Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of propranolol on angiogenic factors in human hematopoietic cell lines in vitro.

BACKGROUND Beta-adrenergic blocking agents have been broadly used for treatment of many cardiovascular diseases such as arterial hypertension and ischemic heart failure. Anti-tumoral, anti-inflammatory and anti-angiogenesis effects of propranolol (a non-selective beta-adrenergic blocker) have been shown. Angiogenesis (replenish of the pre-existing vascular networks) plays a critical role in some pathological conditions such as tumor expansion and metastasis. In this study, we investigated the effects of propranolol on vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) production and matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) activity (two important angiogenic factors) in human leukemic cell lines in vitro. METHODS Two human leukemic T (Molt-4 and Jurkat) and one monocyte (U937) cell lines were used in this study. The cells were cultured in complete RPMI medium and then incubated with different concentrations of propranolol (0.3-30 microM) in the presence or absence of phorbol myristate acetate (PMA, 25 ng/ml) for 48 hours. The level of VEGF secreted in the cell culture supernatants was measured with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits (R and D systems) and MMP-2 activity in cell-conditioned media was evaluated by gelatin zymography. RESULTS Propranolol significantly decreased VEGF production and also MMP-2 activity in PMA-activated human leukemic cell lines Molt-4, Jurkat and U937 at 30 microM concentration of the drug compared to untreated control cells (P<0.05). CONCLUSION Propranolol might be a useful anti-angiogenic agent in hematopoietic malignancies. Thus, propranolol along with its chronic long-term usage in cardiac problems may have potential implication in treatment of leukemia.
Mating delay effect on moths' reproduction: Correlation between reproduction success and calling activity in females Ephestia kuehniella, Cydia pomonella, Yponomeuta cognagellus (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae, Tortricidae, Yponomeutidae)

The reproduction dependence in three species of moths (Ephestia kuehniella Zll., Cydia pomonella L. and Yponomeuta cognagellus Hbn.) on their age when mated has been studied. It has been established that the reproduction of females is maximal when E. kuehniella moths mate on the day of their emergence from pupa (one female lays ca 264±10 eggs, with 52±4% fertile), C. pomonella moths mate at the age of three days (one female lays ca 116±18 eggs ,with 62±8% fertile), Y. cognagellus moths mate at the age of 3-7 days (one female lays on average from 4 to 5 clutches, containing from 6 to 74 eggs each, and nearly 100% fertile). The female reproduction decreases when moths mate at different age. It has been established by means of the linear regression equation that reproduction decreases by half when mating is delayed: 3.1 days for E. kuehniella (average longevity of a virgin female is 10.5±0.3, whereas that of the female mated at its optimal age is 5.1±0.2 days), 2.9 days for C. pomonella (longevity of mated and virgin female did not differ significantly), 18.3 days for Y. 170 not at the optimal age, both the number of eggs laid and their fertility percentage decrease (the latter does not change for Y. cognagellus only). It has been demonstrated on the example of C. pomonella that changes in reproduction are determined to a great extent by the age of males. Delayed mating increased the longevity in females of all the species studied by 1.1-2.2 times. The correlation between the number of fertile eggs laid by moths mated at different age and the " calling " activity of females of a corresponding age is very strong. For E. kuehniella and C. pomonella this correlation is close to the functional dependence (r > 0.96). The conclusions are as follows: the age dynamics of the female " calling " behavior is adaptive and fully reflects the change in their reproductive potential; delayed mating inhibits the reproduction in those species of moths which lay the greatest portion of their eggs within the first day after eclosion from pupa and which demonstrate pheromone releasing behavior most actively at that age.
Diminished neural sensitivity to irregular facial expression in first‐episode schizophrenia

