Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of Fibronectin on Antigen‐Induced Lymphoproliferation and Antibody Synthesis in Rats

Macrophages are important positive and negative regulators of both primary and secondary antibody responses, and their activity may, in turn, be controlled by soluble mediators secreted by other cells. Fibronectin is a 440,000 dalton normal constituent of plasma and extracellular membranes that acts through macrophages to inhibit mitogen‐and alloantigen‐stimulated lymphoproliferation. We examined the effect of Fn on the antigen‐stimulated lymphoproliferative and antibody responses in cells from trinitrophenol‐derivitized keyhole limpet hemocyanin (TNP‐KHL) primed rats. Fn in concentrations equivalent to normal plasma levels inhibited TNP‐KLH‐stimulated lymphoproliferation by unseparated lymph node leukocytes. When the experiment was repeated using purified lymph node T cells and added thioglycollate‐induced peritoneal exudate macrophages or splenic adherent macrophages, Fn alone and TNP‐KLH alone stimulated lymphoproliferation, but in combination they were strongly inhibitory. The effect was not due to decreased lymphocyte viability in the presence of both TNP‐KLH and Fn. Nor was it due to complexes between TNP‐KLH and Fn or to a simple alteration in the kinetics of lymphoproliferation. Fn had to be present with the TNP‐KLH within the 1st hour of incubation. If macrophages were coincubated with TNP‐KLH and Fn for 24 h, washed, and added to enriched T cells, inhibition was equivalent to that seen with continuous coculture. Similarly, coculture of TNP‐KLH and Fn inhibited both total immunoglobulin and TNP‐KLH‐specific antibody synthesis at optimal concentrations of splenic adherent cells. However, at suboptimal levels of splenic macrophages, the combination was synergistic, stimulating more total immunoglobulin synthesis than either TNP‐KLH or Fn alone. These data suggest that the inhibitory effect was dependent upon the concentration and phenotype of macrophages present in culture.
The Role of Sound Congruency on Ethnic Menu Item Selection and Price Expectations

ABSTRACT Earlier research considered ethnic congruent versus incongruent music; this study extended earlier research by comparing the impacts of ethnic congruent music, ethnic incongruent music and restaurant background sounds on the dining experience. Additionally, it extends earlier research considering the impact on menu item selection and price expectations based on the impact of music/sound. Findings indicated music congruence effects along with baseline sounds should be considered by practitioners and researchers. Italian folk music increased Italian item selections compared to restaurant background sounds. Thai folk music was equal to background sounds for Thai items. Higher expected prices were apparent when listening to both Italian music and background sounds.
Bloom Helicase and DNA Topoisomerase IIIα Are Involved in the Dissolution of Sister Chromatids

ABSTRACT Bloom's syndrome (BS) is an autosomal disorder characterized by predisposition to a wide variety of cancers. The gene product whose mutation leads to BS is the RecQ family helicase BLM, which forms a complex with DNA topoisomerase IIIα (Top3α). However, the physiological relevance of the interaction between BLM and Top3α within the cell remains unclear. We show here that Top3α depletion causes accumulation of cells in G2 phase, enlargement of nuclei, and chromosome gaps and breaks that occur at the same position in sister chromatids. The transition from metaphase to anaphase is also inhibited. All of these phenomena except cell lethality are suppressed by BLM gene disruption. Taken together with the biochemical properties of BLM and Top3α, these data indicate that BLM and Top3α execute the dissolution of sister chromatids.
Paclitaxel in cancer therapy

