Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Bystander effect in human lymphocytes incubated with irradiated mitochondrial DNA deficient yeast cells

The comparison of strength of bystander effect induction in human lymphocytes by rho 0 (complete loss of mitochondrial DNA) and rho + (with fully functional mtDNA) strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae was carried out. The cultures of human peripheral blood were experimentally contaminated with nonirradiated or X-ray irradiated yeast cells (haploid rho 0 and rho + strains of S. cerevisiae ). The doses of irradiation were 1 and 10 Gy. Well spread human metaphases were scored for chromosomal aberrations (CA). It was found that nonirradiated yeast cells (no matter rho 0 or rho + ) had no effect on lymphocytes chromosomal stability. Statistically significant increased level of CA was observed in lymphocytes incubated with irradiated rho + yeast cells. The increasing of the CA was dose independent. However, after cocultivation with irradiated rho 0 cells the bystander effect was revealed for dose 10 Gy only and his manifestation was mild in comparison with rho + data. Thus, our findings suggest that strength of bystander effect depends on existence of mitochondrial DNA and normally functioning mitochondria.
Conflict and Power Games in a Multinational Corporation: Sensegiving as a Strategy of Preservation

In this paper, we seek to extend existing understandings of how sensegiving is associated with conflict and power games. We look specifically at sensegiving by managers that promotes strategies and actions geared toward preserving their positions against change. Formulating a conceptual framework about sensegiving and power games in organizations may help to address a meaningful gap in the sensemaking/sensegiving literature. Although organizational members are continuously engaged in sensegiving for advocating certain strategies of action, a neglected issue is that members, and in particular managers, may look at sensegiving as a strategy to guard against change. In multinational companies (MNCs), for instance, boundary conditions ‐ cultural and geographical differences ‐ may draw attention to the nature of control and conflict between headquarters and subsidiaries and subsequently militate against substantial change. This assertion underlies our primary research question: Why and through what types of power games do managers of MNCs give sense to issues and events that help to maintain organizational inertia and legitimate behaviors and actions that curtail organizational change?
Enhancement of Extinction Learning Attenuates Ethanol-Seeking Behavior and Alters Plasticity in the Prefrontal Cortex

Addiction is a chronic relapsing disorder in which relapse is often initiated by exposure to drug-related cues. The present study examined the effects of mGluR5 activation on extinction of ethanol-cue-maintained responding, relapse-like behavior, and neuronal plasticity. Rats were trained to self-administer ethanol and then exposed to extinction training during which they were administered either vehicle or the mGluR5 positive allosteric modulator 3-cyano-N-(1,3-diphenyl-1H-pyrazol-5-yl) or CDPPB. CDPPB treatment reduced active lever responding during extinction, decreased the total number of extinction sessions required to meet criteria, and attenuated cue-induced reinstatement of ethanol seeking. CDPPB facilitation of extinction was blocked by the local infusion of the mGluR5 antagonist 3-((2-methyl-4-thiazolyl)ethynyl) pyridine into the infralimbic (IfL) cortex, but had no effect when infused into the prelimbic (PrL) cortex. Analysis of dendritic spines revealed alterations in structural plasticity, whereas electrophysiological recordings demonstrated differential alterations in glutamatergic neurotransmission in the PrL and IfL cortex. Extinction was associated with increased amplitude of evoked synaptic PrL and IfL NMDA currents but reduced amplitude of PrL AMPA currents. Treatment with CDPPB prevented the extinction-induced enhancement of NMDA currents in PrL without affecting NMDA currents in the IfL. Whereas CDPPB treatment did not alter the amplitude of PrL or IfL AMPA currents, it did promote the expression of IfL calcium-permeable GluR2-lacking receptors in both abstinence- and extinction-trained rats, but had no effect in ethanol-naive rats. These results confirm changes in the PrL and IfL cortex in glutamatergic neurotransmission during extinction learning and demonstrate that manipulation of mGluR5 facilitates extinction of ethanol cues in association with neuronal plasticity.
Distributed Relay Selection and Power Control in Cognitive Radio Networks with Cooperative Transmission

In this paper, we present a distributed relay selection and power allocation scheme concurrently considering the channel states of all related links and residual energy state of the relay nodes for cooperative transmission in cognitive radio (CR) networks. Specifically, we formulate the CR network with cooperative transmission as a restless bandit system, which has been widely applied in operations research and stochastic control. The channel state and residual energy state are presented by finite state Markov chains. With this stochastic optimization formulation, the optimal policy for relay selection and power allocation is indexable, meaning that the relay with the highest index should be selected. The proposed scheme can achieve the tradeoff between achievable rate and network lifetime. Simulation results are presented to illustrate the performance of the proposed scheme.
Communicating the Business Value of Innovation

