Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Enhancement of non-specific resistance to Pseudomonas pneumonia by a synthetic derivative of muramoyl dipeptide in immunosuppressed guinea pigs.

A synthetic derivative of muramoyl dipeptide, 6-O-stearoyl-N-acetylmuramoyl-L-alanyl-D-isoglutamine [L18-MDP(A)], showed a protective effect against bacteraemic and non-bacteraemic pneumonia caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa in immunosuppressed guinea pigs. In about half of the animals treated with the compound before infection, death from bacteraemic pneumonia produced by intratracheal inoculation of P. aeruginosa was delayed for 7 d, although all of the animals infected without prior treatment with the compound died within 4 d of infection. Multiplication of the organisms in the lung was also suppressed for at least 10 d by treatment with the compound when the animals inhaled an aerosol of P. aeruginosa. In contrast, in untreated animals the numbers of bacteria in the lung gradually increased from 10(6) to 10(9) c.f. u. g-1, and a few animals in which the organism increased to 10(9) c.f. u. g-1 had died by 6 and 10 d after infection. In both healthy and immunosuppressed animals, the accumulation of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) in a subcutaneous air-pouch injected with heat-killed organisms was augmented by subcutaneous treatment with L18-MDP(A) 1 d before bacterial injection. The phagocytic activity of peritoneal PMNs was also increased by treatment with this compound. The augmentation of protective mechanisms against pseudomonas pneumonia by L18-MDP(A) may be attributed at least partly to the increased chemotactic and phagocytic activity of PMNs.
Evolutionary oligopoly games with heterogeneous adaptive players

In this chapter, we analyze the properties of evolutionary switching models for oligopoly games, where boundedly rational agents can follow different behavioral rules (or heuristics) to update their production through repeated adaptive decisions. In particular, we focus on well-known heuristics such as best reply with naive expectations, local monopolistic approximation and gradient dynamics on marginal profits. These heuristics are characterized by the property that Nash equilibria are fixed points of the corresponding dynamic processes. The population of firms in the oligopoly is subdivided into fractions of adopters of the different heuristics. Firms are allowed to switch over time between different behavioral rules according to profit-driven evolutionary pressure. The chapter examines some specific examples of evolutionary systems. Coexistence of heterogeneous behaviors as well as oscillatory time patterns are obtained as possible outcomes of the proposed evolutionary models.
Mineral Metabolism during a Hemofiltration Session in Children

We studied the effects of one session of hemofiltration on the mineral metabolism in a group of uremic children. We observed an increase of calcemia, accompained by positive calcium balance, and a decrease of plasma phosphate and PTH-MM. No substantial loss of plasma 25-OH D was found. It is concluded that hemofiltration has a positive effect on calcemia and is very effective in removing phosphate, but it acts only temporarily on PTH removal. An adequate calcium concentration must be provided in the substitution fluid.
Ligand Binding to Inhibitory Killer Cell Ig-Like Receptors Induce Colocalization with Src Homology Domain 2-Containing Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase 1 and Interruption of Ongoing Activation Signals1

Interaction of NK cells with target cells leads to formation of an immunological synapse (IS) at the contact site. NK cells form two distinctly different IS, the inhibitory NK cell IS (NKIS) and the cytolytic NKIS. Cognate ligand binding is sufficient to induce clustering of inhibitory killer cell Ig-like receptors (KIR) and phosphorylation of both the receptor and the phosphatase Src homology domain 2-containing protein tyrosine phosphatase 1 (SHP-1). Recruitment and activation of SHP-1 by a signaling competent inhibitory receptor are essential early events for NK cell inhibition. We have in the present study used three-dimensional immunofluorescence microscopy to analyze distribution of inhibitory KIR, SHP-1, LFA-1, and lipid rafts within the NKIS during cytolytic and noncytolytic interactions. NK clones retrovirally transduced with the inhibitory KIR2DL3 gene fused to GFP demonstrate colocalization of KIR2DL3 with SHP-1 in the center of early inhibitory NKIS. Ligand binding translocates the receptor to the center of the IS where activation signals are accumulating and provides a docking site for SHP-1. SHP-1 and rafts cluster in the center of early inhibitory NKIS and late cytolytic NKIS, and whereas rafts continue to increase in size in cytolytic conjugates, they are rapidly dissolved in inhibitory conjugates. Furthermore, rafts are essential only for cytolytic, not for inhibitory, outcome. These results indicate that the outcome of NK cell-target cell interactions is dictated by early quantitative differences in cumulative activating and inhibitory signals.
BAYESIAN LEARNING FOR THE MARKOWITZ PORTFOLIO SELECTION PROBLEM

