Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Microtubule-disrupting agents inhibit nitric oxide production in murine peritoneal macrophages stimulated with lipopolysaccharide or paclitaxel (Taxol)

Paclitaxel (Taxol), a yew-derived antimitotic agent which binds to microtubules, can mimic certain effects of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on macrophages from LPS responder mouse strains. The production of nitric oxide (NO) by the peritoneal macrophages of LPS responder C3H/HeN mice stimulated with taxol or LPS was partially, but not completely, suppressed by microtubule-disrupting agents, such as colchicine, podophyllotoxin, vinblastine, and nocodazole, but not by lumicolchicine, an inactive derivative of colchicine. Inducible NO synthase protein expression induced by taxol and LPS in the macrophages was also suppressed by colchicine, but colchicine did not suppress the transcription of iNOS mRNA in the macrophages after stimulation with taxol or LPS. These findings suggest that microtubules function in the posttranscriptional processes of iNOS protein expression rather than in the transcriptional process of iNOS mRNA and the synthetic process of NO molecules.
Modelling and control of a PVTOL quadrotor carrying a suspended load

This work proposes the representation of the high level dynamic model of a quadrotor UAV with a suspended load, through Euler-Lagrange equations. The rotorcraft movement is restricted to the XZ plane of the Cartesian space, so that it performs like a PVTOL machine. A nonlinear controller is proposed to stabilize the quadrotor and the load, during positioning and trajectory tracking tasks. Finally, simulated results are presented in order to validate the proposal.
Overview of the electron beam ion trap program at NIST

This paper surveys the ongoing physics experiments at the Electron Beam Ion Trap (EBIT) facility at NIST, with particular attention paid to the underlying physical principles involved. In addition, some new data on the performance of our EBIT are presented, including results related to the determination of the trap width, ion temperature, and number of highly charged ions in the trap.
Less is More: The Executive Coach’s Experience of Working on the Telephone

This study adopts an interpretative phenomenological analysis of one-to-one interviews with six practicing executive coaches, who were asked to describe their experience of using the telephone for contracted coaching sessions. Findings suggest that the modality can offer a powerful, highly flexible and creative tool. They also indicate that the coach’s satisfaction with the medium is complex and dynamic, and may bear a relationship to the practitioner’s awareness of, and proficiency in working with the differing benefits and challenges of the aural space. Potential implications therefore emerge for the coaching profession as a whole and providers of education and development specifically.
The Ethics of Palliative Care in Psychiatry

of her six-month admission to the geriatric psychiatry in-patient unit. Margaret was 54 years old and suffered from advanced dementia. At the time, few traces remained of the formerly demure, mild-mannered woman with sparkling blue eyes and gentle smile. Currently, she inhabited a state of almost constant agitation, with frequent fits of loud screaming and crying, which had prompted her three children to bring her for psychiatric admission. The onset of Margaret’s symptoms had been deceptively insidious. Six years prior, unexplained mistakes on the job had precipitated a leave of absence from work. Episodes of getting lost while driving had resulted in nonrenewal of her driver’s license. As her cognitive status declined, her temporary work leave turned into a permanent retirement. Her son “Paul” moved in to live with her, and Paul and her two daughters, “Mary” and “Martha,” alternated caring for her. Within a few years, Margaret had gone from living independently and working full-time as a highly valued registered nurse to being nonverbal, profoundly cognitively impaired, and exclusively reliant on her children for self-care. Eventually, behavioral disturbances of dementia emerged. Shortly after 11 September 2001, she called 911, thinking terrorists were outside her window. She was often distraught for no discernible reason, and suffered bouts of uncontrollable yelling and agitated pacing, and was combative in response to care. One week prior to her index admission, she was admitted to a general hospital for management of unremitting agitation. An exhaustive work-up failed to elucidate potentially reversible causes of acute mental status changes. She spent much of that admission in restraints, and it was recommended that she be transferred to a geriatric psychiatry unit, with possible transition to a long-term care facility. At that point, her children opted to take her home, hoping that the more familiar home environment would decrease her level of distress. However, within a few hours, the children were forced to call 911 due to renewed escalation of behavioral dyscontrol. The Ethics of Palliative Care in Psychiatry
Different‐sized duplications of Xq28, including MECP2, in three males with mental retardation, absent or delayed speech, and recurrent infections

