Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The role of store environmental stimulation and social factors on impulse purchasing

Purpose – This study aims to examine the role of environmentally induced stimulation in influencing impulse buying. In addition, the authors seek to investigate the impact of two social factors (perceived crowding and employee friendliness) on unplanned purchases.Design/methodology/approach – A wide variety of retail outlets in Singapore were selected as the context for this field study, ranging from small cosmetics shops (e.g. Body Shop) to mega furniture outlets (i.e. IKEA). Findings – The results of this study indicate that perceived over‐stimulation (higher than desired) has a positive impact on impulse buying. Moreover, the two social factors jointly influence consumers' unplanned purchases.Research limitations/implications – The sample size was relatively small (n=138) and data collection took place in Singapore. Thus, future research with a bigger sample and tested in other cultures is needed to enhance the generalizability of the findings.Practical implications – The study findings suggest that ove.
Thyroglobulin gene mutations producing defective intracellular transport of thyroglobulin are associated with increased thyroidal type 2 iodothyronine deiodinase activity.

CONTEXT Most patients with defective synthesis and/or secretion of thyroglobulin (Tg) present relatively high serum free T3 (FT3) concentrations with disproportionately low free T4 (FT4) resulting in a high FT3/FT4 ratio. The mechanism of this change in FT3/FT4 ratio remains unknown. OBJECTIVE We hypothesize that increased type 2 iodothyronine deiodinase (D2) activity in the thyroid gland may explain the higher FT3/FT4 ratio that is frequently observed in patients with abnormal Tg synthesis. DESIGN We recently identified a compound heterozygous patient (patient A) with a Tg G2356R mutation and one previously described (C1245R) that is known to cause a defect in intracellular transport of Tg. In the current study, after determining the abnormality caused by G2356R, we measured D2 activity as well as its mRNA level in the thyroid gland. We also measured the thyroidal D2 activity in three patients with Tg transport defect and in normal thyroid tissue. RESULTS Morphological and biochemical analysis of the thyroid gland from patient A, complemented by a pulse-chase experiment, revealed that G2356R produces a defect in intracellular Tg transport. D2 activity but not type 1 deiodinase in thyroid glands of patients with abnormal Tg transport was significantly higher than in normal thyroid glands, whereas D2 mRNA level in patient A was comparable with that in normal thyroid glands. Furthermore, there was a positive correlation between D2 activity and FT3/FT4 ratios. CONCLUSION Increased thyroidal D2 activity in the thyroid gland is responsible for the higher FT3/FT4 ratios in patients with defective intracellular Tg transport.
Physiological characterization of ocular melanosis‐affected canine melanocytes

OBJECTIVE Cairn terriers with ocular melanosis (OM) accumulate large, heavily pigmented melanocytes in the anterior uvea. Darkly pigmented plaques develop within the sclera, leading us to hypothesize that OM uveal melanocytes may have an abnormal migratory capacity. ANIMALS STUDIED Globes from OM-affected Cairn terriers and unaffected control eyes enucleated for reasons unrelated to this study were used for immunohistochemistry and to culture melanocytes for in vitro cell behavior assays. PROCEDURES The scleral plaques of six dogs were immunolabeled for HMB-45, MelanA, PNL2, CD18, CD204, and Iba-1 and compared with the pigment cells accumulated within the irides. Cultured uveal melanocytes from OM-affected and control dogs were compared using conventional assays measuring cell proliferation, invasion capability, and melanin production. RESULTS Melanocytes isolated from OM eyes had significantly elevated levels of per-cell melanin content and production compared to controls. The majority of pigmented cells in the scleral plaques were HMB45 positive indicating a melanocytic origin. Many were also CD18 positive. No differences were observed between cultured melanocytes from OM-affected and control uvea for standard in vitro proliferation or invasion assays. CONCLUSION Pigmented cells which accumulate in the sclera of OM-affected Cairn terriers are predominantly melanocytes; however, in vitro assays of uveal melanocytes did not reveal differences in migratory behavior between OM and control cells. Migratory behavior of OM-melanocytes may be environment-dependent. We suggest that RNA sequencing and differential expression analysis would be a useful next step in understanding this disease.
Intraocular tissue distribution of betamethasone after intrascleral administration using a non-biodegradable sustained drug delivery device.

