Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass on the NLRP3 Inflammasome in Adipose Tissue from Obese Rats

Objective Obesity is associated with low-grade chronic inflammation. We hypothesized that Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) surgery would reduce activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome in metabolically active adipose tissue (AT) of obese rats, and this change would be related to decreases in body weight and improved glycemic control. Methods Omental, mesenteric and subcutaneous fat depots were collected from Sprague-Dawley rats: Sham control and RYGB; 90-days after surgery. NLRP3, caspase–1, apoptosis-associated speck-like protein (ASC), IL–1β, IL–18, IL–6 and MCP–1 gene and protein expression were quantified. Glucose metabolism was assessed by oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). Results Compared to Sham surgery controls, RYGB surgery decreased IL–6, MCP–1, NLRP3, IL–18, caspase–1 and ASC in omental fat, and decreased IL–6, MCP1, IL–1β, IL–18, caspase–1 and ASC gene expression in mesenteric fat. We observed differential gene expression between visceral and subcutaneous fat for IL–6 and IL–1β, both being downregulated by RYGB in visceral, and upregulated in subcutaneous depots. These changes in gene expression were accompanied by a decrease in NLRP3, ASC, IL–18, caspase–1 and IL–1β protein expression in omental tissue. We found a positive correlation between caspase–1, ASC, MCP–1, IL–18 and IL–6 gene expression following surgery and glucose AUC response in omental fat, while the change in glucose AUC response correlated with caspase–1 gene expression in subcutaneous fat. Conclusion This study demonstrates that bariatric surgery reverses inflammation in visceral adipose tissue by suppressing NLRP3 inflammasome activation. These are the first data to implicate the NLRP3 inflammasome in diabetes remission after RYGB surgery.
Progression in frontotemporal dementia: identifying a benign behavioral variant by magnetic resonance imaging.

OBJECTIVE To assess the clinical course and prognosis in patients with behavioral-variant frontotemporal dementia (FTD) lacking evidence of brain atrophy on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). DESIGN Patients were enrolled into this prospective cohort study over a period of 15 years; cognitive status, duration of symptoms, and behavioral indexes were recorded. Brain MRIs were rated using a standardized scale. SETTING Regional early-onset dementia clinic. PARTICIPANTS Thirty-one participants diagnosed clinically with behavioral-variant FTD. Intervention Rating of MRIs. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Death or institutionalization after a minimum of 3 years' follow-up indicated poor prognosis, while the ability to live independently was regarded as a good prognosis for the purpose of survival (Kaplan-Meier) and discriminant function analysis. RESULTS Patients with normal or borderline MRI findings (n = 15) showed significantly longer survival to institutionalization or death than those (n = 16) with definite frontotemporal atrophy (mean +/- SE, 9.3 +/- 1.7 years vs 3.0 +/- 0.7 years; P<.01). Using groups defined by 3-year outcome (good or bad prognosis), cerebral atrophy predicted poor outcome while age, symptom duration, cognitive performance, behavioral impairment, and overall disability at baseline did not. CONCLUSIONS Patients with FTD with normal MRI results follow a more benign course than cases with atrophy at presentation. The substrate of the behavioral symptoms in such cases may differ from the neurodegenerative pathological features typically associated with FTD.
Cadmium exposures during early development: DO they lead to reproductive impairment in fathead minnows?

