Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Public Trust, the Law, and Financial Investment

How does trust evolve in markets? What is the optimal level of regulation and how does this affect trust formation and economic growth? In a theoretical model, we analyze these questions, given the value of social capital and the potential for growth in the market. When social capital is valuable, regulation and trustfulness are substitutes. In this case, regulation may cause lower aggregate investment and decreased economic growth. When the social capital is less valuable, regulation and trustfulness may be complements. In the paper, we analyze the optimal level of regulation and highlight the novel predictions of the model.
Nutritional status of 8-year-old rural and urban Italian children: a study in Pistoia, Tuscany

In this study, performed in the province of Pistoia (Italy), we tested whether 8-year-old children living in rural areas differed from their urban peers as far as nutritional status, dietary habits and physical activity are concerned. The study sample was randomly selected to include 50% of the children attending the third elementary class in the province of Pistoia during 2002. A total of 1006 children underwent an anthropometric evaluation and an assessment of dietary habits and physical activity by means of specific questionnaires. Of these children, 927 were born in Italy and are described in this report. The relationship between body mass index (BMI<5th percentile versus 5th≤BMI<85th percentile versus 85th≤BMI<95th percentile versus BMI≥95th percentile) and the environment (urban versus rural) was of borderline significance (P=0.051). However, the percentage of children with BMI≥85th percentile was greater in rural (24%) than in urban (18%) areas (P=0.012). The choice of foods and the physical activity of rural children mirrored those of urban children. These data sound as an alarm in view of the current epidemics of obesity that are invading Italy and other Mediterranean countries.
Knowledge extraction by Internet monitoring to enhance crisis management

This paper presents our work on developing a system for Internet monitoring and knowledge extraction from different web documents which contain information about disasters. This system is based on ontology of the disasters domain for the knowledge extraction and it presents all the information extracted according to the kind of the disaster defined in the ontology. The system disseminates the information extracted (as a synthesis of the web documents) to the users after a filtering based on their profiles. The profile of a user is updated automatically by interactively taking into account his feedback.
A New Techniquefor Studyingthe RelationshipbetweenMaternalDiabetes and the SialicAcidContentof Fetal PulmonarySurfactant

By adapting a standard method for precipitationof highdensity lipoprotein cholesterol with phosphotungsticacid (PTA) and Mg2, fetal pulmonary surfactant can be rapidly isolatedfromhumanamnioticfluid,97% of the total disaturated phosphatidylcholinebeing precipitatedfrom the sample. The lecithin/sphingomyelin ratio for 17 separate specimens correlated reasonably well (r = 0.76) with the concentration of disaturated phosphatidylcholine in the PTA precipitate. Using thiobarbituric acid as the chromophore, I measured sialic acid in the PTA precipitate after overnighttreatment with neuraminidase.The sialic acid/proteinratiofor the PTA precipitate was identical to that for the surfactant,as isolated by ultracentnfugation. The concentrations of insulin and Cpeptide were significantlygreater in specimensof amniotic fluid from mothers with diabetes than from non-diabetic mothers (p <0.001). When the specimens were segregated according to a C-peptide cutoff value of 4 g/L, there was a small, significantdecrease in PTA-precipitatedconcentrations of sialic acid in the samples with C-peptide > 4 g/L. The resultssuggesta possiblemechanismfor the increased incidence of respiratory distress among infants born to diabetic mothers.
GRP78, but Not Protein-disulfide Isomerase, Partially Reverses Hyperglycemia-induced Inhibition of Insulin Synthesis and Secretion in Pancreatic β-Cells*

