Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An activation-dependent, T-lymphocyte-specific transcriptional activator in the mouse mammary tumor virus env gene

Transcription of the complete mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) proviral genome in mouse cells is controlled by a strong promoter in its long terminal repeat. In the mouse T lymphoma EL4, there is a second, activation-dependent transcriptional initiation site within the envelope (env) gene, from which a short mRNA is generated, encoding the open reading frame of the long terminal repeat. We now report the isolation of a segment of the MMTV env gene (called META, for MMTV env transcriptional activator) which has the expected transcription-activating properties seen in EL4.E1 cells. Namely, it induces activation-dependent, T-lymphocyte-specific transcription of a chloramphenicol acetyltransferase reporter gene. It is active in mouse or human T-helper lymphocyte lines when they are stimulated to transcribe lymphokine genes but is inactive in unstimulated T-helper cells, fibroblasts, a cytotoxic T-lymphocyte line, and a mastocytoma cell line. Its activity is inhibited by cyclosporin A, a specific inhibitor of lymphokine transcription. Several forms of the META have been isolated from EL4.E1 cells, a mouse T-helper cell hybridoma, and from BALB/c spleen cells. Linked to the heterologous thymidine kinase promoter, a 400-bp portion of it is an inducible, orientation-independent, and cyclosporin A-sensitive transcriptional activator in T-helper cells.
Saving lives with high-flow nasal oxygen.

First reported in 1890,1 therapy with oxygen constitutes one of the fundamental advances in clinical medicine. It is an essential treatment for acute and chronic respiratory failure, a supportive therapy for general anesthesia and most surgical procedures, and an adjunctive treatment for patients with shock from sepsis, trauma, or cardiac failure. For spontaneously breathing patients with acute respiratory failure, various methods for providing supplemental oxygen have been studied. Noninvasive positive-pressure ventilation with a tight-fitting face mask reduces morbidity and mortality among selected patients with acute respiratory failure caused by an exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.2,3 Noninvasive ventilation also .
Assessing a methodology's project risk management competence

Many organisations do not perform risk management in their systems development projects; hence many projects tend to be like uninsured assets. Since the massive increase in computer programs, supply and maintenance of information systems has remained a problem. The maintenance problems of these large systems were mainly due to the informal structure which was followed in the development of the applications. Systems development methodologies were therefore authored to deal with these fears or risks. It has thus been a general assumption that methodologies take care of risks in a project and generally improve the effectiveness of the products. This article presents a technique for analysing what components of a systems development methodology address what type of risks. Using this technique it is possible to determine how well a methodology addresses certain risks and therefore results in better decisions about what methodologies would be suitable for your project.
Minimization of energy in quasistatic manipulation

Quasistatic mechanical systems, in which mass or acceleration is sufficiently small for the inertial term ma in F=ma to be negligible compared to dissipative forces, are discussed. It is pointed out that many instances of robotic manipulation can be well approximated as quasistatic systems, with the dissipative force being dry friction. Energetic formulations of Newton's laws have often been found useful in the solution of mechanics problems involving multiple constraints. An intuitive minimum power principle is outlined which states that a system chooses at every instant the lowest-energy, or 'easiest', motion in conformity with the constraints. Surprisingly, the principle is in general false; but it is proved that the principle is correct in the useful special case that Coulomb friction is the only dissipative or velocity-dependent force acting in the system. <<ETX>>
The X-Ray Reflectors in the Nucleus of the Seyfert Galaxy NGC 1068

