Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Estrogen regulates insulin-like growth factor 1, platelet-derived growth factor A and B, and their receptors in the vascular wall

Background. Peptide growth factors induce vascular smooth muscle cell (SMC) proliferation and migration after vascular injury, leading to arterial stenosis. Estrogen provides vasculoprotective effects by regulating endothelial and vascular SMC function. Methods. We performed aortic denudations in male Wistar rats. One group received 17&bgr;-estradiol, 0.25 mg/kg per day subcutaneously, and the other group vehicle. Growth factor and receptor mRNA in the aorta wall was quantitated at 15 minutes, 3 days, and 7 days after denudation. Western blotting and immunohistochemistry were used to quantify and localize the protein. Results. Aortic injury caused SMC proliferation in the intima and media, indicated by an increase in the number of intimal nuclei and area. Quantitative reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting showed concomitant up-regulation of insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1, platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-B, and PDGF-receptor (R)&agr;. 17&bgr;-estradiol significantly inhibited SMC proliferation and intimal thickening. Similarly, estrogen administration completely suppressed IGF-1 mRNA (P =0.004) and protein but had no effect on IGF-1R. Estrogen had virtually no effect on PDGF-A mRNA or protein levels; however, on day 7, it inhibited PDGF-R&agr; mRNA by 74% (P =0.005) and protein by 67%. On day 7, it also inhibited PDGF-B mRNA expression by 36% (P =0.04) but had little effect on protein. PDGF-R&bgr; expression was unaffected by estrogen. Estradiol treatment reduced immunoreactivity of IGF-1, PDGF-A, PDGF-R&agr;, and PDGF-B in vascular lesions, whereas no changes were seen with respect to IGF-1R and PDGF-R&bgr;. Conclusions. Our findings demonstrate that estrogen regulates IGF-1, PDGF-A, PDGF-B, and PDGF-R&agr;, which may be related to the vasculoprotective effect of estrogen, but has no effect on IGF-1R or PDGF-R&bgr;.
Costs Function Optimization For Prevention Of Firm’s Industrial Risks With Regard To Reinvestment Of Profit

We consider the problem of the firm’s cost function optimization to prevent the industrial risks (i.e., the voluntary risk costs), by the criterion of the total costs with regard to a reinvestment of the firm’s profit. In the paper the voluntary risk costs function of the firm in the perfect competition by the total costs criterion is optimized. The rational strategy of the firm’s risk management consists in a gradual increase of the costs to prevent the risk situations with the production volume growth. The voluntary risk costs function is determined for the power function of the production costs and the exponential decreasing function of the industrial damage for the firm in the perfect competition.
Modular Multilevel Converter DC Fault Protection

High-voltage direct current (HVDC) grids will require the development of dc protections that provide fast fault isolation and minimize the disturbance caused to the existing ac power networks. This paper investigates how the dc fault recovery performance of a half-bridge modular multilevel converter (HB-MMC) is impacted by different dc protection design choices. An HB-MMC point-to-point HVDC system that is protected with dc circuit breakers (CBs) is simulated on a real-time digital simulator using detailed switch models of the converters and switch gear. A dc CB controller has been developed and implemented in a software-in-the-loop fashion, and has been made available free for download. A novel blocking scheme for the HB-MMC is proposed, which limits the prospective dc-side fault current, benefiting dc switch gear. A comparison of circulating current controllers shows that the standard d —q controller is likely to be unsuitable for fault studies. Finally, benchmarking shows that a 48% reduction in power-flow recovery time and a 90% reduction in the energy dissipated in the circuit breaker can be achieved, along with other benefits, depending on the protection design.
Why Am I Seeing This Ad? The Effect of Ad Transparency on Ad Effectiveness

