Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cultivation of rat marrow‐derived mesenchymal stem cells in reduced oxygen tension: Effects on in vitro and in vivo osteochondrogenesis

Rat mesenchymal stem cells (rMSCs) represent a small portion of the cells in the stromal compartment of bone marrow and have the potential to differentiate into bone, cartilage, fat, and fibrous tissue. These mesenchymal progenitor cells were maintained as primary isolates and as subcultured cells in separate closed modular incubator chambers purged with either 95% air and 5% CO2 (20% or control oxygen) or 5% oxygen, 5% CO2, and 90% nitrogen (5% or low oxygen). At first passage, some cells from each oxygen condition were loaded into porous ceramic vehicles and implanted into syngeneic host animals in an in vivo assay for osteochondrogenesis. The remaining cells were continued in vitro in the same oxygen tension as for primary culture or were switched to the alternate condition. The first passage cells were examined for in vitro osteogenesis with assays involving the quantification of alkaline phosphatase activity and calcium and DNA content as well as by von Kossa staining to detect mineralization. Cultures maintained in low oxygen had a greater number of colonies as primary isolates and proliferated more rapidly throughout their time in vitro, as indicated by hemacytometer counts at the end of primary culture and increased DNA values for first passage cells. Moreover, rMSCs cultivated in 5% oxygen produced more bone than cells cultured in 20% oxygen when harvested and loaded into porous ceramic cubes and implanted into syngeneic host animals. Finally, markers for osteogenesis, including alkaline phosphatase activity, calcium content, and von Kossa staining, were elevated in cultures which had been in low oxygen throughout their cultivation time. Expression of these markers was usually increased above basal levels when cells were switched from control to low oxygen at first passage and decreased for cells switched from low to control oxygen. We conclude that rMSCs in culture function optimally in an atmosphere of reduced oxygen that more closely approximates documented in vivo oxygen tension. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The Effect On Wage Of Attending A US News And World Report Best College

A great deal of attention is paid to the annual release of the U.S. News and World Report college rankings. According to national surveys of college freshman, enhanced earning potential is a major motivator in their choosing to attend college and in their selecting which college to attend. Thus you would expect the U.S. News and World Report rankings to be highly correlated with those institutions whose students earn a wage premium. This paper uses the data set High School and Beyond to test the effect on wage of attending a college identified by U.S. News and World Report as a “best college. ” I find no statistically significant relationship between attending a U.S. News and World Report “best college” and wage earned.
Tissue‐specific modulation of insulin receptor mRNA levels in a patient with a phaeochromocytoma

We have observed that the expression of the insulin‐receptor gene is regulated in a tissue‐specific manner in a patient with a phaeochromocytoma. Our results Indicate that insulin receptor mRNA levels are decreased in adipose tissue and increased in both liver and skeletal muscle as compared with the corresponding values in the same tissues of a control patient. These findings provide the first evidence that insulin receptor mRNA levels may be modulated in vivo by high levels of catecholamines.
CONSUMER ATTITUDE TOWARDS PRICING OF LIVE AQUATIC PRODUCTS

The live aquatic products market can be defined as aquatic products sold live for the food market. This live aquatic market caters to Asian supermarkets and restaurants, and the entire market is being supplied by both wild and farmed aquatic species. This study was designed to gather market information on customer attributes and document how they feel about pricing while purchasing live aquatic products in the Northeastern U.S. The primary objective of this study is to present impact of socio-economic characteristics of aquatic products consumers and their attitude towards importance of price while buying live aquatic products.
Imaging after percutaneous radiofrequency ablation of hepatic tumors: Part 1, Normal findings.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this article is to review the spectrum of early and delayed normal cross-sectional imaging findings after percutaneous radiofrequency ablation of hepatic tumors. CONCLUSION Knowledge of postablation imaging changes is vital not only for the interventionalist who performs the procedure but also for the diagnostician who interprets the postablation imaging. Recognition of normal postprocedural changes and differentiation from abnormal imaging findings prevent overcalling benign changes as abnormal and can thus avoid needless treatment.
Implications of Aquaglyceroporin 7 in Energy Metabolism

The aquaglyceroporin AQP7 is a pore-forming transmembrane protein that facilitates the transport of glycerol across cell membranes. Glycerol is utilized both in carbohydrate and lipid metabolism. It is primarily stored in white adipose tissue as part of the triglyceride molecules. During states with increased lipolysis, such as fasting and diabetes, glycerol is released from adipose tissue and metabolized in other tissues. AQP7 is expressed in adipose tissue where it facilitates the efflux of glycerol, and AQP7 deficiency has been linked to increased glycerol kinase activity and triglyceride accumulation in adipose tissue, leading to obesity and secondary development of insulin resistance. However, AQP7 is also expressed in a wide range of other tissues, including kidney, muscle, pancreatic β-cells and liver, where AQP7 also holds the potential to influence whole body energy metabolism. The aim of the review is to summarize the current knowledge on AQP7 in adipose tissue, as well as AQP7 expressed in other tissues where AQP7 might play a significant role in modulating whole body energy metabolism.
Current Issues in Method and Practice

