Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Regulation of placental villous angiopoietin‐1 and ‐2 expression by estrogen during baboon pregnancy

We recently showed an increase in vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), decrease in angiopoietin‐1 (Ang‐1) and unaltered Ang‐2 expression by the villous placenta with advancing baboon pregnancy. Moreover, placental VEGF expression was increased by estrogen in early pregnancy. In the present study, we determined whether placental Ang‐1 and Ang‐2 are regulated by estrogen. Ang‐1 and Ang‐2 mRNA and protein were determined by RT‐PCR and immunocytochemistry in the placenta of baboons on Day 60 of gestation (term is 184 days) after administration of estrogen precursor androstenedione on Days 25–59 or on Day 54 after acute estradiol administration. Chronic androstenedione treatment increased serum estradiol levels three‐fold (P < 0.001) and decreased (P < 0.05) villous cytotrophoblast Ang‐1 mRNA to a level (0.36 ± 0.08 relative to 18S rRNA) that was one‐third of that in untreated animals (0.98 ± 0.26). Within 2 hr of estradiol administration, cytotrophoblast Ang‐1 mRNA was decreased to a level (0.24 ± 0.05) one‐fifth (P < 0.05) of that in untreated animals (1.14 ± 0.23). However, Ang‐2 mRNA levels were unaltered. Ang‐1, Ang‐2 and estrogen receptors α and β protein were localized within villous cytotrophoblasts providing a mechanism for estrogen action at this site. In summary, estrogen increased VEGF, decreased Ang‐1, and had no effect on Ang‐2 expression within placental cytotrophoblasts during early baboon pregnancy. We propose that the estrogen‐dependent differential regulation of these angioregulatory factors underpins the unique pattern of neovascularization established within the villous placenta during primate pregnancy. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 75: 504–511, 2008. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Adenovirus mediated gene delivery to the joints of guinea pigs.

OBJECTIVE To clarify in vivo applicability of adenovirus mediated gene delivery to examine a gene therapy for human joint diseases. METHODS We directly injected vectors harbouring beta-galactosidase gene and transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta1 gene into the joints of Hartley guinea pigs. Expressions of delivered LacZ were examined by 5-bromo-4-chloro-3-indolyl-beta-D-galactoside staining and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. The levels of TGF-beta1 that were delivered to the joint and then transferred to the joint fluid were assessed by ELISA. RESULTS LacZ expression was observed in almost all synovial tissue samples and in chondrocytes on the surface of degenerated cartilage. In the other organs, expression of delivered genes was not observed. For 2 weeks following gene delivery TGF-beta1 levels in joint fluid were significantly higher than the levels in the controls for 2 weeks. CONCLUSION Direct gene delivery into the joint cavity is feasible with the in vivo gene delivery method using adenovirus vector and would be clinically applicable.
Mechanistic analysis of solute transport in an in vitro physiological two‐phase dissolution apparatus

In vitro dissolution methodologies that adequately capture the oral bioperformance of solid dosage forms are critical tools needed to aid formulation development. Such methodologies must encompass important physiological parameters and be designed with drug properties in mind. Two‐phase dissolution apparatuses, which contain an aqueous phase in which the drug dissolves (representing the dissolution/solubility component) and an organic phase into which the drug partitions (representing the absorption component), have the potential to provide meaningful predictions of in vivo oral bioperformance for some BCS II, and possibly some BCS IV drug products. Before such an apparatus can be evaluated properly, it is important to understand the kinetics of drug substance partitioning from the aqueous to the organic medium. A mass transport analysis was performed of the kinetics of partitioning of drug substance solutions from the aqueous to the organic phase of a two‐phase dissolution apparatus. Major assumptions include pseudo‐steady‐state conditions, a dilute aqueous solution and diffusion‐controlled transport. Input parameters can be measured or estimated a priori. This paper presents the theory and derivation of our analysis, compares it with a recent kinetic approach, and demonstrates its effectiveness in predicting in vitro partitioning profiles of three BCS II weak acids in four different in vitro two‐phase dissolution apparatuses. Very importantly, the paper discusses how a two‐phase apparatus can be scaled to reflect in vivo absorption kinetics and for which drug substances the two‐phase dissolution systems may be appropriate tools for measuring oral bioperformance. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Multidimensional Inequality Across Three Developed Countries

