Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of Purified Escherichia coli Heat-Stable Enterotoxin on Intestinal Cyclic Nucleotide Metabolism and Fluid Secretion

Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli cause diarrhea by elaborating two enterotoxins. The large-molecular-weight, heat-labile toxin causes intestinal secretion by stimulating cyclic adenosine 5′-monophosphate production. The mechanism by which the small-molecular-weight, heat-stable enterotoxin induces secretion is unclear. The present study tested the hypothesis that heat-stable enterotoxin induces secretion by altering intestinal cyclic nucleotide concentrations. This was studied in suckling mice by using highly purified E. coli heat-stable enterotoxin obtained from a strain pathogenic for humans. At 3 min after administration of this toxin, intestinal cyclic guanosine 5′-monophosphate (GMP) levels were increased 10-fold. Cyclic GMP levels decreased thereafter, but still were greater than control levels at 120 min. Cyclic adenosine 5′-monophosphate levels fell to one-half of control levels at 3 min and remained below control levels for 120 min. When the time course of enterotoxin-induced secretion was compared with changes in cyclic GMP levels, fluid secretion was not evident until 15 to 30 min after enterotoxin administration. Thus, the increase in intestinal cyclic GMP concentration preceded measurable fluid secretion. And finally, administration of the 8-bromo analog of cyclic GMP evoked fluid secretion, the time course of which was similar to that induced by enterotoxin. These, and other data, strongly suggest that E. coli heat-stable enterotoxin induces intestinal secretion by increasing intestinal cyclic GMP levels.
MRI and SRI Mutual Funds

There has been a recent increase in the importance of and universal interest in the field of “Islamic Finance. ” There are currently investment alternatives which are designed to meet the constraints imposed by Islamic Shariah, such as SUKUKS (Islamic bonds) and Islamic mutual funds. This paper explores the similarities and differences between the components and characteristics of Islamic mutual funds, Christian mutual funds, both classified as Morally Responsible Investment (MRI) funds, and socially responsible investment (SRI) funds. In addition, we explore the possibility of designing a mutual fund which can satisfy the three different groups of investors.
Inflation to target : what inflation to target?

This paper derives a central bank's objective function and optimal policy rule for an economy with both CPI and PPI inflation rates. It implements constrained-optimal policy rules with minimal information requirement, and evaluates the robustness of these simple rules when the central bank may not know the exact sources of shocks or nominal rigidities. One of the main findings is that monetary policy that ignores PPI inflation rate or PPI sector shocks can result in significant welfare loss.
Four-Way Chained Quasi-Planar Slotted-HMSIW Power Divider

A four-way chained quasi-planar slotted power divider, using half-mode substrate-integrated waveguide technology, is presented in this letter. Based on the equivalent-circuit model, slotted capacitive coupling model has been achieved. In order to verify the validity of the design method, a four-way power divider operating at X-band is designed, fabricated and measured. The simulation and measured results with good agreement are presented. The measured insertion loss (in the frequency range of 9.05–9.55 GHz) is less than 1.4 dB, and the return loss is better than 17.5 dB. The measured isolations between the output ports are greater than 12 dB at the entire design band.
Customer Orientation and Management Control in the Public Sector: A Garbage Can Analysis

Recent public sector reforms have increasingly tended to re-cast citizens as ‘customers’. This paper explores the implications of such customer orientation efforts for management control based on a field study in a Swedish central government agency. We extend prior research on this topic, informed by critical and institutional theories, with insights from the garbage can literature and focus on a key decision-making process involved in making extant management control practices more customer-focused. Our analysis nuances the predictions of critical scholars, suggesting that customer orientation initiatives will commodify public services and narrow the interests served by public sector organizations. In doing so, we draw attention to how conflicting institutional arrangements fostered a garbage can situation hampering radical change in management control practices. Our garbage can analysis provides a bridge between critical and institutional perspectives by re-instating a focus on decision-making. We show how the intricacies of decision-making may moderate the power embedded in novel management control practices and foster inertia and unintended outcomes. Our analysis also raises important policy implications pertaining to the possibilities of combining customer orientation efforts with rationing of public services.
Quality Indicators for the Care of Stroke and Atrial Fibrillation in Vulnerable Elders

