Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The synthetic antimicrobial peptide 19-2.5 attenuates mitochondrial dysfunction in cardiomyocytes stimulated with human sepsis serum

Septic cardiomyopathy affects up to 70% of patients with septic shock and the derangement of cardiac mitochondrial function contributes to the likelihood of death. However, at present, there is no specific therapeutic drug available. The peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-γ coactivator-1α (PGC-1α) and coactivator-1β (PGC-1β) modulate members of the PPARs, which regulate mitochondrial energy metabolism and the production of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species in the heart. This study investigated the potential of the newly developed synthetic antimicrobial peptide 19-2.5 (Pep2.5) to attenuate mitochondrial dysfunction in murine cardiomyocytes stimulated with serum from septic shock patients. Pep2.5 treatment attenuated the suppression of PPAR-α, PPAR-γ (P = 0.0004 and P = 0.0001, respectively) and PGC-1α/β (P = 0.0008 and P = 0.0147, respectively) in cardiomyocytes stimulated with serum from septic shock patients compared with untreated cells. Pep2.5 treatment enhanced the mitochondrial maximum respiration (P < 0.0001), increased cellular ATP levels (P < 0.0001) and reduced the production of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species. Thus, the administration of Pep2.5 may have the potential as a promising therapeutic approach in septic cardiomyopathy by attenuating mitochondrial dysfunction in the septic heart.
On the surface modification of microchannels for microcapillary electrophoresis chips

This paper presents systematic investigation of the microchannel surface properties in microCE chips. Three popular materials for microCE chips, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), quartz, and glass, are used. The zeta potentials of these microchannels are calculated by measuring the EOF velocity to evaluate the surface properties after surface modification. The hydrophobic PDMS is usually plasma‐treated for microCE applications. In this study, a new method using a high‐throughput atmospheric plasma generator is adopted to treat the PDMS surface under atmospheric conditions. In this approach, the cost and time for surface treatment can be significantly reduced compared with the conventional vacuum plasma generator method. Experimental results indicate that new functional groups could be formed on the PDMS surface after treatment, resulting in a change in the surface property. The time‐dependent surface property of the plasma‐treated PDMS is then measured in terms of the zeta potential. Results show that the surface property will reach a stable condition after 1 h of plasma treatment. For glass CE chips, two new methods for changing the microchannel surface properties are developed. Instead of using complicated and time‐consuming chemical silanization procedures for CE channel surface modification, two simple and reliable methods utilizing organic‐based spin‐on‐glass and water‐soluble acrylic resin are reported. The proposed method provides a fast batch process for controlling the surface properties of glass‐based CE channels. The proposed methods are evaluated using ΦX‐174 DNA maker separation. The experimental data show that the surface property is modified and separation efficiency greatly improved. In addition, the long‐term stability of both coatings is verified in this study. The methods proposed in this study show potential as an excellent solution for glass‐based microCE chip surface modification.
The Monetary Transmission Mechanism: Evidence from Eight Economies in Transition

Abstract We examine in this paper the importance of banks’ behavior in the transmission of the monetary policy to the real economy. Monthly data from eight economies in transition that recently became members of the European Union and the techniques of cointegration and Error Correction models are used, in order to investigate the relationship between intermediation margin spread (IMS, official lending rate minus deposit rate) and industrial production. Given the low development of corporate bond market and the dependence of non-financial agents on banking credits, we find that in many countries the IMS is an important leading indicator of industrial production. However, in countries characterized by credit access constraints (Estonia and Latvia) evidence for the traditional money channel is found. Evidence for both money and credit channels is found in Poland and Hungary. These results imply that a common monetary policy implemented by the European Central Bank may be transmitted in different ways across the new members of the enlarged European Union with different effects on real output in each country.
Version pool management in a multilevel secure multiversion transaction manager

The paper presents initial results of an ongoing project to develop an experimental prototype of a multilevel secure (MLS) database system (DBS) based upon a multiversion scheduling protocol. The purpose of the project is to explore design alternatives and demonstrate feasibility. The work focuses on the mechanisms needed to provide efficient access to multiple versions of data as required by the protocol. With this protocol, strictly dominating transactions are serialized before active dominated transactions to avoid contention. These dominating transactions require access to old snapshots. The purpose of this work is to characterize the storage and access cost associated with the approach. We describe a prototype featuring an untrusted version pool mechanism to study this question. An analytical model is developed to predict storage and search costs. The analytical model is validated through measurements made on the prototype. <<ETX>>
Policy Rules and Monetarist Arithmetic

