Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A functional microsatellite of the macrophage migration inhibitory factor gene associated with meningococcal disease

Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is an abundantly expressed proinflammatory cytokine playing a critical role in innate immunity and sepsis and other inflammatory diseases. We examined whether functional MIF gene polymorphisms (–794 CATT5–8 microsatellite and –173 G/C SNP) were associated with the occurrence and outcome of meningococcal disease in children. The CATT5 allele was associated with the probability of death predicted by the Pediatric Index of Mortality 2 (P=0.001), which increased in correlation with the CATT5 copy number (P=0.04). The CATT5 allele, but not the —173 G/C alleles, was also associated with the actual mortality from meningoccal sepsis [OR 2.72 (1.2‐6.4), P=0.02]. A family‐based association test (i.e., transmission disequilibrium test) performed in 240 trios with 1 afflicted offspring indicated that CATT5 was a protective allele (P=0.02) for the occurrence of meningococcal disease. At baseline and after stimulation with Neisseria meningitidis in THP‐1 monocytic cells or in a whole‐blood assay, CATT5 was found to be a low‐expression MIF allele (P= 0.005 and P=0.04 for transcriptional activity; P=0.09 and P=0.09 for MIF production). Taken together, these data suggest that polymorphisms of the MIF gene affecting MIF expression are associated with the occurrence, severity, and outcome of meningococcal disease in children. —Renner, P., Roger, T. , Bochud, P.‐Y. , Sprong, T. , Sweep, F. C. G. J., Bochud, M. , Faust, S. N. , Haralambous, E. , Betts, H. , Chanson, A. ‐L. , Reymond, M. K. , Mermel, E. , Erard, V. , van Deuren, M. , Read, R. C. , Levin, M. , Calandra, T. A functional microsatellite of the macrophage migration inhibitory factor gene associated with meningococcal disease. FASEB J. 26, 907–916 (2012). www.fasebj. org
Early-onset and Robust Cerebral Microvascular Accumulation of Amyloid β-Protein in Transgenic Mice Expressing Low Levels of a Vasculotropic Dutch/Iowa Mutant Form of Amyloid β-Protein Precursor*

Cerebrovascular deposition of amyloid β-protein (Aβ) is a common pathological feature of Alzheimer's disease and related disorders. In particular, the Dutch E22Q and Iowa D23N mutations in Aβ cause familial cerebrovascular amyloidosis with abundant diffuse amyloid plaque deposits. Both of these charge-altering mutations enhance the fibrillogenic and pathogenic properties of Aβ in vitro. Here, we describe the generation of several transgenic mouse lines (Tg-SwDI) expressing human neuronal Aβ precursor protein (AβPP) harboring the Swedish K670N/M671L and vasculotropic Dutch/Iowa E693Q/D694N mutations under the control of the mouse Thy1.2 promoter. Tg-SwDI mice expressed transgenic human AβPP only in the brain, but at levels below those of endogenous mouse AβPP. Despite the paucity of human AβPP expression, quantitative enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay measurements revealed that Tg-SwDI mice developed early-onset and robust accumulation of Aβ in the brain with high association with isolated cerebral microvessels. Tg-SwDI mice exhibited striking perivascular/vascular Aβ deposits that markedly increased with age. The vascular Aβ accumulations were fibrillar, exhibiting strong thioflavin S staining, and occasionally presented signs of microhemorrhage. In addition, numerous largely diffuse, plaque-like structures were observed starting at 3 months of age. In vivo transport studies demonstrated that Dutch/Iowa mutant Aβ was more readily retained in the brain compared with wild-type Aβ. These results with Tg-SwDI mice demonstrate that overexpression of human AβPP is not required for early-onset and robust accumulation of both vascular and parenchymal Aβ in mouse brain.
Silicon-on-insulator asymmetric optical switch based on total internal reflection

Based on the large cross-section single-mode rib waveguide condition, total internal reflection (TIR) and the plasma dispersion effect, a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) asymmetric optical waveguide switch with transverse injection structure has been proposed and fabricated, in which the SOI technique utilizes silicon and silicon dioxide thermal bonding and back-polishing. The device performance is measured at a wavelength of 1.3 /spl mu/m. It shows that the extinction ratio and insertion loss are less than -18.1 and 6.3 dB, respectively, at an injection current of 60 mA. Response time is 110 ns.
Creatine kinase isoenzyme activities in men and women following a marathon race.

