Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Metabolism of Gambogic Acid in Rats: A Rare Intestinal Metabolic Pathway Responsible for Its Final Disposition

Gambogic acid (GA) is a promising natural anticancer candidate. Although the anticancer activity of GA has been well demonstrated, information regarding the metabolic fate of GA is limited. Previous studies suggested that GA is mainly excreted into intestinal tract in rats through bile after intravenous administration, whereas only traces appeared in the feces, suggesting that GA is metabolized extensively in the intestine. However, there has been no report about the intestinal metabolism of GA either in animals or humans. In this study, large amounts of two sulfonic acid metabolites of GA were found in the feces samples of rats after intravenous administration, and their structures were identified as 10-α sulfonic acid GA and 10-β sulfonic acid GA by comparison of the retention times and spectral data with those of synthesized reference substances using liquid chromatography-diode array detector-tandem mass spectrometry. This rare intestinal metabolic pathway mainly involves Michael addition of the sulfite ion to the 9,10 carbon–carbon double bond of α,β-unsaturated ketone. In addition, a more detailed metabolic profile in rats is proposed, according to the results of in vitro and in vivo studies. It was found that GA can be metabolized by a variety of routes, including monooxidation, hydration, glutathionylation, glucuronidation, and glucosidation in the liver of rats. These findings provide information on the major metabolic soft spot of GA in the intestine and liver of rats, which is not only useful in the future human metabolic study of this compound but also of value in the metabolic studies of GA analogs.
Prostate carcinoma risk and allelic variants of genes involved in androgen biosynthesis and metabolism pathways

Ethnicity, when it is used to mean shared genetic inheritance within a group, has become one of the most important factors in determining prostate carcinoma risk. Genetic polymorphisms were hypothesized to be the probable explanation for differences in risk among ethnic groups. The authors evaluated the association between polymorphisms in genes involved in the androgen biosynthesis and metabolism pathway and the risk of prostate carcinoma.
Phenytoin‐Related cerebellar degeneration without seizures

Cerebellar changes have been reported in relationship to epilepsy alone as well as to phenytoin therapy for the control of seizures. The cliniconeuropathological correlation between these changes and epilepsy or the anticonvulsant is usually complicated by the presence of both variables. Experimental evidence suggests that phenytoin alone may be sufficient to cause cerebellar changes following intoxication. We report a case of cerebellar degeneration in a patient treated with isoniazid and prophylactically treated with phenytoin who never had a seizure.
Radiological–pathological correlation of diffusion tensor and magnetization transfer imaging in a closed head traumatic brain injury model

Metrics of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and magnetization transfer imaging (MTI) can detect diffuse axonal injury in traumatic brain injury (TBI). The relationship between the changes in these imaging measures and the underlying pathologies is still relatively unknown. This study investigated the radiological–pathological correlation between these imaging techniques and immunohistochemistry using a closed head rat model of TBI.
Neighborhood Differences in Retail Food Stores: Income Versus Race and Age of Population

Retail food stores may vary from one location to another in terms of the price and quality of products offered for sale, selection of products and sizes available, and cleanliness of the stores themselves. The effects of socioeconomic characteristics of the neighborhoods in which stores are located on a set of store and product characteristics are estimated, holding constant factors that affect costs of the stores. The major finding is that consumers in neighborhoods with high concentrations of black and elderly people face higher prices, lower levels of quality and cleanliness, and less variety of prices, brands, and sizes.
Reshaping the public service bargain in Queensland 2009–2014: Responding to austerity?

This is a study of the renegotiation of pay, employment security, and of the relationship between government and public sector unions, in an Australian state public service during and after the global financial crisis. It examines the extent to which this renegotiation of the ‘public service bargain’ was necessitated by austerity requirements, and the extent to which the crisis provided an opportunity for the deprivileging of public employment that has been an enduring feature of the neoliberal state. A case study of the different approaches of two Queensland governments to their relationships with public sector workers between 2009 and 2014, it tracks two key measures of wages and staff numbers, as well as the consequences of breaches of the trust relationships of the traditional public sector bargain. Given the moderate nature of Australia’s economic downturn, the implementation of public service austerity measures was less an economic necessity than an opportunity for a conservative government to alter employment policies and sever union relationships. This continuation of public sector employment relations favoured by previous conservative governments had electoral consequences.
Public and Private Investment and Economic Development in Iraq (1970-2010)

