Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Lipopolysaccharide-induced expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 and chemokines in cultured human corneal fibroblasts.

PURPOSE Invasion of bacteria into the corneal stroma induces the infiltration of leukocytes and subsequent corneal ulceration. The role of corneal fibroblasts in the detection of bacterial invasion into the stroma was investigated by examining the in vitro expression of the receptor complex for lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a common component of Gram-negative bacteria, as well as the possible effects of LPS on both the expression of adhesion molecules and the release of chemokines in cultured human corneal fibroblasts. METHODS Expression of the LPS receptor complex, intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM)-1, and the chemokines interleukin (IL)-8 and monocyte chemotactic protein (MCP)-1 was examined by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, or immunofluorescence analysis. RESULTS Corneal fibroblasts were found to contain transcripts encoding toll-like receptor-4, CD14, and MD-2, all of which are components of the LPS receptor complex. The expression of ICAM-1 at the surface of corneal fibroblasts and the amount of ICAM-1 mRNA in the cells were both increased by LPS. Similarly, LPS increased both the release of IL-8 and MCP-1 by corneal fibroblasts as well as the amounts of the corresponding mRNAs in these cells. These various effects of LPS were potentiated by the presence of a low concentration of human serum. CONCLUSIONS Corneal fibroblasts may play an important role in the defense system of the cornea by recognizing the presence of LPS and subsequently expressing adhesion molecules and chemokines that promote leukocyte infiltration.
Pharmacological Intervention through Dietary Nutraceuticals in Gastrointestinal Neoplasia

Neoplastic conditions associated with gastrointestinal (GI) tract are common worldwide with colorectal cancer alone accounting for the third leading rate of cancer incidence. Other GI malignancies such as esophageal carcinoma have shown an increasing trend in the last few years. The poor survival statistics of these fatal cancer diseases highlight the need for multiple alternative treatment options along with effective prophylactic strategies. Worldwide geographical variation in cancer incidence indicates a correlation between dietary habits and cancer risk. Epidemiological studies have suggested that populations with high intake of certain dietary agents in their regular meals have lower cancer rates. Thus, an impressive embodiment of evidence supports the concept that dietary factors are key modulators of cancer including those of GI origin. Preclinical studies on animal models of carcinogenesis have reflected the pharmacological significance of certain dietary agents called as nutraceuticals in the chemoprevention of GI neoplasia. These include stilbenes (from red grapes and red wine), isoflavones (from soy), carotenoids (from tomatoes), curcuminoids (from spice turmeric), catechins (from green tea), and various other small plant metabolites (from fruits, vegetables, and cereals). Pleiotropic action mechanisms have been reported for these diet-derived chemopreventive agents to retard, block, or reverse carcinogenesis. This review presents a prophylactic approach to primary prevention of GI cancers by highlighting the translational potential of plant-derived nutraceuticals from epidemiological, laboratory, and clinical studies, for the better management of these cancers through consumption of nutraceutical rich diets and their intervention in cancer therapeutics.
Educational access in South Africa

Access to education is a central pillar in development strategies linked to the Millennium Development Goals and the Dakar Framework for Action associated with Education For All. The framework of post-apartheid legislation embodies South Africa's commitment to the principles in the Education for All declaration and the right to basic education is enshrined in the South African Constitution. In terms of access, the South African case differs fundamentally from a number of developing countries, with near-universal access up to the end of the primary phase of schooling. This paper argues that while substantial physical and structural access to schooling has been achieved in South Africa, this does not guarantee that learners have equal opportunities or experience equal access to quality education. Emphasis has to be placed not only on expanded access but also on meaningful access. Initial structural change has little meaning unless it is shaped by regular attendance and progression through grades at appropriate ages, as well as meaningful and useful learning, achievement and completion.
Ecological factors in skin color variation among Papua New Guineans.

An EEL reflectance spectrophotometer was used to measure the skin color of the inner upper arm and the forearm of 913 Karkar Islanders (Madang District) and 684 Lufa villagers (Eastern Highlands District). The samples were subdivided to study sex, age, and population variation against a background of ecological observations, including sunlight exposure, clothing, and erythemally effective wavelengths of ultraviolet light (Robertson, unpublished Ph.D. thesis, 1974). Population differences in sex and age variation in upper arm skin color may largely be attributable to the effects of culturally associated clothing differences. Not only do the Lufa villagers wear substantially less clothing than the Karkars, but also their arms are exposed more frequently to ultraviolet light during heavy manual work in unshaded gardens. For the melanin content of the forearm skin there are similar patterns of age variation in both populations; however, the populations differ in mean percentage of reflectance throughout most of the age span. These between-population differences are interpreted as a consequence of greater average daily exposure to sunlight and the higher intensity of ultraviolet light in the highland environment. On the forearm the percentage of reflectance at 685 nm decreases more rapidly with age in the prepubertal and adult age groups, a result attributed to endocrine changes superimposed on cumulative changes in the melanin pigmentary mechanism.
Folding of HIV‐1 Envelope glycoprotein involves extensive isomerization of disulfide bonds and conformation‐dependent leader peptide cleavage