We study the Markowitz portfolio selection problem with unknown drift vector in the multi-dimensional framework. The prior belief on the uncertain expected rate of return is modeled by an arbitrary probability law, and a Bayesian approach from filtering theory is used to learn the posterior distribution about the drift given the observed market data of the assets. The Bayesian Markowitz problem is then embedded into an auxiliary standard control problem that we characterize by a dynamic programming method and prove the existence and uniqueness of a smooth solution to the related semi-linear partial differential equation (PDE). The optimal Markowitz portfolio strategy is explicitly computed in the case of a Gaussian prior distribution. Finally, we measure the quantitative impact of learning, updating the strategy from observed data, compared to nonlearning, using a constant drift in an uncertain context, and analyze the sensitivity of the value of information with respect to various relevant parameters of our model.
It's education, not gender: A research note on the determinants of an anchoring bias in experimental WTA elicitations

We study anchoring in an experiment with non-standard participants and find evidence that the influence of the anchor value differs by individual characteristics. Participants with lower levels of education and less labor market experience show a significantly larger anchoring bias in their wage demands for a work task. Gender differences in anchoring are due to gender-specific education and employment patterns -contributing a further channel to a persistent gender pay gap.
Organizational public value and employee life satisfaction: the mediating roles of work engagement and organizational citizenship behavior

Abstract Building on Meynhardt’s public value concept, which has been developed to make transparent an organization’s contributions to the common good, we investigate the influence of organizational common good practices in the perceptions of employees (measured as public value) on employees’ work attitudes and life satisfaction. The proposed model is tested on a sample of 1045 Swiss employees taken from the 2015 Swiss Public Value Atlas data-set. Study findings reveal that organizational public value is positively related to employee life satisfaction, and that this relationship is partially mediated by work engagement and organizational citizenship behavior. Further, we show that employee common good orientations strengthen the positive impact of organizational public value on employee work engagement and organizational citizenship behavior. Results also provide evidence that the indirect effects of organizational public value on employee life satisfaction via work engagement and organizational citizenship behavior are stronger at higher employee common good orientation levels.
DEVELOPING LEADERSHIP CAPACITY TO IMPROVE STUDENT LEARNING

Many research studies are examining the link between school leadership and improved student learning. This article describes a collaboration in which university professors in educational leadership and administrators in a public school district have taken the challenge of developing leadership capacity to pursue deep implementation of a professional learning community, which will cultivate high levels of success for all students. We use the Learning Community Culture Indicator, or LCCI, to monitor the effectiveness of leadership training in supporting a high-functioning professional learning community in each school within the district. In this article, we share student achievement and LCCI results after our first 18 months of training, and make recommendations for ongoing leadership development.
Increased activation of the combination of 3'-azido-3'-deoxythymidine and 2'-deoxy-3'-thiacytidine in the presence of hydroxyurea

The intracellular phosphorylation of 3'-azido-3'-deoxythymidine and 2'-deoxy-3'-thiacytidine was increased two- to threefold by the addition of hydroxyurea (HU) to the single drugs or to the two drugs in combination. The ratios of drug triphosphate to competing cellular deoxynucleoside triphosphate were increased two- to threefold for both 3'-azido-3'-deoxythymidine and 2'-deoxy-3'-thiacytidine in the presence of HU. These HU-induced increases in 3'-azido-3'-deoxythymidine and 2'-deoxy-3'-thiacytidine metabolism may further enhance the anti-human immunodeficiency virus activity of these two drugs.
A mechanism of hyperthermia‐induced apoptosis in ras‐transformed lung cells