Serum samples from 14 men and 8 women were obtained pre-marathon (48 h) and at 24, 48, 72, and 96 h post-race to quantitate total serum creatine kinase activity (TCK), percentage of creatine kinase MB (CK-MB), and clearance rates (half-lives) of TCK and CK-MB. TCK was measured enzymatically, and the CK-MB isoenzyme was separated by agarose electrophoresis and quantitated by densitometry. The men's and women's post-race mean TCK levels were significantly elevated (P less than 0.05) above pre-race values at 24 h (3322 U . l-1, 946 U . l-1 and 48 h (1787 U . l-1, 508 U . l-1). In addition, CK-MB was significantly elevated both 24 h (5.1%, 3.3%) and 48 h (2.5%, 1.8%) post-race (P less than 0.05). The men's 24-h TCK was 22.3 times the pre-race value, while the women had an 8.6-fold increase in TCK. The mean 24-h post-race CK-MB activities were 166 U . l-1 for the men and 31 U . l-1 for the women. The mean increase in CK-MB activity was 41.5-fold for the men and 7.8-fold for the women. Furthermore, the men had a mean half-life (t1/2) of 30.4 h for TCK and 12.0 h for CK-MB; the women's t1/2's were 29.4 and 16.8 h, respectively. At all time points, the men evidenced significantly (P less than 0.05) higher TCK and CK-MB enzyme activities than did the women. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Diet and Epithelial Cancer of the Thyroid Gland

Enhanced secretion of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) has been linked with increased risk of thyroid carcinoma. Diet can increase TSH secretion in various ways: 1) low iodine intake, 2) high goitrogen intake, especially in subjects living in iodine-deficiency areas and 3) direct stimulation of anterior pituitary gland. Excessive iodine intake, however, has also been shown to increase risk of goitre and, perhaps, also thyroid carcinoma. Epidemiological evidence on the role of diet in the etiology of thyroid carcinoma is reviewed here. Ad hoc studies in affluent countries are few and often conflicting. A case-control study conducted in the North of Italy suggests that perhaps dietary aspects other than iodine or goitrogens (i.e. fresh fruit and vegetables and animal fat) may be involved.
Gender and psychiatric diagnosis: a 5-year retrospective study in a Nigerian Federal Medical Centre.

BACKGROUND The role of gender in psychiatry disorders is becoming increasingly important. This study is therefore, aimed at identifying gender pattern of admissions to a public mental health centre with regards to demographic characteristic, psychiatry diagnosis and length of stay on admission. METHOD In this retrospective study Hospital records of 388 patients admitted at the psychiatric section of the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Makurdi, between January, 2004 and December, 2008 were studied for gender differences regarding demographic attributes, length of stay and psychiatry diagnoses. RESULTS Findings revealed that more men than women were admitted overall. Most men (56%) were less than 30 years old whereas 60.6% of women were within 30-59 years aged bracket. For men the main diagnosis was schizophrenia (30.5%), followed by substance related disorders (16.5%) then depression (14.0%); for women the main diagnosis was also schizophrenia (30.3%), this was followed by depression (24.5%), only one woman was diagnosed with substance related disorder. A statistically significant association was also found between having a personality disorder and being a male (p = 0.009). Most female were single and belong to the lowest occupational group. There was no significant difference in the gender distribution of patients with respect to length of stay on admission (p = 0.161). CONCLUSION The results revealed how psychiatry diagnosis is significantly influence by gender issues. We therefore recommend that; for a more effective psychiatry formulation, it is imperative to pay attention to gender issues that may affect the development of psychopathology.
Relationship marketing investment, relationship quality, and behavioral intention: In the context of the relationship between destination marketing organizations and meeting/convention planners

