Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Pulmonary arterial hypertension: basis of sex differences in incidence and treatment response

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a complex disease characterized by elevated pulmonary arterial pressure, pulmonary vascular remodelling and occlusive pulmonary vascular lesions, leading to right heart failure. Evidence from recent epidemiological studies suggests the influence of gender on the development of PAH with an approximate female to male ratio of 4:1, depending on the underlying disease pathology. Overall, the therapeutic strategy for PAH remains suboptimal with poor survival rates observed in both genders. Endogenous sex hormones, in particular 17β oestradiol and its metabolites, have been implicated in the development of the disease; however, the influence of sex hormones on the underlying pathobiology remains controversial. Further understanding of the influence of sex hormones on the normal and diseased pulmonary circulation will be critical to our understanding the pathology of PAH and future therapeutic strategies. In this review, we will discuss the influence of sex hormones on the development of PAH and address recent controversies.
The Psychological Barriers to Performance Management

Why has performance management failed to sweep the world? Why does it live more in rhetoric than reality? Possible explanations include those that are practical, political, managerial, and psychological. Seven psychological explanations, which reflect how people think about performance and results, create some significant barriers to their ability to focus on outcomes and value. Citizen thinking concentrates on personal results rather than societal results. Legislative thinking stresses where the inputs are immediately deployed rather than what outcomes might be eventually achieved. Public-employee thinking focuses on avoiding mistakes that will produce certain punishment rather than producing successes that might generate a little praise. Policy thinking emphasizes creating better policy rather than managing better within the existing policy framework. Assistant-secretary thinking specializes in crafting new policy innovation rather than on improving the organization’s capacity to perform. Distrustful thinking worries that “the big bargain”—more flexibility for more performance—will never produce any real flexibility. And big-picture thinking permits the enormity of the task to blind people to the opportunity to create meaningful improvement through a series of individually small but collectively significant wins. Overcoming these barriers will require a shift from performance management to performance leadership.
Sampling , Partitioning and Aggregating Patches for Foreground / Background Labelling on Video Sequences

In this paper, we propose a novel exemplar-based approach to extract dynamic foreground regions from a changing background within a video sequence. By using image segmentation as a pre-processing step, we convert this traditional pixel-wise labeling problem into a lowerdimensional supervised, binary labeling procedure on image segments. Our approach consists of three steps. First, a set of random image patches are spatially and adaptively sampled within each segment. Second, these sets of extracted samples are formed into two “bags of patches” to model the foreground/background appearance, respectively. Within each bag, image patches are further partitioned and resampled to integrate new patches from new frames and create an evolving appearance model. Finally, the foreground/background decision over segments in an image is formulated using an aggregation function defined on the similarity measurements of sampled patches relative to the foreground and background models. The essence of the algorithm is conceptually simple and can be easily implemented within 150 lines of Matlab code. We evaluate and validate the proposed approach by several real examples of the object-level image mapping and tracking within a variety of challenging environments.
Design of wide-sense stationary sum-of-sinusoids fading channel simulators

It was recently shown (see Pop, M.F. and Beaulieu, N.C., IEEE Trans. Commun., 2001) that Jakes' sum-of-sinusoids Rayleigh fading simulator (see Jakes, W.C., "Microwave Mobile Communications", IEEE Press, 1994) is not wide-sense stationary when averaged across the ensemble of physical fading channels. Here, a wide-sense stationary sum-of-sinusoids simulator design is presented and its stochastic behaviour is analyzed. Analytical expressions for the envelope and phase probability density functions and the simulator output signal autocorrelation function are given. These are used to obtain some design rules that relate the quality of the simulator output to the number of low-frequency oscillators, or equivalently sinusoids, used in the simulator. Our results contradict a common belief that the quality of the simulator output is related to the total number of multipath components. Rather, the quality is shown to depend on the number of distinct Doppler frequency shifts and it cannot be improved by using more multipath components that do not represent distinct Doppler frequency shifts.
Energy Gradient Theory of Hydrodynamic Instability

