Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mechanical integrin stress and magnetic forces induce biological responses in mesenchymal stem cells which depend on environmental factors

The control of mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) by physical cues is of great interest in regenerative medicine. Because integrin receptors function as mechanotransducers, we applied drag forces to β1 integrins on the apical surface of adherent human MSC. In addition to mechanical forces, the technique we used involved also the exposure of the cells to an inhomogeneous magnetic field. In order to assess the influence of the substrate on cell adhesion, cells were cultured on plain tissue culture polystyrene (TCP) or on coated well plates, which allowed only adhesion to embedded fibronectin or RGD peptides. We found that the expression of collagen I, which is involved in osteogenesis, and VEGF, a factor which stimulates angiogenesis, increased as a result of short‐term mechanical integrin stress. Whereas, collagen I expression was stimulated by mechanical forces when the cells were cultured on fibronectin and RGD peptides but not on TCP, VEGF expression was enhanced by physical stimulation on TCP. The study further revealed that magnetic forces enhanced Sox 9 expression, a marker of chondrogenesis, and reduced the expression of ALP. Concerning the intracellular mechanisms involved, we found that the expression of VEGF induced by physical forces depended on Akt activation. Together, the results implicate that biological functions of MSC can be stimulated by integrin‐mediated mechanical forces and a magnetic field. However, the responses of cells depend strongly on the substrate to which they adhere and on the cross‐talk between integrin‐mediated signals and soluble factors. J. Cell. Biochem. 111: 1586–1597, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Expression and function of protein phosphatase PP2A in malignant testicular germ cell tumours

Testicular germ cell tumours (TGCT) represent the most common malignancy in young males. We reported previously that two prototype members of the mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK) family, the MAPK ERK kinase (MEK) and extracellular signal‐regulated kinase (ERK), are inactive in malignant testicular germ cells and become active after drug stimulation, leading to apoptosis of tumour cells. In this study, we asked whether the protein phosphatase PP2A, a known inhibitor of the MEK–ERK pathway, participates in the proliferation and/or apoptosis of primary TGCT (n = 48) as well as two TGCT cell lines (NTERA and NCCIT). Quantitative RT–PCR, immunohistochemistry, western blot analyses and phosphatase assay indicate that primary TGCT as well as TGCT cell lines express PP2A and that PP2A is active in TGCT cell lines. The inhibition of PP2A by application of two PP2A inhibitors, cantharidic acid (CA) and okadaic acid (OA), results in a significant increase in caspase‐3‐mediated apoptosis of TGCT cell lines. Thereby, PP2A inhibition was accompanied by phosphorylation and activation of MEK and ERK. Functional assays using the MEK inhibitor PD98059 demonstrated that the phosphorylation of MEK and ERK was required for the induction of caspase‐3‐mediated apoptosis of malignant germ cells. Thus, our data suggest that inhibition of PP2A mediates its apoptosis‐inducing effect on TGCT through activation of the MEK–ERK signalling pathway that leads to caspase‐3‐mediated apoptosis of tumour cells. In addition our results support previous observations that PP2A exerts an anti‐apoptotic effect on malignant tumour cells. Copyright © 2007 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Effects of butorphanol and carprofen on the minimal alveolar concentration of isoflurane in dogs.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effects of butorphanol and carprofen, alone and in combination, on the minimal alveolar concentration (MAC) of isoflurane in dogs. DESIGN Randomized complete-block crossover study. ANIMALS 6 healthy adult dogs. PROCEDURE Minimal alveolar concentration of isoflurane was determined following administration of carprofen alone, butorphanol alone, carprofen and butorphanol, and neither drug (control). Anesthesia was induced with isoflurane in oxygen, and MAC was determined by use of a tail clamp method. Three hours prior to induction of anesthesia, dogs were fed a small amount of canned food without any drugs (control) or with carprofen (2.2 mg/kg of body weight [1 mg/lb]). Following initial determination of MAC, butorphanol (0.4 mg/kg [0.18 mg/lb], i.v.) was administered, and MAC was determined again. Heart rate, respiratory rate, indirect arterial blood pressure, endtidal partial pressure of CO2, and saturation of hemoglobin with oxygen were recorded at the time MAC was determined. RESULTS Mean +/- SD MAC of isoflurane following administration of butorphanol alone (1.03 +/- 0.22%) or carprofen and butorphanol (0.90 +/- 0.21%) were significantly less than the control MAC (1.28 +/- 0.14%), but MAC after administration of carprofen alone (1.20 +/- 0.13%) was not significantly different from the control value. The effects of carprofen and butorphanol on the MAC of isoflurane were additive. There were not any significant differences among treatments in regard to cardiorespiratory data. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Results suggest that administration of butorphanol alone or in combination with carprofen significantly reduces the MAC of isoflurane in dogs; however, the effects of butorphanol and carprofen are additive, not synergistic.
Developing a Voluntary Sector Model for Engaging Offenders