Since the Current Issues in Method and Practice (CIMP) section of Current Issues in Tourism was launched in 2006, the range and scope of published papers has been vast. Each contribution represents cutting-edge advances in tourism research methods and methodologies, ranging from quantitative data modelling to incisive commentary on knowledge creation and understanding. The section was introduced in response to a need for the development of a continuous platform designed to disseminate of the very latest in thinking about research in tourism. My inaugural editorial (Duval, 2006) suggested that it was launched ‘as a means to facilitate discussions on how tourism research might/could be operationalised and, by extension, what it means to examine tourists and tourism’. In the realm of tourism studies, there has been continuous refinement of existing methods as well as a willingness to explore new ways of acquiring, shaping, understanding and positioning data. Five years after its introduction, the published papers in the Method and Practice section bear this out. For example, Picken (2006) explores the discourse of subjects and objects of study within tourism research, while Szarcyz (2009) reminds researchers to ground phenomenology in its philosophical roots. Weed (2006) helpfully reviews various approaches to research synthesis in tourism, while in the same issue Feighery (2006) communicates the importance of reflexivity. Detailed interrogations of both existing and new methods have also appeared in CIMP. Pike (2007) outlines the use of repertory grids to tease out destination image attributes; Hitchcock and Wesner (2008) demonstrate a novel approach to fostering democratic, community-based participation and planning; and Raymond and Hall (2008) introduce appreciative inquiry and demonstrate its potential in tourism research. Both Briedenhann and Butts (2006) and Northcote, Lee, Chok and Wegner (2008) review the use of Delphi as an applied technique in tourism research, while Rakic and Chambers (2009) provide insights into the use of visual ethnography. Quantitatively, Volo and Giambalvo (2008) diagnose problems of official tourism statistics used by policymakers and offer suggestions for improving reliability of measurement and use; Jones, Munday, and Roberts (2009) investigate the use of tourism satellite accounts at the sub-national level; and Stergiou and Airey (2011) discuss the use of Q-methodology. Without question, the existing suite of CIMP papers demonstrates an increasing sophistication in the employment of methods and framing of methodologies. Such innovation deserves an audience beyond the confines of a ‘method’ section in a larger published article, and such is the purpose of the CIMP section. In order to build on the excellent series of articles already published, we welcome submissions on any numbers of areas, including, but not necessarily limited to
Spending on Alcohol: Evidence from the Family Expenditure Survey 1970-1983

This paper reports on the investigation of a model of the determination of the share of household expenditure on alcohol using FES data for the United Kingdom, 1970-83, i.e., a time series of cross sections. The authors pay special attention to the occurrence of zero expenditure, variations in characteristics across the population, and the modeling and interpretation of the stochastic term. This term is modeled using the gamma distribution (replacing the normal in Tobit); estimated parameters indicate strong positive skewness. Interactions between household characteristics and expenditure propensities are important. Copyright 1990 by Royal Economic Society.
Inflacion, precios relativos y cambio estructural: argentina 1960-1990

En este trabajo se estudian las relaciones de la variabilidad de precios relativos con el nivel y la variabilidad de la inflacion, a fin de determinar si estas son significativamente distintas (moderada, alta, muy alta e hiperinflacion) en los diferentes regimenes inflacionarios mostrados por la economia argentina durante el intervalo 1960-1990. En este marco se realiza un analisis de correlacion de la dispersion de precios relativos con la tasa y la variabilidad de la inflacion, y luego se aplica un test de cambio estructural para estas relaciones entre diferentes regimenes de inflacion. Los resultados muestran que existe una correlacion positiva significativa, creciente con el nivel de inflacion. Mas aun, se encuentra la existencia de cambios estructurales, siendo estos mas significativos a partir de muy alta inflacion. Estos resultados dan lugar a dos interpretaciones: (i) existen umbrales inflacionarios en el caso de muy alta inflacion e hiperinflacion; cuando estos niveles son alcanzados surgen Keywords: Variabilidad de precios, inflacion, cambio estructural, Argentina.
Socialization of Graduate and Professional Students in Higher Education, a Perilous Passage?

