Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Reconnection Choices: Selecting the Most Valuable (vs. Most Preferred) Dormant Ties

Recent research has shown that reconnecting long-lost, dormant ties can yield tremendous value, often more than active ties. Yet two key research questions remain unanswered: which of a person's many dormant ties provide the most value, and which are advice seekers most inclined to choose as reconnection targets? In the current study, we asked executives to seek advice on an important work project from two dormant ties their first, most preferred choice plus one selected randomly from their next nine most preferred choices and to respond to surveys before and after their reconnections. This two-stage design allowed us to make causal inferences about the executives' advice-seeking preferences and the value of reconnecting certain types of dormant ties. Our results show that the most valuable reconnections are to people who provide novelty by not having spent much time together in the past and having higher status as well as engagement by being trustworthy and willing to help. Our executive participants, however, preferred neither novelty nor engagement. Rather, the prospect of reconnecting can make people feel anxious. To avoid this discomfort, executives preferred contacts with whom they had spent a lot of time together in the past, thereby actually reducing novelty. Thus, our findings identify critical biases in executives' reconnection preferences as well as insights into how to make more effective reconnections. Our discussion presents broader implications of these findings for advice seeking and social networks.
How Beneficial is a Knowledge-based Development Strategy for Peripheral Regions? A Case Study

Abstract This paper aims to contribute to the debate on the success factors of peripheral regions in the knowledge economy. It explores the viability of the knowledge-based development model for peripheral regions by examining the experiences of a follower region in Finland. The empirical case is Seinäjoki region in Western Finland which adopted a determined knowledge, research and innovation-driven development strategy in the 1980s. The article analyses the evolution of this strategy and assesses the progress and results that have been achieved until 2012. The results show that the strategy has improved the preconditions and structures for innovation, but there have been difficulties in turning these into real innovation outcomes. Peripheral regions may benefit from a knowledge-based development strategy but the development is slow and only takes place through building base capacity in the region.
Numerical analysis on current and optical confinement of III-nitride vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers

We report on the numerical analysis of the electrical and optical properties of current-injected III-N based vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) with three types of current confinement schemes: the conventional planar-Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) type, the AlN-buried type without ITO, and the hybrid type. The proposed hybrid structure, which combines an ITO layer and an intracavity AlN aperture, exhibits not only a uniform current distribution but also an enhanced lateral optical confinement. Thus, the hybrid type design shows a remarkably better performance including lower threshold current and series resistance compared with the planar-ITO type and the AlN-buried type. Furthermore, the multi-transverse mode lasing behavior induced by strong index guiding of the AlN aperture is suppressed to single transverse mode operation by reducing the aperture size. Such design provides a powerful solution for the high performance III-N based VCSELs and is also viable by using current state of the art processing techniques.
Effects of combined oleic acid and fluoride at sub-MIC levels on EPS formation and viability of Streptococcus mutans UA159 biofilms

Despite the widespread use of fluoride, dental caries, a biofilm-related disease, remains an important health problem. This study investigated whether oleic acid, a monounsaturated fatty acid, can enhance the effect of fluoride on extracellular polysaccharide (EPS) formation by Streptococcus mutans UA159 biofilms at sub-minimum inhibitory concentration levels, via microbiological and biochemical methods, confocal fluorescence microscopy, and real-time PCR. The combination of oleic acid with fluoride inhibited EPS formation more strongly than did fluoride or oleic acid alone. The superior inhibition of EPS formation was due to the combination of the inhibitory effects of oleic acid and fluoride against glucosyltransferases (GTFs) and GTF-related gene (gtfB, gtfC, and gtfD) expression, respectively. In addition, the combination of oleic acid with fluoride altered the bacterial biovolume of the biofilms without bactericidal activity. These results suggest that oleic acid may be useful for enhancing fluoride inhibition of EPS formation by S. mutans biofilms, without killing the bacterium.
End-tidal carbon monoxide measurements in women with pregnancy-induced hypertension and preeclampsia.

