Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Extracellular Trafficking of Myocilin in Human Trabecular Meshwork Cells*

Myocilin (MYOC) is a protein with a broad expression pattern, but unknown function. MYOC associates with intracellular structures that are consistent with secretory vesicles, however, in most cell types studied, MYOC is limited to the intracellular compartment. In the trabecular meshwork, MYOC associates with intracellular vesicles, but is also found in the extracellular space. The purpose of the present study was to better understand the mechanism of extracellular transport of MYOC in trabecular meshwork cells. Using a biochemical approach, we found that MYOC localizes intracellularly to both the cytosolic and particulate fractions. When intracellular membranes were separated over a linear sucrose gradient, MYOC equilibrated in a fraction less dense than traditional secretory vesicles and lysosomes. In pulse-labeling experiments that followed nascent MYOC over time, the characteristic doublet observed for MYOC by SDS-PAGE did not change, even in the presence of brefeldin A; indicating that MYOC is not glycosylated and is not released via a traditional secretory mechanism. When conditioned media from human trabecular meshwork cells were examined, both native and recombinant MYOC associated with an extracellular membrane population having biochemical characteristics of exosomes, and containing the major histocompatibility complex class II antigen, HLA-DR. The association of MYOC with exosome-like membranes appeared to be specific, on the extracellular face, and reversible. Taken together, data suggest that MYOC appears in the extracellular space of trabecular meshwork cells by an unconventional mechanism, likely associated with exosome-like vesicles.
Latin America's Reactive Assemblies and Proactive Presidents

Democratic assemblies insert themselves into the policymaking process in one or more of three basic ways: originative, by making and breaking executives, who then shoulder most of the policymaking burden; proactive, by initiating and passing their own legislative proposals; and reactive, by amending and/or vetoing executive proposals. European parliaments are the primary examples of originative/reactive assemblies. The U.S. congress and the assemblies of the U.S. states are the primary examples of proactive/reactive assemblies. In Latin America, legislatures typically can not remove presidents they dislike and lack the resources to fashion their own legislative proposals. Thus, they are neither originative nor proactive; they are merely reactive. That Latin American legislatures are only reactive does not mean that they are dysfunctional. While Latin American presidents at times dominate the political process, at other times they make policy concessions as a part of their overall strategy to get their way. Even if one continues to view the president as the central actor in the civilian political universe, his anticipation of a (possible) legislative veto should in theory condition most of his actions. The optimal strategy for even the most autocratically minded president is not to pretend the legislature does not exist and propose whatever policies he likes, then react spasmodically when the legislature refuses its assent. Rather, the "cheapest" strategy will often be to cobble together as many legislative votes as possible purely on the merits, conserving other assets (such as pork and patronage) for securing any necessary marginal votes.
Incremental validity of WISC-III profile elevation, scatter, and shape information for predicting reading and math achievement.

The use of cognitive subtest profiles to hypothesize about children's learning strengths and weaknesses implicitly assumes that subtest profiles are predictive of academic performance. To test this assumption, Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Third Edition (WISC-III) subtest profiles were decomposed into elevation, scatter, and shape components and sequentially regressed onto reading and math achievement scores for 1,118 nonexceptional and 538 exceptional students. Profile elevation was statistically and practically significant for both exceptional (R = .36-.61) and nonexceptional (R = .72-.75) students. Profile scatter did not aid in the prediction of achievement. Profile shape accounted for an additional 5%-8% of the variance in achievement measures. It was concluded that using WISC-III subtest scatter and shape to predict academic performance was not supported by the accumulated scientific evidence.
Internationalization and performance of Indian pharmaceutical firms

This study explores the nature of the degree of internationalization and performance (DOI-P) relationship in the context of the Indian pharmaceutical industry. The study relies on the stages model of internationalization to posit for specific relationships between DOI and performance in the distinct stages of international expansion. The findings are different from those of similar studies on emerging markets that have used a broader set of industries in their sample. Researchers should adopt caution when making any generalization of the DOI-P relationship across contexts. Industry context in certain instances can be more powerful than country context in shaping the DOI-P for particular firms. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Water resources development projects in Nigeria

Conceived essentially on a basis of agro‐technical and economic criteria, and without adequate knowledge of all other relevant socio‐economic and cultural factors, water resources development projects in Northern Nigeria have proved hazardous. There is a great risk of upsetting traditional farming systems rather than improving them. The imposition of various schemes, expropriation of land, massive displacement of the rural population, introduction of capital‐intensive technology, dictation of cropping patterns, and prohibitive and regressive farm charges are some of the hazards and uncertainties the farmers have had to cope with. This paper examines the various coping mechanisms adopted by the farmers. Their responses are discussed in relation to agitation, rebellion tactics, and risk‐aversion strategies.
Poverty, intergenerational mobility, and the role of imperfect information: An inquiry with reference to the panel study of income dynamics.

