Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Immunopolarization of CD4+ and CD8+ T Cells to Type-1–Like is Associated with Melanocyte Loss in Human Vitiligo

Vitiligo is an autoimmune condition characterized by loss of epidermal melanocytes. High frequencies of melanocyte-reactive cytotoxic T cells in the peripheral blood of vitiligo patients and the observed correlation between perilesional T-cell infiltration and melanocyte loss in situ suggest the important role of cellular autoimmunity in the pathogenesis of this disease. We isolated T cells from both perilesional and nonlesional skin biopsies obtained from five vitiligo patients, then cloned and analyzed their profile of cytokine production after short-term, nonspecific expansion in vitro. Perilesional T-cell clones (TCC) derived from patients with vitiligo exhibited a predominant Type-1–like cytokine secretion profile, whereas the degree of Type-1 polarization in uninvolved skin-derived TCC correlated with the process of microscopically observed melanocyte destruction in situ. Detailed analysis of broad spectrum of cytokines produced by perilesional- and nonlesional-derived CD4+ and CD8+ TCC confirmed polarization toward Type-1–like in both CD4 and CD8 compartments, which paralleled depigmentation process observed locally in the skin. Furthermore, CD8+ TCC derived from two patients also were analyzed for reactivity against autologous melanocytes. The antimelanocyte cytotoxic reactivity was observed among CD8+ TCC isolated from perilesional biopsies of two patients with vitiligo. Finally, in two of five patients, tetramer analysis revealed presence of high frequencies of Mart-1–specific CD8 T cells in T-cell lines derived from perilesional skin. Altogether our data support the role of cellular mechanisms playing a significant part in the destruction of melanocytes in human autoimmune vitiligo.
Taiwanese Employees' Justice Perceptions of Co-Workers' Punitive Events

Abstract The authors examined justice perceptions of Taiwanese employees in response to co-workers' punitive events (punishment by a superior). They developed a hypothesis based on Chinese indigenous wu-lun principles and the concept of empathy. Results of the study showed that perceived vertical (between superior and subordinate) and horizontal (between subordinates) relationships jointly affected justice perceptions. Respondents who perceived low (negative) leader-member exchange with the superior and high (positive) liking of the punished person showed the lowest justice perceptions. In conclusion, the authors note that comparative analysis of organizational justice is a promising direction for future research.
NET Institute* www.NETinst.org

This paper proposes to incorporate product customization in the Maskin and Riley (1984) nonlinear pricing model in order to capture major features of mobile service data. In particular, consumers are characterized by a two-dimensional type. One di-mension is observed by the provider and integrates product customization, while the other is a standard parameter of adverse selection, which is unobserved by the provider and makes it necessary for the provider to discriminate among consumers with diﬀer-ent tastes through nonlinear pricing. We then propose a novel method to aggregate the multiple-dimensional voice consumption into one-dimensional index. We show that the model structure is identiﬁed under the following conditions: The marginal utility function is multiplicatively separable in consumers’ tastes, and consumers’ observed and unobserved heterogeneity are independent. Empirical results show that both dimensions of heterogeneity are important. Due to asymmetric information, 50% of the "second-best" social welfare is left "on the table" in order to screen heterogeneous consumers. Moreover, if costly product customization does not aﬀect subscribers’ utility, 20% of subscribers would not be served.
Auditor Independence in a Private Firm and Low Litigation Risk Setting

ABSTRACT: We examine the issue of auditor independence in a unique setting. Specifically, we test for auditor independence impairment among (1) private client firms, for which the risk of auditor reputation loss is lower than for publicly traded firms, and (2) in a low litigation environment (i.e., Norway) that further reduces the expected costs to the auditor associated with independence impairment. We have thus chosen a setting that gives independence impairment its best chance of being detected if it exists. Using a large sample of private Norwegian firms, we analyze whether auditors who receive higher fees are less likely to issue modified opinions. Despite the low litigation risk and the reduced reputation risk, our empirical results provide no evidence that auditors compromise their independence through fee dependence. These results are robust to controlling for the expected portion of fees, to different sample specifications, to the use of both levels and changes specifications, and to a number of .
Pathogenicity of Yersinia pestis Synthesis of 1-Dephosphorylated Lipid A