Successful innovation depends upon effective communication of the business value of innovation. Yet different stages of the innovation process require different communication strategies. Companies who have recognized the different elements of the innovation process are able to target their communication mechanisms to achieve the best results from organizational innovation. In this article, we employ Desouza’s model of intrapreneurship to outline key communication challenges and strategies for addressing them across the five phases of innovation: idea generation and mobilization, idea screening and advocacy, experimentation with ideas, commercialization of ideas, and diffusion and implementation of ideas. The importance of communication to each stage is identified and barriers are noted. Drawing from first-hand interviews, case studies and a literature review, and further refined by presentation of the ideas to various executives, we propose in this article seven communication strategies for organizations to consider across the innovation process. Overall, having a clear understanding of the stages of the innovation process, and the kinds of communication that are most beneficial to each stage provides a clear vision of how to communicate the business value of innovations both internally and to external stakeholders. The effectiveness of communication can determine the success or failure of an innovation project.
Low-dose radiotherapy and concurrent FOLFIRI-bevacizumab: a Phase II study.

AIMS Low-dose radiation therapy (LDRT) can increase biological efficacy of chemotherapy. This Phase II trial evaluates LDRT plus FOLFIRI-bevacizumab (FOLFIRI-B) in metastatic colorectal cancer. MATERIALS & METHODS PRIMARY OBJECTIVE raising the clinical complete response rate from 5 to 25%. SECONDARY OBJECTIVES toxicity, progression-free survival. Patients underwent 12 FOLFIRI-B cycles plus two daily LDRT fractions (20 cGy/6 h interval) on each cycle. Statistical analysis was planned on 18 patients. RESULTS Results on 18 patients are reported. Specifically considering irradiated sites: 15/18 patients had a partial (11/18) or complete (4/18) response. Among 11 partial responders, three became a pathological CR after surgery. Grade 3-4 toxicity was recorded in two patients (11.1%). At median follow-up of 30 months (range: 8-50), 7/18 patients progressed in irradiated sites. CONCLUSION Seven out of 18 patients (38.9%) had clinical or pathological CR in lesions treated with LDRT. Further studies on this newer treatment modality seem justified.
A Place for Area-Based Policy? The Survival and Growth of Local Firms in Dutch Residential Neighborhoods

ABSTRACT: Although their market scope often exceeds the neighborhood level, for most entrepreneurs of small-scale firms the neighborhood is the relevant arena for both their professional activities and their personal affairs. Dutch local economic policy aims to stimulate new firm formation and firm survival in (disadvantaged) neighborhoods by conditioning economic, social, and physical aspects of the neighborhood such as economic zoning and clustering, livability, and the quality of the built-up area. Although substantial differences in firm success exist across neighborhoods, it is not clear whether area-level factors contribute to these differences, suggesting that area-level policies are useful, or whether differences are due to either urban effects or to microlevel entrepreneurial and firm composition effects. This article distinguishes neighborhood effects from composition effects on local firm survival and firm growth, thereby also taking into account spatial dependence across neighborhoods. Our results suggest that aspects of the local livability of neighborhoods and of economic agglomeration are significantly related to individual firm survival and firm growth. The models provide proof for spillover effects of livability problems and market potential between adjacent neighborhoods. Neighborhoods and cities are therefore potentially places for area-based policies, aiming at the survival and growth of local firms.
Corner sharpening with modified harris corner detection to localize eyes in facial images

Harris corner detection algorithm has been widely used to find corners in images; it has been used for eye localization in combination with filters. In this paper a new strategy based on filters combination approach is suggested for eyes localization in which filters are used to find and highlight corners of region with local maximum intensity referred here as sharp region. The filtering process proposed here utilizes Harris corner detector in combination with Homomorphic and Tophat-Bothat morphologic filtering. The use of Tophat-Bothat filter enhances image at the first stage resulting in a highlighted region with maximal differences in intensity level after which application of Homomorphic filter extracts the desired region and suppresses others. The proposed method was tested in different applications including biometrics and industrial (mechanical) image analysis in which we used sharp region approach for corner detection. Experimental results, including application on facial image analysis on both color and grayscale, all indicate high performance can be achieved using the proposed method.
A Monte Carlo Sampling Plan for Estimating Network Reliability

