Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Inhibition of angiogenesis as a mechanism for inhibition by Lα‐hydroxyvitamin D3 and 1,25‐dihydroxyvitamin D3 of colon carcinogenesis induced by azoxymethane in Wistar rats

The effects of 1α‐hydroxyvitamin D3[1α(OH)D3] and 1,25‐dihydroxyvitamin D3[1,25(OH)2D3] on the incidence of colon tumors induced by azoxymethane and on the labeling index and angiogenesis of colon tumors were investigated in Wistar rats. Rats received 10 weekly injections of 7.4 mg/kg body weight of azoxymethane and i.p. injections of 1α(OH)D3 and 1,25(OH)2D3 at lower and higher doses every other day for 45 weeks. Prolonged administration of both 1α(OH)D3 and 1,25(OH)2D3 at a higher dose significantly reduced the incidence of colon tumors in week 45. However, administration of 1α(OH)D3 or 1,25(OH)2D3 had little or no effect on the histologic type of colon tumors and cancers. Administration of 1α(OH)D3 and 1,25(OH)2D3 at higher doses significantly decreased the labeling index, the immuno‐histochemical staining for vascular endothelial growth factor and microvessel counts in colon tumors. Our findings suggest that both 1α(OH)D3 and 1,25(OH)2D3 inhibit development of colon tumors. A possible mechanism of inhibition of colon carcinogenesis by 1α(OH)D3 and 1,25(OH)2D3 is the inhibition of angiogenesis as well as an anti‐proliferative effect. Int. J. Cancer 81:730–733, 1999. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Efficacy of proline in the treatment of menopause

The amino acids in the placenta have multiple functions; however, the therapeutic effects of proline remain poorly for relief postmenopausal symptoms. The aim of present study was to evaluate the effects of proline in the treatment of menopause using in vitro and in vivo models. We assessed the therapeutic effects and regulatory mechanisms of proline by using MCF-7 estrogen-dependent cells, MG63 osteoblast cells, and ovariectomized mice model. An in vivo study was carried out in eight-week-old sham and ovariectomized group. The ovariectomized mouse was further subdivided into two groups administered orally with 17β-estradiol or proline (10 mg/kg/day) for eight weeks. Proline significantly increased cell proliferation and Ki-67 levels in MCF-7 cells and enhanced cell proliferation, alkaline phosphatase activity, extracellular signal-regulated kinase phosphorylation, and glutamyl-prolyl-tRNA synthetase activation in MG63 cells. The estrogen receptor-β and estrogen-response elements luciferase activity were significantly increased by proline in MCF-7 and MG63 cells. In ovariectomized mice, oral administration of proline (10 mg/kg/day) for eight weeks significantly reduced body and vaginal weights. Proline also significantly increased serum estradiol and alkaline phosphatase levels, whereas serum luteinizing hormone was decreased by proline. In addition, detailed microcomputed tomography analysis showed that the proline notably enhanced bone mineral density, trabecular bone volume, and trabecular number in ovariectomized mice. Those findings implied that proline can be a promising candidate for the treatment of menopause.
What skills are needed to be a humanitarian logistician

Logistic skills are of importance for employment and career development, and prior research has highlighted differences in skill requirements for different logistics functions as well as for different groups of logisticians. However, the continuing incidence of natural disasters and complex emergencies and the associated challenges including the requirement to build relationships with diverse stakeholder, has increased the demand for humanitarian logisticians - but there is, as yet, little understanding of which skills are important in this context. This article develops a conceptual framework for skills in the field of humanitarian logistics, and evaluates the framework through a content analysis of job advertisements with a special focus on the 2010 Haiti earthquake. This analysis concludes that humanitarian logisticians need a broad spectrum of functional skills (such as procurement, warehouse and transport management) that must often be held in some depth. In addition, however, humanitarian logisticians need 'contextual' skills that reflect their particular field of employment (such as security management and a comprehensive knowledge of donor regulations). It is suggested that such contextual skills are likely to feature in other areas of logistic employment, and that further research to identify these would lead to improvements in training and education programs.
Heparan sulfate proteoglycan expression in human lung‐cancer cells

