Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Nitric oxide enhances the anti-inflammatory and anti-atherogenic activity of atorvastatin in a mouse model of accelerated atherosclerosis.

AIMS The aim of the present study was to assess whether the addition of a nitric oxide (NO)-donating moiety to atorvastatin enhances anti-inflammatory and anti-atherogenic effects in an animal model of endothelial dysfunction, systemic peroxidation and inflammation, and accelerated atherosclerosis. METHODS AND RESULTS Low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR)(-/-) mice kept on a high-fat diet (HFD) for 16 weeks underwent photochemical injury to the femoral artery with the local production of oxygen radicals. HFD markedly enhanced cholesterol, inflammatory biomarkers in plasma and in the femoral arterial wall, and atherosclerotic lesions in the aortic arch; inflammation and atherosclerosis were further increased by photochemically generated oxygen radicals. Treatment with the NO-donating atorvastatin NCX 6560 (11.7 mg/kg) was significantly more effective than atorvastatin (10 mg/kg) in reducing the following parameters: lipid-rich lesions in the aortic arch (surface covered: atorvastatin = 24 ± 5%; NCX 6560 = 14.7 ± 3.9%; P< 0.05); the production of radical oxygen species in the aorta (dichlorofluorescein fluorescence intensity per milligram of protein: atorvastatin = 2419 ± 136.7; NCX 6560 = 1766 ± 161.2; P< 0.05); femoral artery intima/media thickness (atorvastatin = 1.2 ± 0.11; NCX 6560 = 0.3 ± 0.14; P< 0.05); circulating interleukin-6 (atorvastatin = 34.3 ± 6.8 pg/mL; NCX 6560 = 17.7 ± 14.4 pg/mL; P< 0.05); and matrix metalloproteinase 2 in the arterial wall (atorvastatin = 55.2 ± 1.9 ng/µg of proteins; NCX 6560 = 45.8 ± 2.6 ng/µg of proteins; P < 0.05). CONCLUSION In conditions of severe endothelial dysfunction, systemic peroxidation and inflammation, and accelerated atherosclerosis, atorvastatin, even at high doses, displays suboptimal anti-atherogenic and anti-inflammatory effects, while the addition of a NO-donating property confers enhanced anti-atherogenic and anti-inflammatory effects.
State Ownership and the Fi-nancial Performance of Privatized Banks: An Empirical Analysis

A coaxial conductor connector for allowing connection from a low pressure ambient to the high pressure interior of a circuit breaker operated in response to connection of high voltage, high current pulses to our impulse coil in the high-pressure interior of the breaker. The gland permits easy connection and disconnection of the coaxial cable and maintains a pressure seal of the circuit breaker housing when the cable is connected.
Google TV or Apple TV?—The Reasons for Smart TV Failure and a User-Centered Strategy for the Success of Smart TV

Traditional television (TV) has evolved into smart TV in terms of both hardware and software. However, compared with smart phones and tablet PCs, which are huge successes in the market, smart TV has grown more slowly than the market expected and has not really changed the TV market. In this study, we investigate reasons for the failure of smart TV from consumer perspectives. We use conjoint analysis to collect stated preference data from consumers. Our analysis consists of two parts: analyzing consumer preferences for six attributes of smart TVs and examining the effects of socio-demographic and behavioral information on purchase intention for a smart TV. Based on the estimation results from the first part, we find that consumers set a higher value on the traditional characteristics of TV than on the functions of smart TV. Thus, smart TV does not have key functions to encourage its adoption over traditional TV. From the second part of our analysis, we identify which factor is most important to increase purchase intention for a smart TV. Based on our results, we can suggest the direction of market strategies about how to cross the chasm of smart TV.
Erratum for Clause Restructuring for SMT Not Absolutely Helpful

In Howlett and Dras (2011), we systematically varied several settings of a reordering-aspreprocessing phrase-based SMT system to explore under what conditions it might underperform relative to the baseline PSMT system. This was motivated by our earlier work (Howlett and Dras, 2010) where we had seen precisely this outcome. We have identified an error in the configuration files for the Howlett and Dras (2011) experiments evaluating on the news test set (newstest2009). This error caused the reordered systems to decode and evaluate on the original test set rather than the reordered version, and thus underperform on this test set. Table 1 gives the corrected results table, which should replace Table 5 of the original paper. The final three columns are the only ones affected; the first four columns remain unchanged. This error is responsible for the dramatic data effect that we reported. Contrary to our original findings, in the corrected results, the reordered system always outperforms the baseline system. In fact, we find that in many cases the difference between baseline and reordered systems is greater on the news test set than on the Europarl test set, which brings the results closer to agreement with Xia and McCord’s (2004) findings. With the increase in BLEU score of the reordered systems, the oracle scores are correspondingly increased. Thus, as in the original paper, the oracle always outperforms both baseline and reordered systems by a substantial margin, demonstrating that each system is providing better translations for some sentences. To further substantiate this, Table 2 lists the number of times that the oracle selects the baseline and reordered systems for each experiment. These figures clearly show that the baseline system output is being selected in a significant number of cases.
Optimal Portfolios in Defined Contribution Pension Systems

