Government Explaining the Use of Financial Management Strategies: Is the Implementation of Retrenchment Policies Structured or Unstructured? The Policy Ramifications of Fiscal Retrenchment Summary and Conclusion Appendix A: Cities Used in the Analysis Listed by Region Appendix B: Retrenchment Strategies Employed by Individual Cities Used in the Multivariate Analysis Bibliography Index
The Impact of Working Capital Financing Costs on the Efficiency of Trade Credit

We consider how trade credit can coordinate a two‐echelon supply chain in the presence of supplier moral hazard and costly working capital financing. While trade credit resolves moral hazard problems in the absence of working capital financing costs, we show that this is not necessarily true when financial frictions make financing trade credit costly. We then show that trade credit along with an appropriately designed reverse factoring program can restore supply chain efficiency.
Growing Profitable or Growing from Profits: Putting the Horse in Front of the Cart?

Top lists of and praise for the economy's fastest growing firms abound in business media around the world. Similarly, in academic research there has been a tendency to equate firm growth with business success. This tendency appears to be particularly pronounced in-but not confined to­ entrepreneurship research. In this study we critically examine this tendency to portray firm growth as more or less universally favorable. While several theories suggest that growth drives profitability we first show that the available empirical evidence does not support the existence of a general, positive relation­ ship between growth and profitability. Using the theoretical lens of the Resource-Based View (RBV) we then argue that sound growth usually starts with achieving sufficient levels of profitability. In summary, our theoretical argument is as follows: In a population of SMEs, superior profitability is likely to be indicative of having built a resource-based competitive advantage. Building such a valuable and hard to-copy advantage may at first constrain growth. However, the underlying advantage itself and the financial resources generated through high profitability make it possible for firms in this situation to now achieve sound and sustainable growth - which may require building a series of temporary advantages- without having to sacrifice profitability. By contrast, when firms strive for high growth starting from low profitability, the latter often indicates lack of competitive advantage. Therefore growth must be achieved in head-to-head competition with equally attractive alternatives, leading to profitability deterioration rather than improvement. In addition, these low profitability firms are unlikely to be able to finance strategies toward building valuable and difficult-to-imitate advantages while growing.
Differential expression of a novel serine protease homologue in squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck

Differential gene expression between squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck and matched normal tissue was studied by utilizing Representational Difference Analysis. Using this methodology, a novel gene, DESC1 was isolated. DESC1 possesses strong identity to the serine protease super-family. Comparison of DESC1 expression between primary squamous cell carcinoma and matched normal tissue shows that the level of DESC1 expression is reduced or absent in 11/12 SCC tissue specimens when compared to specimens of matched normal tissue. Tissue-specific expression studies further show that DESC1 expression can only be detected in tissues derived from the head and neck, and in skin, prostate and testes. Cell line studies demonstrate that DESC1 expression is epithelial-specific. Chromosomal localization studies indicate that DESC1 is located on the long arm of chromosome 4 at position q12–13. © 2001 Cancer Research Campaign http://www.bjcancer. com
State Theory: Putting the Capitalist State in Its Place

Preface and Acknowledgements. General Introduction. Part I. On Marxist Theories of Law, the State, and their Relative Autonomy from the Capitalist Economy and Class Struggles:. 1. Recent Theories of the Capitalist State. 2. Recent Theories of Law, the State, and Juridico-Political Ideology. 3. Marxism, Economic Determinism, and Relative Autonomy. Part II. Political Representation, Social Bases, and State Forms: Corporatism, Parliamentarism, and the National Interest:. 4. Corporatism, Parliamentarism, and Social Democracy. 5. Capitalist States, Capitalist Interests, and the Rule of Capital. 6. The Democratic State and the National Interest. Part III. The Value Form, The Capitalist State, and Hegemonic Projects: From State Forms and Functions to the State as Strategy:. 7. Accumulation Strategies, State Forms, and Hegemonic Projects. 8. Poulantzas and Foucault on Power and Strategy. 9. The State as Strategy. Part IV. Putting States in their Place: Towards a Strategic-Relational Theory of Societalization:. 10. Anti-Marxist Reinstatement and Post-Marxist Deconstruction. 11. Societalization, Regulation, and Self-Reference. 12. Putting States in their Place. Selected Writings of Bob Jessop. General Bibliography. Index.
An internationally generalizable risk index for mortality after one year of antiretroviral therapy

