Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
1 An Empirical Analysis of Consumer Purchase Decisions under Price-Discrimination Bucket Pricing

Price-Discrimination bucket pricing (PDBP) is a unique price format that usually involves monthly subscription fees and instantaneous quotas. We propose an empirical model in which consumers make dynamic purchase decisions under consumption uncertainty, accounting for the constraints imposed by the instantaneous quota. Applying the model to an online DVD rental data, we find that (1) consumers have a large disutility (~$8) related to stockout (i.e., unmet consumption needs due to the quota limit), (2) such disutility drives the consumers’ overpurchase of the service quota as a way to avoid potential stockout situations and (3) the dynamics of overpurchase are driven by the interplay between trends in consumption needs and the magnitude of consumers’ plan-switching costs. We run counterfactual exercises to better understand how the instantaneous quota and stockout risk affect consumers’ consumption rates, purchase decisions and firm profitability. We find that the company does not benefit from replacing the instantaneous quota with a monthly quota, or from allowing consumers to cover their stockout with a marginal fee. We further demonstrate that the company should recognize the drivers of the dynamics in overpurchase to balance the shortand long-term profitability for example, by offering targeted discounts to customers with excess overpurchase.
Indirect resolution of thiol enantiomers by high-performance liquid chromatography with a fluorescent chiral tagging reagent

The fluorescent chiral tagging reagent, 4-(3-isothiocyanatopyrrolidin-1-yl)- 7-(N,N-dimethylaminosulfonyl)-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole (DBD-PyNCS), was utilized for the resolution of thiol enantiomers as diastereomeric derivatives. The reagent reacts with thiol enantiomers in the presence of pyridine to produce the corresponding dithiocarbamate diastereomers under mild reaction conditions (50 °C for 40 min). The fluorescence properties (maximum wavelengths and intensities) of the derivatives were dependent on the solvents in the medium. Several thiols derivatized with the proposed reagent were efficiently resolved by an ODS column with water–acetonitrile containing 0.1% v/v trifluoroacetic acid as the mobile phase. The resolution (Rs) values of the thiols tested were in the range 1.05–3.33 for the diastereomers obtained with R-(–)-DBD-PyNCS. The detection limits (signal-to-noise ratio of 3) with the proposed HPLC separation and fluorescence detection were in the range 0.4–2.4 pmol. The dithiocarbamate of tiopronin resulting from the labelling reaction with R-(–)-DBD-PyNCS was fairly stable. However, the fluorophore moiety in the diastereomer produced from penicillamine transferred from the thiol functional group to the amino group (S → N conversion) with increasing reaction time. Finally, N,S-double labelled compounds were produced from the tagging reaction with excess amounts of DBD-PyNCS. These structures were elucidated from the fragments of molecular (M + H)+ and product ions by on-line HPLC–electrospray ionization MS–MS.
Stoichiometry of the α9α10 Nicotinic Cholinergic Receptor

The α9 and α10 nicotinic cholinergic subunits assemble to form the receptor that mediates synaptic transmission between efferent olivocochlear fibers and hair cells of the cochlea. They are the latest vertebrate nicotinic cholinergic receptor (nAChR) subunits that have been cloned, and their identification has established a distant early divergent branch within the nAChR gene family. The α10 subunit serves as a “structural” component leading to heteromeric α9α10 nAChRs with distinct properties. We now have probed the stoichiometry of recombinant α9α10 nAChRs expressed in Xenopus oocytes. We have made use of the analysis of the population of receptors assembled from a wild-type subunit and its partner α9 or α10 subunit bearing a reporter mutation of a valine to threonine at position 13′ of the second transmembrane domain (TM2). Because the mutation increased the sensitivity of the receptor for acetylcholine (ACh) but mutations at different subunits were not equivalent, the number of α9 and α10 subunits could be inferred from the number of components in compound concentration-response curves to ACh. The results were confirmed via the analysis of the effects of a mutation to threonine at position 17′ of TM2. Because at this position the mutations at different subunits were equivalent, the stoichiometry was inferred directly from the shifts in the ACh EC50 values. We conclude that the recombinant α9α10 receptor is a pentamer with a (α9)2(α10)3 stoichiometry.
Kernel method for speech source activity detection in multi-modal signals