Introduction: Blunted, inappropriate affective‐social behavior is a hallmark of early schizophrenia, possibly corresponding to reduced ability to recognize and express emotions. It is yet unknown if this affective deficiency relates to disturbed neural sensitivity to facial expressions or to overall face processing. In a previous imaging study, healthy subjects showed less suppression of the fusiform gyrus (FG) to repeated presentation of the same transfigured‐bizarre face relative to regular face. We assumed that the FG in schizophrenia will show reduced repetition related sensitivity to transfigured‐bizarre faces, while having overall normal response to faces. Methods: Ten first‐episode patients with schizophrenia and 10 controls rated the bizarreness of upright and inverted faces. In an fMRI study, another group of 17 first‐episode patients with schizophrenia and 12 controls viewed regular and transfigured‐bizarre faces in blocks. Each block contained regular‐ or transfigured‐bizarre faces of either different or same individual, presented in an upright or inverted orientation. Results: Patients in comparison with controls rated irregular faces as less bizarre. The FG, in patients and controls exhibited similar response to inverted faces, suggesting normal face processing. In contrast, the FG only in patients, showed similar suppression to repeated transfigured‐bizarre and regular faces. Finally, the FG in patients compared with controls showed reduced functional connectivity with the amygdala and prefrontal cortex. Conclusion: Patients with schizophrenia already at first‐episode, showed reduced behavioral and neural sensitivity to bizarre facial expressions. Possibly, this deficiency is related to disturbed modulations of emotion‐related face processing in the FG by the amygdala and prefrontal cortex. Hum Brain Mapp 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Biphasic DNA Synthesis in Spumaviruses

ABSTRACT Spumaviruses are complex retroviruses whose replication cycle resembles that of hepadnaviruses, especially by a late-occurring reverse transcription step. The possible existence of an early reverse transcription as observed in other retroviruses was not documented. Using real-time quantitative PCR, we addressed directly the kinetics of DNA synthesis during spumavirus infection. An early phase of viral DNA synthesis developed until 3 h postinfection, followed by a second phase, culminating 10 h postinfection. Both phases were abolished by the reverse transcriptase inhibitor 3′-azido-3′-deoxythymidine. Similar to other retroviruses, circular forms of viral DNA harboring two long terminal repeats were mainly found in the nucleus of infected cells. Interestingly, a fraction of these circular forms were detected in the cytoplasm and in extracellular virions, a feature shared with hepadnaviruses. Combined with packaging of both viral DNA and RNA genomes in virions, early and late reverse transcription might allow spumavirus to maximize its genome replication.
Engaging in Mental Contrasting Before Receiving a Persuasive Message: Effects on Attitude Change

Mental contrasting is a self-regulation strategy in which fantasies about a positive future are juxtaposed to images of the relevant obstacles in the present reality (Oettingen, 2012). The current research investigated whether engaging in mental contrasting before receiving a persuasive message effects attitude change. We present three empirical studies, in which participants did not fantasize (control), indulged, or mentally contrasted about fulfilling an interpersonal wish (Study 1), an achievement wish (Study 2), or a graduation wish (Study 3). Thereafter, the participants received a persuasive message regarding the implementation of new foster care policies (Study 1, Study 2; Brinol, Petty, & Barden, 2007), or a senior comprehensive exam (Study 3; Petty & Cacioppo, 1979). The persuasive message was supported by either weak or strong arguments. A general pattern emerged, showing that participants in the control and indulging conditions were dependent on argument quality; they reported significantly more favorable attitudes when presented with strong arguments than with weak arguments. As hypothesized, participants who engaged in mental contrasting were less dependent on the quality of the arguments. In all three studies, they reported attitudes that did not significantly differ between participants who received strong arguments and those who received weak arguments. The theoretical and practical implications for mental contrasting and persuasion are discussed.
On the Dynamics and Significance of Low Frequency Components of Internet Load

