Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Factors Affecting Transplant Outcomes in Diabetic Nude Mice Receiving Human, Porcine, and Nonhuman Primate Islets: Analysis of 335 Transplantations

Background In the absence of a reliable islet potency assay, nude mice (NM) transplantation is the criterion standard to assess islet quality for clinical transplantation. There are factors other than islet quality that affect the transplant outcome. Methods Here, we analyzed the transplant outcomes in 335 NM receiving islets from human (n=103), porcine (n=205), and nonhuman primate (NHP; n=27) donors. The islets (750, 1000, and 2000 islet equivalents [IEQ]) were transplanted under the kidney capsule of streptozotocin-induced diabetic NM. Results The proportion of mice that achieved normoglycemia was significantly higher in the group implanted with 2000 IEQ of human, porcine, or NHP islets (75% normoglycemic) versus groups that were implanted with 750 IEQ (7% normoglycemic) and 1000 IEQ (30% normoglycemic). In this study, we observed that the purity of porcine islet preparations (P⩽0.001), islet pellet size in porcine preparations (P⩽ 0.01), and mice recipient body weight for human islet preparations (P=0.013) were independently associated with successful transplant outcome. NHP islets of 1000 IEQ were sufficient to achieve normoglycemic condition (83%). An islet mass of 2000 IEQ, high islet purity, increased recipient body weight, and high islet pellet volume increased the likelihood of successful reversal of diabetes in transplanted mice. Also, higher insulin secretory status of islets at basal stimulus was associated with a reduced mouse cure rate. The cumulative incidence of graft failure was significantly greater in human islets (56.12%) compared with porcine islets (35.57%; P⩽0.001). Conclusion Factors affecting NM bioassay were identified (islet mass, islet purity, pellet size, in vitro insulin secretory capability, and mouse recipient body weight) and should be considered when evaluating islet function.
Contributions of Debt and Bankruptcy to Life Course Mobility ∗

This paper considers the significance of credit markets and bankruptcy for life course mobility. Comparing parallel data from the 2007 Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF) and the 2007 Consumer Bankruptcy Project (CBP), we analyze use of the bankruptcy process as a function of the distribution of unplanned events, the ability of households to use credit markets to limit the adverse effects of such events, and barriers in access to the bankruptcy system. Our findings suggest two things. One, bankrupt households generally come from the bottom quartiles of the population in assets and income and the top quartile in debt, but the financial characteristics of filers vary by age and race. Two, households neither attribute their bankruptcies to the same causes nor use the same strategies to avert bankruptcy. The comparative explanations reveal ageand race-based variations that are consistent with disparate racial access to markets and institutions and the increased incidence of financial activity among the elderly.
WHOQOL-BREF as a measure of quality of life in older patients with depression

Objective: To assess the reliability and validity of a brief measure of quality of life recently developed by the World Health Organization, the WHOQOL-BREF, and to examine its association with a variety of clinical and sociodemographic factors in older depressed patients. Design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: Older depressed patients (N=41) underwent diagnostic assessment using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) and were independently assessed on a variety of measures including the WHOQOL-BREF (a 26-item self-report questionnaire generating four domain scores), Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D); Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS); Mini-mental State Examination (MMSE); Modified Barthel Index (MBI); Instrumental activities of daily living (IADL), and measures of physical health status and social relationships. Estimates of inter-rater and test-retest reliability, and concurrent validity were made. Results: 39 subjects completed the study. The majority of subjects (94.9%) received a diagnosis of DSM-IV Major Depressive Disorder. Levels of comorbidity were high. Three of the four domains of the WHOQOL-BREF (Physical, Psychological and Environment domains) demonstrated satisfactory reliability and validity. However, the Social Relationships domain exhibited poor validity. Quality of life scores were strongly correlated with severity of depression, number of self-reported physical symptoms and self-assessed general health status. There was no relationship between diagnostic comorbidity and quality of life scores. Conclusions: The WHOQOL-BREF was successfully administered to older depressed patients although the concurrent validity of one of its four domains was poor. Quality of life scores were strongly correlated with severity of depression, raising the issue of measurement redundancy.
Pareto-Optimal Reinsurance Arrangements Under General Model Settings