Chronic hyperglycemia contributes to pancreatic β-cell dysfunction during the development of type 2 diabetes. Treatment of pancreatic β-cells with prolonged high glucose concentrations has been shown to reduce insulin promoter activity and insulin gene expression. Here, we examined the effect of high glucose on endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress pathway activation and insulin production in INS-1 832/13 pancreatic β-cells. Treatment of cells with 25 mm glucose for 24-48 h decreased insulin mRNA and protein levels and reduced the proinsulin translation rate, which was accompanied by enhanced unfolded protein response pathway activation (XBP-1 mRNA splicing and increased phospho-eIF2α, CHOP, and active ATF6 levels). Overexpressing the ER chaperone GRP78 partially rescued high glucose-induced suppression of proinsulin levels and improved glucose-stimulated insulin secretion with no effect on insulin 2 mRNA levels. Under these conditions, there was little effect of GRP78 overexpression on ER stress markers. Knockdown of GRP78 expression under basal glucose conditions reduced cellular insulin levels and glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. Thus, GRP78 is essential for insulin biosynthesis, and enhancing chaperone capacity can improve β-cell function in the presence of prolonged hyperglycemia. In contrast, overexpression of the ER chaperone and oxidoreductase protein-disulfide isomerase (PDI) reduced glucose-stimulated insulin secretion and induced ER stress resulting from the accumulation of proinsulin in the ER. These results suggest a role for both GRP78 and PDI in insulin biosynthesis, although an excess of PDI disrupts normal proinsulin processing.
Study on Simulation Algorithm of High-Speed Train Cruising Movement

Train cruising movement simulation module is an important part of high-speed train moving simulation system. According to the actual cruising movement characteristics of high-speed train, it is very important to design high-speed train cruising movement simulation algorithm to improve the calculation accuracy of train moving simulation system. Based on the conditions and the characteristics of high-speed train cruising movement, this paper designs a simulation algorithm for simulating high-speed train cruising movement. Finally, take the part of cruising sections in the Yueyang - Xianning and Zhengzhou - Wuhan as a study case to carry out the simulation of high-speed train cruising movement. The results show that the time error of Simulation System 2 is less than 5%, and that the control process of cruising movement simulation algorithm designed in this paper is closer to the actual cruising movement process of high-speed train.
Meta-synthesis of health behavior change meta-analyses.

OBJECTIVES We integrated and compared meta-analytic findings across diverse behavioral interventions to characterize how well they have achieved change in health behavior. METHODS Outcomes from 62 meta-analyses of interventions for change in health behavior were quantitatively synthesized, including 1011 primary-level investigations with 599,559 participants. Content coding suggested 6 behavioral domains: eating and physical activity, sexual behavior, addictive behaviors, stress management, female-specific screening and intervention behaviors, and behaviors involving use of health services. RESULTS Behavior change interventions were efficacious (mean effect sizes = 0.08-0.45). Behavior change was more evident in more recent meta-analyses; those that sampled older interventions and literatures or sampled more published articles; those that included studies that relied on self-report, used briefer interventions, or sampled fewer, older, or female participants; and in some domains (e.g., stress management) more than others (e.g., sexual behaviors). CONCLUSIONS Interventions improved health-related behaviors; however, efficacy varied as a function of participant and intervention characteristics. This meta-synthesis provides information about the efficacy of behavioral change interventions across health domains and populations; this knowledge can inform the design and development of public health interventions and future meta-analyses of these studies.
Evolving the lock to fit the key to create a family of G protein-coupled receptors potently activated by an inert ligand

We evolved muscarinic receptors in yeast to generate a family of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) that are activated solely by a pharmacologically inert drug-like and bioavailable compound (clozapine-N-oxide). Subsequent screening in human cell lines facilitated the creation of a family of muscarinic acetylcholine GPCRs suitable for in vitro and in situ studies. We subsequently created lines of telomerase-immortalized human pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells stably expressing all five family members and found that each one faithfully recapitulated the signaling phenotype of the parent receptor. We also expressed a Gi-coupled designer receptor in hippocampal neurons (hM4D) and demonstrated its ability to induce membrane hyperpolarization and neuronal silencing. We have thus devised a facile approach for designing families of GPCRs with engineered ligand specificities. Such reverse-engineered GPCRs will prove to be powerful tools for selectively modulating signal-transduction pathways in vitro and in vivo.
A training based Support Vector Machine technique for blood detection in wireless capsule endoscopy images

