Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Macroeconomic Effects of Secondary Market Trading

This paper develops a theory of the credit cycle to account for recent evidence that capital is increasingly allocated to inefficiently risky projects over the course of the boom. The model features lenders who sell risk exposure to non-lender investors in order to relax borrowing constraints, but are tempted to produce and sell off bad assets when asset prices are sufficiently high. Asset prices gradually increase during the boom because non-lender wealth grows as their risk-taking pays off, triggering a fall in asset quality and precipitating an eventual crisis. I study the initial conditions that give rise to the credit cycle and consider policy implications. JEL Classification: G01, E32, E44
Cell interactions and gene interactions in peripheral neurogenesis.

The formidable complexity inherent in the development of an organism is the outcome of the interlacing or concatenation of a large number of discrete steps. Genetic analyses have revealed that each of these steps is a relatively simple developmental event resulting from the activity of a small battery of genes, often interacting with one another. This, at least, is the picture that emerges from work on developmental events as diverse as segmentation, dorsoventral organization, and segment determination in the fly embryo (Lewis 1978; NOsslein Volhard and Wieschaus 1980; for review, see St. Johnston and N/isslein-Volhard 19921. The expression of the appropriate battery of genes at the appropriate time and place is obviously of crucial importance. Thus, the question is How is this multiplicity of parallel programs kept in register? In the case of segmentation (spatial subdivision of the embryo), analysis has revealed that a succession of steps leads from simple anteroposterior heterogeneities in the distribution of a few key factors present in the oocyte to the reproducible establishment of 14 consecutive metameres shortly after cellularization of the embryo. At a late stage of this process, boundaries are set up between parasegmental metameres (for review, see Lawrence
MRL1, a Conserved Pentatricopeptide Repeat Protein, Is Required for Stabilization of rbcL mRNA in Chlamydomonas and Arabidopsis[C][W]

The expression of the chloroplast genome requires specialized proteins that are coded in the nucleus and imported into the organelle. We have identified such a protein that binds the leading end of the mRNA for the most abundant chloroplast enzyme. The function of this novel stabilization factor is conserved from green algae to land plants. We identify and functionally characterize MRL1, a conserved nuclear-encoded regulator of the large subunit of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase. The nonphotosynthetic mrl1 mutant of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii lacks ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase, and the resulting block in electron transfer is partially compensated by redirecting electrons toward molecular oxygen via the Mehler reaction. This allows continued electron flow and constitutive nonphotochemical quenching, enhancing cell survival during illumination in spite of photosystem II and photosystem I photoinhibition. The mrl1 mutant transcribes rbcL normally, but the mRNA is unstable. The molecular target of MRL1 is the 5 ′ untranslated region of rbcL. MRL1 is located in the chloroplast stroma, in a high molecular mass complex. Treatment with RNase or deletion of the rbcL gene induces a shift of the complex toward lower molecular mass fractions. MRL1 is well conserved throughout the green lineage, much more so than the 10 other pentatricopeptide repeat proteins found in Chlamydomonas. Depending upon the organism, MRL1 contains 11 to 14 pentatricopeptide repeats followed by a novel MRL1-C domain. In Arabidopsis thaliana, MRL1 also acts on rbcL and is necessary for the production/stabilization of the processed transcript, presumably because it acts as a barrier to 5 ′ >3 ′ degradation. The Arabidopsis mrl1 mutant retains normal levels of the primary transcript and full photosynthetic capacity.
The role of thromboxane A2 in the pathogenesis of airway hyperresponsiveness.

