Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
VP‐RBP, a protein enriched in brain tissue, specifically interacts with the dendritic localizer sequence of rat vasopressin mRNA

The concept of mRNA localization suggests that this process is mediated by sequences residing in the transcript to which proteins specifically bind and ultimately deliver the mRNA along cytoskeletal elements to specific intracellular destinations. The mRNA encoding the vasopressin (VP) precursor protein is localized to the nerve cell processes both in hypothalamic magnocellular neurons and in primary cultured neurons derived from embryonic rat superior cervical ganglia microinjected with a corresponding eukaryotic expression vector. The last 395 nucleotides of the VP mRNA encompassing part of the coding region, as well as the complete 3′‐untranslated region, are sufficient to confer dendritic targeting to a normally nonlocalized reporter transcript. Here we report that, by employing in vitro crosslinking analyses with rat brain proteins and radiolabelled VP transcripts, an RNA‐binding protein specifically interacts with the dendritic localizer sequence of the VP mRNA. This protein is enriched in nerve cell tissues. Peripheral tissues and various cell lines contain only low amounts of the binding activity. It therefore represents a candidate protein that may be involved in any aspect related to subcellular VP mRNA sorting in nerve cells, including transport and anchoring of the mRNA and possibly its translational control.
Gelatinase B C(‐1562)T polymorphism in relation to ischaemic heart disease

Objective. Matrix metalloproteinases, such as gelatinase B, are important in connective tissue remodelling processes associated with atherogenesis and plaque rupture. The T allele of the gelatinase B C(‐1562) T polymorphism has been reported to be associated with an almost 2‐fold increase in promoter activity and with the extent of coronary artery disease (CAD). The aim of this study was to analyse the relation of this gene variation to the risk and severity of CAD and the risk of myocardial infarction (MI). Material and methods. This case‐control study comprised 535 healthy controls and 2731 participants who had undergone coronary angiography. Results. In the total sample, the gelatinase B promoter polymorphism was not associated with the risk of CAD and MI or with the extent of CAD defined either by the number of diseased coronary arteries or – in patients with coronary angiography – by a score for coronary heart disease (CHD) according to the Gensini score. However, patients with TT genotype had higher CHD scores than the other genotypes in subgroups of individuals with high apolipoprotein B levels, high lipoprotein (a) plasma concentrations and high fibrinogen levels, or with combinations of increased levels of these coronary risk factors. These observations were made in the entire sample of individuals with coronary angiography and in the population of patients with documented CHD. Conclusions. Obviously, the gelatinase B C(‐1562)T gene polymorphism is not a risk indicator for CAD and MI. With respect to the extent of CHD, the impact of this gene variation may be restricted to individuals with high apolipoprotein B, lipoprotein (a) and/or fibrinogen levels.
Promoting Advocacy in English as a Second Language Teacher Preparation Programs in the US.

The population of English learners (ELs) is increasing dramatically and teachers need to learn how advocate for these often marginalized students. This study investigates various syllabi from English as a second language pre-service teacher course work that are aimed at preparing future teachers to advocate for ELs. The researchers employed constant comparison methodology to examine 14 syllabi to ascertain in which courses and how preservice teachers are prepared to advocate for their future students. Findings indicate that prospective teachers are being exposed to advocacy in many types of courses and with a variety of readings and assignments.
Vowel acoustics in Parkinson's disease and multiple sclerosis: comparison of clear, loud, and slow speaking conditions.

