Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Book Reviews : Mark S. Mizruchi: The American Corporate Network, 1904-1974

John Scott Department of Sociology, University of Leicester, U.K. This book is a product of the highly productive research group which grew out of the Sociology Department at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. A number of sociologists influenced by Harrison White’s advocacy of structural sociology began to apply formal models of social structure in studies of interlocking directorships. Stimulated by the pathbreaking paper of Joel Levine and by the widely circulated paper on bank centrality by James Bearden and his associates, network analyses of interlocking directorships became an established part of many social science courses. At Stony Brook, Michael Schwartz and Peter Mariolis built up a large data bank on corporate interlocks, and a number of graduate and undergraduate students began to use these data in their own research. Mizruchi’s book draws upon this research and on an additional data bank built up by David Bunting. This continuity of personnel, theories, and data has ensured that interlock research has, at last, begun to produce cumulative knowledge of the structures and processes through which economic power is exercised. Mizruchi begins his book with a discussion of theories of the modern corporation in Marxist and non-Marxist sources. This discussion is too brief for the
Role of the Endocannabinoid System in the Central Regulation of Nonmammalian Vertebrate Reproduction

The endocannabinoid system (ECS) has a well-documented pivotal role in the control of mammalian reproductive functions, by acting at multiple levels, that is, central (CNS) and local (gonads) levels. Since studies performed in animal models other than mammals might provide further insight into the biology of these signalling molecules, in the present paper we review the comparative data pointing toward the endocannabinoid involvement in the reproductive control of non-mammalian vertebrates, focussing in particular on the central regulation of teleost and amphibian reproduction. The morphofunctional distribution of brain cannabinoid receptors will be discussed in relation to other crucial signalling molecules involved in the control of reproductive functions, such as GnRH, dopamine, aromatase, and pituitary gonadotropins.
Assessing Faculty Work: Enhancing Individual and Institutional Performance

EXPANDING THE PURPOSES AND GOALS OF FACULTY ASSESSMENT. The Current Status of Faculty Assessment. A New Perspective on Faculty Assessment and Development. SETTING EXPECTATIONS. Defining Faculty Work. Discussing Expectations. COLLECTING AND ORGANIZING EVIDENCE. Gathering Acceptable and Trustworthy Evidence. Establishing the Credibility of the Evidence. Constructing a Full Portrayal of Faculty Work. USING EVIDENCE IN FACULTY ASSESSMENT. Clarifying Appropriate Uses of Assessment Evidence. Enhancing Assessment's Value to Individual Faculty Members. Enhancing Institutional Uses. METHODS OF COLLECTING EVIDENCE. Written Appraisals. Rating Scales and Checklists. Interviews. Observations and Videotaping. Indicators of Eminence, Quality, and Impact. Achievement and Outcome Measures. Records and Portfolios.
Copy-on-write in the PHP language

PHP is a popular language for server-side applications. In PHP, assignment to variables copies the assigned values, according to its so-called copy-on-assignment semantics. In contrast, a typical PHP implementation uses a copy-on-write scheme to reduce the copy overhead by delaying copies as much as possible. This leads us to ask if the semantics and implementation of PHP coincide, and actually this is not the case in the presence of sharings within values. In this paper, we describe the copy-on-assignment semantics with three possible strategies to copy values containing sharings. The current PHP implementation has inconsistencies with these semantics, caused by its naïve use of copy-on-write. We fix this problem by the novel mostly copy-on-write scheme, making the copy-on-write implementations faithful to the semantics. We prove that our copy-on-write implementations are correct, using bisimulation with the copy-on-assignment semantics.
Non-endoscopic screening biomarkers for Barrett’s oesophagus: from microarray analysis to the clinic