Thromboxane A 2 (TxA 2 ), may be an important mediator in the pathogenesis of airway hyperresponsiveness in animal models, and allergic responses as well as transient and persistent airway hyperresponsiveness in humans. This article will review the evidence that TxA 2 is involved in these responses
A review of medicinal uses and pharmacological effects of Mentha piperita

Mentha piperita Linn. emend. Huds. is widely used in food, cosmetics and medicines. It has been proven helpful in symptomatic relief of the common cold. It may also decrease symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome and decrease digestive symptoms such as dyspepsia and nausea, although more research is needed. It is used topically as an analgesic and to treat headaches. Though M. piperita is on the FDA's GRAS (Generally recognized as safe) list but herb has few side effects. The peppermint oil can cause heartburn or perianal irritation, and is contraindicated in patients with bile duct obstruction, gallbladder inflammation and severe liver damage, and caution should be taken in patients with GI reflux. Menthol products should not be used directly under the nose of small children and infants due to the risk of apnoea.
Optimal Decision Making for Big Data Processing at Edge-Cloud Environment: An SDN Perspective

With the evolution of Internet and extensive usage of smart devices for computing and storage, cloud computing has become popular. It provides seamless services such as e-commerce, e-health, e-banking, etc., to the end users. These services are hosted on massive geodistributed data centers (DCs), which may be managed by different service providers. For faster response time, such a data explosion creates the need to expand DCs. So, to ease the load on DCs, some of the applications may be executed on the edge devices near to the proximity of the end users. However, such a multiedge-cloud environment involves huge data migrations across the underlying network infrastructure, which may generate long migration delay and cost. Hence, in this paper, an efficient workload slicing scheme is proposed for handling data-intensive applications in multiedge-cloud environment using software-defined networks (SDN). To handle the inter-DC migrations efficiently, an SDN-based control scheme is presented, which provides energy-aware network traffic flow scheduling. Finally, a multileader multifollower Stackelberg game is proposed to provide cost-effective inter-DC migrations. The efficacy of the proposed scheme is evaluated on Google workload traces using various parameters. The results obtained show the effectiveness of the proposed scheme.
Dimensiones de la calidad del servicio ofrecido por el departamento de ingeniería industrial de la UNET

El SERVQUAL se ha convertido en un referente importante para medir la percepcion del cliente sobre la calidad de servicio, lo que constituye un paso fundamental para el diseno de sistemas de gestion de calidad, y por consiguiente mejorar la competitividad y garantizar el exito organizacional. El sector universitario, como una organizacion de servicio, es ampliamente susceptible de estudios relacionados a la calidad de servicio. En la presente investigacion descriptiva transeccional, se planteo como objetivo conocer la percepcion de los estudiantes sobre la calidad del servicio ofrecido por el Departamento de Ingenieria Industrial de la Universidad Nacional Experimental del Tachira, y en especial identificar los factores que subyacen de un conjunto amplio y complejo de variables correlacionadas. Para ello se empleo la tecnica multivariante de analisis de factores, con una rotacion ortogonal a traves del metodo varimax normalizado. Entre los resultados mas relevantes se encuentra la identificacion de cuatro factores relacionados con la eficiencia del servicio, la seguridad, la disponibilidad de atencion y los elementos tangibles; los cuales explican el 62,38% de la variabilidad total. Asi mismo se realizaron pruebas que demostraron una confiabilidad aceptable y evidencias de validez de contenido, de criterio y de constructo aceptables.
Defense-related emotions in humans

The study of the role of serotonin in anxiety has led to the view that this neurotransmitter enhances anxiety, but inhibits panic. Validation of this hypothesis has been made using two experimental procedures that increase anxiety in human volunteers. One is classical conditioning of the skin electrical conductance response, which is assumed to represent anxiety. The other is simulated public speaking, which is believed to mobilize the same neural networks that are operative in panic and social anxiety disorders. In general, the results of these studies have fulfilled the predictions derived from the above hypothesis. The same procedures have been applied to panic disorder patients, and the obtained results have shown that these patients had a blunted anxiety response to public speaking. This speaking stress also did not activate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, which, in contrast, was activated by anticipatory anxiety. It may be concluded that anxiety and panic are qualitatively different emotional states, respectively related to the animal defense reactions to potential and proximal threat. In agreement, reported results of recent neuroimaging studies have shown that anxiety activates prefrontal cortical areas, whereas panic activates midbrain regions, particularly the periaqueductal gray matter. As a general conclusion, it may be said that anxiety, fear and panic do not belong to the same continuum of increasing intensity; instead, they are qualitatively different emotional states.
Glucocorticoids Engage Different Signal Transduction Pathways to Induce Apoptosis in Thymocytes and Mature T Cells1

