Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Metallothionein alleviates glutathione depletion-induced oxidative cardiomyopathy in murine hearts

Objective:Antioxidant therapy has shown some promise in critical care medicine in which glutathione depletion and heart failure are often seen in critically ill patients. This study was designed to examine the impact of glutathione depletion and the free radical scavenger, metallothionein (MT), on cardiac function. Design:Friend virus B and MT transgenic mice were given the glutathione synthase inhibitor buthionine sulfoximine (buthionine sulfoximine [BSO], 30 mmol/L) in drinking water for 2 wks. Measurements:Echocardiographic and cardiomyocyte functions were evaluated, including myocardial geometry, fraction shortening, peak shortening, time-to-90% relengthening (TR90), maximal velocity of shortening/relengthening (±dL/dt), intracellular Ca2+ rise, sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ release, and intracellular Ca2+ decay rate. Sacro (endo)plasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase function was evaluated by 45Ca uptake. Highly reactive oxygen species, caspase-3, and aconitase activity were detected by fluorescent probe and colorimetric assays. Main Result:BSO elicited lipid peroxidation, protein carbonyl formation, mitochondrial damage, and apoptosis. BSO also reduced wall thickness, enhanced end systolic diameter, depressed fraction shortening, peak shortening, ±dL/dt, sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ release, 45Ca uptake, and intracellular Ca2+ decay, leading to prolonged TR90. BSO-induced mitochondrial loss and myofilament aberration. MT transgene itself had little effect on myocardial mechanics and ultrastructure. However, it alleviated BSO-induced myocardial functional, morphologic, and carbonyl changes. Western blot analysis showed reduced expression of sacro (endo)plasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase2a, Bcl-2 and phosphorylated GSK-3β, enhanced calreticulin, Bax, p53, myosin heavy chain-β isozyme switch, and I&kgr;B phosphorylation in FVB-BSO mice, all of which with the exception of p53 were nullified by MT. Conclusion:Our findings suggest a pathologic role of glutathione depletion in cardiac dysfunction and the therapeutic potential of antioxidants.
A two-dimensional integrated channel model for train-ground communications

The increasing interest drawn to LTE system requires the analysis of train-ground communication channel. By the approval of the Ministry of Railways of China, extensive and practical measurements are performed on Harbin-Dalian railway with a speed up to 370 km/h. Both large-scale and small-scale fading characteristics are specified. Firstly, path loss and shadowing effect are evaluated based on the hierarchical two-hop network structure. Compared with classical models, the proposed channel model is more applicable in the special via duct scenarios. Channel characteristics, such as channel impulse response, power delay profile, K-factor, delay spread and Doppler spectrum are parameterized and reported. The in-depth analysis of these statistical channel data is from the perspectives of geographical position and relative antenna height. In particular, a new stage-wise K-factor model is investigated and developed. Combined with the cumulative distribution function of the RMS delay spread and the number of paths, they illustrate the distance-dependent and antenna height-dependent variances of the channel. Finally, the two-dimensional integrated channel models are first proposed to give a comprehensive description of broadband mobile channel in high-speed railway scenario. All these informative results promote the evaluation and verification of broadband communication system on High-Speed Railway.
Fiscal Spillovers in the Euro Area: Letting the Data Speak

We estimate a panel VAR model that captures cross-country, dynamic interlinkages for 10 euro area countries using quarterly data for the period 1999-2016. Our analysis suggests that fiscal spillovers are significant and tend to be larger for countries with close trade and financial links as well, as for fiscal shocks originating from larger countries. The current account appears to be the main channel of transmission, although strong trade integration among countries in the euro area and spillback effects tend to zero-out the net trade impact in some cases. A subsample analysis shows that the effects of fiscal policy have changed over time, with larger estimated domestic multipliers and spillovers between 2011 and 2014.
The three‐dimensional shape of serrations at barn owl wings: towards a typical natural serration as a role model for biomimetic applications