Background and aims: Barrett’s oesophagus predisposes to oesophageal adenocarcinoma but the majority of patients are undiagnosed. A novel non-endoscopic cytological screening device, called a capsule sponge, makes population-based screening for the disease a feasible option. However, due to the mixed cell population retrieved by the capsule sponge, biomarkers specific for Barrett’s oesophagus are required. Methods: Three publically available microarray datasets were used to identify putative biomarkers present in Barrett’s oesophagus but absent from normal oesophagus and gastric mucosa. Validation was performed by qPCR (n = 10 each of normal oesophagus, Barrett’s oesophagus, gastric mucosa) and immunohistochemistry (normal oesophagus, n = 20; Barrett’s oesophagus, n = 21; gastric mucosa, n = 24; duodenum, n = 18). The biomarker was then prospectively evaluated on capsule sponge specimens from 47 patients with Barrett’s oesophagus and 99 healthy controls. Results: 2/14 genes identified, dopa decarboxylase (DDC) and Trefoil factor 3 (TFF3), were confirmed by qPCR to be upregulated in Barrett’s oesophagus compared to normal oesophagus (p<0.01) and gastric mucosa (p<0.01 and p<0.05, respectively). Immunohistochemistry confirmed that DDC protein expression was restricted to Barrett’s oesophagus but was confined to <1% of the cells within the crypt compartment. TFF3 protein was expressed to high levels at the luminal surface of Barrett’s oesophagus compared to absent expression in normal oesophagus and gastric mucosa (p<0.001). Using the capsule sponge 36/46 patients with Barrett’s oesophagus (one inadequate sample) and 6/96 controls were positive for TFF3 giving a sensitivity of 78% and a specificity of 94%. Conclusions: TFF3 is a promising marker for Barrett’s oesophagus screening since it is expressed at the luminal surface of Barrett’s oesophagus but not in adjacent tissue types and may be applied to a non-endoscopic screening device.
Firing Range Soils Yield a Diverse Array of Fungal Isolates Capable of Organic Acid Production and Pb Mineral Solubilization

ABSTRACT Anthropogenic sources of lead contamination in soils include mining and smelting activities, effluents and wastes, agricultural pesticides, domestic garbage dumps, and shooting ranges. While Pb is typically considered relatively insoluble in the soil environment, some fungi may potentially contribute to mobilization of heavy metal cations by means of secretion of low-molecular-weight organic acids (LMWOAs). We sought to better understand the potential for metal mobilization within an indigenous fungal community at an abandoned shooting range in Oak Ridge, TN, where soil Pb contamination levels ranged from 24 to >2,700 mg Pb kg dry soil−1. We utilized culture-based assays to determine organic acid secretion and Pb-carbonate dissolution of a diverse collection of soil fungal isolates derived from the site and verified isolate distribution patterns within the community by 28S rRNA gene analysis of whole soils. The fungal isolates examined included both ascomycetes and basidiomycetes that excreted high levels (up to 27 mM) of a mixture of LMWOAs, including oxalic and citric acids, and several isolates demonstrated a marked ability to dissolve Pb-carbonate at high concentrations up to 10.5 g liter−1 (18.5 mM) in laboratory assays. Fungi within the indigenous community of these highly Pb-contaminated soils are capable of LMWOA secretion at levels greater than those of well-studied model organisms, such as Aspergillus niger. Additionally, these organisms were found in high relative abundance (>1%) in some of the most heavily contaminated soils. Our data highlight the need to understand more about autochthonous fungal communities at Pb-contaminated sites and how they may impact Pb biogeochemistry, solubility, and bioavailability, thus consequently potentially impacting human and ecosystem health.
The Corporate Governance of the PSI 20 Companies: Evaluation of Compliance with the Recommendations of the CMVM

The Commercial Companies Code and the Securities Code itself (CVM) contain a set of recommendations concerning the system of rules of conduct to be taken into account in the exercise of direction and control of companies listed on Portugal. Based on a report by the Centre for Applied Studies of the Catholic University of Lisbon on corporate governance in 2011, based on data for 2010, was considered a sample of companies that are listed on a regulated market as defined Portuguese Euronext Lisbon Stock Exchange and, as such, subject to the recommendations of the Portuguese Securities and Exchange Commission (CMVM). The PSI-20 (Portuguese acronym for Stock Index) is the main benchmark of market shares in Portugal and reflects the evolution of the prices of 20 issues of shares and larger liquidity selected from the universe of companies admitted to trading on Euronext Lisbon. For each of the companies comprising the PSI-20 index was determined the degree of compliance with the recommendations of the CMVM and it was possible to observe that, in general, the degree of compliance with the recommendations was high.
Remarks on "Toward Compact Interdomain Routing"