We study optimal portfolios for defined contribution (possibly mandatory) pension systems, which maximize expected pensions subject to a risk level. By explicitly considering the present value of future individual contributions and changing the risk-return numeraire to future pension units we obtain interesting insights, consistent with the literature, in a simpler context. Results naturally imply that the local indexed (inflation-adjusted) currency is the benchmark and that the investment horizon is long. Optimal portfolios have a hedging component with an even longer duration than a deferred (real) pension, which begins its lifetime payments upon retirement. Results are illustrated with the parameters obtained for the United States by Campbell and Viceira (2001). It also discusses the implications for emerging market reformed pension systems.
The Technique of Network Diode

While enterprise information improves its business productivity, it also puts forward higher requirements for enterprise information security. In order to ensure data security of enterprises' critical businesses and implement information synchronization between different levels of security of internal network, this paper puts forward a type of data transmission technique based on the signal feedback mechanism and physical one-way link, details its model, and analyses its realization principles. The technique has been applied to secure access between DCS (Distributed Control System) and MIS (Management Information System) of electric power system, it is proved to be real-time, reliable and secure.
Increased HIV testing and reduced undiagnosed infection among gay men in Scotland, 2005–8: support for the opt-out testing policy?

Objective To examine changes in HIV testing and undiagnosed infection among men who have sex with men in Scotland between 2005 and 2008. Methods Self-completed questionnaires and Orasure oral fluid collection kits were distributed to men visiting the commercial gay scene in Glasgow and Edinburgh. Results Questionnaires and oral fluid specimens were provided by 1350 men (51.6% response rate) in 2005 and 1277 (59.7% response rate) in 2008. 2572 men were eligible for inclusion in the analyses. Recent HIV testing increased from 33.2% in 2005 to 48.3% in 2008 (p<0.001). HIV prevalence was comparable in 2005 and 2008 (4.4% and 4.6%, respectively). Among HIV-positive men, there was a reduction in undiagnosed infection between 2005 and 2008 from 41.7% to 26.3% (p=0.08). Undiagnosed HIV did not differ between men who were and were not tested in the past year. In 2008, only four (26.7%) HIV-positive men tested in the past 6 months were undiagnosed, compared with 11 (42.3%) HIV-positive men who had not tested (p=0.03). Conclusion There was a substantial increase in recent HIV testing between 2005 and 2008. Although there was a concurrent (non-significant) reduction in undiagnosed HIV, there was no difference in undiagnosed infection between men who had and had not tested recently. However, lower proportions of undiagnosed infection among the most recent HIV-positive testers suggest frequent testing could play a role in reducing undiagnosed HIV and should remain central to HIV prevention efforts.
Supplementary Education: The Hidden Curriculum of High Academic Achievement.

Chapter 1 Foreword Chapter 2 Preface Part 3 Part I: Conceptual Foundations for Supplementary Education Chapter 3 After-School Programs, Youth Development, and Other Forms of Supplementary Education Chapter 4 Universal Access to Academic Excellence Chapter 5 The Challenge, Context, and Preconditions of Academic Development at High Levels Chapter 7 Supplementation and Supplantation as Alternative Education Strategies Chapter 7 Supplementary Education, the Negotiation of Sociocultural Marginality, and the Uses of Reflexivity Chapter 8 Academic Politicalization: Supplementary Education from Black Resistance Chapter 9 Family Environments in Support of Academic Achievement Chapter 10 The Impact of Extracurricular Activities on Standardized Test Scores Part 12 Part II: Varieties of Supplementation Programs Chapter 13 A Taxonomy of Supplementary Education Programs Chapter 14 Varieties of Supplementary Education Interventions Chapter 15 Families as Contractual Partners in Education Chapter 16 Parents as Advocates for Education Chapter 17 Community Support for Supplementary Education Part 18 Part III: The Idea of Supplementary Education Chapter 19 The Institutionalization of Supplementary Education Chapter 20 Conceptual and Practical Issues in Evaluating Supplementary Education Programs Chapter 21 The Idea of Supplementary Education
Venture Capital and Economic Growth: An Industry Overview and Singapore's Experience

