Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Class IA Phosphoinositide 3-Kinase Regulates Heart Size and Physiological Cardiac Hypertrophy

ABSTRACT Class IA phosphoinositide 3-kinases (PI3Ks) are activated by growth factor receptors, and they regulate, among other processes, cell growth and organ size. Studies using transgenic mice overexpressing constitutively active and dominant negative forms of the p110α catalytic subunit of class IA PI3K have implicated the role of this enzyme in regulating heart size and physiological cardiac hypertrophy. To further understand the role of class IA PI3K in controlling heart growth and to circumvent potential complications from the overexpression of dominant negative and constitutively active proteins, we generated mice with muscle-specific deletion of the p85α regulatory subunit and germ line deletion of the p85β regulatory subunit of class IA PI3K. Here we show that mice with cardiac deletion of both p85 subunits exhibit attenuated Akt signaling in the heart, reduced heart size, and altered cardiac gene expression. Furthermore, exercise-induced cardiac hypertrophy is also attenuated in the p85 knockout hearts. Despite such defects in postnatal developmental growth and physiological hypertrophy, the p85 knockout hearts exhibit normal contractility and myocardial histology. Our results therefore provide strong genetic evidence that class IA PI3Ks are critical regulators for the developmental growth and physiological hypertrophy of the heart.
Prevalence of screening-detected eating disorders in chinese females and exploratory associations with dietary practices.

OBJECTIVE China is undergoing dramatic Westernization, hence may be able to provide unique insights into the role of sociocultural factors in disease. The purpose of this exploratory study was two-fold: to describe the prevalence of screening-detected eating disorders and disordered eating in China at the first occasion of assessment in the large-scale China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS) and to explore the associations between dietary practices and disordered eating. Regarding the first objective, participants are provincially representative and in subsequent waves will be followed longitudinally. METHOD CHNS participants were recruited using multistage, cluster random sampling, beginning in 1989. In this study, participants comprised 259 female adolescents (12-17 years) and 979 women (18-35 years) who participated in the CHNS 2009 survey, which is the first CHNS survey to assess disordered eating. Dietary practice-disordered eating associations were investigated with logistic regression adjusting for age, body mass index, and urbanization. RESULTS Of the participants, 6.3% (95% CI: 4.8, 8.2) of adults and 7.8% (95% CI: 5.0, 12.0) of adolescents had a screening-detected eating disorder. Dietary practices had non-significant associations with disordered eating at the general population level, except for protein consumption among women. There was evidence that skipping meals and a high-fat diet may confer risk. DISCUSSION Screening-detected eating disorders in China are lower in prevalence than in developed countries. Dietary practices had fairly limited associations with disordered eating at the general population level; protein consumption, skipping meals, and a high-fat diet are candidate dietary practice exposures for disordered eating. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.
Internet usage and 'internet addiction' in students and its implications for learning

The popular stereotypes surrounding various types of hacking and computing addiction (e.g. Turkle, 1995) indicate that ‘addicts’ tend to be socially unskilled male teenagers who have little or no social life and/or self-confidence. Recent surveys have confirmed that a vast majority of Internet users are in fact male. A survey by Pitkow and Kehoe (1996) indicated that 32% of users access the Internet through education providers and that 28% of them are college students. Two recent studies have examined excessive Internet use among a US student population. Although unrepresentative of the general public, students are considered high-risk for problems because of ready access and flexible time schedules (Moore, 1995). Morahan-Martin and Schumacher (1997) examined what they termed ‘Pathological Internet Use’ (PIU) in 277 students. Pathological Internet users accounted for 8.1% of the total sample and were more likely to be male (12.2% males; 3.2% females). Scherer and Bost (1997) surveyed 531 students about their Internet use and developed a checklist of ten clinical symptoms to parallel the symptoms of substance abuse and dependency. Results indicated that 49 respondents (13%) of weekly users scored three or more on the dependency checklist and that the majority of these were male (71%). Thirteen percent of the sample reported Internet use had interfered with either their academic work, professional performance or their social lives. All surveys examining addiction have failed to indicate that it exists mainly because the criteria chosen appear to be only peripheral to the core concepts of addiction. Previous research by some of the authors (Griffiths, 1995; 1996; Griffiths & Sparrow, 1997) has shown that the Internet may be addicting. One of the objectives of this research project (funded by Nottingham Trent University) is to determine the object of the addiction and the implications it may have for impeding student learning. It must also be noted that since students appear to be at the greatest risk, such research will help in the formulation of problem prevention policies. There is little in the way of information about normal and excessive Internet usage and its development in the student population and/or it’s impact on student learning. The current research project has only just begun but aims to: • establish empirically the prevalence of ‘Internet addiction’ amongst the student population; • determine the object of the excessive use and/or addiction, e.g. the medium of communication, aspects of its specific style (e.g. no face-to-face,
Earnings Management Using Classification Shifting: an Examination of Core Earnings and Special Items