Dynamics of Internet load are investigated using statistics of round-trip delays, packet losses and out-of-order sequence of acknowledgments. Several segments of the Internet are studied. They include a regional network (the Jon von Neumann Center Network), a segment of the NSFNet backbone and a cross-country network consisting of regional and backbone segments. Issues addressed include: (a) dominant time scales in network workload; (b) the relationship between packet loss and different statistics of round-trip delay (average, minimum, maximum and standard-deviation); (c) the relationship between out of sequence acknowledgments and different statistics of delay; (d) the distribution of delay; (e) a comparison of results across different network segments (regional, backbone and cross-country); and (f) a comparison of results across time for a specific network segment. This study attempts to characterize the dynamics of Internet workload from an end-point perspective. A key conclusion from the data is that efficient congestion control is still a very difficult problem in large internetworks. Nevertheless, there are interesting signals of congestion that may be inferred from the data. Examples include (a) presence of slow oscillation components in smoothed network delay, (b) increase in conditional expected loss and conditional out-of-sequence acknowledgments as a function of various statistics of delay, (c) change in delay distribution parameters as a function of load, while the distribution itself remains the same, etc. The results have potential application in heuristic algorithms and analytical approximations for congestion control. Comments University of Pennsylvania Department of Computer and Information Sciences Technical Report No. MSCIS-92-83. This technical report is available at ScholarlyCommons: http://repository.upenn. edu/cis_reports/300 On The Dynamics and Significance of Low Frequency Components of Internet Load MS-CIS-92-83 DISTRIBUTED SYSTEMS LAB 12 Universit.y of Pe1111sylva11ia School of Engi l~ceri~~g and Applied Science Conrputer arrd 111for1nnt.ion Science Department.
Reproductive biology of the sea anemone shrimp Periclimenes rathbunae (Caridea, Palaemonidae, Pontoniinae), from the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica

Abstract Caridean shrimps are a highly diverse group and many species form symbiotic relationships with different marine invertebrates. Periclimenes rathbunae is a brightly colored shrimp that lives predominantly in association with sea anemones. Information about the reproductive ecology of the species is scarce. Therefore, we collected 70 ovigerous females inhabiting the sun sea anemone Stichodactyla helianthus in coral reefs from the southern Caribbean coast of Costa Rica. Females produced on average 289 ± 120 embryos. The volume of recently-produced embryos was on average 0.038 mm3, and embryo volume increased by 192% during the incubation period. The average embryo mortality during embryogenesis was 24%. The reproductive output was 0.24 ± 0.094, considerably higher than in many other pontoniine shrimps. Females carrying embryos close to hatching showed fully developed ovaries, suggesting consecutive spawning. We assume that the sheltered habitat, living on sea anemones, allows Periclimenes rathbunae to allocate more energy in embryo production than most other free-living caridean shrimps. This is the first record of Periclimenes rathbunae for Costa Rica.
FIND-CKD: a randomized trial of intravenous ferric carboxymaltose versus oral iron in patients with chronic kidney disease and iron deficiency anaemia

Background The optimal iron therapy regimen in patients with non-dialysis-dependent chronic kidney disease (CKD) is unknown. Methods Ferinject® assessment in patients with Iron deficiency anaemia and Non-Dialysis-dependent Chronic Kidney Disease (FIND-CKD) was a 56-week, open-label, multicentre, prospective and randomized study of 626 patients with non-dialysis-dependent CKD, anaemia and iron deficiency not receiving erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs). Patients were randomized (1:1:2) to intravenous (IV) ferric carboxymaltose (FCM), targeting a higher (400–600 µg/L) or lower (100–200 µg/L) ferritin or oral iron therapy. The primary end point was time to initiation of other anaemia management (ESA, other iron therapy or blood transfusion) or haemoglobin (Hb) trigger of two consecutive values <10 g/dL during Weeks 8–52. Results The primary end point occurred in 36 patients (23.5%), 49 patients (32.2%) and 98 patients (31.8%) in the high-ferritin FCM, low-ferritin FCM and oral iron groups, respectively [hazard ratio (HR): 0.65; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.44–0.95; P = 0.026 for high-ferritin FCM versus oral iron]. The increase in Hb was greater with high-ferritin FCM versus oral iron (P = 0.014) and a greater proportion of patients achieved an Hb increase ≥1 g/dL with high-ferritin FCM versus oral iron (HR: 2.04; 95% CI: 1.52–2.72; P < 0.001). Rates of adverse events and serious adverse events were similar in all groups. Conclusions Compared with oral iron, IV FCM targeting a ferritin of 400–600 µg/L quickly reached and maintained Hb level, and delayed and/or reduced the need for other anaemia management including ESAs. Within the limitations of this trial, no renal toxicity was observed, with no difference in cardiovascular or infectious events. ClinicalTrials.gov number NCT00994318.
Search Personalization Using Machine Learning