PURPOSE To evaluate the tissue distribution of betamethasone (BM) after implantation of a nonbiodegradable intrascleral implant as a new, controlled intraocular delivery system. METHODS Nonbiodegradable intrascleral implants designed to release BM for at least 1 month were placed in the sclera of pigmented rabbits. The BM concentrations in the aqueous humor, vitreous, and retina-choroid were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) at 3, 7, 14, and 28 days after implantation. The BM concentrations in three sections of retina-choroid were also investigated. Retinal toxicity was evaluated by electroretinography and histology. RESULT The BM released from the intrascleral implant in vitro and in vivo showed zero-ordered release profiles for 4 weeks. The BM concentrations in the retina-choroid after placement of the intrascleral implants remained higher than effective concentrations for suppressing various inflammatory processes for at least 28 days. The BM concentrations in the retina-choroid around the implantation site were more than 10 times higher than in the opposite side throughout the study. No substantial toxic reactions were observed by electroretinography or histology. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggested that the nonbiodegradable intrascleral implant could be a useful drug carrier for intraocular delivery of BM without producing severe retinal toxicity. The intrascleral site may be considered for effective intraocular drug distribution after implantation.
UNIVERSITY INDUSTRY LINKAGES: NEED, CHALLENGES AND ENABLERS OF UNIVERSITY SPINOFFS

The idea that universities should go beyond education and research and undertake a third mission of direct interaction and contribution to the industry has found increased attention in past decade. This direct interaction and contribution in the form of university spinoffs provides a win-win situation for both universities as well as the industry. However, it is not easy to manage these university start-ups. This paper makes an attempt to explore the challenges faced by university spinoffs and present incubators as a potential enabler to overcome such challenges. The study identifies some of the important challenges that university spinoffs face such as product development, technology push problem, finances, market uncertainty, human capital and business strategy.
Linkage analysis narrows the critical region for oculodentodigital dysplasia to chromosome 6q22-q23.

Oculodentodigital dysplasia (ODDD) is an autosomal dominant condition with high penetrance and variable expressivity. The anomalies of the craniofacial region, eyes, teeth, and limbs indicate abnormal morphogenesis during early fetal development. Neurologic abnormalities occur later in life and appear to be secondary to white matter degeneration and basal ganglia changes. In familial cases, the dysmorphic and/or neurodegenerative components of the phenotype can be more severe and/or present at a younger age in subsequent generations, suggesting genetic anticipation. These clinical features suggest that the ODDD gene is pleiotropic with important functions throughout pre- and postnatal development. We have performed two-point linkage analysis with seven ODDD families and 19 microsatellite markers on chromosome 6q spanning a genetic distance of approximately 11 cM in males and 20 cM in females. We have refined the location of the ODDD gene between DNA markers D6S266/D6S261 (centromeric) and D6S1639 (telomeric), an interval of 1.01 (male) to 2.87 (female) cM. The strongest linkage was to DNA marker D6S433 (Zmax = 8.96, thetamax = 0.001). Families show significant linkage to chromosome 6q22-q23 and no evidence for genetic heterogeneity.
On the Link between Job Polarisation and Wage Inequality - A regional approach for Germany

Job polarisation and increasing wage inequality is observed in many rich countries, including Germany. Both phenomena are well-discussed in international literature, though a link can only be observed in the U.S. I assess the impact of job polarisation upon wage inequality in Germany by benefitting from regional variation in job polarisation and applying distributional decomposition methods. Although wage inequality occurs nation-wide the dimension is profoundly larger in polarised labour markets, whereas two thirds of these differences can be explained by differences in the workforce. In contrast to the U.S., there are only slight hints of a direct relationship between occupational and wage changes. They fully vanish once accounting for shifts in skills within occupations. Eventually, the temporal patterns of job polarisation and wage inequality do not match, implying alternative reasons for the increase in wage inequality than occupational shifts.
Properties of P-glycoprotein with Mutations in the “Catalytic Carboxylate” Glutamate Residues*