Wireless capsule endoscopy (WCE) is a non-invasive technique which could detect variety of abnormalities in the small bowel. However, in many cases it is difficult for doctors to distinguish obscure gastrointestinal bleeding of patients; moreover, the diagnosis process of the obtained video could take long time due to the huge number of generated frames. This project provides a method to automatically detect bleeding areas in the WCE images by using Support Vector Machine (SVM) classifier as the main engine with learning based mechanism in order to increase the accuracy. The experiment results show that this could not only advance the accuracy of WCE diagnosis, but also reduce the diagnosis time effectively. To further improve the performance of the proposed approach the length of the learning-based database was also tuned.
Kaposi ’ s Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus-Encoded Latency-Associated Nuclear Antigen Reduces Interleukin-8 Expression in Endothelial Cells and Impairs Neutrophil Chemotaxis by Degrading Nuclear p 65

Latency-associated nuclear antigen 1 (LANA-1) of Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is the major viral latent protein and functions as a multifaceted protein. Here, we report that LANA-1 attenuates the endothelial response to tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF) stimulation and inhibits consequent neutrophil chemotaxis. Reporter assays showed that LANA-1 constantly repressed nuclear factor (NF)B transactivity upon TNFstimulation. We also found that LANA-1 decreased nuclear p65 protein levels through enhancement of polyubiquitylation-mediated p65 degradation and that an elongin B/elongin C–cullin 5–LANA-1–p65 complex assembled by LANA-1 was responsible for this enhanced p65 degradation. In telomerase-immortalized human umbilical vein endothelial cells, LANA-1 was demonstrated to repress interleukin-8 expression, which was involved in neutrophil recruitment to the inflammatory site. Through an in vitro transmigration assay, we determined a suppressive effect of LANA-1 on neutrophil chemotaxis. Our work suggests that KSHV LANA-1 is a negative modulator of acute inflammation and sheds light on a new mechanism by which KSHV during the latent life cycle evades the host innate immune response.
Highly resolved separation and sensitive amperometric detection of amino acids with an assembled microfluidic device

An assembled microfluidic device (AMD) was constructed for highly resolved separation and sensitive amperometric detection of amino acids. In the AMD three polymer retainers were integrated with a quartz capillary and a copper microdisk electrode. A facile ultrasonic method was suggested for the preparation of sampling fracture on the capillary. The fracture led to separation efficiency up to 340 000 plates/m and improved greatly the sensitivity for amino acid detection in an 8 cm long quartz capillary. At a sampling voltage of 100 V for 2 s and a separation voltage of 1800 V (225 V/cm) within 300 s, the linear ranges of 12 amino acids determination at +0.8 V (versus Ag/AgCl) were from 12, 20, 17, 27, 31, 44, 25 and 45 to 750 μM for tryptophan, phenylalanine, methionine, valine, threonine, alanine, serine and glycin, and 4.6, 17, 16 and 49 μM to 1.0 mM for lysine, proline, leucine and tyrosine with the detection limit (S/N=3) down to 1.4 μM for lysine. The designed AMD could be successfully applied to analyze amino acids in beverage samples with recovery from 97.8 to 105.2%, indicating its advantages and potential analytical application in different fields.
Antigenic comparisons of swine-influenza-like H1N1 isolates from pigs, birds and humans: an international collaborative study.

