Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Targeted Mutagenesis of the Angiogenic Protein CCN1 (CYR61)

The matricellular protein CCN1 (CYR61) regulates multiple cellular processes and plays essential roles in embryonic vascular development. A ligand of several integrin receptors, CCN1 acts through integrin α6β1 and heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs) to promote specific functions in fibroblasts, smooth muscle cells, and endothelial cells. We have previously identified a novel α6β1 binding site, T1, in domain III of CCN1. Here we uncover two novel 16-residue sequences, H1 and H2, in domain IV that can support α6β1- and HSPGs-dependent cell adhesion, suggesting that these sequences contain closely juxtaposed or overlapping sites for interaction with α6β1 and HSPGs. Furthermore, fibroblast adhesion to the H1 and H2 peptides is sufficient to induce prolonged MAPK activation, whereas adhesion to T1 induces transient MAPK activation. To dissect the roles of these sites in CCN1 function, we have created mutants disrupted in T1, H1, and H2 or in all three sites in the context of full-length CCN1. We show that the T1 and H1/H2 sites are functionally non-equivalent, and disruption of these sites differentially affected cell adhesion, migration, mitogen-activated protein kinase activation, and regulation of gene expression. Disruption of all three sites completely abolished α6β1-HSPG-mediated cellular activities. All mutants disrupting T1, H1, and H2 fully retain αvβ3-mediated pro-angiogenic activities, indicating that these mutants are biologically active and are defective only in α6β1-HSPG-mediated functions. Together, these findings identify and dissect the differential roles of the three sites (T1, H1, H2) required for α6β1-HSPG-dependent CCN1 activities and provide a strategy to investigate these α6β1-HSPG-specific activities in vivo.
The scientific research wealth of African nations: do colonial origins matter?

Africa performs relatively poor, in terms of scientific production compared to other regions of the world. Moreover, pronounced disparities persist in the number of scientific and technical journal articles published across countries of the continent. The main objective of this paper is to evaluate the role of colonial legacies in the scientific production in Africa. African countries have developed different scientific research and educational policies based on those of their former colonial powers. This has influenced differently the cost of scientific production as well as the ability of a given country's population to enrol in higher education, and allocate talented people into science and innovative activities rather than rent-seeking activities. Econometric tests are conducted on a panel of 47 African countries, over the period 1994 to 2009. Our results suggest that only the British colonial legacy affects positively the postcolonial scientific production. On average, former British colonies achieve higher number of scientific articles publications than former French or other colonies in Africa, because of their superior enrolment levels in higher education.
Comparing a Pharmaceutical and an Agro‐food Bioregion: On the Importance of Knowledge Bases for Socio‐spatial Patterns of Innovation

The aim of this paper is to compare the socio‐spatial patterns of innovation and knowledge linkages of a biopharmaceutical and an agro‐food biotech cluster. Dissimilarities can be expected based on differences in terms of historical technological regimes and sectoral innovation system dynamics between the agro‐food and pharmaceutical industries in general and particularly the distinctive analytical (science‐based) knowledge base of biopharmaceuticals in contrast with the more synthetic (engineering‐based) knowledge base of agro‐food biotechnology. Drawing on bibliometric data and case material the study compares two representative bioregions: a biopharmaceutical cluster in Scania, Sweden and an agro‐food biotech cluster in Saskatoon, Canada. The empirical study supports the theoretical expectations and shows that knowledge dynamics in the agro‐food cluster are more localized than in the biopharmaceuticals cluster. It is important, however, to acknowledge that these differences are relative. Both sectors display local and non‐local patterns of collaboration following the general pattern for biotechnology.
Expression of aquaporins in rat liver regeneration

Abstract Objective. The remarkable ability of liver to regenerate after insults has been harnessed by surgeons when designing techniques for liver resection or transplantation. However, the underlying mechanisms of liver regeneration are not fully clarified. On the other hand, aquaporins (AQPs) are small transmembrane proteins with unexpected physiological roles in addition to water transport. For example, they play pivotal roles in cell migration, angiogenesis, and cell proliferation, events that are also occurred during liver regeneration. We thus examined the possible involvement of AQPs in this regenerative process. Material and methods. A two-thirds partial hepatectomy (PH) rat model was employed. The temporal expression of various AQPs in the liver following PH was determined by semiquantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blotting. The localization of AQPs was evaluated by immunohistochemistry. Results. As anticipated, AQP0, 8, 9, and 11 were detected mainly in hepatocytes; unexpectedly, Kupffer cells were observed to express AQP8 during a specific period of time in the regenerative process. AQP9 protein was shown to be expressed in a progressively enhanced pattern at early time points after PH. A transient expression of AQP11 in the nucleus of hepatocytes was observed. Conclusion. These findings suggest the possibility that AQP might be involved in the PH-induced liver regeneration.
Expected and Predicted Realignments: The Ff/Dm Exchange Rate During the EMS