In XY males, duplication of any part of the X chromosome except the pseudoautosomal region leads to functional disomy of the corresponding genes. We describe three unrelated male patients with mental retardation (MR), absent or delayed speech, and recurrent infections. Using high‐resolution comparative genomic hybridization (HR‐CGH), whole genome array comparative genomic hybridization (array CGH), fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH), and multiplex ligation probe amplification (MLPA), we have identified and characterized two different unbalanced Xq27.3‐qter translocations on the Y chromosome (approx. 9 and 12 Mb in size) and one submicroscopic interstitial duplication (approx. 0.3–1.3 Mb) involving the MECP2 gene. Despite the differences in size of the duplicated segments, the patients share a clinical phenotype that overlaps with the features described in patients with MECP2 duplication. Our data confirm previous observations that MECP2 is the most important dosage‐sensitive gene responsible for neurologic development in patients with duplications on the distal part of chromosome Xq. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Approach of HeDSS (Health-care Decision Support System) using Context-aware Technique

We are living in the Internet era of things. This has the advantage that things delivered collects information decision can be facilitated, and using the result of effective decision-making. Re-encryption scheme based on the existing attributes, situational awareness, we have the restrictions that apply to the Internet environment of things. Therefore, we will try to design a re-encrypted access structure of context-based new dynamic attribute-based. Structure of the proposed new approach, to take advantage of the Bayesian network technology to reflect the dynamic situation of the data. Comparing the differences of HeDSS system newly proposed and re-encryption scheme based on an existing attribute, HeDSS is possible to secure data sharing.
Does anything go? Towards a framework for the more transparent assessment of psychoanalytic competence

It has been difficult to know what does and does not constitute competent psychoanalytic work and so equally difficult to assess when it is being practised and when it is not. This makes difficult any form of disciplined evaluation of the outcome of training, which has a series of problematic outcomes for psychoanalytic practice, psychoanalytic institutions and the relationship to allied disciplines and professions. In this paper, the author considers how far it might be possible to devise a framework for assessment of training programmes within a disciplined psychoanalytic pluralism. The aspiration is to develop a transparent framework, based on an empirically supported demonstration of analytic capacity. The framework needs to be sensitive and subtle, and to be able to withstand challenge. It needs to take cognisance of the twin facts that there is more than one way to practise psychoanalysis and that it is necessary to avoid ‘anything goes’. Drawing on an ongoing project undertaken by European IPA institutes, the author describes some of the problems colleagues have been experiencing in European institutes, because they have not had available transparent criteria for assessment. He outlines a preliminary form of a proposed method for making more transparent and supportable assessment. The author intends for this paper to inspire hope, enquiry and debate.
Altitudinal variations in soil physico-chemical properties at cold desert high altitude

Extreme nature of climate and topographical conditions may affect soil properties at cold desert high altitude. Hence, the present investigation was undertaken to know altitudinal variations in soil physico-chemical properties at cold desert high altitude region. For this, agriculture soils were collected from different altitude viz. site I (1000011000 ft), site II (11000-12000 ft) and site III (>12000 ft amsl) at Leh-Ladakh (cold desert high altitude region), India. Interestingly, sand percentage in soil was significantly high at site III and decreased gradually with the altitude. In contrast to sand level, silt concentration was high at site I and decreased significantly (p<0.05) with increasing altitude. There was no significant (p<0.05) difference in bulk density (BD) and electrical conductivity (EC) among all study sites. However, the highest pH, total dissolved solid (TDS), and CaCO 3 value was recorded at site I while higher soil organic matter (SOM) was at site III. Pearson correlation coefficient analysis showed the negative correlation (p<0.01, p<0.05) of clay, silt, and pH, whereas positive correlation of sand and SOM (p<0.01) with altitude. Hence, our findings suggest the altitudinal variations in soil physico-chemical properties at cold desert high altitude.
Integrated operational and financial decision making