ABSTRACT Synthesis of Escherichia coli LpxL, which transfers a secondary laurate chain to the 2′ position of lipid A, in Yersinia pestis produced bisphosphoryl hexa-acylated lipid A at 37°C, leading to significant attenuation of virulence. Our previous observations also indicated that strain χ10015(pCD1Ap) (ΔlpxP32::PlpxL lpxL) stimulated a strong inflammatory reaction but sickened mice before recovery and retained virulence via intranasal (i.n.) infection. The development of live, attenuated Y. pestis vaccines may be facilitated by detoxification of its lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Heterologous expression of the lipid A 1-phosphatase, LpxE, from Francisella tularensis in Y. pestis yields predominantly 1-dephosphorylated lipid A, as confirmed by mass spectrometry. Results indicated that expression of LpxE on top of LpxL provided no significant reduction in virulence of Y. pestis in mice when it was administered i.n. but actually reduced the 50% lethal dose (LD50) by 3 orders of magnitude when the strain was administered subcutaneously (s.c.). Additionally, LpxE synthesis in wild-type Y. pestis KIM6+(pCD1Ap) led to slight attenuation by s.c. inoculation but no virulence change by i.n. inoculation in mice. In contrast to Salmonella enterica, expression of LpxE does not attenuate the virulence of Y. pestis.
Economic analysis of maize production in Ogori / Magongo Local Government Area of Kogi State, Nigeria

The study assessed economic of maize production in Ogori/Magongo local government area of Kogi State. To this end, effort was made to examine the socio economic characteristics of the maize farmers, determine the resource use efficiency, problems as well as profitability of maize production in the area. To achieve the objectives of this study 48 maize farmers where randomly selected from 5 wards from the local government area, three wards from Ogori and two wards from Magongo. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, gross margin and multiple regression models. Results showed that 68.75% of farmers used hired labor, 93.75% personal savings and 70.83% used seed from previous harvest for their farm operations. Analysis revealed that farm size, fertilizer and seed were significant factors influencing output level. Estimated efficiency ratio (r) shows that resources where underutilized and the gross margin per hectare of land was N 35,370, implying that maize production is profitable in the study. The problems identified by maize farmers were inadequate capital (68.75%), lack of improved seed (52%) while (31%) of the farmers lacked fertilizer to increase production. [A. B. Mohammed et al. Economic Analysis of Maize Production in Ogori / Magongo Local Government Area of Kogi State, Nigeria. International Journal of Agricultural Science, Research and Technology, 2012; 2(3):111-115].
Enhancement of lipocalin-type prostaglandin D synthase enzyme activity by guanidine hydrochloride.

The characterization of unfolding of mouse recombinant lipocalin-type prostaglandin D synthase (L-PGDS) by guanidine hydrochloride (GdnHCl) was carried out. In the presence of low concentrations of GdnHCl (up to 0.75 M), enhancement of the enzyme activity was observed. However, above a 1 M concentration of GdnHCl, the enzyme activity was reduced in a concentration-dependent manner. The maximum enzyme activity induced by GdnHCl was approximately 1. 5-fold compared with the activity under physiological conditions without GdnHCl. The ellipticity in circular dichroism (CD) spectrum of the L-PGDS at 218 nm, reflecting the beta-sheet content, was decreased by GdnHCl (up to 0.75 M), and the minimum ellipticity was observed at 0.5 M GdnHCl. The fluorescence quenching of the intrinsic tryptophan of L-PGDS due to the binding of bilirubin in the presence or absence of GdnHCl was measured. The K(d) values obtained in the presence and absence of 0.5 M GdnHCl were 447 and 115 nM, respectively, indicating lower affinity of the L-PGDS for bilirubin with GdnHCl than without it. Further, an NMR study revealed that the reorganization of hydrogen-bond network in the L-PGDS was observed in the presence of 0.5 M GdnHCl. These results, taken together, indicate that the enzyme activity of L-PGDS is enhanced by the conformational change, especially by the change in the secondary structure.
On the relationship between the force JND and the stiffness JND in haptic perception

