Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Functional Characteristics of Milk Protein Concentrates and Their Modification

A major deterrent to the usage of milk protein concentrate (MPC), a high-protein milk product with increasing demand as a food and sports drink ingredient, has been its poor functional characteristics when compared with other milk protein products such as whey protein concentrate and sodium caseinates. This review discusses the recent research on functional properties of MPC, focusing on factors that may contribute to the poor functional characteristics before, during, and after production. Current research, methods employed, and new understanding on the causes of poor solubility of MPC at mild temperatures (about 20°C) has been presented, including loss of solubility during storage as these areas have received unprecedented attention over the past decade, and also affects other useful functional properties of MPC, such as emulsifying properties, gelation, and foaming. Processing methods, which include heat treatment, high-pressure application, microwave heating, ultrasound application, and enzyme and salts modification, have been used or have potential to modify or improve the functional properties of MPCs. Future research on the effects of these processing methods on the functional properties, including effects of enzyme hydrolysis on bitterness and bioactivity, has also been discussed.
Effects of Morphological Characteristics of Cucumis sativus Seedlings Grown at Different Vapor Pressure Deficits on Initial Colonization of Bemisia tabaci (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae)

ABSTRACT We investigated the effects of morphological characteristics of cucumber, Cucumis sativus L. , seedlings grown at different vapor pressure deficits (VPDs) on initial colonization of whitefly Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) biotype B. The seedlings were grown at a VPD of 3.8 or 0.4 kPa for 9 d at 30°C under a photoperiod of 12:12 (L:D) h. Pairs of seedlings, one grown at high VPD and the other at low VPD, were then installed in cages with a VPD of 1.3 kPa, and adults of B. tabaci between 150 and 200 were released. Leaves of high-VPD seedlings had fewer B. tabaci than those of low-VPD seedlings 24 h after release. They also had higher relative chlorophyll content, were thicker and tougher, and had abaxial trichomes with higher density. Water stress caused by the high VPD probably decreased the initial colonization of B. tabaci through changes in these leaf morphological characteristics.
The Debt-Equity Choice: An Analysis of Issuing Firms

This paper compares the characteristics of U.S. firms which issued equity between 1976 and 1993 to those which increased their use of debt financing. We find that fims are most likely to issue debt when they have less debt than ispredicted by a cross-sectional model. In addition, firms that were very profitable prior to the issue were more likely to increase their use of debt financing and those that accumulated loses tended to issue equity. Our results also confirm previous findings that firms are most likely to issue equity after experiencing a rise in their share price. In contrast to our other findings, this last result appears to be inconsistent with the hypothesis that firms select their capital structures by trading off tax and other advantages of debt financing with financial distress and other costs associated with debt. Results on samples stratified by different proxies for asymmetric information fails to support asymmetric information based explanations for this phenomena.
Long‐term safety and efficacy in patients with uncontrolled partial‐onset seizures treated with adjunctive lacosamide: Results from a phase III open‐label extension trial

Purpose: To evaluate the long‐term (up to 5 years exposure) safety and efficacy of lacosamide as adjunctive therapy in patients with uncontrolled partial‐onset seizures taking one to three concomitant antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) in open‐label extension trial SP756 (NCT00522275).
Biogenesis of the Sorting Endosome: The Role of Rab5

Rab5 is a regulatory guanosine triphosphatase that is associated with the sorting endosome and participates in endosomal membrane fusion reactions. Recent experiments have provided insights into Rab5 function by demonstrating direct links between Rab5‐interacting proteins and components of the membrane fusion apparatus. In addition, a realisation that Rab5 has additional functions in endosome biogenesis is emerging. These advances may be profoundly important in changing the way that we view the sorting endosome and in developing models that properly reflect the dynamic qualities of the endocytic pathway.
SIK2 Restricts Autophagic Flux To Support Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Survival

ABSTRACT Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a highly heterogeneous disease with multiple, distinct molecular subtypes that exhibit unique transcriptional programs and clinical progression trajectories. Despite knowledge of the molecular heterogeneity of the disease, most patients are limited to generic, indiscriminate treatment options: cytotoxic chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation. To identify new intervention targets in TNBC, we used large-scale, loss-of-function screening to identify molecular vulnerabilities among different oncogenomic backgrounds. This strategy returned salt inducible kinase 2 (SIK2) as essential for TNBC survival. Genetic or pharmacological inhibition of SIK2 leads to increased autophagic flux in both normal-immortalized and tumor-derived cell lines. However, this activity causes cell death selectively in breast cancer cells and is biased toward the claudin-low subtype. Depletion of ATG5, which is essential for autophagic vesicle formation, rescued the loss of viability following SIK2 inhibition. Importantly, we find that SIK2 is essential for TNBC tumor growth in vivo. Taken together, these findings indicate that claudin-low tumor cells rely on SIK2 to restrain maladaptive autophagic activation. Inhibition of SIK2 therefore presents itself as an intervention opportunity to reactivate this tumor suppressor mechanism.
The Effects of BMP-7 in a Rat Posterolateral Intertransverse Process Fusion Model

