Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of inflammatory responses due to small interfering RNA transfer using unmodified- and mannose-modified bubble lipoplexes with ultrasound exposure in primary cultured macrophages

Abstract Development of an efficient small interfering RNA (siRNA) delivery method using non-viral carriers is necessary to determine potent therapeutic effects of RNA interference. Inflammatory responses induced by siRNA interaction with Toll-like receptors and retinoic-acid-inducible gene I protein/melanoma differentiation-associated gene 5 (RIG-I/MDA-5) are obstacles to the application of siRNAs in clinically. Here, we evaluated the effects on inflammatory responses by our siRNA delivery method using bubble lipoplexes with ultrasound (US) exposure in cultured macrophages. The effective gene suppression effects were obtained under low-toxic conditions in this siRNA transfer method. The interferon (IFN)-α after siRNA transfer using lipoplexes/bubble lipoplexes with US exposure was not detected. However, low levels of type I IFN mRNA production were induced through interaction of siRNA and cytoplasmic RIG-I/MDA-5, but not Toll-like receptors. Our findings indicate that it is possible to develop a safe and efficient siRNA delivery technique using mannosylated bubble lipoplexes and US exposure.
`Hit by the Wind' and Temperature-Shift Panic among Vietnamese Refugees

Surveying 60 Vietnamese patients with either current or past post-traumatic stress disorder, this article aims to phenomenologically characterize the syndrome of `hit by the wind' in a multidimensional manner. This includes determining the patient conceptualization of the disorder, profiling `hit by the wind' episodes suffered by patients in the previous month, and presenting case vignettes. Eighteen of the 60 patients (30%) suffered at least one episode of `hit by the wind' in the last month; all 18 patients had at least one episode of `hit by the wind' in the last month that met panic attack criteria. For the 18 patients, 33 episodes of `hit by the wind' that met panic attack criteria were experienced in the previous month. For these 33 episodes, the most frequently reported DSM-IV panic attack symptoms were chills (100%; 33/33) and dizziness (88%; 29/33). Flashbacks played a role in the `hit by the wind' episodes for 5 of the 18 patients (28%). In the discussion, a model of how the syndrome of `hit by the wind' generates panic is adduced; also, possible Chinese origins of the disorder are discussed.
Disease activity score 28 may overestimate the remission induction of rheumatoid arthritis patients treated with tocilizumab: comparison with the remission by the clinical disease activity index

We evaluated the efficacy of tocilizumab (TCZ) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) by the clinical disease activity index (CDAI) and disease activity score (DAS) 28-erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR). Thirty-two RA patients received 8 mg/kg of TCZ intravenously every 4 weeks for 48 weeks. The therapeutic response was also evaluated in 30 RA patients treated with 3 mg/kg of infliximab (IFX) for 46 weeks. We compared the therapeutic course of TCZ with IFX in order to evaluate the efficacy of TCZ therapy. A strong positive correlation between CDAI and DAS28-ESR was observed at baseline, whereas their associations dropped significantly within the first 2 months. The association recovered to the baseline by IFX, but still remained low in TCZ. Although a decrement of DAS28-ESR was prominent in TCZ as compared with IFX, that of CDAI was significant in the early phase and even in the latter in patients treated by IFX. The present study revealed that DAS28-ESR may not be sufficient to estimate RA disease activity treated by TCZ, probably due to the significant effect toward inhibition of acute phase reactants by TCZ. CDAI is suggested to be an important alternate of composite measure in these cases.
Risk-Management Lessons from Bonus Schemes

Management compensation packages typically include some form of bonus payment; these payments shall provide incentives for effort, but recently they were heavily criticized for their perceived excessive risk-taking incentives. This paper presents a continuous-time model in which the manager decides on the risk and effort level of the bank. A single-period model is nested into continuous-time; for this we confirm prior results on risk and effort levels and show that they misrepresent actual risks taken in our dynamic continuous-time setup. Furthermore, we show that with current bonus schemes risk and effort levels are typically of bang-bang type: the manager takes either maximal or minimal risk and either maximal or minimal effort. The bonusmalus scheme is believed by the public to limit risk-taking; we show that before the deferral date it behaves like a call option type bonus scheme and thereafter considerably hampers risk and effort. We also discuss how a bonus scheme should look like that incentivizes the manager to pick a target risk level. Finally, we illustrate our results quantitatively.
A Rebalancing Discipline for an Immunization Strategy