An empirical model of time-varying realignment risk in an exchange rate target zone is developed. Expected rates of devaluation are estimated as the difference between interest race differentials and estimated expected rates of depreciation within the exchange rate band, using French Franc/Deutsche Mark data during the European Monetary System. The behavior of estimated expected rates of depreciation accord well with the theoretical model of Bertola-Svensson (1990) . We are also able to predict actual realignments with some success.
Stakeholder Orientation and Business Performance: The Case of Service Companies in China

Previous research on stakeholder orientation has examined only the main effects of its components on business performance. However, the interaction effects that result from different combinations of the components of stakeholder orientation have been overlooked. This article proposes and tests two types of interaction effects, synergy and hindering effects, using a sample of 193 service companies in China.
Increased Macrophage Infiltration and Fractalkine Expression in Cisplatin-Induced Acute Renal Failure in Mice

Inflammatory mechanisms contribute to cisplatin-induced acute renal failure (CisARF). Our first aim was to determine renal macrophage infiltration in CisARF. A more than 2-fold increase in CD11b-positive macrophages in the kidney on day 2 preceded the increase in blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and serum creatinine (SCr). Our next aim was to determine the chemoattractant for macrophage infiltration in CisARF. Fractalkine (CX3CL1) is expressed on activated endothelial cells and is a potent chemoattractant for macrophages that express its receptor (CX3CR1). Immunoblotting showed that whole-kidney CX3CL1 expression on days 1, 2, and 3 after cisplatin administration was increased. On immunofluorescence, the intensity of renal endothelial staining of CX3CL1 in blood vessels was significantly increased on day 2. Circulating von Willebrand factor (vWF), a measure of systemic endothelial injury, was increased on day 2. Next we determined whether macrophages played an injurious role in CisARF. Macrophages were depleted with injections of liposome-encapsulated clodronate (LEC). LEC resulted in a decrease in renal CD11b-positive macrophages on day 3. However, LEC-treated mice were not protected from CisARF on day 3. To determine the role of CX3CR1, both a specific anti-CX3 CR1 antibody and CX3 CR1–/– mice were used. Administration of the CX3CR1 antibody and CX3 CR1–/– mice was not protected against CisARF. In summary, in CisARF, macrophage infiltration in the kidney, CX3CL1 expression in whole kidney and blood vessels, and the increase in circulating vWF precede BUN and SCr increase. However, inhibition of macrophage infiltration in the kidney or CX3CR1 blockade is not sufficient to prevent CisARF.
Financial Aggregation and Index Number Theory

The book surveys modern literature on financial aggregation and index number theory, with special emphasis on the contributions of the book's two coauthors. In addition to an introduction and a systematic survey chapter unifying the rest of the book, this publication contains reprints of six published articles central to the survey chapter.Financial Aggregation and Index Number Theory provides a reference work for financial data researchers and users of central bank data, placing emphasis on possible improvements in such data from use of the microeconomic index number and aggregation theory.
Spatio-Temporal Forest Fire Spread Modeling Using Cellular Automata, Honey Bee Foraging and GIS

Million hectares of worldwide forests fall victim to disasters either natural or man-made. Providing effective strategies to prevent and manage this complex phenomenon has been an ideal for environmental managers. In this study, an integration of Cellular Automata (CA)is used for modeling the forest fire spread. But, the important issue in cellular automata is calibration. In this study, the Honey Bee Algorithm (HBA) is used for model calibration. The criteria taken in this study are vegetation type and density, topography, velocity and direction of wind. The output of simulation indicates high efficiency of the integrated model comprising of Cellular Automata, Honey Bee Algorithm and GIS. The proposed model was implemented in the forests stretching on the north of Iran. The area under study was divided into two parts: the model was implemented in the first part and a Kappa of 58% was obtained which was enhanced to 92% after calibration by honey bee algorithm. To evaluate the model, the calibrated model was implemented in the second part of the area under study; the results for the overall accuracy and Kappa were 98% and 88% respectively. Total burning time of the real area in the second part was 11 hours and overall burned area was 351.62 ha; simulation outputs showed 11.95 hours of burning time and 365.25 ha of burned area that were an overestimation. The results indicate that the proposed model can be employed for prediction of forest fires and can be used as part of decision support systems.
Early infancy – a critical period for development of obesity a