PURPOSE The impact of clear speech, increased vocal intensity, and rate reduction on acoustic characteristics of vowels was compared in speakers with Parkinson's disease (PD), speakers with multiple sclerosis (MS), and healthy controls. METHOD Speakers read sentences in habitual, clear, loud, and slow conditions. Variations in clarity, intensity, and rate were stimulated using magnitude production. Formant frequency values for peripheral and nonperipheral vowels were obtained at 20%, 50%, and 80% of vowel duration to derive static and dynamic acoustic measures. Intensity and duration measures were obtained. RESULTS Rate was maximally reduced in the slow condition, and vocal intensity was maximized in the loud condition. The clear condition also yielded a reduced articulatory rate and increased intensity, although less than for the slow or loud conditions. Overall, the clear condition had the most consistent impact on vowel spectral characteristics. Spectral and temporal distinctiveness for peripheral-nonperipheral vowel pairs was largely similar across conditions. CONCLUSIONS Clear speech maximized peripheral and nonperipheral vowel space areas for speakers with PD and MS while also reducing rate and increasing vocal intensity. These results suggest that a speech style focused on increasing articulatory amplitude yields the most robust changes in vowel segmental articulation.
Increasing intakes of iron reduce status, absorption and biliary excretion of copper in rats

High intakes of Fe may impair Cu status, but the underlying mechanism is not known. Male rats, aged 7 weeks, were given purified diets adequate in Cu (8 mg Cu/kg) and containing either 7, 40 or 389 mg Fe/kg. After 6 weeks the concentrations of Fe in liver and spleen were positively related with dietary Fe level and those of Cu were negatively related with dietary Fe level. Increasing Fe intakes reduced apparent absorption and biliary excretion of Cu in a dose-dependent fashion. In individual rats, biliary Cu excretion showed a significant, positive correlation with Liver Cu concentration. It is concluded that increased Fe intakes depress Cu absorption which produces a decrease in plasma and organ Cu concentrations. As a result, biliary Cu excretion is lowered which contributes to achieving Cu balance at high Fe intakes. Because the concentrations of Cu in plasma and bile, and also plasma ceruloplasmin (EC 1.16.3.1) activities, showed much greater percentage reductions with increasing Fe intake than did the concentrations of Cu in organs, it is possible that increased Fe status interferes with the mobilization of Cu stores.
Robust attitude estimation method for underwater vehicles with external and internal magnetic noise rejection using Adaptive Indirect Kalman Filter

This paper considers the question of measuring attitude using magnetometer-equipped Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs) when in the presence of magnetic disturbance. Specifically, for use in micro-observational class underwater vehicles. Such vehicles' small size and mobility suit activities in coral reefs but often face significant magnetic interference due to high metal debris content, especially in artificial reefs. Their small size also means motor thrusters are situated closer to the magnetometers, producing additional interference. An Adaptive Indirect Kalman Filter is proposed that uses IMU and motor speed measurements to deal with two main sources of disturbances: magnetic fields from foreign objects, and from the vehicle's own motors rotating in slow speed. The method has been evaluated using a custom underwater vehicle made in HKUST, and results show that the proposed method is able to obtain accurate orientation representations even when approaching objects with strong magnetic fields or when the motors are producing interference by rotating in slow speeds.
Immunotherapeutic and antitumour potential of thalidomide analogues

The immunomodulatory drug thalidomide has been shown to be clinically useful in a number of conditions including various immunological disorders and cancers. Clinical activity in vivo is attributed to the wide ranging immunological and non-immunological properties possessed by this drug; these include anti-TNF-α, T-cell co-stimulatory, anti-angiogenic activities and also direct antitumour activity. Recently, the design of compounds based on the thalidomide structure has led to the synthesis of analogues with greatly enhanced immunological activity and with similarly decreased toxicity. These derivatives fall into at least two categories; selective cytokine inhibitory drugs (SelCID), which are phosphodiesterase Type 4 (PDE4) inhibitors and immunomodulatory drugs (IMiD), similar to thalidomide which act via unknown mechanism(s). These compounds are in the process of being characterised in laboratory studies and are also now being assessed in Phase I and Phase I/II clinical studies. In this review we will highlight the properties of these two novel classes of compound in terms of their effects on both immunological and non-immunological systems in vitro. We will also describe how these studies are enabling the characterisation and development of these compounds into clinically relevant drugs in widely varying diseases. To this end we will describe the various clinical studies of lead compounds that are in progress and speculate as to the potential and future development of these exciting compounds.
Treatment of Hepatorenal Syndrome as Defined by the International Ascites Club by Albumin and Furosemide Infusion According to the Central Venous Pressure: A Prospective Pilot Study

