Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Infusion of Mesenchymal Stem Cells and Rapamycin Synergize to Attenuate Alloimmune Responses and Promote Cardiac Allograft Tolerance

The inherent immunosuppressive properties and low immunogenicity of mesenchymal stems cells (MSCs) suggested their therapeutic potential in transplantation. We investigated whether MSCs could prolong allograft survival. Treatment involving infusion of MSCs into BALB/c recipients 24 hours after receiving a heart allograft from a C57BL/6 donor significantly abated rejection and doubled graft mean survival time compared to untreated recipients. Furthermore, combination therapy of MSCs and low‐dose Rapamycin (Rapa) achieved long‐term heart graft survival (>100 days) with normal histology. The treated recipients readily accepted donor skin grafts but rejected third‐party skin grafts, indicating the establishment of tolerance. Tolerant recipients exhibited neither intragraft nor circulating antidonor antibodies, but demonstrated significantly high frequencies of both tolerogenic dendritic cells (Tol‐DCs) and CD4+CD25+Foxp3+T cells in the spleens. Infusion of GFP+C57BL/6‐MSCs in combination with Rapa revealed that the GFP‐MSCs accumulated in the lymphoid organs and grafts of tolerant recipients. Thus, engraftment of infused MSCs within the recipient's lymphoid organs and allograft appeared to be instrumental in the induction of allograft‐specific tolerance when administered in combination with a subtherapeutic dose of Rapamycin. This study supports the clinical applicability of MSCs in transplantation.
Competency, Bureaucracy, and Public Management Reform: A Comparative Analysis

Competency can be considered a central theme in contemporary public service reforms. This article analyzes the development of competency frameworks for senior public servants at the national–government level in three countries (the U.S., the U.K., and Germany). By tracing the development of competency as an idea, it is shown that competency reforms drew selectively on management ideas, and by tracing the nature and time-patterns of competency reform developments in the three countries, it is shown that competency came onto the reform agenda at different times and by various routes rather than by a simple pattern of international policy transfer or business-to-government transfer. It is argued that the adoption of competency frameworks took place at critical junctures for preexisting public service bargains or agreements in each case and that they were shaped by the particularities of institutional context. However, although competency is arguably central to public service reform, it is far from clear that the competency frameworks in these three cases contributed to the declared aims of many contemporary public service reformers.
Early Foundations for Mathematics Learning and Their Relations to Learning Disabilities

Children’s quantitative competencies upon entry into school can have lifelong consequences. Children who start behind generally stay behind, and mathematical skills at school completion influence employment prospects and wages in adulthood. I review the current debate over whether early quantitative learning is supported by (a) an inherent system for representing approximate magnitudes, (b) an attentional-control system that enables explicit processing of quantitative symbols, such as Arabic numerals, or (c) the logical problem-solving abilities that facilitate learning of the relations among numerals. Studies of children with mathematical learning disabilities and difficulties have suggested that each of these competencies may be involved, but to different degrees and at different points in the learning process. Clarifying how and when these competencies facilitate early quantitative learning and developing interventions to address their impact on children have the potential to yield substantial benefits for individuals and for society.
Wage Penalties and Sexual Orientation: An Update Using the General Social Survey

This study uses data from the 1988 to 2006 General Social Survey (GSS) to examine the effects of sexual orientation on earnings. Previous research using the GSS has found that lesbians earn 18%-23% more than similarly qualified heterosexual women and that wage penalties for gay men are slightly larger than the premia for lesbians. Using behavioral definitions of sexual orientation based on the previous year and the previous 5 yr of sexual activity, we find the familiar wage premia/penalties for lesbian/gay workers in our ordinary least squares estimations, but we find that these wage differences are falling over time. Furthermore, in contrast to the earlier results, for our regressions over the entire sample period, correcting for differential selection into full-time work reduces the estimated penalties for unmarried gay men and eliminates the entire wage premium for all lesbians. There is now a sizeable, though imprecisely measured, penalty for some lesbians.
Thermoregulation of Escherichia coli hchA Transcript Stability

ABSTRACT The conserved chaperone Hsp31 of Escherichia coli is transcribed at low temperatures by σS and repressed by H-NS, whereas at high temperature, transcription is by σ70 independently of both σS and H-NS. Here we present evidence for an additional, novel, temperature-dependent control of Hsp31 expression by increased transcript stability.
COOPETITION: PERFORMANCE IMPLICATIONS AND MANAGEMENT ANTECEDENTS