This note demonstrates the existence of an important equilibrium path overlooked in the literature on monetarist arithmetic. Pleasant monetarist arithmetic is possible when the interest-elasticity of money demand exceeds unity. In this case, tight money may lead to a transitory increase in seigniorage, the retirement of government debt, and lower inflation in both the short run and the long run. The set of equilibrium paths is sensitive, however, to the form of the policy rule. Pleasant monetarist arithmetic is not an equilibrium if the policy rule fixes the share of the fiscal deficit financed by seigniorage. Both pleasant monetarist arithmetic and the tight-money paradox are equilibrium paths when the government's commitment to low money growth is conditional on inflation remaining below its previous level. Copyright Blackwell Publishers Ltd and the Board of Trustees of the Bulletin of Economic Research, 2003.
Assessing the Training Needs of High-Potential Managers

Two important issues prompting the creation of comprehensive management development programs in state government are the promotion of technically competent employees to supervisory positions who have not been prepared to manage, and the impending loss of state managers to retirement and the need for succession planning. With these issues in mind, training needs assessment (TNA) is necessary to understand both the needs of the organization for competent managers and of the individuals who are to be prepared to manage in state government. In this case study, we review the advantages and disadvantages of various TNA techniques and select focus groups to conduct the training needs assessment for a comprehensive management development program. Through several focus group sessions, the perspective of practicing managers was solicited for management training needs throughout the state. Alternatives were widely discussed and a synergy of ideas created through the group discussion format. State managers became more informed about the plan for management development and support for the concept was generated among important stakeholders. State managers clearly wanted training that would be immediately applicable to their job duties and wanted the training delivered in a way that is conducive to adult learning. We found that managers are most concerned with effectively performing their roles and responsibilities as managers, and that they must demonstrate leadership and human relations skills in the performance of their responsibilities.
Cardiac injury as late toxicity of mediastinal radiation therapy for Hodgkin's disease patients.

BACKGROUND During the last 20 years Hodgkin's disease (HD) has become one of the most curable neoplasms; in fact, more than 75-80% of patients are expected to achieve long-term relapse-free survival with appropriate therapy. However, overall survival has been affected by intercurrent or treatment-induced diseases such as the increased risk of cardiac toxicity in patients who received mediastinal irradiation. METHODS The incidence of cardiac abnormalities after mediastinal radiotherapy was assessed in 102 consecutive HD patients who underwent this treatment from January 1970 to December 1980. Basal investigation procedures included electrocardiogram and echocardiography; myocardial perfusion scintigraphy with 201-thallium and coronary arteriography were performed in selected patients. RESULTS Eleven patients (10.8%) presented cardiac abnormalities, which were asymptomatic in three cases. Eight cases of myocardial ischemia and 3 of constrictive pericarditis were observed. The incidence of late cardiotoxic effects was related to total mediastinal dose and to the irradiation technique. CONCLUSIONS The increasing duration of follow-up shows that as mediastinal irradiation increases so does the risk of late cardiotoxic side effects. For this reason, a proper treatment strategy should reduce these risk factors through new combined modality protocols and routine evaluation of cardiologic follow-up.
Cross-Sectional Determinants of Information Quality Proxies and Cost of Capital Measures

This paper examines the source of the documented empirical link between measures of “accruals quality” and a firm’s cost of capital. First, we argue that when regressions include accruals quality and operating volatility as determinants, these highly correlated measures capture different underlying constructs. Second, we find that in such regressions, the accruals quality measure displays inconsistent associations, while operating volatility variables display robust associations, with various cost of capital measures. Third, we provide research design suggestions to disentangle the effect of accruals quality from operating volatility, and we show how this method leads to less noisy coefficient estimates. These findings should be useful in designing empirical tests of the hypothesized associations involving accruals quality, operating volatility, and cost of capital.
Distinct transcription profile of genes involved in carotenoid biosynthesis among six different color carrot (Daucus carota L.) cultivars

Carotenoid, a group of lipophilic molecules, is widely distributed in nature, and is important for plant photosynthesis and photoprotection. In carrot taproot, different types of dominant carotenoid accumulation lead to yellow, orange, and red colors. In this study, six different carrot cultivars were used to simultaneously analyze carotenoid contents by high performance liquid chromatography. The expression levels of genes involved in carotenoid biosynthesis of carrot were also detected by real-time quantitative PCR. It was found that genes involved in xanthophyll formation were expressed at high levels in yellow carrot cultivars. However, these genes were expressed at low levels in orange carrot cultivars. The contents of α- and β-carotene accounted for a large proportion in total carotenoid contents in orange carrot cultivars. These results indicate that α-carotene accumulation and xanthophyll formation may be related to the expression levels of carotene hydroxylase genes in carrot.
Pretreatment with the ALDH2 agonist Alda-1 reduces intestinal injury induced by ischaemia and reperfusion in mice