The primary objective of this study was to determine whether cadmium (Cd) exposures during embryonic and larval development alter the reproductive performance, reproductive physiology, and sex ratio of fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas). Embryonic exposures were conducted by exposing adult female fathead minnows to 0, 25, or 100 μg/L Cd for 8 d prior to breeding. Larval exposures were conducted by exposing the larvae to waterborne Cd at 0, 12.5, 25, or 50 μg/L from 8 to 29 d posthatch (the time period associated with female sexual differentiation). Minnows from each exposure period were raised to maturity, at which time their reproductive success, secondary sexual characteristics, gonadosomatic index (GSI), plasma 11‐ketotestosterone (11‐KT) concentrations, and sex ratios were assessed. Results from the embryonic study reveal that Cd exposures alter the secondary sexual characteristics of male fathead minnows but do not alter reproductive performance, GSI, 11‐KT concentrations, or sex ratios. Larval exposures, during the period of female sexual differentiation, significantly reduce the frequency of adult spawning and increase clutch size but do not alter fecundity, secondary sexual characteristics, GSI, or 11‐KT. Subtle alterations in sex ratio were observed, indicating that larval Cd exposures may increase the proportion of females in an exposed population.
Unilateral CO2 Reductions and Carbon Leakage: The Consequences of International Trade in Oil and Basic Materials

A recursively dynamic general equilibrium model featuring six world regions with trade in energy and non-energy goods is used to simulate the period from 1990 through 2100 in 10-year intervals. The simulations explore the effect of unilateral action by the OECD to curb global CO2 emissions. Unilateral cuts create incentives for free-riding by non-participating regions, so that global emissions are reduced by less than the amount that the OECD cuts back its regional emissions. Carbon "leakage" occurs through two channels. First, basic materials production increases in unconstrained regions, resulting in increased carbon intensity of GDP. Second, reductions in OECD oil imports cause the world oil price to fall, leading to an increased energy intensity in the non-participant regions. In this paper, we use a general equilibrium model to assess the extent to which these two mechanisms reduce the effectiveness of OECD reductions in curbing global CO2 concentrations.
Concepts of dental caries and their consequences for understanding the disease.

The way in which we conceptually consider dental caries determines our choice of preventive and treatment strategy. In this paper the definition of dental caries is discussed and the related problems concerning causality are addressed. Dental caries reflects symptoms of ongoing and past disease--not the disease itself. As such, it is important to record early stages of signs of the disease, i.e. non-cavitated stages of lesion development. The dynamic nature of the processes leading to net loss of mineral (hence a lesion) is emphasized, and appreciating that caries is ubiquitous in populations around the world and initiation and progression of lesions continues lifelong leads to the logical conclusion that we can control dental caries through a variety of measures--but not truly prevent the disease. We can prevent cavities by controlling the patho-physiological events which may result in a net loss of mineral. The relative role of dental plaque in caries control is discussed in relation to the role of the many determinants which influence the likelihood for lesion development. It is concluded that several paradigms about the nature of dental caries should be reconsidered to provide the most cost-effective dental services.
Economic development and structural setting: Hong Kong electronics industry

Abstract A structural analysis of the economic development in developing economies is proposed. A development model is constructed and examined against the experience of the Hong Kong electronics industry. The proposed model indicated that the local structural settings of developing economies did not foster a high profit incentive and investment environment for rapid economic development. However, the same settings when integrated into an international structural context can generate a structural profit that is based on the difference in the cost of production. This structural profit can act as an engine of growth for the whole economy. The application of the model has shown that the calculation of the structural profit is not simply based on certain factors of production but on the overall cost of production. In addition, the application also indicated that three main aspects of the structural settings have played the determining role in shaping the development of the industry, namely, the export network, risk and uncertainty in the local structural settings and peripheral industries.
Role of Context in Equity Effects of Congestion Pricing

The equity effects of congestion pricing have come into focus as a potential hindrance to its acceptability in implementation around the world. Both theoretical arguments and empirical evidence about how the burden of the toll should fall on demographic groups have been mixed, depending on a variety of contextual factors such as automobile access, work schedule, flexibility, and spatial distribution of activities. Yet the evidence so far for implemented congestion pricing systems has not examined explicitly the role of such contextual factors. With the congestion pricing trial in Stockholm, Sweden, as a case study, this paper uses structural equation modeling to estimate a model of the role of age, income, and gender as independent variables; contextual factors as endogenous variables; and the change in automobile trips after congestion pricing as dependent variables. The findings indicated that gender was a significant factor in terms of the total effects and that three of the four contextual variables—access to a car, possession of a long-term transit pass, and having a workplace on the same side of the cordon as home—played significant mediating roles in the indirect effects of the demographic variables on trips by automobile. Moreover, it was found that gender was significant only when the contextual factors were included in the model. This finding suggested that a significant variable could be missed when such factors were omitted.
Productivity and Skill at a Japanese Transplant and its Parent Company

