Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Psychoactive Substrates Stimulate Dopamine Transporter Phosphorylation and Down-regulation by Cocaine-sensitive and Protein Kinase C-dependent Mechanisms*

Dopamine transporters (DATs) undergo intracellular sequestration and functional down-regulation upon exposure to psychostimulant substrates. To investigate the potential mechanism underlying these responses, we examined the acute in vitro and in vivo effects of amphetamine and methamphetamine (METH) on phosphorylation and down-regulation of rat DAT using wild type and N-terminal truncation mutants. Phosphorylation of DAT assessed by 32PO4 metabolic labeling was increased up to 2-fold by in vitro treatment of rDAT LLC-PK1 cells with amphetamine or METH and was similarly increased in rat striatal tissue by in vitro application or in vivo injection of METH. The dopamine transport blocker (-)-cocaine did not affect DAT phosphorylation but prevented the phosphorylation increase induced by METH. Phosphorylation of DAT induced by METH was also prevented by the protein kinase C blocker bisindoylmaleimide I and was absent in an N-terminally truncated protein that lacks the first 21 residues including 6 serines that also represent the site of phorbol ester induced phosphorylation. Down-regulation of transport induced by METH was also cocaine- and protein kinase C-dependent but was retained in the N-terminal truncation mutant. These results demonstrate that transport or binding of METH stimulates DAT phosphorylation and down-regulation by a mechanism that requires protein kinase C but that METH-induced down-regulation can occur independently of direct transporter phosphorylation. The finding that DAT phosphorylation is stimulated by amphetamines reveals a previously unknown effect of these drugs that is not produced by cocaine and may be related to reinforcement.
Proteomics of phosphate use and deprivation in plants

Phosphate is an essential element for plants and is involved in the composition of sugar phosphates, nucleic acids, membrane lipids, and energy metabolism via the generation of ATP. Crop farming requires the application of large amounts of phosphate fertilizer, but the fossilized rock deposits used as a commercial source of phosphate fertilizer are a nonrenewable resource that is predicted to reach a peak within the next century and drive plant production costs up as the global demand for food increases. Recent progress in the identification of key molecular regulators of the plant response to phosphate deprivation has highlighted differences in the response of the model plant Arabidopsis compared to economically important crops. This review focuses on the potential of proteomics to unravel the common and specific biochemical changes that contribute to phosphate use efficiency in cultivars of rice, maize, and oilseed rape. Proteome studies reveal a wide scope of species‐specific metabolic strategies that lead to changes in root morphology and metabolism, driven by secretion of specific proteins and alteration of energy metabolism, carbon, and nitrogen assimilation inside the root cells. Understanding of the mechanisms underlying plant phosphate use efficiency in crops is critical for developing sustainable agriculture practices.
Risk Reporting Practices of Indian Companies in the SENSEX

Information on risks faced by a company is important for an investor and the public in general. Due to its forward-looking nature, the statement on possible risks is particularly beneficial and suitable for investor’s decision-making. This is why e.g. IFRS 7 focusing on the financial instruments was introduced. By analysing the annual reports regarding its content, we can assess information quality of the reports. Our findings suggest that the incentives to disclose seem to be low with some qualitative information but with next to no information in a quantitative way. Future regulation should address this issue and work on higher information quality.
Personnel Formalization and the Enhancement Of Teamwork: A public–private comparison

Formalization has long been regarded as one of the most distinctive features of the public sector. Personnel systems in the public sector are particularly formalized due to merit system protections and strong due process requirements. In much of the contemporary public management literature, personnel formalization implies red tape, referring to excessive rules that bring negative outcomes such as employee frustration. The present study offers an alternative view, suggesting that personnel formalization results in high-performance work practices, particularly teamwork, by ensuring that organizations attract the right employees and provide employees with various protections such as worker safety, procedural justice and conflict resolution. Given that public organizations are structured more formally, public sector employees are more likely to work in teams than their peers in the private sector. The authors test this view by using variables from the National Organization Survey (NOS) data set and find strong statistical support. Therefore, personnel formalization is not necessarily equivalent to red tape and not always detrimental to the public sector. It enhances teamwork, a central element of high-performance work practices.
THE CHANGING EFFICIENCY OF AFRICAN STOCK MARKETS

This paper classifies formal African stock markets into four categories and discuses the principal characteristics of the seven markets covered in this study: South Africa, Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Mauritius and Kenya. Using a GARCH approach with time-varying parameters, a test of evolving efficiency (TEE) is implemented for periods starting in the early 1990s and ending in June 2001. This test detects changes in weak form efficiency through time. The TEE finds that the Johannesburg stock market is weak form efficient throughout the period, and three stock markets become weak form efficient towards the end of the period: Egypt and Morocco from 1999 and Nigeria from early 2001. These contrast with the Kenya and Zimbabwe stock markets which show no tendency towards weak form efficiency and the Mauritius market which displays a slow tendency to eliminate inefficiency. The paper relates weak form efficiency to stock market turnover, capitalisation and institutional characteristics of markets. Copyright 2005 Economic Society of South Africa.
Should Serum IGF-I Concentrations be Monitored Routinely During Growth Hormone Therapy?