Based on observations of the Seyfert nucleus in NGC 1068 with ASCA, RXTE, and BeppoSAX, we report the discovery of a flare (increase in flux by a factor of ~1.6) in the 6.7 keV Fe K line component between observations obtained 4 months apart, with no significant change in the other (6.21, 6.4, and 6.97 keV) Fe Kα line components. During this time, the continuum flux decreased by ~20%. The RXTE spectrum requires an Fe K absorption edge near 8.6 keV (Fe XXIII-XXV). The spectral data indicate that the 2-10 keV continuum emission is dominated (~ of the luminosity) by reflection from a previously unidentified region of warm, ionized gas located ≲0.2 pc from the AGN. The remaining ~ of the observed X-ray emission is reflected from optically thick, neutral gas. The coronal gas in the inner narrow-line region and/or the cold gas at the inner surface of the obscuring "torus" are possible cold reflectors. The inferred properties of the warm reflector are size (diameter) ≲0.2 pc, gas density n ≳ 105.5 cm-3, ionization parameter ξ ≈ 103.5 ergs cm s-1, and covering fraction 0.003(L0/1043.5 ergs s-1)-1 < (Ω/4π) < 0.024(L0/1043.5 ergs s-1)-1, where L0 is the intrinsic 2-10 keV X-ray luminosity of the AGN. We suggest that the warm reflector gas is the source of the (variable) 6.7 keV Fe line emission and the 6.97 keV Fe line emission. The 6.7 keV line flare is assumed to be due to an increase in the emissivity of the warm reflector gas from a decrease (by 20%-30%) in L0. The properties of the warm reflector are most consistent with an intrinsically X-ray-weak AGN with L0 ≈ 1043.0 ergs s-1. The optical and UV emission that scatters from the warm reflector into our line of sight is required to suffer strong extinction, which can be reconciled if the line of sight skims the outer surface of the torus. Thermal bremsstrahlung radio emission from the warm reflector may be detectable in Very Long Baseline Array radio maps of the NGC 1068 nucleus.
Micromechanical membrane switches for microwave applications

This paper proposes the fabrication of low-cost, low-loss microwave switches using thin metal membranes actuated by electrostatic fields. Measurement of switch test structures and modeling indicates that these devices have a potential 1000 to 2000-GHz figure-of-merit. Various aspects of fabrication, design, performance, and application of these devices are discussed. <<ETX>>
Health care experiences of Indigenous people living with type 2 diabetes in Canada

BACKGROUND: Indigenous social determinants of health, including the ongoing impacts of colonization, contribute to increased rates of chronic disease and a health equity gap for Indigenous people. We sought to examine the health care experiences of Indigenous people with type 2 diabetes to understand how such determinants are embodied and enacted during clinical encounters. METHODS: Sequential focus groups and interviews were conducted in 5 Indigenous communities. Focus groups occurred over 5 sessions at 4 sites; 3 participants were interviewed at a 5th site. Participants self-identified as Indigenous, were more than 18 years of age, lived with type 2 diabetes, had received care from the same physician for the previous 12 months and spoke English. We used a phenomenological thematic analysis framework to categorize diabetes experiences. RESULTS: Patient experiences clustered into 4 themes: the colonial legacy of health care; the perpetuation of inequalities; structural barriers to care; and the role of the health care relationship in mitigating harm. There was consistency across the diverse sites concerning the root causes of mistrust of health care systems. INTERPRETATION: Patients’ interactions and engagement with diabetes care were influenced by personal and collective historical experiences with health care providers and contemporary exposures to culturally unsafe health care. These experiences led to nondisclosure during health care interactions. Our findings show that health care relationships are central to addressing the ongoing colonial dynamics in Indigenous health care and have a role in mitigating past harms.
Pregnancy outcomes after metformin treatment for gestational diabetes: a case-control study

Background There is increasing evidence that metformin is safe and effective in the treatment of gestational diabetes (GDM), although it has not yet been widely accepted for routine practice. We compared pregnancy outcomes in women with gestational GDM treated with metformin or dietary measures alone. Methods Women with GDM (324) not adequately controlled by diet received metformin according to protocol based on their home glucose results. Pregnancy outcomes in these women were compared with 175 GDM women treated with diet alone and matched for age and ethnicity. Results The percentage of macrosomic babies (birth weight [BW] centile >90th centile) and small for gestational age (SGA) (BW <10th centile) in the metformin group was significantly reduced compared with the diet group (12.7% versus 20%; P < 0.05 [macrosomia]; 7.7% versus 14.3% [SGA] P < 0.05). Conclusions Metformin treatment had a favourable impact on the rates of macrosomia and SGA despite more severe glucose intolerance at baseline.
Central nervous system sarcoidosis: follow-up at MR imaging during steroid therapy.

