Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cardioprotection by GSK-3 inhibition: role of enhanced glycogen synthesis and attenuation of calcium overload.

AIMS Glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3) is a multi-functional kinase that regulates signalling pathways affecting glycogen metabolism, protein synthesis, mitosis, and apoptosis. GSK-3 inhibition limits cardiac ischaemia-reperfusion (IR) injury, but mechanisms are not clearly defined. This study tested the hypothesis that acute GSK-3 inhibition stimulates glycogen synthesis, repartitions glucose away from glycolysis, reduces proton (H+) production from glucose metabolism, and attenuates intracellular Ca2+ (Ca2+(i)) overload. METHODS AND RESULTS In isolated perfused working rat hearts subjected to global ischaemia and reperfusion, the selective GSK-3 inhibitor, SB-216763 (SB, 3 micromol/L), when added either prior to ischaemia or at the onset of reperfusion, improved recovery of left-ventricular (LV) work. SB increased glycogen synthesis during reperfusion while glycolysis and H+ production were reduced. Rates of glucose and palmitate oxidation were improved by SB. Measurement of Ca2+(i) concentration by rapid acquisition indo-1 fluorescence imaging showed that SB, when added either prior to ischaemia or at the onset of reperfusion, reduced diastolic Ca2+(i) overload during reperfusion. In aerobic hearts depleted of glycogen by substrate-free perfusion to a level similar to that measured at the onset of reperfusion, SB accelerated glycogen synthesis and reduced glycolysis and H+ production independent of changes in LV work. CONCLUSION Our study indicates that reduction in H+ production by GSK-3 inhibition is an early and upstream event that lessens Ca2+(i) overload during ischaemia and early reperfusion independent of LV work which enhances the recovery of post-ischaemic LV function and that may ultimately contribute to previously observed reductions in cell death and infarction.
Making and Breaking Social Capital

Since the debate about the importance of social capital and civil society for the quality of democracy began, Scandinavia has caused problems. Observers have been bewildered by an allegedly paradoxical coexistence of a wealth of social capital and extensive welfare-state arrangements. Some theorize that large welfare states make engagement in voluntary associations unnecessary, making the production of social capital more difficult. However, empirical research shows Scandinavia to have comparatively high levels of social capital. To solve this paradox, the authors address how the causal mechanism between variation in the design of welfare-state institutions and social capital works. The empirical analysis, based on Swedish survey data, suggests that the specific design of welfare-state policies matters for the production of social capital. Contacts with universal welfare-state institutions tend to increase social trust, whereas experiences with needs-testing social programs undermine it. The policy implication is that governments, by designing welfare-state institutions, can invest in social capital.
CONSTRAINED OPTIMIZATION WITH RESPECT TO STOCHASTIC DOMINANCE: APPLICATION TO PORTFOLIO INSURANCE

We are concerned with a classic portfolio optimization problem where the admissible strategies must dominate a floor process on every intermediate date (American guarantee). We transform the problem into a martingale, whose aim is to dominate an obstacle, or equivalently its Snell envelope. The optimization is performed with respect to the concave stochastic ordering on the terminal value, so that we do not impose any explicit specification of the agent's utility function. A key tool is the representation of the supermartingale obstacle in terms of a running supremum process. This is illustrated within the paper by an explicit example based on the geometric Brownian motion.
The Economics of Quality

This paper develops a model of quality determination where the usual competitive equilibrium conditions hold. The explicit form of quality considered is the wait required to obtain the product. The analysis, however, is much more general, being valid for products that have a characteristic, z, such that (1) demand is a function of price and a measure defined on z, (2) costs are a function of output and the measure on z, and (3) z is a function of output and capacity. Expected profit-maximizing firms, in equilibrium, look like monopolistic competitors. Once constant quality is imposed, however, the perfect competitive results obtain.
AMP-Activated Protein Kinase Suppresses Endothelial Cell Inflammation Through Phosphorylation of Transcriptional Coactivator p300