Glucocorticoids (GC) induce apoptosis in a variety of cells, but their exact mode of action is controversial. Although initiation relies on the GC receptor (GR) and de novo gene expression, the effector phase differs among cell types. Proteasomal degradation as well as caspase-3, - 8, and -9 activity are essential for GC-induced apoptosis in murine thymocytes, but the same enzymes are dispensable in splenic T cells. Live imaging by confocal microscopy revealed that lysosomal cathepsin B, an unrecognized component of this pathway to date, becomes rapidly activated in thymocytes after GC exposure. This is followed by leakage of cathepsin B into the cytosol, nuclear condensation, and processing of caspase-8 and -3. According to our model, activation of caspase-3 by caspase-9 in thymocytes occurs both directly as well as indirectly via a lysosomal amplification loop. Interestingly, acute T lymphoblastic leukemia cells depend on caspase activity to undergo GC-induced cell death similar to thymocytes. Collectively, the apoptotic program induced by GCs comprises cell type-specific as well as common features.
Application of the induction motor torque - observer to the control of turbo - machines

This paper describes the results of the experiment with an application of the outer torque observer to the radial fan driven by induction motor fed from the voltage inverter. The observer is designed to be an additional stand-alone device connected between the induction motor and the power supply, separated from the inner signals of the inverter controller. The inputs for the observer algorithm are the three-phase currents and voltages measured in the conductors connected to the motor terminals. The output signals of this observer estimating the stator flux and motor electro-magnetic torque are used to the compressor supervisory control.
Race and the Will Rogers phenomenon in prostate cancer.

PURPOSE With the introduction of prostate-specific antigen testing, the "Will Rogers phenomenon"--stage migration associated with more sensitive diagnostic and staging procedures--seemed likely to occur. MATERIALS AND METHODS Yearly values of prostate-specific antigen from 1988 to 1995 were determined for whites (n = 34) and African-Americans (n = 321). Pretreatment levels were used as objective surrogates of tumor cell burden. Changes in clinical stage and pathological grade by calendar year also were determined. RESULTS There was a statistically significant yearly decline in levels of prostate-specific antigen for African-Americans (12.2% per year). There was no significant decline among whites. Similar trends were seen on multivariate analysis that adjusted for stage and grade. There was clinical stage migration for whites and African-Americans. There was also a shift in tumor grade for both whites and African-Americans. DISCUSSION Over the past decade, African-Americans have shown a decline in tumor cell burden at the time of diagnosis as reflected by a decline in mean levels of prostate-specific antigen. For whites and African-Americans, there has been a shift to early clinical stages. The Will Rogers phenomenon, as demonstrated in African-Americans by decline in prostate-specific antigen and in whites and African-Americans by clinical stage migration, indicates lead-time and length biases, resulting in a more favorable disease profile at diagnosis for both groups. The decline in prostate-specific antigen among African-Americans indicates that the initial higher tumor cell burden seen in the past was caused by socioeconomic factors rather than inherited differences, and is likely to be ameliorated with widespread prostate-specific-antigen screening.
Systemic availability and lymphatic transport of human growth hormone administered by subcutaneous injection.

Degradation of human growth hormone (hGH) at the injection site has previously been implicated as the basis for its reduced systemic availability following subcutaneous (SC) administration. The goal of these studies was to develop an animal model which would allow mass balance calculations to (i) quantify the loss at the injection site and (ii) determine the role of the lymphatics in the transport of subcutaneously-administered hGH. The animal model utilized a sheep and enabled simultaneous sampling of blood and collection of either peripheral lymph (via the efferent duct of the popliteal lymph node draining the injection site) or central lymph (via the thoracic lymph duct). In non-lymph cannulated sheep, the systemic availability of hGH following SC dosing was 58.4 +/- 9.1% (mean +/- SEM) relative to an intravenous (IV) control. The availability of hGH decreased to approximately 30-40% when either peripheral or central lymph was collected indicating that a proportion of the dose was transported via the lymph. The fraction of the administered dose collected in peripheral lymph was 61.7 +/- 8.5% (mean +/- SEM), whereas only 8.6 +/- 1.3% was collected in central lymph. These results suggested that loss of hGH within the lymphatics contributed significantly to its reduced systemic availability following SC administration. The total recovery (sum of the systemic availability and the cumulative amount recovered in lymph) of hGH was approximately 93% of the dose in the peripherally-cannulated group indicating that loss at the injection site was minimal.
Pertussis Toxin by Inducing IL-6 Promotes the Generation of IL-17-Producing CD4 Cells1

