Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
PRÁTICAS DE GOVERNANÇA CORPORATIVA EM EMPRESA FAMILIAR DE CAPITAL FECHADO: UM ESTUDO DE CASO

Resumo: O objetivo deste artigo e discutir as praticas de governanca corporativa em empresas familiares de capital fechado para identificar seus efeitos no seu modelo de gestao e na relacao empresa-familia. Os mecanismos de governanca corporativa sao originalmente propostos para empresas de capital aberto, entretanto, suas praticas podem minimizar os problemas de agencia encontrados em empresas de controle familiar ao estabelecer regras para as relacoes entre familia, patrimonio societario e gestao, alem da classica separacao entre propriedade e controle. Sao notorias a forte presenca de grupos familiares e a alta concentracao de propriedade entre empresas de capital privado nacional. Muitas das dificuldades enfrentadas sao regularidades entre as organizacoes familiares, entretanto, nao existem regras e solucoes que atendam a todas de modo satisfatorio. Dessa forma, o trabalho empirico consistiu no estudo de caso do Grupo Orsa, no qual sao explorados os beneficios e os principais desafios de praticas de governanca corporativa por meio do Conselho de Administracao, Conselho de Familia e Comite Gestor, que representam estruturas de integracao do modelo tridimensional familia-propriedade-gestao. Palavras-chave: Empresa familiar. Governanca corporativa. Gestao.
Simulating large wireless sensor networks using radio-triggered cellular architecture

A wireless sensor network is an ad hoc network in which the nodes can sense, actuate, compute and communicate with each other. Sensor networks can be used in many applications, such as environmental monitoring and industrial applications. Despite their potential applications, such networks have resource restrictions, such as low computational power, reduced bandwidth and specially limited power source. Real world wireless sensor networks infrastructures are still very expensive and hard to implement. Therefore, most of the evaluations of new protocols are being made through simulation tools. The objective of this work is to apply a power management technique to prolong the life time of sensor networks. Power management protocols employ wake-up/sleep schedules. We present power management scheme that eliminates wake-up periods. This type of wake-up capability is enabled by a radio-triggered hardware component inspired by the observation that the wake-up radio signal contains enough energy to trigger a wake-up process. A simulator has been developed to solve the topology control problem by dividing the network into cells. The solution presented is based on the geographical position and the operational states of sensors. The results indicate that radio triggered cellular architecture can increase the life time of large wireless sensor networks.
Fatty acid amide hydrolase as a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of pain and CNS disorders

Background: Fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) is an integral membrane enzyme that hydrolyzes the endocannabinoid anandamide and related amidated signaling lipids. Genetic or pharmacological inactivation of FAAH produces analgesic, anti-inflammatory, anxiolytic and antidepressant phenotypes without showing the undesirable side effects of direct cannabinoid receptor agonists, indicating that FAAH may be a promising therapeutic target. Objectives: This review highlights advances in the development of FAAH inhibitors of different mechanistic classes and their in vivo efficacy. Also highlighted are advances in technology for the in vitro and in vivo selectivity assessment of FAAH inhibitors using activity-based protein profiling and click chemistry-activity-based protein profiling, respectively. Recent reports on structure-based drug design for human FAAH generated by protein engineering using interspecies active site conversion are also discussed. Methods: The literature searches of Medline and SciFinder databases were used. Conclusions: There has been tremendous progress in our understanding of FAAH and development of FAAH inhibitors with in vivo efficacy, selectivity and drug-like pharmacokinetic properties.
Specificity of arachidonic acid-induced inhibition of growth and activation of c-jun kinases and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase in hematopoietic cells.