Although the same transfer machine systems and similar parts are used to produce the same car components, the operating rate of the production line at a Japanese transplant in the United States has been lower by more than 10% than the operating rate at its mother plant in Japan. Differences in the troubleshooting and machine maintenance skills possessed by production workers, maintenance workers, and team leaders (assistant first-line supervisors) are found to be the main cause of this performance gap. At the root of these skill differences is the contrast between the choice workers experience concerning transfers using the job-bid system at the transplant and the supervisor control that exists at the mother plant.
Urban Implications of Cultural Policy Networks: The Case of the Mount Vernon Cultural District in Baltimore

The intersection of urban and cultural policies has recently been at the center of international debate. The cultural planning approach argued that cultural policies can generally display positive effects in contemporary cities. The economic literature put forth spatial organization models of cultural institutions and producers, sometimes confirming policy makers' expectations. Concerning the urban implications of cultural policies, many authors tended to be more skeptical and made several critical observations that can be better disclosed by analyzing cultural networks in urban policy making. Drawing on an extended case of Baltimore's Mount Vernon Cultural District, I show that these critical factors are relevant but not determinant since they do not explain how and why cultural policy networks intervene in urban policy making. The analysis of Mount Vernon showed how a self-interested network promoted revitalization by framing a specific area as a ‘common campus’ and by integrating public, private, and nonprofit on this spatial basis. I suggest considering the implications of cultural networks in further urban research and policy making.
Costing Techniques to Support Corporate Strategy: Evidence from Japan

Under conditions of harsh competition, strategies based on just one perspective, such as cost leadership differentiated products or niche focus, cease to become viable. This paper describes, by reference to a wide set of case studies on Japanese companies, the form that competition takes and the management accounting needed to ensure survival in such an environment.
Bill Passage Speed in the US House: A Test of a Vote Buying Model of the Legislative Process

This article constitutes a test of central tenets of vote buying theories using data on the number of days it takes to pass important bills in the US House. Survival analyses of a model of bill passage length provide confirmatory evidence of vote buying by presidents and the congressional leadership. Bills that attract buyers of votes to maintain the status quo are shown to pass more quickly than those that do not. Bills on the president's agenda and those that are relatively close to members' ideal points also pass quickly. The analyses furnish some interesting insights into possible efforts to make the legislative process quicker.
Acquired demographics and reasons to relocate among self-initiated expatriates

Organizational expatriates, who have been assigned by their parent companies to the foreign location have been thoroughly investigated as compared to self-initiated expatriates, who themselves have decided to expatriate to work abroad. Consequently, much less is known about the latter type of expatriates. To help alleviate this dearth of research findings, data was collected from 428 self-initiated expatriate academics from 60 countries employed in 35 universities in five northern European countries. Four acquired demographic characteristics were investigated: marital status, nationality, previous expatriate experience and seniority, as well as five individual reasons to expatriate: adventure/travel, career, family, financial incentives and life change/escape. The results indicated support for the research propositions, suggesting that self-initiated expatriates' (SIEs) reasons to expatriate differ in terms of acquired personal characteristics. Implications of these findings are discussed in detail.
Blogs in tourism: Changing approaches to information exchange

