Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ligand recognition and activation of formyl peptide receptors in neutrophils

Neutrophil granulocytes, professional phagocytes of the innate immune system, can migrate in response to gradients of chemoattractants, soluble molecules serving as “danger signals. ” The chemotactic behavior of these cells is of great importance for the outcome of the continuously ongoing combat with invading microorganisms. In a number of inflammatory disorders, the chemoattractant-guided accumulation of neutrophils and their subsequent release of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and proteolytic enzymes are responsible for the tissue damage associated with such disease conditions. Research about the structure and function of neutrophil chemoattractants and their receptors is therefore of direct clinical importance and relevance. Although chemotaxis was defined already as an important part of active immune reactivity already by Elie Metchnikoff in the late 19th century [1], the modern chemotaxis research era started first, by the introduction of a filter technique in 1962 [2], which allowed quantitative determinations of neutrophil migration and a rational search for specific attractants derived from intruding microbes or activated/damaged host cells [3]. Following the discovery of bacteria-derived, formylated peptides as potent neutrophil chemoattractants in the mid-1970s [4], the list of structurally well-characterized leukocyte chemoattractants has steadily grown. Other microbial components, cleavage products from the complement system (e.g., C5a), lipid metabolites such as platelet-activating factor (PAF) and leukotriene B4 (LTB4), as well as a large group of chemokines are examples of such molecules [5] (Table 1). During the last two decades, a broad application of molecular biology techniques has also led to identification of the chemoattractant receptors. Despite the fact that these receptors recognize different chemoattractants specifically, they exhibit some sequence homologies and share structural features, all belonging to a pertussis toxin (PTX)-sensitive subfamily within the G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) superfamily. The reader is referred to several excellent review articles, which in more detail, discuss general aspects of the chemoattractant receptor family and neutrophil activation in inflammation [5 –7, 16]. We intend to summarize the current knowledge about structure and function of two closely related neutrophil G proteincoupled chemoattractant receptors: the FPR, which was the first characterized member in the FPR family, and the closely related FPRL1, also called LXA4 receptor, as this eicosanoid was the first specific agonist described for the receptor. A large number of agonists for these receptors have now been identified, and the same basic neutrophil functional responses are triggered by ligation of these receptors [16]—chemotaxis, receptor mobilization, secretion of proteolytic enzymes and inflammatory mediators, and production of ROS. Ligand recognition by the two neutrophil FPR, linked to activation and signaling, is the subject of this review.
The Diffusion of an Administrative Innovation

This paper examines the diffusion of a particular kind of multidivisional administrative structure---the "M-Form"---in two classes of large industrial firms. The M-Form organization is a multidivisional structure with quasi-independent divisions which are assigned profit center standing and which are monitored and guided by a headquarters organization. A simple deterministic model commonly employed to represent the diffusion of technological innovations is utilized to explain the diffusion of the M-Form structure. The commendable performance of the model suggests that additional insights from the study of technological innovation can be applied with advantage to the study of administrative innovation.
[Remote postconditioning by brief renal ischemia and reperfusion reduces acute myocardial ischemia and reperfusion induced myocardial apoptosis in rabbits].

