Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Assessing response to therapy of spinal metastases with gadolinium‐enhanced MR imaging

The utility of gadolinium‐enhanced magnetic resonance (MR) imaging in assessing the response of spinal metastases to therapy was evaluated. Fifteen patients (62 affected vertebral bodies) with spinal metastases were evaluated with gadopentetate dimeglumineenhanced imaging before and after irradiation or chemotherapy. Signal intensities of the lesions and of adjacent normal vertebral bodies were compared. Before therapy, metastatic foci enhanced significantly more than did normal vertebral bodies. After therapy, the lesions were divided into 37 responding lesions (group 1) and 25 nonresponding lesions (group 2). In group 1, lesion enhancement diminished considerably and the patients with these lesions remained clinically asymptomatic for 2–6 months. In group 2, lesion enhancement did not diminish much, and the difference between the groups was significant. Gadolinium‐enhanced MR imaging may thus be a useful method for assessing the effectiveness of therapy for spinal me. tastases.
Selective Excitation and Probing of Axial Modes in a Microcylindrical Resonator for Robust Filter

We experimentally investigate selective excitation and probing of localized axial modes in a microcylindrical resonator using two tapered fibers. The channel dropping properties of such a resonator are characterized and discussed, which are shown to depend on the excitation and probing structures. More importantly, the tunability in both drop efficiency and bandwidth can be achieved by vertically moving the add-drop fiber while keeping it in contact with the surface of the microcylinder. In contrast to tuning methods reported to date, such a physical contact combined with the significantly large axial distance between the two nearby nodes of mode function exhibited by our resonator allows for a fine, controlled, and stable tuning, making a robust and dynamic all-fiber device that may intrigue unique potential in sensors, microlasers, and add-drop filters applications.
Synthesis of germanium nitride nanowires

The two types of single-crystalline α-Ge3N4 nanowires (NWs) were synthesized at 550°C by annealing the crystalline Ge sample in the hydrazine vapor containing 3 mol. % of water. The mass transfer was accomplished by volatile GeO molecules. The tapered NWs were grown by the vapor-liquid-solid method with ∼8nm Ge catalyst droplet surrounded by ∼5nm thick GeOx shell. NWs with uniform diameters were formed on the same sample by the oxide-assisted growth method. In the photoluminescence spectra of NWs the five peaks were observed in the blue-green region with energies close to the photoluminescence peaks of germanium suboxides.
Electromagnetic analysis of plane wave illumination effects onto passive and active circuit topologies

The finite element-boundary integral method, incorporating the multilevel fast multipole method to reduce the storage cost of the boundary integral matrix, is applied to the analysis of two microstrip filter circuits illuminated by a plane wave. Simulated results indicate that significant voltages are induced across the output ports close to the filters' resonances. The study is further extended to a microstrip low-noise amplifier circuit. It is shown that, at certain field strengths, the plane wave illuminating the microstrip amplifier circuit can introduce considerable gain deviation and nonlinearity to its operation.
Small G‐protein Rho is involved in the maintenance of cardiac myocyte morphology

The use of small membrane‐permeable sequences or protein transduction domains (PTDs) can facilitate the transport of proteins into many cell types. In preliminary studies with the application of three PTDs (penetratin, modified penetratin, and the HIV TAT transduction domains) to cardiac myocytes, we found that the TAT and penetratin sequences showed high efficiency of uptake and low toxicity. Rho has been previously shown to be an important regulator of cytoskeletal organization and morphology in other non‐cardiac cell types. To evaluate a role for Rho in cardiac myocyte morphology, we used the TAT‐PTD to deliver a RhoA‐specific inhibitor, the C3 exoenzyme, to cultured cardiac myocytes. We showed that this incubation with TAT‐C3 abolished the basal levels of RhoA activity, demonstrating the efficacy of this treatment. Incubation with TAT‐C3 also altered cardiac myocyte morphology so that TAT‐C3‐treated cells produced multiple projections from the major cell body. This was accompanied by a statistically significant increase in cell size, albeit to a lesser extent than the changes accompanying exposure to the hypertrophic agent, endothelin‐1. Furthermore, the change in size of TAT‐C3‐treated cells was not accompanied by the induction of atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) expression that accompanies the hypertrophy of cardiac myocytes. These results reveal a role for RhoA in the maintenance of normal myocyte morphology. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Effects of Safety and Health Training on Work-Related Injury Among Construction Laborers

