Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Zanthoxylum alkylamides ameliorate protein metabolism disorder in STZ-induced diabetic rats

This study aimed to evaluate the protein metabolism effect of Zanthoxylum alkylamides and to explore the potential mechanism in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. Diabetic rats were orally treated with 2, 4 and 8 mg per kg bw of alkylamides daily for 28 days. Alkylamides decreased the relative weight of the liver and food intake, significantly increased the relative skeletal muscle weight and significantly decreased the blood urea nitrogen levels. Insulin, insulin-like growth factor 1, total protein (TP) and albumin (ALB), globular proteins and ALB proteins/globulin protein levels in serum significantly increased. TP, RNA content and RNA/DNA ratio significantly increased in the skeletal muscle of diabetic rats. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction results indicated that alkylamides significantly increased the mRNA expression of insulin receptor (InR), IGF1 and insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF1R) in the liver and skeletal muscle. Moreover, the mRNA and protein expression levels of PI3K, PKB and mTOR significantly increased, whereas those of atrogin-1, muscle ring finger 1 and FOXO in the skeletal muscle significantly decreased. Alkylamides may advance protein synthesis by the PI3K/PKB/mTOR signalling pathway and attenuate the catabolism of protein through the ubiquitin–proteasome pathway. Therefore, it was possible that alkylamides ameliorate protein metabolism disorders in diabetic rats by activating the mTOR pathway.
Mental well-being mediates the relationship between perceived stress and perceived health.

The association between stress and health has been well researched in the past; however, comparatively few mediators have been tested to understand the underlying mechanism. With increasing awareness on mental well-being, this study evaluated the relationship between perceived stress and perceived health and examined mental well-being as a mediator. Two-hundred undergraduates aged 21 to 26 years completed the English Perceived Stress Scale, Health Status Questionnaire and Asian Mental Well-Being Scale that assess perceived stress, perceived health and mental well-being, respectively. Factor analysis and structural equation modelling on the Perceived Stress Scale replicated the reported two-factor structure after excluding an insignificant item. Linear multiple regression analyses indicated that perceived stress was negatively associated with perceived health. Results showed that mental well-being partially mediated the relationship between perceived stress and perceived health, although it is acknowledged that this association could be bidirectional. Findings from the present study suggest that future research could focus on reducing stress and improving mental well-being to alleviate the effect of stress on health.
Moonlighting: multiple motives and gender differences

This paper examines the incidence and reasons for moonlighting with a focus on gender differences. The study specifies and estimates a bivariate probit model of labour supply and the decision to hold more than one job. It is found that the factors leading men and women to moonlight are similar. A wage decomposition analysis reveals that 93 percent of the differential between male and female moonlighters' wages is not explained by differences in characteristics, and little connection is found between an individual's human capital and their moonlighting wage. Finally, it is found that moonlighters are less likely to report their income.
Strong Association between Nutritional Markers and Arterial Stiffness in Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis Patients

Background: Malnutrition is a predictor of cardiovascular disease in dialysis patients, but the mechanisms remain unknown. We investigated links between nutritional markers and arterial stiffness in continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis patients. Methods: We evaluated the relationship between arterial stiffness evaluated by pulse-wave velocity (PWV) and four estimates of nutritional status (serum albumin, handgrip strength [HGS], subjective global assessment [SGA], and bioelectrical impedance analysis phase angle [PA]) in 124 PD patients. Results: Malnourished patients exhibited a significantly higher PWV than those classified as well-nourished by SGA (p < 0.05). Furthermore, PWV correlated negatively with albumin, HGS and PA (p < 0.001, respectively). PWV was also correlated with age, systolic blood pressure, and C-reactive protein. In multivariate regression analysis, albumin, HGS, SGA and PA were each independently associated with PWV after adjustment. Conclusions: The significant association between each nutritional marker and PWV in PD patients was independent of inflammation and diabetic state, suggesting that malnutrition may contribute to vascular dysfunction.
The Eect of Female Education on Health Knowledge and Fertility Behavior: Evidence from Primary Schooling Reform in Ethiopia