OBJECTIVES To observe the effects of renal ischemic postconditioning (RI-Post) on myocardial apoptosis in rabbits with acute myocardial ischemia and reperfusion. METHODS All rabbits were subjected to 60 minutes ischemia by left anterior descending coronary artery occlusion (LADO) and 6 hours reperfusion. The rabbits are randomly divided into 3 groups (n = 8 in each group): (1) Ischemia-reperfusion (IR): LADO and reperfusion without additional intervention; (2) RI-Post: after 60 minutes of LADO, the left renal artery was occluded for 30 seconds and reperfused for 30 seconds and repeated 3 times, then the coronary artery was reperfused for 6 hours; (3) Medication intervention (MI): 10 minutes before coronary reperfusion, rabbits were treated with PKC antagonist GF109203X (0.05 mg/kg, IV), followed by RI-Post treatment and 6 hours coronary reperfusion. Myocardial apoptosis was measured by TUNEL and the myocardial Bcl-2 and Bax protein expressions were assessed by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS Compared with the IR group and the MI group, myocardial apoptosis was significantly reduced (P < 0.05) and the Bcl-2 protein expression increased (P < 0.01) while the Bax protein expression decreased (P < 0.05) in the RI-Post group. CONCLUSIONS Remote renal postconditioning applied right before the onset of coronary artery reperfusion can reduce the myocardial apoptosis induced by myocardial ischemia and reperfusion and up-regulate Bcl-2 while down-regulate Bax expression possibly by activation of protein kinase C.
BER-delay characteristics analysis of IEEE 802.15.4 wireless sensor networks with cooperative MIMO

This paper presents a study of the impact of transmission delay differences between co-operating nodes on bit error rate performance and energy consumption of wireless sensor networks. We consider a wireless sensor network using an Alamouti virtual MIMO (multiple-input multiple-output) configuration between collaborating nodes operating in quasi-static Rayleigh flat-fading channels. Our results show that above certain delay difference (in the range above 0.75Tb), the traditional non-cooperative approach is more energy-efficient than the cooperative strategy and that the transmission delay difference has the most significant on the transmission energy consumption in the delay range of below 0.75Tb.
Rail freight efficiency and competitiveness in Australia

In 1994/95, the Australian rail freight task was approximately 100 billion tonne kilometres (btkm). This freight task included some 37 btkm for the haulage of iron ore in Western Australia, 28 btkm for coal haulage in Queensland and New South Wales and about 16 btkm for interstate rail freight. This paper mainly concerns how improvements can be made to the efficiency and competitiveness of interstate rail freight services through the upgrading of sections of mainline track that currently have severe speed‐weight restrictions. Recent improvements in rail freight efficiency are discussed, with emphasis on two indicators: average unit revenues (cents per net tonne km), and average energy efficiency (net tonne km per MJ). Rail freight efficiency is high for the Western Australia iron‐ore operations, Queensland coal operations and Adelaide‐Perth general freight operations. However, between Australia's three largest cities of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, some 36% of the mainline track fails to meet basic fas.
The Roles of 5G Mobile Broadband in the Development of IoT, Big Data, Cloud and SDN

The fast technology development of 5G mobile broadband (5G), Internet of Things (IoT), Big Data Analytics (Big Data), Cloud Computing (Cloud) and Software Defined Networks (SDN) has made those technologies one after another and created strong interdependence among one another. For example, IoT applications that generate small data with large volume and fast velocity will need 5G with characteristics of high data rate and low latency to transmit such data faster and cheaper. On the other hand, those data also need Cloud to process and to store and furthermore, SDN to provide scalable network infrastructure to transport this large volume of data in an optimal way. This article explores the technical relationships among the development of IoT, Big Data, Cloud, and SDN in the coming 5G era and illustrates several ongoing programs and applications at National Chiao Tung University that are based on the converging of those technologies.
Anionic Residue in the α-Subunit of the Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Contributing to Subunit Assembly and Ligand Binding*

To ascertain the anionic sites on the nicotinic receptor to which acetylcholine and other quaternary ammonium ligands bind, we have examined the role of an aspartyl residue (Asp-152) in the α-subunit. Prior photolytic labeling with agonist analogues of the neighboring residues Trp-149 and Tyr-151 suggests that their side chains reside on the binding face (also termed the (+)- or counterclockwise face) of the α-subunit. Asp-152 presents an anionic charge in the vicinity of these aromatic residues. Modification of the aspartate to asparagine (D152N) creates a glycosylation signal (Asn-152-Gly-Ser), and we find, on the basis of altered electrophoretic migration, that glycosylation occurs at this position upon cotransfection of the mutant α-subunit with β-, γ-, and δ-subunits. Glycosylation results in a reduction in the capacity of the receptor to assemble; this reduction is manifest in the initial step of dimer formation between the αγ- and αδ-subunits. The α-subunit mutant receptor reaching the assembled pentamer exhibits an altered selectivity for certain ligands. Little reduction in α-bungarotoxin binding is observed, whereas affinities for agonists and competitive alkaloid antagonists are reduced substantially. Separation of the contributions of charge removal and glycosylation addition shows that both factors affect agonist affinity, with the charge influence being far more predominant. These findings raise the possibility that a component of the coulombic attraction stabilizing the binding of agonists comes from the aspartyl residue at position 152 in the α-subunit.
The Procoagulant Response of Cytomegalovirus Infected Endothelial Cells

