Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Consumer behavior and public acceptance to the introduction of a congestion charge in Gothenburg.

Since the implementation of the congestion charge in Gothenburg on the first of January 2013, there has been a debate whether or not the congestion charge would harm the retail business. This concerns, in particular the retail stores located in the charging zone. The general aim of this study was to investigate attitudes and consumer behavior related to the recently introduced congestion charge in Gothenburg and to illustrate the possible impact the congestion charge may have had on retail business performance. In order to do this we conducted a questionnaire survey of visitors to Backebol shopping center (n=335). The questionnaire consisted of 24 questions and the response rate was 76 %. In addition, we performed two extensive interviews with key representatives for the local retail business in order to add context and background to the questionnaire findings. In the questionnaire, consumer behavior was investigated by questions on time of visit, destination, and means of transport. In the analyses we assessed associations between changes in consumer behavior, acceptance and demographic factors. The results of this study showed a low level of acceptance of the congestion charge in the study population. Furthermore, we found a high proportion of subjects reporting a behavioral change related to the introduction of the congestion charge. This was associated to but not explained by a low level of acceptance. It was also related to residency outside the inner parts of Gothenburg. In this way our results support the theory of an association between behavioral change, degree of acceptance as well as demographic factors. However, in a comparison of certain aspects of behavioral change to a previous study conducted prior to the introduction of the congestion charge we found no difference. It is likely that behavioral changes related to the congestion charge have taken place but they may have been exaggerated in the questionnaire responses. The interviews implied that the congestion charge has had an effect on business performance in Gothenburg but in this investigation we have not been able to find firm proof of this. We can conclude that there appears to be a low acceptance of the congestion charge in particular in suburban areas of Gothenburg and this is most likely associated with a consumer behavioral change. For further research it would be interesting to obtain information on business performance and customer frequencies before and after the introduction of the congestion charge. In addition it would be of interest to investigate in greater detail the association between acceptance and behavioral change and if retail stores that handle bulky goods are more likely to be affected by a congestion charges than other businesses.
Temporal Evolution of Hepatic Anatomy During Gestation and Growth in the Sheep

In mammals, the liver undergoes a series of spectacular anatomical changes during development, particularly in domestic ruminants. In all domestic mammals, the liver retracts cranially until it reaches its definitive diaphragmatic position; however, in the sheep, it also withdraws from the entire left side of the diaphragm and seems to rotate through 180°. An anatomical study reveals that the hepatic conformation evolves very little during this topographical change. The latter occurs in two phases: an initial phase of marked regression of the left lobe, which starts from the beginning of the foetal period (44th day of gestation), followed by marked regression of the entire liver, which starts between the 90th and 117th days and ends between the 2nd and 3rd month of life. The path of hepatic regression is dictated by the particular layout of the liver's attachments in the sheep. The left triangular ligament, which holds the L lobe to the left in other species, is almost completely absent in the sheep, whilst the right lobe is fixed to the top of the diaphragm. As the liver regresses, the right lobe therefore draws the left lobe with it to the right‐hand side. A statistical study shows constant regression of the hepatic surface area during the topographical evolution of the liver, with a particularly marked and sudden reduction between the end of the 4th month and the middle of the 5th month of gestation. It also shows that the regression of the left lobe is consistently greater than that of the right lobe and that the topographical regression of the liver cannot be predicted by measuring the weight of the liver, which behaves independently to the surface area of the liver.
Statins Reduce Appropriate Implantable Cardioverter–Defibrillator Shocks in Ischemic Cardiomyopathy With no Benefit in Nonischemic Cardiomyopathy

Statins have been hypothesized to decrease ventricular arrhythmias through a direct antiarrhythmic effect. Clinical studies have demonstrated a clear reduction only in populations with underlying ischemic heart disease. This study was designed to compare the effect of statins on appropriate shocks between ischemic and nonischemic cardiomyopathy. Patients with an ejection fraction 35% or less who received an implantable cardioverter–defibrillator and had follow-up for at least 1 month were included. The ischemic and nonischemic groups were divided into statin treatment and control subgroups and the occurrence of appropriate shocks was compared. The frequency of shocks was analyzed using negative binomial models to account for overdispersion of the “count” data (number of appropriate shocks) and an adjusted intensity rate ratio was calculated for statin use. A total of 676 patients were included, of which statins were used by 65% (329 of 506) of the ischemic and 42% (72 of 170) of the nonischemic groups. Occurrence of appropriate shocks was significantly reduced with statins in ischemic (13.4% vs 20.9%; relative risk 0.64, P = 0.028), but not in the patients with nonischemic cardiomyopathy. Similarly, although use of statins lowered the intensity rate of appropriate shocks in ischemic patients (intensity rate ratio, 0.23; 95% confidence interval, 0.12–0.47), no such benefit was noted in the nonischemic group (intensity rate ratio, 1.27; 95% confidence interval, 0.37–4.40). In conclusion, statins reduced the occurrence and frequency of appropriate shocks for ventricular arrhythmias in ischemic but not in nonischemic cardiomyopathy. Larger, randomized controlled trials are needed to confirm these findings.
Large-amplitude undulatory swimming near a wall