Policy makers promote female education as one of the means to reduce child mortality in developing countries. With the aim of identifying the channels of influence, this paper examines the eect of female education on various measures of health knowledge and fertility behavior. To tackle the endogeneity of education, I use a schooling reform that, in 1994, introduced mother tongue instruction in Ethiopia’s primary schools and abolished a central exit exam at the end of primary education. Results based on the 2011 Demographic and Health Survey data show an increase in female years of education of about 0.50 to 0.69 as a result of the reform. Secondary education improves females 0 knowledge on the mother-tochild transmission and prevention of HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis. However, an improvement in fertility behavior as measured by desired number of children, the use of contraception, early marriage and pregnancy vanishes when taking into account the endogeniety of education. Estimation results indicate that wealth status seems to matter more than education per se for improving the fertility behavior of women in Ethiopia.
Anterior cervical fusion with carbon fiber cage containing coralline hydroxyapatite: preliminary observations in 45 consecutive cases of soft-disc herniation.

OBJECT The purposes of bone substitutes for anterior cervical fusion (ACF) are immediate biomechanical support and osteointegration of the graft. The authors report their preliminary results in performing ACF in which carbon fiber cages (CFCs) containing coralline hydroxyapatite (HA) are used as bone substitute. METHODS During a 24-month period, anterior microsurgical discectomy was performed in 45 consecutive patients for soft-disc cervical herniation. In all cases ACF was performed using a CFC containing a core of granulated coralline HA. Fifty-seven CFCs were implanted in 33 single-level and 12 two-level procedures. The mean operative time was 83 minutes for one-level and 97 minutes for two-level procedures. The mean hospital stay was 1.51 days, and there were no permanent complications. At a mean follow up of 22.3 months, the pain had decreased or disappeared in all patients, and the patients' satisfaction rate was very high. Good results were also obtained in patients who smoked cigarettes. Patients underwent radiographic evaluation at Day 1, and 1, 3, 6, and 12 months postoperatively. Implant-related complications were not observed and revision surgeries were not performed. Twelve-month cervical x-ray films demonstrated complete fusion in all cases, without evidence of breakage, collapse, pseudarthrosis, subsidence, angular deformity, or protrusion. Signs of pathological absorption and necrosis were not found in contiguous vertebral bodies, and inflammatory reactions were never seen around cages. CONCLUSIONS These preliminary results suggest that implants composed of CFC containing granulated coralline HA are promising bone substitutes to be used in ACF, with a good rate of incorporation and no significant complications.
Coronary stents and vascular response to implantation: literature review

Drug-eluting stents (DESs) have minimized the limitations of bare-metal stents (BMSs) after percutaneous coronary interventions. Nevertheless, serious concerns remain about possible late complications of stenting, such as stent thrombosis (ST) and in-stent restenosis (ISR), although the introduction of second-generation DESs seems to have softened the phenomenon, compared to the first-generation ones. ST is a potentially catastrophic event, which has been markedly reduced by optimization of stent implantation, novel stent designs, and dual antiplatelet therapy. The exact mechanism to explain its occurrence is under investigation, and, realistically, multiple factors are responsible. ISR of BMSs has been previously considered as a stable condition with an early peak (at 6 months) of intimal hyperplasia, followed by a regression period beyond 1 year. On the contrary, both clinical and histologic studies of DESs have demonstrated evidence of continuous neointimal growth during long-term follow-up, named “late catch-up” phenomenon. The acknowledgment that ISR is a relatively benign clinical condition has been recently challenged by evidences which reported that patients with ISR can experience acute coronary syndromes. Intracoronary imaging is an invasive technology that allows identifying features of atherosclerotic plaque of stent implanted and of vascular healing after stenting; it is often used to complete diagnostic coronary angiography and to drive interventional procedures. Intracoronary optical coherence tomography is currently considered a state-of-the-art imaging technique; it provides, compared to intravascular ultrasound, better resolution (at least >10 times), allowing the detailed characterization of the superficial structure of the vessel wall. Imaging studies “in vivo,” in agreement with histological findings, suggest that chronic inflammation and/or endothelial dysfunction may induce late de novo “neoatherosclerosis” inside both BMSs and DESs. So, neoatherosclerosis has become the prime suspect in the pathogenesis of late stent failure.
Successive Oligopolies with Dierentiated Firms and Endogenous Entry