Summary The report describes the effect of an in vitro infection of human umbilical vein endothelial cells with human Cytomegalovirus (CMV). The parameters studied are cellular procoagulant activity, secretion of plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI-1) and urokinase-type plasminogen activator (u-PA), activation and internalization of factor X and Merocyanine 540 staining. The infection does not result in an increase in PAI-1 and u-PA secretion, but it brings about a procoagulant response, which is relatively rapid compared to the tissue factor mediated response induced by inflammatory mediators. The time course and the coagulation factor dependency suggest a facilitated interaction of coagulation factors on the surface of infected cells. Chromogenic activity measurements after the addition of purified factor X and electron microscopic examination of the cells after addition of colloidal gold-factor X conjugates both point to an internalization of factor X and/or Xa after interaction with the endothelial cell surface. Merocyanine 540 staining suggests that CMV infection leads to membrane pertubations.
Serum components enhance bacterial lipopolysaccharide‐induced tissue factor expression and tumor necrosis factor‐α secretion by bovine alveolar macrophages in vitro

We have compared the effect of bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in combination with normal adult bovine serum (NBS), fetal bovine serum (FBS), or a bovine serum fraction on tissue factor expression and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF‐α) secretion by bovine alveolar macrophages. At a concentration of 1 ng/ml, bacterial LPS alone failed to induce measurable tissue factor expression by the macrophages, but the presence of FBS, NBS, or a fraction of normal pooled bovine serum isolated by ion‐exchange chromatography (fraction 2) markedly potentiated the effect of LPS. A protein concentration of 64 μg/ml NBS, 192 μg/ml FBS, and only 640 ng/ml fraction 2 was required to induce maximal tissue factor expression on the macrophages in combination with 1 ng/ml LPS. Comparison of quantities of added serum protein required to induce maximal potentiating effects indicated that fraction 2 was 100 times more potent than1 whole NBS and 300 times more potent than whole FBS. We similarly found that TNF‐α secretion by macrophages exposed to LPS was responsive to serum and was highly responsive to fraction 2. LPS alone (1 ng/ml) induced a relatively low level of TNF‐α secretion by the macrophages, and the presence of FBS, NBS, or fraction 2 potentiated the effect of LPS. A concentration of 64.0 μg/ml NBS, 320.0 μg/ml FBS, and 3.2 μg/ml fraction 2 serum protein induced near‐maximal TNF‐α secretion by the macrophages. Comparison of the concentration of serum protein required to induce these potentiating effects indicated that fraction 2 was approximately 20 times more potent than whole NBS and 100 times more potent than whole FBS. The stimulatory effect of LPS plus fraction 2 serum proteins was dependent on the CD14 receptor, as monoclonal antibodies directed against CD14 (My4, 60bd; 10 μg/ml) inhibited tissue factor expression and TNF‐α secretion by the macrophages. J. Leukoc. Biol. 55: 483–488; 1994.
On Inferring Demand for Health Care in the Presence of Anchoring and Selection Biases