Barn owl feathers at the leading edge of the wing are equipped with comb‐like structures termed serrations on their outer vanes. Each serration is formed by one barb ending that separates and bends upwards. This structure is considered to play a role in air‐flow control and noise reduction during flight. Hence, it has considerable potential for engineering applications, particularly in the aviation industry. Several publications have reported possible functions of serrations at artificial airfoils. However, only crude approximations of natural serrations have so far been investigated. We refer to these attempts as zero‐order approximations of serrations. It was the goal of this study to present a quantitative three‐dimensional characterization of natural serrations as first‐order approximations (mean values) and second‐order approximations (listed differences depending on the position of the serration along the leading edge). Confocal laser scanning microscopy was used for a three‐dimensional reconstruction and investigation with high spatial resolution. Each serration was defined by its length, profile geometry and curvature. Furthermore, the orientation of the serrations at the leading edge was characterized by the inclination angle, the tilt angle and the separation distance of neighboring serrations. These data are discussed with respect to possible applications of serration‐like structures for noise suppression and air‐flow control.
Systemic GLIPR1‐ΔTM protein as a novel therapeutic approach for prostate cancer

GLIPR1 is a p53 target gene known to be downregulated in prostate cancer, and increased endogenous GLIPR1 expression has been associated with increased production of reactive oxygen species, increased apoptosis, decreased c‐Myc protein levels and increased cell cycle arrest. Recently, we found that upregulation of GLIPR1 in prostate cancer cells increases mitotic catastrophe through interaction with heat shock cognate protein 70 (Hsc70) and downregulation of Aurora kinase A and TPX2. In this study, we evaluated the mechanisms of recombinant GLIPR1 protein (glioma pathogenesis‐related protein 1‐transmembrane domain deleted [GLIPR1‐ΔTM]) uptake by prostate cancer cells and the efficacy of systemic GLIPR1‐ΔTM administration in a prostate cancer xenograft mouse model. GLIPR1‐ΔTM was selectively internalized by prostate cancer cells, leading to increased apoptosis through reactive oxygen species production and to decreased c‐Myc protein levels. Interestingly, GLIPR1‐ΔTM was internalized through clathrin‐mediated endocytosis in association with Hsc70. Systemic administration of GLIPR1‐ΔTM significantly inhibited VCaP xenograft growth. GLIPR1‐ΔTM showed no evidence of toxicity following elimination from mouse models 8 hr after injection. Our results demonstrate that GLIPR1‐ΔTM is selectively endocytosed by prostate cancer cells, leading to increased reactive oxygen species production and apoptosis, and that systemic GLIPR1‐ΔTM significantly inhibits growth of VCaP xenografts without substantial toxicity.
Essays in Applied Economics

Chapter 1 Does the party of government influence the amount and type of inward foreign investment? The results of a number of correlational studies provide inconsistent evidence. However none of these studies for any level of government or any jurisdiction have used methods that allow them to speak to causal effects. Regression discontinuity (RD) method is applied to a set of narrow-margin US gubernatorial elections. Over the course of a four-year term the election of a Republican governor causes a 21% boost in the growth of manufacturing-oriented FDI stock, compared to a Democrat. This effect is robust to a series of challenges. However, the same approach provides no evidence that partisanship matters for the overall level of FDI. Chapter 2 Does an economic shock open a window of opportunity for reform, and if it does, how does the institution of a state play a role? The paper investigates how economic shocks affect the structural reforms in various institutions. This paper addresses this issue by using the exogenous variation in the international price of large commodity goods to generate the exogenous change in national income. The analysis relies on a unique mapping between new annual data from 1962 to 2005
Medication reconciliation at an academic medical center: implementation of a comprehensive program from admission to discharge.

