Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The benefits of male ejaculate sex peptide transfer in Drosophila melanogaster

The accessory gland protein (Acp) ejaculate molecules of male Drosophila melanogaster mediate sexual selection and sexual conflict at the molecular level. However, to date no studies have comprehensively measured the timing and magnitude of fitness benefits to males of transferring specific Acps. This is an important omission because without this information it is not possible to fully understand the strength and form of selection acting on adaptations such as Acps. Here, we measured the fitness benefits to males of ejaculate sex peptide (SP) transfer. SP is of interest because it is a candidate for mediating sexual conflict: its frequent receipt reduces female fitness. In single matings with virgin females SP is known to increase egg laying and decrease receptivity. Hence, we predicted that SP could: (i) boost a male’s absolute paternity by increasing offspring production and delaying female remating and/or (ii) boost relative paternity share. We tested these predictions using two different lines of SP‐lacking males, in both two‐mating and free‐mating assay conditions. SP transfer conferred higher absolute, but not relative, male reproductive success. In matings with virgin females, SP transfer increased mating productivity and delayed remating and hence the onset of sperm competition. In already mated females, SP transfer did not elevate absolute progeny production, but did increase intermating intervals and hence the period over which a male could gain paternity. Consistent with this, under free‐mating conditions over an extended period, we detected a ‘per‐mating’ fitness benefit for males transferring SP. These benefits are consistent with a role for SP in mediating conflict, with SP acting to maximize short‐term fitness benefits for males.
Airline catering service operation, schedule nervousness and collective efficacy on performance: Hong Kong evidence

Carriers the world over depend on airline catering service providers to manage the catering and logistics of these complex operations. The logistics of onboard catering service material between suppliers, warehouses and the caterers differ significantly from the classical material flow in other industries between the suppliers, manufacturers and customers. The airline catering business can tolerate minimal flexibility relating to scheduling issues. Continuous changes in the schedule can undermine the confidence in the system and result in disruptions in the production or delivery systems. This study aims to study how the various determinants are correlated with schedule instability of the airline catering operations. The findings show the significant correlation between internal operation and relationship with customer, which affect the work efficacy at the collective level.
Hepatitis B virus X protein shifts human hepatic transforming growth factor (TGF)‐β signaling from tumor suppression to oncogenesis in early chronic hepatitis B

Hepatitis B virus X (HBx) protein is suspected to participate in oncogenesis during chronic hepatitis B progression. Transforming growth factor β (TGF‐β) signaling involves both tumor suppression and oncogenesis. TGF‐β activates TGF‐β type I receptor (TβRI) and c‐Jun N‐terminal kinase (JNK), which differentially phosphorylate the mediator Smad3 to become C‐terminally phosphorylated Smad3 (pSmad3C) and linker‐phosphorylated Smad3 (pSmad3L). Reversible shifting of Smad3‐mediated signaling between tumor suppression and oncogenesis in HBx‐expressing hepatocytes indicated that TβRI‐dependent pSmad3C transmitted a tumor‐suppressive TGF‐β signal, while JNK‐dependent pSmad3L promoted cell growth. We used immunostaining, immunoblotting, and in vitro kinase assay to compare pSmad3L‐ and pSmad3C‐mediated signaling in biopsy specimens representing chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis, or hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) from 90 patients chronically infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV) with signaling in liver specimens from HBx transgenic mice. In proportion to plasma HBV DNA levels, early chronic hepatitis B specimens showed prominence of pSmad3L in hepatocytic nuclei. HBx‐activated JNK/pSmad3L/c‐Myc oncogenic pathway was enhanced, while the TβRI/pSmad3C/p21WAF1 tumor‐suppressive pathway was impaired as human and mouse HBx‐associated hepatocarcinogenesis progressed. Of 28 patients with chronic hepatitis B who showed strong oncogenic pSmad3L signaling, six developed HCC within 12 years; only one of 32 patients showing little pSmad3L developed HCC. In contrast, seven of 30 patients with little Smad3C phosphorylation developed HCC, while no patient who retained hepatocytic tumor‐suppressive pSmad3C developed HCC within 12 years. Conclusion: HBx shifts hepatocytic TGF‐β signaling from the tumor‐suppressive pSmad3C pathway to the oncogenic pSmad3L pathway in early carcinogenic process. Hepatocytic pSmad3L and pSmad3C assessment in HBV‐infected liver specimens should prove clinically useful for predicting risk of HCC. (HEPATOLOGY 2009.)
Effects of Exercise and Restricted Diet in Obese Women

