Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The association between vascular function-related genes and age at natural menopause

Objective: In this study we attempted to confirm recent findings suggesting that age at natural menopause might be affected by single nucleotide polymorphisms in certain cardiovascular risk factor genes, such as genes encoding for blood clotting factors II, V, and VII and the apolipoprotein E2 gene. Such validation might increase support for the theory that ovarian aging is partly due to aging of the vascular supply to the ovary. Design: We used a random sample of 742 naturally postmenopausal women from a large population-based cross-sectional study. Data on age at natural menopause, smoking, body mass index, reproductive history, and other health factors were collected through questionnaires. We studied the association between single nucleotide polymorphisms in the genes encoding for coagulation factors II, V, and VII and the apolipoprotein E2 gene and age at natural menopause using linear regression analysis. We corrected for oral contraceptive use, parity, current smoking, and body mass index. Results: Only the heterozygous deletion/insertion mutation in clotting factor VII was significantly associated with an increase of menopausal age of 0.81 year (95% CI: 0.12-1.50 y). The homozygous variant, however, was not. The single nucleotide polymorphisms in the other genes studied were not significantly associated with age at natural menopause. Adjustment for various lifestyle factors did not change the associations between single nucleotide polymorphisms and age at menopause. Conclusions: Earlier findings relating specific point mutations in cardiovascular risk factor genes with age of natural menopause could not be confirmed in the present study.
Effect of spray-dried plasma and lipopolysaccharide exposure on weaned pigs: I. Effects on the immune axis of weaned pigs.

A study was conducted with 20 weaned barrows (14 d, 4.98 +/- .21 kg) to determine the effect of spray-dried plasma (SDP) on the pig's immune response to a lipopolysaccharide (LPS) challenge. After weaning, pigs were fed a diet containing 0 or 7% SDP for 7 d. On d 6 postweaning, all pigs were fitted with a jugular catheter. On d 7 postweaning, the pigs were given an i.p. injection of either saline or LPS (150 microg/kg BW) followed by a 3-h blood collection every 15 min. Following blood collection, all pigs were killed and tissue was collected for mRNA analysis. Additionally, the small intestine was collected for measurement of villus height, crypt depth, and villus height:crypt depth ratio (VCR) at three sites (25, 50, and 75% of the total length). Feeding SDP resulted in reduced (P < 0.05) mRNA expression of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) mRNA in the adrenal gland, spleen, hypothalamus, pituitary gland, and liver. Additionally, expression of IL-6 mRNA was reduced (P < 0.05) in the spleen and pituitary gland for pigs fed SDP. For pigs fed the diet with SDP, LPS administration did not affect (P > 0.10) cytokine mRNA expression, whereas LPS reduced expression of TNF-alpha mRNA in the spleen and IL-1beta mRNA in the adrenal gland, spleen, and thymus for pigs fed the diet without SDP. For pigs fed the diet with SDP, LPS caused serum TNF-alpha to increase 150-fold compared to a 60-fold increase for pigs fed the diet without SDP. Similarly, interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) increased 110-fold for pigs fed the diet with SDP compared to a 16-fold increase for pigs fed the diet without SDP. For pigs fed the diet with SDP, LPS caused major villus atrophy, whereas for pigs fed the diet without SDP, LPS had no effect on intestinal morphology. These results demonstrate that the basal activation of the immune system appears to be less for pigs fed the diet with SDP compared to pigs fed the diet without SDP after weaning. Additionally, for pigs fed the diet with SDP, there appeared to be an overresponse of the immune system following LPS administration, which resulted in major damage to the mucosa of the gastrointestinal tract.
Differential sensitivity to Zolpidem of IPSPs activated by morphologically identified CA1 interneurons in slices of rat hippocampus