The last decade witnessed the introduction of exciting new chemotherapeutic agents. Among these, paclitaxel emerged as one of the most powerful compounds. Paclitaxel promotes the polymerisation of tubulin, thereby causing cell death by disrupting the normal microtubule dynamics required for cell division and vital interphase processes. Mechanisms of acquired resistance to paclitaxel include alterations of tubulin structure and the amplification of membrane phosphoglycoproteins that function as drug-efflux pumps. Toxicities associated with paclitaxel include hypersensitivity reaction, neurotoxicity and haematological toxicities. Toxicities may be both dose- and schedule-dependent. Paclitaxel has activity against a broad band of tumour types, including breast, ovarian, lung, head and neck cancers. Paclitaxel also has activity in other malignancies that are refractory to conventional chemotherapy, including previously-treated lymphoma and small cell lung cancers and oesophageal, gastric endometrial, bladder and germ cell tumours. Paclitaxel is also active against AIDS-associated Kaposi’s sarcoma.
La dynamique des migrations intérieures en Chine : Frontières et forces centripètes

The present article aims at estimating the workers’motion law in China using internal migration data for 29 provinces over two sub-periods 1985-1990 and 1990-1995. We measure impediments to the mobility of workers inside China and notably additional costs that apply to crossing borders. Our study of provincial migration dynamics pays particular attention to the influence of access to market on rural-urban migration flows and through it to the strength of the centripetal forces which affect the geography of China as a whole. Classification JEL : F02, F14, F15, P2, R12.
Social Trust and Bank Loan Financing: Evidence from China

Using a sample of non-state-owned enterprises (NSOEs) in China, we investigate the impact of social trust on firms' access to bank loan financing. We find that privately controlled firms in trust-intensive regions are more likely to obtain loans from banks than those in regions with a lower level of social trust. The positive effect of trust on access to bank loans is more pronounced for firms that have no political connections, firms that are located in regions with poor legal environments, and firms that hire less reputable auditors. We also examine the channels through which social trust promotes bank finance. The results show that firms in trust-intensive regions have a lower likelihood of default and higher financial reporting quality. Finally, we find that loans to NSOEs in trust-intensive regions are associated with fewer collateral requirements, longer maturity, and lower interest rate spread. Overall, these findings suggest that social trust alleviates lenders' concerns regarding moral hazard and plays an important role when NSOEs raise capital from the bank loan market.
FoxP3 scanning mutagenesis reveals functional variegation and mild mutations with atypical autoimmune phenotypes

Significance The transcription factor FoxP3 defines and controls regulatory T cells (Tregs), themselves essential components of immunoregulatory pathways. From a highly granular scanning mutagenesis, the results of our study point to very integrated functions of the protein’s domains, quite different from predictions of simple modular models. The phenotype of mutant mice carrying subtle mutations in Foxp3, which deviate from the acute lymphoproliferation and autoimmunity linked to Treg deficiency and become manifest only upon challenge, suggest that rare FOXP3 variants may contribute to a broader range of human diseases than previously recognized. FoxP3+ regulatory T cells (Tregs) are a central element of immunological tolerance. FoxP3 is the key determining transcription factor of the Treg lineage, interacting with numerous cofactors and transcriptional targets to determine the many facets of Treg function. Its absence leads to devastating lymphoproliferation and autoimmunity in scurfy mutant mice and immunodysregulation polyendocrinopathy enteropathy X-linked (IPEX) patients. To finely map transcriptionally active regions of the protein, with respect to disease-causing variation, we performed a systematic alanine-scan mutagenesis of FoxP3, assessing mutational impacts on DNA binding and transcriptional activation or repression. The mutations affected transcriptional activation and repression in a variegated manner involving multiple regions of the protein and varying between different transcriptional targets of FoxP3. There appeared to be different modalities for target genes related to classic immunosuppressive function vs. those related to atypical or tissue-Treg functions. Relevance to in vivo Treg biology was established by introducing some of the subtle Foxp3 mutations into the mouse germline by CRISPR-based genome editing. The resulting mice showed Treg populations in normal numbers and exhibited no overt autoimmune manifestations. However, Treg functional defects were revealed upon competition or by system stress, manifest as a strikingly heightened susceptibility to provoked colitis, and conversely by greater resistance to tumors. These observations suggest that some of the missense mutations that segregate in human populations, but do not induce IPEX manifestations, may have unappreciated consequences in other diseases.
Bioavailabilty of a liquid Vitamin Trace Element Composition in healthy volunteers.

