Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Trinitrobenzenesulphonic acid colitis alters Nav 1.8 channel expression in mouse dorsal root ganglia neurons

Abstract Visceral inflammation evokes hyperexcitability in nociceptive dorsal root ganglia (DRG) neurons and these changes are associated with increased voltage‐gated sodium channel (Nav) 1.8 current density, but the molecular determinants of these changes are unclear. This study used Western blotting to measure changes in Nav 1.7, 1.8 and 1.9 protein expression during trinitrobenzenesulphonic acid (TNBS) colitis and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to examine corresponding changes in mRNA. Colonic neurons were labelled with the retrograde tracer Fast Blue injected into the wall of the distal colon and quantitative PCR performed on laser‐captured labelled colonic neurons from ganglia at T9‐13 or unlabelled DRG neurons from the upper spinal cord. Immunohistochemistry and western blots were performed on whole DRG from the same sites. Fast Blue‐labelled neurons demonstrated Nav 1.7, 1.8 and 1.9 immunoreactivity. On day 7 of colitis, which correlated with electrophysiological studies, there was a threefold increase in Nav 1.8 protein in ganglia from T9 to 13, but Nav 1.7 and 1.9 levels were unchanged. There was no corresponding change in the Nav 1.8 α‐subunit mRNA levels. However, on days 2 and 4, Nav 1.8 mRNA was decreased 10‐fold. Nav 1.8 protein and mRNA levels were unchanged in neurons isolated from ganglia in the upper spinal cord, where colonic neurons are not found. These findings suggest that the TNBS evoked increase in Nav 1.8 currents is associated with increased numbers of channels. The absence of corresponding changes in transcript suggests a translational or post‐translational mechanism, but the 10‐fold recovery of transcript preceding this time point also demonstrates a complex transcriptional regulation.
REQUIREMENT ELICITATION BASED COLLBORATIVE FILTERING USING SOCIAL

In software engineering activity, requirement elicitation is the first phase, in which important requirements related to the project are gathered from different stakeholders. Most projects fail due to inadequate stakeholders and requirements. To identify and prioritize stakeholders and their requirements a method called StakeRare is developed by using social networks and collaborative filtering. Initially the stakeholders are prioritized depending on their roles and project influence. Then the stakeholders are asked to recommend other stakeholders to build a social networks and rate the initial list of requirements. Finally a collaborative filtering is used to prioritize requirements based on stakeholders ratings. This process is easy to scale to large software projects with many stakeholders and requirements. It produces complete and accurate requirements than the existing method.
International increase in Salmonella enteritidis: A new pandemic?

SUMMARY Over the past 5 years Salmonella enteritidis infections in humans have increased on both sides of the Atlantic ocean. The WHO salmonella surveillance data for 1979–87 were reviewed and show that S. enteritidis appears to be increasing on at least the continents of North America, South America, and Europe, and may include Africa. S. enteritidis isolates increased in 24 (69%) of 35 countries between 1979 and 1987. In 1979, only 2 (10%) of 21 countries with reported data reported S. enteritidis as their most common salmonella serotype; in 1987, 9 (43%) of 21 countries reported S. enteritidis as their most common serotype; 8 (89 %) of 9 were European countries. Although the reason for the global increase is not yet clear, investigations in individual countries suggest it is related to consumption of eggs and poultry which harbour the organism.
Intravenous drug use – an independent predictor for HCV genotypes 3 and 4 infection among HIV/HCV co-infected patients

