Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Globalization of Innovation Production: A Patent-Based Industry Analysis

Using patent-based indicators, this paper aims at explaining to what extent the productionof innovation is globalized. Firstly, it provides evidence – over time, across countriesand across industrial sectors – on the patterns in international technological collaborationand in cross-border ownership of innovation. Secondly, a fractional logit model is estimatedfor a unique panel dataset covering patent information of 21 industries in 29 countries from1980 to 2005. The results show that countries tend to be more globalized in industrial sectorsin which they are less technologically specialized. It suggests that globalization of innovationis more driven by home-base augmenting determinants than home-base exploitingones. The empirical findings also indicate that the intensity of globalization of innovationis higher in multidisciplinary country-industry pairs and in those which compete internationallyin trade.
Ecological factors influencing habitat use by chimpanzees at Ngogo, Kibale National Park, Uganda

Although numerous ecological and social factors influence range use in vertebrates, the general assumption is that ranging patterns typically accord with principles of optimal foraging theory. However, given temporal variability in resource abundance, animals can more easily meet nutritional needs at some times than at others. For species in which sociality is particularly important for fitness, such as chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) and other group‐living primates, the influences of social factors can be particularly strong, and likely interact closely with ecological factors. We investigated home range use by a community of chimpanzees at Ngogo, Kibale National Park, Uganda, to determine whether range use corresponded to energy‐based optimality principles. Chimpanzees were particularly attracted to areas of the home range where individuals of Ficus mucuso (a large but low‐density resource) were found, but only if those areas also offered other preferred or important resource classes. The aggregation of large foraging parties at F. mucuso crowns (frequently seen year‐round) facilitates a number of socially beneficial activities for both males and females. Because chimpanzees apparently seek out F. mucuso in areas where other high‐quality feeding opportunities exist, these social benefits likely do not come at the expense of fitness benefits accrued from feeding on high‐quality resources. Am. J. Primatol. 78:432–440, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Seasonal production and molecular characterization of microcystins in Oneida Lake, New York, USA

Oneida Lake, northeast of Syracuse, New York, in the United States, is a shallow eutrophic lake with a well‐established toxic cyanobacterial population. Samples for DNA, toxin, and phycological analyses were collected from six stations throughout the summers of 2002 (78 samples) and 2003 (95 samples). DNA was amplified by PCR using primer sets specific to the nonribosomal microcystin synthetase complex (mcyB and mcyD). PCR analysis in 2002 indicated that the microcystin genes were present in the water column from mid‐June through October, as 88% of the samples tested positive for mcyB and 79% of the samples tested positive for mcyD. In both years the onset of microcystin production was detected as early as mid‐July by the protein phosphatase inhibition assay, reaching a maximum in 2002 of 2.9 μg L−1 and in 2003 of 3.4 μg L−1. Beginning in mid‐ to late August of both years the microcystin level at all six stations was in excess of the World Health Organization (WHO) advisory level of 1.0 μg L−1. In the present study we compared microcystin occurrence and potential production at the six stations using protein phosphatase inhibition assay, high‐performance liquid chromatography, and polymerase chain reaction analyses. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 20: 243–248, 2005.
The effects of statins on skeletal muscle strength and exercise performance

Purpose of review HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors or statins are associated with a variety of muscle side-effects but little is known about the effect of statins on skeletal muscle strength and exercise performance. We performed a literature search to examine these issues. Recent findings We identified six studies examining the effect of statins on muscle strength and nine studies examining their effect on exercise tolerance. In general, studies examining both issues were small and used crude measures of strength and exercise performance. Summary There is insufficient data to determine if statins affect muscle strength and exercise performance. There is suggestive evidence that these drugs may reduce muscle strength in older patients and alter energy metabolism during aerobic exercise, both possibilities require further study.
Immune Reconstitution and Early Infectious Complications Following Nonmyeloablative Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation

Abstract Non-myeloablative stem cell transplantation (NMT) has been increasingly used in compromised patients who would otherwise have been unable to undergo allotransplant. There is little understanding of the kinetics of immune reconstitution and its influence on infective complications following NMT. The aim of present study was to evaluate lymphocyte subset reconstitution over the first 12 months post-transplant in 15 adult patients receiving NMT with comparison to that of 30 patients grafted with a conventional hemopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). NMT recipients were conditioned with fludarabine-based conditioning regimens. Peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) was the source of stem cells in 13 NMT recipients and in 24 conventional HSCT recipients. Absolute numbers of helper (CD4+) T cells, naive (CD4+ CD45RA+) and memory (CD4+ CD45RO+) T cells as well as suppressor (CD8+) T cells, CD19+ B cells and NK cells were comparable in the two groups at all time points after transplantation. A median value of 200 CD4+ T cells/μl was achieved at 2 months post-transplant by the NMT and HSCT recipients. The CD4:CD8 ratio remained severely depressed throughout the study period. Almost all CD4+ lymphocytes expressed CD45RO antigen in the both groups of patients B lymphocytes showed low counts throughout the entire study period in both groups. Bacteremia and CMV antigenemia occurred respectively in 13 and 36% of the patients in the NMT group and in 15 and 39% of the patients in the HSCT group. Our preliminary data indicate that patients receiving a NMT have a lymphocyte reconstitution similar to that observed in patients who received a conventional HSCT. The incidence of bacteremia and CMV infection were not significantly different between the groups. Nevertheless, due to the small sample size, these results should be considered suggestive rather than definitive.
Measurement of innovation activities in the knowledge-intensive services industry: a trademark approach

Innovation measurement in the knowledge-intensive services (KIS) industry is very complex, due to a lack of adequate innovation indicators. A rather new empirical approach involves the analysis of trademarks for the measurement. This paper aims to explore the use and relevance of trademarks for service firms. Data from the German section of the ‘Community Innovation Survey’ are used, and a survey with 278 participating firms is conducted. The results of the two independent empirical studies demonstrate that a trademark can be used as an innovation indicator, at least for knowledge-intensive business services (KIBS) and product innovations. The results also illustrate which firm-inside and environmental features explain the use of trademarks as an intellectual property protection measure.
The effective size of a subdivided population.

This paper derives the long-term effective size, Ne, for a general model of population subdivision, allowing for differential deme fitness, variable emigration and immigration rates, extinction, colonization, and correlations across generations in these processes. We show that various long-term measures of Ne are equivalent. The effective size of a metapopulation can be expressed in a variety of ways. At a demographic equilibrium, Ne can be derived from the demography by combining information about the ultimate contribution of each deme to the future genetic make-up of the population and Wright's FST's. The effective size is given by Ne = 1/(1 + var (upsilon) ((1 - FST)/Nin), where n is the number of demes, theta i is the eventual contribution of individuals in deme i to the whole population (scaled such that sigma theta i = n), and < > denotes an average weighted by theta i. This formula is applied to a catastrophic extinction model (where sites are either empty or at carrying capacity) and to a metapopulation model with explicit dynamics, where extinction is caused by demographic stochasticity and by chaos. Contrary to the expectation from the standard island model, the usual effect of population subdivision is to decrease the effective size relative to a panmictic population living on the same resource.
Software Testing Process in a Test Factory - From Ad hoc Activities to an Organizational Standard

Software testing is undoubtedly essential for any software development. However, testing is an expensive activity, usually costing more than 50% of the development budget. Thus, to save resources while performing tests with high quality, many software development companies are hiring test factories, which are specialized enterprises for the delivery of outsourced testing services for other companies. Although this kind of organization is common in the industry, we have found few empirical studies concerning test factories. In this paper, we report our experience in the definition, use, and improvement of a software testing process within a test factory. To support the implantation of the test factory, we applied the PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) cycle using the lessons learned in the PDCA check phase to improve the testing process. As a result, we have decreased the number of failures found after the software delivery and thus a higher value for DRE (Defect Removal Efficiency) measure. We also present 12 lessons learned that may be applicable by other test factories.
Struggling with and for : a grounded theory of parents managing life with hard-to-treat ADHD teenagers

The aim of this study was to develop a grounded theory of being a parent of hard-totreat teenagers with the diagnosis of ADHD. Caretakers of 11 adolescents with ADHD were interviewed and analyzed according to the principles of classic grounded theory. The parents’ main concern was how to handle everyday challenges with the teenagers and how to get the help they needed and required. Struggling with and for is the core category in our findings. In addition, we identified four sub-categories: good “mothering”, advocating, seeking support, and giving up. The meeting with the helping services causes just as many problems as the relationship with the teenagers. Professionals should be able to identify family strengths and capabilities. In that way, professional support can be built upon coping strategies with which a family is already familiar.
East Asian genotypes of Helicobacter pylori strains in Amerindians provide evidence for its ancient human carriage