Heparan sulfate (HS) functions as a co‐factor in several signal‐transduction systems that affect cellular growth, differentiation, adhesion and motility. HS, therefore, may also play a role in the malignant transformation of cells, tumor growth, cell invasiveness and the formation of tumor metastases. To explore this hypothesis, we analyzed the expression of HS and heparan sulfate proteoglycan (HSPG) in histological sections of human lung‐cancer tissues and assayed for the presence of HSPGs in extracts of human lung‐cancer cell lines, using a panel of native HS‐, Δ‐HS‐ and HSPG (syndecan, glypican, CD44 and perlecan) core protein–specific monoclonal antibodies. Compared to normal epithelia, non‐small‐cell lung carcinomas, particularly poorly differentiated tumors, often expressed reduced amounts of the major cell surface–associated HSPGs (most consistently of syndecan‐1). CD44 or CD44‐variant proteins, in contrast, were found on all tumor cells, irrespective of their differentiation. Perlecan, a matrix‐associated HSPG found in the basement membrane of normal bronchial epithelium, was consistently undetectable in invasive bronchogenic carcinomas. Staining reactions for native HS were consistently reduced in squamous‐cell lung carcinomas, in the cells in contact with the stroma and in the less differentiated areas of these tumors. Reactions for Δ‐HS, however, were not reduced, suggesting a structural change in the HS of these tumor cells. Poorly differentiated adenocarcinomas, in contrast, yielded strong HS and Δ‐HS reactions. Marked differences in HSPG expression also were observed among various non‐small‐cell lung carcinoma cell lines. Our results suggest that poorly differentiated lung tumors have markedly altered patterns of HSPG expression, which may contribute to their invasive phenotype. Int. J. Cancer 74:335–345, 1997. © 1997 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Yersinia pestis pH 6 antigen forms fimbriae and is induced by intracellular association with macrophages

Ability to express pH 6 antigen (Ag) is necessary for full virulence of Yersinia pestis; however, the function of the Ag in pathogenesis remains unclear. We determined the nucleotide sequence of a 4232 bp region of Y. pestis DNA which encoded the pH 6 Ag structural gene (psaA) and accessory loci necessary for Ag synthesis. Protein sequences encoded by the Y. pestis DNA were similar to accessory proteins which function in the biosynthesis of Escherichia coli fimbriae Pap, K88, K99 and CS3 as well as the molecular chaperone for the Y. pestis capsule protein. Electron microscopy and immunogold labelling studies revealed that pH 6 Ag expressing E coU or Yersinia produced flexible‘fibrillar’organelles composed of individual linear strands, multiple strand bundles or wiry aggregates of PsaA. Y. pestis associated with the murine macrophage‐like cell line, RAW264.7, expressed pH 6 Ag in an intracellular acidification‐dependent manner. Together with an earlier study showing that a Y. pestis psaA mutant was reduced in virulence, these results demonstrate that the expression of fimbriae which are induced in host macrophages is involved in plague pathogenesis.
The Relationship between Internet Activities and Chinese LanguageProficiency of International Students in Taiwan

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between international students’ participation in Internet activities and their Chinese language proficiency. The research results demonstrate that the frequency with which international students browsed websites on Chinese social and cultural activities is positively associated with their Chinese listening ability; the frequency with which international students exchanged information/files/opinions with other Internet users on Chinese social and cultural activities websites is positively associated with their Chinese composition ability; and the frequency with which international students searched or bought books on the Internet for Chinese learning is positively associated with their Chinese language proficiency.
Effects of Mergers and Acquisitions on Return on Capital Employed and Dividend per Share Indices of Companies in Nigeria

