Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Direct intestinal cholesterol secretion contributes significantly to total fecal neutral sterol excretion in mice.

BACKGROUND & AIMS Hepatobiliary secretion is generally believed to be an integral step in the pathway of cholesterol excretion from the body. Here we have investigated the validity of this paradigm in mice. METHODS Cholesterol balance was assessed by measuring intake, excretion, and biliary output in different mouse models. Direct secretion of cholesterol from the luminal side of enterocytes was studied by perfusion of isolated segments of the small intestine in mice. RESULTS Cholesterol input and output measurements in different mouse models revealed that fecal neutral sterol excretion was higher than the sum of dietary cholesterol intake and biliary cholesterol secretion indicating the existence of an alternative pathway. Here we show that substantial amounts of cholesterol can be secreted directly by enterocytes. Transintestinal cholesterol secretion is a specific process observed throughout the small intestine (proximal > medial > distal). Secretion depended on the presence of a cholesterol acceptor and was strongly stimulated by bile salts and phospholipids. The capacity of the pathway was sufficient to account for the missing cholesterol in the balance studies. The contribution of this pathway to cholesterol excretion in mice is approximately twice that of the biliary pathway. CONCLUSIONS In mice, the intestine plays a significant role in removal of cholesterol from the body.
A long-term follow-up evaluation of electronic health record prescribing safety.

OBJECTIVE To be eligible for incentives through the Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Program, many providers using older or locally developed EHRs will be transitioning to new, commercial EHRs. We previously evaluated prescribing errors made by providers in the first year following transition from a locally developed EHR with minimal prescribing clinical decision support (CDS) to a commercial EHR with robust CDS. Following system refinements, we conducted this study to assess the rates and types of errors 2 years after transition and determine the evolution of errors. MATERIALS AND METHODS We conducted a mixed methods cross-sectional case study of 16 physicians at an academic-affiliated ambulatory clinic from April to June 2010. We utilized standardized prescription and chart review to identify errors. Fourteen providers also participated in interviews. RESULTS We analyzed 1905 prescriptions. The overall prescribing error rate was 3.8 per 100 prescriptions (95% CI 2.8 to 5.1). Error rates were significantly lower 2 years after transition (p<0.001 compared to pre-implementation, 12 weeks and 1 year after transition). Rates of near misses remained unchanged. Providers positively appreciated most system refinements, particularly reduced alert firing. DISCUSSION Our study suggests that over time and with system refinements, use of a commercial EHR with advanced CDS can lead to low prescribing error rates, although more serious errors may require targeted interventions to eliminate them. Reducing alert firing frequency appears particularly important. Our results provide support for federal efforts promoting meaningful use of EHRs. CONCLUSIONS Ongoing error monitoring can allow CDS to be optimally tailored and help achieve maximal safety benefits. CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov, Identifier: NCT00603070.
USING ARDL APPROACH TO COINTEHRATION FOR INVESTIGATING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PAYMENT TECHNOLOGIES AND MONEY DEMAND ON A WORLD SCALE

This paper estimates the relationship between financial innovation and money demand in world countries with a focus on the number of automated teller machines (ATMs) using the ARDL approach to cointegration. In this study, we estimated a conventional money demand model with currency in circulation (M2) as dependent variable and gross domestic product (GDP, constant 2005 US$), interest rate (IRATE), the number of automated teller machines per 100,000 adults (ATM) to take into account for the effects of financial innovation as dependent variables. It covers 215 countries and territories over the period 2004-2013. This paper adopts the bounds testing procedure developed by Pesaran et al. (2001) to test the stability of the long-run money demand and determine the short-run dynamics for all of the countries as a whole. The empirical evidence points to the existence of long-run and cointegrating relationships between variables meaning all of these variables move together in the long run. The speed of adjustment toward long run equilibrium is - 0.4345 which means that the whole system gets back to long run equilibrium at the speed of 43.45 percent. The results confirm that in the short-run, ATM does not impact money demand.
Tapping experiences of presence to connect people and organizational creativity