OBJECTIVE:Hepatorenal syndrome (HRS) is a functional renal failure that occurs late during cirrhosis. The prognosis is extremely poor with a mean survival of 1.7 wks from the time of diagnosis. The aim of the present study was to examine the effects of albumin and furosemide administration tailored to central venous pressure (CVP) on renal function and clinical outcome.METHODS:We treated 20 consecutive patients with HRS. Albumin was given to increase and/or maintain CVP above 3 cm H2O. If diuresis remained below 50 mL/h despite effective volume expansion, furosemide was administrated. Patients were considered responders and treatment was discontinued when creatinine clearance rose above 40 mL/min or serum creatinine fell under 132 μmol/L.RESULTS:The need for albumin varied from patient to patient (extremes 40–600 g) and in the same patient from day to day. All but one needed furosemide. Eleven patients (55%) responded to treatment. In this population, diuresis, serum creatinine, and creatinine clearance were all significantly improved. Creatinine clearance at baseline was predictive of treatment efficacy. Survival increased in these patients compared to nonresponders defined as patients with no improvement in renal function (259 days ± 113 compared to 14 days ± 3, p < 0.0005). Response to treatment and the type of HRS were the only variables with an independent prognostic value.CONCLUSION:This study shows that HRS as defined by the International Ascites Club can be treated by albumin administration alone or with furosemide given according to the patient's specific need using CVP.
Carbohydrate-Electrolyte Feedings Improve 1 h Time Trial Cycling Performance

Carbohydrate-electrolyte (CE) feedings have been shown to improve endurance performance at moderate intensities (60-75% VO2max) and or more than 2 h duration. The effects of CE feedings during high intensity exercise (i.e. > or = 80% VO2 max) of shorter duration (approximately 1 h) are less clear. Therefore the purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of the ingestion of a 7.6% CE solution during exercise on time trial cycling performance of approximately 1 h. This type of performance testing has been shown to be more reproducible (coefficient of variation 3.35%) than the traditional exercise test to exhaustion. On two occasions and in random order nineteen endurance trained cyclists completed an exercise test requiring the accomplishment of a set amount of work as fast as possible (time trial) under strictly standardized conditions. As the start and during the trials they drank in total 14 ml/kg of either a 7.6% CE solution or artificially flavored and colored water (placebo). Time to complete the set amount of work was significantly reduced and thus performance was significantly increase (p < 0.001) with the CE drink by 2.3%. Time to complete the set amount of work was 58.74 +/- 0.52 min with CE and 60.15 +/- 0.65 min with placebo (p < 0.001). Average workload during the time trials was 297.5 +/- 1.4W and 291.0 +/- 10.3 W, respectively. Subjects exercised at 76.4 +/- 0.7% of their maximal work rate (Wmax) with CE and at 74.8% Wmax with placebo (p < 0.001). It was concluded tht also in relative short term (1h) high intensity (75% Wmax) cycling exercise ingestion of a carbohydrate-electrolyte solution compared to placebo improves performance.
Relationship orientation in banking and insurance services – a review of the evidence