Introduction About one quarter of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected persons in Serbia have also been found to be hepatitis C virus (HCV) co-infected. In the general population, HCV genotype 1 has been shown to be the most prevalent one. Here, we present the first study on the distribution of HCV genotypes among HIV/HCV co-infected patients in Serbia, in relation to epidemiological and clinical features. Material and methods The study included HIV/HCV co-infected and a group of HCV mono-infected patients in the period 1998–2012, with collection of epidemiological, clinical, and behavioral data using a standardized questionnaire. The HCV genotyping to the level of pure genotype was performed by reverse hybridization. Results Intravenous drug use (IDU) was found to be significantly more prevalent among the co-infected patients (p < 0.01). HCV genotype 1 was detected in 87% of patients with mono-infection, compared to 46.3% of patients with co-infection (p < 0.01); genotypes 3 and 4 were significantly more common among co-infected patients (6% and 5%, vs. 27% and 25%, respectively). Multivariate logistic regression confirmed IDU, infection with non-1 HCV genotype and HCV viral load over 5 log to be predictors of HIV co-infection. Conclusions The HCV genotypes 3 and 4 were found to be significantly more prevalent among HIV/HCV co-infected patients in Serbia, compared to HCV mono-infected patients, but also more prevalent compared to the European HIV/HCV co-infected cohort. History of IDU represents an independent predictor of HCV genotypes 3 and 4 infection, with important implications for treatment.
Down-regulation of survivin enhances paclitaxel-induced Hela cell apoptosis.

OBJECTIVE Paclitaxel is one of the common anticancer drugs in the treatment of cervical cancer, while the mechanism of restraining and killing cancer cells is still unclear. This study aimed to investigate the molecular mechanism of paclitaxel in regulating proliferation and apoptosis of cervical cancer Hela cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS Paclitaxel at 2 μmol/L was used to treat Hela cells for 48 h. MTT assay and flow cytometry were applied to test Hela cells proliferation and apoptosis respectively. Western blot was adopted to determine the expression of survivin. SiRNA was performed to suppress survivin protein expression in Hela cells. RESULTS Paclitaxel restrained Hela cells growth and induced apoptosis. Also, paclitaxel treatment significantly reduced survivin protein expression in Hela cells. Moreover, survivin siRNA transfection further promoted Hela cells apoptosis after intervention by 2 μmol/L paclitaxel. CONCLUSIONS Down-regulation of survivin promoted paclitaxel-induced apoptosis of cervical cancer Hela cells.
Association between dense CADM1 promoter methylation and reduced protein expression in high‐grade CIN and cervical SCC

We previously showed that silencing of TSLC1, recently renamed CADM1, is functionally involved in high‐risk HPV‐mediated cervical carcinogenesis. CADM1 silencing often results from promoter methylation. Here, we determined the extent of CADM1 promoter methylation in cervical (pre)malignant lesions and its relation to anchorage‐independent growth and gene silencing to select a CADM1‐based methylation marker for identification of women at risk of cervical cancer. Methylation‐specific PCRs targeting three regions within the CADM1 promoter were performed on high‐risk HPV‐containing cell lines, PBMCs, normal cervical smears, and (pre)malignant lesions. CADM1 protein expression in cervical tissues was analysed by immunohistochemistry. All statistical tests were two‐sided. Density of methylation was associated with the degree of anchorage‐independent growth and CADM1 gene silencing in vitro. In cervical squamous lesions, methylation frequency and density increased with severity of disease. Dense methylation (defined as ≥ 2 methylated regions) increased from 5% in normal cervical samples to 30% in CIN3 lesions and 83% in squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) and was significantly associated with decreased CADM1 protein expression (p < 0.00005). The frequency of dense methylation was significantly higher in ≥ CIN3 compared with ≤ CIN1 (p = 0.005), as well as in SCCs compared with adenocarcinomas (83% versus 23%; p = 0.002). Detection of dense CADM1 promoter methylation will contribute to the assembly of a valuable marker panel for the triage of high‐risk HPV‐positive women at risk of ≥ CIN3. Copyright © 2008 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Inducing Multiline Salespeople to Adopt House Brands