The use of autologous bone grafting is an essential component in spine fusion because it is the key factor in achieving long-term stable arthrodesis between spinal motion segments. However, harvesting autologous iliac crest bone graft can be associated with significant morbidity and its supply is limited. Although no current substitute for autologous graft is available, multiple studies have already established the success of bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) in augmenting spinal fusion in models using larger animals. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the ability of BMP to augment a posterolateral intertransverse process single-level fusion in a rat. To our knowledge, this model has not been used to evaluate the effects of recombinant BMPs. A posterolateral intertransverse process fusion was attempted in white male Sprague-Dawley rats. The following are the four study groups: insoluble collagen bone matrix (ICBM) alone, 3 &mgr;g BMP-7 + 25 mg ICBM, 10 &mgr;g BMP-7 + 25 mg ICBM, and a sham group with no implanted material. The animals were killed on postoperative day 21 and were evaluated for signs of clinical and/or radiographic fusion. All of the rats in the 10 &mgr;g BMP-7 + 25 mg ICBM group demonstrated clinical fusion and had solid bilateral fusion masses on radiographs. None of the rats in the sham group, ICBM group, or 3 &mgr;g BMP-7 + 25 mg ICBM group fused clinically; however, the rats in the 3 &mgr;g BMP-7 + 25 mg ICBM group did show evidence of new bone formation. Our study demonstrates that a rat posterolateral intertransverse process fusion model is inexpensive and efficient and produces consistent results. It also shows that BMP can augment fusion in a rat and that dosing plays a role in successful fusion. This is consistent with results that have been studied in larger animal models.
Germline transformation of Drosophila melanogaster with the piggyBac transposon vector

Germline transformation of Drosophila melanogaster was attempted with the piggyBac gene‐transfer system from the cabbage looper moth, Trichoplusia ni. Using a self‐regulated transposase helper and a white marked vector, a transformation frequency of 1–3% per fertile G0 was obtained, similar to that previously achieved in the medfly. Use of an hsp70‐regulated helper increased this frequency more than eight‐fold. Transformation with a vector marked with white and green fluorescent protein (GFP) under polyubiquitin–nuclear localizing sequence regulation yielded seventy G1 transformants which all expressed GFP, but only twenty‐seven of these expressed eye pigmentation that would have allowed their selection based on white+ expression. PiggyBac transformation in two distantly related dipteran species and efficient expression of the gfp marker supports the potential use of this system in other dipterans, and perhaps insects in general.
Explaining the performance of firms and countries: What does the business environment play?

It is commonly accepted that the business environment â€” encompassing features of the legal, regulatory, financial, and institutional system of a country â€” has an impact on the performance of firms. As barriers to doing business appear to vary widely across regions and countries, it has also been asserted that the business environment will affect aggregate performance. The common underlying assumption is that countries and firms facing â€˜betterâ€™ business environments can be expected to perform better This paper attempts to evaluate the robustness of these conclusions using two types of data. The first comprises a large firm level dataset â€” the 2002 and 2005 rounds of the Business Environment and Enterprise Performance Survey (henceforth BEEPS) â€” that includes measures of firm performance, variables relating to ownership, competition and export orientation as well as perceptions of the business environment. The dataset covers between 6â€“9,000 firms in 26 transition countries. The second â€” country level â€” dataset comprises the World Bankâ€™s annual â€˜Doing Businessâ€™ survey that covers 175 countries. While this survey has relatively few observations over time â€” data collection only started in 2003 â€” it has large country coverage and has already been widely used in cross-country analysis. In this paper, the Doing Business measures are primarily used to try and establish whether there is any link from country-level measures of the business environment to country-level performance. Simon Commander â€” Associate Professor, Department of Public Administration, School of Management, St. Petersburg State University Jan Svejnar â€” Professor, University of Michigan Katrin Tinn â€” Assistant Professor, Stockholm School of Economics
A qualitative study of Chinese wine consumption and purchasing: Implications for Australian wines

Purpose – This research aims to examine Chinese consumers’ wine consumption and purchasing behaviour.Design/methodology/approach – The study, conducted during the Chinese New Year in early 2006, used in‐depth interviews with 15 consumers in Guangzhou, People's Republic of China.Findings – The results suggest that Chinese consume Chinese spirits for all occasions, yet consume red wine only for special occasions such as Chinese new year and other holidays. A key point for selling red wine to the Chinese is its positive image; drinking red wine is considered trendy and shows good taste. Another key point is consumer perceptions of red wine as healthier than Chinese spirits because wine contains less alcohol. Two other findings are that most Chinese consumers assume all wine is red wine and have little wine knowledge. Most respondents did not know of white wine or that Australia produces wine. Finally, China's culture of face value, mianzi, plays a key role in purchasing and consuming wine. Chinese tend to pu.
Original Investigation Association of Income Level With Kidney Disease Severity and Progression Among Children and Adolescents With CKD: A Report From the Chronic Kidney Disease in Children (CKiD) Study