Abstract Obesity is primary risk factor for life threatening diseases. The purpose of this study was the find the impact of intervention, that is, a diet and exercise program on obese women. The study used purposive sampling, and an experimental pre and post design. A total of twenty obese females between the age group of 25 to 40 years were chosen. They were assigned purposively into two study groups. Group I received the diet and exercise plan while group II did not received any guidance. The sample was drawn from a health club of Raipur city Chhattisgarh. Height and weight measurements were taken using standard methodology and body fat percent was estimated using the Body Composition Analyzer. The trial period was of 4 weeks. The significant differences were observed in both groups’ pre and post treatment mean value. Based on the obtained results, it can be concluded that diet and exercise is an effective intervention for obese women.
Classifying emerging knowledge sharing practices and some insights into antecedents to social networking: a case in insurance

Purpose The paper aims to explore a case of early adoption of the use of social media tools for the purposes of knowledge and information sharing across a supply chain in the UK home insurance market. Design/methodology/approach The methodology used includes genre and content analysis to analyze empirical data from blogs and posts via a customized social extranet [Engaging in Knowledge Networking via an interactive 3D Social Supplier Network (KNOWLEDGE NETWORK)] involving 130 users over a 13-month period. Findings The results uncover a set of emerging practices which support both information and knowledge exchange, but which are mainly driven by organizational factors such as buyer power and supplier competitive influencing. Research limitations/implications This study has contributed an overall conceptual understanding of reasons behind social media adoption by identifying organizational attributes of buyer power and supplier influence as key antecedents to knowledge sharing within a supply chain. Originality/value This paper builds on current thinking in social media theory by providing a window into organizational and supply chain attributes that can explain social media adoption within the context of knowledge sharing supply chains. A systematic classification of user posts over an extended period enabled this work to illuminate not only emerging knowledge sharing practices across a buyer-led supply chain but also the effects of buyer power on users in an online community.
Decreased Activity of Acyl-CoA:Cholesterol Acyltransferase by Insulin in Human Intestinal Cell Line Caco-2

Diabetes mellitus is accompanied by increased intestinal cholesterol synthesis and cholesterol esterification. Both are reversed by insulin therapy. To assess whether the action of insulin on cholesterol esterification by intestinal cells is direct or mediated by other effectors associated with diabetes, we investigated the effect of insulin on the activity of microsomal acyl-CoA:cholesterol acyltransferase (ACAT) and on the incorporation rate of [14C]oleic acid into cholesteryl oleate in the Caco-2 human intestinal cell line. Microsomal ACAT activity of cells that were incubated with insulin for 3 h at a concentration of 1, 10, and 100 μU/ml was decreased by 48, 58, and 74%, respectively, compared with cells cultured in insulinfree medium. This effect was evident as soon as 10 min after the addition of 10 μU/ml insulin. The inhibition by insulin was reversible. After incubation for 24 h, intracellular esterified-cholesterol content and the ratio of esterified to nonesterified cholesterol were significantly lower in the cells treated with insulin (100 μU/ml) than in those not treated with insulin (esterified cholesterol 48.6 ± 2.0 vs. 74.2 ± 4.3 nmol/mg protein, respectively, P < .005; esterified to nonesterified ratio 0.280 ± 0.008 vs. 0.359 ± 0.059, respectively, P < .05). Cells cultured on filters manifested physiologic polarity; >90% of [14C]oleic acid-labeled cholesterol ester secreted by cells was secreted into the basolateral chambers. Incorporation of [14C]oleic acid into cholesteryl oleate over 24 h in the cells and in the medium of the basolateral chamber was suppressed by 100 μU/ml insulin by 23 and 40%, respectively. These findings indicate that insulin acts directly on the enterocytes to suppress intestinal cholesterol ester synthesis and secretion.
Molecular Mechanisms of Arterial Stiffening

Stiffening of large arteries is a hallmark of vascular aging and one of the most important determinants of the age-related increase in blood pressure and cardiovascular disease events. Despite a substantial genetic component, the molecular mechanisms underlying phenotypic variability in arterial stiffness remain unknown. Previous genetic studies have identified several genetic variants that are associated with measures of arterial stiffness. Here, we review the relevant advances in the identification of pathways underlying arterial stiffness from genomic studies.
A Review of Perioperative Statin Therapy for Noncardiac Surgery

The leading cause of perioperative morbidity and mortality after major noncardiac surgery is cardiovascular complications. Clinical trials of lipid-lowering 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitors (statins) have shown improved cardiovascular outcomes; therefore, statins have become a mainstay in the prevention of cardiovascular disease. Retrospective trials and a small number of prospective randomized trials indicate that statin use may be beneficial during the perioperative period. In addition to the effects on serum lipid levels, statins influence inflammatory, thrombotic, and vasodilatory cellular pathways; and thus, their beneficial effects are not limited to patients with hypercholesterolemia. This review will (1) examine the evidence for using perioperative statin therapy in the noncardiac surgical patient (2) explore the possible consequences of statin withdrawal, and (3) revisit the evidence for the safety of statin use. Further studies are still needed to establish the optimal dosage as well as timing and length of statin therapy perioperatively.
Firm Size and the Business Model for Sustainable Innovation