PURPOSE The implementation of a comprehensive medication reconciliation program to reduce errors in admission and discharge medication orders at an academic medical center is described. SUMMARY A multidisciplinary team was formed to assess the current process of obtaining medication histories and to develop a new workflow for the pharmacist to obtain and reconcile medication histories. Pharmacists received intensive training on the new workflow, policies, and procedures. Hospitalwide multidisciplinary education was provided, and the new process was introduced in November 2005. Every inpatient admitted to the hospital has a complete and comprehensive home medication history interview conducted by a pharmacist or designee (pharmacy student or intern with subsequent verification by a pharmacist) within 24 hours of arrival. All components of the medication history are documented utilizing an integrated electronic medical record (EMR) medication documentation tool. Development of the discharge medication reconciliation program began in fall 2006. A discharge medication reconciliation report form was created through the EMR to improve the accuracy of the discharge medication orders. The form provides physicians with complete, accurate medication information and decreases the risk for transcription errors. Finally, a discharge medication report was developed for patients to take home. Analysis of the discharge reconciliation process revealed that medication errors were reduced from 90% to 47% on the surgical unit (95% confidence interval [CI], 42-53%; p = 0.000) and from 57% to 33% on the medicine unit (95% CI, 28-38%; p = 0.000). CONCLUSION A pharmacy-driven multidisciplinary admission history and medication reconciliation process has reduced medication errors in an academic medical center.
Attachment of coxsackievirus B3 variants to various cell lines: mapping of phenotypic differences to capsid protein VP1.

The coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) strain Nancy P establishes a persistent carrier-state infection without visible cytopathic effect in primary human fibroblasts (HuFi H), whereas the derivative variant PD induces a complete lysis of the cell monolayer. To define the molecular basis of this exceptional growth property, the complete genomes of both viruses were sequenced and compared to all published sequences of CVB3. As a result, six unique amino acid substitutions in the VP1 capsid protein were observed. Via hybrid virus construction, the lytic phenotype was transferred to a nonlytic cDNA-generated CVB3. Mapping experiments indicate that the presence of amino acid residues K78, A80, A91, and I92 in VP1 is sufficient to induce "lytic" infections in HuFi H cells. Binding assays demonstrate that CVB3 Nancy P preferentially binds to the human coxsackievirus-adenovirus receptor (CAR), while PD exhibits a very weak interaction with CAR but strong binding to the decay accelerating factor (DAF). These results suggest that the mutated amino acid residues in VP1 are involved in receptor recognition/binding. Moreover, the lytic replication of CVB3 PD and the hybrid virus in various nonpermissive rodent cell lines indicates that cell surface molecules other than CAR and DAF may be involved in attachment of this variant to cell surfaces.
How We Learn from Short-Term Mission Experiences: A Grounded Theory Modification of the Joplin Model

Numerous models exist that help us understand how experiential education “works,” yet their foundations vary and often do not connect well to actual learning processes. Models should prove most helpful, reflecting research-based historical practices of how people learn through experience. This paper presents grounded theory research that develops and proposes a modification of the Joplin model that provides a more accurate model of how North American adolescents learned from their experiences while on a short-term mission trip.
Hic-5 mediates the initiation of endothelial sprouting by regulating a key surface metalloproteinase

ABSTRACT During angiogenesis, endothelial cells must coordinate matrix proteolysis with migration. Here, we tested whether the focal adhesion scaffold protein Hic-5 (also known as TGFB1I1) regulated endothelial sprouting in three dimensions. Hic-5 silencing reduced endothelial sprouting and lumen formation, and sprouting defects were rescued by the return of Hic-5 expression. Pro-angiogenic factors enhanced colocalization and complex formation between membrane type-1 matrix metalloproteinase (MT1-MMP, also known as MMP14) and Hic-5, but not between paxillin and MT1-MMP. The LIM2 and LIM3 domains of Hic-5 were necessary and sufficient for Hic-5 to form a complex with MT1-MMP. The degree of interaction between MT1-MMP and Hic-5 and the localization of the complex within detergent-resistant membrane fractions were enhanced during endothelial sprouting, and Hic-5 depletion lowered the surface levels of MT1-MMP. In addition, we observed that loss of Hic-5 partially reduced complex formation between MT1-MMP and focal adhesion kinase (FAK, also known as PTK2), suggesting that Hic-5 bridges MT1-MMP and FAK. Finally, Hic-5 LIM2–LIM3 deletion mutants reduced sprout initiation. Hic-5, MT1-MMP and FAK colocalized in angiogenic vessels during porcine pregnancy, supporting that this complex assembles during angiogenesis in vivo. Collectively, Hic-5 appears to enhance complex formation between MT1-MMP and FAK in activated endothelial cells, which likely coordinates matrix proteolysis and cell motility. Summary: Hic-5 coordinates matrix proteolysis and migration events by enhancing complex formation between MT1-MMP and FAK to initiate sprouting responses in activated endothelial cells.
Combining wavelet analysis and CUSUM algorithm for network anomaly detection