In this paper, we study Pareto optimality of reinsurance arrangements under general model settings. We give the necessary and sufficient conditions for a reinsurance contract to be Pareto-optimal and characterize all Pareto-optimal reinsurance contracts under more general model assumptions. We also obtain the sufficient conditions that guarantee the existence of the Pareto-optimal reinsurance contracts. When the losses of an insurer and a reinsurer are both measured by the Tail-Value-at-Risk (TVaR) risk measures, we obtain the explicit forms of the Pareto-optimal reinsurance contracts under the expected value premium principle. For the purpose of practice, we use numerical examples to show how to determine the mutually acceptable Pareto-optimal reinsurance contracts among the available Pareto-optimal reinsurance contracts such that both the insurer’s aim and the reinsurer’s goal can be met under the mutually acceptable Pareto-optimal reinsurance contracts.
Free Radicals in the Guinea Pig Inner Ear following Gentamicin Exposure

The purpose of this study was to investigate the occurrence of free radicals, nitric oxide (NO), superoxide (O–2) and peroxynitrite, in the inner ear of the guinea pig following intratympanic injection with 5 mg of gentamicin (GM). Forty-eight hours after GM injection, varying degrees of degeneration of the inner ear were observed. Immunohistochemical study revealed immunoreactivity to NO synthase II (which generates NO) and to xanthine oxidase (which generates O–2) in both the vestibular organ and the organ of Corti. Immunohistochemical investigation, using a specific antinitrotyrosine antibody, also showed intense staining, suggesting formation of peroxynitrite in the inner ear through the reaction of NO with O–2. Scanning electron-microscopic study showed that the ototoxic effects could be blocked with N-nitro-L-arginine methylester, a competitive inhibitor of NO synthase, with superoxide dismutase, an O–2 scavenger, and with ebselen, a scavenger of peroxynitrite. On the basis of these findings, it can be concluded that NO together with O–2, which form more reactive peroxynitrite, play an important role in GM ototoxicity in the guinea pig.
Biomechanical analysis of running in military boots with new and degraded insoles.

PURPOSE The purpose of the present study was to investigate the influence of degradation using repeated impacts on the ability of different shock-absorbing insoles to reduce peak impact loading during running in military boots. METHODS Four insole types were degraded mechanically to simulate typical running loads that occur during approximately 100 km of running. The influence of insole mechanical degradation on stiffness and impact-absorbing ability was assessed using standard test procedures. The ability of new and degraded insole samples to reduce peak impact loading during running was assessed by monitoring peak impact force and rate of loading. In addition, the influence of insoles on sagittal plane kinematics was quantified by measurement of hip, knee, and ankle joint flexion. RESULTS Insole mechanical degradation resulted in an increase in mechanical stiffness and a decrease in ability to reduce mechanical impacts for all test insoles. Measurements taken during running indicated that only one insole type reduced peak impact loading when new, as indicated by a significant (P< 0.05) reduction in peak rate of loading. The ability of this insole type to reduce peak rate of loading during running was maintained after mechanical degradation. This insole was also found to significantly (P< 0.05) reduce peak ankle dorsiflexion. CONCLUSION The present study identifies an insole type that reduces peak rate of loading during running both when new and when mechanically degraded. It is suggested that this indicates an insole that could potentially reduce the frequency of overuse injuries. Based on these results, this insole is recommended for use in the investigation of the practical use of insoles by military recruits, particularly for study of the influence on injury occurrence.
The value relevance of intellectual capital disclosure: empirical evidence from Kuwait