OBJECTIVE We sought to compare the end-tidal carbon monoxide breath levels in pregnant women with and without pregnancy-induced hypertension and preeclampsia. STUDY DESIGN We prospectively performed end-tidal carbon monoxide measurements corrected for ambient carbon monoxide in nonsmoking women during late gestation (>31 weeks). The study group included 22 women with pregnancy-induced hypertension or symptoms of preeclampsia and a control group of 20 normotensive pregnant women. RESULTS The carbon monoxide measurements corrected for ambient carbon monoxide (mean +/- SD) were significantly lower (P <.01) in the hypertensive group than in the control group (1.17 +/- 0.35 vs 1.70 +/- 0.54 ppm). The study group had a significantly higher number of low (<1.2 ppm) end-tidal carbon monoxide measurements corrected for ambient carbon monoxide (13 [59.1%] vs 1 [5.0%]; P <.001). The end-tidal carbon monoxide measurements corrected for ambient carbon monoxide remained significantly lower in comparison with those found in the control group when the study group was divided into women with pregnancy-induced hypertension only (n = 11) and those with preeclampsia (n = 11) (1.19 +/- 0.37 ppm; P <.01; and 1.15 +/- 0.41 ppm; P <.01; respectively). CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that carbon monoxide formation may be significantly lower in women with pregnancy-induced hypertension and preeclampsia. These data suggest that carbon monoxide could have a contributory role in the apparent paradox of the seemingly protective effect of smoking to decrease the risk of preeclampsia.
A unified normal mode approach to dynamic tides and its application to rotating Sun-like stars

We determine the response of a uniformly rotating star to tidal perturbations due to a companion. General periodic orbits and parabolic flybys are considered. We evaluate energy and angular momentum exchange rates as a sum of contributions from normal modes allowing for dissipative processes. We consider the case when the response is dominated by the contribution of an identifiable regular spectrum of low frequency modes, such as gravity modes and evaluate it in the limit of very weak dissipation. Our formalism may be applied both to Sun-like stars with radiative cores and convective envelopes and to more massive stars with convective cores and radiative envelopes. We provide general expressions for transfer of energy and angular momentum valid for an orbit with any eccentricity. Detailed calculations are made for Sun-like stars in the slow rotation regime where centrifugal distortion is neglected in the equilibrium and the traditional approximation is made for the normal modes. We use both a WKBJ procedure and direct numerical evaluation which are found to be in good agreement for regimes of interest. Finally we use our formalism to determine the evolution time scales for an object, in an orbit of small eccentricity, around a Sun-like star in which the tidal response is assumed to occur. Systems with either no rotation or synchronous rotation are considered. Only rotationally modified gravity modes are taken into account under the assumption that wave dissipation occurs close to the stellar centre.
Adaptive response of broilers to dietary phosphorus and calcium restrictions.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the capacity of chickens to adapt to and compensate for early dietary restriction of non-phytate P ( NPP: ) and/or Ca (10 to 21 d) in a later phase (22 to 35 d), and to determine whether compensatory processes depend on the P and Ca concentrations in the finisher diet. Four diets were formulated and fed to broilers from 10 to 21 d in order to generate birds with different mineral status: L1 (0.6% Ca, 0.30% NPP), L2 (0.6% Ca, 0.45% NPP), H1 (1.0% Ca, 0.30% NPP), and H2 (1.0% Ca, 0.45% NPP). On d 22, each group was divided into three groups which received a low (L, 0.48% Ca, 0.24% NPP), moderate (M, 0.70% Ca, 0.35% NPP), or high (H, 0.90% Ca, 0.35% NPP) finisher diet until 35 d, resulting in a total of 12 treatments. Lowering the Ca level enhanced apparent ileal digestibility of P (P AID) at 21 d especially with the high NPP level (Ca × NPP, P < 0.01). The lower bone mineralization observed at 21 d in broilers fed the L1 diet compared to those fed the H2 diet had disappeared by 35 d with long-term stimulation of the P AID with the low NPP level (P < 0.001). Although P AID and growth performance were improved in birds fed the L1L compared to the L1H and H2H treatments, tibia characteristics tended to be lower in birds fed the L1L compared to those fed the L1H treatment. Birds fed the H1M treatment had higher P AID, growth performance and tibia ash content than those fed the H1H treatment. A significant increase in the mRNA levels of several genes encoding Ca and P transporters was observed at 35 d in birds fed the L1 followed by the L diet compared to birds fed the L1 followed by the M diet. In conclusion, chickens are able to adapt to early dietary changes in P and Ca through improvement of digestive efficiency in a later phase, and the extent of the compensation in terms of growth performance and bone mineralization depends on the P and Ca levels in the subsequent diet.
Effects of celecoxib on human chondrocytes--enhanced production of chemokines.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a selective cyclooxigenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitor (celecoxib) comparing diclofenac. METHODS Using chondrocytes derived from cartilage of non-arthritic (NA) subjects or patients with osteoarthritis (OA) or rheumatoid arthritis (RA), we examined the effects of celecoxib on incorporation of 3H-thymidine and 35S-sulfate, apoptosis, and production of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-1, MMP-3, MMP-13, and regulated upon activation, normal T cell expressed and secreted (RANTES), macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)-1a and nitric oxide (NO). RESULTS Celecoxib and diclofenac tended to reduce 3H-tymidine incorporation of chondrocytes. Celecoxib induced apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner, but to a lesser degree than diclofenac. Celecoxib inhibited proteoglycan synthesis (indicated by 35S-sulfate incorporation) in NA chondrocytes, but not in OA and RA chondrocytes. Celecoxib increased interleukin-1 (IL-1)-induced production of RANTES and MIP-1alpha by chondrocytes and decreased IL-1-induced NO production by chondrocytes, whereas it did not affect MMP production. CONCLUSION Celecoxib had both beneficial and adverse effects on chondrocytes. RA, OA and NA chondrocytes showed different responses. Interestingly, celecoxib enhanced the production of chemokines.
Intra-laboratory analytical variability of biochemical markers of fibrosis (Fibrotest) and activity (Actitest) and reference ranges in healthy blood donors