Objectives: This study was designed to evaluate the effects of safety and health training on work-related injury in the construction industry. Methods: Union health insurance records, union training records, and workers compensation data for 1993 and 1994 were analyzed for more than 8000 construction laborers in Washington State. Results: After controlling for demographic factors, laborers who received safety and health training during the study period were 12% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.75–1.02) less likely than nontrained laborers to file for workers compensation. Among workers 16 to 24 years old, training was associated with a 42% (95% CI = 0.35–0.95) reduction in claims. Conclusions: These findings provide evidence of the effectiveness of safety and health training in preventing occupational injuries among construction laborers, particularly among younger workers. However, the results cover only a limited time and the long-term effects remain unclear.
Effect of addition of single dose of oral montelukast to standard treatment in acute moderate to severe asthma in children between 5 and 15 years of age: a randomised, double-blind, placebo controlled trial

Objective To study the effect of the addition of a single dose of oral montelukast to standard therapy in acute moderate to severe asthma. Design Double-blind randomised controlled trial. Setting Emergency room/outpatient paediatric services of a tertiary care hospital. Patients Children aged 5–15 years (without prior use of montelukast) with acute moderate to severe asthma exacerbation, as defined using Modified Pulmonary Index Score (MPIS) ≥9, were enrolled. Intervention Children received montelukast (5–12 years: 5 mg and >12 years: 10 mg) or placebo orally in addition to the standard therapy. MPIS and forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) were recorded before administering study medication and thereafter, hourly for 4 hours. Main outcome measures The primary outcome was decrease in MPIS to less than 9 at the end of 4 hours. Results 117 children (60 in montelukast group and 57 in placebo group) were enrolled in the study. The number of children with decrease in MPIS to less than 9 at 4 hours was 33 (55%) in the montelukast group and 36 (63.2%) in the placebo group (p=0.37). There was significant improvement in MPIS and FEV1 within both the groups from baseline to the end of 4 hours. No differences in side effects and hospitalisation rates were noticed between the two groups. Conclusion Single dose oral montelukast added to standard therapy of inhaled bronchodilators and systemic glucocorticoids did not provide additional clinical benefit in children with acute moderate to severe asthma. Trial registration number The trial was registered at the http://clinicaltrials.gov site (trial ID: NCT00565955).
The Use of E-SQ to establish the internet bank service quality table

In order to assist Internet bank to be able to reach the enterprise¿s goal, which is satisfying the customer¿s demand and this goal is different from the PZB service quality model; thus, this study uses ZPM e-service quality model as the foundation to assess Web sites. The study object would be the companies that provide Internet bank services at present. Then, the factors that influence customers¿ quality satisfaction towards services would be generalized, and the questionnaire survey would be carried out the users, administrators, and employees of Internet bank. A service quality table that assesses Internet bank would be established through the evidence-based study result, it also verifies that information gap, design gap and fulfillment gap are significant. The result also finds out eight dimensions, including ¿efficiency¿, ¿reliability¿, ¿privacy¿, ¿compensation¿, ¿responsiveness¿, ¿contact¿, ¿sense of beauty¿ and ¿individualization¿, are the key factors that influence the service quality of Internet bank.
Involvement of the Global Regulator H-NS in the Survival of Escherichia coli in Stationary Phase

