Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Simultaneous quantitative determination of deuterium- and carbon-13-labeled essential fatty acids in rat plasma Published, JLR Papers in Press, June 1, 2005. DOI 10.1194/jlr.M500128-JLR200

This study reports methods for the quantitative determination of stable isotope-labeled essential fatty acids (EFAs) as well as an experiment in which deuterium-labeled linoleic acid (18:2n-6) and α-linolenic acid (18:3n-3) were compared with those labeled with carbon-13 in rat plasma in vivo. Standard curves were constructed to compensate for concentration and plasma matrix effects. It was observed that endogenous pools of fatty acids had a greater suppressing effect on the measurements of 13C-U-labeled EFAs relative to those labeled with 2H5. Using these methods, the in vivo metabolism of orally administered deuterated-linolenate, 13C-U-labeled linolenate, deuterated-linoleate, and 13C-U-labeled linoleate was compared in adult rats (n = 11). There were no significant differences in the concentrations of the 2H versus 13C isotopomers of 18:2n-6, 18:3n-3, arachidonic acid (20:4n-6), and docosahexaenoic acid (22:6n-3) in rat plasma samples at 24 h after dosing. Thus, there appears to be little isotope effect for 2H5- versus 13C-U-labeled EFAs when the data are calculated using the conventional standard curves and corrected for endogenous fatty acid pool size and matrix effects.
Is There a Liquidity Effect in the Japanese Market?

This paper examines whether there is a liquidity effect in the Japanese interbank market for overnight loans. If the reserve requirement is the only reason for banks to hold reserves, then the demand for reserves should be infinitely elastic at the overnight rate that is expected to prevail for the rest of the reserve maintenance period. If, however, reserves are also useful for facilitating transactions between banks, then the demand curve will be down-sloping as a function of the overnight rate. We say that a liquidity effect exists if the demand curve is downward sloping, not horizontal, at the observed level of reserves. Estimating the slope of the demand curve for reserves must deal with the simultaneity problem because the central bank actively chooses the supply of reserves to guide the overnight rate to a range close to the target rate. This paper estimates the liquidity effect in the Japanese interbank market for overnight loans (the so-called Call market). The estimation exploits the institutional features, particularly the fact that the rates observed in the morning are forward rates for funds deliverable at 1 pm of the day. The results indicate that the large injection of reserves by the Bank of Japan after the Yamaichi debacle was not enough to eliminate the liquidity effect. The evidence found in this paper is consistent with the view that the Desk behaved optimally before and after the Yamachi debacle.
The Value of Preoperative Doppler Sonography for Planning Free Perforator Flaps

The individual perforating vessels have a high degree of anatomical variation, therefore it is desirable to conduct a careful examination of them before undertaking a perforator flap operation. Because locating the vessels beforehand makes performing the operative procedure much easier, the aim of the present study was to assess the value of using simple acoustic Doppler sonography to plan a perforator flap operation. The vessel examinations were carried out before taking 46 free microvascular flaps from either the lower abdominal wall or the buttock for reconstructive breast surgery. The perforating vessels located were marked, and their position relative to the umbilicus or the most cranial point of the rima ani recorded using a coordinate system. In 40 patients, a perforator flap operation (deep inferior epigastric perforator flap, n = 32; superior gluteal artery perforator flap, n = 8) was actually carried out; in six of these patients, a myocutaneous flap was used because of the insufficient availability of perforating vessels. Before the operation, perforating vessels were marked for each patient, with an average of 7.3 for the deep inferior epigastric perforator flap and 6.5 for the superior gluteal artery perforator flap. Out of 286 vessels marked for later perforator flaps, 162 were identified during the operation. A preoperatively marked vessel was used in 37 of 40 patients. In the remaining patients, a vessel was used that had not been previously marked. The vertical and horizontal distance between the perforating vessels identified during the operation and the preoperative marks averaged 0.8 cm. The results show preoperative Doppler sonography to be useful for locating the position of individual perforating vessels, making it much easier to find them during the operation.
Compact thermal modeling of hot spots in advanced 3D-stacked ICs

This paper presents a new generic methodology used to determine a parameterized compact thermal model for 3-D stacked integrated circuits (3D-SIC). The method allows to calculate the thermal distribution due to hot spots in the die stack. This approach is applied to different case studies of stacked dies configurations. In order to demonstrate the method, a fully generic non-uniform heat sources “grid” with grid size of 100 μm has been considered. With this approach it is possible to derive an easy-to-use, fast prediction tool that, together with a user friendly graphical interface, allows to obtain the temperature distribution in the dies with good accuracy. Parameters such as the structure geometry, the thermal properties of the materials involved and the effects of the presence of a package resistance are investigated. It is demonstrated that this tool can be used for a fast optimization for the structural parameters, thus helping to design a 3-D die stack when a need for thermal management arises.
Cell–cell and cell–extracellular matrix adhesions cooperate to organize actomyosin networks and maintain force transmission during dorsal closure