Many studies demonstrate that activation of aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) protects against oxidative stress via detoxification of cytotoxic aldehydes, and could attenuate cardiac, cerebral, lung and renal ischaemia–reperfusion (I/R) injuries. However, the effect of ALDH2 in intestinal I/R is unknown. The present study was set up to determine whether an ALDH2 agonist, Alda-1, could alleviate intestinal injury after gut I/R. In a mouse model of intestinal I/R injury, histological grading, proinflammatory cytokines, oxidative stress, cellular apoptosis, chemokine contents, ALDH2 activity, 4-hydroxy-trans-2-nonenal (4-HNE) and malondialdehyde (MDA) were evaluated. The results indicated that I/R treatment conferred elevation in pathological scores, proinflammatory cytokines, oxidative stress, cellular apoptosis and chemokine levels, accompanied by accumulated 4-HNE and MDA. No significant changes in ALDH2 activity were observed after I/R. However, Alda-1 pretreatment significantly decreased these injurious indicators, concomitant with up-regulated ALDH2 activity, and lessened 4-HNE and MDA accumulation. Taken together, our results implicate activation of ALDH2 by Alda-1 in the significant abatement intestinal I/R injury.
Are liquidity costs higher in options markets or in futures markets?

This study compares liquidity costs in options and futures markets. Considerable research has estimated liquidity costs of futures trading, but there is little comparable research about futures options markets. The study uses transaction prices for stock futures and options contracts traded at the National Stock Exchange (NSE) of India. Six different measures are used to estimate liquidity costs of futures contracts. The same measures are also used to estimate liquidity costs of options. Liquidity costs in the options markets are considerably higher than in the futures. Option liquidity costs are shown to increase with the price of the option and decrease with volume.
Use of a Recombinant Burkholderia Intracellular Motility A Protein for Immunodiagnosis of Glanders

ABSTRACT Glanders, caused by the Gram-negative, nonmotile bacterium Burkholderia mallei, is a contagious and highly fatal disease of equines. During the last decade, the number of glanders outbreaks has increased steadily. The disease also has high zoonotic significance and B. mallei is listed biological warfare agent. The complement fixation test (CFT) is a routinely used and internationally recognized test to screen equine sera for the glanders. However, discrepant results have been observed using the CFT. The low sensitivity and specificity of the CFT and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) have been linked to the use of crude test antigens. We expressed a novel recombinant Burkholderia intracellular motility A (rBimA) protein in Escherichia coli for the diagnosis of equine glanders. Purified rBimA was used in an indirect ELISA format. All of the 21 true-positive serum samples used in the study tested positive, whereas only 17 of the 1,524 potentially negative sera tested positive by indirect ELISA, thus exhibiting 100% sensitivity and 98.88% specificity. Also, rBimA protein did not react with melioidosis patient and normal healthy human serum samples, showing its high specificity. The developed assay can be used as a simple and rapid tool for diagnosis of glanders in equine serum samples. An Indian patent (1328/DEL/2010) has been filed for the reagent.
Technical Analysis: The Complete Resource for Financial Market Technicians

Now, there's a comprehensive, objective, and reliable tutorial and reference for the entire field of technical analysis. For traders, researchers, and serious investors alike, this is the definitive book on technical analysis. Individual investors and professional investment managers are increasingly recognizing the value of technical analysis in identifying trading opportunities. Moreover, the SECs requirement for analysts and brokers to pass Section 86 exams can now be fulfilled with the Chartered Market Technician (CMT) certification.Author Charles D. Kirkpatrick II has spent decades using technical analysis to advise major investing institutions -- and he currently teaches the subject to MBA candidates, giving him unique insight into the best ways of explaining its complex concepts. Together with university finance instructor and CMT Dr. Julie Dahlquist, Kirkpatrick systematically explains the theory of technical analysis, presenting academic evidence both for and against it. Using 200+ illustrations, the authors explain the analysis of markets and individual issues, and present a complete investment system and portfolio management plan. Readers will learn how to use tested sentiment, momentum indicators, seasonal affects, flow of funds, and many other techniques. The authors reveal which chart patterns and indicators have been reliable; show how to test systems; and demonstrate how technical analysis can be used to mitigate risk.
Geographical Indication Protection and Rural Livelihoods: Insights from India and Thailand

type="main"> The paper synthesises the results from empirical case studies undertaken in India and Thailand on the welfare impacts of geographical indications (GIs). The findings indicate a positive effect from GI protection on the well-being of farm households and rural poverty. GI protection also preserves the traditional knowledge embedded in a GI good as well as the traditional heritage of the locality that produces the good. The findings support the call for stronger intellectual property rights protection.
Beyond Commodities: The Growth Challenge of Latin America and the Caribbean

The Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region has seen a decade of remarkable growth and income convergence. Growth has been a key driver for reducing poverty and boosting shared prosperity. It has been debated how much of this decade of growth has been driven by policy reforms and how much was due to the favorable external conditions. While external factors were supportive and relevant, the effect of domestic policies was just as relevant for explaining LAC's recent growth performance. The emphasis of domestic policy has shifted from stabilization policies to structural policies. In addition, a benchmarking exercise reveals which policy gaps will lead to the highest potential growth-payoffs for each country and helps identify potential trade-offs. The authors analyze growth in LAC using descriptive statistics and growth econometrics. The authors use these results for explaining the pattern of growth in LAC over the last decade, for looking ahead, and to identify potential policy gaps.
Peri‐implantation lethality in mice lacking the PGC‐1‐related coactivator protein

Background: Members of the PPARγ coactivator‐1 (PGC‐1) family are central transcriptional coactivators that regulate cell metabolic processes ranging from mitochondrial biogenesis to oxidative respiration. PGC‐1‐related coactivator (PPRC1 or PRC), initially identified as a member of the PGC‐1 family, is believed to regulate mitochondria biogenesis, respiration pathways, and cell proliferation. However, its physiological role is not clearly understood. Here, we investigate the biological functions of PPRC1 in vivo using PPRC1 deficient mice generated by gene targeting. Results: Homozygous deficient PPRC1 mice failed to form egg cylinders and died after implantation but before embryonic day 6.5, whereas mice heterozygous for PPRC1 were viable, fertile and indistinguishable from their wild‐type littermates. Furthermore, PPRC1 mRNA was expressed at the embryonic stage before implantation and was rapidly up‐regulated during the first day of embryoid body formation. The PPRC1 mRNA was then subsequently down‐regulated, although its precise function at this stage of development was unclear. Conclusions: This is the first study to suggest a nonredundant role for PPRC1 in mouse early embryonic development. Developmental Dynamics 241:975–983, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
An analysis of the values and principles guiding the further education and training curriculum policy.

The education reform of the South African democratically elected government ushered in the further education and training (FET) curriculum policy guided by strategic principles and values. This study identified and analysed the principles and values guiding the FET curriculum policy in relation to the factors leading to their selection and the effect of such choices on the FET curriculum design. A tri-dimensional method of Critical Discourse Analysis as developed by Fairclough (1995) was employed and supplemented with a method of curriculum analysis as developed by Jansen and Reddy (1994) for the analysis of the principles and values. Investigation into the National Curriculum Statement for FET (General) (2003) revealed that the principles and values fall into two categories: Economic based and social-related principles, both aiming to achieve social transformation. This dissertation positions education and training curriculum design within an emancipatory praxis approach as developed by Grundy (1987), and argued that since the gain in learning principles and values is that which leads to the development and refinement of the individual, the social-related principles and values should be taught holistically as a subject. I contend that the ‘discrete’ integration and application of socialrelated principles and values in subject statements will not provide an effective way of assessing the competences of such learning. This is because ‘discrete’ means subtle and subtle is elusive – ungraspable. I therefore argue that if the leaders of tomorrow who are the learners of today are expected to project and defend the principles values that the South African society is built on, it is imperative that these learners learn them holistically. Finally, an individual is assessed by what he /she thinks says, and does and the hands are one of the vehicles that carries out the command of the head, if the hands fail to respond to the ‘will’ of the head, that ‘will’ becomes of no effect. In the light of this argument, I contend that practical work without cognitive knowledge is no knowledge just as cognitive knowledge without practical application is absolutely no knowledge.
The Pricing of Italian Equity Returns

type="main" xml:lang="en"> In this paper, we investigate the relationship between common risk factors and average returns for Italian stocks. Our research has identified the Italian stock market's economic variables by using the results from factor analyses and time series regressions. We study several multi-factor models combining the relevant macroeconomic variables with the mimicking equity portfolios SMB (small minus big) and HML (high minus low) proposed by Fama and French (1993). The key question we want to ask ourselves, is whether the influential role of the size and book-to-market equity factors in explaining average stock returns can stand up well when competing with some macroeconomic factors. In other words, do stock returns carry some risk premium that is independent of either the market return or the economic forces that underlie the common variation in returns? Our empirical work estimates risk premiums using both traditional two-pass procedures and one-pass (full information) methodologies. We show that only the market index and variables linked to interest rate shifts are consistently priced in the Italian stock returns. The role of other factors, and in particular both the size and the price-to book ratio, are crucially dependent on the estimation procedure. (J.E.L.: G11, G12).