Purpose - Drawing on market efficiency theory and studies on intellectual capital disclosure, this study examines if intellectual capital information provided in the corporate annual reports of Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) listed companies in 2013 is value relevant. Design/methodology/approach - The analysis is divided into two parts. First, the level of intellectual capital disclosure of KSE-listed companies is examined using the content analysis method. Second, the value relevance of financial reporting is examined empirically using Ohlson’s (1995) valuation model. Findings - The results reveal that intellectual capital disclosure is positively and significantly associated with market value, suggesting that greater intellectual capital disclosure is valued by KSE market participants, who incorporate it into their valuation models. Practical implications - Given the importance of intellectual capital disclosure in enhancing equity valuation, a practical implication of this study is to make managers aware of its positive and significant effect on equity valuation, which may encourage companies to increase their level of disclosure. Originality/value - This is the first study of the association between the level of intellectual capital disclosure and the value relevance of financial reporting for market participants in Kuwait. It therefore extends and confirms the prior literature by broadening its scope to include frontier markets. Furthermore, it provides empirical evidence in support of recent calls from regulators and professional bodies for information that supplements and complements traditional financial reporting.
Relation of left ventricular geometry and function to systemic hemodynamics in hypertension: The LIFE Study

Objectives To clarify the relations of systemic hemodynamics to left ventricular (LV) geometric patterns in patients with moderate hypertension and target organ damage. Background LV geometry stratifies risk in hypertension, but relations of LV geometry to systemic hemodynamic patterns in moderately severe hypertension have not been fully elucidated. Design Cross-sectional case–control study. Setting Baseline findings in the echocardiographic substudy of the Losartan Intervention For Endpoint Reduction in Hypertension Study (LIFE) and in a normotensive reference group. Patients/participants Nine hundred and sixty-four patients with Stage I–III hypertension and LV hypertrophy by Cornell voltage duration criteria ((SV3 + RaVL [+ 6 mm in women]) × QRS > 2440 mm × ms) or modified Sokolow–Lyon voltage criteria (SV1 + RV5/RV6 > 38 mm), and 366 apparently normal adults. Interventions None. Methods Two-dimensional and Doppler echocardiograms were used to classify hypertensive patients into groups with normal geometry, concentric remodelling and concentric and eccentric hypertrophy, and to measure stroke volume (SV), cardiac output, peripheral resistance and pulse pressure/SV as a measure of arterial stiffness. Comparisons were adjusted for covariates by general linear model with the Sidak post-hoc test. Results Mean SV was higher in patients with eccentric hypertrophy (83 ml/beat) and lower with concentric remodeling (68 ml/beat) than in normal adults (73 ml/beat). Cardiac output was highest in patients with eccentric LV hypertrophy and lower with concentric remodeling than eccentric hypertrophy; mean pressure and peripheral resistance were equally high in all hypertensive subgroups, whereas pulse pressure/SV was most elevated (by a mean of 47% versus reference subjects) with concentric remodeling and least so (mean + 15%) with eccentric hypertrophy. In multivariate analysis (Multiple R + 0.68), LV mass was independently related to higher systolic pressure, older age, SV, male gender and body mass index (all P < 0.001). Relative wall thickness was independently related (Multiple R + 0.50) to older age, higher systolic pressure, lower SV (all P < 0.001) and higher body mass index (P + 0.007). SV and cardiac output were lower in patients with low stress-corrected midwall shortening. Conclusion In patients with moderate hypertension and ECG LV hypertrophy, the levels of SV and pulse pressure/SV, are associated with, and may be stimuli to different LV geometric phenotypes.
Two Developmentally Distinct Populations of Dendritic Cells Inhabit the Adult Mouse Thymus: Demonstration by Differential Importation of Hematogenous Precursors Under Steady State Conditions1

Although a variety of lymphoid and myeloid precursors can generate thymic dendritic cells (DCs) under defined experimental conditions, the developmental origin(s) of DCs in the steady state thymus is unknown. Having previously used selective combinations of normal, parabiotic, and radioablated mice to demonstrate that blood-borne prothymocytes are imported in a gated and competitive manner, we used a similar approach in this study to investigate the importation of the hematogenous precursors of thymic DCs. The results indicate that two developmentally distinct populations of DC precursors normally enter the adult mouse thymus. The first population is indistinguishable from prothymocytes according to the following criteria: 1) inefficient (<20%) exchange between parabiotic partners; 2) gated importation by the thymus; 3) competitive antagonism for intrathymic niches; 4) temporally linked generation of thymocytes and CD8αhigh DCs; and 5) absence from prothymocyte-poor blood samples. The second population differs diametrically from prothymocytes in each of these properties, and appears to enter the thymus in at least a partially differentiated state. The resulting population of DCs has a CD8α−/low phenotype, and constitutes ∼50% of total thymic DCs. The presence of two discrete populations of DCs in the steady state thymus implies functional heterogeneity consistent with evidence implicating lymphoid DCs in the negative selection of effector thymocytes and myeloid DCs in the positive selection of regulatory thymocytes.
Development of a smart power meter for AMI based on ZigBee communication