• A submitted manuscript is the author's version of the article upon submission and before peer-review. There can be important differences between the submitted version and the official published version of record. People interested in the research are advised to contact the author for the final version of the publication, or visit the DOI to the publisher's website. • The final author version and the galley proof are versions of the publication after peer review. • The final published version features the final layout of the paper including the volume, issue and page numbers.
Italian and Indian gold and jewelry SMEs, marketing practices in the USA

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine current patterns of international marketing activities of Italian gold firms with a special emphasis on the US market and to juxtapose them with those adopted by Indian gold firms.Design/methodology/approach – A sample of small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) from Italy and India served as the study setting. Data were collected via depth interviews from the owners/managers of four Italian and three Indian firms.Findings – The paper finds that the competitive behavior of Italian SMEs is primarily reactive, whereas Indian companies strategically focus on the expanding Indian immigrant community.Research limitations/implications – This is a case study evaluating small companies based in two regions (Arezzo, and Hyderabad, India). Originality/value – A strategic comparison of the competitive conducts of SMEs based in an old economy country and a new economy emerging market‐based firms.
Absence of UCP3 in Brown Adipose Tissue Does Not Impair Nonshivering Thermogenesis

We report on a novel Djungarian hamster mutant lineage that exhibits a loss of uncoupling protein (UCP) 3 mRNA and protein in brown adipose tissue (BAT), whereas UCP3 expression in skeletal muscle is only mildly diminished. In response to 2 d of cold exposure, UCP3 mRNA was 4.5‐fold elevated in BAT of wild‐type hamsters but remained undetectable in mutant hamsters. Notably, in BAT of warm‐ and cold‐exposed mutant hamsters, UCP1 and UCP2 mRNA levels were increased. The tissue specificity of UCP3 deficiency suggests that the underlying unknown mutation impairs a factor controlling UCP3 gene expression selectively in brown adipocytes. In wild‐type but not mutant primary brown adipocytes, UCP3 gene expression was stimulated by treatment with peroxisome proliferator activated receptor (PPAR) ligands. This implies that the underlying mutation causing UCP3 deficiency is expressed within brown adipocytes and disrupts PPAR‐dependant transactivation of the UCP3 gene. On the functional level, we found no direct phenotypic consequences of altered UCP expression in BAT. The absence of UCP3 in BAT of cold‐acclimated mutant hamsters affected neither maximal nonshivering thermogenesis elicited by noradrenaline nor the uncoupled respiration of isolated mitochondria in the presence of oligomycin and in response to palmitate.
Entrainment and coupling of the hamster suprachiasmatic clock by daily dark pulses

The circadian rhythm of locomotor activity of hamsters kept in constant light (LL) can split into two distinct components that, in steady state, lie 180° apart. The splitting phenomenon is the result of antiphase circadian oscillations between left and right sides of the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN), the master circadian clock in mammals. In unsplit hamsters housed in LL, a single dark pulse produces a phase‐shift of the wheel‐running activity rhythm, accompanied by a transient down‐regulation of clock gene expression in the SCN. In the present study, we evaluated the effects of daily 1‐hr dark pulses on wheel‐running activity rhythm and on the expression of clock and nonclock proteins in the SCN of Syrian hamsters exposed to LL conditions. The results show that a daily 1‐hr dark pulse entrained the rhythm of wheel‐running activity of unsplit hamsters. In addition, in split animals, unimodal coupling of the two locomotor activity components was produced by daily 1‐hr dark pulses. In the SCN, the effects of entrainment and unimodal coupling of the two separate components by dark observed in behavior were also evident in the bilateral expression of the proteins c‐FOS, p‐ERK, PERIOD 1, and calbindin. These results show that the bilaterally asymmetric SCN clock, underlying split circadian behavior, can be recoupled in phase and entrained by short daily dark exposure, indicating the synchronizing potency of darkness on the main circadian clock. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Childhood cancer survivors, late effects, and a new model for understanding survivorship.

noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus at diagnosis. Pediatrics. 1997;100:84-91. 14. Macaluso CJ, Bauer UE, Deeb LC, et al. Type 2 diabetes among Florida children and adolescents, 1994-1998. Public Health Rep. 2002;117:373-379. 15. The Writing Group for the SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth Study Group. Incidence of diabetes in youth in the United States. JAMA. 2007;297:27162724. 16. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Diabetes Fact Sheet, 2005. Atlanta, Ga: US Dept of Health and Human Services; 2005. 17. Metzger BE, Cho NH, Roston SM, Radvany R. Prepregnancy weight and antepartum insulin secretion predict glucose tolerance five years after gestational diabetes mellitus. Diabetes Care. 1993;16:1598-1605. 18. Boney CM, Verma A, Tucker R, Vohr BR. Metabolic syndrome in childhood: association with birth weight, maternal obesity, and gestational diabetes mellitus. Pediatrics. 2005;115:e290-e296. 19. The DCCT Research Group. Effects of age, duration and treatment of insulindependent diabetes mellitus on residual beta-cell function: observations during eligibility testing for the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT). J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1987;65:30-36. 20. Libman IM, Pietropaolo M, Arslanian SA, LaPorte RE, Becker DJ. Evidence for heterogeneous pathogenesis of insulin-treated diabetes in black and white children. Diabetes Care. 2003;26:2876-2882. 21. Lipton R, Drum M, Baumann E, Burnet D, Hagopian W. Phenotyping minority young people: is it type 1 or type 2 diabetes [abstract]? Diabetes. 2005; 54(suppl 1):A670. 22. Umpaichitra V, Banerji MA, Castells S. Autoantibodies in children with type 2 diabetes mellitus. J Pediatr Endocrinol Metab. 2002;15(suppl 1):525-530. 23. Reinehr T, Schober E, Wiegand S, Thon A, Holl R; DPV-Wiss Study Group. Beta-cell autoantibodies in children with type 2 diabetes mellitus: subgroup or misclassification? Arch Dis Child. 2006;91:473-477. 24. Deapen D. Cancer surveillance and information: balancing public health with privacy and confidentiality concerns (United States). Cancer Causes Control. 2006; 17:633-637.
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE OF STATE-OWNED ENTERPRISES IN CHINA

In the last thirty years, China has undergone three stages of corporate governance mechanisms, namely, (1) the “power-delegating and profit-sharing” system; (2) the “contracted managerial responsibility” system; and (3) the corporatization of large stateowned enterprises (SOEs). This paper will explore each mechanism, their advantages and disadvantages in detail. The main finding is that the various practices of corporate governance of SOEs are not suitable for China’s SOEs mainly due to the lack of sufficient incentive. Instead, a mixed mechanism of the “control-based” and the “marketoriented” mechanisms is more attractive given China’s unique institutional setting.
Early- and Middle-Term Surgical Outcomes in Patients with Heterotaxy Syndrome

Objectives: Heterotaxy syndrome is a recognized risk factor for surgical cardiac interventions. We evaluated the early- and middle-term results of a surgical intervention for patients with heterotaxy syndrome. Methods: A total of 42 patients with heterotaxy syndrome were enrolled (September 2008 to March 2015). Left and right atrial isomerism were identified in 26% (11 out of 42) and 74% of patients (31 out of 42), respectively. The median age of the patients at the time of surgery was 6.8 months (range: 5 days to 22.3 years). Biventricular repair was completed in 3 patients with left atrial isomerism. Seventeen out of 39 patients who were scheduled for single ventricular repair completed a modified Fontan procedure. Results: The hospital mortality rate was 4.7% (2 out of 42). Another 5 deaths occurred in the remaining survivors following hospital discharge with a follow-up duration of 45.8 ± 23.6 months (range: 13-111 months). The 1-year and 5-year survival rates were 88.1% (37/42) and 83.3% (35/42), respectively. Univariate analysis and multivariate analysis identified pulmonary venous obstruction and atrioventricular valve replacement as additional risk factors for mortality. Conclusions: Right ventricular bypass surgery remains the preferred palliative procedure for patients with heterotaxy syndrome. Based on the current results, the early- and middle-term outcomes are satisfactory.
Political Risk and Firm Default Probability - Exploring Export Credits to High-Risk Countries