This paper critically examines some propositions and arguments of cs.NI/0508021 regarding applicability of hierarchical routing and perspectives of compact routing. Arguments against the former are found to be inaccurate while the latter is found to be equivalent to well-known deployed solutions. Also, multiple (stacked) application of compact-routing solutions is found to be equivalent to hierarchical routing.
Multiple Sclerosis and Poliomyelitis

ings with crush syndrome frequently prot"gressed to blister formation and were mistaken for bums. ' Depending somewhat on temperature (which determines the metabolic needs and the ischaemic death time of tissues) a quite small compressing force such as the weight of the body will produce ischaemic tissue damage and tissue death. Some cases of prolonged unconsciousness, besides showing skin damage and pressure palsies, may show muscle necrosis and secondary renal tubular damage; such a mechanism is responsible for some of the cases of " lower nephron nephrosis " seen associated with carbon-monoxide poisoning, barbiturate poisoning, prolonged anaesthesia, or other causes of prolonged unconsciousness. It was found that muscle necrosis and the release of myoglobin into the blood stream following return of the circulation seldom appeared under three hours' compression, but after four hours' compression was not uncommon. -I am, etc., E. G. L. BYWATERS. Medical Research Council, Rheumatism Research Unit. Canadian Red Cross Memorial Hospital, Taplow, Berks.
Central role of immunoglobulin (Ig) E in the induction of lung eosinophil infiltration and T helper 2 cell cytokine production: inhibition by a non-anaphylactogenic anti-IgE antibody

Elevated levels of immunoglobulin (Ig) E are associated with bronchial asthma, a disease characterized by eosinophilic inflammation of the airways. Activation of antigen-specific T helper (Th) 2 cells in the lung with the subsequent release of interleukin (IL) 4 and IL-5 is believed to play an important role in the pathogenesis of this disease. In this study, we have used a non-anaphylactogenic anti-mouse-IgE antibody to investigate the relationship between IgE, airway eosinophil infiltration, and the production of Th2 cytokines. Immunization of mice with house dust mite antigen increased serum levels of IgE and IgG. Antigen challenge of immunized but not control mice induced an infiltration of eosinophils in the bronchoalveolar lavage associated with the production of IL-4 and IL-5 from lung purified Thy1.2+ cells activated through the CD3-T cell receptor complex. Administration of the anti-IgE monoclonal antibody (mAb) 6h before antigen challenge neutralized serum IgE but not IgG and inhibited the recruitment of eosinophils into the lungs and the production of IL-4 and IL-5 but not interferon gamma. Studies performed using an anti-CD23 mAb, CD23 deficient and mast cell deficient mice suggest that anti-IgE mAb suppresses eosinophil infiltration and Th2 cytokine production by inhibiting IgE-CD23-facilitated antigen presentation to T cells. Our results demonstrate that IgE-dependent mechanisms are important in the induction of a Th2 immune response and the subsequent infiltration of eosinophils into the airways. Neutralization of IgE, for example, non- anaphylactogenic anti-IgE mAbs may provide a novel therapeutic approach to the treatment of allergic airway disease.
Biases in the perception and affective valence of neutral facial expressions induced by the immediate perceptual history

We report a new perceptual distortion of neutral facial expressions induced by the immediate dynamic perceptual history. In Experiment 1, participants evaluated the facial expression on the last frame of videoclips showing morphs from a happy or angry expression to neutral, and consistently judged these as slightly angry in the happy-to-neutral condition, and as slightly happy in the angry-to-neutral condition. To exclude the possibility of a cognitive response strategy, in Experiments 2 and 3 the sequences were used in an affective priming paradigm as task-irrelevant distractors, with positive or negative words superimposed on the last frame as targets. Participants made speeded evaluations of word valence. In Experiment 2, neutral-to-intense sequences produced clear affective congruence effects. In Experiment 3, intense-to-neutral sequences again produced affective congruence effects, but in opposite direction. This suggests that the perceptual biases found in Experiment 1 were not due to a cognitive response strategy but reflected a genuine change in the observer's judgement. We speculate that the bias in perceptual report reflected the influence of top-down emotional anticipation processes.
The effect of senofilcon A contact lenses compared to habitual contact lenses on ocular discomfort during exposure to a controlled adverse environment