In the contingent valuation literature, anchoring bias poses problems when using an iterative bidding game to infer willingness to pay. This bias occurs when the willingness to pay estimate is sensitive to the initially presented starting value. More generally, whenever a survey format is used and not all of those contacted participate, selection bias raises concerns about the representativeness of the sample. In this paper, we estimate students' willingness to pay for student health care at Stanford University while accounting for both of these biases. As there is no cost sharing for students, we assess willingness to pay by having a random sample of students play an on line iterative bidding game. Our main results are that (1) demand for student health care is elastic by conventional standards; (2) ignoring anchoring bias would lead to a substantially biased measure of the demand elasticity; and (3) standard selection correction methods indicate no bias from selective non-response and newer bounding methods support this conclusion of elastic demand.
Literacy in the open-access college

Based on a 3-year case study of an open-access community college, this monograph examines the background to, causes of, and possible resolutions for the decline of literacy in open-access colleges. Chapter 1 pres_nts a working definition of literacy; considers the natIre of literacy in a community college setting; and raises issues . oncerning the impact of the decline of college standards on t.e student, institution, and society. Chapter 2 describes the curriculum, administration, faculty, and students of the college and ilLustrates the complex and dynamic character of the study setting. Chapter 3 provides a detailed description of teaching and learning in the classroom, and chapter 4 looks at reading and writing behaviors required in class activities. Chapter 5 discusses the educational objectives of the college instructors, with a focus on the relationship of course objectives to instructor style, the emphasis on cognitive objectives in the classroom, faculty responses to low student literaby skills, and the reciprocal effects of student skills and teachsr objectives. In chapter 6, student motives for pursuing an education are examined along with the way the institution reinforces and responds to these motives. Chapter 7 examines non-classroom influences contributing to the lack of literacy skills, including inadequate advisement, student placement problems, and the absence of special services for non-traditional students. Chapter 8 considers the indirect impact of administrative priorities on classroom literacy. Chapter 9 discusses the implications of study findings for administration and instruction in open-access colleges and offers recommendations for promoting literacy. (LAL) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. ***********************************************************************
BLACK–SCHOLES REPRESENTATION FOR ASIAN OPTIONS

Asian options are securities with a payoff that depends on the average of the underlying stock price over a certain time interval. We identify three natural assets that appear in pricing of the Asian options, namely a stock S, a zero coupon bond BT with maturity T, and an abstract asset A (an “average asset”) that pays off a weighted average of the stock price number of units of a dollar at time T. It turns out that each of these assets has its own martingale measure, allowing us to obtain Black–Scholes type formulas for the fixed strike and the floating strike Asian options. The model independent formulas are analogous to the Black–Scholes formula for the plain vanilla options; they are expressed in terms of probabilities under the corresponding martingale measures that the Asian option will end up in the money. Computation of these probabilities is relevant for hedging. In contrast to the plain vanilla options, the probabilities for the Asian options do not admit a simple closed form solution. However, we show that it is possible to obtain the numerical values in the geometric Brownian motion model efficiently, either by solving a partial differential equation numerically, or by computing the Laplace transform. Models with stochastic volatility or pure jump models can be also priced within the Black–Scholes framework for the Asian options.
Image fusion for object tracking using Factor Graphs

In recent years there has been an increasing demand of systems that automatically manage and control the state of large critical areas, such as airports, harbors, parking lots, etc. The framework of the Bayesian Factor Graphs to target fusion seems to be quite promising with respect to classical approaches because of its modularity and because it can naturally integrate very heterogeneous sources of information. The system presented in this paper fuses real-time data coming from various sensors, along with estimates coming from the tracked object models (if available). All the information is merged within environmental constraints in order to provide the best estimate of the state of a moving object. Factor graphs allow the information to flow bidirectionally, to predict the future, or to strengthen our knowledge of the past. In this paper we focus on camera sensors, deployed along the area of interest. The information is merged into the factor graph after geometric inversion and covariance estimate. The problem of automatic localization of moving objects on the images is also addressed. The framework has been tested on a parking area, where states are estimated, accuracy is assessed and considerations about the framework are provided.
Performance comparison between neural network and SVM for terrain classification of legged robot