Background: Among adults, lower socioeconomic status (SES) is a risk factor for chronic kidney disease (CKD), progression to end-stage renal disease, and poor health outcomes; but its impact on young people with CKD is not established. Study Design: Prospective cohort study. Settings & Participants: 572 children and adolescents aged 1-16 years with mild to moderate CKD residing in the United States and Canada who were enrolled in the Chronic Kidney Disease in Children (CKiD) Study. Predictor: Self-reported annual household income category as a proxy measure for SES: $$75,000 (high income), $30,000 to ,$75,000 (middle income) and ,$30,000 (low income). Outcomes & Measurements: Clinical characteristics and CKD severity at baseline (glomerular filtration rate [GFR] and comorbid conditions related to disease severity and management) and longitudinally (GFR decline and changes in blood pressure z scores and height z scores per year). Results: At baseline, low and middle household incomes, compared to high income, were associated with minority race (39% and 20% vs 7%), lower maternal education (28% and 5% vs 1%), abnormal birth history (34% and 32% vs 21%), and having at least one clinical comorbid condition (66% and 64% vs 55%). Baseline median GFRs were similar across income categories (43-45mL/min/1.73m 2 ). After adjusting for baseline differences,averageGFRdeclinesperyearforthelow-,middle-,andhigh-incomecategorieswere22.3%,22.7%, and 21.9%, respectively, and were not statistically significantly different among groups. Blood pressure control tended to improve in all groups (z score, 20.10 to 20.04) but higher income was associated with a faster improvement. Each group showed similar deficits in height at baseline. Height deficits diminished over time for participants from high-income families, but not among those from low-income families (z scores for height per year, 0.05 and 20.004, respectively; P50.03 for comparison of high and low income). Limitations: Income is an imperfect measure for SES; CKiD participants are not representative of children and adolescents with CKD who are uninsured or not receiving care; statistical power to detect associations by income level is limited. Conclusions: GFR decline was similar across income groups but better improvement in BP was observed among those with high income. Children and adolescents with CKD from lower income households are at higher risk of impaired growth.
Revisiting the Correlation Between Alerts and Software Defects: A Case Study on MyFaces, Camel, and CXF

Static analysis tools (e.g., FindBugs) are widely used to detect potential defects in software development. A recent study suggests that there is a moderate correlation between the alerts reported by static analysis tools and software defects [1]. However, despite the actionable alerts reported by static analysis tools, they may report too many meaningless unactionable alerts. Actionable alert refers to the alert which is meaningful and fixable. Unactionable alert (i.e., false positive alert) refers to the alert which is regarded as unimportant to developers, inessential to source code, or will not be fixed by developers. Are all alerts (including both actionable and unactionable alerts) suitable for indicating software defects? To address this question, we classify all the alerts into two categories, namely actionable alerts and unactionable alerts. By the following, we conduct an empirical study to evaluate the degree of correlation between defects and alerts on the evolution of three open source projects with totally 40 releases. The objective of the study is to explore two kinds of correlation analysis: one is the correlation between all the alerts reported by FindBugs and defects among the release history of a project, the other is the correlation between the actionable alerts and defects. As a result, we find that not all the alerts but the actionable alerts are suitable to be an early predictor of defects.
Shareholder Benefits and Firm Performance: An Empirical Analysis of International Acquisitions by Firms from a Developing Economy

Previous research on international mergers and acquisitions has not looked at the valuation consequences of international acquisitions by firms from a developing economy. This study examines the announcement effect and the post-acquisition long-term performance of 96 Indian international acquisitions of U.S. firms made in the period 1999-2005. The study also explores the impact of the Indian acquiring firms' U.S. acquisitions on their underlying operating variables, and risk diversification. We find that while the international acquisition announcements by Indian firms create significant short-term shareholders' wealth, in the long-run international acquisitions have a negative impact on the shareholders' wealth. We also find a significant decrease in the acquiring firms' financial profitability ratios, though there is an evidence of risk-reduction due to global diversification.
SMS Banking: Are There Discrepancies between Muslim and Non-Muslim Bank Customers?