BACKGROUND Many Vitamins and minerals for dietary supplements lack a standard scientific and regulatory definition that accurately reflects the bioavailabilities in humans. Especially the bioavailability of natural compounds in complex mixtures, where the different ingredients may interfere with each other, is unknown. METHODS To learn more about the bioavailability of the ingredients in the complex compound LaVita® we examined blood levels of subjects, who ingested the multivitamin and trace element composition for 6 month continuously. Blood samples for the analysis of the ingredients were taken before, during, and after administration. RESULTS Our data indicated a significant increase of most ingredients after 3 month, and additional three months, except for Vitamin (B9 Folic acid). The semivitamins Q10 and carnitine increased in the first 3 month (both p<0.001). While carnitine dropped during the second term, Q10 levels increased further slowly. After three months a significant increase was observed for iron (serum p=0.039; blood cells p=0.025), Selenium (serum p=0.048; cells p=0.006), and chromium (serum p=0.029). Zinc - known to interfere with the iron resorption - increased slowly in the first term of 3 months, but was raised significantly after 6 months (serum and blood cells, each p<0.001). The Copper/Zink ratio dropped accordingly (p<0.001). CONCLUSION We conclude that resorption interference between specific ingredients, and after resorption redistribution of specific ingredients to various tissue compartments precludes a linear increase of the respective serum parameters. We observed no deleterious resorption competitions for individual compounds. No parameter reached critical levels. We conclude that the test substance (LaVita®) is a sufficiently safe composite for long term consumption.
Credit Rating and Monetary Policy Transmission to Equity Markets: Evidence from the Emerging Market

Abstract This study empirically estimates credit channel of the monetary policy and corporate stock return using daily stock return data including the sample with non-financial firms listed in Korea stock exchange (KOSPI). Empirical results support that changes in the basis rate turn out to increase equity returns in case of the firms with higher credit rating compared to the previous year. The estimation results confirm the conjecture that monetary policy has a significant impact on stock market through the channel of changes in credit rating.
Quaternion support vector classifier

This paper presents the Quaternion Support Vector Machines for classification as a generalization of the real- and complex- valued Support Vector Machines. In this framework we handle the design of kernels involving the Clifford or quaternion product. The QSVM allows to change the metric involved in the quaternion product. The application section shows experiments in pattern recognition and colour image processing.
Following or Running Away from the Market Leader? The Influences of Environmental Uncertainty and Market Leadership

Competitive dynamics theory suggests that rival firms imitate other competing firms with similar resources to maintain competitive parity while are likely to differentiate from the market leader to avoid its dangerous retaliation. According to neo&#8208;institutional theory, in highly uncertain environments, rivals are likely to imitate the market leader because they assume it possesses superior market knowledge. Combining these two lines of argument, we argue that a rival's decision whether to follow or run away from the market leader depends on environmental uncertainty and market leadership, the latter expressing the extent to which the market leader owns a larger market share vis&#8208;&#224;&#8208;vis the other rivals. The empirical analysis relies on data about the product line strategies of 66 mobile phone vendors in the 1994&#8211;2010 period. The results show that when environmental uncertainty is low, the relationship between a firm's market leadership and imitation by its rivals is negative, whereas in conditions of high environmental uncertainty, imitation of the market leader increases with its market leadership.
Novel episomal vectors and a highly efficient transformation procedure for the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces japonicus