In the last years CUSUM based algorithms have emerged as a good basis to develop efficient systems able to detect anomalies and attacks in the network traffic. Nevertheless, such techniques are still far from providing an ideal solution to the problem, mainly because of the huge number of false alarms that characterizes such approaches. For this reason in this paper we propose a novel detection method based on the combined use of the CUSUM algorithm and the wavelet analysis. The introduction of the wavelet analysis, as shown by the obtained results, allows us to strongly reduce the false alarm rate of the “classical” methods, still retaining excellent performance in the detection of network anomalies.
Phytoremediation of Oilfield Sludge After Prepared Bed Bioremediation Treatment

A field-scale experiment was carried out to compare the effectiveness of five plant species in the remediation of oily sludge. Alfalfa, tall fescue, and soybean substantially increased the removal rate of oil and grease (O&G) after 120 days of remediation. Of these, soybean treatment showed the highest removal rate of 34.2% compared with only 13.7% in the unplanted control plot. In addition to assisting with phytoremediation, soybean can also be used for energy production, for example in the production of biodiesel. Furthermore, microbial counts and community level physiological profiling using Biolog sole carbon source utilization tests were used to investigate the effect of plants on the microbial community of oily sludge. Plants selectively increased microbial counts in the rhizosphere and O&G concentrations of the sludge were negatively correlated with counts of TPH (total petroleum hydrocarbon) degraders. The acute biotoxicity of the sludge was also tested by the bacterial luminescence method and alfalfa treatments decreased the biological toxicity of the sludge compared with the unplanted control.
Efficient expansion of mesenchymal stem cells from mouse bone marrow under hypoxic conditions

To realize the therapeutic potential of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), a large number of high‐quality MSCs isolated from different species, such as mouse, were acquired for preclinical animal studies. Surprisingly, isolation and purification of mouse MSCs (mMSCs) is arduous because of the low frequency of MSCs and contamination of haematopoietic cells in culture. We have developed a method based on low density and hypoxic culture to isolate and expand mMSCs from different strains, including BALB/c, C57BL/6J, FVB/N and DBA/2. The cells from all of the strains expanded more rapidly when plated at low density in hypoxic culture compared with normoxic culture. These cells expressed CD44, CD105, CD29 and Sca‐1 markers but not CD11b, CD34, CD45 and CD31 markers. Moreover, they were able to differentiate along osteoblastic, adipocytic and chondrocytic lineages. In conclusion, we have developed a robust method for isolation and expansion of mMSCs by combining low‐density culture with hypoxic culture. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Developing the Marketing Experience to Increase Shopping Time: The Moderating Effect of Visit Frequency

In the retail sector, the creation of shopping experiences becomes increasingly important to obtain a competitive advantage, and to meet consumers’ needs and desires. Knowing how to design and apply these experiences can stimulate consumer engagement and their intention to spend more time at the retailer. Under this premise, the objective of this research is to analyze the relationship between different shopping experience dimensions, consumers’ engagement, and their willingness to spend more time at the retailer. Using survey methodology on a sample of 527 consumers, the results show that shopping experiences stimulate the consumers’ engagement and their predisposition to spending more time at the store. In addition, a moderating effect of visit frequency to the retailer is observed, such that the higher this is, the more intense the relationship between experience dimensions and consumer engagement will be.
Dietary fat and meat intake in relation to risk of type 2 diabetes in men.