Given the increasingly specific ways marketers can target ads, many consumers and regulators are demanding ad transparency: disclosure of how consumers’ personal information was used to generate ads. We investigate how and why ad transparency impacts ad effectiveness. Drawing on literature about offline norms of information-sharing, we posit that ad transparency backfires when it exposes marketing practices that violate norms about “information flows”—consumers’ beliefs about how their information ought to move between parties. Study 1 inductively shows that consumers deem information flows acceptable (or not) based on whether their personal information was: 1) obtained within versus outside of the website on which the ad appears, and 2) stated by the consumer versus inferred by the firm (the latter of each pair being less acceptable). Studies 2 and 3 show that revealing unacceptable information flows reduces ad effectiveness, which is driven by increasing consumers’ relative concern for their privacy over desire for the personalization that such targeting affords. Study 4 shows the moderating role of platform trust: when consumers trust a platform, revealing acceptable information flows increases ad effectiveness. Studies 5a and 5b, conducted in the field with a loyalty program website (i.e., a trusted platform), demonstrate this benefit of transparency.
Set-invariance analysis for deterioration prediction on a roller-on-tire actuator

The paper deals with the problem of predicting deterioration of a roller-on-tire actuator in presence of unpredictable but bounded motor torques. Set-invariance is used to characterize the nominal behavior of the actuator and the maximal admissible deterioration behavior. A novel index of deterioration is presented and allows to model the mechanical actuator as a polytopic Linear Parameter Varying model. For a given initial deterioration, the probabilistic certification approach is used to numerically predict an interval of "expected time" for reaching the total outage of the actuator. A simulated example illustrates the interest of the proposed approach and its potential integration on future predictive maintenance techniques.
The Impact of Shopping Values on Intention of Online Travel purchase for Mature Consumers: a Mediated Moderation Model

This study attempts to examine the relationships between online shopping values and intention in the purchase behavior of online travel products.It extends prior consumer-centered research by examining the association of perceived risk and the online shopping value with customer satisfaction to discover whether perceived risk moderates the relationship of intention with shopping values and customer satisfaction. Findings from this study reveal that matured consumers’ satisfaction acts as an important mediator which partially mediating the relationship between shopping value and purchase intention. Interestingly, perceived risk is found to have no moderating effects on the relationship of shopping value and purchase intention. Practical implications are recommended at the end of this study.
RSA encryption/decryption in wireless networks using an efficient high speed multiplier

This paper proposes a faster RSA encryption/decryption circuit utilizing a high speed multiplier architecture. The proposed two's complement N XN bit multiplier architecture is based on two concepts: the partial products can be generated in parallel with a delay of d; and thereafter the addition can be reduced to log/sub 2/N steps. The most significant aspect of the proposed RSA hardware is that any future proposed efficient adder can be implemented in the proposed multiplier, without changing the original hardware architecture, thereby improving its efficiency to a great extent. The coding of the RSA is done in Verilog HDL and the FPGA synthesis is done using Xilinx libraries. The result shows that the RSA hardware implemented using the proposed architecture is faster than RSA hardware implemented using the traditional multiplication algorithm.
Global Supply Chains and Cross-Border Financing

This paper provides evidence that the formation of global supply chain partnerships predicts significant increases, relative to otherwise similar firms, in cross-border financing. Our findings are detected in all three major financing markets - equities, syndicated loans, and public debt - as well as for cross-border capital flows in M&A deals. Our findings are robust to controls for standard firm-level determinants, industry- and country-specific shocks, and endogeneity concerns. We propose that our findings reflect an informational channel whereby firms are able to overcome informational obstacles to cross-border financing by integrating into the global supply chain network. In effect, because of the associated due diligence, a new global supply chain partnership can serve to reduce information asymmetry and provide favorable information regarding a firm’s products and operations, as well as its financial health. We provide evidence consistent with an informational channel using a battery of cross-sectional heterogeneity tests, including tests that individually consider firm-level measures of visibility, supply-chain disclosure decisions, cross-country differences in informational environments, and differential effects for suppliers versus customers. Our findings have important implications for firms attempting to identify supply-chain partners, and particularly for decisions on integrating into the global supply-chain network. More broadly, our findings suggest that the information generated by operational activities can have important effects on subsequent financing activities, which contributes to the academic literature at the interface of operations and finance.
Analysis of trans-acting response decoy RNA-mediated inhibition of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 transactivation