The objective of this international collaborative study was to compare recent swine isolates of influenza viruses and determine whether significant antigenic differences among isolates from different areas of the world could be detected. H1N1 viruses isolated from pigs, birds and humans in 12 different countries were compared in haemagglutination-inhibition assays with post-infection ferret sera and monoclonal antibodies to H1N1 strains. Using A/NJ/8/76 as the reference strain, we found that recent swine isolates from Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, and the USA possess a haemagglutinin virtually indistinguishable from that of viruses typically associated with pigs, i.e., A/NJ/8/76. In contrast, recent swine isolates from several European countries (Belgium, Denmark, France, Federal Republic of Germany, and Spain) were distinguishable from A/NJ/8/76, as demonstrated by tests in the various laboratories. These studies suggest that the H1N1 viruses in pigs are antigenically heterogeneous and that the circulation of particular variants is associated with the geographical location of the animals. These results raise the question of whether these viruses originated from the same source, i.e., pigs, and have undergone antigenic drift or, alternatively, were introduced from other hosts, such as birds.
The Effects of Methylprednisolone and Vitamin A on the Healing of Traumatic Peripheral Nerve Paralysis

OBJECTIVE: This study planned to evaluate the effects of vitamin A (VA) and steroid treatment on nerve healing. Study design: we investigated electrophysiological, electron microscopic (EM), immunohistochemical, and biochemical findings in rat sciatic nerve model. MATERIALS and METHODS: In total, 112 female rats were divided into 16 groups, each consisting of 7 animals. Subjects were evaluated according to compound muscle action potential (CMAP) findings, ultrastructural staging of myelinated axons with EM, nitric oxide (NO) and malondialdehyde (MDA) findings in serum and tissue, and immunohistochemical findings in the first week and first month. RESULTS: NO and MDA levels in serum and tissue were found to be statistically lower after high-dose methylprednisolone (MP), normal-dose MP, high-dose MP+VA, normal-dose, and MP+VA treatment modalities compared to controls (p<0.05). The most similar EM findings compared to control animals were seen in the normal-dose MP and high-dose MP+VA treatment groups. The best amplitude values were seen in the high-dose MP and continuous normal-dose MP therapy groups in the first month. In the normal-dose MP and high-dose MP+VA treatment groups, intense staining was found compared to the control and sham groups according to the sciatic nerve immunohistochemical examination. CONCLUSION: This study revealed noticeable VA effects on the inflammatory process during the healing of traumatic nerve paralysis by electron microscopy and immunohistochemistry. However, similar findings were not established by electrophysiology. Therefore, more experimental studies are needed to further investigate the efficacy and the mechanism of action of VA on steroid administration and the inflammatory process.
Transverse relaxation of solvent protons induced by magnetized spheres: Application to ferritin, erythrocytes, and magnetite

Since 1/T2 of protons of tissue water is generally much greater than 1/T1 at typical imaging fields, small single‐ion contrast agents–such as Gd(DTPA), which make comparable incremental contributions and therefore smaller fractional contributions to 1/T2 compared to 1/T1–are not as desirable for contrast‐enhancement as agents that could enhance 1/T2 preferentially. In principle, such specialized agents will only be effective at higher fields because the field dependence (dispersion) of 1/T1 is such that it approaches zero at high fields whereas 1/T2 approaches a constant value. The residual 1/T2 is called the “secular” contribution and arises from fluctuations in time–as sensed by the protons of diffusing solvent or tissue water molecules–of the component of the magnetic field parallel to the static applied field. For solutions or suspensions of sufficiently large paramagnetic or ferromagnetic particles (⋧250 Å diameter), the paramagnetic contributions to the relaxation rates satisfy 1/T2 ≫ 1/T1 at typical imaging fields. We examine the theory of secular relaxation in some detail, particularly as it applies to systems relevant to magnetic resonance imaging, and then analyze the data for solutions, suspensions, or tissue containing ferritin, erythrocytes, agar‐bound magnetite particles, and liver with lowdensity composite polymer‐coated magnetite. In most cases we can explain the relaxation data, often quantitatively, in terms of the theory of relaxation of protons (water molecules) diffusing in the outer sphere environments of magnetized particles. The dipolar field produced by these particles has a strong spatial dependence, and its apparent fluctuations in time as seen by the diffusing protons produce spin transitions that contribute to both 1/T1 and /T2 comparably at low fields, for the larger particles, because of dispersion, the secular term dominates at fields of interest. On the basis of the agreement of theory with data for solutions of small paramagnetic complexes, large magnetite particles, and liver containing low‐density polymer‐coated magnetite agglomerates, it is argued that the theory is sufficiently reliable so that, e.g., for ferritin–for which 1/T2 is unexpectedly large–the source of its large relaxivity must reside in nonideal chemistry of the ferritin core. For blood, it appears that diffusion through intracellular gradients determines 1/T2. © 1987 Academic Press, Inc.
Low complexity near-optimal unit-selection algorithm for ultra low bit-rate speech coding based on n-best lattice and Viterbi search