It is known from earlier work that two conserved Glu residues, designated “catalytic carboxylates,” are critical for function in P-glycoprotein (Pgp). Here the role of these residues (Glu-552 and Glu-1197 in mouse MDR3 Pgp) was studied further. Mutation E552Q or E1197Q reduced Pgp-ATPase to low but still measurable rates. Two explanations previously offered for effects of these mutations, namely that ADP release is slowed or that a second (drug site-resetting) round of ATP hydrolysis is blocked, were evaluated and appeared unsatisfactory. Thus the study was extended to include E552A, -D, and -K and E1197A, -D, and -K mutants. All reduced ATPase to similar low but measurable rates. Orthovanadate-trapping experiments showed that mutation to Gln, Ala, Asp, or Lys altered characteristics of the transition state but did not eliminate its formation in contrast e.g. with mutation of the analogous catalytic Glu in F1-ATPase. Retention of ATP as well as ADP was seen in Ala, Asp, and Lys mutants. Mutation E552A in nucleotide binding domain 1 (NBD1) was combined with mutation S528A or S1173A in the LSGGQ sequence of NBD1 or NBD2, respectively. Synergistic effects were seen. E552A/S1173A had extremely low turnover rate for ATPase, while E552A/S528A showed zero or close to zero ATPase. Both showed orthovanadate-independent retention of ATP and ADP. We propose that mutations of the catalytic Glu residues interfere with formation and characteristics of a closed conformation, involving an interdigitated NBD dimer interface, which normally occurs immediately following ATP binding and progresses to the transition state.
Clinical Impact of Biliary Drainage and Jaundice Resolution in Patients With Obstructive Metastases at the Hilum

OBJECTIVES:For patients presenting with progressive liver or lymph node metastases (LM) causing obstructive jaundice, survival without adequate biliary drainage is very brief. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of endoscopic drainage for biliary obstruction secondary to LM at the hilum on subsequent administration of chemotherapy and on patient outcome.METHODS:Thirty-five patients were studied and underwent insertion of plastic and/or metal stents, endoscopically (80%) or percutaneously and endoscopically (20%), to obtain complete resolution of jaundice. LM originated from colon (n = 16), gastric (n = 5), breast (n = 5), pancreatic (n = 3), and miscellaneous cancers (n = 6). Bile duct strictures were Bismuth type I–II in 13 patients and type III in 22.RESULTS:The overall rate of success (i.e., complete resolution of jaundice) was 86% after a median of three procedures per patient (range, 1–7). Pruritus, jaundice, nausea, abdominal pain, and anorexia improved significantly in 88, 86, 75, 66, and 50% of cases, respectively. Overall median survival was 4 months and was 6.5 versus 1.8 months (p < 0.05) in the groups of patients whose jaundice resolved completely versus incompletely. The type of stricture did not affect survival. Patients with colon and breast cancer who were eligible for second line chemotherapy after optimal drainage had the longest survival (12–16 months). CONCLUSIONS:In our patients with obstructive LM, endoscopic biliary drainage completely resolved jaundice in 86% and improved clinical symptoms and survival, thus enabling these patients to have additional chemotherapy.
PLASMODIUM-INFECTED ANOPHELES MOSQUITOES COLLECTED IN VIRGINIA AND MARYLAND FOLLOWING LOCAL TRANSMISSION OF PLASMODIUM VIVAX MALARIA IN LOUDOUN COUNTY, VIRGINIA