Hippocampal pyramidal cells express several α‐subunits, which determine the affinity of GABAA (γ‐aminobutyric acid) receptors for benzodiazepine site ligands. This study asked whether inhibitory postsynaptic potentials (IPSPs) elicited by specific interneuronal subclasses were differentially sensitive to the α1‐preferring agonist Zolpidem, i.e. whether different receptors mediate different inhibitory connections. Paired intracellular recordings in which the presynaptic cell was an interneuron and the postsynaptic cell a CA1 pyramid were performed in slices of adult rat hippocampus. Resultant IPSPs were challenged with Zolpidem, cells filled with biocytin and identified morphologically. IPSPs elicited by fast spiking (FS) basket cells (n = 9) were enhanced more than IPSPs elicited by regular spiking (RS) basket cells (n = 10). At FS basket cell synapses the efficacy of Zolpidem was equivalent to that of Diazepam, while RS basket cell IPSPs are enhanced 50% less by Zolpidem than by Diazepam. Thus, while α1 subunits may dominate at synapses supplied by FS basket cells, RS basket cell synapses also involve α2/3 subunits. Two bistratified cell IPSPs tested with Zolpidem did not increase in amplitude, despite powerful enhancements of bistratified cell IPSPs by Diazepam, consistent with previous indications that these synapses utilize α5‐containing receptors. Enhancements of basket cell IPSPs by Zolpidem and Diazepam were bi‐ or triphasic with steep amplitude increases separated by plateaux, occurring 10–15, 25–30 and 45–55 min after adding the drug to the bath. The entire enhancement was, however, blocked by the antagonist Flumazenil (n = 7). Flumazenil, either alone (n = 3), or after Zolpidem, reduced IPSP amplitude to ∼ 90% of control, suggesting that α4‐containing receptors were not involved.
Development of the Spanish version of the Spinal Cord Independence Measure version III: cross-cultural adaptation and reliability and validity study

Abstract Purpose: To provide a translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the Spinal Cord Independence Measure (SCIM) version III for Spain and to validate the Spanish version of the SCIM III (eSCIM III). Patients and methods: Development of eSCIM III has involved translation, back-translation and assessment of cultural equivalence procedures. eSCIM version III, was administered to 64 patients with spinal cord injury, admitted to our hospital. Investigation of the psychometric characteristics included: (1) study of the inter-rater reliability, (2) internal consistency (Cronbach’s α), (3) validation and confirmation of the correlation between eSCIM III and Functional Independence Measure (FIM), and (4) sensitivity to change. Results: The reliability of eSCIM III showed an intra-class coefficient value >0.97 in the different subscales assessed. Internal consistency of eSCIM III was shown by a Cronbach’s α value of 0.93. The validity of eSCIM III was confirmed by the close correlation with FIM (r = 0.94, p < 0.0001). The sensitivity to change of eSCIM III was also confirmed. Conclusions: eSCIM III was found to be culturally equivalent to the original version, as reliability and validity of this tool were demonstrated. It can be used in Spain for functional assessment of patients with spinal cord injury. Implications for Rehabilitation Development of the Spanish version of the Spinal Cord Independence Measure version III. The importance of the adaptation of Spinal Cord Independence Measure (SCIM) is that it guarantees the possibility of measuring the same concept in different cultures and countries. The eSCIM III is the first, specific assessment tool in patients with spinal cord injury adapted for its use in Spain. The eSCIM III is a tool conceptually equivalent to the original version. It has the reliability and validity of SCIM III in order to be used by clinicians.
A procedure for establishing a reference state in qualitative simulation of operational systems

Identifies the need for a formal procedure to generate a reference state when conducting qualitative simulation studies. A procedure for generating a reference state is presented and justified. The procedure considers output performance indicators, steady state conditions, system capacity and model validity. Its application is illustrated using a simulation model for an order fulfillment process. The calibration process is necessarily iterative and subjective to some degree and in general does not generate a unique reference state. The impact of using different reference states in a simulation experiment is illustrated. In general the results are consistent when interpreted qualitatively in terms of direction, trend and order of magnitude. The approach is most applicable for qualitative simulation studies where comparative performance is being investigated and where precise numerical estimation is not required. However the procedure is also applicable to the study of real systems where data is not available.
Living with organizational politics: An exploration of employees' behavior.