Lynch for helpful comments. mmunization against interest rate risk is said to exist if the total value of a portfolio at the end of a specified planning period is equal to the value I expected at purchase. 1mmuni:cation strategy requires that the duration of a portfolio equal the planning period. Thus, the immunized portfolio must be adjusted frequently because the passage of t ine and changes in the interest rate do not reduce the duration and the planning period equally. In the presence of transaction costs, however, rebalancing becomes expensive. ' Thus, a bond portfolio manager who follows an immunization strategy continually decides whether to rebalance the portfolio now so that the duration and planning lhorizon wdl be matched, or to wait for the next period in order to save the transaction cost. This article considers the effects of the transaction cost on the rebalancing problem and seeks a rebalancing discipline using dynamic programming.
Internal Audit Sourcing Arrangements and Reliance by External Auditors

SUMMARY: A company’s internal audit (IA) function can be maintained in-house, outsourced to an IA service provider, or cosourced (a combination of the in-house and outsourced IA functions). This study explores the effect of these sourcing arrangements on the external auditor’s assessed quality and reliance on the IA function. We predict that external auditors consider the cosourced and outsourced IA functions to be equal in terms of assessed quality and reliance. Furthermore, we predict that the external auditors’ assessments of objectivity and competence will be greater for cosourced and outsourced IA functions compared to in-house IA functions; therefore, external auditors will have greater reliance on the cosourced and outsourced IA functions. Finally, we predict that when the IA service provider also provides additional tax services to the client, external auditor reliance is significantly decreased compared to when the service provider does not provide tax services. One hundred and eight CPAs partici.
THE IMPACT OF ETHNIC HETEROGENEITY ON EDUCATION SPENDING: A SPATIAL ECONOMETRIC ANALYSIS OF UNITED STATES SCHOOL DISTRICTS

In the public finance literature it is well understood that a community's spending can be affected by neighboring communitiesâ€™ spending. It is relatively straightforward to see why these spillovers exist. For example, if a school district increases its spending on public education, this could affect the spending level of neighboring school districts. This paper uses spatial analysis to test the hypothesis that a school district's ethnic heterogeneity affects support for public education. Using a Spatial Lag Model and a national panel of U.S. school districts, I find that spatial dependence does exist in the data and that ethnic heterogeneity is negatively related to school district spending.
In vivo imaging of irreversible electroporation by means of electrical impedance tomography

Electroporation, the increased permeability of cell membranes due to a large transmembrane voltage, is an important clinical tool. Both reversible and irreversible in vivo electroporation are used for clinical applications such as gene therapy and solid malignant tumor ablation, respectively. The primary advantage of in vivo electroporation is the ability to treat tissue in a local and minimally invasive fashion. The drawback is the current lack of control over the process. This paper is the first report of a new method for real-time three-dimensional imaging of an in vivo electroporation process. Using two needle electrodes for irreversible electroporation and a set of electrodes for reconstructing electrical impedance tomography (EIT) images of the treated tissue, we were able to demonstrate electroporation imaging in rodent livers. Histology analysis shows good correlation between the extent of tissue damage caused by irreversible electroporation and the EIT images. This new method may lead the way to real-time control over genetic treatment of diseases in tissue and tissue ablation.
Lipoprotein (A) as a cause of statin-resistance: how to treat it? - Case report

Lipoprotein (Lp(a)) is considered a cardiovascular risk factor, and nicotinic acid is the only available drug for reducing its levels. The authors present the case of a 44-year-old male patient with hypercholesterolemia that responded poorly to statin therapy. After identifying high Lp(a) levels, combined therapy with nicotinic acid was initiated, resulting in normalization of LDL-cholesterol levels. The authors also carried out a theoretical review of Lp(a) and nicotinic acid.
Localization/globalization and the midwife state: strategic dilemmas for state feminismin education?