We demonstrated that arachidonic acid inhibits growth and induces apoptosis in the bcr-abl transformed leukemia cell line, H7.bcr-abl A54 and in human chronic myeloid leukemia hematopoietic cells. This investigation was undertaken to determine the cell-type specificity of this response. We compared the effect of arachidonic acid on H7.bcr-abl A54 cells to Jurkat (human acute T-cell leukemia), U937 (human histiocytic lymphoma) and RPMI 7666 (human normal B-lymphoblasts) cells. Arachidonic acid (100 microM, 72 h) inhibited growth of H7.bcr-abl A54, Jurkat and U937 cells by 82.2, 67.5 and 20%, respectively, but had no effect on RPMI 7666 cells. These effects were investigated in relationship to the activation of p38 mitogen activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK) and c-jun amino-terminal kinase (JNK) by arachidonic acid in these cell lines. Results from these studies suggest that signaling and proliferative responses to arachidonic acid are cell-type specific. Leukemia cells appear to be more sensitive to the antiproliferative effect of arachidonic acid than normal cells.
Inhibition of MAPK Signaling Pathways by VopA from Vibrio parahaemolyticus*

During infection, bacterial pathogens utilize a type III secretion system to inject effectors into the cytoplasm of a target cell where they disrupt the defense system of the host cell. Vibrio parahaemolyticus, a causative agent of gastroenteritis endemic in Southeast Asia, has a type III secretion system that encodes a novel member of the YopJ-like protein effector family, VopA (Vibrio outer protein A). Our studies revealed that Vibrio VopA encodes an evolutionarily conserved activity that is extremely potent and requires an intact catalytic site to abrogate signaling pathways in a manner distinct from that of other YopJ-like effectors. We observed that VopA efficiently inhibits the MAPK signaling pathways but not the NFκB pathway in mammalian cells. When expressed in yeast, VopA induces a growth arrest phenotype and also blocks yeast MAPK signaling pathways. Our observations provide insight into the immense diversity of targets utilized by YopJ-like effectors to manipulate eukaryotic signaling machineries that are important for the response and survival of the host cell during infection and/or symbiosis.
Immunomodulatory Effects of 1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3 on TH1/TH2 Cytokines in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: An in Vitro Study

Crohn's disease (CD) is associated with a higher type-1-helper T cell (Th1) cytokine expression, whereas ulcerative colitis (UC) appears to express a modified Th2 response. In addition to its classic role in calcium homeostasis, calcitriol, the hormonal active form of vitamin D, exerts immunoregulatory effects such as modulation of Th1/Th2 cytokines. Therefore, calcitriol administration could modify immune dysfunction in CD and UC. Nine patients with UC [M/F: 5/4; mean age 47 years, remission(R)/active(A) disease: 7/2], 8 patients with CD [M/F: 2/6; mean age 36, R/A 5/3] and 6 healthy controls (HC) [M/F: 3/3, mean age 46] were enrolled. Peripheral blood was collected after a drug-washout of 15 days and peripheral blood mononuclear cells were stimulated with mitogens alone or in the presence of physiological concentrations of calcitriol (100 pg/ml). Type 1 (IL-2, TNF-α, IFN-γ) and type 2 (IL-10) cytokine production was assayed on supernatants by ELISA. Compared to HC, TNF-α production was significantly higher both in UC (p=0.0002) and CD (p=0.0001) patients, at baseline and after incubation with calcitriol (UC p=0.0003, CD p=0.0009). The effects of calcitriol incubation were: 1) reduced IFN-γ (p=0.024) and increased IL-10 (p=0.06) production in UC patients; 2) reduced TNF-α production in CD (p=0.032); 3) no significant effects in HC. Calcitriol increased, albeit not significantly, IL-10 production in UC compared to CD patients (p=0.09). These results suggest an important modulatory role of vitamin D in the Th1/Th2 immune response. The observation that the effect of this modulation was different in CD compared to UC patients provides an interesting area of research into the pathogenesis and treatment of these inflammatory conditions.
Novel brominated metabolites from Bryozoa: a functional analysis

Abstract Marine invertebrates are a promising source of novel natural products with biological activities. The phylum Bryozoa is relatively under-investigated in this context, although a number of compounds with medical potential has been discovered in recent years. Here, we report on the novel group of brominated metabolites from the bryozoan Terminoflustra membranaceatruncata, including analysis of biological activities of the tribrominated terminoflustrindole A (Cm-1) and the structures of the related dibrominated variants terminoflustrindoles B and C. Terminoflustrindole A was previously shown to have fungicidal properties. Although they vary by just one bromine group in each case from terminoflustrindole A, in this study, we report that terminoflustrindoles B and C exhibit no antimicrobial activity in the same assays. In addition to displaying antifungal activity, Terminoflustrindole A was also found to exhibit potent cytotoxic activity when tested against tumour cell lines. The gradient distribution of this compound within the bryozoan colony was demonstrated using LC-MS-analysis.
Parenting Stress in Infancy and Psychosocial Adjustment in Toddlerhood: A Longitudinal Study of Children with Craniofacial Anomalies

