Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Retinoic acid: A key player in immunity

For the past 100 years, vitamin A has been implicated as an essential dietary component in host resistance to infectious disease. However, only recently have studies begun to elucidate the cellular and molecular mechanisms of how vitamin A regulates cell‐mediated and humoral‐mediated immunity. In this review, we present an overview of the recent discoveries of the role that vitamin A and its metabolite, retinoic acid (RA), play in the regulation of immune cells. How RA impacts on leukocyte growth, differentiation, and homing is discussed with special attention to inflammatory responses and solid tumor microenvironment. © 2010 International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.
Low-Complexity Soft-Decision Feedback Turbo Equalization for MIMO Systems With Multilevel Modulations

Many communication systems today encounter the problem of data transmission over a channel with intersymbol interference (ISI). The purpose of this paper is to develop a low-complexity iterative soft-decision feedback equalization (SDFE) receiver for severe frequency-selective ISI channels in multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) communication systems. The proposed SDFE algorithm offers a novel approach to combat error propagation. In addition, its computational complexity only linearly grows with the number of equalizer coefficients, compared with the quadratic complexity of minimum mean square error (MMSE)-based linear turbo equalizer with time-varying coefficients. The performance of the proposed detection scheme is verified through simulations using different signal constellations. In addition, convergence properties of the proposed SDFE algorithm are also analyzed using an extrinsic information transfer (EXIT) chart and verified by simulations in a severe ISI channel. Simulation results show that our proposed algorithm has significant improvement over the Approximate MMSE linear turbo equalizer proposed by Tüchler et al. Moreover, we show that the performance of the proposed equalization scheme significantly improves when higher order constellations are used for digital modulation.
The Discourse Function in Televised Debates: A Cross-cultural Study of Political Debates in Mexico, Spain and the United States

The article describes and compares the discourse strategies used in televised debates and those of the winning candidates in the latest presidential elections in Mexico and the United States, and in Spain’s most recent general elections. A content analysis is done, based on the functional theory of political campaign discourse. The results show acclaim was the predominant strategy in the U.S. and Mexican debates, while the attack strategy was the most prevalent in Spain. However, the three winning candidates used acclaim more than other strategies. The debates also focused more on political issues than on the candidates themselves.
D1S80 VNTR locus genotypes in a population of Southeastern Sicily: Distribution and genetic disequilibrium

Locus D1S80 is one of the best‐known polymorphic loci, showing a variable number of tandem repeats. This article presents the results on D1S80 allele distributions in a sample of 324 unrelated Sicilian individuals, collected and analyzed in two distinct laboratory centers. Although, as expected, the two most frequent alleles were those with 18 and 24 repeat units, the population sample from southeastern Sicily showed a relatively low frequency of allele 29 (2.9%) and allele 31 (3.4%) and a relatively high frequency of allele 25 (6.0%), allele 30 (1.9%), and allele 32 (1.5%) in comparison with other populations. Statistical analysis performed by the five alleles model provided evidence that the population did not follow the Hardy‐Weinberg equilibrium expectations (observed heterozygosity 70.99% vs. expected heterozygosity 76.31%). The calculated F (fixation index), as a measure of heterozygote deficiency or excess, was positive for four allele groups and negative for one allele group. This finding was consistent with a substantial diversity of human ethnic groups when tested with VNTR systems and might represent a genuine inconsistency, not due to a methodological bias. This scenario deserves further investigation, i.e., by performing a short tandem repeat (STR) units analysis on a greater number of loci in the same population sample. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 16:91–94, 2004. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Survival of cells in anoxia.

Recent polemics concerned with the problem whether the oxygen effect is pertinent or irrelevant to clinical radiotherapy (Hall 1967; Alper 1968) raised, among others, the question: For how long a period do cells actually survive under the severely anoxic conditions which may prevail at some sites in a tumour? Previous observations suggested that cultures of mouse embryo cells or rat connective tissue cells not only survive but also multiply under anaerobic conditions (Harris, 1956; Dales, 1960). Access to argon with an oxygen contamination of less than 3 ppm, and a closer knowledge of the rate of equilibration between the gas phase and the cells covered with culture medium (Baker and Town, 1966; Michael, Scott and Reveesz, 1966) permitted us to reinvestigate the problem experimentally under more rigorous conditions than used earlier.
Rural tourism research in China: 1997-2006.