Abundant epidemiologic evidence from the developed world now shows that more rapid weight gain during the first half of infancy predicts later obesity and cardio-metabolic risk. In countries in transition, in which stunting is still prevalent, distinguishing the effects of gain in weight from linear growth remains a challenge. Moreover, very few studies to date have incorporated body composition measures during infancy, which is key to understanding determinants of infant weight gain that also predict later obesity. In addition to infant feeding type, potential determinants include the perinatal endocrine milieu. Animal and emerging human data raise the possibility that ensuring adequate leptin exposure to the growing fetus may regulate energy balance as the infant grows. Understanding these pathways, as well as examining the balance between cardiovascular and cognitive effects in both term and preterm infants, will point the way toward effective interventions to alter infant growth to prevent later obesity.
The Golden Age of Comparative Neuroethology on Display in Japan

One of those early pioneers of neuroethology, Masakazu (Mark) Konishi, was honored at this conference with a symposium in his name. There were four speakers who each had worked with Mark at some point in their careers and whose works were shaped by Mark’s insight. Mark is best known for his work on sound localization in barn owls and for his work on birdsong learning. Mark was also honored with the awarding of the first Konishi Neuroethology Research Awards to four young investigators. It was wonderful that Mark was able to attend this conference and particularly that he was accompanied by Walter Heiligenberg’s son. Walter was an early pioneer of work on the jamming avoidance response in electric fish. Other icons in neuroethology were honored at this conference by being named Fellows of the International Society for Neuroethology. The Fellows inducted this year were Franz Huber, Eve Marder, Ed Kravitz, Tom Collett, Darcy Kelley, and Tom Cronin. They were chosen for their research, their leadership in education and outreach, and their extraordinary service to the field of neuroethology. Now, decades after the first ICN, we see that there is still active research on classic neuroethological organisms, which, in addition to owls and electric fish, includes bats, honeybees, crickets, and lampreys. However, there is a far greater diversity of organisms than ever before, including: I recently returned from an incredible trip to Sapporo, Japan, where I attended the eleventh International Congress of Neuroethology (ICN) (http://www.icn2014. jp/). The very first ICN was also held in Japan in 1986. There were 304 participants at that first congress (142 from overseas and 162 from Japan). Twenty-eight years later, there were 630 participants with 416 coming from 21 countries outside of Japan. This was my first visit to Japan and I learned firsthand about the culture of elegance, grace, and perfection. This applied to the conference itself, which was incredibly well managed. Neuroethology is of course the study of the neural basis of natural behavior. Researchers in the field often point to Krogh’s principle as a justification for studying the neural basis of behavior in ‘non-model’ organisms, namely that an organism should be chosen because it is the easiest with which to study a particular problem [Krogh, 1929]. Thus, barn owls were chosen for studying sound localization because of their champion abilities at catching prey with passive hearing [Konishi, 2003]. Similarly, the jamming avoidance response was studied in the electric fish because it offered an opportunity to explore sensorimotor integration of an entire behavior [Heiligenberg, 1980]. The field of neuroethology became synonymous with these specialized animals, their abilities, and the pioneering researchers who studied them. Published online: October 23, 2014
Rates of production of methane in the rumen and large intestine of sheep

1. An isotope tracer method for estimating methane production in sheep is described. 2. The technique was used to estimate methane produced in both the upper and lower digestive tract and to determine the routes by which it was excreted. 3. Four Merino ewes given lucerne chaff (33 g every hour) were used. 4. Total methane production rate was 21±1.1 (se) ml/min; production in the rumen accounted for 87±1.2% of the total production; 95±1.4% of the methane produced in the rumen was excreted by eructation. 5. Of the methane produced in the lower digestive tract, 89±2.3% was excreted through the lungs and 11% through the anus.
Impacts of the Financial and Economic Crisis on Tourism in Asia

The purpose of this study is to forecast inbound tourism to Asia and outbound tourism from Asia by considering the possible impacts of the current financial and economic crisis. The autoregressive distributed lag model is used to calculate the interval demand elasticities, which are then used to generate interval forecasts for inbound tourism to and outbound tourism from Asia. Interval forecasts reduce the risk of complete forecasting failure arising from the uncertainties associated with the crisis. The forecast results suggest that the financial and economic crisis will have a negative impact on both inbound and outbound tourism in Asia but the demand will rebound from 2010.
Durable Goods Monopoly with Incomplete Information

This article reconsiders the durable goods monopoly problem when the monopolist's marginal cost is private information. We show that the Coase Conjecture implies the No Trade Theorem: In any equilibrium in which the lowest-cost seller's initial offer approaches her marginal cost, the aggregate probability of trade must vanish. However, we also construct non-Coasean equilibria which approximate the unique outcome of the rental version of the same model. These (stationary) equilibria are comparatively efficient. The results are equally applicable to the mathematically-equivalent problem of sequential bargaining with two-sided incomplete information where one party makes all the offers.
The effects of tubulation on healing and scar formation after transection of the adult rat spinal cord.

PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to characterize the effects of implantation of a collagen tube on healing and scar formation following transection of tbc adult rat spinal cord. METHODS The spinal cords of adult rats were completely transected at the mid-thoracic level. At 30 days after injury, the cellular and extra-cellular components of repair tissue present within tubulated and non-tubulated (control) wounds were compared using qualitative and quantitative histological techniques. RESULTS The presence of the tube reduced fibrocollagenous scar invasion into the gap, promoted astrocyte migration, and oriented axonal and connective tissue components of the repair tissue. Tube implants supported the regeneration of a substantial number of myelinated axons. A notable finding was the identification of cells containing a contractile actin isoform in the healing spinal cord. CONCLUSIONS The tubulation model allows for the study of spinal cord wound healing and axon elongation in a controlled experimental environment within the tube lumen. Using this model, it will be possible to study manipulation of the healing response by the introduction of exogenous agents within the tube.
Pupillary Size as an Index of Preference in Political Candidates

15 Ss were preselected as to political preference, actively supporting either a liberal or conservative political candidate and the pupils of their right eyes were photographed while viewing slides of these candidates. The white conservative preference group dilated to the slide of George Wallace and constricted to the slides of Lyndon Johnson and Martin Luther King, while the white and Negro liberal political preference groups reacted in the opposite manner; agreement was perfect between pupillary and verbal preferences.
Functional Level Primitives in Test Generation

This paper deals with the use and development of high-level (functional) primitive logic elements for use in a system which automatically generates tests for complex sequential circuits. The concept of solution sequences to test problems for primitive elements is introduced and a functional language used to describe solution sequences is presented. Functional test generation models for two basic elements, a shift register and a counter, are derived, including procedures for implication, D-drive and line justification. Primitive algorithms which generate single as well as multivector (sequences) solutions to D-drive and line justification problems are presented.
The Brazilian Industrial Policy

The following presentation briefly outlines a history of Brazilian industrial policy from 1950-present and current structural issues and challenges in modern-day industrial policy. It was presented at the Latin America/Caribbean and Asia/Pacific Economics and Business Association (LAEBA)'s 2nd Annual Meeting held in Buenos Aires, Argentina on November 28th, 2005.
Fatty acid metabolism in the liver, measured by positron emission tomography, is increased in obese individuals.

BACKGROUND & AIMS Hepatic lipotoxicity results from and contributes to obesity-related disorders. It is a challenge to study human metabolism of fatty acids (FAs) in the liver. We combined (11)C-palmitate imaging by positron emission tomography (PET) with compartmental modeling to determine rates of hepatic FA uptake, oxidation, and storage, as well as triglyceride release in pigs and human beings. METHODS Anesthetized pigs underwent (11)C-palmitate PET imaging during fasting (n = 3) or euglycemic hyperinsulinemia (n = 3). Metabolic products of FAs were measured in arterial, portal, and hepatic venous blood. The imaging methodology then was tested in 15 human subjects (8 obese subjects); plasma (11)C-palmitate kinetic analyses were used to quantify systemic and visceral lipolysis. RESULTS In pigs, PET-derived and corresponding measured FA fluxes (FA uptake, esterification, and triglyceride FA release) did not differ and were correlated with each other. In human beings, obese subjects had increased hepatic FA oxidation compared with controls (mean +/- standard error of the mean, 0.16 +/- 0.01 vs 0.08 +/- 0.01 micromol/min/mL; P = .0007); FA uptake and esterification rates did not differ between obese subjects and controls. Liver FA oxidation correlated with plasma insulin levels (r = 0.61, P = .016), adipose tissue (r = 0.58, P = .024), and systemic insulin resistance (r = 0.62, P = .015). Hepatic FA esterification correlated with the systemic release of FA into plasma (r = 0.71, P = .003). CONCLUSIONS PET imaging can be used to measure FA metabolism in the liver. By using this technology, we found that obese individuals have increased hepatic oxidation of FA, in the context of adipose tissue insulin resistance, and increased FA flux from visceral fat. FA flux from visceral fat is proportional with the mass of the corresponding depot.
Competitiveness of Macau in Developing the Exhibition Sector: Can Gaming Industry Contribute?

It is getting popular for gaming destinations to develop their MICE (meeting, incentive, convention, and exhibition) business, but little research has connected gaming and exhibition. Macau has become a world leading gaming destination and is now devoting itself to exhibition development. This development has attracted some research attention, but the competitiveness of Macau in the perceptive of attendees is still to be revealed. Meanwhile, the advantage of a gaming destination in exhibition development lacks empirical examination. This study investigated exhibition visitors’ destination perception of Macau and their primary reasons for attending. Results showed that Macau’s exhibition competitiveness can be improved in order to compete with other exhibition cities in Asia, such as Hong Kong. In addition, the results show that gaming and other entertainment facilities do not contribute as much as one expects to attracting current visitors when compared with other factors.