Objective—Considerable evidence supports the early involvement of monocyte/macrophage recruitment to activated endothelial cells by leukocyte adhesion molecules during atherogenesis. AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is highly expressed in vascular endothelial cells, but its impact on monocyte adhesion and the related mechanisms are not fully understood. The present study was designed to evaluate the impact of and gain mechanistic insight into the signaling coupling AMPK function to the antiinflammatory response. Methods and Results—5-Aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide-1-&bgr;-D-ribonucleotide (AICAR) treatment or overexpression of constitutively active AMPK markedly reduced human monocytic human acute monocytic leukemia cell line-1 cell adhesion and the expression of vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 in tumor necrosis factor-&agr;–activated human aortic endothelial cells. Furthermore, AICAR or constitutively active AMPK overexpression strongly inhibited the histone acetyltransferase activity of the transcriptional coactivator p300 by phosphorylation of Ser89, which in turn decreased tumor necrosis factor-&agr;-activated p300-mediated acetylation of nuclear factor-&kgr;B p65 on Lys221 and reduced the DNA binding activity of nuclear factor-&kgr;B by inhibiting its recruitment to its target gene promoters. AMPK phosphorylates the transcriptional coactivator p300 via the atypical protein kinase C&igr;/&lgr;. Conclusion—Our findings demonstrate that transcriptional coactivator p300 phosphorylation at Ser89 by AMPK is critical for the therapeutic effect of AMPK and may be a potential target for pharmaceutical intervention in inflammatory diseases such as atherosclerosis.
Micro-Practices of Strategic Sensemaking and Sensegiving: How Middle Managers Interpret and Sell Change Every Day

This paper looks at the workings of ongoing primary sensemaking and sensegiving micro-practices by which middle managers interpret and sell strategic change at the organizational interface. Through middle managers' routines and conversations related to the implementation of a strategic change in a top-of-the-line clothing company, the article shows how they contribute to renewing links with stakeholders, in particular clientele, by drawing on their tacit knowledge. Interpretative analysis of these routines and conversations highlights four micro-practices of strategic sensemaking and sensegiving: translating the orientation, overcoding the strategy, disciplining the client, and justifying the change. The paper outlines a practice perspective of sensemaking and sensegiving. It ends by suggesting the necessity of looking at middle managers' role as interpreters and sellers of strategic change at the micro level for a better understanding of their contribution in sustaining competitive advantage through their everyday activities. Copyright Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2005.
From particle physics to photon science: Multi-dimensional and multi-level renewal at DESY and SLAC

Studies of institutional transformation in science have largely overlooked Big Science installations, despite far-reaching changes to the roles and functions of such large labs in the past decades. Here, we present and analyze two Big Science labs that have undergone profound transformations from single-purpose particle physics labs to multi-purpose centers for so-called photon science: SLAC in the USA and DESY in Germany. We provide brief historic accounts of the labs and an analysis of the processes of change on different levels and from different aspects informed by a theoretical framework of institutional change in science. Thus, we describe the relevance of the study of Big Science labs from the perspective of institutional change and in terms of science policy/management. We also prove the aptness of the framework used and pave the way for a detailed analysis of particular forces of change and their interrelatedness. Copyright The Author 2013. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com, Oxford University Press.
Economic Evaluation in an Age of Uncertainty

Enabling value judgements about policies and programmes is one of evaluation's central tasks. There is, however, little consensus on how evaluators should accomplish this task. The traditional cost–benefit approaches have been found wanting and yet valuing as promoted by checklists or qualitative stakeholder interviews is not anchored to an economic theory and thus inspires little confidence. While no single methodology is likely to be accepted by all, recent developments in economic theory support a new interpretation. This article draws on economic evaluation generally and the evaluation of development projects more specifically. The approach proposes a variant of social cost–benefit analysis (SCBA); it retains the representation of stakeholder values and avoids the more dogmatic, and even mechanical, underpinnings of traditional economic analysis. The article traces the development of this new ‘options-based’ approach and suggests a path for further research. It is argued that this approach warrants a voice in the dialogue on economic evaluation.
Genetic polymorphism of human serum ribonuclease I (RNase I).

One of the human urinary ribonucleases (RNases) was isolated and purified to homogeneity (SDS-PAGE) by means of a series of column chromatographies. The enzyme, designated RNase 1, is a glycoprotein with a molecular weight of approximately 16,000. Rabbit antibody to the purified RNase 1 reacted with human urine and sera, as well as with the purified RNase 1. The genetic polymorphism of serum RNase 1 was studied by polyacrylamide gel isoelectric focusing (IEF-PAGE) in a pH range of 5-8, followed by immunoblotting with antisera specific for RNase 1. Two common phenotypes, RNASE1 1 and RNASE1 1-2, were easily recognized. The homogeneous phenotype, RNASE1 1, consisted of four major bands with different pI values, and the heterogeneous phenotype, RNASE1 1-2, was presumed to represent a mixture of each of the homogeneous phenotypes 1 and 2; however, the other homogeneous phenotype, RNASE1 2, was not detected in our samples. Family studies are in agreement with an autosomal codominant transmission of the two alleles. Population studies indicate that the frequencies of the RNASE 1 and RNASE1 2 alleles are . 988 and . 012, respectively.
The Choice Theory Approach to Market Research

