Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Human corneal equivalent as cell culture model for in vitro drug permeation studies

Aims: For the study of transcorneal in vitro permeation of ophthalmic drugs, excised animal cornea or corneal epithelial cell culture are frequently used as a replacement for the human cornea. The main purposes of this study were to reconstruct a complete human organotypic cornea equivalent, consisting of all three different cell types (epithelial, stromal, and endothelial); to test the barrier function of this bio-engineered human cornea using three different model drugs (pilocarpine hydrochloride (PHCl), befunolol hydrochloride (BHCl), and hydrocortisone (HC)); and to determine its usefulness as an in vitro model for prediction of ocular drug absorption into the human eye. Methods: A multilayer tissue construct was created step by step in Transwell cell culture insert using SV-40 immortalised human endothelial and epithelial cells and native stromal cells (fibroblasts). Morphology was characterised by light microscopy using routine H&E staining. Scanning electron microscopy was used to evaluate ultrastructural features. Ocular permeation of drugs across the human cornea construct was tested using modified Franz cells and compared with data obtained from excised porcine cornea and previously described porcine cornea constructs. Results and conclusion: The cornea construct exhibited typical corneal structures such as a monolayer of hexagonally shaped endothelial cells and a multilayered epithelium consisting of seven to nine cell layers with flat superficial cells. The formation of microplicae and microvilli was also confirmed. The human cornea construct showed similar permeation behaviour for all substances compared with excised porcine cornea. However, permeability (permeation coefficients Kp) of the human cornea equivalent (PHCl 13.4•10−6 (SD 3.01•10−6); BHCl 9.88•10−6 (SD 1.79•10−6); HC 5.41•10−6 (SD 0.40•10−6) cm/s) was about 1.6–1.8 fold higher than excised porcine cornea. Compared with data from the porcine cornea construct the cultivated human equivalent showed a decreased permeability. The reconstructed human cornea could be appropriate to predict drug absorption into the human eye.
The effects of gastric bypass surgery on drug absorption and pharmacokinetics

Introduction: Being overweight is widespread in most societies and represents a major health threat. Gastric bypass surgery offers a highly effective mode of treatment for the morbidly obese patients. The procedures cause an alteration in normal gastrointestinal anatomy and physiology, with consequences not only on nutrient absorption, but also possibly on orally administered drugs. Bypass of the acidic environment of the stomach, partial impairment of bile salts–drug interactions and reduced absorptive surface, all create the potential for reduced absorption of drugs. Areas covered: This article provides an overview of the effects of obesity and the most prevalent type of gastric bypass (Roux-en-Y) on pharmacokinetics. Articles for review were searched using Pubmed. Expert opinion: The absorption of those drugs with known bioavailability issues generally seem to be most affected by bypass surgery. It is important to consider the effect of obesity on pharmacokinetics independent of the bypass procedure, because it leads to a dramatic drop in body mass over a relatively short period of time. This may be associated with reversals in the influence of obesity on drug disposition to characteristics more in line with leaner patients. Drugs will differ in their pharmacokinetic response to surgery, limiting any general conclusions regarding the impact of the surgery on drug disposition.
Company’s Value Added and Its Intellectual Capital Coherence

Smulkiojo ir vidutinio verslo įmonių svarba visada buvo nenugincijama. Vyriausybės stengiasi palengvinti sių įmonių įėjimą į rinką ir pacią jų veiklą, o vadovai stengiasi valdyti savo įmones paciu efektyviausiu ir geriausiu būdu. Nepaisant sių pastangų, besikeicianti aplinka padarė didžiule įtaką įmonėms visame pasaulyje. Taip pat siais laikais jau neužtenka turėti „maiso materialaus turto“, kad įmonės pridėtinė vertė būtų didelė. Modernus naujų technologijų amžius, žinių ir informacijos svarba suteikė naują požiūrį į įmone. Pridėtinė vertė, sukurta įmonės, dabar jau priklauso ne tik nuo materialaus turto, bet ir nuo nematerialaus turto, ir nematerialių vertybių, kurios siuolaikinei įmonei yra pacios svarbios. Intelektinis kapitalas yra nematerialus, neapciuopiamas, sunkiai apskaiciuojamas, taciau yra gyvybiskai svarbus kuriant įmonės pridėtine verte. Siame straipsnyje istirtas įmonės intelektinis kapitalas ir jos pridėtinės vertės sąsaja, pristatytas įmonės intelektinis kapitalas ir pridėtinės vertės modelis.
Mature SMEs and technological innovation: entrepreneurial networks in the United Kingdom and Portugal