This paper produces comparable estimates of multidimensional inequality for the U.S., Germany, and Australia. Two alternative approaches with differing interpretations are employed. The first method projects all facets of welfare onto a single variable which is then analyzed using standard univariate techniques. The second approach establishes equivalent‐income distributions that would lead to an equalization of welfare, such that the difference between this counterfactual and the true income distribution can be measured. This difference is then interpreted as the degree of income redistribution required to offset welfare inequality. Using data on permanent incomes, health scores, years of education, and leisure times, we observe much higher levels of inequality in the U.S. than in Germany or Australia. Our results are highly statistically significant and hold over a large variety of weighting specifications.
Increased Expression of NAPDH Oxidase 4 in Systemic Sclerosis Dermal Fibroblasts: Regulation by Transforming Growth Factor β

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is characterized by severe and often progressive fibrosis of the skin and multiple internal organs. The mechanisms responsible for these alterations remain obscure, although excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS)–mediated oxidative stress has been implicated. NOX‐4 is 1 of 7 isoforms of NADPH oxidase responsible for the generation of ROS. The purpose of this study was to examine NOX‐4 expression in skin and cultured dermal fibroblasts from SSc patients and to examine its regulation by transforming growth factor β1 (TGFβ1).
Haze measurement and scattering analysis of novel indium-tin-oxide (ITO) nanowhiskers for enhance absorption in thin-film solar cells

Light trapping techniques such as textured interfaces and highly reflective back contacts are important to thin-film solar cells. Scattering at rough interfaces inside a solar cell leads to enhanced absorption due to an increased optical path length in the active layers, which is generally characterized by a haze ratio. In this work, we demonstrate the measured haze characteristics of indium tin oxide nanowhiskers deposited on an ITO-coated glass substrate. A theoretical model based on a classical Mie theory is also employed to analyze the scattering effects of nanowhiskers. The calculated haze-ratio of an ITO whisker layer matches the measurement closely.
Operationalizing the definition of e-leadership: identifying the elements of e-leadership

The effects of the ongoing digital revolution have been profound and have been studied in many contexts such as government interaction with the public (e-participation) and administrative structures (e-administration). However, the study of how the digital revolution has changed leaders’ interactions with followers via information and communication technologies (ICTs) has been modest, and the theory building in organizational studies and public administration has been, for the most part, nonexistent. A major reason for this lack of progress is the inability to produce an operational definition of e-leadership that spans telework, team, and enterprise settings. The article examines an exploratory case study to propose an operational definition based on six factors (or broad e-competencies) for e-leadership. Research limitations and future research opportunities are discussed. Points for practitioners E-leadership, technology-mediated leadership, has become critically important for leaders at all levels, both inside and outside of the organization. E-leadership is as much about blending technologies and traditional communication as it is about simply using more ICT-mediated communication. While there is a lot of consistency in the types of leadership skills needed in traditional and virtual environments, they are not the same and the differences are critical to success and failure. The areas in which competence in e-skills were most important included: e-communication, e-social skills, e-team building, e-change management, e-technology skills, and e-trustworthiness.
Electronic Structures Above Mobility Edges in Crystalline and Amorphous In-Ga-Zn-O: Percolation Conduction Examined by Analytical Model