ABSTRACT Long-term batch cultures of Escherichia coli grown in nutrient-rich medium accumulate mutations that provide a growth advantage in the stationary phase (GASP). We have examined the survivors of prolonged stationary phase to identify loci involved in conferring a growth advantage and show that a mutation in the hns gene causing reduced activity of the global regulator H-NS confers a GASP phenotype under specific conditions. The hns-66 allele bears a point mutation within the termination codon of the H-NS open reading frame, resulting in a longer protein that is partially functional. Although isolated from a long-term stationary-phase culture of the parent carrying the rpoS819 allele that results in reduced RpoS activity, the hns-66 survivor showed a growth disadvantage in the early stationary phase (24 to 48 h) when competed against the parent. The hns-66 mutant is also unstable and reverts at a high frequency in the early stationary phase by accumulating second-site suppressor mutations within the ssrA gene involved in targeting aberrant proteins for proteolysis. The mutant was more stable and showed a moderate growth advantage in combination with the rpoS819 allele when competed against a 21-day-old parent. These studies show that H-NS is a target for mutations conferring fitness gain that depends on the genetic background as well as on the stage of the stationary phase.
Conditionally Immortalized Murine Osteoblasts Lacking the Type 1 PTH/PTHrP Receptor

Osteoblasts synthesize and mineralize bone matrix and are principal target cells for parathyroid hormone (PTH). The type 1 PTH/PTH‐related protein (PTHrP) receptor (PTH1R), cloned from rat osteoblastic cells, activates multiple intracellular signaling mechanisms. The specific roles of these PTH1R signals, or of responses to other types of PTH receptors that may be expressed, in regulating osteoblast function are incompletely understood. Use of established mammalian osteoblastic cell lines has led to much understanding of PTH action in bone, although such cells are of neoplastic origin or have other characteristics that compromise their validity as models of normal osteoblasts. To examine the role of the PTH1R in osteoblast biology, we have isolated a series of clonal murine calvarial osteoblastic cell lines that are only conditionally immortalized, via expression of a transgene encoding the tsA58 temperature‐sensitive SV40 large T antigen, and that lack both functional alleles of the PTH1R gene. When cultured under nontransforming conditions, these cells stopped proliferating, expressed a series of characteristic osteoblastic genes (including the nonfunctional remnant of the PTH1R gene), and, after 3–4 weeks, produced mineralized bone nodules in a manner that was regulated by 1,25‐dihydroxyvitamin D3 but not by PTH(1–84). Cyclic AMP measurements revealed no evidence of expression of alternate species of Gs‐linked PTH receptors. Stable transfection with PTH1R cDNA reconstituted both PTH binding and adenylyl cyclase activation, increased basal osteocalcin expression, and supported PTH stimulation of c‐Fos expression and matrix mineralization. These conditionally transformed, PTH1R(−/−) clonal osteoblastic cell lines should prove useful for studies of the regulation of osteoblast differentiation and function by both endogenous nonclassical species of PTH (or PTHrP) receptors and mutant signal‐selective PTH1Rs.
Dynamic Stochastic Factors, Risk Management and the Energy Futures

The world crude oil prices have dropped dramatically, and consequently the oil market has become very volatile and risky in the last several years. Since energy markets play very important roles in the international economy and have led several global economic crises, risk management of energy products prices becomes very important for both academicians and market participants. Schwartz and Smith’s model (2000) is applied to calculate risk measures of Brent oil futures contracts and light sweet crude oil (WTI) futures contracts. The model includes a long-term factor and a short-term factor. We show that the two factors explain the Samuelson effect well and the model present well goodness of fit. Our back testing results demonstrate that the models provide satisfactory risk measures for listed crude oil futures contracts.
RONS formation under restrictive reperfusion does not affect organ dysfunction early after hemorrhage and trauma