Virpi Koskela Tapping experiences of presence to connect people and organizational creativity Lappeenranta 2018 89 pages Acta Universitatis Lappeenrantaensis 808 Diss. Lappeenranta University of Technology ISBN 978-952-335-259-9, ISBN 978-952-335-260-5 (PDF), ISSN-L 1456-4491, ISSN 1456-4491 The qualitative research presented in this dissertation focuses on individual experiences of presence (EPs) and their potential connections to organizational creativity. The overarching question is: How are EPs experienced at the individual level, and can EPs contribute to organizational creativity, particularly to an organization’s capacity for more authentic leadership? The aim of the dissertation is to investigate whether EPs could serve as a key factor in changing existing organizational thinking and behavioral patterns that may be growing obsolete in the current organizational climate. The data included in the qualitative sub-studies making up the dissertation consists of personal depictions of EPs, interviews, and other material collected through workshops conducted in Finland as well as through international collaborative research. Much of the research is practice-based, with data produced and collected using methods grounded in contemplation and the applied arts. Findings based on phenomenological and reflective analysis of the data suggest that EPs had a positive impact on participants’ ability to be more aware of their connections to themselves, to each other, and to nature, skills that play an important role in organizational creativity. Two main contributions result from the research. Firstly, it highlights the link between EPs and “inner” and “outer” nature-connectedness, in other words awareness of what is happening inside and outside one’s self. Secondly, it provides an opportunity to view EPs as a critical factor in organizational creativity. The conclusions and recommendations indicate that EPs should be taken seriously when seeking new perspectives on organizational creativity and authentic leadership.
Compensation of cogging torque for flux-switching permanent magnet motor based on current harmonics injection

The flux-switching permanent magnet (FSPM) machine exhibits the advantages of high power density and large torque capability. However, due to the high airgap flux density produced by magnets and the doubly-salient structure, the resultant cogging torque is relatively large, which is unfavorable for high performance drive system. In this paper, instead of conventional optimization on the motor itself, a new control method is proposed in which current harmonics are specifically added into the reference current to produce an additional torque component which is used to compensate the fundamental and 2nd order harmonic components of cogging torque. Experimental evaluations of the proposed scheme are carried out on a dSPACE-controlled FSPM motor drive platform and the test results confirm the effectiveness of the proposed method. It should be emphasized that this method can be applicable to all PM machines having relatively higher cogging torque.
Carbofuran removal in continuous-photocatalytic reactor: Reactor optimization, rate-constant determination and carbofuran degradation pathway analysis

ABSTRACT Carbofuran (CBF) removal in a continuous-flow photocatalytic reactor with granular activated carbon supported titanium dioxide (GAC-TiO2) catalyst was investigated. The effects of feed flow rate, TiO2 concentration and addition of supplementary oxidants on CBF removal were investigated. The central composite design (CCD) was used to design the experiments and to estimate the effects of feed flow rate and TiO2 concentration on CBF removal. The outcome of CCD experiments demonstrated that reactor performance was influenced mainly by feed flow rate compared to TiO2 concentration. A second-order polynomial model developed based on CCD experiments fitted the experimental data with good correlation (R2 ∼ 0.964). The addition of 1 mL min−1 hydrogen peroxide has shown complete CBF degradation and 76% chemical oxygen demand removal under the following operating conditions of CBF ∼50 mg L−1, TiO2 ∼5 mg L−1 and feed flow rate ∼82.5 mL min−1. Rate constant of the photodegradation process was also calculated by applying the kinetic data in pseudo-first-order kinetics. Four major degradation intermediates of CBF were identified using GC-MS analysis. As a whole, the reactor system and GAC-TiO2 catalyst used could be constructive in cost-effective CBF removal with no impact to receiving environment through getaway of photocatalyst.
Dynamic Changes in Accessibility, Nuclear Positioning, Recombination, and Transcription at the Igκ Locus12