This paper develops a model of successive oligopolies with endogenous entry, allowing for varying degrees of product dierentiation and entry costs in both markets. Our analysis shows that the downstream conditions dominate the overall profitability of the two-tier structure while the upstream conditions mainly aect the distribution of profits. We compare the welfare eects of upstream versus downstream deregulation policies and show that the downstream deregulation is more eective if the industry is relatively concentrated and vice versa. Furthermore, we analyze how dierent forms of vertical restraints shape the endogenous market structure and provide conditions under which they are welfare reducing.
International Development NGOS: Agents of Foreign Aid or Vehicles for International Cooperation?

What is the future for development NGOs who work internationally but are based in and governed from the industrialized world? Are they destined for redundancy as NGOs and other organizations rooted in southern societies take over their roles and replace their expertise, or will they retain a legitimate place on the world stage in the 21st century? This article looks at the changing context for international NGOs and lays out three alternative routes into the future: incremental change (which is probably unsustainable), global market brands, and international social movements. The implications of each strategy are presented, and some overall conclusions drawn. The fundamental question facing all NGOs is how to move from their current position—as agents of a foreign aid system in decline—to vehicles for international cooperation in the emerging global arena.
Earnings Losses and Unemployment of Displaced Workers in Germany

Data from the German Socio-Economic Panel are used to examine the experiences of German workers following job displacement due to plant closure. In the year of displacement, annual earnings declined by about 13.5%, and the typical worker experienced between 6 and 10 additional days of annual unemployment. Two years later, annual earnings were only 6.5% less than before displacement, and the largest estimated increase in annual unemployment was 4 days. These estimated effects lie near the lower end of the range of similar estimates for U.S. workers.
The play's the thing: using interactive drama in leadership development

Purpose – This paper was written to help practitioners in the field of arts‐based learning understand the impact that training with its roots in theatre can have and has had on business executives – and the causes of that impact.Design/methodology/approach – The paper was developed by examining the 17‐year experience of Performance Plus… in delivering theatre‐based training to a wide range of large US businesses. It examines the way that drama can affect people in the audience and then, more particularly, how theatre based training affected the behaviors and actions of key management participants. The article then connected those results to the work of philosopher E.F. Schumacher and social scientist Daniel Goleman.Findings – The fundamental conclusion of the paper is that drama is an extremely effective tool for helping people learn skills and behaviors they can apply in the everyday routine of business.Originality/value – Because so little has been written about theatre‐based training, the primary value.
Induction: The glory of science and philosophy

The aim of this contribution is to provide a rather general answer to Hume's problem, the well-known problem of induction. To this end, it is very useful to apply his differentiation between ``relations of ideas'' and ``matters of fact'', and to reconsider earlier approaches. In so doing, we consider the problem formally (chap. 3), as well as empirically (chap. 4). Next, received attempts to solve the problem are discussed (chap. 5). The basic structure of inductive problems is exposed in chap. 6. Our final conclusions are to the positive, i.e., Hume's problem can be dealt with - solved - in a constructive way (chap. 7). More specifically, bounded generalisations can be justified, and the key to the solution is the concept of information.
Patterns of extinction risk and threat for marine vertebrates and habitat-forming species in the Tropical Eastern Pacific