This paper examines the effects of mergers and acquisitions on returns on capital employed and dividend per share of companies in Nigeria. Data were collected from published consolidated financial statements of five of the companies that combined between 1983 and 2003 which had one or two of the companies listed on the floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange. Data were collected for a period of twenty year, ten years before and ten years after business combination. Regression analysis and t ¨C test statistic were used to analyze the data. The study reveals that while mergers and acquisitions had significant effect on return on capital employed in 20 percent of the companies, they produced significant effect on dividend per share in 80 percent of the companies studied. The paper concludes that mergers and acquisitions produced varying degrees of effects on some corporate performance indicators. It recommends that mergers and acquisitions could be employed by stakeholders to enhance profitability and dividend per share of their companies in Nigeria.
Auditor Independence in New Zealand: Further Evidence on the Role of Non-Audit Services

Non-audit services provided by auditors to their audit clients continue to be a controversial issue around the world. While research evidence has not usually shown that auditors lose their independence when providing non-audit services, the risk that they could do so is still a concern to regulators and financial report users. However, after changes to the environment of auditing, including new regulation, it may be that the situation has changed. This paper examines whether there is a relationship between non-audit services and the loss of independence for publicly listed New Zealand companies in 2011. The results using three tests – audit fees, audit opinion and auditor tenure – show that there is no impairment of independence with respect to audit fees and auditor tenure. However, there is some evidence of impaired auditor independence in relation to the audit opinion.
Conceptualising town centre image and the customer experience

Abstract Compared with store image literature, the town centre is underexplored as a retail image context. This paper examines what is meant by town centre image by conducting an empirical study of 536 consumers to elicit top-of-mind images of five town centres. Following extensive content analysis and rigorous replication, the findings reveal a broader, holistic image construct than previously assumed in the literature. New psychological, intangible elements of town centre image are identified, confirming the need to measure image specific to the retail context. Further, drawing on the customer experience framework, a conceptual model of town centre image is developed. The model provides the basis for future conceptualisation and operationalisation of town centre image, combined with an approach for managing the customer experience in town centres.
Loss of reactivity of vaccine-induced CD4 T cells in immunized monkeys after SIV/HIV challenge

Background:Immunization protocols involving priming with DNA and boosting with recombinant live virus vectors such as recombinant modified Vaccinia Ankara (rMVA) are considered as vaccine candidates against HIV. Such protocols improve the outcome of simian/human immunodeficiency virus (SHIV) pathogenic challenge in Rhesus monkeys. Objectives:To investigate the fate of vaccine-induced T cells after a mucosal SHIV challenge. Methods:We immunized Rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) by DNA priming followed by rMVA boost. After intrarectal challenge with SHIV 89.6P, immunized animals demonstrated early control of viral replication and stable CD4 T-cell counts. We monitored T-cell responses by measuring IFN-γ secretion and proliferation. Results:Immunization induced strong and sustained SHIV-specific CD4 and CD8 T-cell responses. CD8 T-cell responses were recalled during acute infection, whereas none of the vaccine-induced SHIV-specific CD4 T-cell responses were recalled. Moreover, most of the CD4 T-cell responses became undetectable in peripheral blood or lymph nodes even after in-vitro peptide stimulation. In contrast, we persistently detected CD4 T-cell responses specific for control recall antigens in infected animals. Conclusion:SHIV 89.6P challenge results in a lack of reactivity of vaccine-induced SHIV-specific CD4 T cells. These results may have important implications in the AIDS vaccine field, especially for the evaluation of new vaccine candidates, both in preventive and therapeutic trials.
DISINTERMEDIASI FUNGSI PERBANKAN DI INDONESIA PASCA KRISIS 1997 : Faktor Permintaan Atau Penawaran Kredit, Sebuah Pendekatan Dengan Model Disequilibrium