Many governments deploy ubiquitous IT project, which aims to combine the latest wireless network and wide-band technologies etc. to accomplish a ubiquitous wireless communication network. The ubiquitous wireless communication network can be utilized for the Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI). Therefore, this paper tries to use the new wireless communication technologies to design and implement a ZigBee-based smart power meter. An outage recording system is also designed and embedded into the smart meter. The microcontroller of Microchip dsPIC30F series is used to develop the proposed smart power meter. A ZigBee system is then deigned and integrated into the proposed power meter, and used to transmit the detailed power consumption data and outage event data to rear-end processing system. The proposed smart power meter cannot only be used for power consumption data collection but also for outage event data recording. The proposed system has great potential to be used to build the area-based AMI. Experimental results demonstrate the validity of the proposed system. Besides, the application of ZigBee communication in power area may, expectedly, lead to make a definite contribution to ubiquitous IT project.
Monetary Policy, Mortgages and Consumption: Evidence from Italy

Using the 2008-2014 Italian Survey of Household Income and Wealth (SHIW), we study whether the drop in interest rates following the Great Recession was associated with a reduction in mortgage payments for households with Adjustable Rate Mortgages (ARM) relative to those with Fixed Rate Mortgages (FRM). Preliminary results indicate that after the shock, consumption of ARM holders increases relative to FRM but the implied marginal propensity to consume (MPC) is not statistically different from zero. We suggest two explanations for the weak consumption response to the income shock. First, most mortgagors believed that the income shock was transitory, and that interest rates would likely increase in the future, implying a small effect on consumption. Second, the shock is offset partly by a reduction in income from financial assets owned by mortgagors. The paper has implications for the conduct of monetary policy interventions and the credibility of the future path of interest rates, pass-through of monetary policy through household balance sheets, and design of the mortgage market.
Mechanisms of excitatory neuromuscular transmission in the guinea‐pig urinary bladder

1 In smooth muscle of the guinea‐pig bladder, either membrane potential recordings or [Ca2+]i measurements were made simultaneously with isometric tension recordings. 2 Single transmural stimuli initiated excitatory junction potentials (EJPs) which triggered action potentials, transient increases in [Ca2+]i and associated contractions. These responses were abolished by α,β‐methylene ATP, suggesting that they resulted from the activation of purinoceptors by neurally released ATP. 3 Nifedipine abolished action potentials leaving the underlying EJPs and reduced the amplitude of both nerve‐evoked increases in [Ca2+]i and associated contractions. The subsequent co‐application of caffeine and ryanodine inhibited the residual responses without inhibiting EJPs. These results indicate that stimulation of purinoceptors activates both Ca2+ influx through L‐type Ca2+ channels and Ca2+ release from intracellular Ca2+ stores. 4 In the presence of α,β‐methylene ATP, trains of stimuli failed to initiate EJPs but increased the frequency of action potentials. Trains of stimuli also initiated oscillatory increases in [Ca2+]i and associated contractions. These responses were abolished by hyoscine, indicating that they resulted from the activation of muscarinic receptors by neurally released ACh. 5 Oscillatory increases in [Ca2+]i and associated contractions were inhibited by either nifedipine or caffeine, indicating that the stimulation of muscarinic receptors activates both Ca2+ influx through L‐type Ca2+ channels and Ca2+ release from intracellular Ca2+ stores.
Sweat the Small Stuff: Strategic Selection of Pension Policies Used to Defer Required Contributions