This paper explores the implications of the processes of globalization/localization for state feminism, with a focus on Australia. Superficially, localization appears to be one response to globalization, exemplified by devolution to self managing schools and in the public sector. But globalization and localization are merely different aspects of the same phenomenon, and the processes articulating local/global relations have particular gendered effects which, while locally specific in their articulation, resonate in highly patterned ways cross nationally. There has been in many Western liberal democracies a fundamental change in the role of the welfare state with a shift from a more protectionist position to one where the ‘midwife’ state mediates, rather than regulates, global markets. But the shift to the smaller or more selectively interventionist state, although a common global policy ‘response’ to the ‘logic’ of globalization, is not an inevitable consequence of economic globalization. Rather, it is an.
Periprosthetic Bone Loss and Regional Bone Turnover in Uncemented Total Hip Arthroplasty: A Prospective Study Using High Resolution Single Photon Emission Tomography and Dual‐Energy X‐Ray Absorptiometry

Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) at 6 and 12 months and dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry (DXA) at 0, 6, and 12 months were performed prospectively in 15 patients who had undergone uncemented total hip arthroplasty (THA) without any complications. Periprosthetic bone mineral density (BMD) decreased significantly in all regions of interests (ROIs) during 1 year of follow‐up. The greatest annual decrease was found in the lesser trochanter region (22.1%). From 6–12 months, SPECT activity in the operated side decreased significantly (10–24%) in all ROIs, with the exception of the medial cortex ROI. In contrast, increases (8–36%) were found in the contralateral side. At 12 months, the operated versus control difference was still 10% in the lesser trochanter ROI, but as much as about 70% in the greater trochanter and tip ROIs. The decrease in BMD was significantly related to an increase in SPECT activity in the lesser trochanter region (r = −0.589, p < 0.05). In conclusion, increased periprosthetic SPECT activity seems to be associated with increased bone loss. We suggest that increased SPECT activity and subsequent bone loss reflect altered stress distribution and bone remodeling in the femur after prosthesis implantation.
Understanding Online Knowledge Sharing Intention A Factor Analysis in e-Learning System

The purpose of this thesis is to examine the KS enablers and individual factors influence intention to KS in E-Learning system. Moreover, its objective is to identify the individual influence on intention to share knowledge in E-Learning system and to recognize relationships among them. The current research expands a theoretical framework of online KS factors with the Decomposed Theory of Planned Behaviour (DTPB). An online questionnaire survey was applied to collect data and the analysis was completed according to583 responses from students who act in EL system of Open University Malaysia (OUM). A semi-structured interview was constructed with 10 participants who were facilitators and teachers in EL system of OUM as the case study to achieve ks comprehensible and understandable intention. The outcomes of the study survey and interview support the fundamental statement that superior altitudes of individual motivational factors including trust, perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, and educational compatibility direct to influence intention to share knowledge well. The conclusions also illustrate those motivational KS factors which were classified by DTPB model influence intention to share in EL system strongly.
Stability of Bacillus pumilus spore strips used for monitoring radiation sterilization

Dried Bacillus pumilus spore strips had a stable D-value of 0.17 to 0.18 Mrad after 1 year at 5 or 25 C, but resistance was lost at 35 C. Refrigeration did not have an adverse effect on resistance to irradiation. The presence of water at the time of initial preparation increased this resistance to 0.23 to 0.25 Mrad. Proper drying is essential to achieve reproducible results in sterility tests using USP-type biological indicators.
Institutionalizing the Family Business: The Role of Professional Associations in Fostering a Change of Values

The authors examine the role played by a voluntary professional association as a carrier of mimetic and normative institutional pressures in the institutionalization of new governance practices among family businesses. They observe how a change in guiding values within family businesses is led by an institutional champion actively involved in the professional association. This institutional champion bridges the gap between micro-level change at the firm level and the professional association’s macro-level discourse. This study makes several contributions to both family business research and institutional theory.
Analyses of technical efficiency using SDF and DEA models: evidence from Nepalese agriculture

Alleviation of poverty is a central issue in Nepal. Given the limited stock of land and the infant/unorganized manufacturing sector, increased demand for food has to be satisfied by improving production efficiency. This article examines how this could be achieved. Stochastic distance function and data envelopment analysis models identify the existence of a high degree of technical inefficiency in Nepalese agriculture, suggesting that there is a substantial prospect of increasing agricultural productivity using the existing level of inputs and resources more efficiently. Among the three farm sizes in the data set, medium size farmers achieve a higher technical efficiency than large and small farm sizes, suggesting that productive efficiency can be increased with the encouragement of creating medium size holdings. The observed decreasing returns to scale also implies that productivity gains could be achieved by breaking up of large farms into small family farms. The technical inefficiency model suggests the potential for shifting the production frontier upwards by providing ownership of land, increasing farmers’ education and knowledge, and increasing land quality, including irrigation facilities.
Strategic partnerships and relationship marketing in healthcare