Query-based search is commonly used by many businesses to help consumers find information/products on their websites. Examples include search engines (Google, Bing), online retailers (Amazon, Macy's), and entertainment sites (Hulu, YouTube). Nevertheless, a significant portion of search sessions are unsuccessful, i.e., do not provide information that the user was looking for. We present a machine learning framework that improves the quality of search results through automated personalization based on a user's search history. Our framework consists of three modules -- (a) Feature generation, (b) NDCG-based LambdaMART algorithm, and (c) Feature selection wrapper. We estimate our framework on large-scale data from a leading search engine using Amazon EC2 servers. We show that our framework offers a significant improvement in search quality compared to non-personalized results. We also show that the returns to personalization are monotonically, but concavely increasing with the length of user history. Next, we find that personalization based on short-term history or "within-session" behavior is less valuable than long-term or "across-session" personalization. We also derive the value of different feature sets -- user-specific features contribute over 50% of the improvement and click-specific over 28%. Finally, we demonstrate scalability to big data and derive the set of optimal features that maximize accuracy while minimizing computing speed.
Defining and validating high-level design metrics

The availability of significant metrics in the early phases of the software development process allows for a better management of the later phases, and a more effective quality assessment when software quality can still be easily affected by preventive or corrective actions. In this paper, we introduce and compare four strategies for defining high-level design metrics. They are based on different sets of assumptions (about the design process) related to a well defined experimental goal they help reach: identify error-prone software parts. In particular, we define ratio-scale metrics for cohesion and coupling that show interesting properties. An in-depth experimental validation, conducted on large scale projects demonstrates the usefulness of the metrics we define.
Conservation of Resources in the Organizational Context: The Reality of Resources and Their Consequences

Over the past 30 years, conservation of resources (COR) theory has become one of the most widely cited theories in organizational psychology and organizational behavior. COR theory has been adopted across the many areas of the stress spectrum, from burnout to traumatic stress. Further attesting to the theory's centrality, COR theory is largely the basis for the more work-specific leading theory of organizational stress, namely the job demands-resources model. One of the major advantages of COR theory is its ability to make a wide range of specific hypotheses that are much broader than those offered by theories that focus on a single central resource, such as control, or that speak about resources in general. In this article, we will revisit the principles and corollaries of COR theory that inform those more specific hypotheses and will review research in organizational behavior that has relied on the theory.
An acoustic and articulatory study of Lombard speech: global effects on the utterance

This study aims at characterizing the acoustic and articulatory modifications that occur in speech in noisy environments, and at examining them as compensatory strategies. Audio, EGG and video signals were recorded for a female native speaker of French. The corpus consisted of short sentences with a subject-verb-object (SVO) structure. The sentences were recorded in three conditions: silence, 85dB white noise, and 85dB cocktail party noise. Labial parameters were extracted from the video data. The analyses enabled us to examine the effect of the type of noise and to show that hyper-articulation concerns lip aperture and spreading rather than lip pinching. The analysis of the relationship between acoustic and articulatory parameters shows that this speaker especially adapts to noise not only by talking louder or increasing vowel recognition cues but also by increasing spectral emergence.
Career-related instruction promoting students’ career awareness and interest towards science learning