Reactive oxygen species have been implicated in the pathophysiology of early reperfusion. We aimed to determine 1) reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) formation in organs of rats and 2) its pathophysiological relevance during a phase of restrictive reperfusion after hemorrhagic/traumatic shock (HTS). Fifty-seven male Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to a clinically relevant HTS model, featuring laparotomy, bleeding, and a phase of restrictive reperfusion. The RONS scavenger 1-hydroxy-3-carboxy-2,2,5,5-tetramethyl-pyrrolidine hydrochloride (continuous i.v. infusion) and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy were applied for RONS (primarily superoxide and peroxynitrite) detection. Compared with sham-operated animals, the organ-specific distribution of RONS changed during restrictive reperfusion after HTS. Reactive oxygen and nitrogen species formation increased during restrictive reperfusion in red blood cells and ileum only but decreased in the kidney and remained unchanged in other organs. Hemorrhagic traumatic shock followed by restrictive reperfusion resulted in metabolic acidosis, dysfunction of liver and kidney, and increased oxidative burst capacity in circulating cells. Plasma RONS correlated with shock severity and organ dysfunction. However, RONS scavenging neither affected organ dysfunction nor oxidative burst capacity nor myeloperoxidase activity in lung when compared with the shock controls. In summary, a phase of restrictive reperfusion does not increase RONS formation in most organs except in intestine and red blood cells. Moreover, scavenging of RONS does not affect the early organ dysfunction manifested at the end of a phase of restrictive reperfusion.
Why firms set different export prices? Evidence from Spain

ABSTRACT Using firm-level export data for the 2010–2014 period, we investigate the variation of export prices across and within Spanish manufacturing firms. We find that more productive firms set higher export prices. However, this result is not robust to controlling for other firm-level characteristics and alternative productivity measures. We show that firms set higher export prices in more distant markets and in destinations with high GDP per capita, and lower export prices in large and low-competition markets. These latter results suggest that firms adjust the quality of their products to destination characteristics.
The meaning and relevance of internal market orientation in nonprofit organisations

ABSTRACT A large number of nonprofit organisations (NPOs) deliver welfare services in developing countries. Many find it difficult to retain their staff and to increase beneficiary satisfaction, which negatively affect their mission achievement activities. This research shows that internal market orientation (IMO) can help field-based NPOs address the managerial challenges. Towards this end, this research validates Lings and Greenley’s [(2005). Measuring internal market orientation. Journal of Service Research, 7(3), 290–305. ] scale to measure IMO in field-based NPOs and establishes IMO’s relevance for them. Data from 370 NPOs were analysed using confirmatory factor analysis to validate the IMO construct in the nonprofit context, and structural equation modelling to show that IMO improves beneficiary satisfaction and staff retention rates in NPOs. The study enhances our understanding of IMO in NPOs and offers important managerial implications.
The Differential Impact of IFRS Adoption on Aspects of Seasoned Equity Offerings in the UK and France

Abstract We examine the potential for IFRS to influence the market for SEOs in the UK and France. The divergence between the UK domestic accounting standards and IFRS is minor (low-divergence firms) whereas domestic accounting standards in France differ materially from IFRS (high-divergence firms); however, both countries have similar legal enforcement and institutional settings that might confound the effect of IFRS adoption. We argue that IFRS adoption serves to mitigate information asymmetry and improve accounting quality. Accordingly, we find that, following IFRS adoption, earnings management activities decrease among high-divergence firms prior to issuing SEOs. As a result of the lower levels of earnings management and information asymmetry, we predict and find that the market reaction to issuing SEOs improves significantly for high-divergence firms following IFRS. Given that equity financing becomes less costly, we find that the propensity to issue new SEOs increases among high-divergence firms after IFRS adoption. We find no similar changes among low-divergence firms. The results persist after running a matched-sample analysis and controlling for potential self-selection bias.
Ophthalmic utility of topical bromfenac, a twice-daily nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agent