For an undirected network G = V, E whose arcs are subject to random failure, we present a relatively complete and comprehensive description of a general class of Monte Carlo sampling plans for estimating g = gs, T, the probability that a specified node s is connected to all nodes in a node set T. We also provide procedures for implementing these plans. Each plan uses known lower and upper bounds [B, A] on g to produce an estimator of g that has a smaller variance A-gg-B/K on K independent replications than that obtained for crude Monte Carlo sampling B = 0, A = 1. We describe worst-case bounds on sample sizes K, in terms of B and A, for meeting absolute and relative error criteria. We also give the worst-case bound on the amount of variance reduction that can be expected when compared with crude Monte Carlo sampling. Two plans arc studied in detail for the case T = {t}. An example illustrates the variance reductions achievable with these plans. We also show how to assess the credibility that a specified error criterion for g is met as the Monte Carlo experiment progresses, and show how confidence intervals can be computed for g. Lastly, we summarize the steps needed to implement the proposed technique.
Dual-orthogonal polarized Vivaldi antenna for ultra wideband applications

This paper presents a design of a dual polarized Vivaldi antenna. The problems that were met during the design of such an antenna are depicted and proper solutions are described. The prototype of the proposed antenna is introduced and finally the full characterization of the dual polarized antenna is given. Since UWB is originally a time domain based technique, a time domain characterization of the antenna is also included.
What is success and what is failure of transition? A critical review of two decades of agricultural reform in the Europe and Central Asia region

This article reviews the outcome of the transformation of a centrally planned into a market economy over the past two decades in the case of agriculture in the Europe and Central Asia (ECA) region. It focuses on the question of how transition progress in the region's agriculture can be evaluated and compared adequately. The article presents a set of arguments to question some of the conventional wisdom in the existing literature on what success and failure are in the transition of the ECA region's agriculture. In particular, it challenges the usefulness of counterfactuals that are commonly used in the existing literature to appraise transition progress such as pre-reform output levels, individualised farming structures and WTO-conforming agricultural market regulation. Against this background the widespread view that agricultural reform in the advanced CIS countries has, in general, been less successful than in the new EU member states is questioned.
QscR, a modulator of quorum-sensing signal synthesis and virulence in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

The opportunistic pathogenic bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa uses quorum-sensing signaling systems as global regulators of virulence genes. There are two quorum-sensing signal receptor and signal generator pairs, LasR–LasI and RhlR–RhlI. The recently completed P. aeruginosa genome-sequencing project revealed a gene coding for a homolog of the signal receptors, LasR and RhlR. Here we describe a role for this gene, which we call qscR. The qscR gene product governs the timing of quorum-sensing-controlled gene expression and it dampens virulence in an insect model. We present evidence that suggests the primary role of QscR is repression of lasI. A qscR mutant produces the LasI-generated signal prematurely, and this results in premature transcription of a number of quorum-sensing-regulated genes. When fed to Drosophila melanogaster, the qscR mutant kills the animals more rapidly than the parental P. aeruginosa. The repression of lasI by QscR could serve to ensure that quorum-sensing-controlled genes are not activated in environments where they are not useful.
Pathology of Experimental CV777 Coronavirus Enteritis in Piglets. I. Histological and Histochemical Study

Sixteen cesarean-derived colostrum-deprived piglets were infected oronasally with CV777 coronavirus on the second or third day of life. Two uninfected piglets were controls. They were killed at 96 and 120 hours after birth. After an incubation period of 22 to 36 hours, all principals showed severe diarrhea. The principals were killed between 12 and 120 hours after infection. Exfoliation of enterocytes was seen first in the piglet killed 24 hours after infection (two hours after the diarrhea began). From that time on, shortening and fusion of villi was present in all small intestinal parts. Affected cells showed vacuolation. The histochemical study showed that infected piglets had decreased activity of all four enzymes studied. The light microscope showed no lesions in the absorptive colonic epithelium. The significance of the lesions in relation to intestinal dysfunction is discussed, and lesions are compared to those of transmissible gastroenteritis and porcine rotavirus infection.
Calmodulin Modulates Mitogen‐Activated Protein Kinase Activation in Response to Membrane Depolarization in PC12 Cells

Abstract: In the absence of neurotrophic factors, chronic depolarization of plasma membrane has been shown to maintain several populations of primary neurons in culture. We report that in the PC12 cell line, depolarization causes Ca2+ influx through voltage‐gated Ca2+ channels, which is able to stimulate extracellular‐regulated kinase (ERK) activity. We studied which mediators were responsible for ERK activation resulting from increased levels of Ca2+ in the cytoplasm and found that calmodulin was involved in this process. The addition of W13, a calmodulin inhibitor, to the culture medium, prevented ERK activation when PC12 cells were depolarized. In addition, we show that high K+ treatment did not induce Trk A phosphorylation, thus excluding the possibility of Ca2+ operating through this receptor to activate the ERK signal transduction pathway. Moreover, although high K+ treatment is able to phosphorylate the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and thus to activate the ERK signal transduction pathway, we demonstrate that W13 did not alter the state of EGFR phosphorylation in conditions that almost completely blocked ERK activation. These data suggest that calmodulin mediates ERK activation induced by increases in intracellular Ca2+ concentration in PC12 cells by a mechanism that seems to be independent of Trk A and EGFR activation.
Consumer Demand for Meat, Poultry and Seafood in Taiwan