Marine conservation activities around the globe are largely undertaken in the absence of comprehensive species-specific information. To address this gap, complete regional species assemblages of major marine taxa are being progressively assessed against the Categories and Criteria of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threat- ened Species. The present study is the first analysis of entire major components of the biota of a large marine biogeographic region conducted in the Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP). It is based on recently completed IUCN Red List assessments for all known species of bony and cartilaginous shorefishes, corals, mangroves, and seagrasses in the TEP. Twelve percent of the >1600 species assessed are in threatened categories, indicative of elevated extinction risk. Spatial analysis of all assessed taxonomic groups, including previous IUCN Red List assessments for seabirds, marine mammals, and marine turtles, highlights specific geographical areas of elevated threatened- species richness. The distribution of threatened species in the TEP is primarily linked to areas with high rates of overfishing, habitat loss, and increasing El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) event impacts, as well as oceanic islands with high stochastic risk factors for endemic species. Species assigned to the highest threat categories have life history traits that likely decrease their resilience to various regional and site-specific threats. Comprehensive information in the form of IUCN Red List assessments combined with spatial analysis will greatly help to refine both site- and species- specific marine conservation priorities in the TEP.
Modulation of GABAC receptors in rat retinal bipolar cells by protein kinase C.

1. The intracellular phosphorylation of bicuculline‐ and baclofen‐insensitive GABAC receptors was investigated in rat retinal bipolar cells. The cells were recorded in organotypic slice cultures by using the whole‐cell configuration of the patch‐clamp technique. 2. Peak GABA responses recorded in the presence of bicuculline decreased with repetitive GABA applications. Intracellular application of the phorbol ester, phorbol 12‐myristate, 13‐acetate (PMA) increased this run‐down, whilst it was prevented by both tamoxifen and phosphatase. 3. Perfusing the cells extracellularly with L‐AP4, trans‐(+/‐)‐1‐amino‐1,3‐cyclopentane dicarboxylate (ACPD) or alpha‐methyl serotonin accelerated the run‐down of GABAC responses. 4. Modulation of GABAC responses could be induced by intracellular application of GTP gamma S, indicating involvement of G‐proteins in the transduction cascade. 5. These results suggest that retinal GABAC receptors in bipolar cells are modulated by protein kinase C. Receptors which stimulate phospholipase C, presumably via Gi or Go, such as some of the metabotropic glutamate receptors or the 5‐HT2 receptor, appear to be linked to this regulatory pathway.
Are All Global Positioning System Collars Created Equal? Correcting Habitat-Induced Bias Using Three Brands in the Central Canadian Rockies

Abstract Global positioning system (GPS) collars are changing the face of wildlife research, yet they still possess biases such as habitat-induced fix-rate bias, which is a serious concern for habitat selection studies. We studied GPS bias in the Central Canadian Rockies, a critical area for wildlife conservation, to provide a statistical approach to correct GPS habitat bias for habitat selection studies using GPS collars. To model GPS habitat bias we deployed 11 different collars from 3 brands of GPS collars (Advanced Telemetry Systems [ATS], Asanti, MN; LOTEK Engineering Ltd., Newmarket, ON, Canada; and Televilt, Lindesberg, Sweden) in a random-stratified design at 86 sites across habitat and topographic conditions. We modeled the probability of obtaining a successful location, PFIX, as a function of habitat, topography, and collar brand using mixed-effects logistic regression in an information theoretic approach. For LOTEK collars, we also investigated the effect of 8 and 12 GPS channels on fix rate. The ATS collars had the highest overall fix rates (97.4%), followed by LOTEK 12 channel (94.5%), LOTEK 8 channel (85.6%), and Televilt (82.3%). Sufficient model selection uncertainty existed to warrant model averaging for logistic regression PFIX models. Collar brand influenced fix rate in all PFIX models: fix rates for ATS and LOTEK 12 channel were not statistically different, whereas LOTEK 8 channel receivers had intermediate fix rates, and Televilt had the lowest. Fix rate was reduced in aspen stands, closed coniferous stands, and sites in narrow mountainous valleys but was higher on upper mountain slopes. Slight discrepancies between fix rates from field trials and observed species fix rates (wolf [Canis lupus] and elk [Cervus elaphus]) suggest uncorrected behavioral or movement-induced bias similar to other recent studies. Regardless, the strong habitat-induced bias in GPS fix rates confirms that in our study area habitat effects are critical, especially for poorer performance brands. Based on previous studies of effects of the amount of bias on inferences, our results suggest correction for GPS bias should be mandatory for Televilt collars in the Canadian Rockies, optional for LOTEK (dependent on the no. of channels), and unnecessary for ATS. Thus, our GPS bias model will be useful to researchers using GPS collars on a variety of species throughout the Rocky Mountain cordillera.
Budgetary and External Imbalances Relationship: A Panel Data Diagnostic