Cell–extracellular matrix (ECM) and cell–cell adhesion are interdependent during dorsal closure in the fly. Cell–ECM adhesion is required for normal myosin dynamics and organization of both cell–cell adhesions and actin networks during dorsal closure. Loss of cell–cell adhesion affects cell–ECM adhesion and tissue biomechanics.
Innovation types and innovation management practices in service companies

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to investigate the different types of innovation that are predominant in companies in the UK services sector, the degree of innovativeness, the practices associated with the pursuit of innovation and their relationship with company performance.Design/methodology/approach – The empirical phase of the study was conducted using a two‐stage process initiated by interviews and completed with mail surveys. Interviews were held with six senior executives of leading service companies in the UK. 214 senior managers of UK service companies were surveyed. The response rate was 47 per cent. Relevant statistical analytical techniques including regressions were used to analyse the data.Findings – Product innovations are emphasized more in telecommunications and financial sectors than in transport and retail sectors while service innovations are emphasized more in retail and transport sectors. Radical and incremental innovations were found to be related to innovation performance. R.
EM scattering from multiple cylinders

In this paper we propose to extend the recently proposed iterative technique with extension to the T-matrix approach to the problem of electromagnetic scattering from a cluster of parallel dielectric circular cylinders. The overall treatment is separated into two stages: at the first stage, scattering from a single cylinder is obtained as the first-order solution; and at the second stage, a recursive process that accounts for multiple scattering, where the scattered field from one cylinder is considered as the illuminating wave for the other cylinder and vice verse, is formed. The procedure is found to converge very fast except for the case when any pair of cylinders is very close to each other. It should be noted that since no approximation is introduced in the procedure, this approach is thus more rigorous. Moreover, the formalism is general and can be readily applied to cylinders with cross section other than circular so long as the T matrix of each sub-cylinder can be accurately obtained. The validity of the proposed method has been verified by good agreement between model results and numerical simulations.
Job Queues and the Union Status of Workers

This paper develops a model of the determination of the union status of workers that allows for the possibility of queuing for union jobs. The empirical results derived, using a sample from the University of Michigan Panel Study of Income Dynamics, are supportive of the queuing hypothesis. The no-queue model can be rejected using a likelihood-ratio test. This suggests that a simple probit or logit model for union status is misspecified because it is not based on any consistent behavioral theory. An important implication of the model is that because most new entrants to the labor market prefer union jobs but cannot get them and because accrual of nonunion seniority makes workers progressively less likely to desire union jobs, the union status of workers is largely determined by their success in being selected from the queue early in their working life.
The Meaning of Balanced Scorecards in the Health Care Organisation

This study investigates the introduction of balanced scorecards in a health care organisation. It analyses a top-down control system, built on measurement, in a medical professional context, where attempts at implementing systematic performance auditing are expected to meet resistance. The study shows, however, that balanced scorecards, redesigned by medical professionals and used in a dialogue about service activities and finances, are regarded attractive successors to criticised financial control systems. In the light of the markets, hierarchies and clans perspective, developed by Ouchi, this popularity becomes comprehensible. Balanced scorecards are seen to reduce both the ambiguity of performance evaluation and the goal in-congruence between parties in the organisation.
Novel decision-fusion algorithms for target tracking using ad hoc networks

In this paper we address the problem of tracking an object which moves along a certain area monitored by an ad hoc network of wireless sensors. We investigate two approaches based on the sequential Monte Carlo (SMC) methodology: an approximate version of the classical sequential importance sampling (SIS) algorithm and a recently proposed SMC methodology called cost-reference particle filtering (CRPF), which provides more flexibility in the algorithm design. Computer simulations show the feasibility and performance of the proposed methods.
Cloning of a novel rat placental prolactin‐like protein C‐related cDNA

