Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Augmented synthesis and differential localization of heparan sulfate proteoglycans in Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Muscular dystrophies are characterized by continuous cycles of degeneration and regeneration that result in extensive fibrosis and a progressive diminution of muscle mass. Cell surface heparan sulfate proteoglycans are found almost ubiquitously on the surface and in the extracellular matrix (ECM) of mammalian cells. These macromolecules interact with a great variety of ligands, including ECM constituents, adhesion molecules, and growth factors. In this study, we evaluated the expression and localization of three heparan sulfate proteoglycans in the biopsies of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) patients. Through SDS–PAGE analyses followed by specific identification of heparitinase‐digested proteins with an anti‐Δ‐heparan sulfate specific monoclonal antibodies, we observed an increase of three forms of heparan sulfate proteoglycans, corresponding to perlecan, syndecan‐3, and glypican‐1. Immunohistochemistry analyses indicated a differential localization for these proteoglycans: glypican‐1 and perlecan were found mainly associated to ECM structures, while syndecan‐3 was associated to muscle fibers. These results suggest that the amount of specific heparan sulfate proteoglycans is augmented in skeletal muscle in DMD patients presenting a differential localization. J. Cell. Biochem. 85: 703–713, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Quality of Life in Patients with Multivessel Coronary Artery Disease: Ten-year Follow-up of a Comparison of Surgical, Angioplasty or MedicalStrategies - MASS II Trial

Aims: We assessed quality of life (QoL) in patients with symptomatic multivessel coronary disease who randomly underwent surgery, angioplasty, or medical treatment. Although the clinical benefits of coronary interventions seem to be confirmed, their effects on QoL are still scarcely studied. Methods and Results: The Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) questionnaire was applied in patients at baseline, 6 months, and annually until the end of the study. At five years of follow-up, SF-36 had been completed by 483 patients and at 10 years by 334 patients. Of these, 110 underwent surgical revascularization, 126 underwent angioplasty, and 98 were medically treated. All three therapeutic strategies resulted in significant improvement in all dimensions (P<0.001). The improvement reached similar levels in the three treatment groups. However, this increase did not reveal differences between the physical and mental components between the three therapeutic groups. Medical Treatment: In this group, the mental component improved in 83.7% of patients, whereas in relation to the physical component there was an improvement in 84.7% of them. Surgery: Regarding the mental component, there was an improvement in 85.4% of patients, whereas in relation to the physical component there was an improvement in 92.7% of them. Angioplasty: In this group, the mental component improved in 77.8% of patients, whereas in relation to the physical component there was an improvement in 73.0% of them. Conclusion: Improvement was observed in all domains and in the three therapeutic modalities. Regarding the beginning of the study and compared with medical therapy or angioplasty, surgery provided better quality of life after 5 years of follow-up and that remained in up to ten years of follow-up.
Housing Tenure Preferences in the Post-privatisation Period: The Case of Slovenia

The privatisation of social housing transformed many transitional countries in Central and Eastern Europe into societies with predominant homeownership and a marginalised rental sector. The case of Slovenia shows that, despite a low level of government support of homeowners, the homeownership rate has remained at its unsustainably high level and households continue to express strong preferences for homeownership. The paper explores factors explaining current homeownership preferences in Slovenia. A comprehensive model of housing preferences is built. The model follows the proposition that tenure preferences are strongly influenced by general cultural norms and factors characterising the social, economic and political environments. The model is tested using structural equation modelling based on a survey of Slovenian households. The results reveal that the strong preferences for homeownership in Slovenia can be explained by the firm perceptions of the financial advantages of homeownership and by the lack of available rental alternatives.
A mark of distinction: Branding and trade mark law in the UK from the 1860s

The development of branding is a neglected theme in business history. This article examines the emergence on a large scale of the unique product brand name – distinct from a company name or product descriptor – in the UK in the later nineteenth century. It looks at the interaction of branding strategies and UK trade mark law, which is shown to have accorded property rights in word-based marks only gradually and shaped the development of branding in the UK. Trademark application data from the 1870s to the 1920s is cited to illustrate the widespread take-up of the brand name in the UK from the 1880s, and to consider its use by different types of consumer goods firms. The article then analyses the effects of such branding into the twentieth century, including its contribution to competitive advantage, the introduction of brand architecture, and the problem of brand genericisation. It is argued that the adoption of the brand name marked a major shift in brands, from descriptions of origin to objects of artifice.
Extraction of Neural Control Commands using Myoelectric Pattern Recognition: a Novel Application in adults with cerebral Palsy