Screening and Management of Carotid Stenosis 1. IF a VE has a new transient ischemic attack (TIA) or ischemic stroke in the vascular territory of the carotid artery, THEN a carotid artery imaging study should be done or it should be documented that the patient is not a carotid procedure candidate, BECAUSE in selected patients, a carotid endarterectomy (CEA) reduces the 5-year risk of stroke or death. 2. IF a VE has symptomatic carotid stenosis greater than 70%, THEN the medical record should document a discussion of the risks and benefits of carotid procedures, that the patient is not a candidate for a carotid procedure, or that CEA cannot be done with less than a 6% 30-day morbidity and mortality rate, BECAUSE in selected patients, a CEA for symptomatic carotid stenosis greater than 70% reduces the 5-year risk of stroke or death.
Sequence determination and comparison of the exfoliative toxin A and toxin B genes from Staphylococcus aureus

The DNA encoding the exfoliative toxin A gene (eta) of Staphylococcus aureus was cloned into bacteriophage lambda gt11 and subsequently into plasmid pLI50 on a 1,391-base-pair DNA fragment of the chromosome. Exfoliative toxin A is expressed in the Escherichia coli genetic background, is similar in length to the toxin purified from culture medium, and is biologically active in an animal assay. The nucleotide sequence of the DNA fragment containing the gene was determined. The protein deduced from the nucleotide sequence is a polypeptide of 280 amino acids. The mature protein is 242 amino acids. The DNA sequence of the exfoliative toxin B gene was also determined. Corrections indicate that the amino acid sequence of exfoliative toxin B is in accord with chemical sequence data.
Why Quantitative Structuring?

Quality-designed consumer products are easy to recognize. Wouldn't it be great if the quality of financial products became just as apparent? This paper is addressed to financial practitioners. It provides an informal introduction to Quantitative Structuring -- a technology of manufacturing quality financial products (information derivatives). The presentation is arranged in three parts: the main text assumes no prior knowledge of the topic; important detailed discussions are arranged as a set of appendices; finally, a list of references provides further details including applications beyond product design: from model risk to economics and statistics.
Efficient Aerial Data Collection with UAV in Large-Scale Wireless Sensor Networks

Data collection from deployed sensor networks can be with static sink, ground-based mobile sink, or Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) based mobile aerial data collector. Considering the large-scale sensor networks and peculiarity of the deployed environments, aerial data collection based on controllable UAV has more advantages. In this paper, we have designed a basic framework for aerial data collection, which includes the following five components: deployment of networks, nodes positioning, anchor points searching, fast path planning for UAV, and data collection from network. We have identified the key challenges in each of them and have proposed efficient solutions. This includes proposal of a Fast Path Planning with Rules (FPPWR) algorithm based on grid division, to increase the efficiency of path planning, while guaranteeing the length of the path to be relatively short. We have designed and implemented a simulation platform for aerial data collection from sensor networks and have validated performance efficiency of the proposed framework based on the following parameters: time consumption of the aerial data collection, flight path distance, and volume of collected data.
Adjustment of US External Imbalances: At What Horizon?

The relative importance of the trade and financial (valuation) channels for correcting cyclical external imbalances of the US is examined, with the contribution of each component broken–down by horizon. The evidence presented demonstrate that valuation effects contribute to cyclical external adjustments for horizons less than six quarters. The bulk of cyclical imbalances are shown to be corrected by trade flows, which operate at short– to medium–term horizons, and there seems to be no long-run contribution to the process of cyclical external adjustment.
Identifying Core Objects for Trace Summarization Using Reference Relations and Access Analysis