Objective:Despite the success of antiretroviral therapy (ART), excess mortality continues for those with HIV infection. A comprehensive approach to risk assessment, addressing multiorgan system injury on ART, is needed. We sought to develop and validate a practical and generalizable mortality risk index for HIV-infected individuals on ART. Design and methods:The Veterans Aging Cohort Study (VACS) was used to develop the VACS Index, based on age, CD4 cell count, HIV-1 RNA, hemoglobin, aspartate and alanine transaminase, platelets, creatinine and hepatitis C status, and a Restricted Index based on age, CD4 cell count and HIV-1 RNA with an outcome of death up to 6 years after ART initiation. Validation was in six independent cohorts participating in the ART Cohort Collaboration (ART-CC). Results:In both the development (4932 patients, 656 deaths) and validation cohorts (3146 patients, 86 deaths) the VACS Index had better discrimination than the Restricted Index (c-statistics 0.78 and 0.72 in VACS, 0.82 and 0.78 in ART-CC). The VACS Index also demonstrated better discrimination than the Restricted Index for HIV deaths and non-HIV deaths, in men and women, those younger and older than 50 years, with and without detectable HIV-1 RNA, and with or without HCV coinfection. Conclusions:Among HIV-infected patients treated with ART, the VACS Index more accurately discriminates mortality risk than traditional HIV markers and age alone. By accounting for multiorgan system injury, the VACS Index may prove a useful tool in clinical care and research.
Long-distance gene flow and adaptation of forest trees to rapid climate change

Forest trees are the dominant species in many parts of the world and predicting how they might respond to climate change is a vital global concern. Trees are capable of long-distance gene flow, which can promote adaptive evolution in novel environments by increasing genetic variation for fitness. It is unclear, however, if this can compensate for maladaptive effects of gene flow and for the long-generation times of trees. We critically review data on the extent of long-distance gene flow and summarise theory that allows us to predict evolutionary responses of trees to climate change. Estimates of long-distance gene flow based both on direct observations and on genetic methods provide evidence that genes can move over spatial scales larger than habitat shifts predicted under climate change within one generation. Both theoretical and empirical data suggest that the positive effects of gene flow on adaptation may dominate in many instances. The balance of positive to negative consequences of gene flow may, however, differ for leading edge, core and rear sections of forest distributions. We propose future experimental and theoretical research that would better integrate dispersal biology with evolutionary quantitative genetics and improve predictions of tree responses to climate change.
Capital Structure and Product-Market Competition: Empirical Evidence from the Supermarket Industry

This paper establishes an empirical link between firm capital structure and product-market competition using data from local supermarket competition. First, an event-study analysis of supermarket leveraged buyouts (LBOs) suggests that a LBO announcement increases the market value of the LBO chain's local rivals. Second, the author shows that supermarket chains were more likely to enter and expand in a local market if a large share of the incumbent firms in the local market undertook LBOs. The study suggests that leverage increases in the late 1980s led to softer product-market competition in this industry. Copyright 1995 by American Economic Association.
Guided saccades modulate object and face‐specific activity in the fusiform gyrus

We investigated the influence of saccadic eye movements on the magnitude of functional MRI (fMRI) activation in brain regions known to participate in object and face perception. In separate runs, subjects viewed a static image of a uniform gray field, a face, or a flower. Every 500 ms a small fixation cross made a discrete jump within the image and subjects were required to make a saccade and fixate the cross at its new location. Each run consisted of alternating blocks in which the subject was guided to make small and large saccades. A comparison of large vs. small saccade blocks revealed robust activity in the oculomotor system, particularly within the frontal eye fields (FEF), intraparietal sulcus (IPS), and superior colliculi regardless of the background image. Activity within portions of the ventral occipitotemporal cortex (VOTC) including the lingual and fusiform gyri was also modulated by saccades, but here saccade‐related activity was strongly influenced by the background image. Activity within the VOTC was strongest when large saccadic eye movements were made over an image of a face or a flower compared to a uniform gray image. Of most interest was activity in the functionally predefined face‐specific region of the fusiform gyrus, where large saccades made over a face increased activity, but where similar large saccades made over a flower or a uniform gray field did not increase activity. These results demonstrate the potentially confounding influence of uncontrolled eye movements for neuroimaging studies of face and object perception. Hum Brain Mapp 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Button+: Supporting User and Context Aware Interaction through Shape-Changing Interfaces