Electronic structures and carrier transport mechanisms in disordered oxide semiconductors, crystalline InGaO<sub>3</sub>(ZnO)<i>m</i> (<i>m</i> = 1, 5) (c-IGZO) and amorphous InGaZnO<sub>4</sub> (a-IGZO), are examined based on a percolation conduction model. Donor levels (<i>E</i> <sub>d</sub>) and densities (<i>N</i> <sub>D</sub>) are estimated by numerical calculations of free electron densities (<i>n</i> <sub>e</sub>) obtained by Hall measurements. It shows that the donor levels are rather deep, ~0.15 eV for c-IGZO and ~0.11 eV for a-IGZO. This analysis indicates that use of a simple analytical relation of <i>ne</i> prop exp(-<i>Ed</i>/2<i>kT</i>) can not always be used to estimate <i>E</i> <sub>d</sub> and <i>N</i> <sub>D</sub> even for a low <i>n</i> <sub>e</sub> film because the film can be in the saturation regime at room temperature if <i>E</i> <sub>d</sub> and <i>N</i> <sub>D</sub> are small, which is actually the case for a-IGZO. The temperature dependences of electron mobilities are analyzed using an analytical equation of the percolation conduction model, which reveals that distributed potential barriers exist above mobility edges in IGZO with average heights 30-100 meV and distribution widths 5-20 meV, which depend on atomic structure and deposition condition of IGZO films. High-quality a-IGZO films have the lowest potential barriers among the IGZO films examined, in spite that a-IGZO has a more disordered amorphous structure than c-IGZO have. It is explained by the partly disordered structure of c-IGZO.
Draft Genome Sequence of Pseudomonas fluorescens Strain ITEM 17298, Associated with Cheese Spoilage

ABSTRACT Pseudomonas fluorescens is a genetically and phenotypically heterogeneous species that is often reported as a spoiler of fresh foods, but it has recently been implicated in clinical infection. In this study, we sequenced the genome of P. fluorescens strain ITEM 17298, isolated from mozzarella cheese and able to cause several alterations under cold storage.
Étude de la balance coûts/recettes de la pratique de la dissection sous-muqueuse au CHU de Limoges

Introduction : La dissection sous muqueuse (ESD) est un acte d’endoscopie interventionnelle recent permettant le traitement des lesions cancereuses superficielles du tube digestif de plus de 2 cm en utilisant de nouveaux dispositifs medicaux (DM) couteux appeles couteaux de dissection. L’absence de code specifique a l’ESD dans la classification commune des actes medicaux contraint les etablissements de sante a coder l’intervention en mucosectomie conventionnelle ; il nous a donc paru necessaire de realiser une etude evaluant la balance couts/recettes des sejours des patients hospitalises pour dissection sous muqueuse. Patients et Methodes : Il s'agit d'une etude economique prospective portant sur l'ensemble des sejours d'hospitalisation pour dissection sous-muqueuse entre janvier et decembre 2015. La balance financiere du sejour a ete calculee en soustrayant a la recette GHS (Groupe homogene de sejour) du sejour le cout total du sejour. Ce cout total du sejour etait obtenu en additionnant les couts fixes non ventilables a la journee, les couts fixes ventilables a la journee et des couts variables recueillis par microcosting. Resultats : 37 patients ont ete inclus. 30 sejours ont presente une balance couts/recettes negative pour l'etablissement. Le surcout total pour l’hopital etait de 32202,78 euros non pris en charge par la securite sociale. L’attribution au sejour d’un Groupement homogene de malade (GHM) de niveau de severite superieur a 1 et la presence de cancer sur les resultats anatomopathologiques semblaient augmenter la probabilite d’obtenir une balance financiere beneficiaire pour l’hopital. Le cout de l’acte representait en moyenne 53,7 % du cout total du sejour. Conclusion : La pratique de l’ESD engendre un surcout financier pour l’hopital. Cependant le benefice medical pour le patient et le cout moindre de cette technique par rapport a la chirurgie doit faire recommander sa pratique et un acte classant ESD adapte a ce surcout doit etre cree.
Are Green Car Drivers Friendly Drivers? A Study of Taiwan's Automobile Insurance Market

By integrating claims data from Taiwan's compulsory liability insurance with a unique data set on driving mileage records for each car, this article examines whether green car drivers have lower accident risk. We find that after controlling for the mileage driven per car, the traffic accident risk of green car drivers is significantly lower. Our empirical evidence also confirms that green car drivers are, on average, high-mileage drivers. Moreover, driving more results in a higher accident probability for green car drivers despite their being lower-risk drivers. The policy implications are discussed.
Positive Gaze Preferences in Older Adults: Assessing the Role of Cognitive Effort with Pupil Dilation