How can multiline providers induce their salespeople to sell house brands? Using both unobtrusive measures (archival data) and direct questions, the authors model the extent to which salespeople adopt house brands, as well as the salesperson's perception that selling house brands can pose contractual hazards and his or her dependence upon the employer. Results indicate that adoption of house brands is most pronounced for salespeople who are habitually successful, are more dependent on the firm, or receive high levels of company training. In contrast, salespeople who resist house brands perceive that selling these products threatens their customer bond, have greater experience as a salesperson, and are more oriented to external than to internal sources of information. The authors discuss implications of the findings in terms of developing ways for multiline providers to manage independent-minded salespeople.
The joint‐Nordic PhD program in logistics

Doctoral education is usually considered to be a one‐to‐one learning situation with the professor on one side of the table and the doctoral student on the other. With the joint‐Nordic PhD program in logistics, founded in 1997‐1998 by a network of senior scholars from business schools and universities throughout the Nordic countries, doctoral students are now part of a learning network comprising other doctoral students and senior researchers. One of the program’s purposes is to establish doctoral courses in logistics to improve and secure the quality of research. So far, two courses have been completed: “Logistics in a philosophy of science perspective” and “Methods in logistics research”. The student response to the initiative has been very positive. The Nordic Research Academy (NorFA) and the participating universities have supported the program financially.
Feasibility of Hybrid Gait Training with Kinesis Overground Robot for Persons with incomplete Spinal Cord Injury

Hybrid actuation and control have a considerable potential for walking rehabilitation but there is a need of novel hybrid control strategies that adequately manage the balance between FES and robotic controllers. A hybrid co-operative control strategy for overground gait training with a wearable robotic exoskeleton for persons with incomplete spinal cord injury (SCI) is presented. The feasibility of the control strategy to overcome muscular stimulation electro-mechanical delay, deterioration of muscle performance over time, and to balance muscular and robotic actuation cyclic overground walking is tested in one subject with incomplete spinal cord injury (L4, ASIA grade D). The results demonstrate that the proposed hybrid cooperative control in Kinesis overground robot is able to autonomously compensate a bilateral pathologic walking pattern and the suitability of Kinesis hybrid gait training robot for conducting clinical experimentation.
Modeling the Employee Life Cycle to Address Insider Threat.

Within an organization, the employee population is the source of potential malicious insiders. To investigate the evolution of the insider within an organization, we are developing a model of the employee life cycle. In addition, the employee life cycle model is being applied to define and analyze interactions of the employee population with insider security protection strategies. The model was exercised for an example scenario that focused on human resources and personnel security activities, specifically, pre-hiring screening and security clearance processes. Additionally, we have developed and tracked through the model several case studies of malicious insider activity. This modeling effort provides a framework to understand important interactions, interdependencies, and gaps in insider protection strategies. This work is part of a larger effort to develop the basis for an integrated systems-based process for designing and evaluating effective insider security systems.
Does the Adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards Provide Commensurate Benefits to Prospective European Union Countries?

The common set of reporting standards allows for a unified business language when reporting on the financial status of businesses. Standards help to rise the quality of information and the comparability of financial statements. The understanding of financial statements is particularly important for the economies of prospective European Union countries, especially the smaller ones, because their growth is so dependent on the free movement of capital and extensive foreign direct investments. Researchers stress that even though the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) are adopted by most of the developing countries, their business characteristics could limit their ability to accomplish expected benefits. Formal adoption does not necessarily lead towards unimpeded implementation. This paper presents the perceptions of Macedonian managers about IFRS acceptance. First, we survey, a representative sample of Chief Financial Officers from companies listed on the Macedonian stock exchange, and executives and analysts in investment and pension funds. Next, we compare the findings with the results of the similar survey presented in the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants Reports 2011, on the attitudes of their counterparts in America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Finally, we offer recommendations on the further implementation of standards in the prospective European Union countries, which in turn will help their inclusion into the overall economic, social and cultural trends of the Union.
Multicenter study of general anesthesia. III. Predictors of severe perioperative adverse outcomes.