Shape-changing interfaces are an emerging topic in HCI research: they merge the simplicity of tangible interfaces with the expressiveness of dynamic physical affordances. However, while prior work largely focused on technical aspects and proposed classifications of shape-changing interfaces based on the physical properties of the actuators and the user's levels of control, this work presents a classification of shape-changing interfaces based on the context and identity of the users. After introducing a new prototype for a shape-changing pushbutton, we conducted a series of workshop studies with designers and engineers to explore the design space and potential applications for this interface. We used the result of our workshops to propose a generalized taxonomy of interactions, and built two applications that reflect the proposed model. The paper concludes by highlighting future possible research directions for context and user aware shape-changing interfaces.
Does Trust Improve Business Performance

Forthcoming In Ctuistel Lane and Rclnhard Backmann (eds.) Trust Within and Between Orgmi:anotu Oxford Univcrsl ty I%css. Does Trust improve Business Performance? hlarl sako Dots trust buslncss \vhcre Lhc. mpro~c business performance? And f so, how can trust be created In rc IS none? These are [he two quest]ons \vhich this chapter addresses. The mam aim of the chapter Mto e~'aluatevarious theories which touch on the causes and outcomes of trust, and to pro~idc cmplncal tests of those theories using a large scale sumey of automot]jc parts suppllcrs In [he United States, Europe and Japan, A growing Interest In bulldlng trust betu " een orgamsatlons stems from the belief that [rust cnhanccs buslncss perforrnancc. For Instance, trust has been identified as an important component tvhich makes partncrsh]ps, strategic alliances, and nehvorks of small Ilrrns SUCCCSS1 " U1 (Brusco ! 985, Pouch 1996, Smltka 1991), Trust ]s also of great releiance today beeausc the maintenance of consistently high quall~, }vhich is an imprtant source of competltlvcncss, Measier in a h]gh-trust production system than in a low-trust one (Sako 199-). In a slmllar \cln, Fukuyama (1995) attnbutcs national Industnal competitiveness to trust as a soclctal-lctcl cultural norm and a soaal capital. According to him, people's capacity to Instltut]onallzc trust In the realm of tvork and business awoun~ for the industnal success In Japan and Germany. By contrast, the 'missing middle', namely the absence of Intermediate sccml groups in the area betw'centhe family and Iargc, centralised organisations hke the church or [hc sta[c, accounts for the rclau~c economic backwardness of Latin Catholic countnes (like Italy, France and Span) and Chinese soelctlcs (Fukuyama 1995, p. 55-56). In Fukuyanm's (1995) study, as In others, the Ilnk betfveen trust and business performance is plausibic but not proven. Ncvcrthelcss, [he idea is so appealing that at the pracu[ioncr ICVCI, an increasing number of studies exhort business to create trust as an essential component in making partnerships bet~vccnfirms successful (SMMT & DTI 1994, Ingersoll Engineers 1995). [n business strategy, recent ~vorkon trust between organizations focuses on the possibility of using it to create and malntaln competitive advantage (Barney and Hansen 1994, Jarillo 1988). While thcorctieal explorations on the link behveen trust and performance abound, empirical studies in this ara are rare (exceptIons include Mohr and Spekman 1994). This chapter presents evidcncc ~vhlchfills this lacuna. The second, re]a[ed, question ~vhlchthis paper addresses-how can trust be created ! vhen there is none? -has …
Apigenin Induces Apoptosis through a Mitochondria/Caspase-Pathway in Human Breast Cancer MDA-MB-453 Cells

In this study, we investigated the mechanistic role of the caspase cascade in extrinsic and intrinsic apoptosis induced by apigenin, which has been targeted as a candidate in the development of noncytotoxic anticancer medicines. Treatment with apigenin (1–100 µM) significantly inhibited the proliferation of MDA-MB-453 human breast cancer cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner with IC50 values of 59.44 and 35.15 µM at 24 and 72 h, respectively. This inhibition resulted in the induction of apoptosis and the release of cytochrome c in cells exposed to apigenin at its 72 h IC50. Subsequently, caspase-9, which acts in mitochondria-mediated apoptosis, was cleaved by apigenin. In addition, apigenin activated caspase-3, which functions downstream of caspase-9. The apigenin-induced activation of caspase-3 was accompanied by the cleavage of capases-6, -7, and -8. These results are supported by evidence showing that the activity patterns of caspases-3, -8, and -9 were similar. The present study supports the hypothesis that apigenin-induced apoptosis involves the activation of both the intrinsic and extrinsic apoptotic pathways.
Modernization in Colombia: The Laureano Gómez Years, 1889-1965