This research examines the links between national culture, entrepreneurship, networks and innovation. Both networking and entrepreneurship are seen as central to the innovative capacity of smaller firms. At the same time, the cultural environment in which such firms operate will influence the ability of entrepreneurs to develop new products and processes. We consider these problems by examining five SMEs in the United Kingdom (UK) and five in Portugal. All 10 companies are manufacturing-based and operate in "traditional" (low-technology) sectors. The case studies are utilised as a means of identifying the problems confronting owner/managers in such companies as they try to access newer technologies. We conclude that Portuguese managers are less likely to have been exposed to management education and tend to place greater reliance on family members for creating networks. Hence the options for innovation tend to be much narrower than small firms in the UK.
The Politics of State Higher Education Governance Reform

During the 1990s, state governments considered in excess of 100 initiatives to reorganize, restructure, or "reform" higher education governance arrangements. The recent wave of governance change has revealed an important insight about reform activity: Large-scale redesign of a state's higher education governance system occurs in a distinctively and decidedly political context--namely, at the intersection of legislative institutions, state higher education agencies, electoral cycles, and campus politics. This article describes the landscape of public higher education governance in the states and assesses recent trends, reviews the modest research literature on the politics of reform, and reports selective results from a recent national survey of higher education governance reform in the 50 states. The article concludes with suggestions for the framing of future research on the politics of governance reform.
Public Value and ROI in the Government Sector

Assessing the returns of public sector investments in Information Technology (IT) has been the subject of a round of debates between practitioners and the academic researchers. The range and complexity of government Information Technology (IT) investments and broad community of benefit owners make assessing investment returns a daunting prospect. This paper provides a short review of existing literature on Public Return on Investment (ROI) and the general approaches to measurement of such returns. It also presents some examples of successful Public ROI programs and practices in the United Arab Emirates.
Persepsi Wajib Pajak : Dampak Pertentangan Diametral pada Tax Evasion Wajib Pajak dalam Aspek Kemungkinan Terdeteksinya Kecurangan, Keadilan, Ketepatan Pengalokasian, Teknologi Sistem Perpajakan, dan Kecenderungan Personal. (Studi Wajib Pajak Orang Prib

Since tax becomes prime government revenue then developing this sector must be optimalized. Tax is compulsary contibution from the person, deprey inccured in common interest of all, without reference to special benefit coffere. Belongs to that definition, tax make diametral conflict between fiskus and tax payers, because there are only tax payers obligation, never tax payers right. Variance in types and nature of tax payers lead tax evasion problems. Refer to those kind of problem, this research try to answer whether there are influences between: (1) probability of cheat detact ; (2) tax fairness (3) Government Expenditure (4) Tax System and Technology,(5) Tax payers personalitiy to tax evasion . It is hypothesed that there are influences between those variables. Using random sampling of 66 individual tax payers, we distributed questioner in order to get valid data. Analysis with SPSS shows us that only two of hypothesis are proved. Key words: fiskus, wajib pajak, tax evasion
An evolutionary relationship between Stearoyl-CoA Desaturase (SCD) protein sequences involved in fatty acid metabolism.