Little information is available about the incidence of severe adverse outcomes, and even less information is available about the identification and quantification of independent predictors of severe perioperative adverse outcomes. The purpose of this study was to identify and quantitate independent predictors of severe perioperative adverse outcomes in a prospective randomized clinical trial of general anesthesia in 17,201 patients. Twenty-nine prognostic variables for 15 severe outcomes in 847 patients were tested by multiple stepwise logistic regressions from which 20 significant (P less than 0.05) predictors were identified. A history of cardiac failure or myocardial infarction less than or equal to 1 yr; ASA physical status 3 or 4; age greater than 50 yr; cardiovascular, thoracic, abdominal or neurologic surgery; and the study anesthetics were significant predictors of "any severe outcome, including death. " There were 17 significant predictors for 10 severe cardiovascular outcomes in 608 patients, including a history of ventricular arrhythmia, hypertension, cardiac failure, myocardial ischemia, myocardial infarction less than or equal to 1 yr or myocardial infarction greater than 1 yr, and smoking; ASA physical status; age; cardiovascular, thoracic, abdominal, eyes-ears-nose-throat/endocrine, neurologic, musculoskeletal, or gynecologic surgery; and the study anesthetics. There were 9 significant predictors for 4 severe respiratory outcomes in 163 patients, including a history of cardiac failure, myocardial ischemia, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; obesity; smoking; male gender; ASA physical status; abdominal surgery; and the study anesthetics. Colinearity between related prognostic variables (such as disease and ASA physical status) was assessed using progressively segregated groups of variables in eight stepwise logistic regressions. We conclude that the comprehensive stepwise logistic regression of 29 prognostic variables reported here provides a valid estimate of the risks of severe perioperative outcomes associated with general anesthesia.
Osmotic Stress Regulates the Stability of Cyclin D1 in a p38SAPK2-dependent Manner*

We report here that different cell stresses regulate the stability of cyclin D1 protein. Exposition of Granta 519 cells to osmotic shock, oxidative stress, and arsenite induced the post-transcriptional down-regulation of cyclin D1. In the case of osmotic shock, this effect was completely reversed by the addition of p38SAPK2-specific inhibitors (SB203580 or SB220025), indicating that this effect is dependent on p38SAPK2activity. Moreover, the use of proteasome inhibitors prevented this down-regulation. Thus, osmotic shock induces proteasomal degradation of cyclin D1 protein by a p38SAPK2-dependent pathway. The effect of p38SAPK2 on cyclin D1 stability might be mediated by direct phosphorylation at specific sites. We found that p38SAPK2 phosphorylates cyclin D1 in vitroat Thr286 and that this phosphorylation triggers the ubiquitination of cyclin D1. These results link for the first time a stress-induced MAP kinase pathway to cyclin D1 protein stability, and they will help to understand the molecular mechanisms by which stress transduction pathways regulate the cell cycle machinery and take control over cell proliferation.
Customer Participation and the Trade-Off between New Product Innovativeness and Speed to Market

To address the trade-off between new product innovativeness and speed to market caused by customer participation activities, the author differentiates two dimensions of customer participation—customer participation as an information resource (CPI) and customer participation as a codeveloper (CPC)—and explores the moderating effects of downstream customer network connectivity and new product development process interdependence and complexity. Matched data collected from 143 customer–component manufacturer dyads indicate that CPI has a negative influence on innovativeness when downstream customer network connectivity is high but a positive effect when it is low. In contrast, CPI has a positive effect on speed to market when downstream customer network connectivity is high and no significant effect when it is low. In addition, CPC undermines new product speed to market when process interdependence is high. In contrast, CPC can improve new product speed to market but hurt new product innovativeness when process interdependence is low. The results of this article provide specific managerial guidelines as to how to manage customer participation to improve new product innovativeness and speed to market.
Cockayne syndrome B protein regulates recruitment of the Elongin A ubiquitin ligase to sites of DNA damage