Lung cancer, the leading cause of cancer‐related deaths in both men and women, is the consequence of disordered apoptosis, induction of which may have therapeutic utility. Hyperthermia has been identified as a stimulus for apoptosis. We investigated the mechanism of hyperthermia‐induced cell death in ras‐transformed lung cells. Effect of hyperthermia (43°C for 180 min) was compared between two cell lines, an immortalized (sv‐40) normal human bronchial epithelial (BEAS2‐B) and its malignant transformed (H‐ras transfected) counterpart (BZR‐T33). Survival after hyperthermia: 7‐d growth culture BEAS2‐B, 1.03 ± 0.007 and BZR‐T33, 0.39 ± 0.008 (P < 0.05); clonogenic assays BEAS2‐B, 0.76 ± 0.003 and BZR‐T33, 0.41 ± 0.004 (P < 0.05). Hoechst positive (apoptotic) cells: BEAS2‐B, 11 ± 3% and BZR‐T33, 78 ± 5% (P < 0.05). TUNEL, DNA fragmentation, and Annexin‐V all corroborate this result. Western blot comparing the effect of hyperthermia in BZR‐T33 cells to BEAS2‐B cells revealed: TRAIL and FAS‐L displayed significant increases (threefold and twofold, respectively); caspase‐3 showed a decrease in uncleaved form and an increase in cleaved form, and a 50‐fold increase in activity effectively blocked with the caspase‐3 inhibitor DEVD‐fmk; caspase‐9 showed near depletion of uncleaved; poly (ADP‐ribose) polymerase (PARP) degradation was clearly visible during heating. After hyperthermia, gene expression demonstrates a 5.7‐fold increase in TRAIL and insignificant changes in tumor necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α), FAS‐L, and caspases 3, 8, 9 in transformed cells. Data demonstrated that hyperthermia induces apoptosis in transformed cells, and that apoptosis is mediated by caspase‐3 as a result of activation of cell‐death membrane receptors of the tumor‐necrosis‐factor family. In summary, these data suggest that hyperthermia could become an additional modality in the multidisciplinary approach to the treatment of lung cancer. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Do Political Institutions Affect Housing Prices in Malaysia?

This paper examines the relationship between housing price and political institutions. Political institutions is captured by elections, the role of elected government and their ramifications, and economic governance. Furthermore, the outcome of political choice on the economy is capture via economic freedom. Data ranges from 1988 to 2015. The choice of variable and time frame is highly restricted to availability of data. The effect of political institution on housing prices is examined using the ARDL bounds testing to test for both short and long run effects. Results show that elections have important effects on housing prices where prior to elections the effect is positive and negative after elections. Based on the results we recommend a strong and balance democratic regime to ensure a more stable housing prices. Strong political will is expected to curb excessive increase in housing prices in the long run.
Cost-effectiveness of Interferon-γ Release Assay Screening for Latent Tuberculosis Infection Treatment in Germany