The continuing rise of the internet as a communications tool for travel and tourism presents challenges for destination marketing organizations and tourism enterprises. Previous research has suggested that the internet contributes to five key functions — promotion, product distribution, communication, management and research. This paper examines how Web 2.0 applications, and specifically the increasing number of travel blogs, might influence these functions. The research reviewed the published literature and real-life examples of destination marketing organizations and tourism enterprises using blogs as part of their business strategy. Some interesting examples were found for each of the functions, which may point the way to more effective use of user generated content by the tourism industry, while also revealing challenges to achieving this.
Improved assessment of arterial stiffness using corrected cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI0) in overweight adolescents with white-coat and essential hypertension

Abstract Arterial stiffness is a marker of vascular damage. Although adiposity increases cardiovascular risk, the relationship between paediatric overweight and arterial stiffness is unclear. The study aimed to evaluate the simultaneous effect of hypertension and overweight on arterial stiffness using cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI) and related novel, theoretically blood pressure (BP)-independent, index CAVI0. CAVI and CAVI0 were measured in 140 adolescent boys (16.0 ± 1.9 years) divided into age-matched groups: normal-weight normotensives, overweight normotensives, overweight white-coat hypertensives, and overweight essential hypertensives. Overweight normotensives had significantly lower CAVI and CAVI0 compared to normal-weight normotensives (4.81 ± 0.64 vs. 5.33 ± 0.66, p < .01; 7.10 ± 0.99 vs. 7.81 ± 1.00, p < .01, respectively). CAVI and CAVI0 in overweight essential hypertensives showed no significant difference compared to normal-weight normotensives and were significantly higher compared to overweight normotensives (5.32 ± 0.77 vs. 4.81 ± 0.64, p < .01; 7.77 ± 1.19 vs. 7.10 ± 0.99, p < .01, respectively). CAVI, but not CAVI0, was associated positively with diastolic pressure (0.022 mmHg−1, p = .002) and negatively with pulse pressure (−0.022 mmHg−1, p = .001), and it was significantly higher in overweight white-coat hypertensives compared to overweight normotensives (5.20 ± 0.63 vs. 4.81 ± 0.64, p < .05). The lowering effect of overweight on arterial stiffness indexed by CAVI and CAVI0 in hypertensive adolescents seems to counterbalance the early arteriosclerotic effect of essential hypertension. The increase in CAVI, but not CAVI0, in overweight white-coat hypertensives could be attributable to residual BP dependence of CAVI, which is not present in CAVI0. Under certain conditions, CAVI0 may offer a clinically relevant improved assessment of arterial stiffness superior to CAVI.
Neutrophil Transmigration: Emergence of an Adhesive Cascade within Venular Walls

Recruitment of neutrophils from the blood circulation to sites of infection or injury is a key innate immune response against invading pathogens and tissue injury. However, if inappropriately triggered, excessive and/or prolonged, this host defence response can also lead to severe pathological disorders. The migration of all leucocytes out of the vasculature is classically described by the leucocyte adhesion cascade that depicts a well-characterised sequence of cellular and molecular events within the vascular lumen. Recent findings have now illustrated that beyond the vascular lumen, the breaching of the venular wall can also involve an analogous cascade of adhesive events. For neutrophils this involves a tightly regulated and sequential series of responses within venular walls, initiating with adhesive steps that guide neutrophils through endothelial cells lining the venular wall, followed by responses that mediate and regulate their migration through the pericyte sheath and the venular basement membrane. The present review aims to provide a brief summary of novel additions to the classical adhesion cascade within the vascular lumen and then to discuss the emergence of a second adhesion cascade for neutrophils within venular walls, the latter illustrating the intricacies and complexities of neutrophil transmigration.
Involvement of the Ras/MAPK signaling pathway in the modulation of urokinase production and cellular invasiveness by transforming growth factor-beta(1) in transformed keratinocytes.