Elongin A performs dual functions as the transcriptionally active subunit of RNA polymerase II (Pol II) elongation factor Elongin and as the substrate recognition subunit of a Cullin-RING E3 ubiquitin ligase that ubiquitylates Pol II in response to DNA damage. Assembly of the Elongin A ubiquitin ligase and its recruitment to sites of DNA damage is a tightly regulated process induced by DNA-damaging agents and α-amanitin, a drug that induces Pol II stalling. In this study, we demonstrate (i) that Elongin A and the ubiquitin ligase subunit CUL5 associate in cells with the Cockayne syndrome B (CSB) protein and (ii) that this interaction is also induced by DNA-damaging agents and α-amanitin. In addition, we present evidence that the CSB protein promotes stable recruitment of the Elongin A ubiquitin ligase to sites of DNA damage. Our findings are consistent with the model that the Elongin A ubiquitin ligase and the CSB protein function together in a common pathway in response to Pol II stalling and DNA damage.
The effect of banking relationship on firm performance in Malaysian public listed companies

Funds from banks play an important role in the growth and maintenance of a firm. Hence, it is important that a firm creates and maintains a good relationship with its bank in order to secure the funds. Establishing a good bank-firm relationship can also help to reduce conflicts between shareholders and creditors since close bank relationship helps the firm to get funding from other financial institutions. Relationships between a bank and a firm consist of two types: bank-borrower relationship and consumer-supplier relationship. The bank-borrower relationship involves primarily a loan agreement between two interested parties. Cooperation between a bank and a firm is more durable than customer-supplier relationships in terms of provision of financing. This thesis investigates the effect of banking relationships on firm performance on companies in Malaysian capital market. Seventy eight firms from the Top 100 public-listed companies in Bursa Malaysia are examined. Investigation is performed to show the effects of number of banking relationships, short-term financing, long-term financing, firm size, and foreign ownership on the firms’ performance as measured by return on assets (ROA), return on equity (ROE), and Tobin’s Q. Findings show a significant and negative relationships on the number of bank relationships for all of firm performance measures, consistent with previous studies. For ROA measurement, result shows a significant positive relationship with short-term financing, a finding also consistent with past studies. Short-term loan and long-term loan impact ROA and ROE positively, while affecting negatively firm performance measured by Tobin’s Q. ROA and ROE have a positive correlation with foreign ownership, while Tobin’s Q is negatively correlated with foreign ownership. In general, the study contributes to banking literature by investigating and evaluating the relationship of firm performance and lending banks in shareholders’ perspectives
Management Promotions: Individual and Organizational Factors Influencing the Decision Process

Factors likely to influence promotion decisions include the decision process, attributes of the decision maker(s), the organization's promotion policies and support systems, and other elements of the organizational and environmental context. The decision process includes strategy formulation, candidate search, information handling, evaluation and choice, and planning for implementation. We present 16 propositions regarding promotion decisions that are suitable for empirical testing.
Epithelial Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor 1 Regulates Enamel Formation

The interaction between epithelial and mesenchymal tissues plays a critical role in the development of organs such as teeth, lungs, and hair. During tooth development, fibroblast growth factor (FGF) signaling is critical for regulating reciprocal epithelial and mesenchymal interactions. FGF signaling requires FGF ligands and their receptors (FGFRs). In this study, we investigated the role of epithelial FGF signaling in tooth development, using the Cre-loxp system to create tissue-specific inactivation of Fgfr1 in mice. In K14-Cre;Fgfr1 fl/fl mice, the apical sides of enamel-secreting ameloblasts failed to adhere properly to each other, although ameloblast differentiation was unaffected at early stages. Prior to eruption, enamel structure was compromised in the K14-Cre;Fgfr1 fl/fl mice and displayed severe enamel defects that mimic amelogenesis imperfecta (AI), with a rough, irregular enamel surface. These results suggest that there is a cell-autonomous requirement for FGF signaling in the dental epithelium during enamel formation. Loss of Fgfr1 affects ameloblast organization at the enamel-secretory stage and, hence, the formation of enamel.