A large variation of the haptic Just Noticeable difference (JND) in stiffness is found in literature. But no underlying model that explains this variation was found, limiting the practical use of the stiffness JND in the evaluation work of control loading system (CLS). To this end, we investigated the cause of this variation from humans' strategy for stiffness discrimination, by two experiments in which a configurable manipulator was used to generate an elastic force proportional to its angular displacement (deflection). In a first experiment, the stiffness JND was measured for three stiffness levels, and an invariant Weber fraction was obtained. We found that for stiffness discrimination, subjects reproduced the same amount of the manipulator deflection and used the difference in the terminal forces as the indication of the stiffness difference. We demonstrated that the stiffness Weber fraction and the force Weber fraction could be related by a systematic bias in the deflection reproduction, which was caused by the difference in the manipulator stiffness. A second experiment with two conditions was done to verify this model. In one condition, we measured the stiffness JND while asking subjects to move the manipulator to a target angular displacement. Thus the bias in the deflection reproduction was eliminated, and this resulted a stiffness Weber fraction that equaled the force Weber fraction. In the other condition, the stiffness JND was measured without the deflection target, and a bias in deflection reproduction was again observed. This bias related the measurements for the two conditions by the formulation obtained from the first experiment. This suggests that the accuracy of reproducing the manipulator position for stiffness discrimination, which may be susceptible to experimental setting, can be used to explain the variation of stiffness JND in literature. Suggestions are given for CLS evaluation and applications requiring precise manipulator motion control.
Institutional Implications of Interactive Governance: Insights from Dutch Practice

Nowadays all kinds of processes of citizen involvement can be observed in practice. We label them as interactive governance in this article. Interactive governance brings with it new proto-institutions that can conflict with existing institutions of decision making. We analyze these institutional tensions in several Dutch local governments through comparative research. Our main conclusion is that there is a “missing institutional link” between the interactive process and the formal municipal decision-making process. Interactive governance needs better institutional embeddedness in order to prevent the interactive process from becoming meaningless and useless in formal decision making.
Mecanismos de transferência de conhecimento: uma comparação entre multinacionais tradicionais e emergentes

Este artigo discute o processo de transferencia de conhecimento da matriz para as subsidiarias praticado por multinacionais tradicionais (paises da triade composta por Europa, Estados Unidos e Japao) e emergentes (pais de origem Brasil). O objetivo e comparar os mecanismos de transferencia de conhecimento praticados por esses dois grupos. O metodo de pesquisa e quantitativo, por meio de duas survey, uma com 101 multinacionais tradicionais instaladas no Brasil, e outra com 65 subsidiarias de multinacionais brasileiras. Os resultados mostram que o mecanismo de maior destaque, utilizado por multinacionais tradicionais, para transferir o conhecimento da matriz para as subsidiarias sao as best practices (melhores praticas), enquanto para as multinacionais emergentes sao os expatriados. Como contribuicao, este estudo preenche uma lacuna relacionada com estudos acerca da transferencia de conhecimento em multinacionais emergentes.
Comparative mortality associated with ziprasidone and olanzapine in real-world use among 18,154 patients with schizophrenia: The Ziprasidone Observational Study of Cardiac Outcomes (ZODIAC).