Transformed PDV keratinocytes respond to TGF-beta(1) by stimulating cell motility and invasiveness concomitantly to enhancement of the urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) expression/secretion. Depletion of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK1, 2) proteins by treatment of PDV cells with antisense oligonucleotides reduced basal uPA production and abolished stimulation of uPA secreted levels and cell motility by TGF-beta(1). PD098059, an inhibitor of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) kinase (MEK), decreased TGF-beta(1)-induced uPA mRNA expression, secreted activity in a dose-dependent manner, and abrogated TGF-beta(1)-stimulated cell motility and invasiveness. PDV-derived dominant-negative RasN17 cell transfectants secreted similar amounts of uPA and exhibited similar invasive abilities as the parental cells or control clones, but were unable to respond to TGF-beta(1) for stimulation of uPA-secreted levels and invasiveness. These results suggest that a Ras/MAPK transduction pathway is involved in the invasive response of transformed keratinocytes to TGF-beta(1).
Tumour-specific Antibodies in Human Malignant Melanoma and their Relationship to the Extent of the Disease

Biopsy specimens and sera were obtained from 103 melanoma patients. Autoantibodies were demonstrated by (1) complement-dependent cytotoxicity of autologous melanoma cells in short-term culture; (2) complement-dependent inhibition of ribonucleic acid synthesis; (3) immunofluorescent staining of the cytoplasm of killed melanoma cells and of the surface membrane of viable melanoma cells. Over one-third of the sera studied had antibodies to autologous melanoma cells. Although for technical reasons all three tests could not be performed with the cells from every melanoma, whenever multiple testing was possible there was complete concordance. The autoantibodies were virtually confined to patients in whom the disease was not widely disseminated, and over 80% of such patients had positive sera. In a limited number of patients who have been followed autoantibodies disappeared as the disease progressed to become widely disseminated. Two patients with generalized disease developed autoantibodies following inoculation by their own irradiated tumour cells. Two types of autoantibodies were recognized: one, active against antigen(s) in the cell surface membrane, was specific for each tumour—that is, only the autologous serum reacted—and was concerned in the cytotoxic activity; the other reacted with cytoplasmic antigens which appeared to be present in most or all melanoma cells.
The Dazzling Dollar

THE REMARKABLE appreciation of the dollar since 1980 rivals the oil shocks of the 1970s as the most dramatic relative price change in the post-World War II world economy. It is widely agreed that the source of the increase in the price of the dollar is an increase in the attractiveness of dollar assets to investors around the world. But what makes U.S. assets more attractive? At the risk of being uncontroversial, I continue to believe that the increase over the last five years in the differential between real interest rates in the United States and those in other countries is the major identifiable factor. The idea is that higher interest rates attract foreign capital into the country, causing the dollar to appreciate until it has become so "overvalued" relative to its long-run equilibrium value that the market expects a future depreciation sufficient to offset the interest differential. As table 1 shows, the long-term real interest differential between the United States and a weighted average of trading partners stood at between 2.7 and 3.5 percentage points as of February 1985, depending on which of three measures of expected inflation is used. Based on the middle estimate, the differential was 2.9 percentage points, up 5.0 points from a differential of about 2.1 percentage points in 1980. Figure 1 shows the three measures of long-term real interest differential monthly from 1979 to 1984. The proposed explanation for the shift in international asset demands could be broadened from "real interest differential" to "differential in expected rates of return on U.S. and foreign assets generally. " But which assets? Short-term interest differentials have risen by less than
An analysis and experiences on the management of international and joint R&D projects

International and joint R&D projects have been gaining due attention from large‐scale companies all over the world, especially with the development of new production concepts and technologies and internationalization of operations such as manufacturing, projects, and services. The major issues that confront the international R&D projects are the management focus, the strategic approach and methods for improving the effectiveness of international and joint R&D projects. In this paper, a conceptual model is developed to discuss these issues. Then, the experiences of Finnish large‐scale companies on international R&D projects are presented with help of the conceptual model. Based on the literature review and the experiences of Finnish international firms, a framework has been offered for successfully managing international and joint R&D projects.