This article proposes the development of a distinct offender engagement model for voluntary and community sector agencies, recognising the contribution of: reciprocity, reliability, consistency, and emotional pleasure, to effective offender engagement. Drawing on empirical data from users of a voluntary sector programme in England for young adults, this article makes an original contribution to the evidence base by: identifying the key elements (within the programme) of effective engagement with offenders; seeing how this relates to the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) engaging practitioner model and companion literature review and considers the implications for voluntary sector criminal justice policy and practice.
Shaking up Immunity: Psychological and Immunologic Changes after a Natural Disaster

Objective The 1994 Northridge earthquake created life disruption and psychological distress for employees of the nearby Sepulveda VA Medical Center. We were interested in the immunologic correlates of disruption and distress under these stressful circumstances. Method Sixty-eight employees were examined beginning 11 days post-earthquake and were observed until about 4 months after the earthquake, during which time three psychological and immunologic assessments were done. Subjects experienced life disruption from the earthquake itself, damage to home and possessions, injury to self and others, and damage to and functional disruption of workplace. Questionnaires assessed degree of life disruption (personal and work-related), mood, earthquake-specific distress, and repression (alexithymia, coping style or "Type C", and "immunosuppression-prone" traits). Immune measures included lymphocyte subsets-total T (CD3+), helper T (CD4+), cytotoxic T (CD3+CD8+), B (CD19+), and natural killer (NK; CD3-CD16+CD56+)-as well as lymphoid cell mitogenesis (PHA and PWM), and NK cell cytotoxicity. Results Along with a lessening degree of distress over time, a number of immunologic measures declined over the assessment period (CD3+, CD8+, CD16+56+ cells, T cell blastogenesis, and NK cell cytotoxicity). Furthermore, subjects reporting low distress had higher numbers of CD3+ and CD8+ cells and a higher proliferative response to PHA. Those with distress corresponding to life disruption had highest levels of CD3+ and CD8+ cells. Measures of repression did not relate directly to immunity. Conclusion These results suggest that appropriateness of psychological reaction to the realistic degree of life stress was least disruptive of an aspect of immunity.
Digit ratio varies with sex, egg order and strength of mate preference in zebra finches