The goal of this paper is to analyze the determinants of bank credit declining, whether is domi-nated by the supply or the credit demand, post the financial crisis in Indonesia. This paper is a sort of New Keynesian approach, which pre assume the imperfectness of the credit market and hence create disequi-librium. Using the switching regression model and Maximum Likelihood Estimation to determine the prob-ability of supply or demand determination, the result shows the existence of excess demand of credit during the crisis period, 1997/ 1998, confirming the credit crunch situation. After the crisis, the condition is reversed, where the credit supply is higher than the credit demand. The two findings implicitely shows the inflexibility of interest rate to equalize the credit market.
Smoking, alcohol, and coffee consumption preceding Parkinson’s disease

Objective: To study the association of PD with preceding smoking, alcohol, and coffee consumption using a case-control design. Methods: The authors used the medical records linkage system of the Rochester Epidemiology Project to identify 196 subjects who developed PD in Olmsted County, MN, during the years 1976 to 1995. Each incident case was matched by age (±1 year) and sex to a general population control subject. The authors reviewed the complete medical records of cases and control subjects to abstract exposure information. Results: For coffee consumption, the authors found an OR of 0.35 (95% CI = 0.16 to 0.78, p = 0.01), a dose–effect trend (p = 0.003), and a later age at PD onset in cases who drank coffee compared with those who never did (median 72 versus 64 years; p = 0.0002). The inverse association with coffee remained significant after adjustment for education, smoking, and alcohol drinking and was restricted to PD cases with onset at age <72 years and to men. The OR for cigarette smoking was 0.69 (95% CI = 0.45 to 1.08, p = 0.1). The authors found no association between PD and alcohol consumption. Extreme or unusual behaviors such as tobacco chewing or snuff use and a diagnosis of alcoholism were significantly more common in control subjects than cases. Conclusions: These findings suggest an inverse association between coffee drinking and PD; however, this association does not imply that coffee has a direct protective effect against PD. Alternative explanations for the association should be considered.
PENGARUH QUICK RATIO, EARNING PER SHARE, DAN RETURN ON INVESTMENT TERHADAP DIVIDEN KAS PADA PERUSAHAAN MANUFAKTUR SEKTOR FOOD AND BEVERAGES YANG TERDAFTAR DI BURSA EFEK INDONESIA

Abstract: This study is aimed to examine and analyze (1) the effect of the quick ratio, earnings per share, and return on investment as simultaneously onthe cash dividends (2) the effect of the quick ratio onthe cash dividends (3) the effect of earnings per share on the cash dividend (4) the effect of the return on investment on cash dividends. The population in this study are 24 companies manufacturing sector, Food and Beverages in the Indonesia Stock Exchange that has a quick ratio, earnings per share, and return on investment and pay cash dividends. Time horizon used is a combination of the cross-sectional time series. This study uses census. To examine the effect of quick ratio, earnings per share, and return on investment of the cash dividend is used multiple linear regression models. Results of this study indicate that (1) simultaneously quick ratio, earnings per share, and return on investment have influence to the cash dividend. (2) quick ratio has a positive effect on cash dividends, (3) earnings per share has a positive effect on cash dividends, (4) return on investment positive effect on the cash dividend. Keywords: Quick ratio, earnings per share, return on investment, cash dividends Abstrak:Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menguji dan menganalisis (1)pengaruh quick ratio,earning per share, dan return on invesmentsecara bersama-sama terhadap dividen kas(2) pengaruh quick ratio terhadap dividen kas (3) pengaruh earning per share terhadap dividen kas (4) pengaruh return on invesment terhadap dividen kas.Populasi dalam penelitian ini yaitu 24 perusahaan manufaktur sektor Food and Beverages di Bursa Efek Indonesia yang memiliki quick ratio, earning per share, dan return on investment serta membayarkan dividen kas. Horizon waktu yang digunakan adalah cross sectional dengan time series. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode sensus. Untuk menguji pengaruh quick ratio, earning per share, dan return on investment terhadap dividen kas digunakan model regresi linierberganda.Hasil penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa (1) secara bersama-samaquick ratio, earning per share, dan return on investment berpengaruh positif terhadap dividen kas. (2) quick ratio berpengaruh positif terhadap dividen kas, (3) earning per share berpengaruh positif terhadap dividen kas, (4)return on investmentberpengaruh positif terhadap dividen kas. Kata Kunci: Quick ratio, earning per share, return on investment, dividen kas
Student anxiety in introductory biology classrooms: Perceptions about active learning and persistence in the major