Overexpression of trans-acting response element (TAR)-containing sequences (TAR decoys) in CEM SS cells renders cells resistant to human immunodeficiency type 1 (HIV-1) replication. Mutagenesis of TAR was used to investigate the molecular mechanism underlying the observed inhibition. A nucleotide change which disrupts the stem structure of TAR or sequence alterations in the loop abolish the ability of the corresponding TAR decoy RNAs to inhibit HIV replication. A compensatory mutation which restores the stem structure also restores TAR decoy RNA function. Synthesis of viral RNA is drastically reduced in cells expressing a functional TAR decoy RNA, but it is unaffected in cells expressing a mutant form of TAR decoy RNA. It is therefore concluded that overexpression of TAR-containing sequences in CEM SS cells interferes with the process of Tat-mediated transactivation of viral gene expression. However, the phenotype of several mutations suggests that TAR decoy RNA does not inhibit HIV-1 gene expression by simply sequestering Tat but rather does so by sequestering a transactivation protein complex, implying that transactivation requires the cooperative binding of both Tat and a loop-binding cellular factor(s) to TAR. Expression of wild-type or mutant forms of TAR had no discernible effects on cell viability, thus reducing concerns about using TAR decoy RNAs as part of an intracellular immunization protocol for the treatment of AIDS.
Helical computed tomography and alternative diagnosis in patients with excluded pulmonary embolism

Summary. Objective: A clinical diagnosis of pulmonary embolism (PE) is confirmed objectively in 20–30% of patients. Helical computed tomography (CT) can allow an alternative diagnosis to be made. The frequency and validity of alternative diagnoses on helical CT in consecutive patients presenting with clinically suspected PE was assessed. Patients and methods: In all 512 prospectively analyzed patients helical CT scan was performed, and apart from presence or absence of PE, pathologic changes in lung parenchyma, mediastinum, cardiovascular system, pleura and skeleton were recorded. When possible an alternative diagnosis was given and compared with the final diagnosis after 3 months follow‐up. Results: In 130 patients (25.4%) PE was excluded and an alternative diagnosis considered likely. In 123 of the 130 patients (94.6%) this diagnosis was unchanged at 3 months follow‐up. The diagnoses included pneumonia (n = 67), malignancy (n = 22), pleural fluid (n = 10), cardiac failure (n = 10), COPD (n = 6) and a variety of other causes (n = 15). The diagnosis changed at follow‐up in seven patients (5.4%). An initial diagnosis of pneumonia changed to malignancy in two patients and to pleuritis and cardiac failure in one patient each. In two other patients malignancy and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) were ruled out and the diagnosis changed to pneumonia. In one patient the final diagnosis remained unknown after an initial suspicion of malignancy. Conclusion: In clinically suspected PE helical CT allows a reliable alternative diagnosis to be made in 25.4% of patients. This feature is an unique advantage in comparison with other diagnostic tests and supports the decision of taking helical CT as first line test in suspected PE.
Public research and innovative entrepreneurship

This paper provides a first assessment of the degree to which public research contributes to innovative entrepreneurship, using data on start-ups and venture capital (VC). It looks at academic start-ups founded by recent undergraduates and doctorate students or researchers. It shows that academic start-ups represent 15% of all start-ups in the specific sample under scrutiny. Their share is higher in science-based technological fields such as biotechnology (23%). Across the majority of countries and technology fields, start-ups created by undergraduate students represent the highest share of all academic start-ups. As to their performance, start-ups founded by researchers are more likely to patent and those founded by students introduce innovations that are more radical compared to other start-ups. While start-ups founded by undergraduate students receive less VC funding and are less likely to exit via IPO or acquisition, those created by researchers are as successful as their non-academic counterparts.
Transportation, intelligent or smart? On the usage of entropy as an objective function