Abstract Combinations of tests comprising α2-macroglobulin, haptoglobin, apolipoprotein A1, γ-glutamyltransferase, total bilirubin (Fibrotest) and alanine aminotransferase (Actitest) are being developed as alternatives to liver biopsy in patients with chronic hepatitis C. The aim of this study was to assess in the same laboratory the impact of parameter assay variations on Fibrotest and Actitest results and intra-patient reproducibility of the two tests. The stability of the samples for each test was studied after storage at −80° and −20°. Within-run, between-run and total imprecision for each parameter assay, and for Fibrotest and Actitest results, were determined. Transferability of assay results between different analyzers was studied. Intrapatient reproducibility was assessed in 55 hospitalized patients. Fibrotest and Actitest reference ranges were determined in 300 blood donors (reference group). The stability of the parameters was affected by serum storage at −20° only. The impact of parameter analytical variability on Fibrotest and Actitest results was less than 10% and intra-patient reproducibility was acceptable (p>0.05). The transferability between different analyzers of results of assays performed under the same standardized and calibration conditions was excellent. Fibrotest and Actitest reference ranges in blood donors were (mean±SE) 0.075±0.004 and 0.068±0.004, respectively. The low intra-laboratory and intra-patient variability in Fibrotest and Actitest results confirm Fibrotest and Actitest reliability.
Does Instability during Standing Occur just after Transcutaneous Xenon Light Irradiation around the Stellate Ganglion

[Purpose] This study investigated whether instability during standing occurs just after transcutaneous xenon light irradiation around the stellate ganglion. [Subjects] Thirty healthy volunteers were the subjects. [Methods] The subjects underwent two experimental sessions: 1) 10-minute xenon light irradiation around the bilateral stellate ganglions in a comfortable supine position (Xe-LISG); and 2) 10-minute rest in the same position as Xe-LISG (control). After Xe-LISG and the control, they stood up immediately and maintained quiet standing for 1 minute. The low frequency power (LF) and ratio of LF to the high frequency power (LF/HF) based on R-R intervals, and the total length (LNG) and rectangular area (REC) of the excursion of the center of foot pressure during quiet standing were examined. [Results] Although no significant changes of HF and LF/HF were observed before and after the control, HF after Xe-LISG was significantly greater than that before Xe-LISG, and LF/HF after Xe-LISG was significantly lower than that before Xe-LISG. Additionally, although no significant difference was observed between REC after Xe-LISG and that after the control, LNG after Xe-LISG was significantly longer than that after the control. [Conclusion] These results suggest that Xe-LISG causes not only parasympathetic predominance and sympathetic suppression but also instability during standing just after Xe-LISG.
Epidemiology of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in a Burns Hospital: Evaluation of Serological, Bacteriophage, and Pyocin Typing Methods