Companies innovate towards sustainability because this may allow them to improve both their socio-environmental and economic performance. Firms that lead the way evolve towards a sustainable business model. However, small and large businesses face different challenges. This research therefore analyses the role of firm size in the business model developed towards sustainable innovation. The sample was obtained from the database of companies that make up the Global Reporting Initiative. The projects presented in the reports were seen as vehicles to support sustainable innovation. The method used was quantitative content analysis. The results show that the size of the company influences on how the supply chain and the financial elements of the business model are developed.
Application of NBTree to selection of meteorological variables in wind speed prediction

This paper proposes a new method for selecting meteorological variables in wind speed prediction. The proposed method is based on the regression tree of data mining. In recent years, the power market becomes more deregulated and competitive. As a result, the distribution generation is introduced in power systems. As clean energy, power utilities are quite interested in wind power generation. However, it is difficult to deal with wind power generation due to the uncertainty of the wind power output. In this paper, an efficient method is proposed to construct rules of data and forecast the wind speed. This paper makes use of NBTree as the prediction model. It is a hybrid model of C4.5 and Naïve Bayes (NB). The proposed method is successfully applied to real data for wind speed.
Why Government, Interest Groups, and Research Coordinate: The Different Purposes of Forums

Abstract Forums are organizations that facilitate coordination among actors from different societal sectors such as government, interest groups, and research. Forums can serve various purposes that we represent on two dimensions. The first dimension, sector orientation, assesses the degree to which a forum serves the needs of a specific societal sector. The second dimension, advocacy orientation, refers to the extent to which a forum is oriented toward advocating the shared interests of its members. The empirical application to a set of 36 forums in Swiss habitat and land use policy shows that both orientations capture important differences between forums. An improved understanding of these differences contributes to answering some key questions of forum research, such as those related to forum outputs, the role of forums in governance systems, or actors’ incentives of forum participation.
Evolution of statistical methodology and design of phase II/III clinical trials in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

7108 Background: A significant heterogeneity exists in the design and reporting of phase II and III therapeutic clinical trials in NSCLC. This has led to difficulty in interpretation of these trials leading to over- or underestimation of therapeutic efficacy. We set out to investigate the statistical methodology and design reporting of chemotherapeutic trials in NSCLC published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology (JCO) over 20 years. METHODS We identified all phase II and III NSCLC chemotherapy trials published in the JCO from January 1983 to August 2005. All manuscripts were reviewed to evaluate components of statistical design that were reported, including: sample size calculation, power, type I error, single or multiple drug trials, relative response sought in phase II trials and improvement in survival time or response rate sought in phase III trials. RESULTS One hundred forty eight trials were identified. 52% of studies were phase III and 48% were phase II. The majority (78%) were conducted in advanced stage NSCLC. Sample size calculations were reported for only 58% of phase III studies and 31% of phase II studies. Power was reported in 66% of phase III studies and 13% of phase II trials. Type I error was reported in 47% of phase III studies and 17% in phase II studies. 60% of phase III trials defined endpoints (percentage improvement in survival time, improvement in survival time in months or increase in response rate). 41% of phase II trails defined the target response rate, ranging from response rates of 15% to 70%. The frequency of adequate reporting of statistical design was shown to increase from 31% in 1990-1995 to 64% in 2000-2005 ( table ). CONCLUSIONS Significant heterogeneity exists in trial design and reporting of phase II and III trials in NSCLC. This impacts the ability to adequately interpret these studies. More widespread application of statistical methods in planning and reporting of lung cancer clinical trials are necessary to increase reliability of data. [Table: see text] No significant financial relationships to disclose.
Structure of the BRCT Repeat Domain of MDC1 and Its Specificity for the Free COOH-terminal End of the γ-H2AX Histone Tail*

MDC1 (mediator of DNA damage checkpoint protein 1) regulates the recognition and repair of DNA double strand breaks in mammalian cells through its interactions with nuclear foci containing the COOH-terminally phosphorylated form of the histone variant, H2AX. Here we demonstrate that the tandem BRCT repeats of MDC1 directly bind to the phosphorylated tail of H2AX-Ser(P)-Gln-Glu-Tyr, in a manner that is critically dependent on the free carboxylate group of the COOH-terminal Tyr residue. We have determined the x-ray crystal structure of the MDC1 BRCT repeats at 1.45 Å resolution. By a comparison with the structure of the BRCA1 BRCT bound to a phosphopeptide, we suggest that two arginine residues in MDC1, Arg1932 and Arg1933 may recognize the COOH terminus of the peptide as well as the penultimate Glu of H2AX, while Gln2013 may provide additional specificity for the COOH-terminal Tyr.
Hedging Efficiency of Indian Commodity Futures