Objective To evaluate the association between parenting stress during infancy and child psychosocial adjustment during toddlerhood, within a sample of children with craniofacial anomalies (CFAs). Design Retrospective chart review. Setting Urban medical center department of reconstructive plastic surgery. Participants Parents of 47 children aged birth to 24 months at time 1 and 24 to 46 months at time 2. Main Outcome Measures Parenting Stress Index/Short Form completed at times 1 and 2; Child Behavior Checklist completed at time 2. Results Relative to norms, more parents of children with CFAs experienced serious levels of parenting stress at times 1 and 2; however, fewer children with CFAs experienced serious levels of adjustment problems. Parenting stress during infancy predicted psychosocial adjustment in toddlerhood but was mediated by parenting stress in toddlerhood. Parents high on stress at both assessments showed clinical levels of total parenting stress and parent-child dysfunctional interaction when their children were infants; their toddlers showed higher levels of maladjustment than those with parents elevated on parenting stress during only infancy. Conclusions Elevated levels of parenting stress during infancy may be stable through toddlerhood for families having a child with a CFA. The relation between parenting stress and child adjustment is likely to be reciprocal. These findings should be replicated with a larger sample and multiple informants.
The Cofactor Function of the N-terminal Domain of Tissue Factor*

Tissue factor (TF) is an integral membrane protein cofactor for factor VIIa (fVIIa) that initiates the blood coagulation cascade during vascular injury. TF has two fibrinonectin type III-like domains, both of which make extensive interactions with both the light and heavy chains of fVIIa. In addition to interaction with fVIIa, the membrane proximal C-terminal domain of TF is also known to bind the natural substrates factors IX and X, thereby facilitating their assembly and recognition by fVIIa in the activation complex. Both fVIIa and TF are elongated proteins, and their complex appears to be positioned nearly perpendicular to the membrane surface. It is possible that, similar to fVIIa, the N-terminal domain of TF also contacts the natural substrates. To investigate this possibility, we substituted all 23 basic and acidic residues of the N-terminal domain of TF with Ala or Asn and expressed the mutants as soluble TF2-219 in a novel expression/purification vector system in the periplasmic space of bacteria. Following purification to homogeneity, the cofactor properties of mutants in promoting the amidolytic and proteolytic activity of fVIIa were analyzed in appropriate kinetic assays. The amidolytic activity assays indicated that several charged residues spatially clustered at the junction of the N- and C-terminal domains of TF are required for high affinity interaction with fVIIa. On the other hand, the proteolytic activity assays revealed that none of the residues under study may be an interactive site for either factor IX or factor X. However, it was discovered the Arg74 mutant of TF was defective in enhancing both the amidolytic and proteolytic activity of fVIIa, suggesting that this residue may be required for the allosteric activation of the protease.
Families of children with Down syndrome

The paper presents an overview, from a personal perspective, of the key research findings of the longitudinal study of the Manchester Down Syndrome Cohort. The study began in 1973 and is currently visiting the families as the young people enter adulthood. At present over 100 families remain in the cohort and provide a representative sample of families of children with Down syndrome in the UK during these years. It is one of the largest and most detailed multifactorial studies in the field of Down syndrome. The overriding impression of the families and their child with Down syndrome is one of normality. The factors that influence the well being of all members are largely the same as those influencing any child or family. The majority of families do not exhibit pathology as a consequence of having a child with Down syndrome. Indeed the evidence points to positive effects for many families when one member has Down syndrome. The results also emphasise the diversity of families and of individuals with Down syndrome. Some families and children with Down syndrome are vulnerable and at risk. The research has begun to identify who these may be and suggest possible directions for more effective support and intervention.
The Fundamental Paradox in the Grief Literature: A Critical Reflection