OBJECTIVE The authors compared 1-year mortality rates associated with ziprasidone and olanzapine in real-world use. METHOD The Ziprasidone Observational Study of Cardiac Outcomes (ZODIAC) was an open-label, randomized, postmarketing large simple trial that enrolled patients with schizophrenia (N=18,154) in naturalistic practice in 18 countries. The primary outcome measure was nonsuicide mortality in the year after initiation of assigned treatment. Patients were randomly assigned to receive treatment with either ziprasidone or olanzapine and followed for 1 year by unblinded investigators providing usual care. A physician-administered questionnaire was used to collect baseline demographic information, medical and psychiatric history, and concomitant medication use. Follow-up information on hospitalizations and emergency department visits, patients' vital status, and current antipsychotic drug status was collected and reported by treating psychiatrists. Post hoc analyses of sudden death, a secondary endpoint, were also conducted. RESULTS The incidence of nonsuicide mortality within 1 year of initiating pharmacotherapy was 0.91 for ziprasidone (N=9,077) and 0.90 for olanzapine (N=9,077). The relative risk was 1.02 (95% CI=0.76-1.39). This finding was confirmed in numerous secondary and sensitivity analyses. CONCLUSIONS Despite the known risk of QTc prolongation with ziprasidone treatment, the findings of this study failed to show that ziprasidone is associated with an elevated risk of nonsuicidal mortality relative to olanzapine in real-world use; the study excludes a relative risk larger than 1.39 with a high probability. However, the study was neither powered nor designed to examine the risk of rare events like torsade de pointes.
Current dilemmas in overseas doctors’ training

International medical graduates (IMGs) are a remarkably successful professional group in the United Kingdom making up to 30% of the NHS work force. Their very success and media publicity about general practice and consultant shortages, has led to a large influx of inexperienced doctors seeking training opportunities in competitive specialties. In 2003 a record 15 549 doctors joined the medical register of which 9336 doctors were non-European Economic Area citizens. The number of candidates sitting PLAB part 1 and part 2 in 2003 rose by 267% and 283% respectively compared with 2001. Changes to Department of Health, Home Office, and deanery regulations with expansion of medical schools, implementation of European Working Time Directive, Modernising Medical Careers, and the future role of the Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Board, will have an important impact on IMGs’ training. Dissemination of realistic information about postgraduate training opportunities is important as the NHS for some time will continue to rely on IMGs.
The Psychological Process of Breast Cancer Patients Receiving Initial Chemotherapy: Rising From the Ashes

Background: In Taiwan, breast cancer is the most common cancer in women. Most breast cancer patients are willing to receive chemotherapy and experience adverse effects and suffering during the process of chemotherapy. Objectives: The aim of this study was to explore patients’ psychological process when receiving initial chemotherapy for breast cancer. Methods: A qualitative grounded theory approach was used. Data were collected through semistructured interviews of 20 patients who were from 1 district teaching hospital during 2012 to 2013. Results: A substantive theory was generated to describe the psychological process experienced by breast cancer patients in their initial treatment. The core category was “rising from the ashes. ” Four categories emerged and represented 4 stages of the psychological process experienced by breast cancer patients. They were (1) fear stage: patients are frightened about permanent separation from family, chemotherapy, and the disease getting worse; (2) hardship stage: patients experience physical suffering and mental torment; (3) adjustment stage: patients fight against the disease, find methods for adjustment, and get assistance from supporting systems; (4) relaxation stage: patients were released from both the physical and mental sufferings, and patients accepted the disease-related change in their lives. Conclusion: Each stage is closely related to the other stages, and each is likely to occur repeatedly. It is important to help patients achieve the relaxation stage. Implications for Practice: The results of this study may enhance nurses’ understanding of the psychological process of patients receiving initial chemotherapy for breast cancer, thereby helping nurses to provide appropriate assistance to improve the quality of patient care.
A Procedure for Target Market Selection in Tourism