BACKGROUND Stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD) is a key enzyme that converts saturated fatty acids (SFAs) to monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) in fat biosynthesis. Despite being crucial for interpreting SCDs' roles across species, the evolutionary relationship of SCD proteins across species has yet to be elucidated. This study aims to present this evolutionary relationship based on amino acid sequences. METHODS Using Multiple Sequence Alignment (MSA) and phylogenetic construction methods, a hypothetical evolutionary relationship was generated between the stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD) protein sequences between 18 different species. RESULTS SCD protein sequences from Homo sapiens, Pan troglodytes (chimpanzee), and Pongo abelii (orangutan) have the lowest genetic distances of 0.006 of the 18 species studied. Capra hircus (goat) and Ovis aries (Sheep) had the next lowest genetic distance of 0.023. These farm animals are 99.987% identical at the amino acid level. CONCLUSIONS The SCD proteins are conserved in these 18 species, and their evolutionary relationships are similar.
Conditional Ciphertext-Policy Attribute-Based Encryption Scheme in Vehicular Cloud Computing

VCC (Vehicular Cloud Computing) is an emerging and promising paradigm, due to its significance in traffic management and road safety. However, it is difficult to maintain both data security and system efficiency in Vehicular Cloud, because the traffic and vehicular related data is large and complicated. In this paper, we propose a conditional ciphertext-policy attribute-based encryption (C-CP-ABE) scheme to solve this problem. Comparing with CP-ABE, this scheme enables data owner to add extra access trees and the corresponding conditions. Experimental analysis shows that our system brings a trivial amount of storage overhead and a lower amount of computation compared with CP-ABE.
Phenylcoumaran Benzylic Ether Reductase Prevents Accumulation of Compounds Formed under Oxidative Conditions in Poplar Xylem[W]

This work reveals the biological function of phenylcoumaran benzylic ether reductase, one of the most abundant proteins in poplar wood. Its role is to reduce monolignol coupling products and to prevent accumulation of compounds formed under oxidative conditions. Phenylcoumaran benzylic ether reductase (PCBER) is one of the most abundant proteins in poplar (Populus spp) xylem, but its biological role has remained obscure. In this work, metabolite profiling of transgenic poplar trees downregulated in PCBER revealed both the in vivo substrate and product of PCBER. Based on mass spectrometry and NMR data, the substrate was identified as a hexosylated 8–5-coupling product between sinapyl alcohol and guaiacylglycerol, and the product was identified as its benzyl-reduced form. This activity was confirmed in vitro using a purified recombinant PCBER expressed in Escherichia coli. Assays performed on 20 synthetic substrate analogs revealed the enzyme specificity. In addition, the xylem of PCBER-downregulated trees accumulated over 2000-fold higher levels of cysteine adducts of monolignol dimers. These compounds could be generated in vitro by simple oxidative coupling assays involving monolignols and cysteine. Altogether, our data suggest that the function of PCBER is to reduce phenylpropanoid dimers in planta to form antioxidants that protect the plant against oxidative damage. In addition to describing the catalytic activity of one of the most abundant enzymes in wood, we provide experimental evidence for the antioxidant role of a phenylpropanoid coupling product in planta.
From Financial Crisis to World-Slump: Accumulation, Financialisation, and the Global Slowdown

This paper assesses the current world economic crisis in terms of crucial transformations in global capitalism throughout the neoliberal period. It argues that intense social and spatial restructuring after the crises of 1973–82 produced a new wave of capitalist expansion (centred on East Asia) that began to exhaust itself in the late-1990s. Since that time, new problems of overaccumulation and declining profitability have plagued global capitalism. Interconnected with these problems are contradictions related to a mutation in the form of world-money, as a result of its complete de-linking from gold after 1971, which stimulated a fantastic growth in financial instruments and transactions, and generated a proliferation of esoteric 'fictitious capitals' whose collapse is wreaking havoc across world financial markets. The intersection between general conditions of overaccumulation and a crisis in financial structures specific to neoliberalism has now produced a deep world-slump. Inherent in this crisis is a breakdown in forms of value-measurement that is throwing up intense struggles between the capitalist value-form and popular life-values, the latter of which comprise the grounds for any real renewal of the socialist Left.
Determinants of reaching drug-free remission in patients with early rheumatoid or undifferentiated arthritis after one year of remission-steered treatment.