This paper surveys economic choice theory, stressing developments that permit use of data from psychometric and conjoint experiments to produce market demand forecasts. Alternatives to the widely used multinomial logit model are summarized, and a new method for estimating multinomial probits is described. An integration of choice models with attitudinal scaling and perceptual mapping, within a latent variable system, is described. Estimation of such systems under either “random effects” or “fixed effects” descriptions of heterogeneity across individuals is discussed. Issues in the use of choice models to describe responses from conjoint experiments are presented. New regression diagnostic tests for the consistency of multinomial logit representations are discussed.
The Macroeconomic Effects of Fiscal Policy: Linking an Econometric Model with Theory

In this paper, the authors outline a method, termed 'theoretical reconstruction,' which allows the system properties of any econometric macromodel to be related to a simpler theoretical model. First, elements of the econometric model which involve significant additional theoretical complexity compared to the theory model are removed. This process continues until the properties of the 'deconstructed' econometric model match those of the reference theory. Second, the econometric model is gradually reconstructed, noting at each point how each element of additional complexity influences the model properties. The technique is illustrated using fiscal policy changes and the U.K. econometric model COMPACT. Coauthors are Julia Darby, Jonathan Ireland, and Ottavio Ricchi. Copyright 1996 by Royal Economic Society.
Assuring correctness for securing outsourced data repository in cloud environment

The data storage in the cloud environment offers users with infrastructure affability, quicker deployment of applications and data, cost effective, acclimation of cloud resources to real needs, enhanced productivity, etc. Inspite of these beneficial factors, there are several disadvantages to the widespread adoption of cloud computing remain. Among them, surity towards the exactness of the outsourced data and matter of concealment takes the major part. In order to avoid a security hazard for the outsourced data, we propose the dynamic audit services that enable integrity verification of data. An Interactive Proof System (IPS) is introduced to protect the privacy of the data. The DataOwner stores the large number of data in the cloud after encrypting the data for auditing purpose. An Authorized Application (AA), manipulates the outsourced data and the AA helps the cloud users to access the services. Our system provides secure auditing while the data owner, outsourcing the data in the cloud. And after performing auditing operations, security solutions are enhanced for the purpose of detecting malicious users with the help of Certificate Authority, using the hash values and a TimeStamp.
The adoption of new technology by the farmers in Taiwan

This study addresses the technologies the farmers adopted, their reasons for adopting these technologies and the result of adopting these technologies. The design and strategy used to collect the data needed are both qualitative and quantitative. Farmers who practised traditional farming methods and those who adopted the new technologies were both given survey questionnaires and were interviewed. The result of the study shows that the technologies applied by the farmers are the use of tractors in tilling the ground, the use of machinery in planting, the practice of irrigation and the use of a combination of organic and commercial fertilizers. The reasons for the adoption of the latter are the availability of chemicals and the convenience of their use, and this is used to enhance the growth of plants. The results of the new technology adoption are high yields of produce, production of hybrid crops, and the saving of labour, thus increasing the income of the farmers.
PLURALISM IN STRUCTURING THE MANAGEMENT PROBLEM SITUATIONS

An increasing variety of methodologies, methods, techniques, and models can be considered as a methodological response to an increasing complexity, heterogeneity and turbulence of problem situations that managers must tackle in contemporary circumstances. Based on critical systems thinking, pluralism in systems thinking and practice tries to support creative dealing with the management problem situations from multiple perspectives of the key stakeholders and to facilitate the use of different methodologies in combination. In structuring the management problem situations in organizations, pluralism: a) must encourage flexibility in the use of the widest variety of methods, techniques, and models in any intervention; b) should encourage the combined use of different methodologies based upon alternative paradigms in the same intervention; c) must accept and manage a degree of paradigm incompatibility.
Attributable Costs and Length of Stay of an Extended-Spectrum Beta-Lactamase-Producing Klebsiella pneumoniae Outbreak in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

Abstract Objectives: To determine the costs of the interventions aimed at controlling the 4-month outbreak and to determine the attributable length of stay (LOS) associated with infection and colonization with extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae. Design: A retrospective cost analysis was conducted from the hospital perspective. A micro-costing approach was employed. The LOS of four groups of hospitalized patients were compared with each other. National Perinatal Information Center criteria were used to stratify infants for severity of risk. The LOS of each group was compared with that of a national sample of similarly stratified infants. Setting: A level III-IV, 45-bed neonatal intensive care unit. Patients: Infant groups were infected (n = 8), colonized (n = 14), concurrent cohort (n = 54), and prior cohort (n = 486). Results: The cost of the outbreak totaled $341,751. The largest proportion of costs was related to healthcare worker time providing direct patient care (2,489 hours at a cost of $146,331). Infected and colonized neonates had longer LOS than either the concurrent cohort or the prior cohort (P < .001). Compared with the national sample, infected infants had a 48.5-day longer mean LOS (95% confidence interval [CI95], 1.7 to 95.2), whereas the prior cohort's mean LOS was 6 days shorter (CI95, -9.4 to -2.9). Conclusions: This study increases the understanding of the burden of these multidrug-resistant organisms. Further research is needed to estimate the societal costs of these infections and the cost-effectiveness of preventive interventions.
Why Firms Form (Or Do Not Form) RJVs