Schizosaccharomyces japonicus is a fission yeast for which new genetic tools have recently been developed. Here, we report novel plasmid vectors with high transformation efficiency and an electroporation method for Sz. japonicus. We isolated 44 replicating segments from 12 166 transformants of Sz. japonicus genomic fragments and found a chromosomal fragment, RS1, as a new replicating sequence that conferred high transformation activity to Sz. japonicus cells. This sequence was cloned into a pUC19 vector with ura4+ of Sz. pombe (pSJU11) or the kan gene on the kanMX6 module (pSJK11) as selection markers. These plasmids transformed Sz. japonicus cells in the early‐log phase by electroporation at a frequency of 123 cfu/µg for pSJK11 and 301 cfu/µg for pSJU11, which were higher than previously reported autonomously replicating sequences. Although a portion of plasmids remained in host cells by integration into the chromosome via RS1 segment, the plasmids could be recovered from transformants. The plasmid copy number was estimated to be 1.88 copies per cell by Southern blot analysis using a Sz. pombe ura4+ probe. The plasmid containing ade6+ suppressed the auxotrophic growth of the ade6‐domE mutant, indicating that the plasmid would be useful for suppressor screening and complementation assays in Sz. japonicus. Furthermore, pSJU11 transformed Sz. pombe cells with the same frequency as the pREP2 plasmid. This study is a report to demonstrate practical use of episomal plasmid vectors for genetic research in Sz. japonicus. RS1 has been submitted to the DDBJ/EMBL/GenBank database (Accession No. AB547343). Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Age and hypohydration independently influence the peripheral vascular response to heat stress.

Seven young (Y, 22-28 yr) and seven middle-aged (MA, 49-60 yr) normotensive men of similar body size, fatness, and maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) were exposed to a heat challenge in an environmental chamber (48 degrees C, 15% relative humidity). Tests were performed in two hydration states: hydrated (H, 25 ml water/kg body wt 1 h before the test, 2.5 h before exercise) and hypohydrated (Hypo, after 18-20 h of water deprivation). Each test began with a 90-min rest period during which the transiently increased plasma volume and decreased osmolality after drinking in the H condition returned to base line. This period was followed by 30 min of cycle exercise at a mean intensity of 43% VO2max and a 60-min resting recovery period with water ad libitum. Although prior drinking caused no sustained changes in plasma osmolality, Hypo increased plasma osmolality by 7-10 mosmol/kg in both groups. There were no significant age differences in water intake, urine output or osmolality, overall change in body weight, or sweating rate. In the H state, the percent change in plasma volume was less (P less than 0.01) during exercise for the Y group (-5.9 +/- 0.7%) than for the MA group (-9.4 +/- 0.6%). Esophageal temperature (Tes) was higher in the Hypo condition for both groups with no age-related differences. Throughout the 3-h period, mean skin temperature was higher in the Y group and significantly so (P less than 0.05) in the Hypo condition. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
A new insight into six phase induction machine modeling under open phase fault condition

As the open phase fault occurs in a multiphase induction machine, it continues running even though its dynamic properties drastically changes. If neutral point of stator winding is not grounded, stator phase voltages become unknown and make the modeling so complicated. Using suitable basis vectors in six-dimensional space, phase voltages are calculated efficiently in this paper. hen, machine model in five-dimensional space is used to assess electromechanical torque and speed. So the presented model is a combination of machine models in both six and five-dimensional spaces. In order to make a comparison, previous method to estimate phase voltages is presented too. A simulation has developed to confirm the proposed model.
Abelson Tyrosine Kinase Controls Phagosomal Acidification Required for Killing of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Human Macrophages

The mechanisms that regulate the acidification of intracellular compartments are key to host defense against pathogens. In this paper, we demonstrate that Abl tyrosine kinase, a master switch for cell growth and trafficking of intracellular organelles, controls the acidification of lysosomes in human macrophages. Pharmacological inhibition by imatinib and gene silencing of Abelson (Abl) tyrosine kinase reduced the lysosomal pH in human macrophages by increasing the transcription and expression of the proton pumping enzyme vacuolar-type H+-adenosine triphosphatase. Because lysosomal acidification is required for antimicrobial activity against intracellular bacteria, we determined the effect of imatinib on the growth of the major human pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Imatinib limited the multiplication of M. tuberculosis, and growth restriction was dependent on acidification of the mycobacterial compartment. The effects of imatinib were also active in vivo because circulating monocytes from imatinib-treated leukemia patients were more acidic than monocytes from control donors. Importantly, sera from imatinib-treated patients triggered acidification and growth restriction of M. tuberculosis in macrophages. In summary, our results identify the control of phagosomal acidification as a novel function of Abl tyrosine kinase and provide evidence that the regulation occurs on the level of the vacuolar-type H+-adenosine triphosphatase. Given the efficacy of imatinib in a mouse model of tuberculosis and our finding that orally administered imatinib increased the ability of human serum to trigger growth reduction of intracellular M. tuberculosis, clinical evaluation of imatinib as a complementary therapy of tuberculosis, in particular multidrug or extremely drug-resistant disease, is warranted.
The Unique Features of Proteins Depicting the Chicken Amniotic Fluid*