Despite the increased presence and importance of political risk in the world economy, this subcategory of country risk has not been rigorously incorporated in the credit risk literature. In this study, we investigate political risk factors as conceivable causes of firm default using a dynamic logit specification to a new dataset of export credit contracts from Finland. We model default probabilities for private firms in 14 developing countries with different perceived risk level and legal origin, defined as the largest high-risk export countries of Finland. Apart from the usually employed traditional firm specific financial variables, we condition the default probabilities on a vector of country specific political- and legal risk variables, including government- and instability risks, the level of democracy as well as legal- and creditor rights. Our results indicate that information on political instability, e.g. external- and internal conflict in a host country may constitute significant predictors of firm default, that may not otherwise be detected with scarcely available, or unreliable accounting information.
Regulation of arthritis by p53: critical role of adaptive immunity.

OBJECTIVE The p53 tumor-suppressor protein is expressed in rheumatoid arthritis synovium, and loss of p53 function through somatic mutation can occur in longstanding disease. Previous studies demonstrated that p53 is protective in murine collagen-induced arthritis (CIA). To determine if adaptive immune responses or synovial effector functions are responsible for this effect, passive models of arthritis were studied in p53 wild-type and knockout mice. METHODS Models of passive CIA, passive K/BxN serum transfer arthritis, and active CIA were induced in DBA/1 p53(-/-) or p53(+) mice. Hind paws were evaluated for histologic evidence of inflammation and joint destruction. Synovial interleukin-6 and matrix metalloproteinases 3 and 13 gene expression was analyzed by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. To evaluate T cell function in p53(-/-) mice, draining lymph node (LN) cells from mice immunized with type II collagen (CII) were evaluated in vitro. RESULTS Increased disease severity in p53(-/-) mice was confirmed in the standard CIA model. However, clinical arthritis, joint destruction, and synovial gene expression in the passive CIA and K/BxN serum transfer arthritis models were similar in p53(-/-) and p53(+) mice. To determine if the p53 effect was related to T cell function, LN cells from CII-immunized mice were isolated and stimulated with antigen in vitro. CII-stimulated T cell proliferation and interferon-gamma production were significantly higher in p53(-/-) mice. An independent assessment of Th1 function using the cutaneous delayed-type hypersensitivity model confirmed that p53(-/-) mice have enhanced T cell responses in vivo. CONCLUSION Adaptive immune responses, rather than antibody-mediated responses, in p53(-/-) mice account for increased disease severity in the active CIA model.
An Experimental Investigation on the Determinants of Online Hotel Booking Intention

ABSTRACT Online hotel booking is a common practice among potential travelers. When booking a hotel room, potential travelers make their decisions by analyzing limited information, such as number of rooms sold at a specific price, availability of rooms, and consumer ratings. Considering the importance of information clues that facilitate potential travelers’ decision-making, this study attempted to identify main effects and interaction effects of diverse information clues, such as scarcity, popularity, and consumer ratings, when booking a hotel room. Utilizing a 2Scarcity × 2Popularity × 2Ratings factorial design, popularity and consumer ratings had main effects on the booking intention. In addition, the interaction effect of scarcity and popularity was identified. More implications are discussed in the main body of this paper.
Are AR shopping services valued the same way throughout Europe? A four-country Q-investigation

Augmented reality creates new affordances for shopping-related interactions because it allows consumers to experience a product within the context of their choice and in a customized way before making a purchasing decision. There is a need to evaluate the potential of this technology and its features in order to integrate it strategically into e- and m-commerce activities. Given that technologies are now developing on a global scale, research should take a multiple country approach. The present study provides qualitative cross-country insights into four European nations and provides guidelines on how to conduct Q-investigations within comparative settings. The results suggest that both divergence and convergence phenomena occur calling for a differentiated approach to target users and to the development of applications.