This study investigates an electromyogram (EMG)-based neural interface toward hand rehabilitation for patients with cerebral palsy (CP). Forty-eight channels of surface EMG signals were recorded from the forearm of eight adult subjects with CP, while they tried to perform six different hand grasp patterns. A series of myoelectric pattern recognition analyses were performed to identify the movement intention of each subject with different EMG feature sets and classifiers. Our results indicate that across all subjects high accuracies (average overall classification accuracy > 98%) can be achieved in classification of six different hand movements, suggesting that there is substantial motor control information contained in paretic muscles of the CP subjects. Furthermore, with a feature selection analysis, it was found that a small number of ranked EMG features can maintain high classification accuracies comparable to those obtained using all the EMG features (average overall classification accuracy > 96% with 16 selected EMG features). The findings of the study suggest that myoelectric pattern recognition may be a useful control strategy for promoting hand rehabilitation in CP patients.
A unique and specific interaction between αT-catenin and plakophilin-2 in the area composita, the mixed-type junctional structure of cardiac intercalated discs

Alpha-catenins play key functional roles in cadherin-catenin cell-cell adhesion complexes. We previously reported on αT-catenin, a novel member of the α-catenin protein family. αT-catenin is expressed predominantly in cardiomyocytes, where it colocalizes with αE-catenin at the intercalated discs. Whether αT- and αE-catenin have specific or synergistic functions remains unknown. In this study we used the yeast two-hybrid approach to identify specific functions of αT-catenin. An interaction between αT-catenin and plakophilins was observed and subsequently confirmed by co-immunoprecipitation and colocalization. Interaction with the amino-terminal part of plakophilins appeared to be specific for the central `adhesion-modulation' domain of αT-catenin. In addition, we showed, by immuno-electron microscopy, that desmosomal proteins in the heart localize not only to the desmosomes in the intercalated discs but also at adhering junctions with hybrid composition. We found that in the latter junctions, endogenous plakophilin-2 colocalizes with αT-catenin. By providing an extra link between the cadherin-catenin complex and intermediate filaments, the binding of αT-catenin to plakophilin-2 is proposed to be a means of modulating and strengthening cell-cell adhesion between cardiac muscle cells. This could explain the devastating effect of plakophilin-2 mutations on cell junction stability in intercalated discs, which lead to cardiac muscle malfunction.
Quantitative Clinicopathologic Study of Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy

A rapid screening method is described for detecting amyloid angiopathy (AA) in the meningeal vessels with the use of thioflavin‐S and fluorescence microscopy. AA was found most frequently in the brains of patients in whom senile degeneration of the Alzheimer type was complicated by severe arteriosclerosis, vascular hyalinosis and multiple infarcts (73 percent). In 69 randomly drawn mental hospital patients over the age of 55, the degree of AA was significantly correlated with the degree of organic symptomatology (r = .417, p < .001). Multiple regression analysis, however, revealed that AA as a predictor of clinical symptoms was highly dependent upon another predictor, i.e., the quantity of senile plaques in the brain. In contrast, a highly significant and independent correlation was found between the clinical symptoms and AA in a control sample of 21 patients who had mental illnesses other than senile dementia (r = .683, p < .001). In these patients the plaque count was very low and arteriosclerosis was prevalent. Among the clinical symptoms, Affect Lability was consistently most highly correlated with AA, whereas Disorientation was most highly correlated with the quantity of plaques.
Stabilization of Unmanned Air Vehicles over Wireless Communication Channels

This paper addresses the stabilization problem for unmanned air vehicles over digital and wireless communication channels with time delay. In particular, the case with band-limited channels is considered. An observer-based state feedback control policy is employed to stabilize the linear control system of unmanned air vehicles. A sufficient condition on the minimum data rate for mean square stabilization is derived, and a new quantization, coding, and control policy is presented. Simulation results show the validity of the proposed scheme.
The Collaborative Healthcare Team: Tensive Issues Warranting Ongoing Consideration

Purpose To provide a qualitative assessment of those tensive issues that warrant ongoing consideration by physicians (MDs) and advanced practice nurses (APNs) currently working in professional pairings on an interdisciplinary healthcare team. Data sources Verbatim transcripts of semistructured interviews from five MDs and eight APNs. Questions related to what MDs and APNs should expect from others in the practice; what characteristics were valued in the colleagues with whom they were paired; and what improvements might enhance their association. Conclusions Tensive issues were identified in five categories including autonomy and interdependence, professional role expectations, flexible role enactment, proactive problem solving, and action learning. Implications for practice By understanding the tensive issues that could potentially influence the quality of collaboration, MDs and APNs can consider communication measures geared toward strengthening their partnerships.
Importance of Economic, Social, and Environmental Objectives of Agriculture for Stakeholders—A Meta-Analysis