Employing a survey approach, this research investigates discrepancies between Muslim and non-Muslim bank customers with regard to their perceptions of SMS banking. A multivariate analysis of variance of the results of the survey indicates that the two groups toward the antecedents of SMS banking usage intentions are significantly vary. Noted in detail, Muslim bank customers place greater emphasis on perceived credibility, social norm, and perceived self-efficacy whilst non-Muslim bank customers place greater emphasis on perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use and perceived enjoyment. This study is of value to provide a fresh insight into a specific factor affecting Muslim and non-Muslim bank customer of SMS banking.
The Role of Currency Risk in Industry Cost of Capital

In this paper we test the hypotheses that previous studies fail to find a significant role for currency risk in industry returns because of methodological shortcomings or because of hedging. Using a Fama-French three-factor model augmented with an exchange rate factor in which both the factor exposures and risk premiums are time varying, we find that 35 of 36 U.S. industries are significantly exposed to a broad currency index (containing the currencies of developed and developing economies). In sharp contrast, only 14 industries display significant time-invariant exchange rate exposure using ordinary least squares. More important, the sample means of the time-varying exposures are economically large, with 27 (75%) being greater than 0.10. This resolves the puzzle that previous research finds significant exposure at the aggregate stock market level, but fail to identify the firm or industry level as the source of this aggregate exposure. In addition, currency risk premium is an economically large component of the cost of equity, with 21 industries having a mean currency premium of over 100 basis points per year. Compared to an average cost of equity of 15% per year, the annualized (absolute) currency risk premium is 2.10% for the average industry and is substantially more for some industries. Moreover, 31 of the 36 industries have a mean absolute currency risk premium that is at least one-tenth of the industry's total risk premium. Contrary to the above, an index of the currencies of the developed countries substantially understates the economic importance of currency risk premium. Overall, we find strong support for the methodological, but not the hedging, hypothesis.
Relation of College Students' Self-Perceived and Measured Health-Related Physical Fitness

This study examined the relation of college students' self-perceived and measured physical fitness. Students (30 men, 30 women; M age = 20.1 yr., SD = 1.4) completed the Physical Self-description Questionnaire and four fitness tests: air displacement plethysmography, submaximal treadmill test, curl-up test, and sit-and-reach test. Significant correlations were obtained for self-perceived physical fitness with measured body composition, cardiorespiratory endurance, muscular endurance, and flexibility (r = .33–.62). Significant correlations were also found between self-perceived overall fitness and actual body composition, cardiorespiratory endurance, and muscular endurance (|r| =.26–.55). These findings suggest that college students can gauge their own fitness in terms of four distinct health-related components with some accuracy.
Unmet Health Needs of Two Billion : Is Community Financing a Solution?

One of the most urgent and vexing problem around the world is how to finance and provide health care for the more than two billion peasants and ghetto dwellers in low- and middle-income countries. Part I of this paper develops a conceptual framework for community financing and uses it to clarify and classify the variety of community financing schemes. This section of the papers discusses the impact of community financing schemes on outcomes and compares them to several African countries. Part II uses the conceptual framework developed above to explain why some community financing schemes in Asia have been successful and why some have failed. The review points to a number of measure that governments could take to strengthen such community financing. They include subsidizing the premiums of the poor, providing technical assistance to improve scheme management capacity, and forging links with formal health care networks. Satisfaction with the scheme was often related to the nature of direct community involvement in their design and management. A critical factor was the matching willingness and ability to pay with the expectation of benefits to be received at some later time. The review also highlighted several areas of government actions that appear to have a negative impact on the function of community financing schemes. Top-down interference with scheme design and management appeared to have a particularly negative impact on their function and sustainability.
Comparative Evaluation of Ultrastructural Changes in Articular Cartilage of Ofioxacin-Treated and Magnesium-Deficient Immature Rats

Ultrastructural changes in immature articular cartilage were studied after treatment of 5-wk-old rats with ofloxacin—a fluoroquinolone—and in magnesium deficiency. Magnesium deficiency was induced by feeding a magnesium-deficient diet for 9 days; the condition was confirmed by measuring the concentrations of the mineral in plasma, bone, and cartilage samples of the animals by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Oral administration of single doses of 600 or 1,200 mg ofloxacin/kg body weight and magnesium deficiency were sufficient to induce gross structural cartilage defects. Alterations observed on the ultrastructural level showed striking similarities in magnesium-deficient rats and in rats treated with single doses of 600 mg ofloxacin/kg body weight. Typical observations were (a) bundle-shaped, electron-dense aggregates on the surface and in the cytoplasm of chondrocytes, (b) detachment of the cell membrane from the matrix and necrotic chondrocytes, (c) reduction of the extracellular matrix, and (d) swelling of cell organelles such as mitochondria. These findings further substantiate the histological finding that quinolone treatment and a dietarily induced magnesium-deficiency induce indistinguishable pathological conditions in immature joint cartilage, and they suggest that quinolone-induced arthropathy is probably caused by a reduction of functionally available magnesium (ionized Mg2+) in cartilage (42). Furthermore, they provide a basis for aimed studies with human cartilage samples from quinolone-treated patients that might be available postmortally or after hip replacement surgery.