Prolactin‐like protein C (PLP‐C) is a major rat placental protein which is expressed during the second half of pregnancy and belongs to the growth hormone‐prolactin family. Here we report on the isolation of overlapping rat placental cDNAs which specify a transcript of 915 base pairs and predict a 205‐amino acid translated product. The full‐length cDNA shares 93% homology with the nucleotide sequence reported for PLP‐C, and the putative protein, which we designate PCRP (prolactin‐like protein C‐related protein), exhibits 88% homology with the PLP‐C precursor protein. PCRP lacks the signal sequence and the first 2 N‐terminal cysteine residues present in PLP‐C. Northern blot analysis indicated the basal zone‐specific expression of PCRP mRNA, with no detectable expression in decidua and labyrinth. Southern blot analysis of rat genomic DNA using PCRP cDNA as a probe demonstrated multiple hybridization bands, suggestive of a family of genes encoding prolactin‐like proteins. Western immunoblot analysis of basal zone culture media using a PCRP antipeptide antiserum revealed at least 5 immunoreactive proteins. The existence of a PLP‐C family of proteins in rat placenta after midpregnancy suggests their functional significance in the maintenance of pregnancy and fetal development. © 1995 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Action strategies for enhancing the implementation of performance improvement initiatives within the health sector in Botswana.

This study investigates the extent to which performance improvement initiatives are efficiently and effectively implemented in the Botswana health sector. The study is prompted by numerous public complaints through various media, the results of customer satisfaction surveys that lowly rated the delivery of health services, and the acknowledgement by public officials that the provision of services, particularly health services, left a lot to be desired. The perceived under-performance in the delivery of health services to the public was in spite of the significant health sector expenditure that is in line with the Governments‟ efforts to prioritise the improvement of the health status of the nation and the introduction of performance improvement initiatives. The study assesses the evidential base for sustaining a three-fold hypothesis, that is: performance improvement initiatives were imposed in a top-down manner in the Botswana health sector with the noble belief that they were valuable in contributing towards the achievement of the goals of Vision 2016; there is limited knowledge on the part of the health workers at the operational level regarding the usefulness of the performance improvement initiatives and this contributes to their low uptake of the initiatives in Botswana health sector; and the frequency of complaints by health services consumers is a reflection of the poor quality of health services provided in the health sector in Botswana. The perceptions of staff and patients regarding the quality indicators of efficiency, effectiveness, empowerment and equity were examined. Data collection was triangulated through the use of different data collection methods and the collection of data from different sources such as self-administered questionnaires for senior management in the Ministry of Health, in-depth interviews of health workers and consumers of health services in the form of patients and Focus Group Discussions for community members. The health facilities under study in the public sector were stratified according to the level of operation with systematic sampling used to select hospitals from each level. The conclusions of the study, based on the empirical work, is that although the staff proved to be knowledgeable of the existence of the performance improvement initiatives, there was a moderate effectiveness of the initiatives in the public health sector with a higher success rate in the private health sector. The efficiency with which the initiatives were implemented was compromised by the perceived internal inequities and poor conditions of service as well as low remuneration packages for health sector staff. The consumers of health services indicated their satisfaction with the equitable distribution of
A Note on the Pricing of Liquidity in Stock Returns

Keynes (1930) proposed that an asset is more liquid than another “if it is more certainly realisable at short notice without loss” (vol. II, p. 67). This definition suggests that the liquidity of an asset is twofold. First, an asset should have a market that can readily absorb the sale, and second, do so without risk to its final value. This suggests that investors should be rewarded for both the level of liquidity and liquidity risk. The standard form of asset pricing models assumes financial markets to be perfectly liquid. In a perfectly liquid market, there are no arbitrage possibilities. Therefore, the under traditional asset pricing approach, all assets that have similar expected cash flows must have the same price. This phenomenon of frictionless markets ignores the impact of liquidity of financial assets on their respective prices and consequently on returns. The relation between liquidity and expected returns has been statistically observed and explains certain market anomalies such as the small firm effect, equity premium, and risk-free rate puzzle.
Resistin-like molecule beta regulates innate colonic function: barrier integrity and inflammation susceptibility.

BACKGROUND Resistin-like molecule (RELM) beta is a cysteine-rich cytokine expressed in the gastrointestinal tract and implicated in insulin resistance and gastrointestinal nematode immunity; however, its function primarily remains an enigma. OBJECTIVE We sought to elucidate the function of RELM-beta in the gastrointestinal tract. METHODS We generated RELM-beta gene-targeted mice and examined colonic epithelial barrier function, gene expression profiles, and susceptibility to acute colonic inflammation. RESULTS We show that RELM-beta is constitutively expressed in the colon by goblet cells and enterocytes and has a role in homeostasis, as assessed by alterations in colon mRNA transcripts and epithelial barrier function in the absence of RELM-beta. Using acute colonic inflammatory models, we demonstrate that RELM-beta has a central role in the regulation of susceptibility to colonic inflammation. Mechanistic studies identify that RELM-beta regulates expression of type III regenerating gene (REG) (REG3beta and gamma), molecules known to influence nuclear factor kappaB signaling. CONCLUSIONS These data define a critical role for RELM-beta in the maintenance of colonic barrier function and gastrointestinal innate immunity. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS These findings identify RELM-beta as an important molecule in homeostatic gastrointestinal function and colonic inflammation, and as such, these results have implications for a variety of human inflammatory gastrointestinal conditions, including allergic gastroenteropathies.
Spatial mismatch, discrimination, and male youth employment in the Washington, DC area: Implications for residential mobility policies