This study contributes to the better understanding of coopetition. First, we research the performance of coopetition and its management antecedents. Second, we study the relational context by analyzing different mixtures of trust and dependency. Our results of 469 firms indicate that (a) coopetition requires different facets of an alliance-management system depending on the mix of trust and dependency, and (b) most surprisingly, a high trust/high dependency environment fosters the relationship of coopetition and performance outcomes the most. We contribute to the understanding of coopetition as a strategy associated with different mixes of trust and dependency.
Experimental teaching design and practice on big data course

With the rapid development of big data technology and the rapid growth of big data industry market, big data talent demand is also a substantial increase in China. In order to cultivate more talented people satisfying the needs of the community, we have designed the big data course for undergraduates. The big data course stresses not only on many theories but also lots of practice. The project of “big data talent development trend analysis” is designed in the experimental teaching on big data. By doing this project, students can master all the technologies of big data processing lifecycle, including data collection, data preprocessing, data mining and data visualization. We evaluate students who master big data core technology with a multi-evaluation method and design the experiment evaluation system on big data. Through our two years' practice, the results show that all these designs have achieved the good effect and improved the teaching quality.
Advanced glycation end product modification of bone proteins and bone remodelling: hypothesis and preliminary immunohistochemical findings

Background: The process of bone remodelling is disturbed in the development of osteoporosis. Objective: To investigate if proteins in osteoporotic bone are modified by advanced glycation end products (AGEs), and whether these alterations are related to measures of bone remodelling based on histomorphometric findings. Methods: Bone specimens taken from the iliac crest by bone biopsy of eight osteoporotic patients were investigated by histomorphometry and by immunohistochemical staining with the AGEs imidazolone and Nε-carboxymethyllysine. Results: Both AGEs were found in all bone specimens. The intensity of staining correlated with patient age. The percentage of bone surface covered with osteoblasts showed a significantly negative correlation with the staining intensity of both AGEs. Conclusions: It is known that AGEs can regulate proliferation and differentiation of osteoblastic cells and that AGE-specific binding sites are present in cultured osteoblast-like cells. Moreover, AGE induced biological effects in these cells might be mediated by RAGE (receptor of AGE) or by other AGE receptors in different stages of osteoblast development. The inverse relation between AGE staining intensity and the percentage of bone surface covered with osteoblasts in the trabecular bone may provide evidence that AGE modification of bone proteins disturbs bone remodelling.
The Financialization of the American Credit Card Industry

This paper asks, what can account for the rapid expansion and growing profitability of the US credit card industry since the mid-1980s? And, what does this mean to the study of global finance within IPE? It is argued that the advent of asset-backed securities, a financial innovation known as securitization, was the key to the enormous expansion of credit card profits and the continued proliferation and growth of the credit card market in the US. This is because securitization moved credit card receivables off-balance sheet, allowing loan pools to be re-capitalized, lowering the cost of borrowing and increasing revenues from payments on securities issued. This financial innovation attracted non-banks, mostly large MNCs, into the credit card market, facilitating greater integration between finance and the ‘real’ economy. The deepening integration facilitated mounting competition and lower costs of borrowing and was the catalyst for the rapid expansion of the credit card market and its unsurpassed profitability.
SPATIAL DYNAMICS OF TWO HARVESTED WILD PIG POPULATIONS

ABSTRACT. Simple one‐ and two‐dimensional spatial models are developed for the harvesting of wild pigs in North Sulawesi, Indonesia. The models are used to explore the effects of changes in biological and economic parameter values on the spatial persistence of harvested populations, when off‐take must be transported to market. A two‐species model shows that the relative catchability of species harvested together strongly affects the distance from market at which each species persists. Due to strong positive feedback, travel costs are a major determinant of the length of the regions where pigs are extinct and exploited.
Indigenous tourism operators: the vanguard of economic recovery in the Chatham Islands