ABSTRACT Objective: Contact lens wear is often associated with signs and symptoms of ocular dryness. These drying effects can be exacerbated by certain environmental factors such as low humidity, wind, and visual tasks. The objective of the study was to compare the ability of senofilcon A contact lenses to subjects’ habitual contact lenses to provide relief from the subjects’ perceived ocular discomfort during contact lens wear in adverse environmental conditions. Research design and methods: Eleven subjects completed a single-center, double-masked, randomized, cross-over, pilot clinical trial. At the qualification visit, and subsequently wearing senofilcon A study lenses (ACUVUE OASYS Brand Contact Lenses with HYDRACLEAR Plus*) and control (habitual) lenses at the following visits, subjects underwent a total of three 75-min Controlled Adverse Environment (CAE) exposures. The primary efficacy variable measured during the 2-week, 3-visit trial was subject-reported ocular discomfort during CAE exposure measured on a five-point scale from 0 (none) to 4 (worst). The endpoint of ocular discomfort was evaluated using a two-sided t-test based on a longitudinal linear mixed model. Lenses were also evaluated for safety, and all adverse events were monitored. Results: Subjects reported a significantly better mean comfort score when wearing senofilcon A contact lenses (1.62 ± 0.71 units) compared to the mean comfort score reported when wearing habitual lenses (2.21 ± 0.80 units) over the course of an entire CAE exposure ( p = 0.0068). During exposure, senofilcon A lenses also yielded significantly better mean overall discomfort scores versus no lenses (2.73 ± 0.79 points, p < 0.0001). Conclusions: Senofilcon A contact lenses provided greater relief of subjective ocular discomfort associated with lens wear in adverse environmental conditions than that afforded by both the habitual lenses of contact lens wearers as well as with no contact lens wear. These results should be verified in a larger, appropriately-powered study.
Penicillium marneffei Infection in AIDS

Penicillium marneffei is a dimorphic fungus which is endemic in Southeast Asia. It is an opportunistic pathogen which has emerged to become an AIDS-defining illness in the endemic areas. Early diagnosis with prompt initiation of treatment is crucial for its management. Prompt diagnosis can often be established through careful cytological and histological examination of clinical specimens although microbiological culture remains the gold standard for its diagnosis. Standard antifungal treatment for AIDS patients with penicilliosis is well established. Highly active antiretroviral therapy should be started early together with the antifungal treatment. Special attention should be paid to potential drug interaction between antiretroviral and antifungal treatments. Secondary prophylaxis may be discontinued with a low risk of relapse of the infection once the immune dysfunction has improved.
BIOTECHNOLOGICALLY RELEVANT ENZYMES AND PROTEINS Human acetyl-CoA carboxylase 2 expressed in silkworm Bombyx mori exhibits posttranslational biotinylation and phosphorylation

Biotin-dependent human acetyl-CoA carboxylases (ACCs) are integral in homeostatic lipid metabolism. By securing posttranslational biotinylation, ACCs perform coordinated catalytic functions allosterically regulated by phosphorylation/dephosphorylation and citrate. The production of authentic recombinant ACCs is heeded to provide a reliable tool for molecular studies and drug discovery. Here, we examined whether the human ACC2 (hACC2), an isoform of ACC produced using the silkworm BmNPV bacmid system, is equipped with proper posttranslational modifications to carry out catalytic functions as the silkworm harbors an inherent posttranslational modification machinery. Purified hACC2 possessed genuine biotinylation capacity probed by biotin-specific streptavidin and biotin antibodies. In addition, phosphorylated hACC2 displayed limited catalytic activity whereas dephosphorylated hACC2 revealed an enhanced enzymatic activity. Moreover, hACC2 polymerization, analyzed by native page gel analysis and atomic force microscopy imaging, was allosterically regulated by citrate and the phosphorylation/dephosphorylation modulated citrateinduced hACC2 polymerization process. Thus, the silkworm BmNPV bacmid system provides a reliable eukaryotic protein production platform for structural and functional analysis and therapeutic drug discovery applications implementing suitable posttranslational biotinylation and phosphorylation.
Neurologic Complications in Infective Endocarditis