A key theme in the bereavement literature is the recognition that every grief experience is unique and dependent on many variables, such as the circumstances of the death, characteristics of the bereaved individual, their relationship with the deceased, the provision and availability of support, and a myriad of sociocultural factors. Concurrently, there are corresponding efforts to define “normal” grief and delineate it from “complicated” grief experiences. The discord between these two potentially opposing statements remains a paradox evident within the three major tensions within the thanatological literature—the dominance of grief theories, the medicalization of grief, and the efficacy of grief interventions. Three recommendations for moving beyond the paradox are discussed—the provision of improved grief education for service providers, the bereaved, and the wider community; the conduct of research that emphasizes the context of grief and is relevant to service provision; and the examination of current grief interventions.
Transplantation of Rat Synapsin-EGFP-Labeled Embryonic Neurons into the Intact and Ischemic CA1 Hippocampal Region: Distribution, Phenotype, and Axodendritic Sprouting

A major limitation of neural transplantation studies is assessing the degree of host–graft interaction. In the present study, rat hippocampal/cortical embryonic neurons (E18) were infected with a lentivirus encoding enhanced green fluorescent protein (GFP) under control of the neuron-specific synapsin promoter, thus permitting robust identification of labeled neurons after in vivo grafting. Two weeks after transient forebrain ischemia or sham-surgery, GFP-expressing neurons were transplanted into CA1 hippocampal regions in immunosuppressed adult Wistar rats. The survival, distribution, phenotype, and axonal projections of GFP-immunoreactive (IR) positive transplanted neurons were evaluated in the sham-operated and ischemia-damaged CA1 hippocampal regions 4, 8, and 12 weeks after transplantation. In both experimental groups, we observed that the main phenotype of host-derived afferents projecting towards grafted GFP-IR neurons as well as transplant-derived GFP-IR efferents were glutamatergic in both animal groups. GFP axonal projections were seen in the nucleus accumbens, septal nuclei, and subiculum—known target areas of CA1 pyramidal neurons. Compared to sham-operated animals, GFP-IR neurons grafted into the ischemia-damaged CA1 migrated more extensively throughout a larger volume of host tissue, particularly in the stratum radiatum. Moreover, enhanced axonal sprouting and neuronal plasticity of grafted cells were evident in the hippocampus, subiculum, septal nuclei, and nucleus accumbens of the ischemia-damaged rats. Our study suggests that the adult rat brain retains some capacity to direct newly sprouting axons of transplanted embryonic neurons to the correct targets and that this capacity is enhanced in previously ischemia-injured forebrain.
Sexual dysfunction in primary medical care: prevalence, characteristics and detection by the general practitioner.

BACKGROUND Despite the recent focus on sexual behaviour and AIDs, there are almost no data on the prevalence of sexual dysfunction within primary care settings. METHOD One hundred and seventy patients attending a general practice participated in a questionnaire survey of the prevalence and characteristics of sexual problems. The detection rate of the general practitioners (GPs) and indicators in the patient notes were also investigated. RESULTS Thirty five per cent of the men (n = 22) reported some form of specific sexual dysfunction: premature ejaculation was identified in 31 per cent of the men; 17 per cent experienced erectile dysfunction, which was associated with current medication, a high mean annual attendance and increasing age. The prevalence of sexual dysfunction in the women was 42 per cent (n = 41); vaginismus was reported by 30 per cent of the sample; 23 per cent of the women suffered from anorgasmia. General sexual dissatisfaction was more common than specific dysfunction; 68 per cent (n = 66) of the women and 75 per cent (n = 54) of the men reported at least one problem with dissatisfaction, avoidance, infrequency or non-communication. The large majority of the sample (70 per cent) considered sexual matters to be an appropriate topic for the GP to discuss. Despite this, sexual problems were recorded in only 2 per cent of the GP notes. CONCLUSIONS This study confirms the high prevalence of sexual disorders in the population. Many of these problems are concealed from GPs. Predictors in patients' notes could help GPs to detect those patients with more serious problems.
Mobility and energy aware routing algorithm for mobile ad-hoc networks