This article identifies five themes in Chinese rural tourism studies, including (1) definitions of rural tourism, (2) rural tourism planning and development, (3) pragmatic challenges and solutions, and (4) policies and impacts. Further, these themes are grouped by three methodological approaches, including supply-side perspectives, policy-oriented research, and descriptive methods. The article is based on the review and synthesis of 325 research articles published between 1997 and 2006 in China. The findings contribute to an understanding of China's rural tourism industry and current state of academic research on rural tourism issues unique to China but having global significance.
Outcomes of health care providers' recommendations for healthy lifestyle among U.S. adults with prediabetes.

BACKGROUND Lifestyle modification (i.e., weight loss, active lifestyle, healthy diet) is a recommended strategy for the prevention of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between receiving a health-care provider's recommendation and adherence to behavioral indicators of adaptation of a healthy lifestyle among adults with prediabetes. METHODS A secondary analysis was conducted using the 2005-2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data (N=2,853) that included self-reported efforts to improve diet, lose weight, and increase physical activity and objective measures of body mass index, blood tests for lipids, and actigraph data on physical activity. RESULTS When demographic variables, metabolic factors, and physical activity level were controlled, central obesity and elevated blood pressure were significantly associated with having prediabetes. Almost 40% of the respondents with prediabetes reported being told by their health-care provider during the previous year to control or lose weight, increase their physical activity, or decrease the fat and calories in their diet. Participants who were counseled to adopt a healthy lifestyle reported high adherence to weight control and diet modification. Selected objective measures supported that the health-care providers' recommendations contributed to improved lifestyle. CONCLUSIONS These findings indicate that self-reported health-care provider's recommendations for lifestyle modifications are associated with people actually engaging in healthier behavior. The results reinforce the importance of health-care provider's making recommendations to promote adherence to a healthier lifestyle.
Evolution and research trends of container shipping

The shipping industry was transformed by the expansion of international trade and technological innovation, notably containerization, since the 1960s. Accordingly, this was followed by a significant increase in research addressing different aspects of container shipping. Despite such availability, important questions have remained unanswered: what are the major contributions that the research community has made to the container shipping industry, global and regional economies? Have their contributions been skewed towards particular themes, directions, and geographical areas? What can the shipping research community learn from the evolution and trends of container shipping research so that they can continue to contribute to the well-being of the global and regional economies? To address these questions, the paper undertakes a critical review and analysis on the evolution and trends of research in container shipping in the past four decades, based on a collection of 282 papers investigating different topics in container shipping featuring in major scholarly journals between 1967 and 2012. The study enables the shipping research community to enhance self-understandings and identifies major gaps for further research.
Movement in health: Housing a diabetes centre within a gym (and vice versa)

Background: In Giarre, Sicily, we have created a diabetes center in which the medical center and exercise gym share the same physical space. When a patient leaves the doctor’s office he/she immediately enters a functioning gym. In the present paper, we report on our experiences with this integrated medical/exercise approach.
SPONTANEOUS RESOLUTION OF FETAL CYSTIC HYGROMA AND HYDROPS IN TURNER SYNDROME

On a routine ultrasound examination, a cystic hygroma and hydrops were noted at 21 weeks' gestation in a fetus with a 45,X karyotype. Serial studies demonstrated a marked reduction in the size of the cystic hygroma and complete resolution of ascites. At birth, the term infant had features characteristic of the Turner syndrome, including a webbed neck. A critical coarctation of the aorta required repair in the neonatal period. Our case provides glimpses of the intrauterine evolution of the Turner phenotype. We suggest that the possibility of survival when such lesions are detected prenatally may be greater than previously thought. (Obstet Gynecol 73:862, 1989)
Thermoelectric performance of restacked MoS2 nanosheets thin-film