Terrain classification of the legged robot is one of the most important objects which can determine robot's performance because surface of the fields is often extremely diverse. In the flat surface case, robot can move fast and smoothly. However, it cannot move fast in the rough terrain. Unless robot knows which terrain, robot will be falling down and slippery. Therefore, robot must know their terrain when they are walking. In this paper, we composed a 1-legged robot and terrain environment (flat, sand, and gravel) for terrain classification experiment. A load cell mounted on the 1-legged robot measures the ground reaction force and torque sensors located each of the 3-j oints measure torque. Then we present two methods for feature extraction using statistical method (Variance, Skewness, and Kurtosis) and principal component analysis (PCA) method. After that we present two methods for terrain classification such as back propagation neural network (BPNN) and support vector machine (SVM).
Specific IgE antibodies in nasal secretion from patients with allergic rhinitis and with negative or weakly positive RAST on the serum

Nasal secretions from eighteen patients with allergic rhinitis with a positive case history, intradermal test and nasal provocation test, but with negative or only weakly positive RAST (radioallergosorbent test) on the serum against a total of thirty‐five allergens, were studied. In the RAST an immunosorbent‐purified anti‐IgE with Dɛ2 specificity was used, which raised the detection limit. Nasal secretion was collected by washing the nasal mucosa with 0.9% and 18% NaCl solution respectively, and the latter secretion was also lyophilized and concentrated. In ten cases RAST was slightly positive on the nasal secretion, and in three of the concentrated secretions the RAST value was higher than on the serum. In none of the serum or nasal secretion samples was RAST positive according to the cut off value for a positive result defined by the reference system used in Phadebas RAST®. From these results it is concluded that RAST analyses of nasal secretion from patients with allergic rhinitis is of no appreciable value in routine clinical allergological diagnosis. However, the increased sensitivity of RAST obtained with isotope‐labelled anti‐Dɛ2 may be useful in the serological diagnosis of patients with low grade allergy having low levels of IgE antibodies in serum.
Flexibility from a supply chain perspective: definition and review

Purpose – A growing body of literature has begun to recognise that in the era of supply chain management it is important to look beyond the flexible factory to the flexible supply chain. This paper seeks to further our understanding of supply chain flexibility and provide a comprehensive review of the available literature.Design/methodology/approach – Published literature on supply chain flexibility has been considered. Where appropriate, additional insights have been obtained from related streams such as manufacturing flexibility, agility and supply chain responsiveness.Findings – Much of the existing research has a limited definition of supply chain flexibility and describes flexibility simply as a reactive means to cope with uncertainty. Supply chain flexibility has emerged from the manufacturing flexibility literature and hence to date is largely confined to a manufacturing context (neglecting the role of services). Empirical research often takes the form of a cross‐sectional postal questionnaire cond.
Measuring Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs) Market Performance in Zambia

Given the role of Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs) in developing economies in terms of job creation, poverty reduction, production and distribution of goods and services, and foreign exchange earning, it is important to understand the determinants of firm performance. Business firm performance is usually measured by revenue, profitability, employment, stock price, production efficiency. This paper considers profitability as a major indicator of firm market performance. By conducting an empirical study using 187 micro and small sized firms from Lusaka and Central provinces of Zambia, the paper analyzed the determinants of firm performance by considering profitability as a proxy variable. This study seeks to look at the role of firm-specific factors in profitability of MSEs by employing a quantitative method from qualitative responses collected on the performance of enterprises. The analysis is done by using both Descriptive statistics and a Ordered Probit Regression Model. Explanatory variables, to explain changes in profit across time by a business firm, included are sales/revenue, cost, market coverage, competition, training, and owning more than one business. The Ordered Probit Regression result showed that increase in sales and expansion in market coverage over time are the significant variables that explain variations in firm’s profitability. Keywords: Firm Performance, Profitability, Ordered Probit Model, Zambia.