In a retrospective study 36 cultures of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, isolated from patients with fatal Pseudomonas burn wound sepsis and from burned patients with nonfatal P. aeruginosa infections, were used to evaluate the consistency and reliability of serological, phage, and pyocin typing as epidemiological tools. Frequency distributions of positive reactions were analyzed by a computer in a 3-way chi-square test, and a high degree of consistency was demonstrated for each method. From these data, 75% of the cultures were differentiated by serological, 90% by phage, and 100% by pyocin typing. There was no significant difference among organisms isolated from fatal cases of burn wound sepsis and organisms from patients with nonfatal infections (χ2 = 0.3418; P = 0.9870). The combined typing system was a sensitive and reliable epidemiological tool for intraspecific differentiation of P. aeruginosa.
Unilateral Technology Sharing among Competitors in Markets with Heterogeneous Consumers

Abstract This paper explains why some firms share their technology with competitors. We consider a Hotelling market where duopolists sell products with different qualities. This market consists of heterogeneous consumers, comprising three groups in terms of their valuations of product quality. We show that when consumers’ preferences for product quality are sufficiently heterogeneous, a high-quality firm benefits from sharing quality-enhancing technology.
Osteopontin modulates CD44‐dependent chemotaxis of peritoneal macrophages through G‐protein‐coupled receptors: Evidence of a role for an intracellular form of osteopontin

Expression of osteopontin (OPN) by activated T‐cells and macrophages is required for the development of cell‐mediated inflammatory responses. Acting through integrin αvβ3 and CD44 receptors, OPN can promote chemoattraction and pro‐inflammatory cytokine expression by macrophages. In this study, we have used periotoneal macrophages from OPN−/, CD44−/−, and WT mice to study the relationship between OPN and CD44 in macrophage migration. Using confocal microscopy, we show that OPN co‐distributes with CD44 inside macrophages at cell edges and in cell processes in a mutually dependent manner. The existence of an intracellular form of OPN is supported by pulse‐chase studies in which a thrombin‐sensitive, phosphorylated protein immunoprecipitated with OPN antibodies is retained inside macrophages. In OPN−/− and CD44−/− macrophages, the absence of CD44 and OPN, respectively, is associated with the formation of fewer cell processes, reduced cell fusion required to form functional multinucleated osteoclasts in the presence of CSF‐1 and RANKL, and impaired chemotaxis. Whereas the chemotaxis of CD44−/− cells to various chemoattractants is almost completely abrogated, a differential effect is seen with the OPN−/− cells. Thus, OPN−/− cells migrate normally towards CSF‐1 but not towards fMLP and MCP‐1, which signal through G‐protein coupled receptors (GPCRs). That the GPCR‐mediated migration is dependent upon the level of cell‐surface CD44 is indicated by the reduced cell‐surface expression of CD44 in OPN−/− cells and a comparable impairment in the chemotaxis of CD44+/− cells. Although chemotaxis of OPN−/− cells could be rescued by an OPN substratum, or by addition of high levels of OPN in solution, no response is evident with physiological levels of OPN, indicating a requirement for the CD44‐associated intracellular OPN in CD44 cell‐surface expression. These studies indicate, therefore, that the level of cell surface CD44 is critical for GPCR‐mediated chemotaxis by peritoneal macrophages and suggest that a novel intracellular form of OPN may modulate CD44 activities involved in these processes. J. Cell. Physiol. 198: 155–167, 2004. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Lung sound analysis for wheeze episode detection