Many researchers have called for implementation of active learning practices in undergraduate science classrooms as one method to increase retention and persistence in STEM, yet there has been little research on the potential increases in student anxiety that may accompany these practices. This is of concern because excessive anxiety can decrease student performance. Levels and sources of student anxiety in three introductory biology lecture classes were investigated via an online survey and student interviews. The survey (n = 327) data revealed that 16% of students had moderately high classroom anxiety, which differed among the three classes. All five active learning classroom practices that were investigated caused student anxiety, with students voluntarily answering a question or being called on to answer a question causing higher anxiety than working in groups, completing worksheets, or answering clicker questions. Interviews revealed that student anxiety seemed to align with communication apprehension, social anxiety, and test anxiety. Additionally, students with higher general anxiety were more likely to self-report lower course grade and the intention to leave the major. These data suggest that a subset of students in introductory biology experience anxiety in response to active learning, and its potential impacts should be investigated.
Rorschach Assessment of Two Distinctive Personality States of a Person With Dissociative Identity Disorder

ABSTRACT This case study used test data from a patient with Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID; American Psychiatric Association, 2013) to illustrate how two main personality states of the patient (“Ann” and “Ben”) seemed to function. The Rorschach Performance Assessment System (R–PAS; Meyer, Viglione, Mihura, Erard, & Erdberg, 2011) and the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems–Circumplex (IIP–64; Horowitz, Alden, Wiggins, & Pincus, 2000), administered to Ann and Ben in separate settings, exposed two diverse R–PAS and IIP–64 profiles. Ann's R–PAS profile suggested an intellectualized style of information processing with few indications of psychological problems. Ben's profile indicated severe perceptual, cognitive, and interpersonal difficulties combined with suspicion and anxiety. Ann's IIP–64 profile suggested minor interpersonal problems, whereas Ben's indicated serious relational difficulties. The findings were discussed in relation to the theory of trauma-related structural dissociation of the personality (van der Hart, Nijenhuis, & Steele, 2006), which implies an enduring split in the organization of the personality with more or less separate entities with their own sense of self, perception of the world, and ways of organizing emotional, cognitive, and social functions. The DID personality structure is seen as a defense strategy and as a pathway in the personality development producing serious psychological pain and symptoms.
Asymptotic invariants of base loci

Le but de cet article est de definir et d'etudier systematiquement quelques invariants asymptotiques associes aux lieux de base des fibres en droites sur les varietes projectives lisses. Le comportement fonctionnel de ces invariants est lie au comportement ensembliste des lieux de base.
IgG4-Related Disorder of the Retroperitoneum Resembling Castleman’s Disease Plasma Cell Type: A Report of 2 Cases

This study reports 2 cases of IgG4-related disorder of the retroperitoneum resembling plasma cell type of Castleman’s disease. A single lesion was located in the renal hilum and ureter, respectively, in these 2 cases. Histologically, both lesions were characterized by reactive follicular hyperplasia with active germinal centers and a sheet of polyclonal mature plasma cells in the interfollicular area. The prominent sclerosis and/or fibrosis, which were characteristic histological findings of IgG4-related disorders, were absent. However, immunohistochemical study demonstrated numerous IgG4+ plasma cells accounting for more than 50% of IgG+ cells. The phlebitis that occurs with early lesions of obliterative phlebitis is one of the characteristic histological findings of IgG4-related disorders and was noted in one case. Serum IgG4 concentration was increased in one case. The serum interleukin-6 level was within the normal range in one case that was examined. From a therapeutic perspective, it is important to discriminate IgG4-related disorder from plasma cell type of Castleman’s disease.