OBJECTIVE This study aims to explore the employee's perception of organizational politics, the phase that they go through while working and the ways they adopt to cope with it. PARTICIPANTS Participants were working as employees in three automobile manufacturing companies having offices in Pune, India. They were selected via randomized quota sampling to reflect a mix of age, positions, genders and experience within the organization. METHODS Data collection was done through qualitative methods which included in-depth interviews with 26 employees. Analysis of the data was done using the coding process. RESULTS Findings of this study led to the emergence of four major themes i.e. (a) The Perceived threat, (b) Attitude towards players, (c) Coping Strategies and (d) Intentions to leave. CONCLUSIONS Based on the study findings, the researcher concludes that politics is being perceived as an evil and is negatively affecting the morale of the employees. Hence, it is imperative that the organizational forerunners and department heads continue to use research findings to get to know the culture prevailing in the organization and understand the emotional status and feelings that employees develop while working in such an environment.
Entry timing and innovation strategy in feature phones

Research summary: This inductive study examines how firms make decisions about the timing of innovations, focusing on the mobile handset industry during the feature-phone era. Through qualitative and quantitative data, we reveal how individual technology-entry decisions are influenced by a portfolio-level timing preference, and how this preference informs other aspects of innovation strategy, too. Early movers address greater, more uncertain revenue opportunities with broader, less selective innovation portfolios. Conversely, late movers target lower, more certain revenue opportunities with narrower, more selective portfolios. While timing per se seems unrelated to performance, a timing-strategy alignment is. Future research on the equifinal configurations we propose—broad/nonselective for early movers and narrow/selective for late movers—could thus help resolve the debate about the link between timing and performance. Managerial summary: We study how firms make decisions about the entry of new product features, in this case mobile phone technologies. During development firms weigh the scale and likelihood of features' commercial success. Some firms display a preference for earlier entry, which offers temporary monopoly rewards if uncertainty resolves favorably, while others tend to opt for later entry, which offers greater certainty but lower rewards due to competitive preemption. The innovation portfolios of these companies thus pursue differently structured opportunities, bringing about different strategic approaches. Since early movers aim for big hits to compensate for a higher failure rate, they launch a broader set of features and exert little selective pressure on the development portfolio. By contrast, late movers' lower payoffs reduce their tolerance for failure, making them launch fewer features and emphasize selectiveness; i.e., they invest in learning from the resolution of uncertainty so as to choose features more discriminately. When we examine innovation performance, timing has no significant effect but matching timing with feature breadth does. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The effect of good corporate governance mechanism and corporate social responsibility on financial performance with earnings management as mediating variable

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to determine the direct influence of the mechanism of good corporate governance (GCG) and corporate social responsibility (CSR) on financial performance as well as through earnings management as a mediating variable. Design/methodology/approach The data used in this research are secondary data involving 102 companies listed on the Indonesian Stock Exchange for the period 2014. The data used in this study were analyzed using partial least square and carried out with the help of software WarpPLS 5.0. Findings The results show that the mechanism of GCG and CSR has a positive effect on financial performance as well as the CSR on financial performance. Originality/value The results also show partial mediation of earnings management on impact of GCG mechanisms on financial performance and full mediation of earnings management on impact of CSR on financial performance.
Treatment of encephalomyocarditis virus-induced central nervous system demyelination with monoclonal anti-T-cell antibodies

Infection of BALB/c mice with the M variant of encephalomyocarditis virus resulted in the development of a paralytic syndrome in 7 to 10 days. The paralysis was maximal during the period of viral clearance; most of the animals recovered from the initial deficit and showed no delayed recurrences. Pathologically, the white matter of brain and spinal cord showed well-demarcated areas of perivascular cuffing, demyelination, and, during recovery, remyelination by oligodendrocytes--all suggestive of postinfectious encephalomyelitis. Depletion of either the CD4 or CD8 subset of T cells in vivo with the appropriate monoclonal antibody, GK1.5 or 2.43, respectively, administered one day (24 h) prior to infection was sufficient to limit the development of the paralytic syndrome by 79% (GK1.5) and 82% (2.43).
Man1, an inner nuclear membrane protein, regulates left–right axis formation by controlling nodal signaling in a node‐independent manner