The steroid environment encountered by developing vertebrates has important organizational effects on physiology and behaviour that persist throughout an organism's lifetime. Optimal allocation of maternal steroids to zygotes may be difficult to achieve because of the sexually antagonistic effects of steroids; thus, for example, a hormone environment beneficial to a developing male may be much less beneficial to a developing female. Research into the important topic of how mothers might adaptively adjust steroid titres experienced by particular young has been constrained by the difficulty of measuring the steroid environment experienced by the embryo at critical times in development. A potential approach to this problem has been suggested by research on variation in digit ratios in humans, where the ratio of the length of the second and fourth digits reflects the steroid environment experienced by the foetus; notably, digit 4 lengthens in response to androgens. In light of the conservative nature of homeobox genes regulating early development in tetrapods, we questioned whether a sex difference in digit ratio exists in a passerine bird, the zebra finch, Taeniopygia guttata castanotis, and whether observed variation in the ratio is consistent with the previously reported pattern that androgen allocation to zebra finch egg yolk declines across laying order. We established an aviary population of outbred, wild–type zebra finches, and allowed them to breed freely. Hatchlings were marked to correspond to their egg order, and their digit ratios were measured after birds reached adulthood. We found that digit ratio increased across egg order, which is consistent with a pattern of decreasing androgen allocation. Moreover, digit ratios differed between the sexes. We also investigated whether variation in digit ratio among adult females predicted variation in their performance in mate–choice tests. Digit ratio accounted for almost 50% of the variance in strength of female preference for an attractive male trait: specifically, females with higher (presumably less ‘androgenized’) ratios had stronger preferences for attractive males. Digit ratio may prove to be an extremely useful tool for addressing a wide range of questions about vertebrate differentiation and behaviour.
Revisiting income and price elasticities of electricity demand in Pakistan

Abstract In view of a more than decade-long power crisis in Pakistan, several studies have estimated income and price elasticities of electricity demand. These estimates are based on electricity consumption data that do not reflect actual demand due to an electricity supply shortfall of up to 6000 megawatts (MW). Moreover, previous studies accounted for power consumption data of only one of the two electric power companies, Pakistan Electric Power Company (P.E.P.C.O.), ignoring the other company K-Electric, with a share of over 15% in country’s electricity consumption. This study attempts to revisit electricity demand elasticities in Pakistan at the aggregate and sectoral level by including both P.E. P.C. O. and K-Electric and adjusting the consumption series for load shedding to reflect actual electricity demand. By employing an Autoregressive Distributive Lag model, the study finds electricity demand to be income elastic at aggregate level and in the agriculture sector in the long run, and relatively inelastic in the industrial sector. However, unlike previous studies, the electricity demand is price inelastic at all levels, which is an expected outcome in an economy facing electricity shortages. The coefficients of short-run income and price elasticities are smaller than their long-run counterparts. No evidence of cointegration is found for the commercial sector.
The Effects of Oscillatory Biofield Therapy on Pain and Functional Limitations Associated with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Double-Blind Study.

OBJECTIVES Biofield treatments have been used for pain control in patients with cancer and chronic pain. However, research on the effect of biofield treatment on specific somatic disorders is lacking. This study intends to investigate the effect of oscillating biofield therapy (OBFT) on symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome. DESIGN Randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study. PARTICIPANTS Thirty patients with chronic carpal tunnel syndrome participated in the study. INTERVENTION Patients were randomly assigned to active or placebo treatment groups. Those in the treatment group received six sessions of OBFT with intention to treat during a period of 2 weeks. Patients in the placebo group had the same number of treatment sessions with mock OBFT treatment. OUTCOME MEASURE The Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) questionnaire; Symptom Severity Scale (SSS); and Functional Status Scale (FSS) were used for outcome assessment. RESULTS Both clinically and statistically significant changes in intensity of pain with activity (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.5-4.2; p = 0.000), night pain (p = 0.000, 95% CI, 3.2-5.7), DASH questionnaire (95% CI, 12.0-21.9; p = 0.000), SSS (95% CI, 0.64-1.15; p = 0.003), and FSS (95% CI, 0.41-0.97; p = 0.029) were found between the treatment and placebo groups. Statistically significant reduction in number of patients with positive results on the Phalen test (87%; p = 0.000), Tinel sign (73%; p = 0.000), and hand paresthesia (80%; p = 0.000) was noted in the treatment group. During 6-month follow-up, 86% of patients in the treatment group remained pain free and had no functional limitations. CONCLUSION OBFT can be a viable and effective treatment for improving symptoms and functional limitations associated with chronic carpal tunnel syndrome.
Genetic Obesity Risk and Attenuation Effect of Physical Fitness in Mexican‐Mestizo Population: a Case‐Control Study