Weidman addresses both curricular and dispositional aspects of the graduate and professional students' experiences in higher education as well as processes through which individual students are socialized. This report provides historical background on the study of professional socialization, compares and contrasts models of professional preparation, and addresses implications for the organization and administration of graduate and professional education programs.
Assessing Assessment: The Danish Experience of Worker Participation in Risk Assessment

The imposition of the 1989 EU framework directive resulted in new Danish legislation on workplace assessment (WPA) to establish a mandatory participatory process to regulate the work environment in all firms. Initial studies of the legislation's implementation show that while smaller firms are not complying with the new requirements, larger firms are. A closer analysis, however, shows that the ambitions behind the law are still not being fully realized. By analysing the results from the perspective of different theories, this article addresses which strategies can be followed in order to develop WPA activities and thereby the participatory programme established by the Danish law on work environment.
Primary particle formation in protein precipitation

Recovery of proteins frequently involves a precipitation step in which ease of recovery of the solid protein depends on the size and density of the solid particles. The solid particles are actually aggregates of much smaller primary particles. In this work, possible influences on the aggregates of primary particle properties are postulated. The role of precipitation conditions during precipitation of soy protein with acid or CaCl2 is determined by measurement of zeta potential and size distribution. Results are consistent with a nucleation/growth model for determination of size. There is indirect evidence that fractionation occurs at the primary particle level, although the particles are homogeneous at the aggregate level.
Crime and the Job Market

This paper presents evidence on the relation among incarceration, crime, and the economic incentives to crime, ranging from unemployment to income inequality. It makes three points: 1) The U.S. has incarcerated an extraordinarily high proportion of men of working age overall, and among blacks. In 1993 the number incarcerated was 1.9 percent of the male work force; among blacks, the number incarcerated was 8.8 percent of the work force. 2) The rising trend in incarceration should have reduced the rate of crime, through the incapacitation of criminals and through the deterrent effect of potential arrest and imprisonment. But administrative records show no such drop in crime and the victims survey shows a fall far below what could be expected on the basis of incapacitation by itself. 3) The implication is that there was an increased propensity to commit crime among the non-institutional population. The paper focuses attention on the possibility that the continued high rate of crime in the U.S., despite massive imprisonment of criminals may be one of the costs of the rising inequality in the country, and in particular of the falling real earnings of the less educated. While we lack a 'smoking gun' for such a relation, the preponderance of evidence suggests that economic incentives have played a role in the increased propensity to commit crime.
The relation between Chlamydia pneumoniae and atherosclerosis.

A causative role of infection in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis was first proposed in 1908 by Sir William Osler. ' Although originally this view was not widely accepted, there is now renewed interest in the contributions made by common chronic infections to the pathogenesis and progression of coronary artery disease (CAD). The modemr "response to injury" model of atherosclerosis acknowledges that infection may initiate and perpetuate endothelial damage2 but the contribution of other mechanisms-metabolic, inflammatory, or haemostatic-also needs to be considered. The latest infective agent to be implicated in atherosclerosis is Chlamydia pneumoniae, a Gram negative obligate respiratory pathogen. C pneumoniae is a common cause of bronchitis and pneumonia, but infection is usually subclinical and follows a benign course. Up to 60% of the population have serological evidence of previous infection and individuals are probably infected several times throughout their lives or harbour chronic infection. Because culture of the organism is difficult, confirmation of infection often requires a systemic antibody response to be identified.3
European Economics: A Tiny Creature under Tutorship

The author, born in 1929, is currently professor of Public Finance at the University of Rome, La Sapienza, School of Economics and Commerce. He is a former Minister of Finance (1983), European Affairs (1983-85) and Foreign Aid (1986-87) of the Italian Government and a former Senator and Chairman of the Finance and Treasury Committee of the Senate. He received his doctoral degree from the University of Pavia in 1951. Later he taught at several Italian universities and has been as a visiting professor at the Brookings Institution and the universities of Virginia and California in L.A.
Up to 40 Gb/s Directly Modulated Laser Operating at Low Driving Current: Buried-Heterostructure Passive Feedback Laser (BH-PFL)

A directly modulated 1.55-μm buried-heterostructure passive feedback laser exhibits a high modulation bandwidth of up to 34 GHz at moderate distributed-feedback (DFB) section currents between 20 and 60 mA. A very flat frequency response and a low alpha parameter have been demonstrated in the small signal modulation analysis. The device has open eyes at data rates of 25 and 40 Gb/s with reduced frequency chirp.
Military Expenditures, Income Inequality, Welfare and Political Regimes: A Dynamic Panel Data Analysis

The goal of this paper is to investigate the relationship between type of welfare regimes and military expenditures. There is a sizeable empirical literature on the development of the welfare state and on the typology of the welfare regimes. There appear to be, however, no empirical studies that examine welfare regimes with special attention to military spending. This study aims at providing a comprehensive analysis on the topic by considering several different welfare regime typologies. To do so, we use dynamic panel data analysis for 37 countries for the period of 1988–2003 by considering a wide range of control variables such as inequality measures, number of terrorist events, and size of the armed forces. We also replicate the same analyses for the political regimes. Our findings, in line with the literature, show that there is a positive relationship between income inequality and share of military expenditures in the central government budget, and that the number of terrorist events is a significant factor that affects both the level of military expenditure and inequality. Also, the paper reveals a significant negative relationship between social democratic welfare regimes and military expenditures.
Applications of Flow Cytometry to Clinical Microbiology