Behaviors of an object-oriented system can be visualized as reverse-engineered sequence diagrams from execution traces. This approach is a valuable tool for program comprehension tasks. However, owing to the massiveness of information contained in an execution trace, a reverse-engineered sequence diagram is often afflicted by a scalability issue. To address this issue, we present in this paper a method for identifying core objects for trace summarization by reference relations and access analysis. We detect and eliminate temporary objects that are trivial for a system, and then estimate the importance of non-trivial objects. By grouping objects with a focus on highly important ones (i.e., core objects), we visualize the system's behavior in terms of intergroup interactions. Consequently, we obtain a readable size of a reverse-engineered sequence diagram containing the system's key behavior. We implemented our technique in our tool and evaluated it by using traces from open-source software systems. The results showed that our reverse-engineered sequence diagrams contained only less than 30 lifelines, whereas the original diagrams (no abstraction methods were applied) contained approximately 1,000 to 3,000 lifelines. Our proposed method achieved significant reduction of the horizontal size of the diagram and is expected to be a valuable tool for program comprehension.
Quantitative Doppler blood flow measurement method and in vivo calibration.

Femoral blood flow (FBF) was measured in seven dogs, simultaneously with both an electromagnetic perivascular probe and a transcutaneous range gated Doppler velocimeter. Measurements were made in basal conditions and during intraarterial infusions of noradrenaline (10 to 400 ng . kg-1 . min-1) and isoprenaline (10 to 400 ng . kg-1 . min-1) thus allowing comparisons of ultrasonic (DBF) and electromagnetic (EMBF) blood flow at 91 different blood flow rates ranging from 5 to 300 cm3 . min-1. The linear regression line through the data of ultrasonic and electromagnetic simultaneous measurement was: DBF = 0.8 + 1.016 EMBF +/- 19.0 cm3 . min-1 with a highly significant correlation (r = 0.96, p less than 0.001) but there was a wide scattering about the mean. Errors in DBF were mainly due to positioning of the probe and determination of arterial diameter.
Conclusion: Generating Equilibrium, Generating Power Cycles

Power cycle theory, both as description and as explanation, is a robust framework of analysis that facilitates the examination of the rise and decline of relative state power according to the “single dynamic” linking state and system. Discussing the key driving forces of economic development from remarkably differentiated perspectives, three writers of economics, Karl Marx, Amartya Sen, and David Landes, reveal one important aspect of the power cycle—what generates it. The article reflects on Japanese economic renewal and the implications of change on the power cycle for dynamic equilibrium.
Differential evolution with dynamic constraint-handling mechanism

In this paper, Differential Evolution based approach with a novel dynamic constraint-handling mechanism is proposed to solve constrained real-parameter optimization. This is implemented by restating the single-objective constrained optimization as a set of single-objective unconstrained problems and dynamically assigning to the individual adaptively as its fitness. Three selection criteria based on feasibility are used to deal with the constraint problem. Moreover, the shirinking acceptable region and local search are added for finding the optimum solution. The approach is tested on a suit of test problems proposed for CEC2010 competition and special session on single objective constrained real-parameter optimization. The results obtained are discussed and some conclusions are made.
RETAIL STORE IMAGE: A COMPARISON AMONG THEORETICAL AND EMPIRICAL DIMENSIONS IN A BRAZILIAN STUDY

O ponto de venda pode ser o elemento principal para o sucesso, sendo a vantagem competitiva de uma empresa varejista. Um importante elemento para a estrategia varejista e a imagem da loja; a soma total das percepcoes dos clientes com relacao a loja. O presente artigo compara as dimensoes teoricas e empiricas da imagem de loja varejista em um estudo brasileiro. O tipo de pesquisa usado foi o estudo quantitativo, e os dados coletados foram analisados pela tecnica de analise fatorial, de forma a identificar os fatores subjacentes da imagem de loja. Em conclusao, foi observado que a forma pela qual os respondentes avaliaram a imagem de um dado supermercado no Brasil e mais simples do que aquela prevista na teoria, com nove fatores representando as seguintes dimensoes de imagem de loja: qualidade, preco, servico pos-venda, propaganda, clientela, sortimento, conveniencia, atmosfera e servicos. Uma importante contribuicao pratica do presente estudo refere-se ao desenvolvimento de uma escala mais simples, que pode ser utilizada pelos varejistas em uma forma viavel para obter os dados sobre sua imagem percebida.
A Gain-of-Function Screen Identifying Genes Required for Growth and Pattern Formation of the Drosophila melanogaster Wing