Phylogenies of indigenous microbes have been used as surrogates for the origins of the hosts that carry them. Conversely, polymorphisms may be used to date the spread of a microbial species when information about their host populations is available. Therefore, we examined polymorphisms in Helicobacter pylori, which persistently colonize the human stomach, to test the hypothesis that they have been ancient inhabitants of humans. Three H. pylori loci that previously have been shown to have phylogeographic affinity have been analyzed for two populations with different ethnic origins from Venezuela. In a group of Amerindian subjects from Amazonia, East Asian H. pylori genotypes were present for each of the loci examined but were absent in a mestizo population from Caracas. These findings provide evidence that H. pylori has been present in humans at least since ancestors of Amerindians migrated from Asia more than 11,000 years ago.
A novel sodium channel mutation in a family with hypokalemic periodic paralysis

Objective: To identify the cause of hypokalemic periodic paralysis (HOKPP) in a family whose disease is not caused by a mutation in the dihydropyridine-sensitive (DHP) receptor α1-subunit gene (CACNA1S). Background: Hypokalemic periodic paralysis is primarily caused by mutations within CACNA1S. Genetic heterogeneity for HOKPP has been reported, but no other locus has been identified. Methods: Single-stranded conformational polymorphism (SSCP) analysis and PCR direct sequencing were used to screen the skeletal muscle α1-sodium channel gene (SCN4A) for a mutation in our family. Results: SSCP analysis showed an abnormally migrating conformer in exon 12. Direct sequencing of the conformer showed a guanine to adenine transition at position 2006 in the cDNA sequence; this results in an amino acid substitution of a highly conserved arginine (Arg) to histidine (His) at position 669. This sequence alteration segregated only with the affected members of the kindred and was not found in a panel of 100 DNA samples from healthy controls. The amino acid substitution alters the outermost positive charge in the membrane spanning segment DII/S4, which is involved in voltage sensing. Conclusions: The first arginine in DII/S4 and in DIV/S4 within the skeletal muscle sodium channel and the L-type calcium channel gene CACNA1S appear to be critical for normal function. In all four cases, Arg to His mutations result in a disease phenotype. The identification of a mutation within the skeletal muscle sodium channel resulting in hypokalemic periodic paralysis represents a novel finding.
Observations on the effects of infusion of prostaglandin E in man.

The pharmacodynamic effects of infusion of PGE (prostaglandin E) in man were observed through clinical experimentation on 2 healthy male subjects aged 21 and 23. The procedure and dosage are explained. Tachycardia reddening of the face headache and oppressive chest pains were observed. Systemic arterial blood pressure and cardiac output fell moderately. The results are tabulated. The experiment showed that even small amounts of the PGE elicited marked and long lasting effects some persisting for as long as 15 minutes after the end of infusions.
Fat mass is negatively associated with cortical bone size in young healthy male siblings.

CONTEXT Body weight has been associated with bone mass and bone size through shared genetic determination and environmental influences. Whereas lean mass exerts a positive influence on bone size, the relationship between fat and bone remains unclear. OBJECTIVE The objective of the present study was to investigate the individual influence of fat mass and lean mass on volumetric bone density and size in young healthy male siblings at age of peak bone mass. DESIGN This was a cross-sectional, population-based sibling pair study. PARTICIPANTS A total of 677 men (25-45 yr) were included in this study with 296 independent pairs of brothers. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Areal and volumetric bone parameters were determined using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT). Body composition was determined by DXA. Sex steroids, leptin, and adiponectin were determined by immunoassay. RESULTS Total and regional fat mass were found to be inversely associated with areal bone mass and bone size, independent from lean mass (radius periosteal circumference beta: -0.29 +/- 0.04; P < 0.001). Lean mass was positively associated with bone size but inversely with cortical density at both tibia and radius (P < 0.01). The negative association between total fat mass and bone size was independent from sex steroid concentrations. Leptin but not adiponectin was inversely associated with bone size, but this was no longer significant after adjustment for body fat. CONCLUSIONS Increased fat mass is associated with smaller bone size, challenging the view of a high bone mass index as a protective factor for osteoporosis, whereas lean mass was a consistent positive determinant of bone size.
MIMO and TCP: A Case for Cross Layer Design