Human immunodeficiency virus binds and enters cells via the Envelope glycoprotein gp160 at its surface. In infected cells, gp160 is found not only on the plasma membrane but also in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Our aim was to establish rate‐determining steps in the maturation process of gp160, using a radioactive pulse‐chase approach. We found that gp160 has an intricate folding process: disulfide bonds start to form during synthesis but undergo extensive isomerization until the correct native conformation is reached. Removal of the leader peptide critically depends on formation of at least some disulfide bonds in subunit gp120 during folding. Envelope folds extremely slowly and therefore resides in the ER longer than other proteins, but the yield of properly folded molecules is high and degradation is undetectable. The large quantity of gp160 in the ER hence is a result of its slow transit through this compartment. We show here that newly synthesized HIV‐1 Envelope glycoprotein apparently follows a slow but high‐yield folding path in which co‐ and post‐translational formation of disulfide bonds in gp120, disulfide isomerization and conformation dependent removal of the leader sequence are determining and intertwined events. —Land, A. , Zonneveld, D. , Braakman, I. Folding of HIV‐1 Envelope glycoprotein involves extensive isomerization of disulfide bonds and conformation‐dependent leader peptide cleavage. FASEB J. 17, 1058–1067 (2003)
Epidemiology of Alzheimer's presenile dementia in Scotland, 1974-88.

OBJECTIVE--To describe the epidemiology of presenile Alzheimer's disease in Scotland from 1974 to 1988. DESIGN--Retrospective review of hospital records of patients aged less than 73 years admitted to psychiatric hospital with various diagnoses of dementia. Diagnoses were classified by National Institute for Communicative Disorders and Stroke and Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Association Criteria and the Hachinski score. Completeness of the study sample was evaluated by scrutiny of neurology outpatient and general hospital records. SETTING--All general psychiatric hospitals in Scotland. SUBJECTS--All patients with onset of dementia aged 40-64. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES--Probable and broad Alzheimer's disease, sex of patient, age at onset. RESULTS--5874 psychiatric hospital records, 129 neurology outpatient records, and 89 records from non-psychiatric hospitals were examined. 317 patients met criteria for probable Alzheimer's disease, 569 met criteria for broad Alzheimer's disease, and 267 met those for multi-infarct dementia. Minimal incidences per 100,000 population aged 40-64 years were 22.6 (95% confidence interval, 20.2 to 25.2) and 40.5 (38.9 to 42.3) per 100,000 for probable and broad Alzheimer's disease. In the 1981 census year the annual incidence of probable Alzheimer's disease was 1.6 (1.0 to 2.6). Women were at greater risk with incidence rates for probable Alzheimer's disease of 28.2 (24.5 to 32.4) per 100,000 compared with 16.5 (13.8 to 19.8) per 100,000 for men. The incidence per 100,000 for multi-infarct dementia was greater in men (25.1, 23.3 to 27.1) than women (13.4, 12.1 to 14.8). CONCLUSION--Female sex seems to be positively associated with development of Alzheimer's disease before age 65 years.
Agility, organisational learning culture and relationship quality in the port sector

This paper introduces and investigates the potential mediating role of agility in the relationship between organisational learning culture and customer relationship quality (RQ). The proposed model and its relationships were tested on a sample of 168 employees from a major European port using structural equation modelling. The results corroborated that the capacity of a firm to develop a quality relationship with its customers is indirectly associated through agility with its learning culture. This study, following the organic view of the firm, highlights that employee and organisation learning is a necessary but not sufficient condition to enhance RQ, especially in unpredictable and fast-changing environments. Firms should also have the ability to be agile, or to continually adjust their internal structures and systems to respond to change and build quality relationships with their customers.
Association of Lymphadenectomy and Survival in Stage I Ovarian Cancer Patients