Objectives To assess the cost-effectiveness of the new QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube (QFT-G) [Cellestis; Carnegie, VIC, Australia] assay for screening and treating of persons who have had close contact with tuberculosis (TB) patients and are suspected of having latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) [hereafter called close-contacts ] in Germany. Methods The health and economic outcomes of isoniazid treatment of 20-year-old close-contacts were compared in a Markov model over a period of 20 years, using two different cutoff values for the tuberculin skin test (TST), the QFT-G assay alone, or the QFT-G assay as a confirmatory test for the TST results. Results QFT-G assay-based treatment led to cost savings of $542.9 and 3.8 life-days gained per LTBI case. TST-based treatment at a 10-mm induration size cutoff gained $177.4 and 2.0 life-days gained per test-positive contact. When the cutoff induration size for the TST was reduced to 5 mm, the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio fell below the willingness-to-pay threshold ($30,170 per life-years gained) but resulted in unnecessary treatment of 77% of contacts owing to false-positive TST results. Combination with the 5-mm induration size TST cutoff value compared to the results of the QFT-G assay alone reduced the total costs per 1,000 contacts by 1.8% to $222,869. The number treated to prevent 1 TB case was 22 for the two QFT-G assay-based procedures, 40 for the TST at a cutoff induration size of 10 mm, and 96 for the TST at a cutoff induration size of 5 mm. When the sensitivity rates of the TST and the QFT-G assay were compounded, the QFT-G assay strategy alone was slightly less costly (0.6%) than the two-step approach. Conclusions Using the QFT-G assay, but especially combining the QFT-G assay following the TST screening of close-contacts at a cutoff induration size of 5 mm before LTBI treatment is highly cost-effective in reducing the disease burden of TB.
Physical activity interventions for people with mental illness: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE To determine effects of physical activity on depressive symptoms (primary objective), symptoms of schizophrenia, anthropometric measures, aerobic capacity, and quality of life (secondary objectives) in people with mental illness and explore between-study heterogeneity. DATA SOURCES MEDLINE, Cochrane Controlled Trials Register, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Embase, and the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) were searched from earliest record to 2013. STUDY SELECTION Randomized controlled trials of adults with a DSM-IV-TR, ICD-10, or clinician-confirmed diagnosis of a mental illness other than dysthymia or eating disorders were selected. Interventions included exercise programs, exercise counseling, lifestyle interventions, tai chi, or physical yoga. Study methodological quality and intervention compliance with American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) guidelines were also assessed. DATA EXTRACTION AND ANALYSIS Two investigators extracted data. Data were pooled using random-effects meta-analysis. Meta-regression was used to examine sources of between-study heterogeneity. RESULTS Thirty-nine eligible trials were identified. The primary meta-analysis found a large effect of physical activity on depressive symptoms (n = 20; standardized mean difference (SMD) = 0.80). The effect size in trial interventions that met ACSM guidelines for aerobic exercise did not differ significantly from those that did not meet these guidelines. The effect for trials with higher methodological quality was smaller than that observed for trials with lower methodological quality (SMD = 0.39 vs 1.35); however, the difference was not statistically significant. A large effect was found for schizophrenia symptoms (SMD = 1.0), a small effect was found for anthropometry (SMD = 0.24), and moderate effects were found for aerobic capacity (SMD = 0.63) and quality of life (SMD = 0.64). CONCLUSIONS Physical activity reduced depressive symptoms in people with mental illness. Larger effects were seen in studies of poorer methodological quality. Physical activity reduced symptoms of schizophrenia and improved anthropometric measures, aerobic capacity, and quality of life among people with mental illness. TRIAL REGISTRATION PROSPERO registration #CRD42012002012.
A randomized controlled trial of acupuncture for initiation of labor in nulliparous women

Objective. To evaluate the utility of outpatient acupuncture for labor stimulation. Methods. Nulliparous women at 39 4/7 weeks or greater with a singleton gestation and Bishop score of less than 7 were randomized to usual medical care (control group) versus usual care and three outpatient acupuncture treatments (acupuncture group). Each treatment consisted of eight needles applied to bilateral points LI4, SP6, UB31, and UB32. The primary outcome was time elapsed from the time of randomization to delivery. Secondary outcomes included rates of cesarean section and induction of labor. Medical records were abstracted for maternal demographic, medical, and delivery outcome data. A priori sample size calculation revealed that 56 women were required to detect a 72-hour difference in delivery time with a power of 83% and an alpha of 0.05. Student's t-test, Chi-square, and Kaplan–Meier statistics were used to compare groups. Results. Fifty-six women were randomized and completed the study procedures. Race, age, gestational age, and cervical Bishop score were similar in both groups. Mean time to delivery occurred 21 hours sooner in the acupuncture group, but this difference did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.36). Compared to controls, women in the acupuncture group tended to be more likely to labor spontaneously (70% vs. 50%, p = 0.12) and less likely to deliver by cesarean section (39% vs. 17%, p = 0.07). Of women who were not induced, those in the acupuncture group were more likely to be delivered than the controls at any point after enrollment (p = 0.05). Conclusion. Acupuncture is well tolerated among term nulliparous women and holds promise in reducing interventions that occur in post-term pregnancies.
Valuing Visual Accessibility of Scenic Landscapes in a Single Family Housing Market: A Spatial Hedonic Approach