This paper examines the classification of items within the income statement as an earnings management tool. Evidence is consistent with managers opportunistically shifting expenses from core expenses (cost of goods sold and selling, general, and administrative expenses) to special items. This vertical movement of expenses does not change bottom‐line earnings, but overstates “core” earnings. In addition, it appears that managers use this earnings management tool to meet the analyst forecast earnings benchmark, as special items tend to be excluded from both pro forma and analyst earnings definitions.
FGFR1 is independently required in both developing mid‐ and hindbrain for sustained response to isthmic signals

Fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) are signaling molecules of the isthmic organizer, which regulates development of the midbrain and cerebellum. Tissue‐specific inactivation of one of the FGF receptor (FGFR) genes, Fgfr1, in the midbrain and rhombomere 1 of the hindbrain of mouse embryos results in deletion of the inferior colliculi in the posterior midbrain and vermis of the cerebellum. Analyses of both midbrain–hindbrain and midbrain‐specific Fgfr1 mutants suggest that after establishment of the isthmic organizer, FGFR1 is needed for continued response to the isthmic signals, and that it has direct functions on both sides of the organizer. In addition, FGFR1 appears to modify cell adhesion properties critical for maintaining a coherent organizing center. This may be achieved by regulating expression of specific cell‐adhesion molecules at the midbrain–hindbrain border.
The role of the Internet on export market growth : an empirical study in Latin America

The Internet has been shown to positively influence the export activities of firms from developed countries. However, the literature is vague as to whether the Internet has an impact on the export market growth of firms form developing countries. This paper examines of a cross-national sample of 204 firms from a Latin American country (Chile). The results show that Internet marketing activities positively influence information availability and business relationships, which lead to an increase in export market growth. The findings indicate that the Internet influences not only information availability for export performance but also business relationships generally thought to be face to face interactions in nature.
Study on power system extended small signal stability region (DE-SSSR) in time delay space

In power system, coordination controllers are usually designed based on the data from PMU and WAMS. Time delays in the measurement data are significant so that they can not be simply ignored. So, it is important to evaluate the impact of time delays on power system stability analysis and controller design. In this paper, an extended small signal stability region in time delay space (DE-SSSR) is presented so that it can consider the low frequency oscillation phenomena captured in the power system operations. Definition of DE-SSSR is first given, and the structure of its boundaries is discussed. Then a practical method is given to trace the boundaries of DE-SSSR. Finally, WSCC 3-generator-9-bus system is employed to validate the effectiveness of the presented method. Work of this paper is helpful to power system stability assessment and controller design with considering time delays in wide-area environment.
Prognosis of core-binding factor acute myeloid leukemia after first relapse

Publisher's Disclaimer. E-publishing ahead of print is increasingly important for the rapid dissemination of science. Haematologica is, therefore, E-publishing PDF files of an early version of manuscripts that have completed a regular peer review and have been accepted for publication. E-publishing of this PDF file has been approved by the authors. After having E-published Ahead of Print, manuscripts will then undergo technical and English editing, typesetting, proof correction and be presented for the authors' final approval; the final version of the manuscript will then appear in print on a regular issue of the journal. All legal disclaimers that apply to the journal also pertain to this production process.
The symptom experience of women with chronic illness.

AIM OF THE STUDY This integrative review examined how women interpret, cope with, and manage chronic illness symptoms. BACKGROUND Women with chronic illness report more symptoms and poorer physical health than men. They also enter the health care system later and sicker than their male counterparts. One possible reason for their increased morbidity and mortality is gender differences in interpreting and managing symptoms. METHOD The inclusion criteria that guided this review were that: (a) the study was published between January 1, 1990 and December 31, 1999; (b) participants were women with at least one chronic health problem; and (c) the study addressed symptom perception, symptom evaluation, and/or symptom management. Databases were searched using women, symptoms, chronic illness, coping, and research as key words. FINDINGS One hundred and ten published studies were reviewed, yielding 35 journal articles reporting on 32 separate studies that met the inclusion criteria. The analysis identified important gender differences in symptom experience. While studies of coping with symptoms are well represented in the literature, symptom strategies and the cultural meaning of symptoms are understudied. CONCLUSION Five categories of practice implications emerged from the data. These included physical functioning, coping, self-care, roles and relationships, and socio-cultural issues. Within each category specific directions for nursing practice were developed.
A high speed low voltage latch type sense amplifier for non-volatile memory