This paper provides an overview of the venture capital industry, and its development in Asia and Singapore. Venture capital plays an important role in innovation and economic growth. Indeed, the resurgence of the United States as a technology leader is intimately linked to the success of Silicon Valley. As Singapore enters the next phase of economic development, the creation of internal engines of growth is an urgent task. The Singapore government has done much to provide an environment for entrepreneurship to thrive. Its success at replicating the Silicon Valley culture will be important for Singapore's future economic success.
Tariff equivalent of Japanese sanitary and phytosanitary: Econometric estimation of protocol for U.S.-Japanese apple trade

This paper econometrically estimates the tariff equivalent of sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) to U.S. apple imports in Japan. Many studies calculate the tariff equivalent of the Japanese SPS to imports of U.S. apple using the price differential between the domestic price and export prices, but this method is problematic when the SPS measures are prohibitive. This study uses a method that can econometrically estimate the tariff equivalent of the prohibitive technical barriers to trade suggested by Yue and Beghin (2009). This approach overcomes the lack of observed data on bilateral trade flows caused by prohibitive SPS measures and accounts for goods differentiated by the place of origin. My estimated results show that the ad-valorem tariff equivalent of the Japanese prohibitive SPS measures is extremely high, and its average effect on U.S. apples over the entire period is 118.9%. The Japanese SPS policy regarding overseas apples is too stringent to exceed 100% in tariff equivalent.
Performance Enhancement of OFDM System with ICI Reduction Technique

orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) communication systems, the frequency offsets in mobile radio channels distort the orthogonality between subcarriers resulting in inter-carrier interference (ICI). In this paper, First OFDM system is modeled and simulated under different channel conditions such as AWGN and Rayleigh fading. Subsequently pulse shaping technique for ICI power reduction in OFDM systems is investigated. A number of pulse shaping functions such as Rectangular pulse shape, Sinc power pulse (SP) and Improved sinc power pulse (ISP) have been considered for ICI power reduction. The performance of each pulse shaping function is evaluated and compared with each other using the parameters such as ICI power, SIR (Signal to Interference Ratio) and BER (Bit Error Rate). It is found that ISP pulse shape outperforms to all other pulse shaping functions by the above parameters.
The 1920s American Real Estate Boom and the Downturn of the Great Depression: Evidence from City Cross Sections

In the 1929-1933 downturn of the Great Depression, house values and homeownership rates fell more, and mortgage foreclosure rates were higher, in cities that had experienced relatively high rates of house construction in the residential real-estate boom of the mid-1920s. Across the 1920s, boom cities had seen the biggest increases in house values and homeownership rates. These patterns suggest that the mid-1920s boom contributed to the depth of the Great Depression through wealth and financial effects of falling house values. Also, they are very similar to cross-sectional patterns across metro areas around 2006.
Recidivism, Incapacitation, and Criminal Sentencing Policy

Criminal sentencing policy has moved into the spotlight over the last two decades, as determinate sentencing and greater democratic oversight have brought new scrutiny to the question of how we punish. Much of the focus has been on two facts: first, that the United States incarcerates a relatively large percentage of its population, and second, that sentences are relatively long when compared with other liberal democracies. There are a many reasons for this, but one that is often overlooked is the impact of recidivism. Although reliable statistics are hard to find, it appears that the recidivist rate is quite high among those who are released from incarceration, perhaps as high as 50%. This high number brings with it the attendant social costs, but also reflects a partial failure of some of the justifications for punishment. As a result, incapacitation and retributive notions may dominate our thinking about punishment, with predictable results. This essay looks at the data on recidivism. It tries to show how these rates undermine our assumptions about specific deterrence and rehabilitation, how they might influence our thinking about general deterrence, and how they fuel the desire for increased incapacitation. The essay suggests that the passion for equal treatment among those who commit the same crime, a prominent goal of the Sentencing Guidelines, may have helped ensure longer sentences.
Cyberbullying 101: A Student Affairs Perspective

Author(s): McKillop, Elizabeth D'Arcy | Advisor(s): Rhoads, Robert; Wagoner, Richard | Abstract: Bullying and its negative effects within the K-12 educational sector are thoroughly researched problems. However, there is a relative lack of research on bullying and its most recent incarnation, cyberbullying, within United States higher education. The studies that do exist indicate that college-level cyberbullying is a problem on some U.S. campuses. The goal of my study was to explore the experiences of student affairs administrators in implementing policies and practices used to address cyberbullying. I conducted a qualitative study at three research universities which consisted of document review of publications related to online harassment at each school as well as in-depth interviews with 35 university administrators who implement cyberbullying policy and practice in their work.Based on my study, cyberbullying may be defined as digital interactions that the originator intends to emotionally and/or psychologically harm the recipient and/or that the recipient perceives as emotionally and/or psychologically harmful. Further, a hierarchy for cyberbullying incidents based on my study ranges in severity from "Formerly In-Person" incidents to "Cyber-Stalking" incidents. My study also found that student affairs administrators relied on collaboration with colleagues and on university-wide policies in order to address cyberbullying incidents. Finally, my study found that the unique possibilities that online technology provides, including anonymity for perpetrators, wide-spread and instant dissemination of negative actions, a minimization of and desensitization to online interactions, the uncertainty of "jurisdiction" for policing the Internet, and the at times impossibility to trace acts of cyberbullying presented challenges to student affairs administrators in addressing the phenomenon.
Leading captivity captive : "The Exile" as history and ideology