A new universal theory for flow instability and turbulent transition is proposed in this study. Flow instability and turbulence transition have been challenging subjects for fluid dynamics for a century. The critical condition of turbulent transition from theory and experiments differs largely from each other for Poiseuille flows. This enigma has not been clarified so far owing to the difficulty of the problem. In this paper, a new mechanism of flow instability and turbulence transition is presented for parallel shear flows and the energy gradient theory of hydrodynamic instability is proposed. It is stated that the total energy gradient in the transverse direction and that in the streamwise direction of the main flow dominate the disturbance amplification or decay. Thus, they determine the critical condition of instability initiation and flow transition under given initial disturbance. A new dimensionless parameter K for characterizing flow instability is proposed for wall bounded shear flows, which is expressed as the ratio of the energy gradients in the two directions. It is thought that flow instability should first occur at the position of Kmax which may be the most dangerous position. This speculation is confirmed by Nishioka et al's experimental data. Comparison with experimental data for plane Poiseuille flow and pipe Poiseuille flow indicates that the proposed idea is really valid. It is found that the turbulence transition takes place at a critical value of Kmax of about 385 for both plane Poiseuille flow and pipe Poiseuille flow, below which no turbulence will occur regardless the disturbance. More studies show that the theory is also valid for plane Couette flows and Taylor-Couette flows between concentric rotating cylinders. It is concluded that the energy gradient theory is a universal theory for the flow instability and turbulent transition which is valid for both pressure and shear driven flows in both parallel flow and rotating flow configurations.
An investigation of anger among adolescents : an attachment perspective

The present study investigated the relationship between attachment and anger among adolescents, examining a hypothesis initially proposed by Bowiby (1973) regarding the effects of adolescents’ attachments to parents on anger experience. Extending Bowlby’s hypothesis with another critical anger component, anger expression, a theoretically-refined model was developed and tested. Participants included 776 students (379 boys, 397 girls) in grades 8-12. As predicted by attachment theory, results of structural equation modeling analyses indicated that adolescents’ attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance toward both mother and father figures were positively related to the adolescents’ greater levels of anger intensity. In turn, the increases in the intensity of anger feelings were associated with increases in both anger-in (internalizing) and anger-out (externalizing) expressions. In addition, there was a direct effect of attachment anxiety on anger-in expression but no direct effects of attachment anxiety and avoidance on anger-out expression. This study highlights the importance of differentiating anger dimensions and the critical role of anger intensity as a mediator of the relationship between insecure attachment and anger expressions. Implications of the findings are further discussed.
Pyridostigmine Effects on TSH Response to TRH in Adult and Children Obese Subjects

Thyrotropin releasing hormone (TRH) administration is known to induce a greater TSH response in normal subjects than in obese subjects. In obesity even GH and PRL response to various stimuli are blunted, presumably because of an augmented somatostatinergic tone in obese subjects. Further studies have shown that pyridostigmine (Pyr), an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor, is capable of augmenting GH in obesity by means of somatostatin inhibition. In order to evaluate the possible interference of an increased somatostatinergic tone on TSH secretion, we studied the TSH response to a TRH bolus in 5 obese children with or without a pyr pretreatment. Similarly, we tested a group of 10 obese adult subjects, with TRH alone or TRH plus pyr administration, 30 min or 60 min before TRH. All subjects had a body weight of 30-50% greater than I.B. W. Our data show that a pretreatment with pyr, 60 min before TRH administration, significantly augments the TSH response in adult obese subjects but not in children; the modality of pyr administration seems to be crucial to evidenciate such an alteration since the pyr pretreatment is not effective when administered 30 min before TRH. The absence of this pyr effect in obese children induces to hypothesize that somatostatinergic tone is differentially modulated in children vs adult obese subjects.
Critical role of Lck in L‐selectin signaling induced by sulfatides engagement