This article summarizes research results on the relative importance of agricultural policy objectives for different stakeholder groups. We focus on studies that have examined citizens’, farmers’, and experts’ preferences for economic, social, and environmental dimensions of multifunctional agriculture, paying particular attention to agri-environmental objectives. Descriptive and meta-analysis are used to examine 34 studies, employing compositional data analysis. The findings show that, overall, equal importance is attached to the economic, social, and environmental objectives. However, the general public emphasizes social values, whereas experts and farmers place more weight on economic objectives, which are also more prevalent in nationwide studies. With regard to the environment, objectives pertaining to sustainable resource management are weighted higher than landscape or biodiversity goals, although increasing emphasis has been placed on biodiversity in recent years.
Efficient Asymptotic-Preserving (AP) Schemes For Some Multiscale Kinetic Equations

Many kinetic models of the Boltzmann equation have a diffusive scaling that leads to the Navier--Stokes type parabolic equations as the small scaling parameter approaches zero. In practical applications, it is desirable to develop a class of numerical schemes that can work uniformly with respect to this relaxation parameter, from the rarefied kinetic regimes to the hydrodynamic diffusive regimes. An earlier approach in [S. Jin, L. Pareschi, and G. Toscani, SIAM J. Numer. Anal. , 35 (1998), pp. 2405--2439] reformulates such systems into the common hyperbolic relaxation system by Jin and Xin for hyperbolic conservation laws used to construct the relaxation schemes and then uses a multistep time-splitting method to solve the relaxation system. Here we observe that the combination of the two time-split steps may yield hyperbolic-parabolic systems that are more advantageous, in both stability and efficiency, for numerical computations. We show that such an approach yields a class of asymptotic-preserving (AP) schemes which are suitable for the computation of multiscale kinetic problems. We use the Goldstein--Taylor and Carleman models to illustrate this approach.
A new model of knowledge and innovative capability development for small born–global bio–tech firms: evidence from the East Midlands, UK

In the last two decades, the rapid transformation in information and communication technologies together with the adoption of more liberal structures governing trade as well as the modularisation of production and services has resulted in the proliferation of small born-global bio-tech firms. The firms have an international flair and they rapidly globalise their operations. Their strategic intent is to develop unique innovative capabilities through networking. In science-based industries such as the biotechnology sector the ability to innovate can only occur if a firm is able to both generate and integrate knowledge from inside and outside its boundaries. In that respect, this article employs a multi-case approach to construct a frame of reference for developing innovative capabilities that complement firm-based competences. The main focus is on small born-global bio-tech firms in the East Midlands region of the UK. The newly developed framework is invaluable to researchers, small born-global bio-tech and large bio-pharmaceutical firms. More so, it contributes to the concepts of dynamic capabilities and networking.
Strategic positioning: an integrated decision process for manufacturers

Purpose – This paper describes research that has sought to create a formal and rational process that guides manufacturers through the strategic positioning decision. Design/methodology/approach – The methodology is based on a series of case studies to develop and test the decision process. Findings – A decision process that leads the practitioner through an analytical process to decide which manufacturing activities they should carryout themselves. Practical implications – Strategic positioning is concerned with choosing those production related activities that an organisations should carry out internally, and those that should be external and under the ownership and control of suppliers, partners, distributors and customers. Originality/value – This concept extends traditional decision paradigms, such as those associated with “make versus buy” and “outsourcing”, by looking at the interactions between manufacturing operations and the wider supply chain networks associated with the organisation.
When the State Mirrors the Family: The Design of Pension Systems

This paper studies the transmission mechanism from family culture to economic institutions, by analyzing the impact of the within family organization on the original design of the public pension systems. We build a simple OLG model with families featuring either weak or strong internal ties. When pensions systems are initially introduced, in society with strong ties they replicate the tight link between generations by providing earnings related benefits; whereas in societies with weak family ties they only act as a safety net. To test this transition mechanism, we consider Todd (1982) historical classification of family types across countries. We find that in societies dominated by absolute nuclear families (i.e., weak family ties), pension systems act as a flat safety net entailing a large within-cohort redistribution, and viceversa in societies characterized by stronger family ties where pension systems are more generous. This link between the type of families and the design of pension systems is robust to testing for alternative explanations, such as legal origin, religion, urbanization and democratization of the country at the time of their introduction. Interestingly, historical family types matter for explaining the design of the pension systems, which represents a persistent feature, but not their size, which have largely changed over time.
CFD based Dynamic Analysis of Atmospheric Re-Entry Vehicles

A Computational Fluid Dynamics analysis is undertaken to predict static- and dynamic-aerodynamic coefficients for re-entry vehicles. To determine the dynamic behavior of flying vehicles, here is presented a strategy based on the DLR CFD-TAU code with integrated flight mechanics equations in combination with a novel Chimera-Technique. The new Chimera strategy provides also a way to perform grid independent studies when using hybrid meshes. The present results demonstrate the potential of the technique as a major step to remove the classical illness of the force oscillation approach for the prediction of dynamic derivatives on re-entry vehicles.
Children's housework - Are girls more active than boys?