ABSTRACT Older adults display positive preferences in their gaze, consistent with their prioritization of emotion regulation goals. While some research has argued that substantial amounts of cognitive effort are necessary for these information-processing preferences to occur, other work suggests that these attentional patterns unfold with minimal cognitive exertion. The current study used an implicit regulatory context (i.e., viewing facial stimuli of varying emotions) to assess how much cognitive effort was required for positive attentional preferences to occur. Effortful cognitive processing was assessed with a direct measure of change in pupil dilation. Results indicated that minimal cognitive effort was expended when older adults engaged in positive gaze preferences. This finding suggests that gaze acts as a rather effortless and economical regulatory tool for individuals to shape their affective experience.
Nicotine and metabolites in meconium as evidence of maternal cigarette smoking during pregnancy and predictors of neonatal growth deficits.

INTRODUCTION Many women continue tobacco use during pregnancy despite known adverse consequences on neonatal growth and development. Testing meconium, the first neonatal feces, for tobacco biomarkers offers objective evidence of prenatal tobacco exposure. However, relationships between the amount, frequency, and timing of cigarette smoking during gestation and tobacco biomarker meconium concentrations and neonatal outcomes are unclear. METHODS Eighty-seven pregnant women provided detailed self-reports of daily tobacco consumption throughout pregnancy. Nicotine, cotinine, and trans-3'-hydroxycotinine were quantified in neonatal meconium by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. RESULTS Among nonsmokers, all meconium specimens were negative, whereas nearly all meconium specimens were positive if the mother self-reported tobacco use into the third trimester. Tobacco biomarker concentrations were significantly albeit weakly correlated with mean cigarettes per day in the third trimester. Reduced birth weight, gestational age, or head circumference were observed if meconium contained one or more tobacco biomarkers, but deficits did not correlate with biomarker concentrations. CONCLUSION While previously thought to reflect second and third trimester drug exposure, meconium appears to reliably identify only third trimester drug use. While a 10 ng/g nicotine, cotinine, or trans-3'-hydroxycotinine cutoff in meconium was previously proposed to differentiate tobacco-exposed from nonexposed or passively exposed neonates, improved maternal self-reporting techniques in this cohort suggest that a lower cutoff, equivalent to the analytic limits of quantification, is more appropriate.
Chitosan- and polypropylene-oriented surface modification using excimer laser and their biocompatibility study

Abstract Surface modification of medical polymers is carried out to improve biocompatibility. In this study, conventional polymers (chitosan and polypropylene) were modified to laser at different features (oriented and non-oriented) to create a vast range of physicochemical characteristics on the surface of polymers and investigate their effects on biocompatibility of treated surfaces. Atomic force microscope (AFM) was applied to study the morphology of treated samples in comparison with those of the untreated PS. Contact angle analyses were used to evaluate the wettability and surface energy of the treated films. AFM studies showed that after laser treatment, some distinctive nanostructures are created on the surface of polymers. The data from contact angle measurements demonstrated that laser irradiation created surfaces with a vast range of properties in the wettability point of view. The cellular results revealed that after surface modification by laser irradiation, biocompatibility of polymeric films, especially oriented films was enhanced.
Systematic Investigation on Deposition Temperature Effect of Ni1–xO Thin Films for Uncooled Infrared Image Sensor Applications

Nickel oxide (Ni<sub>1-x</sub>O) films deposited by RF reactive magnetron sputtering were investigated at various substrate temperatures ranging from room temperature to 250 °C for uncooled infrared image sensor applications. The structural properties measured by X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy showed that the deposited films had a Ni-deficient structure and that films deposited at a higher temperature showed more crystallized structures with fewer microstructural defects. These defects had an effect on several properties influencing the sensing performance. The conductivity was found to decrease from 9.47 to 0.10 S/cm with the deposition temperature. In addition, with an increase in the deposition temperature, both the absolute temperature coefficient of resistance and the normalized Hooge parameter, representing the magnitude of 1/f noise, increased from 1.56%/K to 2.76%/K and from 9.12×10<sup>-28</sup> to 2.40×10<sup>-27</sup> m<sup>3</sup>, respectively. (α<sub>H</sub>/n)<sup>1/2</sup>/|β|, a useful figure of merit determining the performance of infrared sensor, was varied in the range of 1.77×10<sup>-14</sup> and 2.06×10<sub>-14</sub> m<sup>3/2</sup>K/% with the deposition temperature, and the best performance was obtained from the film deposited at 250 °C. Consequently, the nickel oxide film is deemed to be a good potential candidate for uncooled infrared sensor applications.
Economic Integration or Segregation? Immigrant Women's Labor Market Entrance and Their Support Service Utilization in South Korea