Mobile Adhoc Networks (MANETs) consist of a set of mobile nodes that form a dynamically changing network without the use of an existing infrastructure. Every node in the network acts as the peer to its immediate neighbor. Each node is thus responsible for relaying data to neighboring nodes for ensuring communication between distant nodes. This information dissemination mechanism pattern consumes extra node energy thus making energy a critical parameter for ensuring increased network lifetime. This paper proposes a new energy and mobility aware routing protocol referred to as Mobility and Energy Aware AODV (MEAODV) protocol. The proposed protocol has shown through simulations to achieve 4–5% increase in Packet Delivery Ratio, 20–24% reduction in Convergence time and 10 to 15% increase in Network Lifetime when compared to most promising stability based variants of AODV, PersonalizedAODV (RAODV) and MulticastAODV (MAODV-X).
Role of Smad Proteins and Transcription Factor Sp1 in p21Waf1/Cip1 Regulation by Transforming Growth Factor-β*

Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) inhibits cell cycle progression, in part through up-regulation of gene expression of the p21WAF1/Cip1(p21) cell cycle inhibitor. Previously we have reported that the intracellular effectors of TGF-β, Smad3 and Smad4, functionally cooperate with Sp1 to activate the human p21 promoter in hepatoma HepG2 cells. In this study we show that Smad3 and Smad4 when overexpressed in HaCaT keratinocytes lead to activation of the p21 promoter. Activation requires the binding sites for the ubiquitous transcription factor Sp1 on the proximal promoter. Induction of the endogenous HaCaTp21 gene by TGF-β1 is further enhanced after overexpression of Smad3 and Smad4, whereas dominant negative mutants of Smad3 and Smad4 and the inhibitory Smad7 all inhibit p21induction by TGF-β1 in a dose-dependent manner. We show that Sp1 expressed in the Sp1-deficient Drosophila SL-2 cells binds to the proximal p21 promoter sequences, whereas Smad proteins do not. In support of this finding, we show that DNA-binding domain mutants of Smad3 and Smad4 are capable of transactivating the p21 promoter as efficiently as wild type Smads. Co-expression of Smad3 with Smad4 and Sp1 in SL-2 cells or co-incubation of phosphorylated Smad3, Smad4, and Sp1 in vitro results in enhanced binding of Sp1 to the p21 proximal promoter sequences. We demonstrate that Sp1 physically and directly interacts with Smad2, Smad3, and weakly with Smad4 via their amino-terminal (Mad-Homology 1) domain. Finally, by using GAL4 fusion proteins we show that the glutamine-rich sequences in the transactivation domain of Sp1 contribute to the cooperativity with Smad proteins. In conclusion, Smad proteins play important roles in regulation of the p21 gene by TGF-β, and the functional cooperation of Smad proteins with Sp1 involves the physical interaction of these two types of transcription factors.
Optimal tracking performance for SIMO systems

This paper studies the optimal tracking performance for linear time-invariant single-input multi-output (SIMO) systems responding to a step reference signal. An integral square error criterion is used as the measure of the tracking performance. First, a formula of the tracking error is derived for stable multivariable systems, which is applicable to both right-invertible and non-right-invertible cases. Then, explicit expressions of the tracking error for SIMO systems are developed. The results show that, together with the nonminimum phase zeros and unstable poles of the plant, the variation of the plant direction with frequency also contributes to the tracking difficulty in SIMO systems.
Examining Variation in Treatment Outcomes among Speakers with Dysarthria

Abstract Studies investigating the outcomes of behavioral treatments for dysarthria commonly focus on group-level effects. Individual differences in treatment response have received less attention. Currently, we have limited understanding of why some speakers respond favorably to certain intervention programs but others do not. This article advocates for a more individualized approach to assessing the efficacy of speech pathology intervention. A conceptual framework is presented, in which the effects of salient speech features and contextual factors upon treatment outcomes are considered statistically, with a view to informing treatment planning and development of future clinical studies. Preliminary evidence is presented in support of this framework—demonstrating that detailed measurements of the speech signal can predict which individuals respond favorably to certain treatment cues, even among participants with the same dysarthria etiology and subtype. Future directions for the study of individualized assessment and treatment approaches are discussed.