This study provides estimates of a complete demand elasticities matrix for meat, poultry, fishery fish, aquaculture fish, as well as shrimp and shell fish in Taiwan, using the linear approximate almost ideal demand system. Estimation is based on aggregate annual consumption data complied from Taiwan Food Balance Sheets during 1970-1998. The estimated own-price elasticities indicate meat, poultry and seafood are all price inelastic. The results reveal that expenditure effects are strong for meat and fishery fish. The estimated cross-price elasticities are generally small and most products are gross complements. In addition, the effects of household size and the ratio of population aged over 64 on animal products consumption are observed to be significant. Moreover, own-price and expenditure elasticities computed at selected years reveal a possible change in pattern of consumption behavior which, however, may require further statistical analysis. Consumer demand for food is a critical component in the economic analysis of consumer well-being and food policies. Understanding the structure and pattern of food consumption is essential for designing and assessing food production program and trade policies. For example, the price and expenditure elasticities are important parameters for the formation of agricultural and other public policies. The estimated demand elasticities can be used in determining the impacts of policies changes. Furthermore, producers, marketing organizations, food processors and the food retailing industry require reliable measures of the effects of changes in food prices, changes in food expenditures, and changes in socio-demographic variables. These estimates can be employed to explain current consumption conditions in the food industry and to project future consumer food demand. Salient growth in personal disposal income, increases in the prices of food and non-food items, and dramatic changes in lifestyle have impacts on the structure and pattern of Taiwanese food consumption. Meanwhile, socio-demograhic characteristics of the Taiwanese population which may affect food consumption have changed significantly in past decades. These changes include the declining rate of growth of population, the composition of age, and size of households, the increasing labor force participation of women. Furthermore, increases concerns of nutrition and health may have changed food consumption patterns in Taiwan. These claims have been based on the fact that there have been substantial increases in per capita consumption of dairy products during the recent years. In addition, food safety issues have become an another critical concern for consumers. An obvious evidence for supporting these views is organic products consumption have been widely popular in Taiwan. These and other changes in food consumption pattern have implications for the food industry, especially if these changes continue into the future. Meat, poultry and seafood are important items of
Growth distances: new measures for object separation and penetration

Quantitative measures for the separation and penetration of two convex objects are formulated, These measures, called separation and penetration growth distances, are closely related to traditional translational distance measures and share many of their desirable properties. The solution of a single optimization problem yields both the separation and penetration distances. For 3D polytopes the optimization problem is a linear program in four variables whose asymptotic computational time is O(m), where m is the number of linear inequalities required to specify the two polytopes. This equals or far betters the known times required to compute translational distances: O(m) for separation and 0(m/sup 2/ log m) for penetration. When the positioning of the two objects depends on configuration variables, the partial derivatives of the growth distances with respect to the configuration variables exist almost everywhere. Derivatives of the penetration growth distance can be used to construct motions which separate the objects. An application to path finding is described.
Management of renal angiomyolipomas associated with tuberous sclerosis complex.

PURPOSE Intensive management is generally recommended for angiomyolipomas associated with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC), which are known to have a more aggressive nature than sporadic tumors. In this study we evaluated the management of these tumors. MATERIALS AND METHODS The records of 6 men and 6 women with TSC and a mean age of 28.8 years) with angiomyolipomas treated from 1984 to 2000 were retrospectively analyzed. All patients had bilateral multiple tumors (mean size 6.6 cm). There were 10 lesions classified as small (less than 4 cm), 6 medium (4 to 10 cm) and 8 large lesions (10 cm or greater). Computerized tomography was repeated annually for followup observation and semiannually after embolization. RESULTS Excluding from study 3 tumors treated prophylactically intervention was required in 20%, 50% and 100% of small, medium and large tumors, respectively. Among 14 tumors followed by observation, 8 grew and 4 required intervention. Uncontrollable hemorrhage did not develop in any patient. While some tumors showed remarkable growth in decade 3, growth did not exceed 1.5 cm per year. Embolization was performed in 11 tumors and tumors shrank in 10. Although 1 patient experienced renal atrophy, all patients but 1 are alive without renal failure with a mean followup of 60 months. CONCLUSIONS Although asymptomatic angiomyolipomas associated with TSC grow gradually, severe hemorrhage is rare and most tumors can be managed conservatively with annual computerized tomography. Embolization is the first choice of intervention but should be reserved until symptoms develop.