This article uses a hedonic modelling approach to assess the effect of visual accessibility of scenic lands on housing price. It estimates households’ implicit willingness to pay for the visual accessibility of privately owned voluntarily protected scenic lands in a single family housing market. These lands are protected in perpetuity for natural, historic, and scenic characteristics. The premium price effect was captured using the visual accessibility variable, a combined weighted measure of visibility and proximity. This is named as Gravity Inspired Visibility Index (GIVI). A comprehensive review of eight environmental amenity from multidisciplinary sources provides basis on significance of ‘proximity’ and ‘view. ’ A detailed methodology on developing spatial interaction variable using 3D GIS and viewshed1 technology is provided. This variable was used to estimate the capitalized premium from the preserved lands. Both global (adjusted R2= 0.52, AICc= 29828) and geographically weighted regression (GWR) models (adjusted R2= 0.59, AICc= 29729) estimated the marginal price effect. The results indicate an average 3.4% price premium on mean home value from the GWR model. The article offers a useful framework for evaluating effects of land protection for planning and real estate scholars. It also offers useful insight to conservation agencies, local governments, professional planners, and real estate professionals for prioritizing land sites with scenic views and for property development.
Differentiated thyroid cancer in a Swedish county – long-term results and quality of life

Abstract Background. There is still no complete agreement about the proper treatment of differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC). Material and methods. All patients (n=130) with DTC in a defined population, treated with surgery between 1985 and 1999, were carefully followed up (median 13.1 years). Fifty three were operated with subtotal and 77 with total thyroidectomy. Twenty seven percent of the patients in the subtotal group and 56% of those in the total thyroidectomy group had postoperative radioiodine ablation. Thirty nine patients had papillary cancers incidentally detected during surgery for benign disorders (median size 7 (1–30) mm). Living patients answered the Swedish version of the SF-36 health survey. Results. Eleven of 106 patients considered tumour-free after primary surgery developed recurrences during follow-up. Fifteen patients (12%) died from DTC but only one within stage I–II (1.2%). No patient below 50 years of age at diagnosis died from DTC. Only three of 29 patients with isolated loco-regional spreading of their disease at the time of diagnosis have died from thyroid cancer. There was no statistically significant difference in the 10 year cancer-specific survival rate between those operated with subtotal or total thyroidectomy – irrespective of stage. Survival rate was significantly better for papillary than for follicular cancer. Mental and physical quality of life among patients treated for DTC were similar to the healthy Swedish population. Conclusions. Patients with DTC stage I–II (according to TNM) or low-risk (according to AMES) have an excellent prognosis. Treatment as well as follow-up should not be exaggerated.
Cucurmin, anticancer, & antitumor perspectives: A comprehensive review

ABSTRACT Cucurmin, a naturally yellow component isolated from turmeric, ability to prevent various life-style related disorders. The current review article mainly emphasizes on different anticancer perspectives of cucurmin, i.e., colon, cervical, uterine, ovarian, prostate head and neck, breast, pulmonary, stomach and gastric, pancreatic, bladder oral, oesophageal, and bone cancer. It holds a mixture of strong bioactive molecule known as cucurminoids that has ability to reduce cancer/tumor at initial, promotion and progression stages of tumor development. In particular, these compounds block several enzymes required for the growth of tumors and may therefore involve in tumor treatments. Moreover, it modulates an array of cellular progressions, i.e., nitric oxide synthetase activity, protein kinase C activity, epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor intrinsic kinase activity, nuclear factor kappa (NF-kB) activity, inhibiting lipid peroxidation and production of reactive oxygen species. However, current manuscript summarizes most of the recent investigations of cucurmin but still further research should be conducted to explore the role of curcumin to mitigate various cancers.
Contentious dialogue: University presidential response and the 2016 U.S. presidential election

ABSTRACT In recent years, technology has made it possible, and at times critical, for college and university presidents to increase their campus-wide public communication. However, there is little research that analyses these frequent and timely presidential communications. Using grounded theory, this study took steps to fill this gap by analysing the unprecedented response campuses had to the 2016 United States presidential election of Donald Trump. The analysis focused on the responses of presidents from the fifty state flagship universities and found emergent themes of unity, contentious election, negative event, university values, civil dialogue, services offered, and emotional rhetoric, while also finding significance in whether the letters were sent proactively or reactively.