 Abstract—Based on the neoclassical growth model of Solow (1956), this study analyses the macroeconomic determinants of economic growth, examining the effect of public and private investment on economic growth in Iraq from 1970 to 2010.Cointegration and error correction models were applied to the time series data, followed by a Johansen cointegration test of trace and maximum eigenvalue statistics to establish long run equilibrium relationships among the variables in the model. This study also estimated an error correction model (ECM) and the significance of the coefficient on the error correction term confirms the long run relationship between the explanatory variables and economic development. The empirical results suggest that, in the long run, private investment, public investment, growth in the labour force and growth in oil revenues effect real gross domestic product (GDP) positively and statistically significantly; however, price and exchange rate volatility are found to have an adverse impact on real GDP. In light of these results, several policy recommendations are made to conclude.
Treatment and outcome of pancreatic venous graft thrombosis after kidney–pancreas transplantation

Pancreas venous graft thrombosis after transplantation is the main non‐immunological cause of graft failure and usually results in pancreatectomy. Duplex Doppler ultrasonography is the primary imaging technique for monitoring vascular patency after pancreas transplantation. This study reports the results of rescue treatments for pancreas graft thrombosis after simultaneous pancreas–kidney transplantation.
Electron beam sterilization does not have a detrimental effect on the ability of extracellular matrix scaffolds to support in vivo ligament healing

Extracellular matrix (ECM) scaffolds have been used to enhance anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) repair in large animal models. To translate this technology to clinical care, identifying a method which effectively sterilizes the material without significantly impairing in vivo function is desirable. Sixteen Yorkshire pigs underwent ACL transection and were randomly assigned to bridge‐enhanced ACL repair—primary suture repair of the ACL with addition of autologous blood soaked ECM scaffold—with either (i) an aseptically processed ECM scaffold, or (ii) an electron beam irradiated ECM scaffold. Primary outcome measures included sterility of the scaffold and biomechanical properties of the scaffold itself and the repaired ligament at 8 weeks after surgery. Scaffolds treated with 15 kGy electron beam irradiation had no bacterial or fungal growth noted, while aseptically processed scaffolds had bacterial growth in all tested samples. The mean biomechanical properties of the scaffold and healing ligament were lower in the electron beam group; however, differences were not statistically significant. Electron beam irradiation was able to effectively sterilize the scaffolds. In addition, this technique had only a minimal impact on the in vivo function of the scaffolds when used for ligament healing in the porcine model. © 2015 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 33:1015–1023, 2015.
Differentiated Thyroid Carcinoma Presenting With Distant Metastasis at Initial Diagnosis: Clinical Outcomes and Prognostic Factors

Objectives:Distant metastasis (DM) is seldom observed at initial presentation of differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC), making it difficult to assess the clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes of DTC patients with DM. We therefore retrospectively assessed these parameters in DTC patients who presented with DM between July 1994 and December 2007. In addition, we compared biologic behaviors and prognostic factors between patients presenting with DM and those developing DM after initial treatment. Methods:Among 1560 DTC patients who underwent thyroidectomies during the 13.5-year study period, 91 patients were included in this study; 52 patients (3.4%) displayed DM at initial presentation and 39 (2.5%) developed DM after initial 131radiacitive iodine (RI) treatment. Metastatic lesions were treated with high dose RI (94.5%), surgical resection (14.3%), external beam radiation therapy (31.9%), embolization of feeding vessels (1.1%), and/or chemotherapy (1.1%). Median duration of follow-up was 75 months (range, 12–158 months). Results:Mean patient age was 57 years (range, 13–80 years), and the female-to-male ratio was 2.03:1. Metastases were detected in the lung only (68.1%), bone only (16.5%), and multiple sites (15.4%). When clinical and tumor characteristics were considered, metastatic lesion iodine avidity was significantly higher in patients presenting with DM. At 5 and 10 years, the overall survival (OS) rates in patients presenting with DM were 83.8% and 72.1%, respectively, and the disease-specific survival (DSS) rates were 68.5% and 26.8%. OS did not differ significantly between patients presenting with DM and those developing DM after initial treatment. However, those with initial DM enjoyed significantly improved DSS compared with patients who developed DM after initial treatment. At last follow-up, 22 patients (24.2%) were alive without disease, 48 (52.7%) were alive with disease, and 21 (23.1%) had died of disease in study patients. Multivariate Cox's regression analyses showed that complete local control was a significant predictor of OS and DSS in all study patients. In patients developing DM after initial treatment, metastatic lesion iodine avidity was also associated with both OS and DSS. In contrast, avidity was associated only with DSS in patients presenting with DM. Conclusions:Our study showed that DTC patients presenting with initial DM appear to have relatively favorable outcomes compared with DTC patients who developed DM after initial treatment. Complete local control may be the most important prognostic indicator in all DM patients. Metastatic lesion iodine avidity had a significant impact on both OS and DSS in patients developing DM after initial treatment, but significantly influenced only DSS in patients presenting with initial DM.
Rapid rumor ramification: approximating the minimum broadcast time