PURPOSE To document the changes observed at sequential magnetic resonance (MR) imaging of sarcoidosis lesions of the central nervous system (CNS) during treatment with corticosteroids. MATERIALS AND METHODS The abnormalities detected in 24 patients (mean follow-up, 36 months) were compared before and after therapeutic periods (n = 75) that were divided into attack (high-dose), upkeep (decreased-dose), and minimal (low-dose) periods. Parenchymal lesions were classified as type 1 (enhanced with gadolinium), type 2 (demyelinating), or type 3 (lacunar) and were assessed as regressing, stable, or progressing. RESULTS Seven of the 24 patients had several types of lesions. Isolated type 3 lesions (six patients) were the only lesions not associated with neurologic deficit. Type 1 lesions (13 patients) regressed in 22 of 22 attack periods and progressed in nine of 27 upkeep and minimal periods. MR imaging depicted relapses in patients with multifocal CNS involvement or long-standing CNS impairment or in those who had previously received steroid therapy. Type 2 (seven patients) and type 3 (13 patients) lesions remained stable in 68 of 68 therapeutic periods. Type 1 lesions appeared in three patients with type 2 and type 3 lesions during two upkeep and three minimal periods. Findings at follow-up MR imaging contributed to the reintroduction of high-dose corticosteroid therapy in eight patients. CONCLUSION MR imaging can be used to differentiate between reversible and irreversible lesions in CNS sarcoidosis. MR imaging can be a useful tool for adjusting treatment to prevent irreversible CNS damage.
Firm Quality and the Placement Price of Private Equity

In this article we argue the price per share at which private equity is sold relative to current market price conveys important information to the stock market regarding firm quality. The information content of the placement price may be especially important in markets where there are no specific regulations governing either the placement price or the on-market resale of the new shares. New Zealand's laissez-faire attitude towards market regulations during the later part of the 20th century makes an ideal laboratory to explore this proposition. In particular, there is a strong link between placement price relative to current market price and the announcement reaction to new private equity offerings. Further, the size of the discount to current market price is strongly related to proxies for the quality of the firm's future prospects and risk.
Capsaicin-induced metabolic and cardiovascular autonomic improvement in an animal model of the metabolic syndrome

The metabolic syndrome (MetS) is associated with an increased risk of cardiac mortality, as it is characterised by the clustering of multiple cardiovascular risk factors. Studies have shown that capsaicin (red pepper) may be useful as a nutraceutical, ameliorating metabolic profile and cardiovascular function. The aim of the present study was to investigate the cardiovascular and metabolic effects of orally administered capsaicin in rats with the MetS. Neonate spontaneously hypertensive rats were injected with monosodium glutamate and subjected to one of the following three treatments by oral administration for 14 d, between 27 and 30 weeks: low-dose capsaicin (CAP05, n 18, synthetic capsaicin powder diluted in a vehicle (10 % ethyl alcohol) plus 0·5 mg/kg body weight (BW) of capsaicin); high-dose capsaicin (CAP1, n 19, synthetic capsaicin powder diluted in a vehicle (10 % ethyl alcohol) plus 1 mg/kg BW of capsaicin); control (C, n 18, vehicle). Lee's index, lipid/metabolic profile, and cardiovascular parameters with the rats being conscious, including arterial pressure (AP) and heart rate (HR) variability, as well as aortic wall thickness (haematoxylin and eosin staining) and CD68 (cluster of differentiation 68) antibody levels (monocyte/macrophage immunostaining) were evaluated. Weight, Lee's index, and lipid and metabolic parameters, as well as AP and HR and aortic wall thickness, were similar between the groups. Capsaicin determined HR variability improvement (16·0 (sem 9·0), 31·0 (sem 28·2) and 31·3 (sem 19·0) ms2 for the C, CAP05 and CAP1 groups, respectively, P= 0·003), increased vascular sympathetic drive (low-frequency component of systolic AP variability: 3·3 (sem 2·8), 8·2 (sem 7·7) and 12·1 (sem 8·8) mmHg2 for the C, CAP05 and CAP1 groups, respectively, P< 0·001) and increased α-index (spontaneous baroreflex sensitivity). The present data show that capsaicin did not improve lipid and glucose abnormalities in rats with the MetS. However, beneficial cardiovascular effects were observed with this nutraceutical.
Autobiographical memory deficits in schizophrenia