We consider a problem setup, in which a desired speech source is measured by a microphone and by a video camera in an interfering environment. We assume that the interfering sources in the audio signal are independent of the interfering sources in the video signal (e.g., the video signal does not capture the interfering speakers). Our objective in this paper is to detect the activity of the desired source. To address this problem, we take a kernel based geometric approach for obtaining a representation of the measured signal, in which the effect of the interfering sources is reduced. Based on this representation, we devise a measure for the activity of the desired source; experimental results demonstrate its superiority compared to competing methods in the detection of speech signals in the presence of different challenging types of interferences, including interfering speakers in the audio signal.
Desenvolvimento de fluidos aquosos com bentonita para perfuração de poços de petróleo onshore

Devido aos grandes desafios encontrados na perfuracao de pocos, ha a necessidade de se desenvolver fluidos com propriedades adequadas e capazes de atender todas as exigencias da perfuracao, como elevada capacidade de carreamento de solidos e alta lubricidade, como tambem fluidos ambientalmente corretos. O grau de impacto dos fluidos de perfuracao no meio ambiente depende especialmente do tipo de fluido utilizado, se de base aquosa, oleosa, sintetica ou mesmo de base ar. Portanto, e de fundamental importância o desenvolvimento de fluidos com caracteristicas especificas em cada etapa da perfuracao. Sendo assim, este trabalho objetivou o desenvolvimento de fluidos aquosos, com baixo teor de solidos e propriedades reologicas, de filtracao e lubricidade adequadas a perfuracao de pocos de petroleo onshore. Os fluidos foram formulados utilizando em sua composicao bentonita sodica industrializada, aditivos polimericos e lubrificantes, em diferentes concentracoes. O estudo reologico, de filtracao e lubricidade mostrou que os fluidos apresentam comportamento pseudoplastico e que os aditivos selecionados desempenham com exito suas funcoes de modificadores reologicos, redutores de filtrado e agente lubrificante. Alem disto, ficou evidenciada a necessidade de aditivos lubrificantes em fluidos aquosos contendo argila bentonitica e polimeros. A adicao de 1% de lubrificante no fluido e suficiente para adequar a capacidade lubrificante dos fluidos.
Uncovering the cellular and molecular changes in tendon stem/progenitor cells attributed to tendon aging and degeneration

Although the link between altered stem cell properties and tissue aging has been recognized, the molecular and cellular processes of tendon aging have not been elucidated. As tendons contain stem/progenitor cells (TSPC), we investigated whether the molecular and cellular attributes of TSPC alter during tendon aging and degeneration. Comparing TSPC derived from young/healthy (Y‐TSPC) and aged/degenerated human Achilles tendon biopsies (A‐TSPC), we observed that A‐TSPC exhibit a profound self‐renewal and clonogenic deficits, while their multipotency was still retained. Senescence analysis showed a premature entry into senescence of the A‐TSPC, a finding accompanied by an upregulation of p16INK4A. To identify age‐related molecular factors, we performed microarray and gene ontology analyses. These analyses revealed an intriguing transcriptomal shift in A‐TSPC, where the most differentially expressed probesets encode for genes regulating cell adhesion, migration, and actin cytoskeleton. Time‐lapse analysis showed that A‐TSPC exhibit decelerated motion and delayed wound closure concomitant to a higher actin stress fiber content and a slower turnover of actin filaments. Lastly, based on the expression analyses of microarray candidates, we suggest that dysregulated cell–matrix interactions and the ROCK kinase pathway might be key players in TSPC aging. Taken together, we propose that during tendon aging and degeneration, the TSPC pool is becoming exhausted in terms of size and functional fitness. Thus, our study provides the first fundamental basis for further exploration into the molecular mechanisms behind tendon aging and degeneration as well as for the selection of novel tendon‐specific therapeutical targets.
Th1 Response and Cytotoxicity Genes Are Down-Regulated in Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma

Purpose: Increased production of Th2 cytokines characterizes Sezary syndrome, the leukemic form of cutaneous T-cell lymphomas (CTCL). To identify the molecular background and to study whether shared by the most common CTCL subtype, mycosis fungoides, we analyzed the gene expression profiles in both subtypes. Experimental Design: Freshly isolated cells from 30 samples, representing skin, blood, and enriched CD4+ cell populations of mycosis fungoides and Sezary syndrome, were analyzed with Affymetrix (Santa Clara, CA) oligonucleotide microarrays, quantitative PCR, or immunohistochemistry. The gene expression profiles were combined with findings of comparative genomic hybridization of the same samples to identify chromosomal changes affecting the aberrant gene expression. Results: We identified a set of Th1-specific genes [e.g., TBX21 (T-bet), NKG7, and SCYA5 (RANTES)] to be down-regulated in Sezary syndrome as well as in a proportion of mycosis fungoides samples. In both Sezary syndrome and mycosis fungoides blood samples, the S100P and LIR9 gene expression was up-regulated. In lesional skin, IL7R and CD52 were up-regulated. Integration of comparative genomic hybridization and transcriptomic data identified chromosome arms 1q, 3p, 3q, 4q, 12q, 16p, and 16q as likely targets for new CTCL-associated gene aberrations. Conclusions: Our findings revealed several new genes involved in CTCL pathogenesis and potential therapeutic targets. Down-regulation of a set of genes involved in Th1 polarization, including the major Th1-polarizing factor, TBX21, was for the first time associated with CTCL. In addition, a plausible explanation for the proliferative response of CTCL cells to locally produced interleukin-7 was revealed.
Filtering LiDAR Data Using Binary Quadric Trend Surface and Morphological Approaches

Automatically identifying and removing above-ground laser points from terrain surface is proved to be a challenging task for complicated and discontinuous scenarios. Eight methods have been developed and contrasted with each other for filtering LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) data. Only one approach is difficult to acquire high precisions for various landscapes. This paper presents a method filtering point clouds in which firstly a binary quadric trend surface is used to remove most non-terrain points by a defined height threshold and subsequently a progressive morphological filter further is employed to detect ground measurements. The experimental results demonstrate that this method yields less type I and total errors compared with other eight approaches based on ISPRS sample data sets.
Regulation of Jak1 and Jak2 Synthesis through Non-Classical Progestin Receptors

The anteroventral periventricular (AVPV) nucleus of the hypothalamus integrates estradiol (E2) and progesterone (P4) feedback signals from the ovaries to stimulate gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) neurons and trigger an ovulatory surge in luteinizing hormone (LH). E2 maintains the daily cyclic LH surge and P4 quickly amplifies the surge and limits it to one day. P4 amplification of the surge and rapid signaling in the AVPV may occur through its non-classical progestin receptors. Previous in vitro studies using a microarray analysis with N42 mouse embryonic hypothalamic neurons suggest that progesterone membrane component 1 (Pgrmc1) regulates genes linked to the janus kinase (Jak)/signal transducer and activator of transcription (Stat) signaling pathway. I hypothesized that P4 alters Jak/Stats through Pgrmc1 regulation of one or more Jak or Stat molecules and then performed a set of in vitro and in vivo studies to test this. I transfected N42 cells with either scramble or Pgrmc1 siRNA followed by treatment with either ethanol vehicle control or 10 nM P4 and measured Jak1, Jak2, Stat3, Stat5a, Stat5b, and Stat6 mRNA levels via quantitative polymerase chain reaction iv (QPCR). Jak1 and Jak2 mRNAs increased with P4 treatments, and this upregulation required Pgrmc1. Silencing Pgrmc1 in the cells also produced an increase in Jak1 and Jak2 mRNA, suggesting that Pgrmc1 constitutively suppressed jak1 and jak2 in the absence of P4. None of the Stats were significantly regulated by P4 or Pgrmc1 silencing. To determine how Pgrmc1 regulates Jak/Stat in vivo, I took AVPV microdissections from Pgrmc1 and Pgrmc2 double conditional knockout (DCKO) mice and looked at gene expression of jak/stat. Transcript levels of Jak2, but not Jak1, were severely downregulated in the DCKO animals and Stat mRNAs were not significantly changed. Discrepancies from in vitro and in vivo data prompted me to analyze the role of the class II progestin and adipoQ (Paqr) receptors in Jak/Stat signaling. P4 treatments and siRNA experiments in N42 cells showed that Paqr8, but not Paqr7, was required for P4 upregulation of Jak1 and Jak2 mRNAs. Overall, these findings show that Pgrmc1 regulates Jak1 and Jak2 synthesis in a P4-dependent and-independent manner that requires interaction with Paqr8.
Metabolomics Coupled with Proteomics Advancing Drug Discovery toward More Agile Development of Targeted Combination Therapies*