Given an undirected graph representing a network of processors, and a source node containing a message that must be broadcast to all the nodes, find a scheme that accomplishes the broadcast in the minimum number of time steps. At each time step, any processor that has received the message is allowed to communicate the message to at most one of its neighbors in the network, i.e. can communicate via a telephone call to a neighbor. This has been termed the minimum broadcast time problem under the telephone model and is known to be NP-complete. The minimum broadcast time in a graph is closely related to the poise of the graph. The poise of a tree is defined to be the quantity (maximum degree of any node in the tree+diameter of the tree). The poise of a graph is the minimum poise of any of its spanning trees. Computing the poise of a graph is shown to be NP-hard and an algorithm for computing a spanning tree of approximately minimum poise is derived. This algorithm is then used to derive an O(log/sup 2/n/log log n)-approximation for the minimum broadcast time problem on an n-node graph. Our algorithm extends to many generalizations of the problem such as the multicast problem, a telephone model allowing conference calls, and to the closely related minimum gossip time problem. <<ETX>>
Social Identity and Social Free-Riding

We model individual identification choice as a strategic group formation problem. When choosing a social group to identify with, individuals appreciate high social status and a group stereotype to which they have a small social distance. A group's social status and stereotype are shaped by the (exogenous) individual attributes of its members and hence endogenous to individuals' choices. Unless disutility from social distance is strong enough, this creates a strategic tension as individuals with attributes that contribute little to group status would like to join high-status groups, thereby diluting the latters' status and changing stereotypes. Such social free-riding motivates the use of soft exclusion technologies in high-status groups, which provides a unifying rationale for phenomena such as hazing rituals, charitable activities or status symbols that is not taste-based or follows a standard signaling mechanism.
“This one will delay us”: barriers to accessing health care services among persons with disabilities in Malawi

Abstract Purpose: This paper explores the barriers which people with disabilities experience in accessing health care services in Malawi. Methodology: Fifty-two in-depth interviews were conducted with people with various types of disabilities. These interviews were conducted in four districts in Malawi: Blantyre and Phalombe in the Southern Region; Ntchisi in the Central Region, and Rumphi in the North. A team of trained research assistants conducted the interviews. Results: The major challenges that people with disabilities experience include the cost of accessing health care, long distances to health facilities, lack of transport, hilly terrains and flooding of rivers during the rainy season, communication challenges with the health providers and poor attitude of health workers. Some of these challenges are not unique to people with disabilities, but constitute more of a problem among people with disabilities. Conclusion: There is a need to address these challenges through the expansion of the provision of assistive devices, implementing comprehensive outreach services targeting people with disabilities and strengthening the links between key component of access to quality health care. Attitudinal barriers and lack of resources remain major challenges. Implications for rehabilitation Though people with disabilities face challenges accessing health care world-wide, the challenges are greater in low-income countries. The current study in Malawi confirms this. Major challenges include costs of care, transport costs, and inaccessible facilities. Lack of health worker awareness and attitudinal barriers are major issues of concern. It is imperative, given this situation, that effort is spent in Malawi and similar contexts on dealing with issues of stigma and discrimination especially in the health care sector. It is also important to explore cost-effective ways of assisting people with disabilities accessing appropriate transport, which should be seen as part of the healthcare system. Though the cost of providing equitable care may be high in low-income contexts, this is a human right. Training and creating an accessible and disability-friendly service environment is a key priority.
Neurologists' knowledge of medication costs

Using mailed questionnaires, neurologists were asked for (1) estimates of retail prices for 39 common drugs, (2) attitudes about drug costs, and (3) implications for clinical practice. Among these practitioners, (1) more product prices were overestimated than underestimated, (2) old products were as unfamiliar as new products, and (3) community practitioners were more aware of prices than academic neurologists and trainees, but still made errors. Future studies should also consider physician prescribing behavior in terms of adherence to recommended laboratory tests and patient inconvenience factors. Neurologists should be aware of alternative prescription outlets for patients.
Energy dispersive X-Ray fluorescence determination of minor and major elements in soils of Mambilla Plateau Northeastern Nigeria

This study focuses on energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence determination of minor and major elements in selected soils of Mambilla Plateau. The 12 sampled soil composites analysed were done by energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence technique for minor and major elements. The elemental oxides determined were Al2O3, CaO, K2O, TiO2, SiO2, BaO, Fe2O3, and MnO. The result obtained in the study showed that the general percentage concentration of elemental values were in decreased order of Si>Al>Ti>K>Ca for major elements and Fe>Mn>Ba minor elements accordingly. The major elements category showed silicon as the highest mean concentration at location S 84.09%±6.40 and calcium lower mean concentration with value of 0.32%±0.02. The minor elements concentration percentage revealed Fe with a mean value at location N 23.18%±3.1 being the highest and Ba is the lowest at location S 0.14%±0.1. The soil analysis revealed low concentration of essential major and minor elements, however, high concentration of Al and Fe that may solubilized at low pH and splitting H+ from water molecule showed increased soil acidity. Key words: Energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF), minor elements, major elements, percentage, Mambilla Plateau.
Individual perceptions of HR practices, HRM strength and appropriateness of care: a meso, multilevel approach