In this article, we examine why it is difficult to induce firms to form Research Joint Ventures (RJVs). We examine various incentives and disincentives for RJV formation by estimating an endogeneous switching model using data from the US National Cooperative Research Act. The empirical findings support hypotheses that firms of different sizes have disincentives to form RJVs and that cost-sharing is an important incentive for RJV participation.
Consumer Revealed Preference for Environmental Goods

AS consumers choose among cities, they may trade off higher earnings against differences in the consumption of environmental goods. Commuter travel time, crime and air quality, the quality of educational and health facilities, each may involve unpurchased environmental goods. Decisions about -the consumption of such goods are made simultaneously with the choice of city of residence. By examining the compensating earnings differentials relative to differences in environmental goods across cities, one can estimate hedonic prices for each environmental attribute. The hedonic prices may be useful in valuing the benefit of environmental improvement, and as weights in constructing an index of the quality of life, as Tobin and Nordhaus (1972) propose. By relating the index of the quality of life to city size, something may be learned about the effect of urban growth on the quality of life. This method is a substantial improvement over the index of Liu (1975). Previous efforts to estimate these hedonic prices by Izraeli (1974) and by Hoch and Drake (1974) have been unsatisfying for several reasons. First, they model only the consumer side, while ignoring the possibility that differences in productivity may influence wage determination. Thus, they do not indicate the conditions necessary for their equations to be identified. Second, they do not include variables representative of a wide range of environmental attributes. Exclusion of important categories of environmental attributes may unduly bias the estimates. Hoch and Drake (1974), for example, focus on climate while ignoring many other environmental attributes. Third, if one includes a wide array of environmental attributes, one is confronted with a serious multicollinearity problem. Kelley (1977) takes explicit account of the demand side of the labor market in estimating hedonic prices for amenities. His analysis, however, does not account for differences in the cost of living in different cities, apparently assuming that all goods are traded in national markets. In addition, Kelley does not account for differences in labor force quality in different cities. This essay considers the production activity of cities in identifying the supply of labor. A rich set of environmental attributes is then used to develop new estimates of the hedonic prices for urban amenities.
Actin filaments participate in West Nile (Sarafend) virus maturation process

West Nile (Sarafend) virus has previously been shown to egress by budding at the plasma membrane of infected cells, but relatively little is known about the mechanism involved in this mode of release. During the course of this study, it was discovered that actin filaments take part in the virus maturation process. Using dual‐labeled immunofluorescence and immunoelectron microscopy at late infection (10 hr p.i.), co‐localization of viral structural (envelope and capsid) proteins with actin filaments was confirmed. The virus structural proteins were also immunoprecipitated with anti‐actin antibody, further demonstrating the strong association between the two components. Perturbation of actin filaments by cytochalasin B strongly inhibited the release of West Nile virus (∼10,000‐fold inhibition) when compared with the untreated cells. Infectious virus particles were recovered after the removal of cytochalasin B. Further confirmation was obtained when nucleocapsid particles were found associated with disrupted actin filaments at the periphery of cytochalasin B‐treated cells. Together, these results showed that actin filaments do indeed have a key role in the release of West Nile (Sarafend) virions. J. Med. Virol. 71:463–472, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
On temperature planarization effect of copper dummy fills in deep nanometer technology

The continuous increase in interconnect joule heating and the advent of low-k ILD materials poses serious thermal challenges for multilevel interconnects in deep nanometer technologies. Vertical heat sinking paths are severely constrained by the limited via-density of the upper metal layers and poor thermal conductivity of the inter-layer dielectric. The lack of adequate vertical thermal conduction can lead to formation of `heat-traps` in the metal-layers affecting both performance and reliability of structures in the vicinity. We propose the usage of dummy metal-fills as horizontal thermal conduits to planarize hotspots generated in thermally isolated zones. The metal fills which are an integral part of the CMP planarization process can improve the effective thermal conductivity of the metal layers and can be used to carry out controlled heat re-direction. We have performed 3-D thermal simulations using an FEM solver and validated our scheme for different metal layers. With a pattern-density overhead of <=5%, the temperature differences across measurement points can be reduced by 50¿70%. We have evaluated the efficacy of different metal shapes, sizes and orientation in terms of their heat-spreading capability.