In many amniotes, the amniotic fluid is depicted as a dynamic milieu that participates in the protection of the embryo (cushioning, hydration, and immunity). However, in birds, the protein profile of the amniotic fluid remains unexplored, even though its proteomic signature is predicted to differ compared with that of humans. In fact, unlike humans, chicken amniotic fluid does not collect excretory products and its protein composition strikingly changes at mid-development because of the massive inflow of egg white proteins, which are thereafter swallowed by the embryo to support its growth. Using GeLC-MS/MS and shotgun strategies, we identified 91 nonredundant proteins delineating the chicken amniotic fluid proteome at day 11 of development, before egg white transfer. These proteins were essentially associated with the metabolism of nutrients, immune response and developmental processes. Forty-eight proteins were common to both chicken and human amniotic fluids, including serum albumin, apolipoprotein A1 and alpha-fetoprotein. We further investigated the effective role of chicken amniotic fluid in innate defense and revealed that it exhibits significant antibacterial activity at day 11 of development. This antibacterial potential is drastically enhanced after egg white transfer, presumably due to lysozyme, avian beta-defensin 11, vitelline membrane outer layer protein 1, and beta-microseminoprotein-like as the most likely antibacterial candidates. Interestingly, several proteins recovered in the chicken amniotic fluid prior and after egg white transfer are uniquely found in birds (ovalbumin and related proteins X and Y, avian beta-defensin 11) or oviparous species (vitellogenins 1 and 2, riboflavin-binding protein). This study provides an integrative overview of the chicken amniotic fluid proteome and opens stimulating perspectives in deciphering the role of avian egg-specific proteins in embryonic development, including innate immunity. These proteins may constitute valuable biomarkers for poultry production to detect hazardous situations (stress, infection, etc.), that may negatively affect the development of the chicken embryo.
The Underperformance of Initial Public Offerings (IPOs): The Sensitivity of the Choice of Empirical Method.

This paper investigates the performance of Jordanian IPO’s using data from Amman Stock Exchange (ASE) over the period 1981-2002. We studied the sensitivity of the model used to estimate the cumulative average abnormal returns. In doing that, we employed three different models and used two approaches to test the result: Standard event-time analysis and the calendar-time approach. The three models used to estimate the cumulative average abnormal returns produce significant negative abnormal returns when we employ event-time analysis. However, the calendartime approach concludes that the long-term performance of Jordanian IPO’s is not different than that of the overall market.
A Software Quality Predictive Model

Software development is facing the problem of how to improve the quality of software products. The lack of quality can easily lead to major costs and delays in the development and maintenance of the software. Its improvement can be guaranteed by both the definition of a software quality model and the presence of metrics that are designed and measured to plan and monitor productivity, effectiveness, quality and timing of software. Integrating the metrics into the model contributes to collecting the right data for the handling of the analysis process and to establishing a general view to the control of the overall state of the process. This paper aims at introducing a mathematical model that links software best practices with a set of metrics to predict the quality of software at any stage of development. Two software projects have been used to analyze the defined model as a suitable predictive methodology in order to evaluate its results. The model can improve the level of the software development process significantly and contribute to achieving a product of the highest standards. A replication of this work on larger data sets is planned.