In a methodological discussion of this issue, the contributors cover a range of topics, from ancient poltics to modern ideology. The entity known as 'the Exile' has had an extremely forceful influence in Old Testament scholarship, both as an event and as a symbol. But was there an 'Exile'? And if so, how did it fit into the pattern of population deportations that characterized the imperial strategies of the ancient Near East? In a major methodological discussion of this issue, the contributors to this symposium of the European Seminar in Historical Methodology cover a range of topics, from ancient politics to modern ideology. In probing the meaning and implication of 'Exile' they also reflect a spectrum of opinions and conclusions. As with Volume 1 of this series, the editor has provided an introduction and concluding reflections.
Consumer Willingness to Pay for Organic Products in Urban Turkey

The objective of the paper is to present the preliminary results of the survey project whose aim is to explore the Turkish consumer's perceptions regarding food safety and the tradeoff they make between chemical residues and cosmetic quality in fresh fruit and vegetable marketing chain. Previous research in Turkey contends that Turkey organic food exports are growing and that there is a small but growing domestic market. A lacking component of the prevailing studies is that none of the studies have focused on the cosmetic quality component of organic products. Another aspect that is missing in the previous studies is that it is not possible to make inferences for the Turkish urban consumers due to designs in sampling and population definition. The aim of the project will be fulfilled by estimating a representative sample of Turkish urban consumer's willingness to pay for reduced chemical residues in food and the tradeoff they make between cosmetic quality and food safety. The data is obtained through consumer focus group studies and consumer surveys with a representative sample of Turkish urban population. Higher income and educated individuals show more interest and have more knowledge regarding organic products. The choice for organic products is due to consumer perception that organic products have higher nutritional value and carry low health risk. It is also found that consumers do not perceive that organic products have higher prices than conventional counterparts. Consumer willingness to pay for products with organic labels and certified products is up to 36%, thus representing a strong demand potential for organic products in Turkey's urban markets.
Inflation's Children: Tales of Crises that Beget Reforms

Are broad reforms the children of high inflation? Do growth recoveries follow? We find that countries that had external debt crises with high inflation both reformed more and recovered better than countries that had external debt crises with low inflation. Countries with extremely high inflation also later wound up with lower inflation than countries that has moderately high inflation. The low inflation debtor countries had more aid than the high inflation debtor countries, which may have created stronger incentives to reform in the high inflation countries. Recent reforms look like they are the children of high inflation, even if further paternity tests are in order.
Demanding Child Care: Women's Activism and the Politics of Welfare, 1940-1971

Introduction Part I: War and Its Aftermath 1: Californians Secure Wartime Child Care 2: Postwar Hopes: The Fight for Permanent Child Care, 1945-47 Part II: Mobilizing During the Cold War 3: "Child Care Is a State Problem": Working Mothers and Educators Take Action, 1947-51 4: "We Need to Stand Together": Theresa Mahler, Mary Young, and the Coalition's Victory in the 1950s Part III: The War on Poverty and the Age of Protest 5: "We Do Not Consider Ourselves Welfare Cases": Education-Based Child Care and Low-Income Working Families, 1958-1965 6: A Different Kind of Welfare State: The Coalition in the Age of Protest, 1966-71 Conclusion
Dengue in Travelers: Kinetics of Viremia and NS1 Antigenemia and Their Associations with Clinical Parameters

Despite the increasing numbers of travel-acquired dengue, few studies have assessed virologic markers of the disease in non-endemic populations. We examined the kinetics of diagnostic markers and their associations with clinical parameters in 93 patients with travel-acquired dengue fever. Kinetics analyses suggested a longer average duration for viremia (9 days, CI95%: 8–10) and non-structural protein 1 (NS1) antigenemia (15 days, CI95%: 12–20) than reported in endemic populations. While none of the tests sufficed alone, the best diagnostic coverage was achieved by combining antibody detection with RNA or NS1 testing. Studied by regression models, early relative levels of viremia and NS1 antigenemia proved to be significantly associated with several clinical parameters: high viremia predicted greater likelihood and increased length of hospitalization, the degree of NS1 antigenemia correlated positively with hematocrit and liver transaminases, and both viremia and NS1 antigenemia levels negatively with platelet counts in follow-up. Levels of viremia and NS1 antigenemia may serve as predictors of the clinical manifestations in travel-acquired dengue.