In this paper we discuss the paradigm shift that has to be understood by the decision makers as well as societies in the field of transportation. It is not sufficient to focus only on mobility as the current strategies do, but we need to look at citizens quality of life as whole. It is affected through different aspects, and only one of them is transportation. We need to provide a better way to participate in activities - increase accessibility of goods and services. This cannot be done with look at transportation only. We need to understand the entire organism of a city. This has been recently understood by the Smart cities initiative. A smart city is defined within this paper as an alliance system, i.e. a system where particular subsystems use the common resources in a synergic way. In order to make this concept work, an objective function following the above mentioned principles must be provided. In this paper, we offer entropy of a city as a promising candidate for such objective function.
The actin‐binding ERM protein Moesin directly regulates spindle assembly and function during mitosis

Ezrin‐Radixin‐Moesin proteins are highly conserved, actin‐binding cytoskeletal proteins that play an essential role in microvilli formation, T‐cell activation, and tumor metastasis by linking actin filaments to the plasma membrane. Recent studies demonstrated that the only Ezrin‐Radixin‐Moesin protein of Drosophila melanogaster, Moesin, is involved in mitotic spindle function through stabilizing cell shape and microtubules at the cell cortex. We previously observed that Moesin localizes to the mitotic spindle; hence, we tested for the biological significance of this surprising localization and investigated whether it plays a direct role in spindle function. To separate the cortical and spindle functions of Moesin during mitosis we combined cell biological and genetic methods. We used early Drosophila embryos, in which mitosis occurs in the absence of a cell cortex, and found in vivo evidence for the direct requirement of Moesin in mitotic spindle assembly and function. We also found that the accumulation of Moesin precedes the construction of the microtubule spindle, and the fusiform structure formed by Moesin persists even after the microtubules have disassembled.
Inventive Capabilities in the Division of Innovative Labor

We study how the inventive capability of a firm conditions its participation in a division of innovative labor. Capable firms are, by definition, able to invent; for them, external inventions substitute for their own R&D. However, external knowledge is an input into internal invention, and thus, more valuable to firms with inventive capability. Using a simple model of innovation and imitation, we explore how inventive capability affects a firm’s R&D investments, and thus whether and how it innovates, imitates, or does neither. Further, we study how these outcomes are conditioned by the supply of external knowledge as well as the supply of external inventions. In an advance over the literature, we treat firm inventive capability as unobserved, and use a latent class multinomial model to infer its value. Using a recent survey of product innovation and the division of innovative labor among US manufacturing firms, we find that high capability firms tend to use internal, rather than externally generated inventions, to innovate, and they use external knowledge to enhance their internal inventive activity. By contrast, lower capability firms are more likely to introduce “me-too” or imitative products, and when they innovate, are more likely to rely on external sources of inventions. Our findings suggest the successful pursuit of R&D-led growth depends both on firm inventive capability and the external knowledge environment.
Self-Concordance of a Volumetric Barrier Suitable for Deriving Decomposition Algorithms for Stochastic Semidefinite Programs

Ariyawansa and Zhu [3] have recently proposed a new class of optimization problems termed stochastic semidefinite programs (SSDP’s). SSDP’s may be viewed as an extension of two-stage stochastic (linear) programs with recourse (SLP’s). Zhao [16] has derived a decomposition algorithm for SLP’s based on a logarithmic barrier and proved its polynomial complexity. Mehrotra and Özevin [9] have extended the work of Zhao [16] to the case of SSDP’s to derive a polynomial logarithmic barrier decomposition algorithm for SSDP’s. An alternative to the logarithmic barrier is the volumetric barrier of Vaidya [12]. The volumetric barrier is technically more complicated than the logarithmic barrier, and there is no work based on the volumetric barrier analogous to that of Zhao [16] for SLP’s or to the work of Mehrotra and Özevin [9] for SSDP’s. The purpose of this paper is to prove self-concordance [10] of a volumetric barrier suitable deriving decomposition algorithms for SSDP’s. Self-concordance is an important preliminary result usually established as part of proving polynomial complexity of interior point algorithms. The results in this paper can be used to derive polynomial volumetric barrier decomposition algorithms for SLP’s as well SSDP’s. Two forthcoming papers will present the details of such algorithms for SLP’s and SSDP’s.
The Role of Risk Perception in Acceptance of Public Health Service : Focus on Water Fluoridation in Incheon City

