Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Increased Hepatic Insulin Action in Diet-Induced Obese Mice Following Inhibition of Glucosylceramide Synthase

Background Obesity is characterized by the accumulation of fat in the liver and other tissues, leading to insulin resistance. We have previously shown that a specific inhibitor of glucosylceramide synthase, which inhibits the initial step in the synthesis of glycosphingolipids (GSLs), improved glucose metabolism and decreased hepatic steatosis in both ob/ob and diet-induced obese (DIO) mice. Here we have determined in the DIO mouse model the efficacy of a related small molecule compound, Genz-112638, which is currently being evaluated clinically for the treatment of Gaucher disease, a lysosomal storage disorder. Methodology/Principal Findings DIO mice were treated with the Genz-112638 for 12 to 16 weeks by daily oral gavage. Genz-112638 lowered HbA1c levels and increased glucose tolerance. Whole body adiposity was not affected in normal mice, but decreased in drug-treated obese mice. Drug treatment also significantly lowered liver triglyceride levels and reduced the development of hepatic steatosis. We performed hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamps on the DIO mice treated with Genz-112638 and showed that insulin-mediated suppression of hepatic glucose production increased significantly compared to the placebo treated mice, indicating a marked improvement in hepatic insulin sensitivity. Conclusions/Significance These results indicate that GSL inhibition in obese mice primarily results in an increase in insulin action in the liver, and suggests that GSLs may have an important role in hepatic insulin resistance in conditions of obesity.
Long Run Exchange Rate Pass-Through Into Import Prices In Developing Countries: An Homogeneous or Heterogeneous Phenomenon?

In this paper, we analyze the nature of long-run exchange rate pass-through in a panel of 24 developing countries. We define and estimate an exchange rate pass-through equation based on micro-foundations of pricing behaviour by exporters firms. We adopt a multi-country framework and we use non-stationary panel estimation techniques and test for panel cointegration. we show that long-run exchange rate pass-through in developing countries is an heterogeneous phenomenon.
Drivers of seedling survival in a temperate forest and their relative importance at three stages of succession

Abstract Negative density dependence (NDD) and niche partitioning have been perceived as important mechanisms for the maintenance of species diversity. However, little is known about their relative contributions to seedling survival. We examined the effects of biotic and abiotic neighborhoods and the variations of biotic neighborhoods among species using survival data for 7503 seedlings belonging to 22 woody species over a period of 2 years in three different forest types, a half‐mature forest (HF), a mature forest (MF), and an old‐growth forest (OGF), each of these representing a specific successional stage in a temperate forest ecosystem in northeastern China. We found a convincing evidence for the existence of NDD in temperate forest ecosystems. The biotic and abiotic variables affecting seedlings survival change with successional stage, seedling size, and age. The strength of NDD for the smaller (<20 cm in height) and younger seedlings (1–2 years) as well as all seedlings combined varies significantly among species. We found no evidence that a community compensatory trend (CCT) existed in our study area. The results of this study demonstrate that the relative importance of NDD and habitat niche partitioning in driving seedling survival varies with seedling size and age and that the biotic and abiotic factors affecting seedlings survival change with successional stage.
Measuring the influence of similarity on category-specific effects

There is evidence for both advantages and disadvantages in normal recognition of living over nonliving things. This paradox has been attributed to high levels of perceptual similarity within living categories having a different effect on performance in different contexts. However, since living things are intrinsically more similar to each other, previous studies could not determine whether the various category effects were due to perceptual similarity, or to other characteristics of living things. We used novel animal and vehicle stimuli that were matched for similarity to measure the influence of perceptual similarity in different contexts. We found that displaying highly similar objects in blocked sets reduced their perceived similarity, eliminating the detrimental effect on naming performance. Experiment 1 demonstrated a disadvantage for highly similar objects in name learning and name verification using mixed groups of similar and dissimilar animals and vehicles. Experiment 2 demonstrated no disadvantage for the same highly similar objects when they were blocked, e.g., similar animals presented alone. Thus, perceptual similarity, rather than other characteristics particular to living things, is affected by context, and could create apparent category effects under certain testing conditions.
Reduced Priority MELD Score for Hepatocellular Carcinoma Does Not Adversely Impact Candidate Survival Awaiting Liver Transplantation