Topical nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) act by inhibiting the formation of prostaglandin by cyclooxygenases. Several agents in this class have been approved for the treatment of postoperative pain and inflammation following cataract surgery. Bromfenac 0.09% (Xibrom™, ISTA Pharmaceuticals, USA) is a relatively new topical NSAID that exhibits ocular penetration and duration of action sufficient to permit twice-daily dosing. Bromfenac dosed twice-daily was clearly superior to placebo for postoperative pain and inflammation in a large, controlled trial and compares favorably with other NSAIDs in smaller studies. Adverse events associated with use have been minimal in large studies, although there are reports of corneal compromise with bromfenac use in cases of preexisting corneal disease. The comfort and reduced frequency of use offered by bromfenac would be expected to improve patient compliance, which would in turn be expected to result in adoption of bromfenac over other NSAIDs by many physicians. However, head-to-head trials comparing bromfenac with other NSAIDs using a twice-daily dosing schedule have not been undertaken. Bromfenac and other NSAIDs are seeing expanded use for the treatment and prevention of cystoid macular edema, and could have clinical utility in other diseases of vascular permeability.
Appeasement

This article explores the possibility that dominant-group members will attempt to appease subordinate groups to protect the hierarchy. In four studies, we find that (a) prohierarchy Whites perceive more intergroup threat when they believe ethnic minorities hold Whites in low regard, (b) prohierarchy Whites respond to ethnic minorities’ low regard for Whites by increasing their support for redistributive policies (e.g., affirmative action), (c) the increase in support only occurs when prohierarchy Whites perceive the hierarchy to be unstable, and (d) prohierarchy Whites perceive the hierarchy to be more stable if they believe Whites support redistributive policies. These results suggest that prohierarchy dominant-group members’ support for redistributive policies can stem from a concern about maintaining the hierarchical status quo, and provides evidence that support for redistributive policies can be a hierarchy-enhancing strategy.
Emx2 Promotes Symmetric Cell Divisions and a Multipotential Fate in Precursors from the Cerebral Cortex

Distinct sets of precursor cells generate the mammalian cerebral cortex. During neurogenesis most precursors are specified to generate a single cell type and only few are multipotent. The cell-intrinsic molecular determinants of these distinct lineages are not known. Here we describe that retroviral transduction of the transcription factor Emx2 in precursors from the cerebral cortex results in a significant increase of large clones that are generated mostly by symmetric cell divisions and contain multiple cell types, comprising neurons and glial cells. Thus, Emx2 is the first cell-intrinsic determinant able to instruct CNS precursors towards a multipotential fate. To evaluate the role of endogenous Emx2 in cortical precursors, we examined cell division in Emx2-/- mice. These analyses further supported the role of endogenous Emx2 in the regulation of symmetric cell divisions in the developing cortex.
Precise spatio-temporal regulation of the anthocyanin biosynthetic pathway leads to petal spot formation in Clarkia gracilis (Onagraceae).

Petal spots are widespread in angiosperms and are often implicated in pollinator attraction. Clarkia gracilis petals each have a single red-purple spot that contrasts against a pink background. The position and presence of spots in C. gracilis are determined by the epistatic interaction of alleles at two as yet unidentified loci. We used HPLC to identify the different pigments produced in the petals, and qualitative and quantitative RT-PCR to assay for spatio-temporal patterns of expression of different anthocyanin pathway genes. We found that spots contain different pigments from the remainder of the petal, being composed of cyanidin/peonidin-based, instead of malvidin-based anthocyanins. Expression assays of anthocyanin pathway genes showed that the dihydroflavonol-4-reductase 2 (Dfr2) gene has a spot-specific expression pattern and acts as a switch for spot production. Co-segregation analyses implicated the gene products of the P and I loci as trans-regulators of this switch. Spot pigments appear earlier in development as a result of early expression of Dfr2 and the flavonoid 3' hydroxylase 1 (F3'h1) gene. Pigments in the background appear later, as a result of later expression of Dfr1 and the flavonoid 3'-5' hydroxylase 1 (F3'5'h1) genes. The evolution of this spot production mechanism appears to have been facilitated by duplication of the Dfr gene and to have required substantial reworking of the anthocyanin pathway regulatory network.