Abstract We take a meso approach toward investigating the interplay between perceptions of individual employees regarding HR practices and the variability of such perceptions within the department (i.e. HRM strength) and their effects. This study included 2821 healthcare professionals (i.e. nurses, head nurses, technicians, obstetricians and allied health staff) nested in 44 departments of 27 hospitals. Cross-level moderation analyses revealed that individual perceptions of HR practices positively predict individual perceptions of proactivity climate, moderated by HRM strength in the corresponding department. As hypothesized, idiosyncratic perceptions of HR practices predict perceived proactivity when HRM strength is weak because ambiguous situations are interpreted based on direct experience; on the other hand, strong situations reduce the reliance on individual experiences making perceptions of proactivity climate more homogeneous with one another. This enables the emergence of a collective climate for proactivity (i.e. individual perceptions of proactivity aggregated at the department level) which, consistent with our hypothesis, positively predicts appropriateness of care. These findings shed light on the processes by which HR practices are effective and have important implications for HR managers and professionals with regard to extending the involvement of individuals in HR practices.
Functional interaction of heat shock protein 90 and Beclin 1 modulates Toll‐like receptor‐mediated autophagy

Autophagy is one of the downstream effector mechanisms for elimination of intracellular microbes following activation of the Toll‐like receptors (TLRs). Although the detailed molecular mechanism for this cellular process is still unclear, Beclin 1, a key molecule for autophagy, has been suggested to play a role. Heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) is a molecular chaperone that regulates the stability of signaling proteins. Herein, we show that Hsp90 forms a complex with Beclin 1 through an evolutionarily conserved domain to maintain the stability of Beclin 1. In monocytic cells, geldanamycin (GA), an Hsp90 inhibitor, effectively promoted proteasomal degradation of Beclin 1 in a concentration‐dependent (EC50 100 nM) and time‐dependent (t50 2 h) manner. In contrast, KNK437/Hsp inhibitor I had no effect. Hsp90 specifically interacted with Beclin 1 but not with other adapter proteins in the TLR signalsome. Treatment of cells with GA inhibited TLR3‐ and TLR4‐mediated autophagy. In addition, S. typhimurium infection‐induced autophagy was blocked by GA treatment. This further suggested a role of the Hsp90/Beclin 1 in controlling autophagy in response to microbial infections. Taken together, our data revealed that by maintaining the homeostasis of Beclin 1, Hsp90 plays a novel role in TLR‐mediated autophagy. —Xu, C. , Liu, J., Hsu, L. ‐C. , Luo, Y. , Xiang, R. , Chuang, T. ‐H. Functional interaction of Hsp90 and Beclin 1 modulates Toll‐like receptor‐mediated autophagy. FASEB J. 25, 2700‐2710 (2011). www.fasebj. org
The Institutionalists and on the Origin of Species: A Case of Mistaken Identity

In 1898, when Thorstein Veblen raised the question, "Why is economics not an evolutionary science? " [29, 56-81] he sparked a controversy among American academic economists which, while far less intense than in years past, remains today a basis for criticism against economic orthodoxy [9, x-xi]. The critics have been loosely identified under the rubric of institutional economists. While it is beyond the present intent to explain the many and varied forms of institutional economics, it is important to observe that in its Veblenian version it claimed to be under the influence of Charles Darwin [13]. My approach here is to raise Veblen's question again, to probe the reasons why economics has not become an evolutionary science. The arguments advanced are not supportive of institutional economics. If anything they are strengthening to conventional economic theory. The major point to be advanced is that the Veblenian form of institutionalism rests upon a seriously flawed understanding of the roots of Darwinian methodology. Support for this argument rests on a recent and rather extraordinary body of literature, which may be characterized as "the origin of 'The Origin'". Biologists and historians of science have over the past few years penetratingly explored Darwin's intellectual links to political economy, and in so doing they have without intent revealed the structural flaw in the use institutional economists made of Darwinian thought. Moreover, for present day economists, the new literature has greatly expanded the largely unknown influence of classical economics as the scaffolding for evolutionary biology. The paper is organized as follows. The first section documents the reliance Veblenian institutionalists placed upon the work of Darwin. The reliance is traced through Veblen and through one of his major disciples, C. E. Ayres, who certainly was for the second and third quarters of the twentieth century one of the more prominent and prolific exponents of institutional economics. ' In section two the linkages between Darwin and the classical economists are established. The final section discusses the consequences which the new evidence on Darwin's intellectual development poses for the institutionalists. The implications the new literature poses for historians of economic thought is also set forth.