The Drosophila melanogaster wing is a model system for analyzing the genetic control of organ size, shape, and pattern formation. The formation of the wing involves a variety of processes, such as cell growth, proliferation, pattern formation, and differentiation. These developmental processes are under genetic control, and many genes participating in specific aspects of wing development have already being characterized. In this work, we aim to identify novel genes regulating wing growth and patterning. To this end, we have carried out a gain-of-function screen generating novel P-UAS (upstream activating sequences) insertions allowing forced gene expression. We produced 3340 novel P-UAS insertions and isolated 300 that cause a variety of wing phenotypes in combination with a Gal4 driver expressed exclusively in the central domain of the presumptive wing blade. The mapping of these P-UAS insertion sites allowed us to identify the gene that causes the gain-of-function phenotypes. We show that a fraction of these phenotypes are related to the induction of cell death in the domain of ectopic gene expression. Finally, we present a preliminary characterization of a gene identified in the screen, the function of which is required for the development of the L5 longitudinal vein.
Rolipram, a Selective Phosphodiesterase 4 Inhibitor, Ameliorates Mechanical Hyperalgesia in a Rat Model of Chemotherapy-Induced Neuropathic Pain through Inhibition of Inflammatory Cytokines in the Dorsal Root Ganglion

Chemotherapy-induced neuropathic pain is a significant side effect of chemotherapeutic agents and is the most common reason for stopping chemotherapy. The aim of the present study was to find the major site and mechanisms of action by which rolipram, a selective phosphodiesterase-4 inhibitor, alleviates paclitaxel-induced neuropathic pain. Chemotherapy-induced neuropathic pain was induced in adult male Sprague-Dawley rats by intraperitoneal injection of paclitaxel on four alternate days. Rolipram was administered systemically or locally into the lumbar spinal cord, L5 dorsal root ganglion, sciatic nerve, or skin nerve terminal. The mechanical threshold, the protein level of several inflammatory cytokines, and the cellular locations of phosphodiesterase-4 and interleukin-1β in the dorsal root ganglion were measured by using behavioral testing, Western blotting, and immunohistochemistry, respectively. The local administration (0.03-mg) of rolipram in the L5 dorsal root ganglion ameliorated paclitaxel-induced pain behavior more effectively than did local administration in the other sites. Paclitaxel significantly increased the expression of inflammatory cytokines including tumor necrosis factor-α (2.2 times) and interleukin-1β (2.7 times) in the lumbar dorsal root ganglion, and rolipram significantly decreased it. In addition, phosphodiesterase-4 and interleukin-1β were expressed in the dorsal root ganglion neurons and satellite cells and paclitaxel significantly increased the intensity of interleukin-1β (2 times) and rolipram significantly decreased it. These results suggest that the major site of action of rolipram on paclitaxel-induced neuropathic pain in rats was the dorsal root ganglion. Rolipram decreased the expression of inflammatory cytokines in the dorsal root ganglion. Thus, phosphodiesterase-4 inhibitors may ameliorate chemotherapy-induced neuropathic pain by decreasing expression of inflammatory cytokines in the dorsal root ganglion.
Development and validation of a micellar liquid chromatographic method to determine three antitumorals in plasma.

AIM A micellar liquid chromatographic method to determine several anticancer drugs (pazopanib, dabrafenib and regorafenib) in plasma was developed and validated by the guidelines of the EMA. EXPERIMENTAL Plasma samples were directly injected, after a 1/5-dilution in a micellar solution. The drugs were resolved in <18 min using a C18 column. The mobile phase was an aqueous solution of 0.12 M SDS - 2% 1-pentanol, buffered at pH 7. The detection was performed by absorbance at 260 nm. RESULTS The values of the main validation parameters were: LOD (0.1-1 mg/l), calibration range (0.2-2 to 80 mg/l), accuracy (-12.5 to +11.7%) and precision (<11.9%). CONCLUSION The procedure was conducted by minimum cost, effort, manipulation, time and quantity of hazardous chemicals. The method was useful to determine the drugs at their respective target concentrations, and was found useful for clinical analysis.
Sorafenib, a multikinase inhibitor, is effective in vitro against non‐hodgkin lymphoma and synergizes with the mTOR inhibitor rapamycin