Recruitment of leukocytes onto inflamed tissues is an important physiological event, in which L‐selectin plays an essential role in initial leukocyte capture and at the same time, triggers cell signaling. Lck is a member of the Src family of protein tyrosine kinases and is critical for T cell activation triggered by receptor ligation. Here, we demonstrated that Lck was associated directly with and phosphorylated the L‐selectin cytoplasmic tail upon L‐selectin engagement with sulfatides. Through the direct interaction with ZAP‐70 and c‐Abl via its Src homology 2 (SH2) and SH3 domains, Lck organized a signaling complex at the cytoplasmic tail of L‐selectin. In the cells with Lck knockdown by small interfering RNA treatment, L‐selectin signaling was suppressed dramatically, as indicated by reduced phosphorylation of c‐Abl and ZAP‐70. Re‐expression of wild‐type or constitutively active but not kinase‐dead murine Lck rescued the phosphorylation completely, but the SH2 domain mutant or the SH3/SH2 double mutant of murine Lck had no effect. These results suggest that Lck plays a critical role in L‐selectin signaling upon sulfatides stimulation.
Currency regimes : crises and growth

This paper tackles two established puzzles in international macroeconomics literature. The first is the lack of systematic difference in the macroeconomic performance across exchange rate regimes. The second is the absence of a clear empirical relationship between macroeconomic performance and capital-account liberalization. We suggest that both may appear because empirical methodologies fail to account for a latent economic “crisis state,” influenced by exchange-rate and capital account regimes, and to allow the effects of a policy regime on growth to depend on whether the economy is in a crisis-prone latent state. In practice, we model and estimate the latent state of the economy as a crisis probability. In the framework we propose, exchange rate and capitalmarket liberalization regimes can have both a direct effect on short-term growth, and an indirect effect on growth that is channelled through their effects on the crisis probability.
Comparative Expression Study of the Endo–G Protein Coupled Receptor (GPCR) Repertoire in Human Glioblastoma Cancer Stem-like Cells, U87-MG Cells and Non Malignant Cells of Neural Origin Unveils New Potential Therapeutic Targets

Glioblastomas (GBMs) are highly aggressive, invasive brain tumors with bad prognosis and unmet medical need. These tumors are heterogeneous being constituted by a variety of cells in different states of differentiation. Among these, cells endowed with stem properties, tumor initiating/propagating properties and particularly resistant to chemo- and radiotherapies are designed as the real culprits for tumor maintenance and relapse after treatment. These cells, termed cancer stem-like cells, have been designed as prominent targets for new and more efficient cancer therapies. G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs), a family of membrane receptors, play a prominent role in cell signaling, cell communication and crosstalk with the microenvironment. Their role in cancer has been highlighted but remains largely unexplored. Here, we report a descriptive study of the differential expression of the endo-GPCR repertoire in human glioblastoma cancer stem-like cells (GSCs), U-87 MG cells, human astrocytes and fetal neural stem cells (f-NSCs). The endo-GPCR transcriptome has been studied using Taqman Low Density Arrays. Of the 356 GPCRs investigated, 138 were retained for comparative studies between the different cell types. At the transcriptomic level, eight GPCRs were specifically expressed/overexpressed in GSCs. Seventeen GPCRs appeared specifically expressed in cells with stem properties (GSCs and f-NSCs). Results of GPCR expression at the protein level using mass spectrometry and proteomic analysis are also presented. The comparative GPCR expression study presented here gives clues for new pathways specifically used by GSCs and unveils novel potential therapeutic targets.
Elucidation of genetic identity and population structure of cacao germplasm within an international cacao genebank