The standard approach to the study of poverty assumes the existence of an ideal variable that captures the extent of deprivation. In our first chapter, we postulate that poverty is involved with many dimensions. We use a latent variable framework to predict the extent of an individual's hardship as a function i=ax1i+bx2i +. , where the x's are indicators of i's income status, yi, and the latter variable is not observed. In chapter 2, the problem of allocating benefits for poverty relief is considered in a situation of uncertainty about who the poor are. The decision to grant a benefit of fixed size is analyzed in the context of a social objective of minimizing poverty, subject to the social costs incurred by expenditure on poverty alleviation programmes. Chapters 1 and 2 contain empirical applications based on the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID). We then construct a theoretical model for the purpose of studying the relationship between poverty and credit market imperfections. These imperfections originate from information asymmetries between borrowers and lenders. We assess to what extent the above type of information asymmetry can be a cause of poverty. We identify cases where the presence of information asymmetries has a neutral effect, and other situations where it can cause reductions in the level of poverty. We then review the issues pertaining to the topic of intergenerational earnings mobility. We define a criterion for the justice assessment of intergenerational mobility processes, based on the comparison of the earnings distributions of children originating from privileged groups and those from disadvantaged backgrounds. We apply our concept to intergenerational data from the PSID.
Outcomes of Conservation Alliances with Women's Community-Based Organizations in Southern Mexico

Through alliances with local community-based organizations, including groups of women, conservationists have used integrated conservation and development projects as a strategy to integrate conservation and poverty alleviation goals; yet an antiessentialist critique of ecofeminism suggests little grounds for alliances between women and conservationists. This study questions that premise through a presentation of analysis results from interviews with women in three communities surrounding Mexico's Calakmul Biosphere Reserve. I compare the households of conservation-allied women with other households, on (1) the use of various farming practices on women's group parcels and on other land managed by households (conservation-related outcomes) and (2) women's access to and control of land and project income (women's livelihood-related outcomes). I find that alliances were partially successful in meeting conservation interests, contributed to the production of livelihoods for the women, and increased their relative position within households and communities through changes in the gendered control of resource decision making.
The In-Plume Emission Test Stand: An Instrument Platform for the Real-Time Characterization of Fuel-Based Combustion Emissions

Abstract The In-Plume Emission Test Stand (IPETS) characterizes gaseous and particulate matter (PM) emissions from combustion sources in real time. Carbon dioxide (CO2), carbon monoxide (CO), nitric oxide (NO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and other gases are quantified with a closed-path Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR). Particle concentrations, chemical composition, and other particle properties are characterized with an electrical low-pressure impactor (ELPI), a light-scattering particle detector, an optical particle counter, and filter samples amenable to different laboratory analysis. IPETS measurements of fuel-based emission factors for a diesel generator are compared with those from a Mobile Emissions Laboratory (MEL). IPETS emission factors ranged from 0.3 to 11.8, 0.2 to 3.7, and 22.2 to 32.8 g/kg fuel for CO, NO2, and NO, respectively. IPETS PM emission factors ranged from 0.4 to 1.4, 0.3 to 1.8, 0.3 to 2.2, and 1 to 3.4 g/kg fuel for filter, photoacoustic, nephelometer, and impactor measurements, respectively. Observed linear regression statistics for IPETS versus MEL concentrations were as follows: CO slope = 1.1, r2 = 0.99; NO slope = 1.1, r2 = 0.92; and NO2 slope = 0.8, r2 = 0.96. IPETS versus MEL PM regression statistics were: filter slope = 1.3, r2 = 0.80; ELPI slope = 1.7, r2 = 0.87; light-scattering slope = 2.7, r2 = 0.92; and photoacoustic slope = 2.1, r2 = 0.91. Lower temperatures in the dilution air (~25 °C for IPETS vs. ~50 °C for MEL) may result in greater condensation of semi-volatile compounds on existing particles, thereby explaining the 30% difference for filters. The other PM measurement devices are highly correlated with the filter, but their factory-default PM calibration factors do not represent the size and optical properties of diesel exhaust. They must be normalized to a simultaneous filter measurement.
Embedded cholesterol in the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor

The nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) is a cation-selective channel central to both neuronal and muscular processes and is considered the prototype for ligand-gated ion channels, motivating a structural determination effort that spanned several decades [Unwin N (2005) Refined structure of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor at 4 Å resolution. J Mol Biol 346:967–989]. Purified nAChR must be reconstituted in a mixture containing cholesterol to function. Proposed modes of interaction between cholesterol and the protein range from specific binding to indirect membrane-mediated mechanisms. However, the underlying cause of nAChR sensitivity to cholesterol remains controversial, in part because the vast majority of functional studies were conducted before a medium resolution structure was reported. We show that the nAChR contains internal sites capable of containing cholesterol, whose occupation stabilizes the protein structure. We detect sites at the protein–lipid interface as conventionally predicted from functional data, as well as deeply buried sites that are not usually considered. Molecular dynamics simulations reveal that occupation of both superficial and deeply buried sites most effectively preserves the experimental structure; the structure collapses in the absence of bound cholesterol. In particular, we find that bound cholesterol directly supports contacts between the agonist-binding domain and the pore that are thought to be essential for activation of the receptor. These results likely apply to those other ion channels within the Cys-loop superfamily that depend on cholesterol, such as the GABA receptor.
Philippine politics in Town, District, and Province: Bossism in Cavite and Cebu

Accounts of the various local, congressional, and national elections held in the Philippines since 1986 have highlighted three enduring features of Philippine democracy in the post-Marcos era. First of all, large numbers of politicians who held office for many years in the Marcos and pre-Marcos periods have won reelection, as have numerous other members of long-entrenched political families (Soriano 1987; Gutierrez 1992). Secondly, most of these politicians and clans have been known to enjoy not only political longevity but also economic preeminence within their respective municipal, congressional, or provincial bailiwicks, through landownership, commercial networks, logging or mining concessions, transportation companies, or control over illegal economies (Gutierrez 1994). Finally, evidence that fraud, vote-buying, and violence have decisively shaped the conduct and outcome of these elections (Tancangco 1992) has led some commentators to conclude that the celebrated transition from “authoritarianism” to “democracy” in Manila has been less than complete in its local manifestations (Kerkvliet and Mojares 1991, 5). With the revival of electoral politics in 1987, analysts thus began to offer evocative descriptions of, and various explanations for, the distinctive nature of Philippine democracy, with references to political clans, dynasties, caciques, warlords, and bosses appearing with great frequency in journalistic and scholarly accounts, and terms like cacique democracy, mafia democracy, feudalism, warlordism, and bossism gaining considerable currency.
Early memories: Clinical relevance and significance

Objective: The purpose of this research was to examine earliest memories in patients with a mental disorder and their clinical relevance to diagnosis and treatment. Method: A semi-structured early memory questionnaire was developed and 50 patients with anxiety, depression or a psychotic disorder were interviewed. A thematic analysis was conducted to extract dominant themes from the qualitative data. Results: Family events, play, and receiving attention were dominant themes of pleasant memories, while unpleasant memories consisted of fear-provoking situations, abuse/violence, and death-related themes. Participants were able to recall the feelings they had experienced at the time of their earliest memories and most participants stated that their first memories had significant impact in their lives. Conclusions: The findings of this exploratory study suggest that earliest memories may be of clinical significance for diagnostic and therapeutic interventions in psychiatry.
The Impact of Income Maintenance Payments on Poverty in Britain, 1975

Book description: This authoritative collection brings together 100 key articles on the subject of the welfare state selected by one of the world’s leading experts. The first volume discusses the economic theory and related matters which underpin analysis of the welfare state. Volume II is about income transfers, especially social security benefits and poverty relief. Volume III looks at benefits in kind, particularly health care and education. This important work provides an analytical background to the subject whilst illustrating the vast array of literature available. It will be invaluable to students and professionals alike.
Marrow toxicity and radiation absorbed dose estimates from rhenium-186-labeled monoclonal antibody.

UNLABELLED Estimates of radiation absorbed dose to the red marrow (RM) would be valuable in treatment planning for radioimmunotherapy if they could show a correlation with clinical toxicity. In this study, a correlation analysis was performed to determine whether estimates of radiation absorbed dose to the bone marrow could accurately predict marrow toxicity in patients who had received 186Re-labeled monoclonal antibody. METHODS White blood cell and platelet count data from 25 patients who received 186Re-NR-LU-10 during Phase I radioimmunotherapy trials were analyzed, and the toxicity grade, the fraction of the baseline counts at the nadir (percentage baseline) and the actual nadir were used as the indicators of marrow toxicity. Toxicity was correlated with various predictors of toxicity. These predictors included the absorbed dose to RM, the absorbed dose to whole body (WB) and the total radioactivity administered. RESULTS Percentage baseline and grade of white blood cells and platelets all showed a moderate correlation with absorbed dose and radioactivity administered (normalized for body size). The percentage baseline platelet count was the indicator of toxicity that achieved the highest correlation with the various predictors of toxicity (r = 0.73-0.79). The estimated RM absorbed dose was not a better predictor of toxicity than either the WB dose or the total radioactivity administered. There was substantial variation in the blood count response of the patients who were administered similar radioactivity doses and who had similar absorbed dose estimates. CONCLUSION Although there was a moderately good correlation of toxicity with dose, the value of the dose estimates in predicting toxicity is limited by the patient-to-patient variability in response to internally administered radioactivity. In this analysis of patients receiving 186Re-labeled monoclonal antibody, a moderate correlation of toxicity with dose was observed but marrow dose was of limited use in predicting toxicity for individual patients.
The (non-)politics of managing low carbon socio-technical transitions