This study investigated autobiographical memory processes in a group of individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia and matched controls. The schizophrenia group displayed an overgeneral style of autobiographical memory retrieval on two widely used measures, and displayed problems retrieving both autobiographical facts and events. They showed a specific impairment in the recall of autobiographical events and facts in early adulthood, around the time of onset of their illness. Retrieval deficits were independent of mood state and premorbid intellectual functioning. The magnitude of the deficits in autobiographical memory retrieval specificity were considerably greater than any general impairments in episodic and working memory.
Advanced corporate finance : policies and strategies

I. CORPORATE FINANCE: THEORY AND EVIDENCE. 1. Empirical Perspectives on The Financial Characteristics of Publicly Traded U.S. Nonfinancial Firms. 2. Valuation and Financing Decisions in an Ideal Capital Market. 3. Separation of Ownership and Control, Principal-Agent Conflicts, and Financial Policies. 4. Information Asymmetry and the Markets for Corporate Securities. 5. The Roles of Government, Securities Markets, Financial Institutions, Ownership Structure, Board Oversight, and Contract Devices. 6. The Leverage Decision. II. ANALYSES OF THE FIRM AND THE VALUATION OF EQUITY AND DEBT. 7. Industry Analysis and Financial Policies and Strategies. 8. The Firm's Environment, Governance, Strategy, Operations, and Financial Structure. 9. Market Efficiency, Event Studies, Cost of Equity Capital, and Equity Valuation. 10. Corporate Bonds: Terms, Issuance, and Valuation. III. MANAGING EQUITY AND DEBT. 11. Private Equity and Venture Capital. 12. Initial Public Offerings of Stock. 13. Managing Internal Equity and Seasoned Equity Offerings. 14. Dividend Policy and Stock Repurchases. 15. Corporate Liabilities: Strategic Selections of Lenders and Contract Terms. IV. THE MARKETS FOR CORPORATE CONTROL. 16. Mergers, Acquisitions, Takeovers, and Buyouts. 17. Financial Distress and Restructuring. 18. Debt Restructuring, Being Acquired, Bankruptcy, Reorganization, and Liquidation. V. ORGANIZATIONAL ARCHITECTURE, RISK MANAGEMENT, AND SECURITY DESIGN. 19. Organizational Architecture, Risk Management, and Security Design. Selected Solutions. Index.
Financial literacy and portfolio diversification: an observation from the Tunisian stock market

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to focus on the lack of financial literacy as one probable factor explaining the low levels of portfolio diversification. The authors consider distinct aspects of financial literacy and control for socioeconomic and behavioral differences among individual groups of investors. Design/methodology/approach – The proposed models in this paper use multivariate analysis to examine the relationship between financial literacy and portfolio diversification. Investors’ biases have been measured by means of a questionnaire comprising several items, including indicators of investors’ portfolio fragmentation, financial literacy and socio economic variables. The sample consists of 256 small investors actively trading on the Tunisian stock market. Findings – The results suggest that investors’ experience, financial literacy level, age, their use of the availability heuristic, familiarity bias and portfolio size, have a significant impact on the diversity of assets included their po.
Adverse Drug Reactions in Pediatric Emergency Medicine

Background: The pediatric population displays its own pharmacological characteristics, making children vulnerable to adverse drug reactions (ADRs). Objective: To determine the incidence of ADRs among the pediatric emergency department (PED) population. Methods: This is a descriptive, noncontrolled, prospective, and single-center study, during 4 consecutive months in the PED of Nantes University Hospital. Results: Setting up active gathering of data on ADRs enabled 121 reports of 11 095 consultations at the emergency department, which corresponds to an ADR incidence of 1.09%. Digestive and cutaneous reactions made up the majority of reactions judged as being nonserious (53%) and were mainly found in children between 2 -11 years old. Of the serious ADRs, 25% were found in the 12-15-year-old age range because of the drug overdose. The main medications administered, which were responsible for the majority of the ADRs, were an equimolar mix of oxygen and nitrogen monoxide, amoxicillin, and acetaminophen. Three means of collecting data were possible: collecting files data, oral communication, or filling a form, the last being the most used method. Conclusions: This active data gathering shows the incidence and nature of the adverse effects as well as the age distribution in the PED population. It highlights the considerable misuse of medications among young teenagers and the high incidence of overmedication in the younger age group. This work also revealed the need for a better reporting system. Future joint studies should be carried out between clinical and pharmacological departments to optimize communication and the correct use of medications in children.
Full Development of Tarski's Geometry of Solids