This paper highlights the emergent enthusiasm for tourism as a saviour for economic development in the Chatham Islands. The Chatham Islands are a remote, economically depressed region of New Zealand. Traditional income streams are in decline and tourism offers a way to redress such a decline. Tourism in the islands is based upon a mixture of indigenous fervour for the heritage and environment of the Chatham Islands and the land- and marine-based opportunities that are present. The Chatham Islands represent a case study that defines the good practices of endogenous planning and exemplifies community-based tourism. The methodology was a qualitative approach based on the refinements of grounded theory. In addition, both primary and secondary longitudinal research was used. This method allowed the construction of a case study to illustrate the role that indigenous tourism operations play in the islands' economic recovery. It was found that there was a tension between community cohesion and economic development. The research demonstrates that there is a shift in resources and power when accepted means of economic development start to fail. This article illustrates the political and economic hurdles that tourism operators in remote areas need to consider. The paper highlights how community involvement and community 'buy in' can assist policy makers and would-be entrepreneurs in similar circumstances.
Managing the Monetary Consequences of Reserve Accumulation in Emerging Asia

Abstract The huge increase in international reserve holdings by Asian countries since the 1997 crisis has been one of the most important recent developments on the international financial scene. These buildups have contributed substantially to concerns about the creation of excessive global liquidity. How justified these concerns are depends heavily on the extent to which the reserve accumulating countries have been able to sterilize the effects on their domestic monetary aggregates. We use a unified theoretical framework to undertake dynamic estimations of the magnitude of sterilization and offset coefficients (which measure the degree of capital mobility) for a large set of Asian economies. We find that despite substantial capital mobility there has been a high degree of effective sterilization to date.
The duelling models: NEG vs amenity migration in explaining US engines of growth

The new economic geography (NEG) has become a mainstay of regional science in the last two decades, as signified by the awarding of Paul Krugman, the Nobel Prize. Yet, most American regional scientists and urban/regional economists do not use NEG in determining regional growth patterns. Instead, they rely on factors such as natural amenity migration, whose roots lie back to the work of Philip Graves in the mid 1970s. Conversely, two of the world's leading economic geographers - Allen Scott and Michael Storper - have strongly argued that job availability not household amenities have determined US regional dynamics. Given the disparity of views over the largest developed economy in the world, we hold a competition to determine which of these leading contenders accurately predict US interregional growth dynamics over the last 40-60 years. The runaway winner of the duel is natural amenity led growth with the crown going to Graves. Implications are drawn for both empirical research and EU economic integration. Copyright (c) 2010 the author(s). Journal compilation (c) 2010 RSAI.
Influencing factors on motor vibration & rotor critical speed in design, test and field applications

This paper will present various case studies of how the rotor or system natural frequencies can be strongly influenced by its external and internal factors and how small variations in these factors can influence the motor vibration at the manufacturer and in the field. Motors constructed to API 541 standards are required to have a rotordynamic lateral natural frequency that is removed from the operating speed by at least 15%. The location of this natural frequency can depend on many factors such as bearing clearance, bearing type, residual unbalance, oil temperature, oil viscosity, and bearing housing stiffness. Depending on the design, some motors are more sensitive to these parameters than others, and small changes in these factors may cause large variances in the motor natural frequency. As a result, small variations in test setup, manufacturing tolerances, or field installations within critical components can cause noticeable differences between the calculated and measured natural frequencies. Variation in motor vibration may also be seen between the motor operating on the manufacturer's test stand and the motor operating in the field. In the field some apparently minor changes on ambient conditions or set up can significantly change the motor vibration. Additionally this paper will propose a worst case calculation method for motor natural frequencies that will provide greater confidence to the end user that the motor will operate successfully in the field before the motor is installed.
Changing the (im)balance of power: high‐performance work systems in Brazil

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present the research findings of a longitudinal case study of a Brazilian company which changed its work system from a highly Taylorist to a high‐performance work system (HPWS) form of organization. The paper presents the organizational processes linked to these changes and discusses their implications for manager‐worker relations.Design/methodology/approach – Longitudinal qualitative research, based on 89 interviews with 62 informants, and conducted over a period of eight years.Findings – In seeking to implement HPWS, firms need to pool and recombine different sources of expertise to succeed. At this stage, the balance of power between different organizational actors starts to shift towards greater mutual dependence, thus reducing power imbalances. The paper also discusses the gradual development of HPWSs in an emerging market economy.Research limitations/implications – The research is based on a single case study, which limits the potential for generalization, b.
Análise de solvência do Regime Geral da Previdência Social no Brasil