We propose a low complexity unit-selection algorithm for ultra low bit-rate speech coding based on a ﬁrst-stage N-best pre-quantization lattice and a second-stage run-length constrained Viterbi search to efﬁciently approximate the complete search space of the fully-optimal unit-selection algorithm recently proposed by us. By this, the proposed low complexity algorithm continues to be near-optimal in terms of rate-distortion performance while having highly reduced complexity
Identification of parametric models with a priori knowledge of process properties

Abstract An approach to estimation of a parametric discrete-time model of a process in the case of some a priori knowledge of the investigated process properties is presented. The knowledge of plant properties is introduced in the form of linear bounds, which can be determined for the coefficient vector of the parametric model studied. The approach yields special biased estimation of model coefficients that preserves demanded properties. A formula for estimation of the model coefficients is derived and combined with a recursive scheme determined for minimization of the sum of absolute model errors. The estimation problem of a model with known static gains of inputs is discussed and proper formulas are derived. This approach can overcome the non-identifiability problem which has been observed during estimation based on measurements recorded in industrial closed-loop control systems. The application of the proposed approach to estimation of a model for an industrial plant (a water injector into the steam flow in a power plant) is presented and discussed.
Anti-Mycobacterium avium activity of quinolones: structure-activity relationship studies

The structures and inhibitory activities of 88 quinolones, previously studied as potential in vitro inhibitors of 14 selected strains of Mycobacterium avium complex, were examined in an effort to identify a quinolone with optimal activity towards all strains. A MULTICASE structure-activity relationship analysis of the inhibitory activities of these 88 quinolones against 14 strains of M. avium was performed and led to the identification of a number of structural constraints required to overcome the resistance of most of the strains. Our data suggested that the increased resistance of the strains was probably not due to a specific resistance mechanism but rather due to gradual limitation of the constraints imposed on the structure of the quinolones. This increasing structural selectivity could be produced either at the level of cell membrane penetration or at the level of interaction with the DNA gyrase receptor site. On the basis of these findings, a number of new quinolones holding the promise of superior activity are currently being evaluated in vitro and in vivo to determine the clinical relevance of our observations.
Subdivision of flagellar genes of Salmonella typhimurium into regions responsible for assembly, rotation, and switching

Three flagellar genes of Salmonella typhimurium (flaAII.2, flaQ, and flaN) were found to be multifunctional, each being associated with four distinct mutant phenotypes: nonflagellate (Fla-), paralyzed (Mot-), nonchemotactic (Che-) with clockwise motor bias, and nonchemotactic (Che-) with counterclockwise motor bias. The distribution of Fla, Mot, and Che mutational sites within each gene was examined. Fla sites were fairly broadly distributed, whereas Mot and Che sites were more narrowly defined. Local subregions rich in sites of one type were not generally rich in sites of another type. Among Che sites, there was little overlap between those corresponding to a clockwise bias and those corresponding to a counterclockwise bias. Our results suggest that within the corresponding gene products there are specialized subregions for flagellar structure, motor rotation, and control of the sense of rotation.