This paper examines boys’ and girls’ housework in a Nordic welfare state which is characterized by both high labor market participation rates for mothers and fathers and a narrow income distribution which makes it expen-sive for ordinary parents to hire paid household help. We use data from the European Community Household Panel Survey 1998 and run tobit-regressions to take the number of children reporting no housework into consid-eration. The results show that children do only a minor part of the total housework, and that boys participate less than girls. There is a positive impact of mothers’ full time work on children’s housework, while mothers having a higher education level decrease boys’ participation in housework. Finally, the time children spend on paid work is found more positively correlated with girls’ than with boys’ contributions to housework.
The Opening, Short, Medium and Long Term Performance of Canadian Unit Trust Initial Public Offerings (Ipos)

This paper investigates the initial pricing and performance of Canadian unit trust IPOs over a three- to four-year period and then draws implications for the efficiency of the Canadian market. Overall, the results confirm the following: in the short term, unit trust IPOs are underpriced and outperform the Canadian market; in the medium term, IPOs are fairly priced and neither outperform nor underperform the Canadian market; and in the long term, IPOs are fairly priced but underperform the Canadian market. In addition, our results confirm that the size of underpricing is related to ex-ante uncertainty about the value of the issue. Ex-ante uncertainty proxies, namely total risk, exchange listing, relative bid-ask spread, and relative volume of initial trade, all explain the size of underpricing. When the effects of these factors are controlled, the results confirm that Canadian unit trust IPOs are indeed overpriced in the short term but underpriced in the long term. We conclude that the Canadian unit trust IPO market appears to be inefficient in the short and long term, but over the medium, the market appears to be efficient. Copyright Blackwell Publishers Ltd, 2005.
The nature of knowledge in sport pedagogy

Charles Dickens (1854/1982) opened his classic work Hard Times with these words: "Now, what l want are, Facts. Teach these boys and girls nothing but Facts. Facts alone are wanted in lije. Plant nothing else, and root out everything else. Yo u can only form the minds of reasoning animals upon Facts: nothing else will ever be of any service to them. This is the principie on which l bring up my own children, and this is the principie on which l bring up these children. S tick to the F acts, sir! " (p. 335) Hard Times expressed Dickens' revulsion with an education system that mistook facts for knowledge. Often times, as was Mr. Gradgrind's case in Hard Times, we as scientists believe that pure methods will produce pure facts and by virtue of their purity we accord these facts high status. Where we mistake facts for knowledge is in their identity, for both are highly valued. But the reasons owing to their value differ. Facts are valued for their pristine birth, their simple, yet elegant presentation, and their obvious intellectual superiority to myth, hunch, common sense, or gut feeling. A collection of facts can also be marshalled into an impressive the-
Changes in consumption of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids in the United States during the 20th century.

BACKGROUND The consumption of omega-3 (n-3) and omega-6 (n-6) essential fatty acids in Western diets is thought to have changed markedly during the 20th century. OBJECTIVE We sought to quantify changes in the apparent consumption of essential fatty acids in the United States from 1909 to 1999. DESIGN We calculated the estimated per capita consumption of food commodities and availability of essential fatty acids from 373 food commodities by using economic disappearance data for each year from 1909 to 1999. Nutrient compositions for 1909 were modeled by using current foods (1909-C) and foods produced by traditional early 20th century practices (1909-T). RESULTS The estimated per capita consumption of soybean oil increased >1000-fold from 1909 to 1999. The availability of linoleic acid (LA) increased from 2.79% to 7.21% of energy (P < 0.000001), whereas the availability of α-linolenic acid (ALA) increased from 0.39% to 0.72% of energy by using 1909-C modeling. By using 1909-T modeling, LA was 2.23% of energy, and ALA was 0.35% of energy. The ratio of LA to ALA increased from 6.4 in 1909 to 10.0 in 1999. The 1909-T but not the 1909-C data showed substantial declines in dietary availability (percentage of energy) of n-6 arachidonic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Predicted net effects of these dietary changes included declines in tissue n--3 highly unsaturated fatty acid status (36.81%, 1909-T; 31.28%, 1909-C; 22.95%, 1999) and declines in the estimated omega-3 index (8.28, 1909-T; 6.51, 1909-C; 3.84, 1999). CONCLUSION The apparent increased consumption of LA, which was primarily from soybean oil, has likely decreased tissue concentrations of EPA and DHA during the 20th century.