We assess the cointegration relationship between current account and budget balances, and effective real exchange rates, using recent bootstrap panel cointegration techniques and SUR methods. We investigate the magnitude of the relationship between the two imbalances for each country for the period 1970-2007, and for different EU and OECD country groupings. The panel cointegration tests used allow for within and between correlation, while the SUR results show both positive and negative effects of budget balances on current account balances for several countries. The magnitude of the effects varies across countries, and there is no evidence pointing to a direct and close relationship between budgetary and current account balances.
Biological Denitrification of Hydrolysates from Octahydro‐1,3,5,7 tetranitro‐1,3,5,7‐tetrazocine

Alternatives for the destruction of common military explosives, including trinitrotoluene; hexahydro‐1,3,5‐trinitro‐1,3,5‐triazine; and octahydro‐1,3,5,7 tetranitro‐1,3,5,7‐tetrazocine (HMX) are being investigated in the post‐cold war period. One alternative combines chemical treatment (i.e., base hydrolysis of the explosives) and biological treatment (i.e., denitrification of the hydrolysate). This paper focuses on results of the biological part of the treatment process, during which Hyphomicrobium sp. bacteria were isolated from a seed obtained from a denitrification facility. The bacteria were enriched and maintained on a surrogate waste with methanol as the carbon source. The resulting culture is capable of anoxic growth in waste solutions containing up to 5000 mg/L of nitrite‐nitrogen. The culture efficiently denitrifies both surrogate and actual hydrolysate wastes. A substrate inhibition model was used to accurately predict denitrification rates. Comparisons are made between denitrification rates obtained for surrogate versus actual wastes. Denitrification rates were higher when actual waste streams were used. This work demonstrates the feasibility of using Hyphomicrobium sp. bacteria to treat HMX hydrolysate and presents a model that can be used to design a large‐scale system.
The State of the World Bank

As the preeminent global development organization, the World Bank has been adapting its products, governance, and ideas to reflect the dramatic changes in its economic and political environment-but not rapidly enough. It continues to push the questionable Washington Consensus idea that integrated global markets for labor and capital are the best route to economic development, and it continues to transfer resources almost entirely through credit and debt. Still, it needs to be defended as one of the few powerful yet truly global economic forums we have.
The Climate for Creativity and Change in Teams

We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately. - Benjamin Franklin, At the signing of the Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776. This article reports the results of a study conducted to examine the ability of the Situational Outlook Questionnaire (SOQ) to effectively discern climates that either encourage or discourage creativity and the ability to initiate change in a team setting. The purpose of the study is to examine the concurrent criterion-related validity of the SOQ. The article explores the characteristics in an organisational climate that promote teamwork and some of the tripwires one needs to be aware of in the formation and management of teams. Nine dimensions of the climate for creativity and change as measured by the Situational Outlook Questionnaire are put forward and defined in relation to teams. The methodology and results of the study are reported. The results show that when subjects (N=154) complete the SOQ based on their recollection of a best- and worst-case team experience, the measure is able to consistently and significantly discriminate between the two types of experiences. Conclusions, implications, and areas for future research to further examine the validity of the SOQ are explored.