Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Preferential Transfer of 2‐Docosahexaenoyl‐1‐Lysophosphatidylcholine Through an In Vitro Blood‐Brain Barrier Over Unesterified Docosahexaenoic Acid

Abstract : The passage of either unesterified docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) or lysophosphatidylcholine‐containing DHA (lysoPC‐DHA) through an in vitro model of the blood‐brain barrier was investigated. The model was constituted by a brain capillary endothelial cell monolayer set over the medium of an astrocyte culture. Cells were incubated for 4 h with a medium devoid of serum, then the endothelial cell medium was replaced by the same medium containing labeled DHA or lysoPC‐DHA and incubations were performed for 2 h. DHA uptake by cells and its transfer to the lower medium (astrocyte medium when they were present) were measured. When the lower medium from preincubation and astrocytes were maintained during incubation, the passage of lysoPC‐DHA was higher than that of unesterified DHA. The passage of both forms decreased when astrocytes were removed. The preference for lysoPC‐DHA was not seen when the lower medium from preincubation was replaced by fresh medium, and was reversed when albumin was added to the lower medium. A preferential lysoPC‐DHA passage also occurred after 2 h with brain endothelial cells cultured without astrocytes but not with aortic endothelial cells cultured and incubated under the same conditions. Altogether, these results suggest that the blood‐brain barrier cells released components favoring the DHA transfer and exhibit a preference for lysoPC‐DHA.
Primal-Dual Active Set Strategy for a General Class of Constrained Optimal Control Problems

An algorithm for efficient solution of optimal control problems with pointwise constraints is introduced. It is based on an active set strategy using primal as well as dual variables. Under certain assumptions a decrease of an appropriately chosen merit function and convergence of the algorithm are proved. Numerical examples for a parabolic optimal control problem demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed method for control-constrained problems.
Omura and Goggins / Epigenetics of Pancreatic Cancer

Pancreatic cancer remains a major therapeutic challenge. In 2008, there will be approximately 37,680 new cases and 34,290 deaths attributable to pancreatic cancer in the United States (U.S.), making it the fourth leading cause of cancer-related death. Recent comprehensive pancreatic cancer genome project found that pancreatic adenocarcinomas harbored 63 intragenic mutations or amplifications/homozygous deletions and these alterations clustered in 12 signaling pathways. In addition to widespread genetic alterations, it is now apparent that epigenetic mechanisms are also central to the evolution and progression of human cancers. Since epigenetic silencing processes are mitotically heritable, they can drive neoplastic progression and undergo the same selective pressure as genetic alterations. This review will describe recent developments in cancer epigenetics and their importance in our understanding of pancreatic adenocarcinoma.
A meta-analytical study of technological acceptance in banking contexts

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present a systematic framework with a meta-analytical approach to find various types of antecedents, consequences and moderation effects of the technological acceptance model (TAM) in banking contexts. Design/methodology/approach The authors conducted a meta-analysis of a total of 142 articles, which generated 636 observations, in an accumulated sample of 45,781 respondents. Findings The findings of this meta-analysis demonstrated 18 constructs that were antecedent to the TAM and four constructs that functioned as consequences. Most of these relationships were significant and consistent. The authors also found some methodological, cultural, economic and theoretical moderations effects between TAM constructs and the attitudes/behavioural intentions of banking technological devices. Research limitations/implications This meta-analysis reviewed the relationships found worldwide in the literature on TAM constructs in banking contexts. It was possible to identify new avenues for future research. Some specific limitations, such as the non-use of qualitative studies and the clipping of adverse concepts, exist in the secondary data and should be registered. Practical implications The work could assist managers in decision-making because the findings resulting from the meta-analysis are more consistent than those from traditional primary surveys. Originality/value This research tested the impact of the antecedents, consequences and moderators of the TAM in the banking sector and presented important results via a meta-analytical review. This meta-analysis contributes to the marketing literature by offering a set of empirical generalisations, including relationship coefficients and calculated fail-safe numbers.
Regional Quality and Impaired Firms: Evidence from Italy