Whilst not originating in political analysis, a transitions problem framing nevertheless provides a heuristic for understanding certain features of climate politics. A multi-level perspective on transitions to low carbon socio-technical regimes is introduced, and illustrated through the example of electricity supply. An associated ‘transition management’ (TM) approach, which considers policy measures to induce low carbon transitions, is then adopted as the central focus. A diagnosis of the climate challenge from a TM perspective is developed, and a range of familiar strategies for reducing emissions is considered in light thereof. Although political realities and difficulties have been given little emphasis in the TM literature, strategies with political implications are identifiable. These recommendations have technocratic overtones and assume a consensual or corporatist model of politics. A committed and explicitly political programme for transitions, rather than TM, may be necessary.
Biological tumor volume in 18FET-PET before radiochemotherapy correlates with survival in GBM

Objective: The aim of this prospective longitudinal study was to identify static and dynamic O-(2-[18F]fluoroethyl)-l-tyrosine PET (18FET-PET)-derived imaging biomarkers in patients with glioblastoma (GBM). Methods: Seventy-nine patients with newly diagnosed GBM were included; 42 patients underwent stereotactic biopsy (unresectable tumors) and 37 patients microsurgical tumor resection. All patients were scheduled to receive radiotherapy plus concomitant and adjuvant temozolomide (RCx/TMZ). 18FET-PET evaluation using static and dynamic analysis was done before biopsy/resection, after resection, 4 to 6 weeks following RCx, and after 3 cycles of TMZ. Endpoints were survival and progression-free-survival. Prognostic factors were obtained from proportional hazards models. Results: Biological tumor volume before RCx (BTVpreRCx) was the most important 18FET-PET–derived imaging biomarker and was independent of MGMT promoter methylation and clinical prognostic factors: patients with smaller BTVpreRCx had significantly longer progression-free and overall survival (OS). 18FET time-activity curves (TACs) before treatment and their changes after RCx were also related to outcome; patients with initially increasing TACs experienced longer OS. Conclusion: BTVpreRCx and TAC represent important 18FET-PET–derived imaging biomarkers in GBM. Increasing TACs are associated with prolonged OS. The BTVpreRCx is a strong prognostic factor for progression-free survival and OS independent of the mode of surgery. Our data furthermore suggest that patients harboring resectable GBM might benefit from maximal PET-guided tumor resection.
Editorial: Racialisation and public policy

Policy and Politics published a special issue on gender in 1989 (Gender and public policy: European law and British equal opportunity policies, edited by Elizabeth Meehan and Gill Whitting, Vol 17, No 4). Given this precedent it was not surprising that a special issue to consider race and public policy was suggested. However, the process leading up to this present issue was different to the gender special in that we did not collect the contributions together through holding a conference. Instead we tried to commission papers from academics and practitioners (including politicians) which would concentrate upon one of three main issues, namely racial and ethnic identity (in particular how they differ and overlap), issues to do with service delivery in a range of key areas or the need to develop a broader European perspective.
Looking for guarantees

The article attempts to capture some of the author's experience with the diagnosis and subsequent treatment of her son's cancer. David was 15 when he was diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma of the left femur. He underwent chemotherapy within 3 weeks of the diagnosis, having undergone port insertion, a needle biopsy of the tumor, and numerous other diagnostic procedures. After four chemotherapy treatments and a series of radiation treatments, David underwent an 8-hour operation to reconstruct the left femur. Bank bone was used as well as the fibula from his lower leg and iliac crest bone from the same side. David continued to be on chemotherapy treatments for just under 2 more years. As a result of this experience, the author's priorities, ways of being with clients, relationships with family members and friends, and outlook on life have all been affected. She has a new appreciation of all that a family goes through when a loved one is in crisis and how it affects the entire family and network of friends