The liver organ allocation policy of the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) is based on the model for end‐stage liver disease (MELD). The policy provides additional priority for candidates with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who are awaiting deceased donor liver transplantation (DDLT). However, this priority was reduced on February 27, 2003 to a MELD of 20 for stage T1 and of 24 for stage T2 HCC. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of reduced priority on HCC candidate survival while on the waiting list. The UNOS database was reviewed for all HCC candidates listed after February 27, 2002, The HCC candidates were grouped into two time periods: MELD 1 (listed between February 27, 2002, and February 26, 2003) and MELD 2 (listed between February 27, 2003 and February 26, 2004). For the two time periods, the national DDLT incidence rates for HCC patients were 1.44 versus 1.53 DDLT per person‐year (p = NS) and the waiting times were similar for the two periods (138.0 ± 196.8 vs. 129.0 ± 133.8 days; p = NS). Furthermore, the 3‐, 6‐ and 12‐month candidate, patient survival and dropout rates were also similar nationally. Regional differences in rates of DDLT for HCC were observed during both MELD periods. Consequently, the reduced MELD score for stage T1 and T2 HCC candidates awaiting DDLT has not had an impact nationally either on their survival on the waiting list or on their ability to obtain a liver transplant within a reasonable time frame. However, regional variations point to the need for reform in how organs are allocated for HCC at the regional level.
VLBA Absorption Imaging of Ionized Gas Associated with the Accretion Disk in NGC 1275

Nearly simultaneous VLBA observations of 3C 84, the radio source associated with NGC 1275, have been made at multiple frequencies to study the free-free absorption of the northern, or "counterjet," feature found by Walker, Romney, & Benson and by Vermeulen, Readhead, & Backer. Our observations confirm that the spectra are consistent with free-free absorption and eliminate the possibility that the earlier result was an effect of variability. The northern feature is well resolved spatially, so images have been made showing the distribution of the absorption over a region of about 1.5 pc on a side, beginning about 1.5 pc from the presumed location of the central object. That distribution is dominated by a strong decrease with radial distance. The magnitude of the absorption near 2.5 pc projected distance from the central object is consistent with a 104 K gas with an emission measure of about 5 × 108 pc cm-6. The geometry is consistent with absorption by ionized gas associated with an accretion disk. The data provide firm constraints for models of the outer regions of accretion disks and, perhaps, associated winds.
Music: A Link Between Cognition and Emotion

Cognition and emotion are closely linked in music. The interplay between expectations and the sounded events is hypothesized to play a central role in creating musical tension and relaxation. The research summarized here is part of an ongoing program investigating how this dynamic aspect of musical emotion relates to the cognition of musical structure. Musical emotions change over time in intensity and quality, and these emotional changes covary with changes in psychophysiological measures. Perceptual studies support music-theoretic descriptions of musical structures that underlie listeners’ expectations. Cross-cultural comparisons suggest that certain psychological principles of expectation are quite general, but that musical cultures emphasize these differentially. A schema of temporal organization that relates episodes of tension and relaxation to musical form and expressive aspects of musical performance is described. Finally, some results suggest that the expression of emotion in music shares properties with the expression of emotion in speech and dance.
PersonalTour: A Recommender System for Travel Packages

This paper describes the Personal Tour recommender system that helps customers to find best travel packages according to their preferences. Personal Tour is based on the paradigm of the Distributed Artificial Intelligence and a customer recommendation request is divided into partial recommendations that are handled by different agents. Experiments were run with real customers and the results are presented.
About deterministic extinction in ratio-dependent predator-prey models

Ratio-dependent predator-prey models set up a challenging issue regarding their dynamics near the origin. This is due to the fact that such models are undefined at (0, 0). We study the analytical behavior at (0, 0) for a common ratio-dependent model and demonstrate that this equilibrium can be either a saddle point or an attractor for certain trajectories. This fact has important implications concerning the global behavior of the model, for example regarding the existence of stable limit cycles. Then, we prove formally, for a general class of ratio-dependent models, that (0, 0) has its own basin of attraction in phase space, even when there exists a non-trivial stable or unstable equilibrium. Therefore, these models have no pathological dynamics on the axes and at the origin, contrary to what has been stated by some authors. Finally, we relate these findings to some published empirical results.
The Development Impact of the Illegality of Drug Trade

This paper reviews the unintended consequences of the war on drugs, particularly for developing countries, and weighs them against the evidence regarding the efficacy of prohibition to curb drug use and trade. It reviews the available evidence and presents new results that indicate that prohibition has limited effects on drug prevalence and prices, most likely indicating a combination of inelastic drug demand (due to its addictive properties) and elastic supply responses (due to black markets). This should turn the focus to the unintended consequences of drug prohibition. First, the large demand for drugs, particularly in developed countries, generates the possibility of massive profits to potential drug providers. This leads to the formation of organized crime groups, which use violence and corruption as their means of survival and expansion and which, in severe cases, challenge the state and seriously compromise public stability and safety. Second, prohibition and its derived illegal market impose greater costs on farmers than on drug traffickers. In many instances, this entails the transfer of wealth from poor peasants to rich (and ruthless) traders. Third, criminalization can exacerbate the net health effects of drug use. These consequences are so pernicious that they call for a fundamental review of drug policy around the world.
Formulation of a Commercial Biosurfactant for Application as a Dispersant of Petroleum and By-Products Spilled in Oceans