The administrators of stateâ€ sponsored defined benefit public pension plans have considerable discretion to determine the accounting and actuarial parameters used to calculate the normal cost contributions and amortization payments that, together, comprise the sponsoring state's annual required contribution amount. Using longitudinal data from the Public Pension Database and a fixed effects approach, we find evidence that suggests plan administrators decisions about cost and amortization methods are influenced by the normal cost and amortization payments, respectively. When these costs increase, administrators tend to use less prudent methods that defer, or keep low, the pension contributions required from the state while, simultaneously, and perversely, improving the appearance of the plan's funded status and the state's funding discipline. (JEL H75)
Substance P‐induced pulmonary vascular remodelling in precision cut lung slices

Substance P (SP) levels have been reported to be elevated in animal models of pulmonary hypertension (PH) and chronic administration of SP has been shown to induce PH. In the present study, the role of reactive oxygen species (ROS) as mediators of SP‐induced vascular remodelling and PH was analysed. Vascular remodelling was induced in precision cut lung slices by treatment with [Sar9,Met11(O2)]‐SP and by hypoxia. Functional analyses were used to study the chronic [Sar9,Met11(O2)]‐SP‐mediated effects on proliferation and generation of ROS, which is involved in the pathogenesis of PH. The nonpeptide NK‐1 receptor antagonist CP 96345 was used to block [Sar9,Met11(O2)]‐SP effects. ROS generation and proliferation was assayed by the dichloroflouresceindiacetate method and incorporation of 5‐Bromo‐2′‐Deoxyuridine, respectively. ROS generation was induced by either 1% oxygen (5.8‐fold) or [Sar9,Met11(O2)]‐SP (8‐fold) in normoxia in the alveolar region. [Sar9,Met11(O2)]‐SP did not further elevate ROS levels in hypoxia, suggesting an oxygendependent mechanism. High ROS levels stabilised hypoxia inducible factor‐1α and induced proliferation in small vessels (4.3‐fold in hypoxia and [Sar9,Met11(O2)]‐SP). Both ROS generation and proliferation were blocked in the presence of CP 96345, nitrobluetetrazolium, N‐acetylcysteine‐ and diphenyleneiodonium. The results presented in this study indicate a role of SP in proliferative events associated with vascular remodelling in pulmonary hypertension.
Influence of Preoperative Radiation Field on Postoperative Leak Rates in Esophageal Cancer Patients after Trimodality Therapy

Introduction: Postoperative morbidities, such as anastomotic leaks, are common after trimodality therapy (chemoradiation followed by surgery) for esophageal cancer. We investigated for factors associated with an increased incidence of anastomotic leaks. Methods: Data from 285 esophageal cancer patients treated from 2000 to 2011 with trimodality therapy were analyzed. Anastomotic location relative to preoperative radiation field was assessed using postoperative computed tomographic imaging. Logistic regression was used to evaluate for factors associated with any or clinically relevant (CR) (≥ grade 2) leaks. Results: Overall anastomotic leak rate was 11% (31 of 285), and CR leak rate was 6% (17 of 285). Multivariable analysis identified body mass index (odds ratio [OR], 1.09; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.00–1.17; OR, 1.11, 95% CI, 1.01–1.22), three-field surgery (OR, 10.01; 95% CI, 3.83–26.21; OR, 4.83; 95% CI, 1.39–16.71), and within radiation field (“in-field”) anastomosis (OR, 5.37; 95% CI, 2.21–13.04; OR, 8.63; 95% CI, 2.90–25.65) as independent predictors of both all grade and CR leaks, respectively. While patients with distal esophageal tumors and Ivor-Lewis surgery had the lowest incidence of all grade (6.5%) and CR leaks (4.2%), most of the leaks were associated with the anastomosis constructed within the field of radiation (in-field: 39% and 30% versus out-of-field: 2.6% and 1.0%, respectively, for total and CR leaks, p less than 0.0001, Fisher’s exact test). Conclusions: Esophagogastric anastomosis placed within the preoperative radiation field was a very strong predictor for anastomotic leaks in esophageal cancer patients treated with trimodality therapy, among other factors. Surgical planning should include a critical evaluation of the preoperative radiation fields to ensure proper anastomotic placement after chemoradiation therapy.