SUMMARY Classical microbiology techniques are relatively slow in comparison to other analytical techniques, in many cases due to the need to culture the microorganisms. Furthermore, classical approaches are difficult with unculturable microorganisms. More recently, the emergence of molecular biology techniques, particularly those on antibodies and nucleic acid probes combined with amplification techniques, has provided speediness and specificity to microbiological diagnosis. Flow cytometry (FCM) allows single- or multiple-microbe detection in clinical samples in an easy, reliable, and fast way. Microbes can be identified on the basis of their peculiar cytometric parameters or by means of certain fluorochromes that can be used either independently or bound to specific antibodies or oligonucleotides. FCM has permitted the development of quantitative procedures to assess antimicrobial susceptibility and drug cytotoxicity in a rapid, accurate, and highly reproducible way. Furthermore, this technique allows the monitoring of in vitro antimicrobial activity and of antimicrobial treatments ex vivo. The most outstanding contribution of FCM is the possibility of detecting the presence of heterogeneous populations with different responses to antimicrobial treatments. Despite these advantages, the application of FCM in clinical microbiology is not yet widespread, probably due to the lack of access to flow cytometers or the lack of knowledge about the potential of this technique. One of the goals of this review is to attempt to mitigate this latter circumstance. We are convinced that in the near future, the availability of commercial kits should increase the use of this technique in the clinical microbiology laboratory.
Robust Real-Time Distributed Optimal Control Based Energy Management in a Smart Grid

With the integration of distributed generations and controllable loads, the power grid becomes geographically distributed with a time-varying topology. The operation conditions may change rapidly and frequently; thus, management and control of the smart grid pose great challenges on traditional centralized control strategies. This paper proposes a distributed algorithm for energy management in a power grid, while dynamically minimizing the adjustment costs. The objective function is designed to optimize the overall social welfare considering generation suppliers and load users simultaneously. The proposed algorithm integrates consensus algorithm and optimal control algorithm, which requires only information exchanging among neighboring units and enables the sharing of computational and communication burden among distributed local controllers. It is robust to communication failures and adaptive to topology changes. Simulation results of the IEEE 9-bus, 39-bus systems, and a 200-unit system demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm and indicate the promising applications to practical power systems.
Corporate Governance, Bank Mergers and Executive Compensation

Using a sample of US bank mergers from 1995 to 2012, we observe that the pre-post merger changes in CEO bonus are significantly negatively related to the strength of corporate governance within the bidding bank. This suggests that bonus compensation is not consistent with the “optimal contracting hypothesis”. Salary changes, on the other hand, are not affected by corporate governance but are positively correlated with pre-post merger changes in the M/B ratio of the bidding banks, in line with “optimal contracting”. We also find that good governance is associated with more accretive deals for the bidder. Overall, our results are consistent with the notion that, unlike salary and long-term compensation, bonus compensation is not aligned with value creation and is more vulnerable to CEO manipulation in banks with poor corporate governance.
Demographic and diagnostic characteristics of the first 1000 patients enrolled in the Systematic Treatment Enhancement Program for Bipolar Disorder (STEP-BD).

OBJECTIVES Bipolar disorder is a severe, recurrent, and often highly impairing psychiatric disorder. The Systematic Treatment Enhancement Program for Bipolar Disorder (STEP-BD) is a large-scale multicenter study funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) to examine the longitudinal course of the disorder and the effectiveness of current treatments. The current report provides a context for interpreting studies resulting from STEP-BD by summarizing the baseline demographic and diagnostic characteristics of the first 1000 enrolled. METHODS The majority of the sample met DSM-IV criteria for bipolar I disorder (71%). Mean age of patients was 40.6 (+/-12.7) years and mean duration of bipolar illness was 23.1 (+/-12.9) years. Among the first 1000 subjects enrolled, 58.6% are females and 92.6% Caucasian. This report compares the STEP-BD sample with other large cohorts of bipolar patients (treatment and community samples). RESULTS Compared with US population and community studies, the first 1000 STEP-BD patients were less racially diverse, more educated, had lower income, and a higher unemployment rate. Results are discussed in terms of the contributions of STEP-BD (and other large-scale treatment studies) in understanding the nature, treatments, and outcomes of bipolar disorder for patients seeking care at academic treatment centers. CONCLUSIONS The current report provides a context for interpreting future studies resulting from STEP-BD. The comparison of demographic and clinical characteristics between the samples across clinic-based studies suggests broad similarities despite the substantial differences in geography, payer mix, and clinical entry point.