This dissertation is comprised of three independent yet interconnected studies. The main objective of the three chapters was to examine the economic integration/segregation of immigrant wives in South Korea, with a particular focus placed on their entrance into the labor market and their utilization of immigrant support services. Possible reasons for immigrant wives’ relatively low position within the labor market compared to their native counterparts were examined based on a framework that encompasses human capital theory, dual labor market theory and statistical discrimination theory. Specifically, the first study identified underlying forces that contribute to the different employment outcomes between Korean and immigrant wives. Data from the National Survey on Multicultural Families and the Korean Labor and Income Panel Study, both conducted in 2009, were used to obtain information on immigrant and native Korean wives. A decomposition technique was used to assess the extent to which the gap between the two groups was attributable to discrimination. Focusing on the heavy concentration of immigrant wives in the informal-sector labor market, the second study documented some possible mechanisms assigning this group to such a bottom segment of the labor market. Specifically, the study paid attention to identifying the causes of different qualities of career positions between immigrant and native Korean women in the labor market. Finally, by utilizing Gelberg-Anersen’s behavioral model, the third study examined factors that determined immigrant wives’ support services use. A structural equation modeling method was used to examine possible differences in service utilization patterns depending on immigrant their employment status situations. Overall, the findings from the three studies suggest that immigrant wives have been incorporated into the Korean labor market in a segregated way. Immigrant wives appear to be employed predominantly in precarious jobs where iii their human capital credentials are not fully recognized. In line with statistical discrimination theory, employers’ preference to native Korean workers over immigrant wives seems to persist in the formal sector. Further, regarding immigrant support services, the cleavages that exist between the intended purposes and the actual usage patterns raise questions about the effectiveness of the services. This dissertation hopes to augment the relatively thin research on the economic integration of immigrant women in newly emerging immigrant destination countries, especially in the context of East Asia.
Synip Arrests Soluble N-Ethylmaleimide-sensitive Factor Attachment Protein Receptor (SNARE)-dependent Membrane Fusion as a Selective Target Membrane SNARE-binding Inhibitor*

Background: Synip is a SNARE-binding regulatory factor whose molecular mechanism remains unclear. Results: Synip acts as a selective t-SNARE-binding inhibitor that arrests membrane fusion by preventing the initiation of ternary SNARE complex assembly. Conclusion: Synip function likely represents a novel regulatory mechanism of vesicle fusion. Significance: Studies of vesicle fusion regulation provide key insights into the mechanisms of vesicle transport. The vesicle fusion reaction in regulated exocytosis requires the concerted action of soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor (SNARE) core fusion engine and a group of SNARE-binding regulatory factors. The regulatory mechanisms of vesicle fusion remain poorly understood in most exocytic pathways. Here, we reconstituted the SNARE-dependent vesicle fusion reaction of GLUT4 exocytosis in vitro using purified components. Using this defined fusion system, we discovered that the regulatory factor synip binds to GLUT4 exocytic SNAREs and inhibits the docking, lipid mixing, and content mixing of the fusion reaction. Synip arrests fusion by binding the target membrane SNARE (t-SNARE) complex and preventing the initiation of ternary SNARE complex assembly. Although synip also interacts with the syntaxin-4 monomer, it does not inhibit the pairing of syntaxin-4 with SNAP-23. Interestingly, synip selectively arrests the fusion reactions reconstituted with its cognate SNAREs, suggesting that the defined system recapitulates the biological functions of the vesicle fusion proteins. We further showed that the inhibitory function of synip is dominant over the stimulatory activity of Sec1/Munc18 proteins. Importantly, the inhibitory function of synip is distinct from how other fusion inhibitors arrest SNARE-dependent membrane fusion and therefore likely represents a novel regulatory mechanism of vesicle fusion.