Compelling evidence has now demonstrated that IL-17-producing CD4 cells (Th17) are a major contributor to autoimmune pathogenesis, whereas CD4+CD25+ T regulatory cells (Treg) play a major role in suppression of autoimmunity. Differentiation of proinflammatory Th17 and immunosuppressive Treg from naive CD4 cells is reciprocally related and contingent upon the cytokine environment. We and others have reported that in vivo administration of pertussis toxin (PTx) reduces the number and function of mouse Treg. In this study, we have shown that supernatants from PTx-treated mouse splenic cells, which contained IL-6 and other proinflammatory cytokines, but not PTx itself, overcame the inhibition of proliferation seen in cocultures of Treg and CD4+CD25− T effector cells. This stimulatory effect could be mimicked by individual inflammatory cytokines such as IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α. The combination of these cytokines synergistically stimulated the proliferation of CD4+CD25− T effector cells despite the presence of Treg with a concomitant reduction in the percentage of FoxP3+ cells and generation of IL-17-expressing cells. PTx generated Th17 cells, while inhibiting the differentiation of FoxP+ cells, from naive CD4 cells when cocultured with bone marrow-derived dendritic cells from wild-type mice, but not from IL-6−/− mice. In vivo treatment with PTx induced IL-17-secreting cells in wild-type mice, but not in IL-6−/− mice. Thus, in addition to inhibiting the development of Treg, the immunoadjuvant activity of PTx can be attributable to the generation of IL-6-dependent IL-17-producing CD4 cells.
A low cross-polarization stacked slot antenna backed by substrate integrated cavity

A low cross-polarization stacked slot antenna backed by a cavity is presented. Due to the combination of stacked structure and substrate integrated waveguide technology, the bandwidth is enhanced and the parallel plate modes are suppressed. Measurements showed that a standalone antenna can achieve 22.5% fractional bandwidth and 89% radiation efficiency. Meanwhile, the use of an end stripline feed makes antenna suitable for conformal application. It is also easy to extend to larger array. Simulation results showed that a 2×2 stacked slot array has a bandwidth of 16.3% and gain of 13.6dBi.
Cerebrospinal fluid HIV escape associated with progressive neurologic dysfunction in patients on antiretroviral therapy with well controlled plasma viral load

Objective:To characterize HIV-infected patients with neurosymptomatic cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) ‘escape’, defined as detectable CSF HIV RNA in the setting of treatment-suppressed plasma levels or CSF RNA more than 1-log higher than plasma RNA. Design:Retrospective case series. Setting:Four urban medical centers in the United States and Europe. Participants:Virologically controlled HIV-infected patients on antiretroviral therapy (ART) with progressive neurologic abnormalities who were determined to have CSF ‘escape’. Intervention:Optimization of ART based upon drug susceptibility and presumed central nervous system exposure. Main outcome measures:Levels of CSF HIV RNA and inflammatory markers, clinical signs and symptoms, and MRI findings. Results:Ten patients presented with new neurologic abnormalities, which included sensory, motor, and cognitive manifestations. Median CSF HIV RNA was 3900 copies/ml (range 134–9056), whereas median plasma HIV RNA was 62 copies/ml (range <50 to 380). Median CD4+ T-cell count was 482 cells/&mgr;l (range 290–660). All patients had been controlled to less than 500 copies/ml for median 27.5 months (range 2–96) and five of 10 had been suppressed to less than 50 copies/ml for median 19.5 months (range 2–96). Patients had documentation of a stable ART regimen for median 21 months (range 9–60). All had CSF pleocytosis or elevated CSF protein; seven of eight had abnormalities on MRI; and six of seven harbored CSF resistance mutations. Following optimization of ART, eight of nine patients improved clinically. Conclusion:The development of neurologic symptoms in patients on ART with low or undetectable plasma HIV levels may be an indication of CSF ‘escape’. This study adds to a growing body of literature regarding this rare condition in well controlled HIV infection.
Molecular cloning and expression of hipA, a gene of Escherichia coli K-12 that affects frequency of persistence after inhibition of murein synthesis