Abstract The primary objective of this research was to evaluate the attractiveness of travel activity segments to assist with target market selection. Prior studies evaluating segment attractiveness have used ranking systems to determine the best markets. However, due to a lack of precision in these ranking procedures, they have not effectively reflected the degree to which one segment is more attractive than the others. This research attempted to provide more quantifiable and sophisticated evaluation criteria. Using mean expenditure, expenditure risk, segment size, and segment size risk as the evaluation criteria, the resulting segments were assessed and compared. Three risk-adjusted indexes were also introduced to simultaneously consider expenditure level, market segment size, market potential, and risk in the process of segment attractiveness evaluation. The target market selection procedure suggested should be helpful to marketers who are most concerned with the market and economic potential of available travel segments.
Variable unit costs in an output-regulated industry: The Fishery

Departing from general cost theory of the firm and bioeconomic theory of the fishery, this study contributes with an empirical examination of how variable unit costs in a Norwegian demersal and pelagic fishery depend on output and the fish stock. The identification of the separate effects that the two factors have on costs is not common in the literature. Three Norwegian fleets fishing Norwegian spring spawning herring (Clupea Harengus) and five Norwegian fleets fishing Northeast Arctic cod (Gadus Morhua) are evaluated. The findings indicate that variable unit costs fall in output in both fisheries. The results also show that variable unit costs fall in fish stock in the demersal fishery, but with a stock elasticity of variable unit costs in absolute terms significantly less than 1. These results are of relevance to a manager seeking the optimal harvest rule and to understand fishermen's incentives when individual vessel quotas are reduced.
Modeling the Diffusion of Strategies: An Application to Exporting

We examine whether the spread of an exporting strategy can be characterized as a diffusion process using a general framework that accounts for attrition and changes in the pool of potential adopters and allows the diffusion rate to vary according to firm and market characteristics. Our findings indicate that the diffusion of exporting is described well by the internal model of diffusion. Thus, this framework may be useful in modeling the spread of other strategies. The diffusion rate is found to be strongly related both to firm characteristics and to past adopter performance. Copyright 2009 The Author 2009. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Associazione ICC. All rights reserved. , Oxford University Press.
Dual‐sector further and higher education: policies, organisations and students in transition 1

Colleges and universities that provide both further and higher education are a key component of government policies to expand participation in English undergraduate education. The opportunities for access and progression made available by these organisations are regarded as central. At the same time, the division of further and higher education into sectors has implications for how ‘dual‐sector’ education is conceived and developed. Drawing on early evidence from policy interviews and fieldwork studies in four case study institutions, the influence of this division on national policy formation, organisational change and the student experience is discussed.
Zonadhesin Assembly into the Hamster Sperm Acrosomal Matrix Occurs by Distinct Targeting Strategies During Spermiogenesis and Maturation in the Epididymis1

Abstract Zonadhesin is the only sperm protein known to bind in a species-specific manner to the zona pellucida. The zonadhesin precursor is a mosaic protein with a predicted transmembrane segment and large extracellular region composed of cell adhesion, mucin, and tandem von Willebrand D domains. Because the precursor possesses a predicted transmembrane segment and localizes to the anterior head, the mature protein was presumed to be a sperm surface zona pellucida-binding protein. In this study of hamster spermatozoa, we demonstrate that zonadhesin does not localize to the sperm surface but is instead a constituent of the acrosomal matrix. Immunoelectron microscopy revealed that distinct targeting pathways during spermiogenesis and sperm maturation in the epididymis result in trafficking of zonadhesin to the acrosomal matrix. In round spermatids, zonadhesin localized specifically to the acrosomal membrane, where it appeared to be evenly distributed between the outer and inner membrane domains. Subsequent redistribution of zonadhesin resulted in its elimination from the inner acrosomal membrane and restriction to the outer acrosomal membrane of the apical and principal segments and the contents of the posterior acrosome. During sperm maturation in the epididymis, zonadhesin dissociated from the outer acrosomal membrane and became incorporated into the forming acrosomal matrix. These data suggest an important structural role for zonadhesin in assembly of the acrosomal matrix and further support the view that the species specificity of zona pellucida adhesion is mediated by egg-binding proteins contained within the acrosome rather than on the periacrosomal plasma membrane.