Paediatric endocrinologists have had the availability of auxology to assess the short-term effectiveness of growth hormone (GH) therapy. It is a technique that is accurate, inexpensive, reproducible and non-invasive. By contrast, adult endocrinologists have not had the luxury of such a non-invasive technique and have had to rely on serum measurements of insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) in order to monitor the 'step-up' GH dose in adults with GH deficiency and to optimise therapy; the aim is to achieve IGF-I concentrations in the normal range. Indeed, this approach has now been endorsed by the Growth Hormone Research Society. In the past, paediatric endocrinologists have used measurements of the concentration of serum IGF-I for the differential diagnosis of GH deficiency and not usually to monitor treatment. We have realised the adverse effects of longterm elevation of serum IGF-I concentrations in acromegaly with effects on cardiac function and the development of diabetes mellitus and colonic tumours . Prospective studies have shown a correlation between serum IGF-I concentrations and colorectal cancer. There is a considerable amount of epidemiological evidence that prolonged sustained serum IGF-I concentrations may predispose to prostatic and breast cancers, in addition to colonic tumours. Acquired GH insufficiency (and by inference, IGF-I insufficiency) is associated with excess cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. It is probable that long-term serum IGF-I concentrations are required to be in the normal range to minimise
The Generation of Tourism Destination Satisfaction

An analysis of tourist satisfaction and how to improve satisfaction levels is crucial for tourism destinations, especially for resorts that have reached their mature stage and must therefore ensure customer retention to remain competitive. This paper analyses and measures tourist satisfaction with one of the most popular and mature resorts of the Mediterranean, the Balearic Islands. From their findings, the authors examine how satisfaction is generated through its main antecedents: sacrifice and perceived quality. The results show that, by measuring satisfaction as a multidimensional construct, it is possible to detect the key variables in the generation of overall satisfaction. The results also reveal differences in the generation of satisfaction when the tourist is a repeat visitor. The authors also discuss whether the model can be extended to different nationalities, origins or cultural values.
Concentrations of heavy metals in macroalgae in the tropical western Atlantic.

Studies of heavy metal (copper, lead, zinc and iron) in two species of red macroalgae Gracilariopsis carolinensis Liao and Hommersand and Hypnea musciformis (Wulfen) Lamouroux were carried out to monitor the level of bioavailable metals in coastal areas. The macroalgae and hydrological data were sampled in two areas, at the north and south littoral of Pernambuco (Brazil). The metal concentrations were measured by Atomic Emission Spectrophotometer with Inductive Coupled Plasma. Water temperature ranged from 28 to 31C, salinity from 26.4 to 36.9 UPS and dissolved oxygen from 2.43 to 6.37 mL.L. Higher metal concentrations were detected in the south coast, where Hypnea musciformis presented greater retention capacity. A Principal Components Analysis was performed and explained 50.45% of the total data variability. Rainfall presented an important role in the algae metal content. The median metal concentrations of G. carolinensis in the North area were: iron 141 g.g, lead 3.50 g.g, copper 0.95 g.g and zinc 33.14 g.g; in the South area: iron 347 g.g, lead 2.99 g.g, copper 1.57 g.g and zinc 28.57 g.g; and to H. musciformis in the North area: iron 675 g.g, lead 8.90 g.g, copper 1.85 g.g and zinc 49.93 g.g; in the South area: iron 806 g.g, lead 5.49 g.g, copper 2.35 g.g and zinc 44.57 g.g. No significant (p<0.05) seasonal changes in metal concentration and no distribution pattern were observed in the studied area.
The Influence of Viewpoint and Object Detail in Blind People When Matching Pictures to Complex Objects