The propulsive dynamics of a flexible undulating foil in a self-propelled swimming configuration near a wall is studied experimentally. Measurements of the swimming speed and the propulsive force are presented, together with image acquisition of the kinematics of the foil and particle image velocimetry (PIV) in its wake. The presence of the wall enhances the cruising velocity in some cases up to 25% and the thrust by a 45% , for swept angles of 160 and 240°. The physical mechanisms underlying this effect are discussed by studying the vorticity dynamics in the wake of the foil. Proper orthogonal decomposition is applied to the PIV measurements in order to analyse the kinetic energy modal distribution in the flow and to relate it to the propulsion generated by the foil.
Localization of the “sneeze center”

To the Editor: Experiments in cats identified a concentration of cells in the rostral dorsolateral pontomedullary area, stimulation of which causes sneezing indistinguishable from sneezing induced by natural peripheral stimuli.1 The effect of ablation of these cells has not been studied, but in humans one case with a medullary tumor2 and four cases with lateral medullary syndrome3 have been described with abortive sneeze reflex (ASR). The inspiratory phase was not followed by the explosive expiratory phase in these individuals, although it could voluntarily be reproduced. All five cases experienced complete recovery of the sneeze reflex within months. The most recent description of a patient with systemic lupus erythmatosus–related demyelination who had ASR with a persisting lesion in the area of sneeze center4 is further evidence that ASR results from a well-defined brainstem lesion. The subject may, however, be more complex, as the following case illustrates. The patient was a 79-year-old man with sudden onset of right facial weakness and right hemiparesis. Subsequently, he became obtunded and disoriented; …
Deqi Sensation in Different Kinds of Acupuncture

The current issue is the 2013 issue which includes 21 interesting papers. Acupuncture stimulation elicits Deqi, a composite of unique sensations that is essential for clinical efficacy according to traditional Chinese medicine. In recent years, clinical trials of acupuncture have paid increasing attention to the evocation of Deqi. The physiological mechanism that produces the effect of Deqi has also been explored in several studies but is not well understood. As mentioned above, this special issue contains 21 papers, of which two papers are related to the characterization of the Deqi during acupuncture treatment. Deqi sensation often occurs during acupuncture treatment and is believed to be important for a successful acupuncture therapy. So far there exist no questionnaires for children. E. Anders et al. created a sentence based questionnaire for children on the basis of the Southampton Needle Sensation questionnaire (SNSQ). Three papers study the interaction between Deqi and acupuncture by neuroimaging technology. They provide evidence to understand neural mechanism underlying acupuncture. Four papers are related to the physiological mechanism of Deqi. These papers describe current knowledge in understanding of Deqi from a physiological aspect. Three reviews are related to the recent advances in Deqi and acupuncture effects. The current evidence base is not solid enough to draw any conclusion regarding the predicative value of natural Deqi for clinical efficacy or the therapeutic value of manipulation-facilitated Deqi. Six papers focus on Deqi in manual acupuncture compared with other types of acupuncture, of which 4 papers introduce the influence of the Deqi sensation by suspended moxibustion stimulation. Two papers adopt randomized controlled clinical trial and multicenter prospective cohort design to compare the clinical effectiveness of Deqi sensation. Deqi should be taken into account in clinical trials, and more researches are required to understand the underlying mechanisms, as described in this special issue. Cun-Zhi Liu Gerhard Litscher Fan-Rong Liang Jian Kong Lin-Peng Wang Lu Wang
A FAK-Cas-Rac-Lamellipodin Signaling Module Transduces Extracellular Matrix Stiffness into Mechanosensitive Cell Cycling