We analyze how regional quality affects firm’s efficiency by identifying the impaired firms receiving financial assistance as those paying an implicit interest rate lower than the prime rate. Then, we decompose them into: real impaired firms unable to repay their loans, and those not repaying their debts even if financially they could. The regions with a high share of loans and crime exhibit a higher concentration of distressed firms, and crime increases the performance of existing companies.
Epidemiology of Hysterectomy-A Cross Sectional Study among Piligrims of Tirumala

Objective: To find out the epidemiology of hysterectomy in women of different states of India by a crosssectional study among the pilgrims of Tirupati. Study subjects and method: women pilgrims at Alipiri (more than 15years age) who were willing to answer the preformed survey questionnaire during a period of 6 hours on 8 and 9 march 2015 were interviewed. Results: Out of a total of 619 pilgrims who visited Alipiri during the study period, approximately 178 women answered the questionnaire and 58 (32.5%) underwent hysterectomy. 40 women were from Andhra Pradesh and 18 from other states. 2 underwent hysterectomy below 25 years of age. 10 underwent hysterectomy at 26-35 years age; 24 at 36-45 years age; 19 at 46-55 years age and 3 at >56 years age. 42(72%) underwent total abdominal hysterectomy, 9(15%) laparoscopic hysterectomy and 7(12%) vaginal hysterectomy. Common indications are fibroids(45%), menorrhagia (31%), prolapse (10%), endometrial hyperplasia(5%), cervical dysplasia(3%), chronic pelvic inflammatory disease(5%). Overall Complication rate was found to be 15% while 10% reported non-specific complaints. Conclusion: This study shows higher rates of hysterectomies 32.5% among pilgrims of Tirumala. The overall complication rate was 15% . Hence, further studies need to be conducted related to hysterectomies in south India to prevent unnecessary hysterectomies.
Medical malpractice--the Canadian experience.

IN this paper we describe the legal system for dealing with malpractice claims in Canada, contrasting it with that in the United States and suggesting reasons for the dramatically different liability costs imposed on physicians. Despite a lower frequency of litigation and cost of insurance in Canada, growth rates in both frequency of claims and size of awards are similar in the two countries, and average awards are not very different. We have explored the factors contributing to the upward trend of liability in Canada, some of which appear also to influence malpractice liability in the United States. This study .
Limiting efficiencies for intermediate band solar cells with partial absorptivity: the case for a quantum ratchet

The intermediate band solar cell (IBSC) concept aims to improve upon the Shockley–Queisser limit for single bandgap solar cells by also making use of below bandgap photons through sequential absorption processes via an intermediate band (IB). Current proposals for IBSCs suffer from low absorptivity values for transitions into and out of the IB. We therefore devise and evaluate a general, implementation‐independent thermodynamic model for an absorptivity‐constrained limiting efficiency of an IBSC to study the impact of absorptivity limitations on IBSCs. We find that, due to radiative recombination via the IB, conventional IBSCs cannot surpass the Shockley–Queisser limit at an illumination of one Sun unless the absorptivity from the valence band to the IB and the IB to the conduction band exceeds ≈36%. In contrast, the introduction of a quantum ratchet into the IBSC to suppress radiative recombination can enhance the efficiency of an IBSC beyond the Shockley–Queisser limit for any value of the IB absorptivity. Thus, the quantum ratchet could be the vital next step to engineer IBSCs that are more efficient than conventional single‐gap solar cells. © 2016 The Authors. Progress in Photovoltaics: Research and Applications published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Enhancement of chemotactic response and microtubule assembly in human leukocytes by ascorbic acid