Theobroma cacao L. , or cacao, is the source of cocoa products used in the making of chocolate. These tropical trees are conserved in living genebanks. The International Cocoa Genebank, Trinidad is one of the largest ex situ collections in the public domain. Mislabelling is a critical problem and the correction of this problem is vital to improve the accuracy and efficiency of genebank management. Using microsatellite DNA markers, we assessed the level of mislabelling in a group of Refractario cacao that originated from Ecuador and determined their population memberships through Bayesian clustering analysis. The microsatellite data revealed a synonymous rate of 7.5% and an error rate of 39.4% in this germplasm subset. The analysis of the population structure grouped the Refractario accessions into four subclusters, indicating intra-population heterogeneity in this germplasm group. Based on the results, we recommend that when the assignment test is used for cacao genotype identification, it should (a) use duplicated samples as internal checks, (b) choose suitable reference accessions, including a known homogeneous group and (c) employ subclustering checks to obtain reliable results. The information framework generated is discussed in relation to the management of the collection, population enhancement and future research of the collection.
N-Acylethanolamines: formation and molecular composition of a new class of plant lipids

Recently, the biosynthesis of an unusual membrane phospholipid, N-acylphosphatidylethanolamine (NAPE), was found to increase in elicitor-treated tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) cells (K.D. Chapman, A. Conyers-Hackson, R.A. Moreau, S. Tripathy [1995] Physiol Plant 95: 120-126). Here we report that before induction of NAPE biosynthesis, N-acylethanolamine (NAE) is released from NAPE in cultured tobacco cells 10 min after treatment with the fungal elicitor xylanase. In radiolabeling experiments [14C]NAE (labeled on the ethanolamine carbons) increased approximately 6-fold in the culture medium, whereas [14C]NAPE associated with cells decreased approximately 5-fold. Two predominant NAE molecular species, N-lauroylethanolamine and N-myristoylethanolamine, were specifically identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry in lipids extracted from culture medium, and both increased in concentration after elicitor treatment. NAEs were found to accumulate extracellularly only. A microsomal phospholipase D activity was discovered that formed NAE from NAPE; its activity in vitro was stimulated about 20-fold by mastoparan, suggesting that NAPE hydrolysis is highly regulated, perhaps by G-proteins. Furthermore, an NAE amidohydrolase activity that catalyzed the hydrolysis of NAE in vitro was detected in homogenates of tobacco cells. Collectively, these results characterize structurally a new class of plant lipids and identify the enzymatic machinery involved in its formation and inactivation in elicitor-treated tobacco cells. Recent evidence indicating a signaling role for NAPE metabolism in mammalian cells (H.H.O. Schmid, P.C. Schmid, V. Natarajan [1996] Chem Phys Lipids 80: 133-142) raises the possibility that a similar mechanism may operate in plant cells.
pH-dependent Conformational Properties of Saposins and Their Interactions with Phospholipid Membranes (*)

Saposins A, B, C, and D are small lysosomal glycoproteins released by proteolysis from a single precursor polypeptide, prosaposin. We have presently investigated the conformational states of saposins and their interaction with membranes at acidic pH values similar to those present in lysosomes. With the use of phase partitioning in Triton X-114, experimental evidence was provided that, upon acidification, saposins (Sap) A, C, and D acquire hydrophobic properties, while the hydrophilicity of Sap B is apparently unchanged. The pH-dependent exposure of hydrophobic domains of Sap C and D paralleled their pH-dependent binding to large unilamellar vesicles composed of phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylserine, and cholesterol. In contrast, the binding of Sap A to the vesicles was very restricted, in spite of its increased hydrophobicity at low pH. A low affinity for the vesicles was also shown by Sap B, a finding consistent with its apparent hydrophilicity both at neutral and acidic pH. At the acidic pH values needed for binding, Sap C and D powerfully destabilized the phospholipid membranes, while Sap A and B minimally affected the bilayer integrity. In the absence of the acidic phospholipid phosphatidylserine, the induced destabilization markedly decreased. Of the four saposins, only Sap C was able to promote the binding of glucosylceramidase to phosphatidylserine-containing membranes. This result is consistent with the notion that Sap C is specifically required by glucosylceramidase to exert its activity. Our finding that an acidic environment induces an increased hydrophobicity in Sap A, C, and D, making the last two saposins able to interact and perturb phospholipid membranes, suggests that this mechanism might be relevant to the mode of action of saposins in lysosomes.
Priming single digit numbers: automatic spreading activation dissipates as a function of semantic distance