ABSTRACT Two recent outbreaks of locally acquired, mosquito-transmitted malaria in Virginia in 1998 and 2002 demonstrate the continued risk of endemic mosquito-transmitted malaria in heavily populated areas of the eastern United States. Increasing immigration, growth in global travel, and the presence of competent anopheline vectors throughout the eastern United States contribute to the increasing risk of malaria importation and transmission. On August 23 and 25, 2002, Plasmodium vivax malaria was diagnosed in 2 teenagers in Loudoun County, Virginia. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) deemed these cases to be locally acquired because of the lack of risk factors for malaria, such as international travel, blood transfusion, organ transplantation, or needle sharing. The patients lived ~0.5 mi apart; however, 1 patient reported numerous visits to friends who lived directly across the street from the other patient. Two Anopheles quadrimaculatus s.l. female pools collected in Loudoun County, Virginia, and 1 An. punctipennis female pool collected in Fairfax County, Virginia, tested positive for P. vivax 210 with the VecTest™ panel assay and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). In addition, 2 An. quadrimaculatus s.l. female pools collected in Montgomery, Maryland, tested positive for P. vivax 210. The CDC confirmed these initial results with the circumsporozoite ELISA. The authors believe that this is the 1st demonstration of Plasmodium-infected mosquitoes collected in association with locally acquired human malaria in the United States since the current national malaria surveillance system began in 1957.
Human visual pigments: microspectrophotometric results from the eyes of seven persons

The material for this work was obtained from seven eyes removed because of malignant growths. Foveal and parafoveal samples of the retinas were taken and transverse measurements were made of the absorbance spectra of the outer segments of the rods and cones, using a Liebman microspectrophotometer. Four kinds of spectra were obtained with absorbance peaks at the following wavelengths: rods, 496.3 ± 2.3 nm (n = 39); red cones, 558.4 ± 5.2 nm (n = 58); green cones, 530.8 ± 3.5 nm (n = 45); blue cones, 419.0 ± 3.6 nm (n = 5). The distribution of the peaks was unimodal for the rods. For the red and green cones, however, there was evidence for bimodal distributions, with sub-population maxima at 563.2 ± 3.1 nm (n = 27) and 554.2 ± 2.3 nm (n = 31) for the reds and at 533.7 ± 2.1 nm (n = 23) and 527.8 ± 1.8 nm (n = 22) for the greens. A substantial difference in mean spectral location of the red cones was observed between patient 1 (561 nm) and patient 4 (553 nm). Both patients were classified as normal trichromats by all clinical tests of colour vision but there was a clear difference in their relative sensitivities to long-wave fields. In both direction and magnitude, this difference proved to be that required by the microspectrophotometric results.
Expression of Integrin-linked Kinase Is Increased in Differentiated Cells

Integrin-linked kinase (ILK), a mediator of β integrin signals, has emerged as a therapeutic target in malignant tumors. Because malignant transformation is accompanied by dedifferentiation, ILK expression was evaluated in diverse normal and tumor tissue samples with regard to tissue differentiation. In single sections and in a tissue microarray (323 tumor tissues, 181 normal tissues), immunohistochemistry was performed [ILK, Akt, phospho-Akt-S473, loricrin, transforming growth factor β2 (TGFβ2)], and staining intensities were semiquantitatively scored. Increased ILK expression was clearly associated with increased differentiation in normal gastrointestinal, neural, bone marrow, renal tissue, and in more differentiated areas of malignant tumors. ILK colocalized with its putative downstream target Akt and with loricrin or TGFβ2. Our findings clearly show that elevated levels of ILK are associated with cellular differentiation in high turnover tissues but not generally with a malignant phenotype. Our study indicates that ILK is not a general molecular target for cancer therapy but rather an indicator of differentiation. This manuscript contains online supplemental material at http://www.jhc. org. Please visit this article online to view these materials.
Variable step ILSE based control algorithm for power quality improvement of SPV system

This paper proposes the use of a variable step based improved least sum of exponentials (VS-ILSE) control algorithm for single stage three phase grid connected photovoltaic (PV) system. The VS-ILSE algorithm provides a fundamental weight of active and reactive power components of load currents which are used to generate reference grid currents. This control algorithm provides the power quality improvement of distribution network likes load balancing, power factor correction. The perturb and observe (P&O) MPPT (Maximum Power Point Tracking) algorithm is used to obtain reference DC link voltage of VSC and also used to extract maximum power from the SPV array during varying environmental conditions. The proposed system is simulated in MATLAB®/Simulink based environment of simpower system toolbox. The proposed algorithm is verified on a developed hardware and obtained responses are found satisfactory. The total harmonics distortions (THDs) of the grid currents and CCP (Common Coupling Point) voltages are found well according to an IEEE-519 and IEEE-929 standards.
A novel computer network intrusion detection algorithm based on OSVM and context validation