We analyzed commonly reported European and Asian obesity‐related gene variants in a Mexican‐Mestizo population through each single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and a genetic risk score (GRS) based on 23 selected SNPs. Study subjects were physically active Mexican‐Mestizo adults (n = 608) with body mass index (BMI) values from 18 to 55 kg/m2. For each SNP and for the GRS, logistic models were performed to test for simple SNP associations with BMI, fat mass percentage (FMP), waist circumference (WC), and the interaction with VO2max and muscular endurance (ME). To further understand the SNP or GRS*physical fitness components, generalized linear models were performed. Obesity risk was significantly associated to 6 SNPs (ADRB2 rs1042713, APOB rs512535, PPARA rs1800206, TNFA rs361525, TRHR rs7832552 and rs16892496) after adjustment by gender, age, ancestry, VO2max, and ME. ME attenuated the influence of APOB rs512535 and TNFA rs361525 on obesity risk in FMP. WC was significantly associated to GRS. Both ME and VO2max attenuated GRS effect on WC. We report associations for 6 out of 23 SNPs and for the GRS, which confer obesity risk, a novel finding for Mexican‐Mestizo physically active population. Also, the importance of including physical fitness components variables in obesity genetic risk studies is highlighted, with special regard to intervention purposes.
The Incredible Shrinking Factor Return

This is the first in a series of papers we will publish in 2017 that demonstrate factor tilts generally deliver far less alpha in live portfolios than they do on paper, or put another way, investment managers generally fail to capture the returns that would be expected based on their factor tilts. We break our research into four parts. In this paper we show that the factor returns realized by fund managers differ starkly from the theoretical factor returns constructed from long–short paper portfolios. Notably, the market, value, and momentum factors are far less rewarding in live fund management than their theoretical long–short paper portfolio returns. In the second paper of the series, we challenge the idea that factor tilts — portfolios combining several theoretical factor portfolios — are the same as smart beta strategies. We show, using Fundamental Index™, equal-weight, and low-volatility strategies as illustrative examples, that factor tilts cannot successfully replicate smart beta strategies. Although the factor tilts of these strategies are easy to replicate, the resulting portfolios look very different from the originals, with the replication portfolios having far higher turnover, lower performance, and smaller capacity. In a third paper of the series, we show that the relative valuations of factor loadings can give us the courage to buy mutual funds when factor tilts are at their cheapest, hence, the most out of favor. Along with fees, turnover, and past performance — where low fees, low turnover, and low (yes, low! ) past performance are predictive of better future returns — factor loadings can help us improve our forecasts of fund returns. We find the best predictor is prior three-year performance, but with the wrong sign: buying the losers is the winningest strategy. Finally, a fourth paper will take a closer look at momentum, for which we find the realized alpha in live portfolios is essentially zero compared to a theoretical alpha of around 6% a year. We show why momentum doesn’t work in live portfolios, and also show how momentum can be saved as a useful source of alpha.
Treatment of unstable pelvic fractures: use of a transiliac sacral rod for posterior lesions and an external fixator for anterior lesions.

BACKGROUND This study sought to define the role of transiliac sacral rods used in combination with an external fixator for the management of unstable pelvic fractures. METHODS This retrospective study evaluated cases in which the surgical strategy was open reduction and internal fixation of posterior lesions with two transiliac sacral rods and closed reduction and external fixation of anterior lesions with an AO external fixator. The data for 65 cases were analyzed. Comprehensive Classification (AO) identified 42 C1 cases, 21 C2, cases and 2 C3 cases. Fractures with iliac bone involvement that impeded the application of an external fixator or transiliac sacral rods were excluded. The follow-up period was 85 months (range, 24-140 months). RESULTS All the fractures/dislocations healed well. The complications involved 17 cases (26.2%) of persistent posterior pain, 16 cases (24.6%) of irreversible neurologic deficit, 2 cases (3.1%) of posterior wound infection, 3 cases (4.6%) of pin tract infection, and 4 cases (6.2%) of irreversible urologic deficit. The functional results showed that the surgical results were satisfactory in 42 cases (64.6%) and unsatisfactory in 23 cases (35.4%). CONCLUSIONS For type C pelvic fractures without significant iliac bone involvement, surgical management with posterior transiliac fixation using sacral rods and anterior external fixation yields good radiologic results. The functional results correlated primarily with avoidance of complications and not necessarily with the radiologic results.
Essays in Labor and Transportation Economics