A signaling pathway triggers cell proliferation in response to increased stiffness in the external environment. Cell Proliferation in Hard Environments The extracellular matrix that surrounds cells in tissues and organs is not always of the same rigidity. The stiffness of the extracellular matrix can be changed by disease or injury. In damaged blood vessels, the extracellular matrix becomes stiffer around the site of damage; the smooth muscle cells that surround blood vessels migrate and proliferate to repair the damage. Bae et al. identified a signaling pathway that included the enzyme Rac and the cell migration protein lamellipodin, and that triggered proliferation in cells growing on surfaces that mimicked very stiff extracellular matrix. Mice that lacked Rac in their smooth muscle cells did not efficiently repair damage to blood vessels. Thus, lamellipodin is important in not only regulating cellular migration, but also the cell cycle in response to mechanical cues from the extracellular matrix. Tissue and extracellular matrix (ECM) stiffness is transduced into intracellular stiffness, signaling, and changes in cellular behavior. Integrins and several of their associated focal adhesion proteins have been implicated in sensing ECM stiffness. We investigated how an initial sensing event is translated into intracellular stiffness and a biologically interpretable signal. We found that a pathway consisting of focal adhesion kinase (FAK), the adaptor protein p130Cas (Cas), and the guanosine triphosphatase Rac selectively transduced ECM stiffness into stable intracellular stiffness, increased the abundance of the cell cycle protein cyclin D1, and promoted S-phase entry. Rac-dependent intracellular stiffening involved its binding partner lamellipodin, a protein that transmits Rac signals to the cytoskeleton during cell migration. Our findings establish that mechanotransduction by a FAK-Cas-Rac-lamellipodin signaling module converts the external information encoded by ECM stiffness into stable intracellular stiffness and mechanosensitive cell cycling. Thus, lamellipodin is important not only in controlling cellular migration but also for regulating the cell cycle in response to mechanical signals.
Setdb1, a novel interactor of ΔNp63, is involved in breast tumorigenesis

ΔNp63 has been recently involved in self-renewal potential of breast cancer stem cells. Although the p63 transcriptional profile has been extensively characterized, our knowledge of the p63-binding partners potentially involved in the regulation of breast tumour progression is limited. Here, we performed the yeast two hybrid approach to identify p63α interactors involved in breast tumorigenesis and we found that SETDB1, a histone lysine methyl transferases, interacts with ΔNp63α and that this interaction contributes to p63 protein stability. SETDB1 is often amplified in primary breast tumours, and its depletion confers to breast cancer cells growth disadvantage. We identified a list of thirty genes repressed by ΔNp63 in a SETDB1-dependent manner, whose expression is positively correlated to survival of breast cancer patients. These results suggest that p63 and SETDB1 expression, together with the repressed genes, may have diagnostic and prognostic potential.
Production of a Polyester Degrading Extracellular Hydrolase from Thermomonospora fusca

The production of a polyester‐degrading hydrolase from the thermophilic actinomycete Thermomonospora fusca was investigated with regard to its potential technical application. Only in the presence of a polyester (random aliphatic‐aromatic copolyester from 1,4‐butanediol, terephthalic acid, and adipic acid with around 40–50 mol % terephthalic acid in the acid component), the excretion of the extracellular enzyme could be achieved with an optimized synthetic medium using pectin and NH4Cl as nitrogen source. Compared to complex media, a significantly higher specific activity at comparable volumetric yields could be obtained, thus reducing the expenditure for purification. The activity profile in the medium is controlled by a complex process involving (1) induction of enzyme excretion, (2) enzyme adsorption on the hydrophobic polyester surface, (3) inhibition of enzyme generation by monomers produced by polyester cleavage, and (4) enzyme denaturation. Diafiltration with cellulose acetate membranes as the sole downstream processing step led to a product of high purity and with sufficient yield (60% of total activity). Scaling‐up from shaking flasks to a fermentor scale of 100 L revealed no specific problems. However, the excretion of the hydrolase by the actinomycete turned out to be inhibited by the degradation products (monomers) of the aliphatic‐aromatic copolyester used as inductor for the enzyme production. The crude enzyme exhibited generally similar properties (temperature and pH optimum) as the highly purified hydrolase described previously; however, the storage capability and thermal stability is improved when the crude enzyme solution is diafiltrated.
Network meta‐analysis of individual and aggregate level data

Network meta‐analysis is often performed with aggregate‐level data (AgD). A challenge in using AgD is that the association between a patient‐level covariate and treatment effects at the study level may not reflect the individual‐level effect modification. In this paper, non‐linear network meta‐analysis models for combining individual patient data (IPD) and AgD are presented to reduce bias and uncertainty of direct and indirect treatment effects in the presence of heterogeneity. The first method uses the same model form for IPD and AgD. With the second method, the model for AgD is obtained by integrating an underlying IPD model over the joint within‐study distribution of covariates, in line with the method by Jackson et al. for ecological inferences. With simulated examples, the models are illustrated. Having IPD for a subset of studies improves estimation of treatment effects in the presence of patient‐level heterogeneity. Of the two proposed non‐linear models for combining IPD and AgD, the second seems less affected by bias in situations with large treatment‐by‐patient‐level‐covariate interactions, probably at the cost of greater uncertainty. Additional studies are needed to better understand when one model is favorable over the other. For network meta‐analysis, it is recommended to use IPD when available. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A positive economics view of short selling