The Role of Risk Perception in Acceptance of Public Health Service : Focus on Water Fluoridation in Incheon City Jinhee Chun Department of Public Health Major in Health Care Management and Policy Graduate School of Public Health Seoul National University The scope of public health services is expanding in the complex modern society. Health-related information spread rampantly, especially the issues surrounding health safety and effectiveness. Water fluoridation is one example. Initiated in the United States (U.S.) in 1945, the Korean government also implemented this service and the controversy about its political, moral, ethical, and safety issues still remain elusive in many countries that have taken the measures including the U.S. and South Korea. Many studies have conducted the analysis of health benefit/risk, costeffectiveness, and awareness of water fluoridation, but much less have been focused on the in-depth investigation into sociological reasons behind the two opposing views. It is important to know how the public perceives water fluoridation and find the effective ways of proper public health communication. Therefore, this study is focused on the risk perception of water fluoridation and its effects on the public in deciding whether to accept
Pro-in fl ammatory dietary intake as a risk factor for CVD in men : a 5-year longitudinal study

Convincing evidence has identified inflammation as an initiator of atherosclerosis, underpinning CVD. We investigated (i) whether dietary inflammation, as measured by the ‘dietary inflammatory index (DII)’, was predictive of 5-year CVD in men and (ii) its predictive ability compared with that of SFA intake alone. The sample consisted of 1363 men enrolled in the Geelong Osteoporosis Study who completed an FFQ at baseline (2001–2006) (excluding participants who were identified as having previous CVD). DII scores were computed from participants’ reported intakes of carbohydrate, micronutrients and glycaemic load. DII scores were dichotomised into a pro-inflammatory diet (positive values) or an antiinflammatory diet (negative values). The primary outcome was a formal diagnosis of CVD resulting in hospitalisation over the 5-year study period. In total, seventy-six events were observed during the 5-year follow-up period. Men with a pro-inflammatory diet at baseline were twice as likely to experience a CVD event over the study period (OR 2·07; 95% CI 1·20, 3·55). This association held following adjustment for traditional CVD risk factors and total energy intake (adjusted OR 2·00; 95% CI 1·03, 3·96). This effect appeared to be stronger with the inclusion of an age-by-DII score interaction. In contrast, SFA intake alone did not predict 5-year CVD events after adjustment for covariates (adjusted OR 1·40; 95% CI 0·73, 2·70). We conclude that an association exists between a pro-inflammatory diet and CVD in Australian men. CVD clinical guidelines and public health recommendations may have to expand to include dietary patterns in the context of vascular inflammation.
Scattering by Conducting Bodies Coated With Bi-Isotropic Materials

Electromagnetic scattering by arbitrarily shaped conducting bodies coated with general bi-isotropic materials is formulated in terms of the surface integral equation method. In order to facilitate the implementation of the surface equivalence principle, a field decomposition scheme is utilized to split a bi-isotropic media into two equivalent isotropic media. By enforcing the boundary condition on the interfaces of the body, a set of coupled integral equations is finally obtained for the unknown surface currents and then numerically solved using the moment methods combined with the vector triangular basis function. The fast multipole technique has been embedded into the algorithm to accelerate the solution process. The validity of theoretical formulations is verified by numerical results and their comparisons. The calculated results for bi-isotropically coated conducting spheres and oblate spheroids are compared with the exact solution and the existing data, and excellent agreements are observed.