The incubation of human leukocytes with ascorbic acid increased chemotaxis of the cells. In addition, ascorbic acid promoted the assembly of intracellular polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMN) microtubules as assessed by transmission electron microscopy. Prior incubation of the PMN with colchicine blocked the effect of ascorbic acid on promoting microtubule assembly. Not only did ascorbic acid promote the assembly of microtubules in vivo, but it enhanced the assembly of bovine brain tubulin into microtubules in vitro as quantitated by a glass‐fiber filtration assay and by promotion of viscosity changes. The enhancement in leukocyte mobility by ascorbate at concentrations achievable in normal tissues correlates with its ability to assemble microtubule organelles.
Effects of the decline in social capital on college graduates’ soft skills

Both businesses and recent college graduates in the United States attribute the lack of soft skills in recent college graduates to the colleges’ inability to prepare students for the workforce. This article explores the literature on social capital, human capital and social learning theory, offering an alternative hypothesis for why recent graduates are missing soft skills: namely, that it is the decline in social capital that is influencing the graduates’ ability to master those skills. Through the process of building social capital, college students gain the cultural and behavioural information and sensitivity they need to learn soft skills. College graduates are no longer accessing this experience; as a result, businesses and graduates are suffering the consequences of a decline in social capital. Therefore, the results of this study give rise to the hypothesis that the decline in social capital at the macrosocial level is negatively influencing recent college graduates’ formation of soft skills. This may be due to the decrease in building social capital through face-to-face interaction, rather than due to colleges not preparing graduates for success in the business environment.
Plasma microRNA alterations between EGFR-activating mutational NSCLC patients with and without primary resistance to TKI

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) have obtained excellent therapeutic effects against non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) harboring activating EGFR mutations. However, some patients have exhibited primary resistance which becomes a major obstacle in effective treatment of NSCLC. The mechanisms of EGFR-TKIs resistance involved are still poorly understood. Many studies suggest that miRNAs play an important role in regulating drug sensitivity of EGFR-TKIs. The aim of the present study was to examine differentially expressed miRNAs in plasma between EGFR-TKIs sensitive and EGFR-TKIs primary resistance patients. MiRNA microarray of plasma from patients’ blood identified 16 differentially expressed miRNAs of which 15 (hsv2-miR-H19, hsa-miR-744-5p, hsa-miR-3196, hsa-miR-3153, hsa-miR-4791, hsa-miR-4803, hsa-miR-4796-3p, hsa-miR-372-5p, hsa-miR-138-2-3p, hsa-miR-16-1-3p, hsa-miR-1469, hsa-miR-585-3p, ebv-miR-BART14-5p, hsa-miR-769-3p, hsa-miR-548aq-5p) were down regulated while only hsa-miR-503-3p was up regulated in primary resistant patients’ plasma. Volcano plot and hierarchical clustering were performed to examine the accuracy of the miRNAs. Then validation with quantitative real-time PCR was performed and the result was in accordance with the array data. Functional analysis of these differentially expressed miRNAs with Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) revealed a common signaling network including MYC, CCND1, IGF1 and RELA. In conclusion, our finding may play important role in understanding the mechanisms underlying the problem and should be further evaluated as potential biomarkers in primary resistance of NSCLC.
Demand-side Interventions to Promote Residential Energy Conservation