OBJECTIVE To examine dietary fat and meat intake in relation to risk of type 2 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We prospectively followed 42,504 male participants of the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study who were aged 40-75 years and free of diagnosed diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer in 1986. Diet was assessed by a validated food frequency questionnaire and updated in 1990 and 1994. During 12 years of follow-up, we ascertained 1,321 incident cases of type 2 diabetes. RESULTS Intakes of total fat (multivariate RR for extreme quintiles 1.27, CI 1.04-1.55, P for trend=0.02) and saturated fat (1.34, 1.09-1.66, P for trend=0.01) were associated with a higher risk of type 2 diabetes. However, these associations disappeared after additional adjustment for BMI (total fat RR 0.97, CI 0.79-1.18; saturated fat 0.97, 0.79-1.20). Intakes of oleic acid, trans-fat, long-chain n-3 fat, and alpha-linolenic acid were not associated with diabetes risk after multivariate adjustment. Linoleic acid was associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes in men <65 years of age (RR 0.74, CI 0.60-0.92, P for trend=0.01) and in men with a BMI <25 kg/m(2) (0.53, 0.33-0.85, P for trend=0.006) but not in older and obese men. Frequent consumption of processed meat was associated with a higher risk for type 2 diabetes (RR 1.46, CI 1.14-1.86 for > or = 5/week vs. <1/month, P for trend <0.0001). CONCLUSIONS Total and saturated fat intake were associated with a higher risk of type 2 diabetes, but these associations were not independent of BMI. Frequent consumption of processed meats may increase risk of type 2 diabetes.
[Matrix protein of Newcastle disease virus interacts with avian nucleophosmin B23. 1 in HEK-293T cells].

UNLABELLED OBJECIVE: To identify the interaction between Newcastle disease virus (NDV) matrix (M) protein and avian nucleophosmin B23. 1 in HEK-293T cells. METHODS Specific primers used to amplify M gene and B23. 1 gene were designed and synthesized according to JS/5/05/Go whole gene sequence (JN631747) and avian nucleophosmin B23. 1 gene sequence (NM_205267). Viral RNA and cellular RNA were extracted from allantoic fluid of NDV JS/5/05/Go strain and DF1 cells with TRIzol reagent, respectively. The M gene and B23. 1 gene were amplified by RT-PCR and then subcloned into eukaryotic expression vectors to generate the recombinant plasmids pEGFP-M, pCMV-HA-M and pDsRed-B23. 1. To investigate the localization features of M protein and B23. 1 protein, we transfected the plasmids pEGFP-M and pDsRed-B23. 1 simultaneously into HEK-293T cells and observed the results by fluorescence microscopy. We further confirmed the interaction between the two proteins by co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP) assays. RESULTS The fusion proteins were successfully expressed in transfected HEK-293T cells by Western blot analysis. The NDV M protein and avian nucleophosmin B23. 1 showed co-localization features in the nucleolus in co-transfected HEK-293T cells. Furthermore, the binding of M with B23. 1 was demonstrated by Co-IP assays. CONCLUSION These results suggested that NDV M protein interacted with avian nucleophosmin B23. 1 and the nucleolar localization of M might be regulated via interaction with B23. 1.
Introduction of Physics Simulation in Augmented Reality

In 3D computer graphics, it has been an important issue to describe a virtual object realistically and show it in a physically correct manner. Unlike the virtual reality(VR), the augmented reality (AR) is an environment containing virtual and real objects simultaneously. However, the difference in motion between the virtual and real objects is obvious, which makes it hard for AR to be realistic and attractive. To reduce this gap, we propose to apply physical attributes to each virtual object, which can be done by using a physics engine, a software library containing functions related with physics. For this purpose, an ODE (open dynamics engine) library is used. However, the direct use of the library in the AR environment poses a lot of problems. Most of all, the coordination of the coordinate systems between OSG (OpenSceneGraph) and ODE must be taken care of. Next the positions of markers are also needed to be considered. In this paper, such problems are addressed and solutions to them are discussed.