The hipA gene at 33.8 min on the Escherichia coli chromosome controls the frequency of persistence upon inhibition of murein synthesis; for strains bearing hipA+ the frequency is 10(-6), and for hipA- strains the frequency is 10(-2). hip+ has been cloned by selection for a kanamycin resistance determinant at 33.9 min. hipA+ is dominant over hipA- in both recA+ and recA- backgrounds. The smallest DNA insert which contains hipA+, as determined by the ability of the plasmids to complement hipA- strains, is 1,885 base pairs. Both orientations of hipA+ are obtained when the cloning site of vector is remote from strong promoters; both orientations complement hipA-, and both encode a unique peptide of 50,000 Mr. The probable direction of transcription has been deduced from the pattern of peptides encoded by plasmids from which either end of the insert and adjacent vector sequences have been deleted. This information and the recovery of only one orientation of hipA+ when the cloning site is close to a strong promoter suggest that a high level of expression of the gene is not tolerated by E. coli.
Stability of Related Human and ChickenCampylobacter jejuni Genotypes after Passage through Chick Intestine Studied by Pulsed-Field Gel Electrophoresis

ABSTRACT The genomic stability of 12 Campylobacter jejunistrains consisting of two groups of human and chicken isolates was studied by analysis of their PFGE (pulsed-field gel electrophoresis) patterns after passage through newly hatched chicks’ intestines. The patterns of SmaI, SalI, and SacII digests remained stable after intestinal passage, except for those of two strains. One originally human strain, FB 6371, changed its genotype from II/A (SmaI/SacII) to I/B. Another strain, BTI, originally isolated from a chicken, changed its genotype from I/B to a new genotype. The genomic instability of the strains was further confirmed by SalI digestion and ribotyping of theHaeIII digests. In addition, heat-stable serotype 57 of strain FB 6371 changed to serotype 27 in all isolates with new genotypes but remained unchanged in an isolate with the original genotype. Serotype 27 of strain BTI remained stable. Our study suggests that during intestinal colonization, genomic rearrangement, as demonstrated by changed PFGE and ribopatterns, may occur.
Inhibition of &agr;-subunit glycine receptors by quinoxalines

Quinoxalines are widely used compounds in electrophysiological studies to separate excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmission mediated by the strychnine-insensitive and strychnine-sensitive glycine receptor (NMDA, GlyR), respectively. We report here, that the quinoxaline NBQX is a potent antagonist of homo-oligomeric &agr;1- and &agr;2-subunit glycine receptors expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes. NBQX elicited half-maximal inhibition of glycine evoked currents at a concentration of about 5 μM. DNQX and CNQX were found to be 5-fold and 20-fold less efficient than NBQX. At oocytes expressing &agr;1&bgr;2 subunit GABAA receptors the quinoxalines tested showed no significant inhibition of GABA responses up to a concentration of 100 μM. Our data indicates that these quinoxalines applied at concentrations sufficient to block NMDA receptor also attenuate GlyR responses.
Outage Performance of Two Hop AF Relaying Systems with Co-Channel Interferers over Nakagami-m Fading

This letter investigates the outage performance of dual-hop amplify-and-forward (AF) cooperative networks in the presence of multiple co-channel interferers at both the relay and destination nodes and subject to non-identically distributed Nakagami-m fading. A simple, easy-to-compute, highly accurate closed-form approximate expression for the end-to-end outage probability is derived. Such expression is written in terms of finite sums of the product of Meijer's G-functions, and is evaluated instantaneously regardless of the number of interferers, drastically contrasting with the intricacy and computational inefficiency inherent to the exact formulation. The tightness of our proposed methodology is attested through Monte Carlo simulation results.