DEMAND-SIDE INTERVENTIONS TO PROMOTE RESIDENTIAL ENERGY CONSERVATION BY FLORIAN RUNDHAMMER AUGUST 2018 Committee Chair: Dr. Michael K. Price Major Department: Economics This dissertation consists of three essays that evaluate the effectiveness of interventions promoting residential energy conservation. I study three programs that were implemented as natural field experiments by energy utilities in the United States. In the experiments, households were randomly assigned to a control group that was not exposed to the program or to treatment groups that participated in the program(s). The main objective of this research agenda is to generate insights that help design effective energy policy. In the first chapter, I study a program that provided weekly emails containing information about a customer’s natural gas expenditure to more than 150,000 households in California. I find that exposure to the emails caused significant reductions in natural gas use. Additional analyses suggest that households changed their heating behavior in response to the program. Furthermore, reductions in usage persisted over a 20-month treatment period. The second chapter focuses on the interaction between a voluntary financial rewards program for reductions in energy use and the Home Energy Report (HER), a repeated mailer that compares a recipient’s consumption to that of similar households. We test whether the introduction of financial incentives increased energy savings by households that also received the HER. Our findings show that the two programs complemented each other in several important ways and promoted larger energy savings by a broader set of customers than the HER alone. Finally, the third chapter investigates whether social nudges, such as the HER, are subject to crowd out effects. Crowd out occurs when the effectiveness of a new social nudge is negatively affected by previous exposure to an existing social nudge. We use two distinct social nudges in an experiment in which households are exposed to no nudge, one nudge in isolation, or both nudges in combination. To determine the extent of crowd out, we compare the effect of the combined intervention to the summation of the effects of each nudge in isolation. We do not find evidence of crowd out. In contrast, the combined effect was marginally larger than the sum of the individual effects, although the difference is not statistically significant. DEMAND-SIDE INTERVENTIONS TO PROMOTE RESIDENTIAL ENERGY CONSERVATION BY FLORIAN RUNDHAMMER A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies of Georgia State University GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY 2018 Copyright by Florian Rundhammer 2018
A genetic analysis of crystal growth.

The regulation of crystal morphology by proteins is often observed in biology. It is a central feature in the formation of hard tissues such as bones, teeth and mollusc shells. We have developed a genetic system in the bacterium Escherichia coli to study the protein-mediated control of crystal growth. We have used the crystallization of gold as a model system and found polypeptides that control the morphology of the resulting gold crystals. Analysis of the crystallization process influenced by these polypeptides indicates they act catalytically by an acid mechanism. Our results suggest that the concepts and methods of microbial genetics are general and can be applied to substances not commonly found in biological systems.
Anesthesia and Alzheimer's disease: time to wake up!

It has long been observed that some patients suffer a significant cognitive impact following anesthesia and surgery. This should not be surprising when considering that not only is the target organ for general anesthetic agents the brain itself but also that the process of anesthesia is a form of deep, pharmacologically induced coma rather than “sleep. ” The expectation that such a process should be fully reversible with transient neurophysiological effects contradicts our experience with repeated abuse of other central nervous system depressants such as glue, petrol, and alcohol. Of great concern is that, while approximately 10% of populations in developed countries undergo anesthesia and surgery of some form each year, the proportion of the elderly making up this group is much greater. In addition, it is the elderly who are potentially at a greater risk of cognitive impairment following such procedures because many have decreased cognitive reserve, either due to pre-existing mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or frank dementia, which may be diagnosed or unknown. The impact of anesthesia on these individuals is poorly understood, as are the implications of the emerging laboratory data that suggest an effect of anesthetic agents on the pathological processes of Alzheimer's Disease (AD) itself.
Design simplicity influences patient portal use: the role of aesthetic evaluations for technology acceptance

OBJECTIVE This study focused on patient portal use and investigated whether aesthetic evaluations of patient portals function are antecedent variables to variables in the Technology Acceptance Model. METHODS A cross-sectional survey of current patient portals users (N = 333) was conducted online. Participants completed the Visual Aesthetics of Website Inventory, along with items measuring perceived ease of use (PEU), perceived usefulness (PU), and behavioral intentions (BIs) to use the patient portal. RESULTS The hypothesized model accounted for 29% of the variance in BIs to use the portal, 46% of the variance in the PU of the portal, and 29% of the variance in the portal's PEU. Additionally, one dimension of the aesthetic evaluations functions as a predictor in the model - simplicity evaluations had a significant positive effect on PEU. CONCLUSION This study provides evidence that aesthetic evaluations - specifically regarding simplicity - function as a significant antecedent variable to patients' use of patient portals and should influence patient portal design strategies.
Family type, domestic violence and under-five mortality in Nigeria.