We examined haptic viewpoint effects in blindfolded-sighted (BS) and visually impaired subjects: early blind (EB), late blind (LB), and very low vision (VLV). Participants felt complex objects and matched tangible pictures to them. In experiment 1, the EB and BS subjects had similar overall performance. Experiment 2 showed that the presence of a detail on the target object lowered performance in the BS subjects, and that matching accuracy was lower overall for top views for the blind subjects. In experiments 3–5, EB, LB, VLV, and BS subjects made judgments about perspective pictures of a model house with more salient object details. In experiment 3, performance was higher for side views than for corner views. Elevated side views were identified more readily than elevated corner views in experiment 4. Performance for top views was higher than for elevated side views in experiment 5, given the relative simplicity of the top-view depictions and salient details. The EB and BS participants had somewhat lower matching accuracy scores than the other groups. We suggest that visual experience is helpful, but not essential for picture perception. Viewpoint effects may vary with experience and object complexity, but the relevant experience need not be specifically visual in nature.
Scale-Free Networks and Sexually Transmitted Diseases: A Description of Observed Patterns of Sexual Contacts in Britain and Zimbabwe

Background: Sexually transmitted infections spread through a network of contacts created by the formation of sexual partnerships. In physics, networks have been characterized as “scale-free” if they follow a power law with an exponent between 2 and 3. Objective: The objective of this study was to test statistically whether distributions of numbers of sexual partners reported from different populations are well described by power laws. Study Design: Power laws and an exponential null model are fitted by maximum likelihood techniques to reported distributions of numbers of partners. Data are taken from 4 population-based surveys, 3 from Britain and 1 from rural Zimbabwe. Results: The networks can be described by power laws over a number of orders of magnitude. In addition, the derived exponents differ significantly and meaningfully, with an “accelerating network” formed between men who have sex with men (MSM). Conclusions: A scale-free network approach provides a reasonable description of distributions of reported numbers of sexual partners.
Is Asia Decoupling from the United States (Again)?

The recovery from the recent global financial crisis exhibited a decline in the synchronization of Asian output with the rest of the world. However, a simple model based on output gaps demonstrates that the decline in business cycle synchronization during the recovery from the global financial crisis was exceptionally steep by historical standards. We posit two potential reasons for this exceptionally steep decline: First, financial markets during this recovery improved from particularly distressed conditions relative to previous downturns. Second, monetary policy during the recovery from the crisis was constrained in western economies by the zero bound, but less so in Asia. To test these potential explanations, we examine the implications of an increase in corporate bond spreads similar to that which took place during the recent European financial crisis in a 3-region open-economy DSGE model. Our results confirm that global business cycle synchronization is reduced when zero-bound constraints across the world differ. However, we find that the impact of reduced financial contagion actually goes modestly against our predictions.
Forecasting error evaluation in material requirements planning (MRP) production-inventory systems

The impact of forecasted demand and forecast error, introduced in the Master Production Schedule, upon Material Requirements Planning (MRP) Systems is investigated. A computerized simulation was built to examine several questions. Results indicate that forecasting error, especially the mean error, does impact MRP system inventory costs and shortages; the greater the forecast error the greater the shortages. An exception to this general relationship was that a slight forecast BIAS may improve MRP system performance, which was the case for systems studied herein. Lot-sizing rules and product structure (bill of material structure) were also found to impact total MRP system inventory costs and shortages. The more complicated the MRP structure, the greater the differentiation among lot-sizing rules and the greater the cost impact of forecast errors. A good lot-sizing rule appears to be the period order quantity rule. However, as the forecast error level gets higher, it becomes difficult to select the better lot-sizing rule. Based on this study, suggestions are presented for the production manager's consideration, especially the inventory-production control manager.
Women and Inheritance in Sub‐Saharan Africa: What Can Change?

This article analyses how inheritance is being addressed to enhance socio‐economic equity and opportunities in five sub‐Saharan African countries: Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Rwanda and Uganda. Based on interviews with governmental and non‐governmental actors, as well as policy analysis and reviews of the literature, it considers how inheritance is understood as a public policy issue, and focuses attention on three areas that offer opportunities for safeguarding women's inheritance: marriage; customary land governance; and local arbitration. Initiatives to change policies and practices related to these areas are discussed, together with the lessons that can be learned.
Constraint robust model predictive control for jump Markov linear systems with additive disturbances

This paper proposes an approach to robust model predictive control (MPC) for discrete-time jump Markov linear systems (JMLS) considering polytopic constraints on the inputs and states. In a first design step, state feedback controllers, that stabilize the JMLS robustly, are calculated offline by means of a semi-definite program (SDP). These controllers are designed to satisfy the constraints and keep the states within disturbance invariant sets (DIS). To reduce the conservatism of the design approach, an SDP formulation in which the controller parameterization is independent of the Lyapunov matrices is employed. The resulting Lyapunov matrices and the DIS are used to formulate quadratic constraints for the first prediction step, that ensure robustness against additive disturbances, stability, constraint satisfaction and recursive feasibility. The stabilizing properties and low computation times of the resulting quadratically constraint quadratic program (QCQP) are illustrated by simulation.
Management of organisational crises and patient safety: Towards a more inclusive approach.