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to assess whether baseline characteristics in patients with undifferentiated arthritis or early RA affect the possibility of achieving drug-free remission after 1 year (DFR1 year) of early remission induction therapy. METHODS We included 375 patients participating in the IMPROVED study who achieved remission (DAS < 1.6) after 4 months (early remission) and were by protocol able to achieve DFR1 year. Having started with MTX plus prednisone, patients tapered prednisone to zero; after 8 months, those still in remission tapered MTX to zero, while those not in remission restarted prednisone. Characteristics of patients achieving and not achieving DFR1 year were compared. Logistic regression was performed to identify predictors of DFR1 year. RESULTS After 1 year, 119 patients (32%) were in DFR. Presence of RF, fulfilling the 2010 criteria for RA, and a low tender joint count were associated with achieving DFR1 year, whereas presence of ACPA was not. None of the baseline characteristics was independently associated with DFR1 year. DFR1 year was sustained for 4 months in 65% of the patients. ACPA-positive patients less often had sustained DFR than ACPA-negative patients (58% vs 80%, P = 0.013). CONCLUSION After 1 year of remission-steered treatment, 32% of the patients who had achieved early remission after 4 months were able to taper medication and achieved DFR. Neither the presence of ACPA nor any other baseline characteristics were independently associated with achieving DFR1 year, but in ACPA-positive patients DFR was less often sustained.
Effects of Aliskiren on Blood Pressure, Albuminuria, and (Pro)Renin Receptor Expression in Diabetic TG(mRen-2)27 Rats

The aim of this study was to explore the effects of the renin inhibitor aliskiren in streptozotocin-diabetic TG(mRen-2)27 rats. Furthermore, we investigated in vitro the effect of aliskiren on the interactions between renin and the (pro)renin receptor and between aliskiren and prorenin. Aliskiren distributed extensively to the kidneys of normotensive (non)diabetic rats, localizing in the glomeruli and vessel walls after 2 hours exposure. In diabetic TG(mRen-2)27 rats, aliskiren (10 or 30 mg/kg per day, 10 weeks) lowered blood pressure, prevented albuminuria, and suppressed renal transforming growth factor-&bgr; and collagen I expression versus vehicle. Aliskiren reduced (pro)renin receptor expression in glomeruli, tubules, and cortical vessels compared to vehicle (in situ hybridization). In human mesangial cells, aliskiren (0.1 &mgr;mol/L to 10 &mgr;mol/L) did not inhibit binding of 125I-renin to the (pro)renin receptor, nor did it alter the activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 by renin (20 nmol/L) preincubated with aliskiren (100 nmol/L) or affect gene expression of the (pro)renin receptor. Evidence was obtained that aliskiren binds to the active site of prorenin. The above results demonstrate the antihypertensive and renoprotective effects of aliskiren in experimental diabetic nephropathy. The evidence that aliskiren can reduce in vivo gene expression for the (pro)renin receptor and that it may block prorenin-induced angiotensin generation supports the need for additional work to reveal the mechanism of the observed renoprotection by this renin inhibitor.
Primary Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1-Specific CD8+ T-Cell Responses Induced by Myeloid Dendritic Cells

ABSTRACT Induction of an antigenically broad and vigorous primary T-cell immune response by myeloid dendritic cells (DC) in blood and tissues could be important for an effective prophylactic or therapeutic vaccine to human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). Here we show that a primary CD8+ T-cell response can be induced by HIV-1 peptide-loaded DC derived from blood monocytes of HIV-1-negative adults and neonates (moDC) and by Langerhans cells (LC) and interstitial, dermal-intestinal DC (idDC) derived from CD34+ stem cells of neonatal cord blood. Optimal priming of single-cell gamma interferon (IFN-γ) production by CD8+ T cells required CD4+ T cells and was broadly directed to multiple regions of Gag, Env, and Nef that corresponded to known and predicted major histocompatibility complex class I epitopes. Polyfunctional CD8+ T-cell responses, defined as single-cell production of more than one cytokine (IFN-γ, interleukin 2, or tumor necrosis factor alpha), chemokine (macrophage inhibitory factor 1β), or cytotoxic degranulation marker CD107a, were primed by moDC, LC, and idDC to HIV-1 Gag and reverse transcriptase epitopes, as well as to Epstein-Barr virus and influenza A virus epitopes. Thus, three major types of blood and tissue myeloid DC targeted by HIV-1, i.e., moDC, LC, and idDC, can prime multispecific, polyfunctional CD8+ T-cell responses to HIV-1 and other viral antigens.
Use of On-Farm Reservoirs in Rice Production: Results from the MARORA Model