MoS2 has been predicted to be an excellent thermoelectric material due to its large intrinsic band gap and high carrier mobility. In this work, we exfoliated bulk MoS2 by the assistance of lithium intercalation and fabricated the restacked MoS2 thin-film using a simple filtration technique. These MoS2 thin-films with different thickness showed different thermoelectric performance. It was found that with the increase of thickness, carrier concentration, electrical conductivity and Seebeck coefficient all showed an increasing trend. In particular, the maximum Seebeck coefficient was able to reach 93.5 μV K−1. This high thermopower indicates that MoS2 will have ideal thermoelectric performance in the future through optimizing its structure. The highest figure of merit (ZT = 0.01) is calculated in this experiment.
The effect of ursodeoxycholic acid therapy on the natural course of primary biliary cirrhosis.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS We used a multistate modeling approach to assess the effect of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) therapy on the natural course of primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC), which remains controversial. METHODS Our population included 262 patients with PBC who had received 13-15 mg/kg UDCA daily for a mean of 8 years (range, 1-22 years). Data were analyzed using a multistate Markov model, with histologic stage progression, death, and orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) as main end points. Survival without OLT was compared with that predicted by the updated Mayo model and with the expected survival in the control population. RESULTS Forty-five patients developed cirrhosis, 20 underwent OLT, and 16 died by the censor date. Ten deaths were due to liver disease. The overall survival rates were 92% at 10 years and 82% at 20 years. Survival rates without OLT were 84% and 66% at 10 and 20 years, respectively, which were slightly lower than the survival rate of an age- and sex-matched control population (relative risk [RR], 1.4; P = .1) but better than the spontaneous survival rate as predicted by the updated Mayo model (RR, .5; P < .01). The survival rate of patients in stage 1 and 2 was similar to that in the control population (RR, .8; P = .5), whereas the probability of death or OLT remained significantly increased in treated patients in late histologic stages (RR, 2.2; P < .05). CONCLUSIONS Treatment with UDCA alone normalizes the survival rate of patients with PBC when given at early stages. However, there is a continued need for new therapeutic options in patients with advanced disease.
Does Product Market Competition Reduce Agency Costs

The folk wisdom is that competition reduces agency costs. We provide indirect empirical support for this view. We argue that the temptation to retain cash and engage in less productive activities is more severe for firms in less competitive industries. Hence an unanticipated increase in cash-flow due to higher past returns is more likely to lead to a reduction in leverage as well as a lowering of future returns for firms in less competitive environments. Current leverage will therefore be negatively related to past returns and positively related to future returns for such firms. In contrast, for firms in more competitive industries, the negative relation between past returns and current leverage will be attenuated. Theory suggests that the relation between current leverage and future returns for such firms will be zero or negative. Using a proxy to distinguish firms in less competitive industries and data for 165 single business firms in the U.S.A. , we provide empirical supports for our arguments.
Information on Social and Philanthropic Activities: A Case Study on Islamic Banking Industry in Malaysia

The concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has become a mainstream issue among business communities in recent years. A key part of that agenda is to address the fundamental idea that corporations have obligation to work for social betterment (Frederick, 1994). Chambers et al. (2003) argue that globalisation appears to be the most important drivers for business corporations in developing countries to practice CSR. Corporations that venture into international market have felt the pressure to improve their CSR standards to measure up their expectations of their global stakeholders to remain competitive. Despite increasing attention has been accorded to CSR in developed countries, very few is known of the research of CSR in Islamic banking industry. Therefore, there is a gap in knowledge on current CSR practices in Malaysia particularly from the perspective of Islamic banks. This article is organised as follows. Section two discusses the literature review on CSR. Section three explains research methodology, and followed by a discussion of the findings and conclusion.
God’s Fund Managers:: A Critical Study of Stock Market Investment Practices of The Church of England and UK Methodists

While the literature contains a number of studies of ethical investment funds, relatively little is known about church investment processes and practices despite the significant role they have played in the development of the sector. This paper attempts to address this lacuna by studying the ethical investment programmes of two UK churches: the Methodist Church and the Church of England. The paper initially explores the relationship between the Judaeo‐Christian church and the development of the ethical investment movement. This history reveals an engagement both at the institutional and individual level that challenges the assumed sacred secular divide now commonplace within the literature and the more recent guardian‐advocate dichotomy. Second, the paper delineates the way in which the churches theologically conceptualise this engagement and describes how these values are proceduralised through the operation of the funds. The final section provides an immanent critique of church investments both at a performative and theological level. The aim of this concluding section is to engage with the churches in exploring the broader potential for the church in effecting social change.
Breakdown voltage enhancement for power AlGaN/GaN HEMTs with Air-bridge Field Plate

An AlGaN/GaN high-electron mobility transistor (HEMT) with a novel source-connected Air-bridge Field Plate (AFP) is simulated, optimized and experimentally verified. The device features a metal field plate that jumps from the source over the gate region and lands between gate and drain. The fabrication process is based on a commercially available RF GaN on SiC technology. Device characteristics for this work were optimized via layout changes only. An extensive analysis on the surface electrical field distribution was used to study the effect of varying AFP dimension. Simulation results indicated a breakdown voltage of 425 V for the AFP device can be achieved at VGS = -5 V. The gate to drain distance is 6 μm and the gate length is 0.8 μm. The fabricated results for AFP device are in relatively good agreement with the simulation results and exhibit improvement in forward blocking voltage of 375 V at VGS = -5 V. This is a factor of 3× improvement when compared to the best device that can be fabricated using conventional field plate (FP) for this particular process. The measured specific on-resistance for the device with the proposed AFP is 0.58 mΩ·cm2 at VGS = 0 V, which compares favorably with 0.79 mΩ·cm2 for the device with a conventional FP.
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus nasal colonization is a poor predictor of intensive care unit-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections requiring antibiotic treatment