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the survival impact of lymphadenectomy in women diagnosed with clinical stage I ovarian cancer. METHODS: Demographic and clinicopathologic information were obtained from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results Program between 1988 and 2001. Data were analyzed using Kaplan-Meier methods and Cox proportional hazards regression. RESULTS: A total of 6,686 women had clinical stage I ovarian cancer (median age 54 years, range 1–99). Of this total, 75.9% of patients were Caucasian, 8.3% were Hispanic, 5.8% were African American, and 7.3% were Asian. Epithelial tumors were present in 85.8% of the women, and 2,862 (42.8%) patients underwent lymphadenectomy. Patients aged 50 years or more were less likely to undergo lymphadenectomy compared with their younger cohorts (39.8% compared with 60.2%, P<.001). Only 32.7% of African-American women had lymphadenectomy compared with 42.7% of Caucasian women, 47.2% of Hispanics, and 48.8% of Asians (P<.001). Lymphadenectomy was associated with improved 5-year disease-specific survival of all patients from 87.0% to 92.6% (P<.001). More specifically, lymphadenectomy improved the survival in those with non–clear cell epithelial ovarian cancer (85.9% to 93.3%, P<.001) but not in those with clear cell carcinoma, germ cell tumors, sex cord stromal tumors, and sarcomas. Moreover, the extent of lymphadenectomy (0 nodes, less than 10 nodes, and 10 or more nodes) increased the survival rates from 87.0% to 91.9% to 93.8%, respectively (P<.001). On multivariable analysis, the extent of lymphadenectomy was a significant prognostic factor for improved survival, independently of other factors such as age, stage, histology, and grade of disease. CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that women with stage I non–clear cell ovarian cancers who underwent lymphadenectomy had a significant improvement in survival. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: II
Education and Maternal Health in Pakistan: The Pathways of Influence

Although numerous studies have explored the relationship between education and women’s health-seeking behavior, the role of education – and the pathway through which it affects health-seeking behavior – remains unclear. We use data from the Pakistan Demographic Health Survey for 2006/07 on women aged 15–49 who had given birth at least once in the last three years to determine which socioeconomic factors affect maternal healthcare use, and how the effect of women’s own education is transmitted to their health-seeking behavior. We implement two estimation techniques: (i) a two-step instrumental variable linear probability model, in which women’s exposure to mass media is used as an instrumental variable for their health knowledge; and (ii) a community fixed effects model. The results of the analysis indicate that predisposing factors – such as women’s level of education, their children’s birth order, their spouse’s level of education, type of occupation, and empowerment – are important determinants of maternal health-seeking behavior in Pakistan. The results also confirm the important role played by women’s own health knowledge, independent of their education, on their maternal healthcare use.
Children's Age-Related Speed–Accuracy Strategies in Intercepting Moving Targets in Two Dimensions

Purpose: This study investigated the age-related speed–accuracy strategies of children, adolescents, and adults in performing a rapid striking task that allowed the self-selection of the interception position in a virtual, two-dimensional environment. Method: The moving target had curvilinear trajectories that were determined by combinations of simulated weightings of gravity and velocity. Mass and coefficient of restitution were also assigned to the target to encourage interception with maximal effector velocity. The performance outcome was the measure of the distance that the target traveled following interception that was the result of the effector velocity and angle of motion at the time that the target was struck. Results: The number of accurate interceptions increased linearly with age. Younger children hit the object at a slower velocity and had longer response latency and movement times compared with older age groups. Effector velocity at contact was shown to be parabolic and reached an asymptote for older children and adolescents followed by a decrease in effector velocity at contact among the adults, although horizontal effector displacement increased linearly with age. Conclusions: The increased effector displacement and the asymptotic/parabolic trend for effector velocity at contact with age reveals an age-related speed–accuracy trade-off in this interception task. The age limitations appear more related to the reduced capacity to predict the spatial-temporal properties of the target trajectory than do age-related limitations in the speed of information processing.
Financial intermediation and the great recession : microeconomic and macroeconomic issues

This thesis consists of three manuscripts that analyze the role of financial intermediation in the Great Recession from both a microeconomic and macroeconomic perspective. Although these papers differ in the adopted methodologies, they share the substantial idea that, to evaluate the real effects of the last recession, we need a deeper study of the role of the financial intermediation sector. The first chapter of this thesis is joint work with L. D’Aurizio and L. Romano. It documents the credit allocation by Italian banks following the failure of Lehman Brothers. The empirical analysis reveals that Italian family firms experienced a significantly smaller contraction in granted loans than non-family firms. It is showed that the difference in the amount of credit granted to family and non-family firms is related to an increased role for soft information in Italian banks’ operations. The second chapter, joint work with D. Menno, quantifies the welfare effects of the drop in aggregate house prices for leveraged and un-leveraged households in the Great Recession. It features a dynamic general equilibrium model calibrated to the U.S. economy and simulates the 2007-2009 Great Recession as a contemporaneous shock to the financial intermediation sector and aggregate income. The estimates show that borrowers lost significantly more in terms of welfare than savers. In counter-factual experiments it has showed that this loss is larger the higher the households’ leverage. The third chapter documents the relation between bank performance in the 2007-2008 financial crisis and CEO monetary incentives in a crosscountry analysis. Results suggest that the sensitivity of CEOs’ stock-option portfolios to share prices (option delta) in 2006 have strong predictive power for ex-post bank performance. By exploiting the cross-country variability in financial regulation, results show that incentives to take risk
Heat‐induced liver injury in old rats is associated with exaggerated oxidative stress and altered transcription factor activation