The life of Laureano Gomez (1889-1965), Colombia's combative Conservative politician and reviled public figure, serves as the backdrop for this modern history of one of the hemisphere's least understood nations. Tracing the complex process of development in Colombia, James Henderson explores the civil violence that defined the Gomez era even as the country experienced economic growth unparalleled in the rest of the Americas. Gomez was a consummate debater, a spellbinding orator, and an influential newspaper editor. Early in his career he was a thorn in the side of Liberals and Conservatives alike, while in later years he led the Conservative opposition in Congress. He made and unmade presidents, served as president himself, and figured prominently in Colombia's transition to modernity. Henderson gives us the best and worst of Gomez and his adversaries during this era, a time of alternating political peace and progress, punctuated by spells of extremist invective and bloody violence. Thus he shows that much of recent Colombian history is rooted in developments from the Gomez years. Few Colombians can speak calmly of Gomez, and many blame him for the violence that plagued the country from the mid-1940s to the mid-1960s. Henderson's objective and thorough discussion exposes the myths and assumptions surrounding Gomez and offers especially effective analysis of his writings, speeches, congressional debates, and editorials (as well as his rejoinders, one-liners, and put-downs, classics in the lexicon of Colombian history). Henderson also chronicles the titanic political rivalry between Gomez and Alfonso Lopez Pumarejo, an arch-Liberal, showing how the two ultimately led Colombia into the fratricidal civil war known as La Violencia.
Predictions of Ligand Selectivity from Absolute Binding Free Energy Calculations

Binding selectivity is a requirement for the development of a safe drug, and it is a critical property for chemical probes used in preclinical target validation. Engineering selectivity adds considerable complexity to the rational design of new drugs, as it involves the optimization of multiple binding affinities. Computationally, the prediction of binding selectivity is a challenge, and generally applicable methodologies are still not available to the computational and medicinal chemistry communities. Absolute binding free energy calculations based on alchemical pathways provide a rigorous framework for affinity predictions and could thus offer a general approach to the problem. We evaluated the performance of free energy calculations based on molecular dynamics for the prediction of selectivity by estimating the affinity profile of three bromodomain inhibitors across multiple bromodomain families, and by comparing the results to isothermal titration calorimetry data. Two case studies were considered. In the first one, the affinities of two similar ligands for seven bromodomains were calculated and returned excellent agreement with experiment (mean unsigned error of 0.81 kcal/mol and Pearson correlation of 0.75). In this test case, we also show how the preferred binding orientation of a ligand for different proteins can be estimated via free energy calculations. In the second case, the affinities of a broad-spectrum inhibitor for 22 bromodomains were calculated and returned a more modest accuracy (mean unsigned error of 1.76 kcal/mol and Pearson correlation of 0.48); however, the reparametrization of a sulfonamide moiety improved the agreement with experiment.
Episodic Mass Loss and Pre-SN Circumstellar Envelopes

Abstract I discuss observational clues concerning episodic mass-loss properties of massive stars in the time before the final supernova explosion. In particular, I will focus on the mounting evidence that LBVs and related stars are candidates for supernova progenitors, even though current paradigms place them at the end of core-H burning. Namely, conditions in the immediate circumstellar environment within a few 102 AU of Type IIn supernovae require very high progenitor mass-loss rates. Those rates are so high that the only known stars that come close are LBVs during rare giant eruptions. I will highlight evidence from observations of some recent extraordinary supernovae suggesting that explosive or episodic mass loss (a.k.a. LBV eruptions like the 19th century eruption of Eta Car) occur in the 5-10 years immediately preceding the SN. Finally, I will discuss some implications for stellar evolution from these SNe, the most important of which is the observational fact that the most massive stars can indeed make it to the ends of their lives with substantial H envelopes intact, even at Solar metallicity.