Oil spills in oceans cause irreparable damage to marine life and harm the coastal populations of affected areas. It is therefore fundamental to develop treatment strategies for such spills. Currently, chemical dispersants have been used during oil spills, although these agents have been increasingly restricted due to their toxic potential. Thus, the aim of the present study was to formulate a biodegradable commercial biosurfactant for application as a dispersant. Biosurfactants are scientifically known biomolecules produced by microorganisms capable of allowing water-oil interaction. Thus, a biosurfactant was produced by the yeast Candida bombicola URM 3718 cultivated in industrial waste and formulated with the addition of a potassium sorbate preservative for fractionated sterilization (tyndallization) and the combination of fluent vaporization with the preservative. After formulation, samples were stored for 120 days, followed by surface tension, emulsification and oil dispersant tests in sea water. The results were promising for the biosurfactant formulated with the preservative, which demonstrated stability and an absence of toxicity in experiments with a marine indicator. The commercial biosurfactant was tested at different pH values, temperatures and in the presence of salt, demonstrating potential industrial application at a cost compatible with the environmental field. The formulation process developed in this research was patented in the Brazilian National Intellectual Property Institute (patent number BR1020140179631).
A Simple Selling and Buying Procedure

For the assignment game, we anlayze the following mechanism: sellers, simultaneously, fix their prices first, then buyers, sequentially, decide which object to buy, if any, among the remaining objects. The first phase of the game determines the potential proces, while the second phase determines the actual matching. We prove that the set of subgame perfect equilibria in pure strategies in the strong sense of the mechanism coincides with the set of sellers' optimal stable outcomes when buyers use maximal strategies.
Physical therapy in anti-TNF treated patients with ankylosing spondylitis.

Physical therapy in anti-TNF treated patients with ankylosing spondylitis SIR, AS is a chronic inflammatory condition of the spine most commonly affecting the axial skeleton. Physical therapy has a well-defined role in the management of this condition. A Cochrane review on the role of physiotherapy interventions in AS concluded that physical therapy (physiotherapy, home exercises, spa therapy) was beneficial; although it was not clear as to which treatment protocol should be recommended [1]. Similar conclusions were drawn in the review of AS for the ASAS/EULAR management recommendations [2, 3]. In patients with OA, studies have shown that a significant majority of patients were not fully compliant with exercise regimes [4]. No studies reporting real-life data for physical therapy in AS have been published. In the National Health Service in United Kingdom, most patients undergo education and supervised exercise programme at diagnosis or flare, but are expected to continue with unsupervised physical therapy for continuing benefit. In patients with AS on treatment with anti-TNF agents, we sought to ascertain details of physical therapy regimes and its perceived benefit; and explore motivation levels for physical therapy. We could not find any suitable instruments in literature for this study. Hence, we devised a one-page anonymous questionnaire on the basis of the Cochrane review. This was piloted on six patients, their feedback obtained and combined with feedback from research nurse, physiotherapist and Consultant Rheumatologist (all with an interest in AS). Content validation was thus performed; the modified questionnaire was then distributed by nurse practitioners either at the time of patients' attendance for infliximab infusion or for clinic visits. All 40 patients at our centre who fulfilled the inclusion criteria were included. This was a cross-sectional survey, and was conducted between March and July 2006. Results were analysed using Microsoft Excel and SPSS version 14.0. We obtained 32 responses, a response rate of 80%. Twenty-six responders are males with six females, and mean duration of AS was 16.34 yrs (2–40 yrs). Mean age was 45.21 yrs (26–64 yrs); 17 patients were on infliximab, eight were on etanercept and two on adalimumab. The most common form of exercise was walking (21) followed by swimming (7). The mean time spent weekly on physical therapy was 133.61 min compared with 67.97 min prior to anti-TNF treatment. Out of 32 responders, 31 did more exercise now than prior to anti-TNF treatment. Patients perceived mild to moderate benefit from physical …
Post-dispersal removal of seeds of pioneer species from five Panamanian forests

Variation among forests in environmental and biotic conditions may strongly influence seed fate with important consequences for the abundance and distribution of plant species. Here we examine the post-dispersal seed removal rates of six pioneer species (Cecropia peltata, Miconia argentea, Luehea seemannii, Trema micrantha, Apeiba aspera and Jacaranda copaia) from the soil surface at five sites in Panama varying in elevation (0–1100 m) and seasonality (0–4 mo dry season). We compared removal rates of washed seeds placed in vertebrate exclosures, invertebrate exclosures, and unprotected controls in January and June. Overall, removal rates of unprotected seeds were similar among sites. Almost all seed removal could be attributed to litter ants in two subfamilies (Myrmicinae and Ponerinae). Little or no removal was recorded from invertebrate exclosures while vertebrate exclosures had no effect on removal either in lowland and montane forests. Seed removal rates were high for four animal-dispersed species (mean 45% removed over 2 d), whereas two wind-dispersed species were largely untouched (mean 2% removed). These results indicate that seed dispersal characteristics, rather than site characteristics, may be the strongest determinant of the post-dispersal seed fate of pioneers.
The Role of Exchange Rate on Balance of Trade: Empirical From Pakistan