Author(s): Zotova, Irina | Advisor(s): McBride, Michael T | Abstract: The study of pricing is a fundamental topic in economics. This dissertation analyzes pricing strategies in labor and transportation markets. Chapter 1 examines the impact of the crash of Alaska Airlines Flight 261 on the domestic fares and passenger traffic of the crash carrier, using a difference-in-difference approach. The results show that that the crash reduced fares of Alaska Airlines relative to those of its competitors only in the months right after the crash, indicating that the financial ramifications are not persistent, a finding that justifies the temporary drop in stock prices found in earlier literature. Chapter 2 investigates the factors that contribute to wage selection in the labor market. When employers consider a job candidate, character assessment about the applicant is gathered from a variety of sources, impartial and subjective, ranging from academic merits to reviews by coworkers. The information is collected in order to make an appropriate wage offer. Existing experimental literature in agency theory provides employers with their employees' work records at no cost. I extend this research by placing a price on the information to develop a more realistic case. Through experimental evidence, I find employers absorb the cost of obtaining history, and do not shift the burden of the fee onto the employees in the form of lower wages. If employers have access to employees' history, they offer wages that are positively correlated with the employees' work ethic. However, when they are not presented with a history, the employers base wages on their own experiences. The last chapter studies a different source an employer can use to determine wages. In past labor market experimental literature, an employee's work history was information the employer received from the employee. Chapter 3 of my dissertation modifies the agency problem by introducing a noisy signal from a third party, specifically the employee's past employer. The results of this experimental study show that cooperation is more prominent when employee references are accessible, even if the evaluations are imprecise.
Meeting the social and behavioral health needs of students: rethinking the relationship between teachers and school social workers.

BACKGROUND While school-based mental health professionals obviously must provide mental health services to students directly, the literature is increasingly identifying an empowerment role for these professionals, whereby they support teachers as primary service providers. The purpose of this study was to identify subtypes of school social workers within the context of collaborative practice, and to identify individual and contextual factors associated with these classifications as well as overall levels of collaboration. METHODS Latent class analysis, conducted using data collected as part of the National School Social Work Survey 2008 (N = 1639), was employed to examine underlying subtypes of school social work practitioners in relation to collaborative practices and to examine predictors of collaborative practice. RESULTS Four broad categories of school social workers were identified, including (1) noncollaborators, (2) system-level specialists, (3) consultants, and (4) well-balanced collaborators. These classes were associated with the number of schools served, grade level, education, and clinical licensure status; level of administrative responsibility was not associated with class membership. CONCLUSION While school social workers varied in collaborative practices, opportunities exist to enhance their role in educating and supporting teachers to serve as primary providers to students with social, mental health, and behavioral needs. The implications for school-based mental health providers, teachers, administrators, policymakers, and researchers are discussed.
Developing a dengue vaccine: progress and future challenges

Dengue is an expanding public health problem in the tropics and subtropical areas. Millions of people, most from resource‐constrained countries, seek treatment every year for dengue‐related disease. Despite more than 70 years of effort, a safe and efficacious vaccine remains unavailable. Antidengue antiviral drugs also do not exist despite attempts to develop or repurpose drug compounds. Gaps in the knowledge of dengue immunology, absence of a validated animal or human model of disease, and suboptimal assay platforms to measure immune responses following infection or experimental vaccination are obstacles to drug and vaccine development efforts. The limited success of one vaccine candidate in a recent clinical endpoint efficacy trial challenges commonly held beliefs regarding potential correlates of protection. If a dengue vaccine is to become a reality in the near term, vaccine developers should expand development pathway explorations beyond those typically required to demonstrate safety and efficacy.