TCP has not fared well in wireless ad hoc networks. Even in a perfectly static network, there is the problem of throughput degradation due to the interference between flows, which becomes more severe as the nodes come close to each other. Moreover, when two or more TCP flows compete in the same collision domain, often one of the flows "captures" the channel and blocks other flows, giving flows an unfair access to the channel. These problems have been traced in the 802.11 MAC protocol and the interaction between TCP and MAC protocol retransmission timeouts. Proposed solutions range from modifications in the 802.11 MAC protocols to the use of network layer selective drop strategies. However, none of these schemes offers full protection. Moreover, they require change in the existing protocols. The advent of Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) system offers a way of increasing total throughput by reducing the interference. The same interference blocking feature leads to unfairness reduction. Recently proposed MIMO MAC protocols such as SPACE-MAC reduce interference by separating flows. In this paper, we test the efficacy of SPACE-MAC in eliminating the TCP capture problem and reducing throughput degradation due to interference. We evaluate the fairness and throughput performance of SPACE-MAC in various scenarios, and then compare with conventional MAC results via Qualnet simulation.
Regression of left ventricular hypertrophy with captopril restores normal ventricular action potential duration, dispersion of refractoriness, and vulnerability to inducible ventricular fibrillation.

BACKGROUND Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is associated with multiple cellular electrophysiological abnormalities, susceptibility to ventricular arrhythmias, and an increased risk of sudden death. Several pharmacological therapies have been shown to produce regression of hypertrophy, but the value of regression is unclear. The present study examines whether pharmacological regression of LVH has effects on the susceptibility to ventricular arrhythmia or the cellular electrophysiological abnormalities of LVH. METHODS AND RESULTS Rabbits underwent unilateral renal artery banding and contralateral nephrectomy to induce LVH or were placed in the control group. Both groups were studied 3 months later by in vivo and in vitro electrophysiological techniques. Banded rabbits had increased mean arterial pressure, increased left ventricular weight and wall thickness, increased dispersion of refractoriness, and lower ventricular fibrillation thresholds than control rabbits. Action potential duration and cell capacitance were also greater in the banded group. Additional rabbits were treated beginning 3 months after banding with either captopril (5 mg x kg(-1) x d(-1)) or vehicle added to their diet for an additional 3 months. These rabbits and age-matched controls were then studied by in vivo and in vitro electrophysiological techniques. In banded rabbits that received vehicle and were studied 6 months after banding, increased dispersion of refractoriness, a lower ventricular fibrillation threshold, and action potential prolongation persisted and were unchanged from animals studied 3 months after banding. Captopril, started 3 months after banding, caused regression of hypertrophy and normalization of the in vivo and in vitro electrophysiological abnormalities. Addition of captopril to the tissue bath during in vitro electrophysiological study showed no effect on cells from control or banded rabbits. CONCLUSIONS Pharmacological regression of LVH with captopril normalizes the in vivo and in vitro electrophysiological abnormalities of ventricular hypertrophy and reduces the vulnerability to ventricular fibrillation in a renovascular model of LVH.
Proline motifs in peptides and their biological processing

Many biologically important peptide sequences contain proline. It confers unique conformational constraints on the peptide chain in that the side‐chain is cyclized back onto the backbone amide position. Inside an a‐helix the possibility of making hydrogen bonds to the preceding turn is lost and a kink will be introduced. The conformational restrictions imposed by proline motifs in a peptide chain appear to imply important structural or biological functions as can be deduced from their often remarkably high degree of conservation as found in many proteins and peptides, especially cytokines, growth factors, G‐protein‐coupled receptors, V3 loops of the HIV envelope glycoprotein gpl20, and neuro‐ and vasoactive peptides. Only a limited number of peptidases are known to be able to hydrolyze proline adjacent bonds. Their activity is influenced by the isomeric state (cis‐trans) as well as the position of proline in the peptide chain. The three proline specific metallo‐peptidases (aminopeptidase P. car‐boxroeptidase P and prolidase) are activated by Mn2+, whereas the three serine type peptidases cleaving a post proline bond (prolyl oligopeptidase, dipep‐tidyl peptidase IV, and prolylcarboxypeptidase) share the sequential order of the catalytic Ser‐Asp‐His triade, which differentiates them from the chy‐motrypsin (His‐Asp‐Ser) and subtilisin (Asp‐His‐Ser) families. An endo or C terminal Pro‐Pro bond and an endo pre‐Pro peptide bond possess a high degree of resistance to any mammalian proteolytic enzyme. —Vanhoof, G. , Goossens, F. , De Meester, I. , Hendrike, D. , Schärpé, S. Proline motifs in peptides and their biological processing. FASEB J. 9, 736‐744 (1995)