Purpose This study aims to review the published empirical research on relationship orientation in banking and insurance services. The objective of the study is to understand whether a strong customer–sales representative relationship contributes to sales effectiveness and to know the significance of relational behaviors in developing and maintaining long-term relationship. Design/methodology/approach Through Boolean search, a systematic review with narrative synthesis was conducted. Relevant electronic bibliographic databases and reference lists of pertinent review articles were searched. Screening and eligibility of articles were based on participants, interventions, comparisons, outcomes (PICO) model and PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews) guidelines. Findings A total of 22 papers were finalized for the study, and results reveal that customer orientation behavior and adaptive selling behavior of sales representatives improve relationship quality, culminating in higher customer satisfaction, enhanced loyalty and escalated commitment, whereas selling orientation diminishes the relationship quality. The attributes of sales person especially contact intensity, contact frequency and client knowledge augment sales effectiveness and longstanding relationship with the customers. Practical implications This paper would provide valuable insights for financial sales representatives, academicians and practitioners of relationship marketing in the area of banking and insurance services. Personalization and customizations are important aspects of the provision of social benefits that strengthen competitive advantage. Originality/value Although the relevance of relationship marketing has been acknowledged, the conceptual base of relationship orientation in banking and insurance services has received only limited attention.
Contralateral suppression of transient otoacoustic emissions and sentence recognition in noise in young adults.

BACKGROUND One purported role of the medial olivocochlear (MOC) efferent system is to reduce the effects of masking noise. MOC system functioning can be evaluated noninvasively in humans through contralateral suppression of otoacoustic emissions. It has been suggested that the strength of the MOC efferent activity should be positively associated with listening performance in noise. PURPOSE The objective of the study was to further explore this notion by examining contralateral suppression of transient evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAEs) and sentence recognition in two noises with normal hearing young adults. RESEARCH DESIGN A repeated measures multivariate quasi-experimental design was employed. STUDY SAMPLE Thirty-two normal hearing young adult females participated. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Reception thresholds for sentences (RTSs) were determined monaurally and binaurally in quiet and in competing continuous and interrupted noises. Both noises had an identical power spectrum and differed only in their temporal continuity. "Release from masking" was computed by subtracting RTS signal-to-noise ratios in interrupted from continuous noise. TEOAEs were evoked with 80 dB peSPL click stimuli. To examine contralateral suppression, TEOAEs were evaluated with 60 dB peSPL click stimuli with and without a contralateral 65 dB SPL white noise suppressor. RESULTS A binaural advantage was observed for RTSs in quiet and noise (p < .0001) while there was no difference between ears (p >.05). In noise, performance was superior in the interrupted noise (i.e., RTSs were lower vs. continuous noise; p < .0001). There were no statistically significant differences in TEOAE levels between ears (p >.05). There was also no significant difference in the amount of suppression between ears (p = .41). There were no significant correlations or predictive linear relations between the amount of TEOAE suppression and any indices of sentence recognition in noise (i.e., RTS signal-to-noise ratios and release from masking; p > .05). CONCLUSIONS The findings are not consistent with the notion that increased medial olivocochlear efferent feedback, as assessed via contralateral suppression of TEOAEs, is associated with improved speech perception in continuous and interrupted noise.
Computational properties of η6-toluene and η6-trifluorotoluene half-sandwich Ru(II) anticancer complexes

The computational properties of the η6-toluene and η6-trifluorotoluene half-sandwich Ru(II) anticancer complexes and their respective hydrated complexes are computed using DFT method and the quantum theory of atoms in a molecule (QTAIM) analysis. The interatomic properties that are crucial in understanding the noncovalent interactions and the stability of these complexes are considered. We observed that high polarization, charge transfer (CT) and strong networks of intramolecular hydrogen bond (HB) interactions significant influenced the stability of these complexes. The trifluorotoluene and the hydrated models are characterized with higher CT, polarizability, synergistic effect of ligand fragments, stronger and higher HB interactions that support their reported experimental anticancer activities and the mechanism of their activation by hydrolysis. The complexes are predominantly characterized with metal to ligand CT.
Reactionary Consumer Ethnocentrism in Urban China