The aim of this study was to investigate how career-related instruction implemented in secondary school chemistry education concerning water issues influences students’ career awareness and their interest towards science learning. This case study is part of a larger design-based research study for the EU-MultiCO project, which focuses on promoting students’ scientific career awareness and attractiveness by introducing them to career-based scenarios at the beginning of the instruction unit. The participants in this study were three eighth-grade classes with 46 students in total, and 2 science teachers. Data consisted of observations throughout the intervention and a questionnaire which the students took afterwards. Descriptive statistics taken from the questionnaire were used together with the content analysis of open questions and observation notes. The results reveal that the students acquired knowledge about science, science-related careers and working life skills and that they enjoyed studying chemistry and engaged in learning during the intervention. The students recognized the need for professionals and their responsibilities as well as the importance of water-related issues as global and local problems, but these issues were not personally important or valuable to students. The type of career-related instruction discussed in this paper can give guidelines for how to develop teaching to promote students’ science career awareness, trigger students’ interest and engage them in science learning.
Patterns of cell and fiber vulnerability in the mesostriatal system of the mutant mouse weaver. I. Gradients and compartments

In mice carrying the autosomal recessive gene weaver, there is a massive postnatal loss of dopamine in the caudoputamen, the target of the nigrostriatal system, with relative (though not complete) preservation of dopamine in the ventral striatum, a target of the mesolimbic system. There is concomitant death of catecholaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra, with much less cell death in the limbic midbrain area. In the study reported here, we have reexamined the mesostriatal system of weaver mice by means of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) immunohistochemistry in order to determine the local architecture of the defect within the striatum and substantia nigra. For the dorsal striatum, the most striking finding was the appearance in the weaver caudoputamen of small pockets of especially weak immunostaining within a larger dorsal zone of generally reduced TH-positive neuropil. These pockets were identified as striosomes by calbindin28k and met- enkephalin immunohistochemistry carried out on adjacent sections. In dorsal, central, and caudal sectors of the caudoputamen, there was also more generalized depletion of TH-immunoreactive neuropil. In the mid- brains of the mutants, the patterns of loss of TH-positive neurons appeared to correspond to these distributions of reduced immunostaining in the striatum. In the substantia nigra pars compacta, ventrally situated TH-positive neurons were especially affected, suggesting preferential depletion of TH-positive neurons projecting to striosomes. In addition, there was a central sector of nearly complete loss of TH- positive neurons in the substantia nigra para compacta and a marked depletion of TH-positive neurons in cell group A8 that, together, may have accounted for the diminution of TH-positive innervation of the striatal matrix. We conclude that the effects of the weaver gene discriminate among mesostriatal subsystems not only according to the regional affiliations of these subsystems within the dorsal and ventral striatum, but also according to the preferential association of the subsystems for the striosomal and matrical compartments of the caudoputamen. The depletion of TH-positive innervation was not confined to the dorsal striatum proper. The defect extended into the adjoining nucleus accumbens, where it appeared to affect the lateral “core” division, and included also a lateral part of the olfactory tubercle. Thus, as in the dorsal striatum, the defect in the TH-positive innervation of the ventral striatum closely follows the local architecture of this striatal region. Neuronal loss in the ventral tegmental area was not evident on qualitative analysis, but at the border between lateral cell group A 10 and medial cell group A9 there was obvious loss of immunostained neurons. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Ownership Structure, Profit Maximization, and Competitive Behavior

We question the broad applicability of the assumption of profit maximization as the goal of the firm and investigate how variance in objective functions across different ownership structures affects competitive behavior. While prior work in agency theory has argued that firms may fail to engage in profit maximizing behaviors due to misalignment between the goals of owners and managers, we contend that we are unlikely to observe pure profit maximizing behavior even in the case of the perfect alignment of goals that exists in owner-managed firms. We compare the competitive behaviors of owner-managed and professionally managed firms and find that, contrary to the expectations of agency theory, professionally managed firms are more likely to engage in behaviors consistent with profit-maximization goals. Consistent with the view that owner-managers are less concerned with maximizing profits, we observe that the entry, exit, and pricing decisions of owner-managed firms are all relatively less responsive to the underlying economic attractiveness of the markets in which they operate.