To enhance the therapeutic efficacy and reduce the adverse effects of traditional Chinese medicine, practitioners often prescribe combinations of plant species and/or minerals, called formulae. Unfortunately, the working mechanisms of most of these compounds are difficult to determine and thus remain unknown. In an attempt to address the benefits of formulae based on current biomedical approaches, we analyzed the components of Yinchenhao Tang, a classical formula that has been shown to be clinically effective for treating hepatic injury syndrome. The three principal components of Yinchenhao Tang are Artemisia annua L. , Gardenia jasminoids Ellis, and Rheum Palmatum L. , whose major active ingredients are 6,7-dimethylesculetin (D), geniposide (G), and rhein (R), respectively. To determine the mechanisms underlying the efficacy of this formula, we conducted a systematic analysis of the therapeutic effects of the DGR compound using immunohistochemistry, biochemistry, metabolomics, and proteomics. Here, we report that the DGR combination exerts a more robust therapeutic effect than any one or two of the three individual compounds by hitting multiple targets in a rat model of hepatic injury. Thus, DGR synergistically causes intensified dynamic changes in metabolic biomarkers, regulates molecular networks through target proteins, has a synergistic/additive effect, and activates both intrinsic and extrinsic pathways.
Distributed Text-to-Image Encryption Algorithm

Data encryption techniques are used to protect data against hackers. Text-to-Image encryption algorithm (TTIE) is an encryption algorithm proposed for data encryption. The TTIE algorithm is used to map a given text into an image. The algorithm was analyzed and it was found that the dominant time is the storage time, i.e., saving images on the hard disk). In this paper, it is analyzed that the TTIE algorithm on a single machine when a large data collection is used. A high running time is recorded. To overcome this problem a distributed TTIE (DTTIE) algorithm is proposed in order to investigate reducing the encryption time. In DTTIE a server is responsible for distributing a large data collection (5.77 GBytes) among a cluster of nodes in a round robin fashion. Each node encrypts the document it receives into an image and then stores the resulting image on its local disk. In this paper the speed up of the proposed algorithm DTTIE is calculated.
Dissociative Disorders Among Chinese Inpatients Diagnosed with Schizophrenia

The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of dissociative disorders in a sample of Chinese psychiatric inpatients. Participants in the study were 569 consecutively admitted inpatients at Shanghai Mental Health Center, China, of whom 84.9% had a clinical diagnosis of schizophrenia based on the Chinese Classification and Diagnostic Criteria of Mental Disorders, Version 3. All participants completed a self-report measure of dissociation (the Dissociative Experiences Scale), and none had a prior diagnosis of a dissociative disorder. A total of 96 randomly selected participants were interviewed with a structured interview (the Dissociative Disorders Interview Schedule) and a clinical interview. These 96 patients did not differ significantly from the 473 patients who were not interviewed on any demographic measures or who did not complete the self-report dissociation measure. A total of 28 patients (15.3%, after weighting of the data) received a clinical diagnosis of a dissociative disorder based on Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed., text rev.) criteria. Dissociative identity disorder was diagnosed in 2 patients (0.53%, after weighting). Compared to the patients without a dissociative disorder, patients with dissociative disorders were significantly more likely to report childhood abuse (57.1% vs. 22.1%), but the 2 groups did not differ significantly on any demographic measures. Dissociative disorders were readily identified in an inpatient psychiatric population in China.
Maternal hyperthyroidism in rats impairs stress coping of adult offspring