The 3-megabase Igκ locus undergoes differentially controlled nuclear positioning events and chromatin structural changes during the course of B cell development. The temporal association of chromatin structural changes, transcription, and recombination at the Igκ locus was determined in a murine pre-B cell line that can be induced to recombine at the Igκ locus and in ex vivo-cultured murine pre-B cells. Additionally, the timing of nuclear positioning relative to the temporal order of chromatin structural changes and recombination and transcription was determined. We demonstrate that before induction, the Igκ locus was poised for recombination; both alleles were in a contracted state, and the enrichment of histone modifications and germline transcripts of specific Vκ genes were observed. Histone modifications of the Vκ genes did not vary upon induction but the levels of modifications correlated with the levels of germline Vκ gene transcripts and recombination. Upon induction, but before VκJκ recombination, centromeric recruitment of single Igκ alleles occurred. DNase I sensitivity of the entire locus increased gradually over the course of differentiation while the enrichment of histone modifications downstream of the Vκ genes was increased in the silencer regions upstream of Jκ1, within the Igκ sterile transcript, the κ constant region, the Eκi and Eκ3′ enhancers, and the recombining sequence. The ex vivo pre-B cells showed similar patterns of histone modifications across the locus except at the Vκ genes. In this study, H3 acetylation correlated with levels of germline transcripts while H3 methylation correlated with levels of recombination.
Carboxyfluorescein succinimidyl ester‐based proliferative assays for assessment of T cell function in the diagnostic laboratory

Immune deficiency diseases are often accompanied by abnormalities in one or both arms of the specific immune system. Impairment can often be detected as a decrease in the number of T or B lymphocytes or their products in the circulation, but questions are often asked as to the functional capabilities of T lymphocytes in patients with recurrent infections. Function of T cells has traditionally been measured by their uptake of [3H]‐ thymidine following stimulation with antigen or mitogen in vitro. However, the ability of carboxyfluorescein succinimidyl ester (CFSE) to label lymphocytes intracellularly and track their mitotic activity by progressive two‐fold reduction in fluorescence intensity prompted an alternative methodology based on flow cytometry, an approach which has the advantage of allowing specific gating on particular T cell subsets and simultaneous assessment of activation markers. This method was therefore evaluated for T cell responses to mitogen and antigen. Phytohaemagglutinin‐induced blast transformation of CFSE‐labelled T cells was reflected by an increase in forward and orthogonal light scatter and a progressive two‐fold decrease in CFSE fluorescence intensity. These changes allowed the derivation of various measures of mitotic activity, which correlated well with [3H]‐thymidine uptake. Patients with T cell functional deficiencies showed impairment in their responses by both assays, whereas the CFSE‐based assay demonstrated that impaired blastogenesis was not simply due to depressed T cell numbers. Concomitant measurement of the activation markers CD69 and CD25 showed that CD69 was rapidly expressed on non‐mitotic cells and that this expression was progressively diluted with subsequent rounds of cell division. In contrast, CD25 expression was unaffected by cell cycle, but was expressed in proportion to the PHA dose. Antigen‐specific responsiveness to Candida was also assessed using a CFSE‐based assay. Initial gating on the relatively minor population of T cells that underwent blast transformation demonstrated progressive twofold dilutions of CFSE intensity in responsive cells. These normal Candida responses, found in patients who had recovered from Candida infection, contrasted with those who had not been infected with Candida or who had chronic recurrent infection, in whom neither blast transformation nor significant mitosis could be detected. Again, there was good correlation with [3H]‐thymidine uptake. The CFSE‐based assays are equivalent to traditional measures of mitogen‐ and antigen‐specific T cell responsiveness in the diagnostic laboratory and have significant advantages in terms of decreased labour intensiveness, avoidance of radioactivity, the ability to gate on a specific population of lymphocytes and the concomitant measurement of activation markers.
What basic emotions are experienced in bipolar disorder?