This article examines the hedge ratio and hedging effectiveness in agricultural (castor seed, guar seed) and non-agricultural (copper, nickel, gold, silver, natural gas and crude oil) commodities traded in National Commodity and Derivative Exchange (NCDEX) and Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX), respectively. Constant and dynamic hedge ratios are estimated by using ordinary least square (OLS), vector autoregression (VAR), vector error correction model (VECM) and vector autoregressive-multivariate generalized autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity model (VAR-MGARCH). The results of constant as well as dynamic hedge ratios reveal that the Indian futures market provides higher hedging effectiveness in case of precious metal (65–75 per cent) compared to industrial metal and energy commodities (less than 50 per cent). Hedging effectiveness for castor seed and natural gas is even lower than 10 per cent. This study concluded that VECM and VAR-MGARCH both are providing higher hedging although VECM is providing the highest hedge ratio. It has been found that the next to near month futures provide better hedging effectiveness as compared to near month futures for crude oil and silver. It is recommended that the policy makers should pay attention towards the number of delivery centres, standard of quality of underlying assets and transaction costs in spot market.
Differential effects of deep brain stimulation target on motor subtypes in Parkinson's disease

The Veterans Administration Cooperative Studies Program #468, a multicenter study that randomized Parkinson's disease (PD) patients to either subthalamic nucleus (STN) or globus pallidus internus (GPi) deep brain stimulation (DBS), found that stimulation at either target provided similar overall motoric benefits. We conducted an additional analysis of this data set to evaluate whether PD motor subtypes responded differently to the 2 stimulation targets.
Pulmonary arterial hypertension is linked to insulin resistance and reversed by peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma activation.

BACKGROUND Patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) have reduced expression of apolipoprotein E (apoE) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma in lung tissues, and deficiency of both has been linked to insulin resistance. ApoE deficiency leads to enhanced platelet-derived growth factor signaling, which is important in the pathobiology of PAH. We therefore hypothesized that insulin-resistant apoE-deficient (apoE-/-) mice would develop PAH that could be reversed by a peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma agonist (eg, rosiglitazone). METHODS AND RESULTS We report that apoE-/- mice on a high-fat diet develop PAH as judged by elevated right ventricular systolic pressure. Compared with females, male apoE-/- were insulin resistant, had lower plasma adiponectin, and had higher right ventricular systolic pressure associated with right ventricular hypertrophy and increased peripheral pulmonary artery muscularization. Because male apoE-/- mice were insulin resistant and had more severe PAH than female apoE-/- mice, we treated them with rosiglitazone for 4 and 10 weeks. This treatment resulted in markedly higher plasma adiponectin, improved insulin sensitivity, and complete regression of PAH, right ventricular hypertrophy, and abnormal pulmonary artery muscularization in male apoE-/- mice. We further show that recombinant apoE and adiponectin suppress platelet-derived growth factor-BB-mediated proliferation of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells harvested from apoE-/- or C57Bl/6 control mice. CONCLUSIONS We have shown that insulin resistance, low plasma adiponectin levels, and deficiency of apoE may be risk factors for PAH and that peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma activation can reverse PAH in an animal model.
Capacity-Based Uplink Scheduling Using Long-Term Channel Knowledge

In the multi-user MIMO uplink channel, the presence of multiple receive antennas enables the base station to serve a number of users simultaneously, thus increasing overall system throughput. In practice, users have to be scheduled instead of being served all at once. In this work, a novel scheduling metric is proposed based on ergodic sum capacity. A low-SNR Taylor series of the capacity expression is combined with a receiver-correlation channel model to obtain a robust measure of spatial compatibility. Long-term channel knowledge at the base station is sufficient for metric evaluation, which significantly reduces the amount of required channel sounding, compared to previously proposed schemes.
A 379nW 58.5dB SNDR VCO-based ΔΣ modulator for bio-potential monitoring

A VCO-based delta-sigma modulator (ΔΣM) is proposed for bio-potential signal acquisition. The VCO quantizer is placed in a loop with 1-bit feedback to improve modulator linearity. Furthermore, frequency calibration employing gated VCO technique is proposed to improve the operation range. Fabricated in a 0. 18μm CMOS, this chip consumes 379nW and occupies an active area of 0.06mm2. Over a 2kHz signal bandwidth, the proposed ΔΣM achieves a peak SNDR of 58.5dB, which results in an FoM of 137fJ/conv. -step.