Residential mobility policies are in part premised on the assumption that place and not race explains blacks' joblessness in central cities. The article investigates the potential effects of residential mobility programs by analyzing a “natural” black residential mobility process in the Washington, DC area, where black suburbanization has coincided with suburban job growth. Using data from the 1990 Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS), this article examines the relative contribution of place and race in explaining racial differences in employment for young men with a high school diploma or less. The results show that having a suburban residential location improves young males' spatial access to jobs, but that the employment benefits are greater for white than comparable black youth. Simulations point to racial discrimination in suburban labor markets being as important as having a suburban residential location as an explanation of white-black employment rate differences in the Washington, DC area. Thus, if residential mobility programs are to be fully effective in improving central city minorities' employment prospects, antidiscrimination enforcement efforts in suburban labor markets must be included in the policy package. © 1998 by the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management
GABAA receptor modulation by neurosteroids in models of temporal lobe epilepsies

Epilepsies consist of a spectrum of neurologic disorders typically characterized by unpredictable and dysfunctional network behaviors in the central nervous system (CNS), which lead to discrete episodes of large bouts of uncontrolled neuronal synchrony that interfere with the normal functioning of the brain. Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is accompanied by changes in interneuronal innervation and modifications in different γ‐aminobutyric acid (GABA)A receptor subunits. Hormones play an important role in modulating the overall excitability of neurons, and at the same time hormonal pathways are frequently modified during epilepsy. This review focuses on TLE‐correlated modifications of GABAergic transmission, and in particular on the implications of some of our own findings related to GABAARs containing the δ subunits (δ‐GABAARs). These are extra‐ or perisynaptic GABAARs that mediate tonic inhibition, a major component of the inhibitory mechanism in the brain. The most potent endogenous modulators of δ‐GABAARs are neurosteroids, which act as positive allosteric modulators. Plasticity of δ‐GABAARs during TLE consists of down‐regulation of the subunit in the dentate gyrus granule cells (DGGCs), while being up‐regulated in interneurons. Surprisingly, the level of tonic inhibition in DGGCs remains unchanged, consistent with the idea that it becomes mediated by GABAARs containing other subunits. In parallel, tonic inhibition in a TLE model ceases to be sensitive to neurosteroid potentiation. In contrast, as predicted by the anatomic plasticity, interneuronal tonic current is increased, and remains sensitive to neurosteroids. These findings have important pharmacologic implications. Where neurosteroids normally have sedative and anticonvulsant effects, bimodal and cell‐type specific modulations in their natural targets might weaken the inhibitory control on the dentate gate, under circumstances of altered neurosteroids levels (stress, ovarian cycle, or the postpartum period).
Sociodemographic predictors of patients with brain metastases treated with stereotactic radiosurgery

Background Patient sociodemographic factors such income, race, health insurance coverage, and rural residence impact a variety of outcomes in patients with cancer. The role of brain metastasis at presentation and its subsequent outcomes have not been well characterized in this patient population. Results Multivariate analysis revealed that median income lower than $50,000 was associated with higher presenting symptom grade for brain metastasis (mean RTOG grade 1.2 vs 1.0, SE = 0.1, p = 0.04) and higher chronic symptom grade (mean RTOG grade 1.3 vs 0.9, SE = 0.1, p = 0.002). Higher area-level median income was associated with a lower symptom grade at diagnosis of brain metastasis (p = 0.0008) and likelihood of hospitalization (p = 0.004). Other sociodemographic factors were not significantly associated with survival, neurologic death, or patterns of failure after stereotactic radiosurgery for brain metastases. Conclusions Lower median income was associated with a greater symptom burden at the time of diagnosis and need for hospitalization for patients with brain metastases, suggesting a delayed time to presentation. These differences in symptom burden persisted during treatment. Methods Between January 2000 and December 2013, we identified 737 patients treated with stereotactic radiosurgery for brain metastases. They were characterized by 4 sociodemographic factors: median income, race, rural-urban residence, and health insurance status. Clinical outcomes included stage at diagnosis, symptom grade at presentation, likelihood of hospitalization from brain metastasis, overall survival, local failure, distant brain failure, and neurologic death. Multivariate cox proportional hazards model for each outcome was performed controlling for age, sex, number of brain metastases, and dose to brain metastases.