AIMS The aims of this study were to investigate the basic emotions experienced within and between episodes of bipolar disorder and, more specifically, to test the predictions made by the Schematic, Propositional, Analogical and Associative Representation Systems (SPAARS) model that mania is predominantly characterized by the coupling of happiness with anger whereas depression (unipolar and bipolar) primarily comprises a coupling between sadness and disgust. DESIGN A cross-sectional design was employed to examine the differences within and between the bipolar, unipolar and control groups in the emotional profiles. Data were analysed using one-way ANOVAs. METHOD Psychiatric diagnoses in the clinical groups were confirmed using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID). It was not administered in the control group. Current mood state was measured using the Beck Depression Inventory-II, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and the Bech-Rafaelsen Mania Scale. The Basic Emotions Scale was used to explore the emotional profiles. RESULTS The results confirmed the predictions made by the SPAARS model about emotions in mania and depression. Outwith these episodes, individuals with bipolar disorder experienced elevated levels of disgust. DISCUSSION Evidence was found in support of the proposal of SPAARS that there are five basic emotions, which form the basis for both normal emotional experience and emotional disorders. Disgust is an important feature of bipolar disorder. Strengths and limitations are discussed, and suggestions for future research are explored.
Determinants of Website Usability: Empirical Evidence from Tourism Sector in India

Website usability has received decent empirical attention in recent academic literature. However, there are various website characteristics that might still influence the usability of websites. In this empirical exploration, we propose three such characteristics: speed with which websites respond to customer requests (i.e., website agility); the capability of websites to restore its operations in the face of a disruption (i.e., website resilience) and the capability of websites to retain the interests of customers and keep them engaged interactively (i.e., website attractiveness) as enablers of website usability based on dynamic capability extension of resource-based view. Further, we argue that website usability will influence electronic word of mouth (e-WOM) for those websites. We also explore if there is any influence of website agility and resilience on website attractiveness. Using customers as target respondents who have used websites mainly for travel and tourism purposes, we test for the proposed relationships through collecting survey data based on face-to-face interview. Partial least squares analysis of 285 survey responses suggests website agility attractiveness and resilience to be dominant enablers for website usability and website usability positively influences e-WOM.
Icm/Dot‐dependent inhibition of phagocyte migration by Legionella is antagonized by a translocated Ran GTPase activator

The environmental bacterium Legionella pneumophila causes a severe pneumonia termed Legionnaires' disease. L. pneumophila employs a conserved mechanism to replicate within a specific vacuole in macrophages or protozoa such as the social soil amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum. Pathogen–host interactions depend on the Icm/Dot type IV secretion system (T4SS), which translocates approximately 300 different effector proteins into host cells. Here we analyse the effects of L. pneumophila on migration and chemotaxis of amoebae, macrophages or polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN). Using under‐agarose assays, L. pneumophila inhibited in a dose‐ and T4SS‐dependent manner the migration of D. discoideum towards folate as well as starvation‐induced aggregation of the social amoebae. Similarly, L. pneumophila impaired migration of murine RAW 264.7 macrophages towards the cytokines CCL5 and TNFα, or of primary human PMN towards the peptide fMLP respectively. L. pneumophila lacking the T4SS‐translocated activator of the small eukaryotic GTPase Ran, Lpg1976/LegG1, hyper‐inhibited the migration of D. discoideum, macrophages or PMN. The phenotype was reverted by plasmid‐encoded LegG1 to an extent observed for mutant bacteria lacking a functional Icm/Dot T4SS.Similarly, LegG1 promoted random migration of L. pneumophila‐infected macrophages and A549 epithelial cells in a Ran‐dependent manner, or upon ‘microbial microinjection’ into HeLa cells by a Yersinia strain lacking endogenous effectors. Single‐cell tracking and real‐time analysis of L. pneumophila‐infected phagocytes revealed that the velocity and directionality of the cells were decreased, and cell motility as well as microtubule dynamics was impaired. Taken together, these findings indicate that the L. pneumophila Ran activator LegG1 and consequent microtubule polymerization are implicated in Icm/Dot‐dependent inhibition of phagocyte migration.
Towards an understanding of communication within pair programming