Given the evidence that maternal hyperthyroidism (MH) compromises expression of neuronal cytoskeletal proteins in the late fetal brain by accelerated neuronal differentiation, we investigated possible consequences of MH for the emotional and cognitive functions of adult offspring during acute and subchronic stress coping. Experimental groups consisted of male rat offspring from mothers implanted with osmotic minipumps infusing either thyroxine (MH) or vehicle (Ctrl) during pregnancy. Body weight and T4 level were monitored during the first 3 postnatal months, and no differences were found with the controls. We analyzed hippocampal CA3 pyramidal neurons and dentate granular cell morphology during several postnatal stages and found increased dendritic arborization. On postnatal day 90 a modified subchronic mild stress (SCMS) protocol was applied to experimental subjects for 10 days. The Morris water maze was used before, during, and after application of the SCMS protocol to measure spatial learning. The tail suspension test (TST) and forced‐swimming test (FST) were used to evaluate behavioral despair. The MH rats displayed normal locomotor activity and spatial memory prior to SCMS, but impaired spatial learning after acute and chronic stress. In both the FST and TST we found that MH rats spent significantly more time immobile than did controls. Serum corticosterone level was found to increase after 30 min of restraint stress, and corticotropin‐releasing factor immunoreactivity was found to be increased in the central nucleus of the amygdala. Our results suggest that MH in rats leads to the offspring being more vulnerable to stress in adulthood. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
IRC-083927 is a new tubulin binder that inhibits growth of human tumor cells resistant to standard tubulin-binding agents

Tubulin is a validated target for antitumor drugs. However, the effectiveness of these microtubule-interacting agents is limited by the fact that they are substrates for drug efflux pumps (P-glycoprotein) and/or by the acquisition of point mutations in tubulin residues important for drug-tubulin binding. To bypass these resistance systems, we have identified and characterized a novel synthetic imidazole derivative IRC-083927, which inhibits the tubulin polymerization by a binding to the colchicine site. IRC-083927 inhibits in vitro cell growth of human cancer cell lines in the low nanomolar range. More interesting, it remains highly active against cell lines resistant to microtubule-interacting agents (taxanes, Vinca alkaloids, or epothilones). Such resistances are due to the presence of efflux pumps (NCI-H69/LX4 resistant to navelbine and paclitaxel) and/or the presence of mutations on β-tubulin and on α-tubulin and β-tubulin (A549.EpoB40/A549.EpoB480 resistant to epothilone B or paclitaxel). IRC-083927 displayed cell cycle arrest in G2-M phase in tumor cells, including in the drug-resistant cells. In addition, IRC-083927 inhibited endothelial cell proliferation in vitro and vessel formation in the low nanomolar range supporting an antiangiogenic behavior. Finally, chronic oral treatment with IRC-083927 (5 mg/kg) inhibits the growth of two human tumor xenografts in nude mice (C33-A, human cervical cancer and MDA-MB-231, human hormone-independent breast cancer). Together, the antitumor effects induced by IRC-083927 on tumor models resistant to tubulin agents support further investigations to fully evaluate its potential for the treatment of advanced cancers, particularly those resistant to current clinically available drugs. [Mol Cancer Ther 2008;7(8):2426–34]
Flame surface modification of polypropylene film

Contact-angle measurements, the ASTM standard wetting test for polyolefin films, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS or ESCA) were used to characterize flame-treated polypropylene (PP) films. Two combustion models, STANJAN and PREMIX, were then used to determine the chemical and physical properties of the flames used to treat the PP films. Both the flame equivalence ratio and the position of the PP film in the flame are important variables in determining the extent of oxidation and improvement in wettability obtained by flame treating. The optimal equivalence ratio for the flame treatment of PP is 0.93, while the optimal luminous flame-to-film distance is 0-2 mm. Modeling of the combustion processes occurring in the flame provides evidence that the extent of treatment correlates closely with the concentrations of H, O, and OH radicals present in the flame. The extent of surface modification of the flame-treated PP does not appear to correlate with either the flame temperature or the concentraion of .