Man1, an inner nuclear membrane protein, regulates transforming growth factor β signaling by interacting with receptor‐associated Smads. In Man1‐deficient (Man1Δ/Δ) embryos, vascular remodeling is perturbed by misregulation of Smad activity. Here, we show that Man1Δ/Δ embryos exhibit abnormal heart morphogenesis including the looping abnormality. We searched for the molecular basis underlying the heart abnormalities and found that the left side‐specific genes responsible for left–right (LR) asymmetry, Nodal, Lefty2, and Pitx2, were expressed bilaterally in the lateral plate mesoderm and that their expression was enhanced significantly in mutants. Notably, Lefty1, a marker for the midline barrier, was maintained in Man1Δ/Δ mutants. Crossing Man1Δ/+ with Nodal hypomorphs (Nodalneo/+), in which Nodal signaling in the node is disrupted, to generate double homozygous embryos (Man1Δ/Δ; Nodalneo/neo) revealed that the bilateral Nodal was retained in Man1Δ/Δ; Nodalneo/neo embryos. These results suggest that Man1 regulates LR asymmetry by controlling Nodal signaling in a node‐independent manner. Developmental Dynamics 237:3565–3576, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
A detector for non-literal Java errors

Novice programmers typically have problems diagnosing errors in their programs. This difficulty may be attributed in part to non-literal error messages, i.e. compiler-reported errors that do not match the actual error. Through the analysis of compilation logs, we determined the errors frequently committed by novice programmers. We then developed a detector that checks novice student code for these non-literal errors and produces more informative error reports.
Determinants of Financial Inclusion in Sub-Sahara African Countries

As the exclusion of large percentage of population has been identified as major obstacle to inclusive growth and development in developing countries of the world it is against this background this study investigates the determinants of financial inclusion in Sub-Saharan Africa using Panel Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL). The results from the study reveal that financial inclusion in the region is meaningfully influenced by both demand side factors (level of income and literacy) and Supply side factors (Interest rate and bank innovation proxy by ATM usage). Government in the sub region should put policy in place to promote financial literacy and other forms of innovative banking in their respective country as this will go a long way in promoting financial inclusion in the region.
Chalcophile behavior of thallium during MORB melting and implications for the sulfur content of the mantle

We present new laser ablation ICP‐MS trace element concentration data for 28 elements in 97 mid‐ocean ridge basalt (MORB) glasses that cover all major spreading centers as well as Tl concentration data for all mineral phases in five lherzolites from the Lherz massif, France. The ratio between the elements thallium (Tl) and cerium (Ce) is nearly constant in MORB, providing evidence that the depleted MORB mantle (DMM) has uniform Ce/Tl. Lherzolite mineral data reveal that sulfides are heterogeneous and contain between 23 and 430 ng/g of Tl while all other minerals contain Tl below the analytical detection limit of ∼1 ng/g. We argue that Tl in MORB is controlled by residual sulfide during mantle melting. To investigate the observed relationship between Tl and Ce, we conduct models of fractional mantle melting, which show that the constant Ce/Tl in MORB is only reproduced if the ratio between clinopyroxene and sulfide in the upper mantle varies by less than 10%. In addition, the rate of melting for these two phases must be nearly identical as otherwise melt depletion and refertilization processes would lead to Ce/Tl fractionation. These model results allow us to establish a relationship for the sulfur content of DMM: [S]DMM = SCSS × Mcpx /Rcpx, where SCSS is the sulfur concentration of a silicate melt at sulfide saturation, Rcpx is the melt reaction coefficient, and Mcpx is the modal abundance of clinopyroxene in the DMM. Using this equation, we calculate that the average upper mantle sulfur concentration is 195 ± 45 μg/g.
The Cotton Rat Provides a Novel Model To Study Genital Herpes Infection and To Evaluate Preventive Strategies