Objective:To test whether intensive care unit (ICU) nasal screening for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) predicts the presence or absence of MRSA infections requiring antimicrobial treatment. Design:A prospective cohort study. Setting:Medical ICU at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, a 1252-bed urban teaching hospital. Patients:Seven hundred forty-nine consecutive patients admitted to the medical ICU over a 7-mo period (November 2007 through June 2008). Interventions:Nasal swabs were obtained at ICU admission and weekly thereafter for MRSA detection by using polymerase chain reaction. All subjects were followed for the development of MRSA infection during their ICU stay. Measurements and Main Results:One hundred sixty-four (21.9%) patients had positive nasal colonization with MRSA at the time of ICU admission. The predictive accuracy of MRSA nasal colonization for ICU-acquired MRSA infections, either lower respiratory tract infection or bloodstream infection, was poor (lower respiratory tract infection: sensitivity, 24.2%; specificity, 78.5%; positive predictive value, 17.7%; and negative predictive value, 84.4%; and bloodstream infection: sensitivity, 23.1%; specificity, 78.2%; positive predictive value, 11.0%; and negative predictive value, 89.7%). Addition of nasal-colonization results obtained during the ICU stay did not appreciably change the predictive accuracy of this test for identification of subsequent lower respiratory tract infections and bloodstream infections attributed to MRSA requiring antimicrobial treatment. Conclusions:In this analysis, nasal colonization with MRSA was found to be a poor predictor for the subsequent occurrence of MRSA lower respiratory tract infections and MRSA bloodstream infections requiring antimicrobial treatment. Clinicians should be cautious in using the results of nasal-colonization testing to determine the need for MRSA treatment among patients with ICU-acquired infections.
The Rise and Persistence of Rigidities

In this paper we argue that employment protection legislation is more likely to arise when the rents earned by the employed over their alternative wage is greater. The model explains why economies with greater real wage rigidity also have greater employment protection. The model also predicts that lower turnover increases the political support for employment protection and that this political support is greater when employment protection is more harmful for employment. Also, rigidities are persistent as they create a constituency of low-productivity sectors whose workers would oppose the removal of firing costs, even though existing rents would not generate support for introducing them. We argue that tight labour markets due to post-war reconstruction needs in Europe made it easier for insiders to create such rents, which in turn led them to support employment protection legislation. In the late 1970s, rents started to fall but reforms proved difficult because of ratchet effects.
The Old and Thee, uh, New

Most research on the rapid mental processes of online language processing has been limited to the study of idealized, fluent utterances. Yet speakers are often disfluent, for example, saying “thee, uh, candle” instead of “the candle. ” By monitoring listeners' eye movements to objects in a display, we demonstrated that the fluency of an article (“thee uh” vs. “the”) affects how listeners interpret the following noun. With a fluent article, listeners were biased toward an object that had been mentioned previously, but with a disfluent article, they were biased toward an object that had not been mentioned. These biases were apparent as early as lexical information became available, showing that disfluency affects the basic processes of decoding linguistic input.
International diversification and oil price risk

The effects of oil price risk on international risk sharing are studied. Both petroleum importing and exporting countries within OECD-Europe are considered. The empirical analysis indicates that uninsured idiosyncratic oil price risk accounts for parts of the observed low consumption correlations between these countries. This suggests that both petroleum exporters and importers could benefit from innovations in the markets for claims to unextracted oil and natural gas.
Creative economy and technologies: social, legal and communicative issues

The article deals with the philosophical questions of creative economy. Appealing to J. Howkins, R. Florida and other theorists of creative economy, the author analyses such aspects of creative economy as the need for enterprise, obsession by consuming, fusion of labour and leisure, integrality of the activities, striving for individual autonomy and privacy. The response to economical changes and social challenges could be creativeness that emerges in certain social and economical environment. The author pays attention to legal aspects of creative economy and analyses the role of technologies in the creative society. The author also focuses on the contradictory aspect of the copyright and patent right in creative economy. By expressing the creators’ right to just reward copyright restricts creative communication while patent right expresses aspirations to privatize social property, including nature. The relations between technologies and creative economy refer to social changes, too. Firstly, economic relations could be treated as social technologies. Secondly, technologies (especially e-technologies) are the base of creative industries that ensure economical growth. Thirdly, technologies are indispensable to the consuming that both demands new products and generates the very economy.