A high speed low power modified latch type static sense amplifier design for current sensing in non-volatile memories is presented in this paper. The idea presented in this paper makes use of the fact that the scaling in technology introduces severe reliability issues in sensing circuits, due to device mismatches, which cause unpredictability in their performance metrics. In this paper, a detailed analysis on the proposed sense amplifier topology has been carried out by introducing variations in the threshold voltage of the devices to determine its impact on the performance metrics such as sensing delay, offset, and power. The proposed sense amplifier exhibits a worst case sensing delay of 0.946ns and allows operation at power supplies lower than 1.2V. This design is capable of working at a current offset of 1μΑ, consumes total power of 45. 512μW at 27°C with an improvement of 32.6% in power consumption when compared to conventional designs.
Plant sterols increased IL-6 and TNF-α secretion from macrophages, but to a lesser extent than cholesterol.

AIM Phytosterolemia is an inherited disorder characterized by hypercholesterolemia and premature atherosclerosis, together with increased inflammatory states in some cases. The underlying mechanisms of atherogenesis in phytosterolemia, however, have not been completely elucidated. In this study, we investigated whether phytosterols would affect inflammatory reactions in macrophages and macrophage cell lines. METHODS We incubated RAW264.7 cells (RAW) and mouse peritoneal macrophages (MPMs) with sitosterol (Sito), campesterol (Camp) or cholesterol (Chol) at low (8 µM, 16 µM) or high (160 µM) concentrations, and investigated their effects on LPS-induced secretion of IL-6 and TNF-α. We also analyzed their effects on endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in both cells, and on the cell proliferation of RAW. RESULTS At low sterol concentrations, only Chol resulted in a tendency toward the increased secretion of TNF-α from MPMs. At high concentrations, Chol induced a significant increase in TNF-α secretions from both cells; however, Sito resulted in a non-significant increase in TNF-α secretion. The effects on IL-6 secretions of Sito were also significantly less than those of Chol. Camp increased the secretions of both cytokines from MPMs; however, the extent of these increases was less pronounced than that of Chol. Augmentation of ER stress was greatest with Chol among the sterols, and the proliferation of RAW cells was inhibited only with Chol. CONCLUSION The lesser degree of inflammatory reactions and toxicity in macrophages with phytosterols than with cholesterol suggests that plant sterols themselves might not be primarily responsible for atherogenesis in phytosterolemia.
Allocation of Economic Competence in Teams: A Comparative Institutional Analysis

Attention is called to a little explored scarce resource, termed 'economic competence', which combines features of human capital and bounded rationality, and causes a singularity in resource-allocation in society. The performance of each economy is shown to strongly depend on how this resource is allocated, which in turn strongly depends upon the economy's institutions ('rules of the game'). Two stylized institutional variants of market selection and one of government selection are compared for their short-term and long-term effects upon the output and growth of a perfect team economy. The results are exemplified by throwing new light on the social value of financial markets and the limitations of industrial policies.
The Impacts of Environmental Education and Product Cognition on Consumers' Purchase Intention on Lithium Battery-Powered Electrical Motorcycles

Nowadays the global environment has suffered severe destruction. The cost of acquiring resources has gradually increased. The globally economic recession has kept spreading as well. Accordingly, energy savings and carbon reduction along with green products and green consumption have increasingly become important issues. This study examines the impact of the government's low-carbon policies, environmental education, environmental knowledge, product cognition, perceived value, and consumers' environmental attitudes towards the purchase intention on a lithium battery-powered electrical motorcycle. By exploring the mainly theoretical basis of knowledge-attitude-behavior patterns, employing Structure Equation Model (SEM), and conducting 416 valid samples this study investigates whether consumers' environmental knowledge and attitudes from advocacy of environmental education are indirectly associated with their purchase intentions. The results indicate that environmental knowledge, environmental attitudes, and environmental behaviors are positively and indirectly related with consumers' purchase intentions. This study also finds that the government's low-carbon policies are associated with consumers' purchase intentions.
Cultural values reflected in corporate pages on popular social network sites in China and the United States

Purpose – Social network sites (SNSs) have been recognized as an important marketing communication tool for marketers to connect with today's internet‐savvy consumers. At the same time, the popularity of SNSs has become a worldwide phenomenon with the rise of many local SNSs. The purpose of this paper is to examine cultural differences in the use of communication appeals on corporate pages of leading SNSs in two culturally distinct countries, China and the USA.Design/methodology/approach – The study employs a content analysis to identify cultural orientations observed in communication appeals of the corporate pages on leading SNSs in China (Renren) and the USA (Facebook). Findings – Appeals to interdependence, popularity, high social status, luxury, emotions, and symbolic association are more frequently used in societies with a more collectivistic, greater power distance, and high‐context culture such as in China; whereas appeals to individuality and hedonism are more frequently used in an individualistic .
Derivation of turbulent energy dissipation rate with the Middle Atmosphere Alomar Radar System (MAARSY) and radiosondes at Andoya, Norway