Instruction detection technology is a new generation of security technology that monitor networks or systems to avoid malicious activity and policy violation. Compared with traditional security protection measures such as firewall, instruction detection can prevent attacks both from external and internal. The SVM is a statistical learning model(SLT), which shows an extraordinary advantage when dealing with small sample. Its advantages are: (1) SVM's goal is to get the optimal solution under limited samples but not infinity samples which is the prerequisite of traditional machine learning like neural network or regression. (2) SVM has a regularization parameter to avoid over-fitting and uses the kernel trick to transit to high-dimensional feature space to increase VC dimension. This manuscript is based on the SVM to extract intrusion detection information, at the same time in order to eliminate noise caused by false alarm probability, we also combined with the context validation as a preliminary analysis, so as to achieve a novel computer network intrusion detection (NCNID) algorithm.
China's Footprint in Global Commodity Markets

This note assesses empirically the role Chinese activity plays in global commodities markets, showing that the strength of China’s economic activity has a significant bearing on commodity prices, but that the impact differs across commodity markets, with industrial production shocks having a substantial impact on metals and crude oil prices and less so on food prices. The size of the impact on the prices of specific commodities varies with China’s footprint in the market for those commodities; the empirical estimates indicate that, over a one-year horizon, a 1 percent increase in industrial production leads to a 5–7 percent rise in metals and fuel prices. The surprise component in Chinese industrial production announcements has a bearing on commodity prices that is comparable in magnitude to that of industrial production surprises in the United States, and this impact is much larger when global risk aversion is high.
Cellular immune responses in patients with dual infection of hepatitis B and C viruses: Dominant role of hepatitis C virus

Several lines of evidence have suggested that immune mechanisms are involved in the pathogenesis of hepatitis B virus (HBV)— and hepatitis C virus (HCV)‐related hepatitis. Study of patients with dual HBV and HCV infection raises the question of which is etiologically more relevant in determining the liver cell damage. To address this issue, proliferation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in response to a panel of HBV and HCV antigens was assayed in 13 patients with chronic dual hepatitis B and C, 7 patients with chronic hepatitis B, 7 patients with chronic hepatitis C, and 6 patients with hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) carrier state. Although HBV or HCV hepatitis patients had a significant response to HBV or HCV antigens, respectively, the patients with dual hepatitis B and C exclusively responded to HCV antigens, but not to HBV antigens. One patient who was seropositive for both HBV‐DNA and HCV‐RNA showed a low response to HBV antigens initially but lost the response 3 months later and became responsive to more HCV antigens. These findings suggest that HCV has a dominant role in the immune response of the patients with dual HBV and HCV infection. (HEPATOLOGY 1995; 21:908–912.)
Hematologic and cytogenetic responses to imatinib mesylate in chronic myelogenous leukemia.

BACKGROUND Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) is caused by the BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase, the product of the Philadelphia chromosome. Imatinib mesylate, formerly STI571, is a selective inhibitor of this kinase. METHODS A total of 532 patients with late--chronic-phase CML in whom previous therapy with interferon alfa had failed were treated with 400 mg of oral imatinib daily. Patients were evaluated for cytogenetic and hematologic responses. Time to progression, survival, and toxic effects were also evaluated. RESULTS Imatinib induced major cytogenetic responses in 60 percent of the 454 patients with confirmed chronic-phase CML and complete hematologic responses in 95 percent. After a median follow-up of 18 months, CML had not progressed to the accelerated or blast phases in an estimated 89 percent of patients, and 95 percent of the patients were alive. Grade 3 or 4 nonhematologic toxic effects were infrequent, and hematologic toxic effects were manageable. Only 2 percent of patients discontinued treatment because of drug-related adverse events, and no treatment-related deaths occurred. CONCLUSIONS Imatinib induced high rates of cytogenetic and hematologic responses in patients with chronic-phase CML in whom previous interferon therapy had failed.