Abstract This study examined relationships between destination marketing organizations and meeting planners, and investigated the moderating effect of familiarity on the relationships. Multivariate techniques were employed to analyze 277 planners’ perceptions (structural equation modeling), and to test the moderating effect (multi-group analysis). This study found that relationship marketing investment had a significant impact on relationship quality, which impacted behavioral intention while the moderating effect of familiarity was also significant. In addition, the most important activity for building a relationship between the planner and a destination marketing organization was personal sales calls. Practical implications of the results are discussed.
Demand Systems With Unit Values: Comparisons With Elasticities from Market Prices

The ratio of household expenditure on a particular food to the quantity consumed is often used as a proxy for market price in cross-sectional demand studies. These unit values are likely to give biased estimates of price elasticities, so Deaton (1990) developed procedures for correcting these biases. However, empirical evidence on the bias created by unit values in demand systems is lacking so in this paper we use data collected specially to carry out comparisons with the results of using market prices. Our findings suggest that unit values, whether used in naive or improved estimation procedures, provide poor approximations to the elasticities calculated with actual market price data.
Extracting Nonlinear Signals from Several Economic Indicators

We develop a twofold analysis of how the information provided by several economic indicators can be used in Markov-switching dynamic factor models to identify the business cycle turning points. First, we compare the performance of a fully non- linear multivariate specification (one-step approach) with the shortcut of using a linear factor model to obtain a coincident indicator which is then used to compute the Markov-switching probabilities (two-step approach). Second, we examine the role of increasing the number of indicators. Our results suggest that one step is generally preferred to two steps, although its marginal gains diminish as the quality of the indicators increases and as more indicators are used to identify the non-linear signal. Using the four constituent series of the Stock-Watson coincident index, we illustrate these results for US data.
RECTUS FEMORIS MECHANICS IN RUGBY KICKING

This study aimed to quantify rectus femoris muscle-tendon unit length and excitation during different types of rugby kick. Seven male rugby players completed a series of kicks during which kinematic and muscle excitation data were collected. Between 0.2 and 0.1 s prior to ball contact in all kick types, the rectus femoris lengthened rapidly whilst muscle excitation also rapidly increased, identifying eccentric action as a possible mechanism for muscle strain injury. Peak rectus femoris muscle excitations occurred later in the kicks with a primary height demand, and differences in the timing of peak muscle excitation existed between different regions of the rectus femoris muscle. This study provides information which can be used to inform the specificity of physical preparation and rehabilitation protocols for rugby kickers.
Upper airway collapsibility is associated with obesity and hyoid position.

STUDY OBJECTIVES Upper airway anatomy plays a major role in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) pathogenesis. An inferiorly displaced hyoid as measured by the mandibular plane to hyoid distance (MPH) has been consistently associated with OSA. The hyoid is also a common landmark for pharyngeal length, upper airway volume, and tongue base. Tongue dimensions, pharyngeal length, and obesity are associated with OSA severity, although the link between these anatomical variables and pharyngeal collapsibility is less well known. We hypothesized that obesity as measured by body mass index (BMI), neck and waist circumferences, and variables associated with hyoid position (pharyngeal length, upper airway volume, and tongue dimensions) would be associated with passive pharyngeal critical closing pressure (Pcrit). DESIGN Cross-sectional. SETTING Academic hospital. PATIENTS 34 Japanese-Brazilian males age 21 to 70 y. INTERVENTIONS N/A. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS We performed computed tomography scans of the upper airway, overnight polysomnography, and Pcrit measurements in all subjects. On average, subjects were overweight (BMI = 28 ± 4 kg/m(2)) and OSA was moderately severe (apnea-hypopnea index = 29 [13-51], range 1-90 events/h). Factor analysis identified two factors among the studied variables: obesity (extracted from BMI, neck and waist circumferences) and hyoid position (MPH, pharyngeal length, tongue length, tongue volume, and upper airway volume). Both obesity and hyoid position correlated with Pcrit (r = 0.470 and 0.630, respectively) (P < 0.01). In addition, tongue volume, tongue length, pharyngeal length, and MPH correlated with waist and neck circumferences (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS Pharyngeal critical closing pressure is associated with obesity and hyoid position. Tongue dimensions, pharyngeal length, and the mandibular plane to hyoid distance are associated with obesity variables. These findings provide novel insight into the potential factors mediating upper airway collapse in obstructive sleep apnea.
Fast Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry Method for Routine Assessment of Irinotecan Metabolic Phenotype