The most commonly referenced model of semantic priming is the spreading activation model of Collins and Loftus (1975). The model asserts that concepts activated in a semantic network by a prime serve as a source of activation that spreads to other nearby (related) concepts. Activation of these nearby nodes serves to lower their thresholds, which in turn facilitates the processing of targets matching these activated nodes. Priming, therefore, facilitates the processing of related targets. Spreading activation is assumed to dissipate with distance. In effect, distance represents the degree to which two concepts are related. It is argued that although the distance assumption is addressed in the experimental literature, an adequate test of this assumption has not been performed as yet. The present research tests the distance assumption by using single digit stimuli for the sets where prime and target are related. Using a lexical decision in one experiment and a letter-digit classification task in four others, it was found that the amount of facilitation varies inversely with the numerical distance between the prime and target and that this distance effect is largely the same in both the forward (e.g., five-seven) and backward (e.g., seven-five) directions. The results are interpreted to support the assumption that spreading activation dissipates with distance.
Inhibitors and facilitators of willingness to participate (WTP) in an HIV vaccine trial: construction and initial validation of the Inhibitors and Facilitators of Willingness to Participate Scale (WPS) among women at risk for HIV infection

Abstract A psychometric scale assessing inhibitors and facilitators of willingness to participate (WTP) in an HIV vaccine trial has not yet been developed. This study aimed to construct and derive the exploratory factor structure of such a scale. The 35-item Inhibitors and Facilitators of Willingness to Participate Scale (WPS) was developed and administered to a convenience sample of 264 Black females between the ages of 16 and 49 years living in an urban-informal settlement near Cape Town. The subscales of the WPS demonstrated good internal consistency with Cronbach's alpha coefficients ranging between 0.69 and 0.82. A principal components exploratory factor analysis revealed the presence of five latent factors. The factors, which accounted for 45.93% of the variance in WTP, were (1) personal costs, (2) safety and convenience, (3) stigmatisation, (4) personal gains and (5) social approval and trust. Against the backdrop of the study limitations, these results provide initial support for the reliability and construct validity of the WPS among the most eligible trial participants in the Western Cape of South Africa.
Evaluation of Bakery Products Made from Barley-Gelatinized Corn Flour and Wheat-Defatted Rice Bran Flour Composites

— In the present research, whole meal barley flour (WBF) was supplemented with gelatinized corn flour (GCF) in 0 and 30%. Whole meal wheat flour (WWF) was mixed with defatted rice bran (DRB) to produce 0, 20, 25, and 30% replacement levels. Rheological properties of dough were studied. Thermal properties and starch crystallinity of flours were evaluated. Flat bread, balady bread and pie were prepared from the different flour blends. The different bakeries were sensory evaluated. Color of raw materials and crust of bakery products were determined. Nutrients contents of raw flours and food products were assessed. Results showed that addition of GCF to WBF increased the viscosity and falling number of the produced dough. Water absorption, dough development time and dough stability increased with increasing the level of DRB in dough while, weakening and mixing tolerance index decreased. Extensibility and energy decreased, while, resistance to extension increased as DRB level increased. Gelatinized temperature of WWF, WBF, GCF, and DRB were 13.26, 35.09, 28.33, and 39.63, respectively. Starch crystallinity was affected when DRB was added to WWF. The highest protein content was present in balady bread made from 70% WWF and 30% DRB. The highest calcium, phosphorus, and potassium levels were present in products made from 100% WBF. Sensory attributes of the products were slightly affected by adding DRB and GCF. Conclusion: Addition of DRB or GCF to WWF or WBF, respectively affect the physical, chemical, rheological and sensory properties of balady bread, flat bread, and pie while improved their nutritive values.