BACKGROUND Nigeria still showcases unacceptably high under-five mortality despite all efforts to reduce the menace. Investigating the significant predictors of this occurrence is paramount. OBJECTIVE To examine the interplay between family setting, domestic violence and under-five death in Nigeria. METHODS Cross-sectional secondary data, the 2013 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey, (NDHS) women dataset was utilized. Subset of 26,997 ever married and ever had childbirth experience respondents were extracted from the nationally representative women dataset. Dependent and Independent variables were recoded to suit the statistical analysis for the study. RESULTS The study revealed that 33.7% of the respondents were in polygyny family setting; one-quarter of the ever married women reported ever experiencing one form of domestic violence or the other. The results of the logistic regressions indicate that family type and domestic violence were significant predictors of under-five children mortality in Nigeria. CONCLUSION The study concludes that women who belong to polygyny family setting and who ever experienced sexual domestic violence are highly susceptible to experience under-five children mortality than their counterparts. The study recommends that strategies and policies aimed at improving child survival should strengthen women empowerment initiatives, discourage multiple wives and campaign against domestic violence in Nigeria.
Sistemas de amortização: o conceito de consistência financeira e suas implicações

Em operacoes de financiamento, em especial as que se destinam a aquisicao de imoveis, que costumam ser de longo prazo, envolvendo pois um grande numero de prestacoes, usualmente mensais, e crucial que se estabelecam procedimentos que permitam o correto e inequivoco acompanhamento da evolucao do debito (estado da divida). Isto por que, fundamentalmente, tem que ser prevista a possibilidade de liquidacao antecipada, total ou parcial, do principal financiado. Ademais, quando o tomador do emprestimo e uma pessoa juridica, ha que seja devidamente levado em conta o fato de que os juros pagos podem ser deduzidos para fins fiscais. Consequentemente, e de suma importância que, em cada prestacao, seja apurado, de uma maneira isenta de controversias, o que esta sendo pago a titulo de juros e o que esta implicando em uma reducao do debito. Ou seja, tendo presente a definicao apresentada, por exemplo, em Houaiss (2001), deve-se distinguir, em cada prestacao, o que e a parcela de juros e o que e o componente de amortizacao. Todavia, sucede que, ao menos em principio, embora a tarefa se afigure como trivial, tem sido apresentadas e propostas diferentes interpretacoes do que sejam juros e do que significa amortizacao. De um lado, por considerarem que o regime de juros compostos, que esta subjacente tanto na popular Tabela Price (TP) como no Sistema de Amortizacao Constante (SAC), e abusivo e implique na ocorrencia do que, no jargao juridico, se denomina de anatocismo, temos aqueles que, como Nogueira (2013) e Rovina (2009), propugnam para que se adote o regime de juros simples.
Assessment of a linearly chirped fiber Bragg grating sensor under linear and non-linear temperature gradient

Among several innovative procedures used in the fight against cancers, thermal treatments are gaining acceptance in clinical settings. In these approaches, heat is used to damage cancer cells. Therefore, it is useful to monitor the temperature reached in the tissue undergoing the treatment, in order to improve the outcome of the procedure. Despite the variety of available techniques investigated for temperature monitoring during thermal treatments, Linearly Chirped Fiber Bragg Grating (LCFBG) sensors can be seen as a good choice thanks to their small size, the flexibility of the fiber optic, as well as the immunity to electromagnetic interferences and the Magnetic Resonance- (MR-) compatibility. In this work a commercial LCFBG has been tested under different thermal gradients that typically occur during the thermal treatments (up to 30 °C). The sensor's response has been analysed under linear and non-linear thermal gradients. The shift and the width of the LCFBG's spectrum have been related to both the average temperature (Tmean) applied on its active area, and to the temperature difference (ΔT) experienced by the sensor between its two extremities. The analysis has showed promising results: actually with the sensor under test is possible to find a linear relationship between the spectrum shift and Tmean (with a sensitivity of about 10 pm°·C-1), and also between the spectrum width and the ΔT (5 pm°·C-1). These findings may allow extrapolating temperature information from the LCFBG spectrum, in order to monitor in real-time the effects of thermal treatment on biological tissue. Because the effects of thermal ablation depend on temperature, the knowledge of temperature may improve the treatments outcome, thus patient safety.