One of the most hotly contested investment practices during the global financial crisis (GFC) was short selling, with the strategy receiving attention approaching histrionic proportions from corporate executives, investors, media, regulators and politicians alike. This paper examines the practice of short selling through the lens of positive economics, examining the largely normative debate surrounding this unorthodox market behavior and its role in society. In exploring the economics of short selling, the authors examine a number of arguments from both the long and short side of the market and consider whether the central arguments levelled against the strategy are specific to short sellers or whether these issues relate to all market participants. We posit that short sellers assist in making markets less opaque, with these traders fulfilling an important price discovery role.
Freshly isolated bovine coronary endothelial cells do not express the BKca channel gene

Recent reports have suggested that different types of Ca2+‐activated K+ channels may be selectively expressed either in the vascular endothelial cells (ECs) or smooth muscle cells (SMCs) of a single artery. In this study, we directly compared mRNA, protein and functional expression of the high‐conductance Ca2+‐activated K+ (BKCa) channel between freshly isolated ECs and SMCs from bovine coronary arteries. Fresh ECs and SMCs were enzymatically isolated, and their separation verified by immunofluorescent detection of α‐actin and platelet/endothelium cell adhesion molecule (PECAM) proteins, respectively. Subsequently, studies using a sequence‐specific antibody directed against the pore‐forming α‐subunit of the BKCa channel only detected its expression in the SMCs, whereas PECAM‐positive ECs were devoid of the α‐subunit protein. Additionally, multicell RT‐PCR performed using cDNA derived from either SMCs or ECs only detected mRNA encoding the BKCaα‐subunit in the SMCs. Finally, whole‐cell recordings of outward K+ current detected a prominent iberiotoxin‐sensitive BKCa current in SMCs that was absent in ECs, and the BKCa channel opener NS 1619 only enhanced K+ current in the SMCs. Thus, bovine coronary SMCs densely express BKCa channels whereas adjacent ECs in the same artery appear to lack the expression of the BKCa channel gene. These findings indicate a cell‐specific distribution of Ca2+‐activated K+ channels in SMCs and ECs from a single arterial site.
The Changing Medical and Long-Term Care Expenditures of People Who Transition from Institutional Care to Home- and Community-Based Services

This report focuses on the medical and long-term care expenditures for Medicaid beneficiaries who transition from institutional to community-based long-term services and supports (LTSS) and how those expenditures change after the transition. An initial analysis of expenditures finds evidence that total Medicaid and Medicare expenditures decline, sometimes substantially, during the first 12 months after someone transitions from institutional care to home and community-based services (HCBS). For people with physical disabilities or mental illness, Money Follows the Person (MFP) participation is associated with increased post-transition total expenditures, but there is no association between MFP participation and post-transition total expenditures for older adults or people with intellectual disabilities.
Scaling CSMA/CD to 1 Gb/s with frame bursting

In Gigabit Ethernet, the round-trip propagation delay can be much greater than the transmission time for a minimum length frame. The authors describe some changes to the Ethernet CSMA/CD medium access control algorithm that allow CSMA/CD to be used in this case. First, carrier extension is used to increase the slot time without requiring a corresponding increase in the minimum frame length. Second, frame bursting is introduced so that a host may transmit more than one frame without releasing control of the channel, in a manner that increases the efficiency for small frames without changing its one-frame-at-a-time service interface. Using simulation, they show that CSMA/CD with carrier extension and frame bursting operating on 1 Gb/s links provides a significant performance increase over 100 Mb/s fast Ethernet. These changes are being adopted by the IEEE 802.32 task force, which is currently defining the standard for Gigabit Ethernet.
The Menace of Inadequate Infrastructure in Nigeria

This study examined the menace of inadequate infrastructure in Nigeria, using data from participant observation and archival materials. The findings showed that official attempts to enhance infrastructure have failed in Nigeria due to negligence and corruption. Successive Nigerian governments have promoted neoliberal reforms with emphasis on the need for infrastructure development. However, situations in Nigeria reflect infrastructure inadequacy, resulting in sufferings among individuals and organisations. Therefore, there is urgent need for rapid improvement in the Nigerian infrastructure to avert impending dangers. Vision 2020 will be a mirage unless the current government ensures tremendously rapid improvements in infrastructure.