The overall aim of the thesis is to realise a better, more holistic understanding of the management of smouldering crises and progress knowledge regarding the ‘latent conditions’ which underlie adverse patient safety incidents in healthcare organisations. In so doing, this thesis will move the debate concerning both the management of smouldering crises and patient safety in healthcare The dominant approach in crisis management theory has been to consider crises from an organisational perspective. In spite of more recent developments in the understanding of smouldering crisis which causally attribute the emerging crisis to limitations in management’s perspective, knowledge and capabilities, there has been insufficient emphasis upon understanding the contributory behaviour of grassroots level. Furthermore, whilst theory is empirically based, this has almost exclusively been founded on narratives offered by those who occupy senior management positions at the expense of considering employees who are closer to the crisis incubation point. Errors in medicine are rare. However, the consequences of adverse patient safety incidents can be devastating. In the healthcare sector, legislative and policy initiatives in the UK during the early part of this century placed patient safety high on the agenda. Consistent with the dominant paradigm in crisis management theory, systemic human error is seen to underpin adverse patient safety incidents. However, whilst progress has been made developing an understanding and addressing aspects of the causal route to such incidents through ‘latent conditions’, the degree of understanding regarding contributory behavioural factors has been more limited. This thesis rebalances the approach taken to date in the crisis management and patient safety literature by looking at smouldering crises from a less limited perspective than previously. It does so by exploring the views of individuals at grassroots level within an organisation. Adopting a qualitative research methodology and through purposive sampling, the research study utilises typical patient care scenarios in order to explore and understand the behaviour of employees in their workplace. The accounts of participants’ working life are examined using narrative analysis and the findings are crystallised in the author’s model of professional workplace behaviour, the ‘Faces of Self’. The author asserts that the limitations of management perspective, knowledge and capabilities which are responsible for the escalation of smouldering crises can be ameliorated if management are sensitive to and effective in the management of the organisation’s climate. In addition, effective improvement of both ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ ‘latent conditions’ by policy makers, leaders within organisations and management generally will create a more effective, motivated and satisfied healthcare professional in the patient care setting and negate some of the conditions in which the adverse patient safety incidents promulgate.
Suppression of NF-kappaB-dependent proinflammatory gene expression in human RPE cells by a proteasome inhibitor.

PURPOSE To determine whether nuclear transcription factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) is activated in human retinal pigment epithelial (hRPE) cells in response to interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), or interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) alone or in combination and if so, whether expression of proinflammatory genes induced by these agents can be blocked by a proteasome inhibitor, MG-132, which inhibits the degradation of I kappaB, an NF-kappaB inhibitor, thereby preventing nuclear translocation of NF-kappaB. METHODS Cultured hRPE were pretreated for 60 minutes with medium alone or medium containing the proteasome inhibitor MG-132 (20 microM) and then exposed to TNF-alpha (1.1 x 10(3) U/ml), IL-1beta (5 U/ml), or IFN-gamma (7.5 x 10(3) U/ml) alone or in combination (TII). Nuclear translocation of NF-kappaB was determined by fluorescence staining of the NF-kappaB Rel A (p65) subunit. Cytoplasmic I kappaB protein was measured by western blot analysis. Nuclear extract binding to kappaB DNA motifs was measured by electrophoretic mobility shift assay and antibody supershift assay. Steady state mRNA expression of the chemokines melanoma growth stimulating activity (MGSA)/gro-alpha, regulated on activation normal T-cell expression and secreted (RANTES), and monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP-1), the cytokines IL-1beta and macrophage colony stimulating factor (M-CSF) and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) was evaluated by semiquantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Chemokine and cytokine protein secretion was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Cell-surface ICAM-1 expression was determined by flow cytometry. RESULTS TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, and TII but not IFN-gamma alone caused degradation of I kappaB, Rel A nuclear translocation, and increased NF-kappaB DNA binding activity, effects that were blocked by pretreatment with MG-132. MG-132 suppressed MGSA/gro-alpha, RANTES, MCP-1, IL-1beta, M-CSF, and ICAM-1 mRNA expression and secreted RANTES, MCP-1, and M-CSF protein, and cell-surface ICAM-1 that were induced by IL-1beta, TNF-alpha, and TII. CONCLUSIONS TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, and TII induce expression of proinflammatory cytokines and ICAM-1 in hRPE cells through an NF-kappaB-dependent signal transduction pathway. This effect is blocked by MG-132, a proteasome inhibitor that prevents I kappaB degradation. Inhibition of NF-kappaB may be a useful strategy to treat proliferative vitreoretinopathy and uveitis, ocular diseases initiated and perpetuated by cytokine activation.