Listening and interpreting lung sounds by a stethoscope had been an important component of screening and diagnosing lung diseases. However this practice has always been vulnerable to poor audibility, inter-observer variations (between different physicians) and poor reproducibility. Thus computerized analysis of lung sounds for objective diagnosis of lung diseases is seen as a probable aid. In this paper we aim at automatic analysis of lung sounds for wheeze episode detection and quantification. The proposed algorithm integrates and analyses the set of parameters based on ATS (American Thoracic Society) definition of wheezes. It is very robust, computationally simple and yielded sensitivity of 84% and specificity of 86%.
Characterisation of material properties for draping of dry woven composite material

Three test methods, uniaxial bias extension, biaxial and picture frame tests are used to characterise the shear behaviour of dry woven fabric during draping. The deformation of the bias extension and biaxial specimens is measured from images of a central gauge section. The forces applied to the material are resolved into forces along and parallel to the tow directions. The deformation of the material in the bias extension and biaxial tests is found to behave in a manner which is reasonably well described by a pin-jointed net analysis. There is negligible change in the shear resistance of the material during biaxial loading, while a slight increase in shear resistance is observed in the picture frame tests. Microscopic examination of the tow architecture [Compos Sci Technol 63 (2003) 99], which shows a significantly smaller crimp amplitude for picture frame tests than for the bias extension and biaxial tests, supports the suggestion raised by Harrison et al. [Proceedings of the 10th European Conference on Composite Materials, 2002], that the increase in resistance in the picture frame tests is associated with an increase in tow cross-over force generated by large loads along the tows. q 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Avian influenza viruses detected by surveillance of waterfowl in Ireland during 2003–2007

SUMMARY Specimens for the detection of avian influenza virus (AIV) were collected from 1937 waterfowl on the Wexford Sloblands, a major wetland reserve in southeast Ireland, between January 2003 and September 2007. During the same period, 1404 waterfowl were sampled at other locations in Ireland. Specimens were tested either by virus isolation or real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (rtRT–PCR). A total of 32 isolates of AIV, comprising nine subtypes, was obtained from specimens from the Sloblands compared with just one isolate from elsewhere in Ireland. Samples from nine other waterfowl, five of which were from the Sloblands, tested positive for AIV by rtRT–PCR. Ecological factors are likely to have contributed to the higher detection rate of AIV at the Sloblands compared with the rest of Ireland. It was concluded that targeted surveillance at such sites is a cost-effective means of monitoring the circulation of new AIVs in waterfowl, whereas widespread opportunistic sampling is unproductive and wasteful of resources.
The Political Economy of Violence: Toward an Understanding of the Gender-Based Murders of Ciudad Juarez

This article provides an interpretive account of the political economy of violence localized in Cd. Juarez, Mexico. It examines the socioeconomic conditions attending decades during a period of rapid transformation to an export economy as the environment in which violence against women has assumed endemic proportions. The serial murders of women have been alternately problematized as deeds of criminal deviants, as a reactionary gendered responses to women replacing men in the wage labor force, and as the failure of the state to exercise local authority. This article argues for a more comprehensive analysis that includes the above theories without bracketing questions related to political economy. It urges the critical examination of the murders through the perspective of daily life in Cd. Juarez, circumstances profoundly transformed by global economic policies that favor the flow of capital and unfettered markets over the interests of the workers who are drawn to Cd. Juarez in search of a better life. The impact of globalization has been considered in relation to the functions of the state and role of the rule of law. Attention has been given more to questions related to finance, trade and supranational regulatory schemes than to the impact of development strategies on the lives of the poor. This article seeks to expand this body of scholarship by examining how such transformations affect the capacity of state institutions, including judicial systems, to respond to the social consequences of globalization as it relates to lawlessness and the conditions in which societies disintegrate into violence. The murders in Cd. Juarez are set within the relationship of economic globalization and criminality as a way to consider prevention and intervention strategies focused primarily on enforceable international labor standards. It concludes by proposing to invigorate debates about economic globalization and development strategies to raise gender, poverty, and inequality to prominence, and thereby offer what may be considered as "utopian" proposals for policy and legal reform.