ABSTRACT Prevention of genital herpes and other sexually transmitted infections (STI) is a critical health priority because of the overwhelming impact on women and infants and the epidemiological association with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/AIDS. Small animal models are essential for evaluating strategies for prevention or treatment of STI. Neither the murine nor the guinea pig model of genital herpes fully recapitulates human disease. We demonstrate that herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) readily infects inbred cotton rats (Sigmodon hispidus). Consistent infection does not require pretreatment with medroxyprogesterone, and primary disease resembles that observed in humans. The animals develop genital lesions and fully recover. During primary infection, viral DNA is also detected in liver, lungs, brain, and kidneys. Clinical self-limited recurrences occur spontaneously but may also be induced by dexamethasone. Pretreatment of cotton rats with PRO 2000 gel, a candidate vaginal microbicide being evaluated in clinical trials to prevent HSV and HIV, protects cotton rats from HSV. Together, these studies suggest that the cotton rat may provide an excellent model to study genital herpes and to evaluate preventive strategies.
Global meaning in people with spinal cord injury: Content and changes

Background: After spinal cord injury (SCI), people are confronted with abrupt discontinuity in almost all areas of life, leading to questions on how to live a meaningful life again. Global meaning refers to basic ideas and goals that guide people in giving meaning to their lives, in specific situations. Little is known about global meaning relating to SCI and whether global meaning changes after SCI. Purpose: The purpose of this study was twofold: (i) to explore the content of global meaning of people with SCI, and (ii) to explore whether or not global meaning changes after SCI. Methods: In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 people with SCI. Interviews were analyzed according to the method of grounded theory. Results: (i) Five aspects of global meaning were found: core values, relationships, worldview, identity and inner posture. (ii) Overall, little change in the content of global meaning was found after SCI; specific aspects of global meaning were foregrounded after SCI. Conclusion: Five aspects of global meaning were found in people with SCI. Global meaning seems hardly subject to change.
Investment and Interest Rate Policy

The paper's theorems reverse two standard results of New Keynesian economics simply by appending endogenous investment to a benchmark imperfect competition-sticky price model. Our results are: (a) a passive interest rate rule, where the monetary authority responds to inflation by lowering the real interest rate, implies local equilibrium uniqueness, whereas an active rule generates either indeterminacy or no equilibria locally; (b) a temporary, exogenous increase in the nominal interest rate causes a temporary increase in output and investment.
An Innovation Capability Development Process for Firms in Developing Countries: A Theoretical Conceptual Model

Firms in developing nations possess low innovation capabilities due to the absence of an adequate conceptual model that consolidates the innovation capability development (ICD) constructs tailored to their needs. To describe the ICD in these firms, research findings should have consolidated both the technical and financial aspects of innovation. However, they have provided only a little account of information on the ICD process via integrating the technical and financial aspects of innovation. The aim of this research is thus to develop a conceptual model of the ICD process which is highly valuable to firms in developing countries (FDC). Methodologically, this research is based on a broad literature review. Following this, two key findings were obtained. Firstly, three key constructs of ICD, namely knowledge accumulation, knowledge application and fund generation were identified. The first two constructs constitute the technical aspect and the third construct represents the financial aspect of innovation capability. Secondly, using these three key constructs, the research proposed a conceptual model that defines a process of ICD for the FDC. These findings imply that firms’ ICD effort can be better explained by integrating the technical and financial aspects of innovation. As far as our knowledge is concerned, this paper is unique regarding providing a detailed review and discussion regarding the ICD process for FDC. In conclusion, the model can place a great emphasis on the understanding of the key constructs and their relationships to enhance the attitudes and practices of firms to develop their innovation capability.