Abstract In this paper we give probably an exhaustive analysis of the geometry of solids which was sketched by Tarski in his short paper [20, 21]. We show that in order to prove theorems stated in [20, 21] one must enrich Tarski's theory with a new postulate asserting that the universe of discourse of the geometry of solids coincides with arbitrary mereological sums of balls, i.e., with solids. We show that once having adopted such a solution Tarski's Postulate 4 can be omitted, together with its versions 4′ and 4″. We also prove that the equivalence of postulates 4, 4′ and 4″ is not provable in any theory whose domain contains objects other than solids. Moreover, we show that the concentricity relation as defined by Tarski must be transitive in the largest class of structures satisfying Tarski's axioms. We build a model (in three-dimensional Euclidean space) of the theory of so called T*-structures and present the proof of the fact that this is the only (up to isomorphism) model of this theory. Moreover, we propose different categorical axiomatizations of the geometry of solids. In the final part of the paper we answer the question concerning the logical status (within the theory of T*-structures) of the definition of the concentricity relation given by Tarski.
Evaluating Multispectral Images and Vegetation Indices for Precision Farming Applications from UAV Images

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV)-based remote sensing offers great possibilities to acquire in a fast and easy way field data for precision agriculture applications. This field of study is rapidly increasing due to the benefits and advantages for farm resources management, particularly for studying crop health. This paper reports some experiences related to the analysis of cultivations (vineyards and tomatoes) with Tetracam multispectral data. The Tetracam camera was mounted on a multi-rotor hexacopter. The multispectral data were processed with a photogrammetric pipeline to create triband orthoimages of the surveyed sites. Those orthoimages were employed to extract some Vegetation Indices (VI) such as the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), the Green Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (GNDVI), and the Soil Adjusted Vegetation Index (SAVI), examining the vegetation vigor for each crop. The paper demonstrates the great potential of high-resolution UAV data and photogrammetric techniques applied in the agriculture framework to collect multispectral images and evaluate different VI, suggesting that these instruments represent a fast, reliable, and cost-effective resource in crop assessment for precision farming applications.
Preoperative nonlinear behavior in heart rate variability predicts morbidity and mortality after coronary artery bypass graft surgery.

BACKGROUND The aim was to demonstrate that a reduction in the nonlinear behavior of heart rate variability (HRV) in the preoperative period in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) triggers higher morbidity and mortality rates in the postoperative stay. MATERIAL/METHOD Seventy patients (59+/-10.3 years) were included. HRV was captured by a Polar Advanced S810 heart rate monitor and analyzed using the nonlinear variables detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA), autocorrelation (tau), Lyapunov exponent (LE), and the Poincaré plot (PP). Based on two scenarios, death vs. non-death (scenario 1) and events vs. their absence (scenario 2), the occurrence of neurological complications, infections, kidney failure, arrhythmia, and death were evaluated. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and odds ratio (95% CI) were recorded. RESULTS In scenario 1, significant differences were found for DFA, alpha-2, LE, PP[SD1], and PP[SD2], with p-values of 0.0172, 0.0343, 0.0159, 0.0069, and 0.0287, respectively. In scenario 2, differences were found for alpha-1, alfa-2, tau, LE, PP[SD1], and PP[SD2], with p-values of 0.0066, 0.0426, 0.0188, 0.0108, 0.0005, and 0.0158, respectively. The best areas under ROC curve were seen in scenario 1, with values of 0.72 (tau), 0.77 (LE), and 0.78 (PP[SD1]). CONCLUSIONS Analysis of HRV in the nonlinear domain in the preoperative period in patients undergoing elective CABG surgery may detect subgroups with a high risk for postoperative complications, at least with the assistance of some of the variables, and it can become a new prognostic tool for assessing patients scheduled to undergo other major surgeries.