Objective of this study is to estimate the impact of real exchange rate depreciation on balance of trade in Pakistan. The study examines validity of the Marshall Lerner condition in Pakistan data (1970-2008) by using impulse response function which fulfills the J-curve idea. To evaluate long run association among the variables by employing Johansson Co-integration test. The end consequence of test shows that there is long run relationship among the variables at vector two.
Interlaboratory Comparison of Porcine Circovirus-2 Indirect Immunofluorescent Antibody Test and Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay Results on Experimentally Infected Pigs

A blinded interlaboratory assessment of the diagnostic agreement and accuracy of serologic tests for routine detection of antibodies against Porcine circovirus-2 (PCV-2), including indirect fluorescent antibody tests (IFATs) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) was conducted in 7 North American laboratories. Serum samples were collected weekly, on trial days 0, 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, 42, and 49, from the following groups of animals: 1) negative controls (n = 7), 2) PCV-2a (n = 8), 3) PCV-2b (n = 8), 4) PCV-1 (n = 8), 5) PCV-2 vaccine A (n = 8; Ingelvac® CircoFLEX™), 6) PCV-2 vaccine B (n = 8; Circumvent® PCV2), and 7) PCV-2 vaccine C (n = 8; Suvaxyn® PCV2 One Dose). Results from each laboratory were analyzed by kappa and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. Kappa analysis indicated that, by trial day 49, IFATs had almost perfect agreement, in-house ELISAs had fair to almost perfect agreement, and commercially available anti–PCV-2 immunoglobulin G ELISAs (I or S) had moderate to substantial agreement. From trial days 14–49, the area under the ROC curve for the 2 laboratories that offered IFATs, the 4 laboratories that offered in-house ELISAs, and the 3 laboratories that used commercially available ELISAs ranged from 0.94 to 1.00, 0.72 to 1.00, and 0.95 to 1.00, respectively. However, test sensitivities varied based on laboratory-specific cutoffs that were used to dichotomize test results.
First Year Teacher: A Case Study

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Identification and quantification of hemoglobins A, F, S, and C by automated chromatography.

The Bio-Rad Variant Hemoglobin Testing System is an automated HPLC analyzer marketed with a Beta-thalassemia Short Program to quantify hemoglobins (Hbs) F and A2 and assist in detecting Hbs A, S, C, D, and E. We evaluated this system to replace several traditional methods for Hb in our hospital laboratory. Analytical performance relevant to quantifying Hbs A, S, C, and F was assessed with blood samples obtained from our local patient population. Studies of precision (CVs < 3%) and analytical limits (% of total Hb) of Hbs A (2-86%), F (1-89%), S (5-90%), and C (3-92%) demonstrated results comparable with or exceeding those of traditional methods. Results for patients' samples (n) for Hbs A (107), F (157), S (128), and C (27) correlated well (r > 0.93) with results by traditional methods. The satisfactory performance and efficiency led us to implement this system for routine quantification of clinically significant Hbs.
Electric Wheelchair Controller Based on Parameter Self-Adjusting Fuzzy PID

According to the wheelchair control particularity for requirements, this paper proposes a parameters self-adjusting fuzzy PID control strategy in accordance with wheelchair speed deviation and changes in the rate of deviation which is applied to DC motor speed control system to achieve optimal control for the wheelchair. At the same time, implement control system simulation though MATLAB toolboxes. It is proved that the system possesses good robustness, zero overshoot, smooth speed control, anti-load disturbance etc,which meet the control requirements for the electric wheelchair.
Acid-Sensing Ion Channel 2 Is Important for Retinal Function and Protects against Light-Induced Retinal Degeneration

pH variations in the retina are thought to be involved in the fine-tuning of visual perception. We show that both photoreceptors and neurons of the mouse retina express the H+-gated cation channel subunits acid-sensing ion channel 2a (ASIC2a) and ASIC2b. Inactivation of the ASIC2 gene in mice leads to an increase in the rod electroretinogram a- and b-waves and thus to an enhanced gain of visual transduction. ASIC2 knock-out mice are also more sensitive to light-induced retinal degeneration. We suggest that ASIC2 is a negative modulator of rod phototransduction, and that functional ASIC2 channels are beneficial for the maintenance of retinal integrity.