Non‐Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) represents a heterogenous group of neoplasias originating from lymphoid cells. Increased angiogenesis and expression of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) and its receptors (VEGFR) have been found to be associated with NHL disease progression. Increase in VEGF and other cytokines stimulate signaling cascades, including the Ras/Raf/Mek/Erk pathway, resulting in increased proliferation and decreased apoptosis. Here, we report the in vitro antilymphoma activity of sorafenib, an inhibitor of VEGFR and Raf kinase. Sorafenib induced potent cytotoxicity in NHL cell lines and patient samples. This induction of cytotoxicity was associated with a corresponding increase in apoptotic cell death. Mechanism of action of sorafenib was investigated in follicular (DoHH2) and Burkitt lymphoma (Raji) cell lines. pStat3, pAkt, Mcl1, and Xiap were downregulated in both cell lines, whereas pErk decreased in Raji but not in DoHH2 cells following sorafenib treatment. IL6 was unable to prevent sorafenib induced repression of pStat3, pAkt, Mcl1, and Bcl‐Xl. Sorafenib in combination with an mTORC1 inhibitor rapamycin demonstrated synergy in inducing cytotoxicity in NHL cells. Sorafenib/rapamycin combination resulted in downregulation of pAkt, pmTOR, p‐p70S6K, p4EBP1, pGSK3β, Mcl1, and Bcl‐Xl. On the basis of our results, a clinical trial is underway using sorafenib with everolimus in NHL patients. , 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The Dynamics of Agriculture Supply: A Reconsideration

This paper presents a dynamic rational expectations equilibrium model for a given crop. The dynamic supply equation is derived from the farmer optimization problem; and the equilibrium movements of commodity price, production, and land allocations are solved analytically. It is shown that the observed dynamics of agriculture supply, which are usually explained and measured with the Nerlovian supply response model, can be explained and measured at least as well by the rational expectations equilibrium model. However, interpretation of the results is different, and the paper defines explicitly the dynamic supply elasticities and presents an econometric method for consistent estimators for the parameters.
Worker Turnover and Wages in Europe: The Influence of Unemployment and Inactivity

This paper aims to estimate the impact of different labour market transitions on wages by applying recent panel data methods designed to address problems of sample selectivity, unobserved heterogeneity and endogeneity to longitudinal data on individual workers from six European countries for the period 1995–2001. In particular, we examine whether job interruptions due to unemployment or inactivity have any significant influence on subsequent wages, the magnitude of this influence and whether differences in relative wage gains/losses exist across countries. The main findings are explained in terms of differences in institutions.
Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Resolution

We propose a distributed medium access control (MAC) protocol called carrier sense multiple access with collision resolution (CSMA/CR) by extending the wireless CSMA/CD protocol. The proposed CSMA/CR protocol identifies a collision by additional sensing after data transmission starts. If one station detects a collision, it transmits a jam signal to stop the other stations' transmissions and then retransmits the data without backoff, which resolves the next collision that may occur. The throughput analysis shows that the proposed CSMA/CR protocol outperforms other conventional CSMA-based MAC protocols.
Parenting Specificity

The aim of this study was to advance our understanding of the relations between three specific parenting behaviors (warmth, monitoring, and discipline) and two child outcomes (internalizing and externalizing problems) within the context of parental depression. Using an approach recommended by A. Caron, B. Weiss, V. Harris, and T. Carron (2006), unique and differential specificity were examined. Ninety-seven parents with a history of depression and 136 of their 9- to 15-year-old children served as participants. Children reported parenting behaviors and parents reported child problem behaviors. The findings indicated that warmth/involvement, but not monitoring or discipline, was uniquely related to externalizing problems and differentially related to internalizing and externalizing problems. The findings suggest that parental warmth has implications for interventions conducted with children living in families with a history of parental depression.