This article contributes to the debate on the solvency of the General Social Security System (RGPS) in Brazil, a simple distribution system whose parameters differ from international standards in terms of population, economy and social aspects. Following mainly the methodology of Bohn (1998, 2007), we can evidence that, during the period from January 1990 to December 2010, the RGPS social welfare balance has four distinct regimes, with only one of them characterized as insolvent, during April 1994 and October 1997, associated with the effects of the enactment of Law No. 8.213/91. Unlike several studies argue about the situation of the RGPS, the results suggest a recent non-explosive trend for Brazilian social security system, especially the period after October 2006, in response to the closure of the first phase of the census and the creation of Super Simple. Thus, despite the concern of society regarding the successive monthly deficits, the government participation in the scheme has represented smaller shares of GDP, a relevant signaling solvency to implementing public policies associated with social welfare reform. However, this conclusion does not invalidate the need for adjustments to the system, since reaction from the government are effective in order to control the deficit of the social security.
Mitochondrial Fusion Directs Cardiomyocyte Differentiation via Calcineurin and Notch Signaling

Mitochondrial Fusion and Heart Development The role of mitochondria in fueling homeostatic cell processes is well appreciated, but whether and how they influence cell differentiation is much less clear. Using in vivo embryonic mouse models and mouse embryonic stem cell cultures, Kasahara et al. (p. 734, published online 3 October) found that an intact mitochondrial fusion pathway was essential for the cellular signaling that drives mesodermal cell differentiation into cardiomyocytes. Interrupting mitochondrial fusion inhibits cardiac differentiation by dysregulating a specific cell signaling pathway. Mitochondrial morphology is crucial for tissue homeostasis, but its role in cell differentiation is unclear. We found that mitochondrial fusion was required for proper cardiomyocyte development. Ablation of mitochondrial fusion proteins Mitofusin 1 and 2 in the embryonic mouse heart, or gene-trapping of Mitofusin 2 or Optic atrophy 1 in mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs), arrested mouse heart development and impaired differentiation of ESCs into cardiomyocytes. Gene expression profiling revealed decreased levels of transcription factors transforming growth factor–β/bone morphogenetic protein, serum response factor, GATA4, and myocyte enhancer factor 2, linked to increased Ca2+-dependent calcineurin activity and Notch1 signaling that impaired ESC differentiation. Orchestration of cardiomyocyte differentiation by mitochondrial morphology reveals how mitochondria, Ca2+, and calcineurin interact to regulate Notch1 signaling.
Dual Mode of Action of a Human Anti-Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Monoclonal Antibody for Cancer Therapy

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGF-R) overexpression is common in a large number of solid tumors and represents a negative prognostic indicator. Overexpression of EGF-R is strongly tumor associated, and this tyrosine kinase type receptor is considered an attractive target for Ab therapy. In this study, we describe the evaluation of mAb 2F8, a high avidity human mAb (IgG1κ) directed against EGF-R, developed using human Ig transgenic mice. mAb 2F8 effectively blocked binding of EGF and TGF-α to the EGF-R. At saturating concentrations, 2F8 completely blocked EGF-R signaling and inhibited the in vitro proliferation of EGF-R-overexpressing A431 cells. At much lower concentrations, associated with low receptor occupancy, 2F8 induced efficient Ab-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) in vitro. In vivo studies showed potent antitumor effects in models with A431 tumor xenografts in athymic mice. Ex vivo analysis of the EGF-R status in tumor xenografts in 2F8-treated mice revealed that there are two therapeutic mechanisms. First, blocking of EGF-R signaling, which is most effective at complete receptor saturation and therefore requires a relatively high Ab dose. Second, at very low 2F8 receptor occupancy, we observed potent antitumor effects in mice, which are likely based on the engagement of immune effector mechanisms, in particular ADCC. Taken together, our findings indicate that ADCC represents an important effector mechanism of this Ab, which is effective at relatively low dose.
ZATEBRADINE ATTENUATES CYCLIC AMP‐RELATED POSITIVE CHRONOTROPIC BUT NOT INOTROPIC RESPONSES IN ISOLATED, PERFUSED RIGHT ATRIA OF THE DOG

1. Inhibition of If or Ica by zatebradine has been reported in mammalian SA nodal cells. We thus investigated whether zatebradine differentially attenuates the positive chronotropic and inotropic responses to norepinephrine, isoproterenol, NKH 477 (an adenylyl cyclase activator), 3‐isobutyl‐1‐methylxanthine (IBMX) and Bay k 8644 (a calcium channel agonist) in the isolated, blood‐perfused dog atrium.