The present article uses the modified Arkansas off-stream reservoir analysis and the environmental policy-integrated climate models to examine the impacts of on-farm reservoirs and tail water recovery systems in conjunction with other best management practices on profitability, water use, and sediment control for rice-soybean farming operations. Results suggest that, under limited water availability conditions, reservoirs and tail water recovery systems can improve profitability, reduce ground water dependence, and reduce the movement of sediment, nutrients, and pesticides off-farm. Although reservoirs may not be profitable under plentiful water conditions, cost-sharing opportunities may make them a viable means of addressing environmental concerns.
Do Concentrated Trading Equilibria Exist? The Migration of Informed Trading Following Index Addition

In this paper, we use index addition to gain insights into the trading behavior of informed traders. When a stock is added to the SP once again, the largest increase occurs at the end of the day. The increase in return volatility throughout the day suggests that increased information production follows index addition. However, the larger increase in end-of-day volatility also suggests that informed traders change the timing of their trades to coincide with liquidity trades. Second, consistent with the increased presence of index funds, the distribution of trade sizes shifts rightwards after addition and this shift is most marked at the end of the day. The price impact of individual large trades declines, though the magnitude of the decline is similar through the trading day. The increased frequency of large liquidity trades at the end of the day creates incentives for informed traders to make large trades, since they are now able to 'hide' these trades more easily. Consequently, the proportion of total end-of-day price change occurring on large trades increases significantly after addition. Additional tests reject temporary price pressure from large trades as an alternative explanation for our results. Our results support the conclusion that informed traders alter their trading strategies to optimally match both the timing, and the size, of liquidity trades in the market.
A case‐control study of diet and social factors in cancer of the esophagus in transkei

A study of 100 patients with cancer of the esophagus and 100 controls matched for sex, age, and educational level was done in Transkei, with extensive inquiries into diet and social habits. The significant risk factors found were use of Solanum nigrum as a food (relative risk, 3.6), smoking (relative risk, 2.6), and use of traditional medicines (relative risk, 2.1). Consumption of traditional beer was not a risk factor. Cancer 1992; 69:860–865.
Triggering the Innate Antiviral Response through IRF-3 Activation*

Rapid induction of type I interferon (IFN) expression is a central event in the establishment of the innate immune response against viral infection and requires the activation of multiple transcriptional proteins following engagement and signaling through Toll-like receptor-dependent and -independent pathways. The transcription factor interferon regulatory factor-3 (IRF-3) contributes to a first line of defense against viral infection by inducing the production of IFN-β that in turn amplifies the IFN response and the development of antiviral activity. In murine knock-out models, the absence of IRF-3 and the closely related IRF-7 ablates IFN production and increases viral pathogenesis, thus supporting a pivotal role for IRF-3/IRF-7 in the development of the host antiviral response.
Measuring the Performance of New Service Development Activities

The aim of this research was to investigate how service firms evaluate their new service development (NSD) activities. A survey of marketing managers in UK service firms was used to elicit information on two subject areas. First, the firm's approach to NSD, its strategy, and the scope of its activity in this area. Second, the firm's approach to measuring performance at both the project and the programme level. It was found that although new services are an important source of revenue for most, firms are still not satisfied with their ability to develop new services. On the whole, service firms employ a limited number of measures of performance, and often these do not reflect the reasons behind development. Significantly, financial measures of performance are most often used by less innovative firms, fast followers employ customer-based measures of performance, and truly innovative firms measure performance along a number of softer internal dimensions. The management implications of these findings are discussed.
Child Care Subsidies and Labor Supply in Sweden

This paper utilizes data from a Swedish household survey for 1984 (the HUS data) in combination with data on public child care fees and spaces per child by community. We argue that the subsidy rate and availability of spaces determined by the political leaders of the community is to a large extent exogenous to the household. The joint out-of-home child care and labor supply decision is analyzed by logit and ordered probit choice models. We find that the high quality public child care in Sweden encourages labor market activity of women with preschoolers even when the spouse's income is high, and that when spaces are not rationed, a lower price encourages use.