Pair programming is a software development method which describes two programmers working together on the same computer, sharing one keyboard. This approach requires programmers to communicate frequently, which can lead the pair to experience certain benefits over solo programming, such as faster problem solving and a greater enjoyment of their work (Cockburn and Williams, 2001, Bryant et al., 2006). Many programmers approach their first pairing experience with scepticism, having doubts about their partner’s working habits and programming style, and about the additional communication aspects that this programming style entails (Williams et al., 2000). Despite a significant amount of research into pair programming of over 15 years, it is not evident what communication between the pair contributes to the task of pair programming. This work presents an analytic coding scheme which was derived from the observation of the communication of expert pairs working in industry. Over 35 hours of communication across 11 different pairs was analysed. This coding scheme was further refined to produce industry-inspired pair programming guidelines that assist novice pair programmers to improve their experience of pair communication. Findings indicate that introducing these guidelines to novice student pairs can have a positive impact on their perception of intra-pair communication, and on their perception of their partner’s contribution. Feedback received from expert pairs was used to add detail to the guidelines, which have been made publically available through an online resource.
Shortened versions of the Gudjonsson Suggestibility Scale meet the standards

Purpose. The Gudjonsson Suggestibility Scale (GSS; Gudjonsson, 1984, 1997) is a well-established forensic tool for measuring interrogative suggestibility. However, one restriction of this tool is that it requires an extensive testing procedure. The present study examined whether shorter versions of the GSS yield similar results as the original GSS procedure. Methods. One group (N = 20) was given a shortened version of the GSS that consisted of an immediate recall test and the specific questions. GSS scores in this group were compared with those in a group (N = 20) that had the standard procedure which includes a retention interval and immediate and delayed recall tests. A third group (N = 20) was administered a shortened procedure in which the 20 GSS questions immediately followed the GSS story. In the fourth group (N = 20), participants were given the retention interval, but no recall tests were administered. Results. ANOVA showed no differences in GSS scores amongst the four groups. Post hoc power analyses indicated that these non-significant findings were not the result of a power problem and that larger sample sizes are expected to yield comparable results. Further analyses showed that neither the retention delay nor the recall tests affected suggestibility scores. Conclusions. These results suggest that shortened procedures for administering the GSS may be employed in situations where time is a key factor.
Labor Unions and Information Asymmetry Among Investors

Abstract We investigate whether and how labor unions affect information asymmetry among investors. To account for the endogeneity of unionization, we adopt an IV 2SLS model, a differences-in-differences technique, and Heckman’s (1979) two-stage procedure. We also explore an exogenous proxy for employees’ collective bargaining power. Using two samples, we find that after controlling for endogeneity, both industry- and firm-level unionization rates are significantly and negatively related to measures of information asymmetry among investors. The findings are consistent with the notion that labor unions or more broadly, employees with bargaining power, help reduce information asymmetry in capital markets.
Low Leptin Levels in Migraine: A Case Control Study

Background. — Obesity has been shown to be a risk factor for transformation of episodic migraine to chronic form, and adipocytokines have been implicated to modulate some of the cytokins such as interleukin‐6 and tumor necrosis factor, which also act in the neurogenic inflammation in migraine. The aim of the study was to assess leptin levels, one of the adipocytokines, in headache‐free period of migraine patients and investigate its relation to vascular risk factors.
Judicial sexism and law reform. by Meredith Carter

tag=1 data=Judicial sexism and law reform. by Meredith Carter. tag=2 data=Carter, Meredith tag=3 data=Legal Service Bulletin, tag=4 data=16 tag=5 data=1 tag=6 data=February 1991 tag=7 data=29-32. tag=8 data=SEX%CIVIL RIGHTS%LAW tag=10 data=The recent Victorian decisions of Collis, Mobilio and Singh are discussed as examples of a law in urgent need of reform. tag=11 data=1991/3/5 tag=12 data=91/0439 tag=13 data=CAB