Abstract. We present the derivation of turbulent energy dissipation rate e from a total of 522 days of observations with the Middle Atmosphere Alomar Radar SYstem (MAARSY) mesosphere–stratosphere–troposphere (MST) radar running tropospheric experiments during the period of 2010–2013 as well as with balloon-borne radiosondes based on a campaign in the summer 2013. Spectral widths are converted to e after the removal of the broadening effects due to the finite beam width of the radar. With the simultaneous in situ measurements of e with balloon-borne radiosondes at the MAARSY radar site, we compare the e values derived from both techniques and reach an encouraging agreement between them. Using all the radar data available, we present a preliminary climatology of atmospheric turbulence in the UTLS (upper troposphere and lower stratosphere) region above the MAARSY site showing a variability of more than 5 orders of magnitude inherent in turbulent energy dissipation rates. The derived e values reveal a log-normal distribution with a negative skewness, and the e profiles show an increase with height which is also the case for each individual month. Atmospheric turbulence based on our radar measurements reveals a seasonal variation but no clear diurnal variation in the UTLS region. Comparison of e with the gradient Richardson number Ri shows that only 1.7 % of all the data with turbulence occur under the condition of Ri 1. Further, there is a roughly negative correlation between e and Ri that is independent of the scale dependence of Ri. Turbulence under active dynamical conditions (velocity of horizontal wind U > 10 m s−1) is significantly stronger than under quiet conditions (U
Does brand trust matter to brand equity

Purpose – The most recent literature on competitive advantage views brand equity as a relational market‐based asset because it arises from the relationships that consumers have with brands. Given the fact that trust is viewed as the corner‐stone, as well as one of the most desirable qualities in any relationship, the objective of this study is to analyze the importance of brand trust in the development of brand equity. Specifically, the paper examines the relationships network in which brand trust is embedded.Design/methodology/approach – A quantitative methodology was adopted. The data are based on a survey conducted in a region in the south‐eastern part of Spain, resulting in 271 surveys.Findings – The findings reveal that brand trust is rooted in the result of past experience with the brand, and it is also positively associated with brand loyalty, which in turn maintains a positive relationship with brand equity. Furthermore, the results suggest that, although brand trust does not play a full mediating.
Investor Protection and Choice of Share Issuance Mechanism

Legal investor protection is associated with how firms choose to issue shares. The likelihood of private placements relative to rights offerings increases with investor protection, as does the likelihood of public offerings relative to both private placements and rights offerings. These findings are consistent with investor protection benefitting minority investors and reducing the benefits of control. Commonly used measures of equity market development are not associated with how shares are issued, nor are measures of market inefficiency. Our study helps shed light on several current issues in the literature, including choice of share issuance mechanism, how investor protection promotes finance, whether investor protection reduces ownership concentration, and the rights offering paradox.
Optimal Policies and the Informal Sector

This paper characterizes optimal policies in the presence of tax evasion and undocumented workers. Equilibrium can be characterized as segmented or non-segmented, depending on whether domestic workers work exclusively in the formal sector (segmented) or also in the informal sector (non-segmented). Surprisingly, in equilibrium, wages are always equalized between domestic and undocumented workers, even if they do not work in the same sectors of the economy. This is driven by the interaction of firm level decisions with optimal government policy. We also find that enforcement may not always be decreasing in its cost, and that governments will optimally enforce segmentation if enforcement costs are not too high.
Towards sustainable financing of protected areas: A brief overview of pertinent issues

According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) now known as the World Conservation Union (IUCN), a protected area refers to a clearly defined geographical space, recognised, dedicated and managed through legal or other effective means, to achieve the long-term conservation of nature with associated ecosystem services and cultural values. The recognition of the role of protected areas in biodiversity conservation is manifested in several regional and international policies and legislation underscoring the need for financing of protected areas. These policies and legislation include the Convention on Biodiversity, Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), World Heritage Convention and the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. Most countries have ratified these conventions and consequently formulated national policies and legislation supporting biodiversity conservation and most are at implementation stage. However, protected areas are still not adequately funded regardless of their unique contribution to nature conservation. Challenges and opportunities in protected areas financing have been identified, conceptual frameworks for sustainable protected areas financing have been formulated and the various components that make a successful protected area are known.