Neurologic complications of infective endocarditis (IE) are common and frequently life threatening. Neurologic events are not always obvious. The prediction and management of neurologic complications of IE are not easily approached algorithmically, and the impact they have on timing and ability to surgically repair or replace the affected valve often requires a painstaking evaluation and joint effort across multiple medical disciplines in order to achieve the best possible outcome. Although specific recommendations are always tailored to the individual patient, there are some guiding principles that can be used to help direct the decision-making process. Herein, we review the pathophysiology, epidemiology, manifestations, and diagnosis of neurological complications of IE and further consider the impact they have on clinical decision making.
A hierarchical fuzzy system with high input dimensions for forecasting foreign exchange rates

Fuzzy systems suffer from the curse of dimensionality as the number of rules increases exponentially with the number of input dimensions. Although several methods have been proposed for eliminating the combinatorial rule explosion, none of them is fully satisfactory as there are no known fuzzy systems that can handle a large number of inputs so far. In this paper, we describe a method for building fuzzy systems with high input dimensions based on the hierarchical architecture and the MacVicar-Whelan meta-rules. The proposed method is fully automated since a complete fuzzy system is generated from sample input-output data using an Evolutionary Algorithm. We tested the method by building fuzzy systems for two different applications, namely the forecasting of the Mexican and Argentinan pesos exchange rates. In both cases, our approach was successful as both fuzzy systems performed very well.
Distributed opportunistic spectrum access with imperfect spectrum sensing

We consider a distributed opportunistic spectrum access (D-OSA) scenario in which multiple cognitive radio (CR) users attempt to access a channel licensed to some primary network. CR users operate on a frame-by-frame basis and need to carry out spectrum sensing at the beginning of each frame to determine whether the primary network is active or idle. Upon detecting the primary network being idle, CR users employ distributed/random-access mechanisms to transmit data. Spectrum sensing is imperfect and introduces false alarms and mis-detections. To protect primary users, it is required that the combined probability of mis-detection of all CR users must be below a specified threshold. For this, we argue that a cross-layer approach that jointly controls PHY-layer spectrum sensing and MAC-layer random access achieves significant gain in the saturated throughput of CR network. Our approach is motivated by an insightful observation, i.e., without compromising primary-user protection, allowing CR users to carry out spectrum sensing at a relatively high probability of false alarm achieves the dual benefits of reducing time spent on spectrum sensing and reducing throughput loss due to random-access collisions. Numerical results are presented to illustrate our approach.
Analysis of a Doubly Nested Design

IN much experimentation, the concept of &dquo;nested&dquo; levels of an independent variable can usefully supplement the more frequently discussed examples of independent variables whose levels cross each other. (For brevity, let us use the terms &dquo;nested factor&dquo; and &dquo;crossed factor.&dquo;) Individuals or blocks of individuals nesting within the physiological-sex classifications, male and female, constitute a com-
THE LICK AGN MONITORING PROJECT: RECALIBRATING SINGLE-EPOCH VIRIAL BLACK HOLE MASS ESTIMATES

We investigate the calibration and uncertainties of black hole (BH) mass estimates based on the single-epoch (SE) method, using homogeneous and high-quality multi-epoch spectra obtained by the Lick Active Galactic Nucleus (AGN) Monitoring Project for nine local Seyfert 1 galaxies with BH masses <108 M☉. By decomposing the spectra into their AGNs and stellar components, we study the variability of the SE Hβ line width (full width at half-maximum intensity, FWHMHβ or dispersion, σHβ) and of the AGN continuum luminosity at 5100 Å (L5100). From the distribution of the “virial products” (∝ FWHMHβ2 L0.55100 or σHβ2 L0.55100) measured from SE spectra, we estimate the uncertainty due to the combined variability as ∼0.05 dex (12%). This is subdominant with respect to the total uncertainty in SE mass estimates, which is dominated by uncertainties in the size–luminosity relation and virial coefficient, and is estimated to be ∼0.46 dex (factor of ∼3). By comparing the Hβ line profile of the SE, mean, and root-mean-square (rms) spectra, we find that the Hβ line is broader in the mean (and SE) spectra than in the rms spectra by ∼0.1 dex (25%) for our sample with FWHMHβ <3000 km s-1. This result is at variance with larger mass BHs where the difference is typically found to be much less than 0.1 dex. To correct for this systematic difference of the Hβ line profile, we introduce a line-width dependent virial factor, resulting in a recalibration of SE BH mass estimators for low-mass AGNs.