Irinotecan (CPT-11) is an anticancer drug with a complex in vivo metabolism widely used in the treatment of colon cancer. The assessment of the CPT-11 metabolic phenotype is an important clinical component for personalizing the administered dose. In this study, we report the development of a rapid and sensitive liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectroscopy method for the simultaneous quantitation of CPT-11 and its major metabolites generated by hydrolysis (SN-38, active metabolite) or through oxidative (NPC and APC) and glucuronidation (SN-38G) pathways. The method used a small volume of plasma and is based on simple protein plasma precipitation with two volumes of acetonitrile containing camptothecine as an internal standard. Analytes extracted in the supernatant fraction were converted to the lactone form and further separated by an acetonitrile gradient on a Kinetex C18 (50 × 2 mm) column in the presence of 0.01% formic acid. The quantitative measurement was performed by an API 4000/Qtrap operating in the triple-quadruple mode. The Multiple Reaction Monitoring transitions were: m/z 587→167 for CPT-11, m/z 393→349 for SN-38, m/z 619→393 for APC, m/z 519→393 for NPC, and m/z 569→393 for SN-38G. The mean overall recovery in plasma was in the range of 78% to 86% with a low matrix suppression effect (9.0% or less). The lower limit of quantitation was 0.2 ng/mL for NPC and SN-38 and 0.5 ng/mL for SN-38G, APC, and CPT-11. Linearity was checked up to 2000 ng/mL, whereas the intra- and interday accuracy and precision for both the parent drug and its metabolites was -3.7% to 13.8% and 3.7% to 13.1%, respectively. The method proved to be robust and suitable for therapeutic drug monitoring as well as for pharmacogenetic-pharmacokinetic correlation studies.
Protectionism and Multilateral Accountability during the Great Recession: Drawing Inferences from Dogs Not Barking

Economic stress is often thought to be a source of protectionism, which motivated Leaders of the new G-20 to promise repeatedly that they would refrain from trade restrictions in response to the global financial crisis that became apparent in 2008.They also promised to hold themselves accountable for this commitment using a novel transparency mechanism based in the World Trade Organization. At the same time a civil society organization, the Global Trade Alert, set itself up as an alternative accountability mechanism. The WTO and the GTA reached different conclusions both about how loudly the protectionist dog barked, and about whether G-20 governments kept their promises. I conclude from a detailed comparison of GTA and WTO data and interpretations using the notion of an 'accountability regime' that the protectionist dog did not bark, allowing inferences to be drawn from this curious incident about how transparency can help to close the gap between commitment and action, thereby contributing to accountable global governance.
The new capital raised in IPOs

We attempt to answer the following three questions about the new capital raised in IPOs: Why do some IPO companies raise a lot of new capital while some others don’t? Where do the IPO companies use the new capital they raise in IPO? How does the use of new capital affect the operating performance of IPO companies? We find that companies with higher R&D spending, higher capital expenditure, lower working capital and more long term debt tend to raise more capital in IPOs. These firms also spend more on R&D and capital expenditure. The more new capital firms raise in IPOs, the lower sales growth rate they have. However, firms spending a higher proportion of new capital on R&D seem to have higher sales growth rate.
Why Negative Outputs are Often Ignored: A Comprehensive Measure of Hotel Performance