Despite repeated government policies to introduce market-orientation and customer-focus into the UK National Health Service, there is still much anecdotal evidence of unsuccessful policy implementation. In this article we investigate the attitudes of healthcare managers to one recent policy initiative based on partnership working that is intended to provide integrated and customer-focused service to patients. While acknowledging the tensions and dilemmas inherent in private sector marketing concepts, we argue that relationship marketing has considerable potential in public healthcare contexts, based on its advocacy of building relationships between providers and customers and between providers and their suppliers. Using the framework of relationship marketing we identify healthcare managers' concerns about the motives, effects and benefits of implementing partnership arrangements in two regions of the NHS. Through a longitudinal research design our findings suggest that while respondents' attitudes to partnership working and customer focus had become more positive after two years of policy implementation, they remain centred on the service process rather than the customers it serves. We discuss what still needs to be done to transform public healthcare from what is still a predominantly supplier and product-driven service to one that is truly relationship orientated.
A model-dependent approach to correlate accelerated with real-time release from biodegradable microspheres

The purpose of this study was to determine the feasibility of applying accelerated in vitro release testing to correlate or predict long-term in vitro release of leuprolide poly(lactideco-glycolide) microspheres. Peptide release was studied using a dialysis technique at 37°C and at elevated temperatures (50°C–60°C) in 0.1 M phosphate buffered saline (PBS) pH 7.4 and 0.1 M acetate buffer pH 4.0. The data were analyzed using a modification, of the Weibull equation. Peptide release was temperature dependent and complete within 30 days at 37°C and 3 to 5 days at the elevated temperatures. In vitro release profiles at the elevated temperatures correlated well with release at 37°C. The shapes of the release profiles at all temperatures were similar. Using the modified Weibull equation, an increase in temperature was characterized by an increase in the model parameter, α, a scaling factor for the apparent rate constant. Complete release at 37°C was shortened from ∼30 days to 5 days at 50°C, 3.5 days at 55°C, 2.25 days at 60°C in PBS pH 7.4, and 3 days at 50°C in acetate buffer pH 4.0. Values for the model parameter β indicated that the shape of the release profiles at 55°C in PBS pH 7.4 (2.740) and 50°C in 0.1 M acetate buffer pH 4.0 (2.711) were similar to that at 37°C (2.577). The Ea for hydration and erosion were determined to be 42.3 and 19.4 kcal/mol, respectively. Polymer degradation was also temperature dependent and had an Ea of 31.6 kcal/mol. Short-term in vitro release studies offer the possibility of correlation with long-term release, thereby reducing the time and expense associated with longterm studies. Accelerated release methodology could be useful in the prediction of long-term release from extended release microsphere dosage forms and may serve as a quality control tool for the release of clinical or commercial batches.
Financing Tourist Development through Stock Capital: Evidence from the Greek Hotel Sector

As an economic and social activity, tourism can be one of the most important factors in the development of a country. This paper uses the study of business events to investigate the success of financing the tourist sector through stock capital, especially the accommodation sector. The research focuses on five large tourist enterprises and the ‘events’ analysed are announcements about financial results. The study identifies and forecasts the way in which stock returns generally react to tourist sector announcements, such as the dissemination of annual, semi-annual and quarterly financial reports. The empirical evidence indicates that annual reports have a positive impact on stock returns. The authors suggest that the Athens Stock Exchange (ASE) provides an alternative opportunity for tourism companies to raise capital and to extend their development plans.
Pseudo Panels and Repeated Cross-Sections

In many countries there is a lack of genuine panel data where specific individuals or firms are followed over time. However, repeated cross-sectional surveys may be available, where a random sample is taken from the population at consecutive points in time. In this paper we discuss the identification and estimation of panel data models from repeated cross sections. In particular, attention will be paid to linear models with fixed individual effects, to models containing lagged dependent variables and to discrete choice models.
The Perceived Risks of Traveling to Mainland China: Evidence From University Students in Hong Kong

This study investigates university students' perceptions of the risks associated with traveling to different regions of China and examines the effects of five risk factors (criminal, health, political, terrorism, and disaster) on their overall perceptions of risk in the region. Furthermore, the relationship between overall perceived risk and intention to visit the region is explored. The results reveal that different types of risk factors are associated with different parts of China. University students consider western China to be the riskiest travel destination of the four economic regions in the country.