Chinese consumers enjoy a greater choice of domestic and imported products than ever before. Consumer choices are based on, among other things, consumer ethnocentrism. This is a tendency to reject or boycott imported products, and it has long been of interest to both scholars and practitioners. As regional and global economies have evolved, the antecedents underlying consumer ethnocentrism have also changed, as has the relevance of product country of origin in influencing consumer decisions. Based on the findings of a quantitative survey conducted among young urban Chinese, this paper explores the influence of the antecedent’s patriotism, nationalism and internationalism. This demographic of the Chinese population represents a vast potential consumer market. Strong consumer ethnocentric tendencies, driven primarily by patriotism and in reaction to political threats to Chinese sovereignty or perceived lack of corporate social responsibility, threaten to depress sales of certain brands or products from particular countries. The research findings have both theoretical and practical implications. They contribute an up-to-date insight into the consumer ethnocentric tendencies of cosmopolitan young urban Chinese and point towards steps that international corporations should take to reduce consumer ethnocentric tendencies and enhance consumer empathy towards, and interest in, their products.
Human papillomavirus infection in esophageal squamous‐cell carcinoma in western countries

Recent studies have suggested that esophageal HPV infection could be a risk factor for esophageal squamous‐cell carcinoma. The aims of our study were to assess the presence of HPV esophageal infection among French patients with esophageal squamous‐cell carcinoma and to compare the prevalence of this infection among control patients exposed to similar known risk factors (alcohol and tobacco) and among non‐exposed control patients. All patients had the following investigations: serum immunoglobulin level, T‐lymphocyte sub‐sets, cutaneous anergy test and endoscopy with biopsies from tumoral and normal areas. Three different methods were used for HPV‐infection diagnosis: histological score, in situ hybridization intended for detection of HPV types 6, 11, 16, 18, 31 and 33, and dot blot intended for detection of HPV types 6/11 and 16/18. Five out of 12 patients with esophageal carcinoma had HPV esophageal infection. This infection did not result from impaired immune status. The most frequently observed types are HPV 16/18. None out of 17 exposed controls and only i out of 7 non‐exposed controls had HPV esophageal infection (p < 0.01). HPV infection may be implicated in the development of esophageal squamous‐cell carcinoma in association with known risk factors.
Application of a new FP-network mining algorithm based on association matrix in power system

Power industry has accumulated a lot of data resources, and the research emphasis is how to improve efficiency of data mining. Aiming at the demerits of FP-tree (frequent pattern tree) mining algorithm, this paper puts forward a FP-network model which innovatively compresses data into a network diagram and it is stored by transaction-item matrix in computers. Node capacity is also innovatively defined to help mining association rules. This method can be applied to power system research and study cases of line faults is established to identify the weak links in grid. Results show that FP-network algorithm not only inherits the merits of FP-growth algorithm, but also only needs to scan the database once. And it is also easy to handle database update and maintenance, thus this method improves the efficiency of association rule mining for big data of power system.
Surgical residents in the 1990s. Issues and concerns for men and women.

OBJECTIVE To survey the concerns of surgical residents in New England and to determine whether similarities or differences exist based on gender. DESIGN/SETTING A survey was distributed to all 21 surgical residency programs. The survey consisted of six demographic questions and 23 items, which the residents coded on a Likert-type scale. PARTICIPANTS Surgical residents enrolled in a general surgical residency or specialty residents completing general surgery requirements. INTERVENTION Distribution and completion of the survey. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Prominent concerns among residents during training years and gender differences based on these concerns. RESULTS All programs responded. A completed survey was returned by 501 residents (73%), 378 (75%) of whom were male and 123 (25%) of whom were female. On a scale of 1 to 5 (from no concern to major concern), the five most important issues were work hours (mean, 3.4), personal finances (mean, 3.1), quantity and quality of formal education (mean, 3.0 each), and postponement of family plans (mean, 2.9). Six items surveyed were of more concern to women than men; availability of role models, mentors, or both; comfort in expressing emotions at work; initiating and maintaining personal relationships; having children during residency; and postponing family plans. CONCLUSIONS Three of the highest-reported concerns for the entire group are issues that could conceivably be controlled by surgical chairpersons and program directors. In contrast, only one of the six concerns that differed for men and women is directly program related. The remaining five issues require changes in societal values for these differences to dissolve.