Studies often overlook negative outputs when measuring hotel performance. This paper investigates the consequences of such omissions by comparing two performance models, one that includes negative outputs (customer complaints) and one that excludes negative outputs. The authors show that excluding negative outputs underestimates the efficiency and productivity results. The results also indicate important differences in the performance ranking of hotels when negative outputs were excluded from the model. The authors also found that hotel size and hotel classification have a minor impact on performance when accounting for negative outputs.
Regional Systems of Innovation in Canada: Two Case Studies

The need for the development of regional innovation systems is widespread and recognised in many countries. Quite a few studies have examined individual clusters with the purpose of identifying their essential components and of determining the conditions in which they may arise and prosper. In most of the literature however, it is recognized that there is little firm knowledge about their development process, and about the ways in which they can be promoted and fostered. The "path specificity" of their developments seems to hinder attempts at identifying specific measures that can promote their appearance and growth in contexts different from those where they already have. Canada's effort in this endeavour, however, seems to be paying off, since the country can boast of several burgeoning innovation clusters, some of which seem to be responding to specific policy measures at the regional level. In this study we have aimed at elucidating the structure and dynamics of two innovation clusters in British Columbia: the biotechnology innovation cluster, and the fuel cell innovation cluster, in order to gain a better understanding of their structure, their dynamics, and the way in which they respond to specific efforts by their actors and promoters
Low‐Frequency Induced Polarization of Porous Media Undergoing Freezing: Preliminary Observations and Modeling

We investigate the thermal dependence of the complex conductivity of nine porous materials in the temperature range +20 °C to −10 or −15 °C. The selected samples include three soils, two granites, three clay‐sands mixes, and one graphitic tight sandstone. A total of 12 experiments is conducted with one sample tested at three different salinities. Our goal is to use this database to extend the dynamic Stern layer polarization model in freezing conditions. We observe two polarization mechanisms, one associated with the effect of the change in the liquid water content and its salinity upon the polarization of the porous material. A second mechanism, at higher frequencies (>10 Hz), is likely associated with the polarization of ice. At low frequencies and above the freezing point, the in‐phase and quadrature conductivities depend on temperature in a predictable way. This dependence is due to the dependence of the mobility of the charge carriers with temperature. Below the freezing point, the in‐phase and quadrature conductivity follow a brutal decay with temperature. This dependence is modeled through an exponential freezing curve function. We were also able to determine how the (apparent) formation factor and surface conductivity change with temperature and water content below the freezing point. Our model is able to replicate the data at low frequencies and predicts correctly the fact that the ratio between the normalized chargeability and the surface conductivity is independent of the water content and temperature and equals a well‐defined dimensionless number R.
Banking System Diffusion of Open Market Operations

The spirited discussion and the innovative research of the past decade contributed greatly to our current understanding of the channels and effects of monetary policy. The result has been a more eclectic stance by the monetary authorities on topics such as interest rates, the quantity of money, and lags in the impact of monetary policy. During this same period, on a somewhat more operational level, considerable debate was occurring on the relative merits of open market operations vs. reserve requirement changes [1;2;6;8;12]. The chief arguments in favor of open market operations are well known. Such operations are flexible, easily applied, and readily "fine tuned. " While reserve requirement changes have none of these qualities, they have one feature which open market operations do not: the results of reserve requirement changes are synchronously felt over all components of the banking system, in all parts of the nation. Thus, one objection which is raised against the use of open market operations has to do with the condition that open market operations are conducted in the central money markets. As compared to the results of a change in reserve requirements, open market operations may potentially lead to a disproportionate concentration of reserves in the central money market banks. Supporters of open market operations suggest that, while this circumstance of concentrated impacts may have been the case at one time, recent money market developments and innovations (such as expanded use of the Federal Funds market, development of Certificates of Deposit, technical advances in information transmission, and expanded participation by formally inactive components of the banking system) have tended to "even" the impact of open market operations, so that such operations are now felt more uniformly throughout the banking system. ' The present study attempts to determine whether open market operations have become a more effective instrument for con-