A decline in stress tolerance is a hallmark of aging. For instance, older organisms showed extensive hepatic damage, along with increased morbidity and mortality, after environmental heating. We hypothesized that hyperthermic challenge would produce exaggerated oxidative stress in old animals, leading to increased hepatic injury. After a heat‐stress protocol, time‐course changes in reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, oxidative damage markers, glutathione (GSH)/glutathione disulfide (GSSG) ratios, and activation of stress‐response transcription factors (AP‐1 and NF‐κB) were measured in young and old rats. A small, transient increase in hepatic oxidative damage, with minimal injury, was observed in young rats. However, old rats showed widespread hepatic injury that was manifested over a 24 h period after heating. This pathology was preceded by elevated steady‐state levels of ROS, along with large increases in lipid peroxidation products, prolonged hepatic DNA oxidation damage, aberrant GSH/GSSG profiles, and altered activation patterns for AP‐1. These data indicate that young animals have an effective oxidation‐reduction buffering system in the liver that provides protection from oxidative damage to intracellular macromolecules under stress conditions. In sharp contrast, an environmental challenge in older animals produces exaggerated oxidative stress and alterations in signal transduction pathways, which can contribute to cellular dysfunction and age‐related reductions in stress tolerance.
Liver‐specific inactivation of Notch2, but not Notch1, compromises intrahepatic bile duct development in mice

The Notch pathway is an evolutionary conserved, intercellular signaling pathway that plays an important role in cell fate specification and the embryonic development of many organs, including the liver. In humans, mutations in the Notch receptor ligand Jagged1 gene result in defective intrahepatic bile duct (IHBD) development in Alagille syndrome. Developmental abnormalities of IHBD in mice doubly heterozygous for Jagged1 and Notch2 mutations propose that interactions of Jagged1 and its receptor Notch2 are crucial for normal IHBD development. Because different cell types in the liver are involved in IHBD development and morphogenesis, the cell‐specific role of Notch signaling is not entirely understood. We investigated the effect of combined or single targeted disruption of Notch1 and Notch2 specifically in hepatoblasts and hepatoblast‐derived lineage cells on liver development using AlbCre transgenic mice. Hepatocyte differentiation and homeostasis were not impaired in mice after combined deletion of Notch1 and Notch2 (N1N2F/FAlbCre). However, we detected irregular ductal plate structures in N1N2F/FAlbCre newborns, and further postnatal development of IHBD was severely impaired characterized by disorganized ductular structures accompanied by portal inflammation, portal fibrosis, and foci of hepatocyte feathery degeneration in adulthood. Further characterization of mutant mice with single deletion of Notch1 (N1F/FAlbCre) or Notch2 (N2F/FAlbCre) showed that Notch2 but not Notch1 is indispensable for normal perinatal and postnatal IHBD development. Further reduction of Notch2 gene dosage in Notch2 conditional/mutant (N2F/LacZAlbCre) animals further enhanced IHBD abnormalities and concomitant liver pathology. Conclusion: Notch2 is required for proper IHBD development and morphogenesis. (HEPATOLOGY 2008;48:607–616.)
Fenoldopam: a selective peripheral dopamine-receptor agonist for the treatment of severe hypertension.

Fenoldopam is a peripherally acting dopamine-receptor agonist that has vasodilator and diuretic actions. Given intravenously, it is an effective treatment for patients with severe hypertension, including those with hypertensive encephalopathy and perioperative hypertension. This review summarizes the pharmacologic characteristics of fenoldopam and its efficacy as a treatment for patients with severe hypertension.
The Divestment Penalty: Estimating the Costs of Fossil Fuel Divestment to Select University Endowments

Many university endowments and other public funds are considering divesting all companies in business “related to fossil fuels. ” In this paper, I estimate the specific costs of doing so for five university endowments: Harvard, Yale, MIT, Columbia and NYU. Because none of the universities disclose their holding on a security by security basis, I constructed proxies for their holdings using mutual funds. I then examine the costs, on both a gross and a risk adjusted basis, of divesting the proxies of holdings of fossil fuel companies. The losses are not insignificant – exceeding $100 million per year for Harvard the university with the largest endowment.
In Defense of Strategy as Design

This article proposes that we reconsider the usefulness of the metaphor of design as a prescription for strategy making, arguing against Henry Mintzberg's view that it is not appropriate. It reviews literature from the field of design and defines a set of attributes of the design process—which is synthetic, adductive, hypothesis-driven, opportunistic, dialectical, inquiring, and value-driven. The article examines the parallels between designing and creating business strategy and presents the implications of such an approach for designing the processes to design and execute strategy.