Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Don’T Quite Super Size Me: Demand For Portion Sizes and Bundles Based on Menu Format

While product involvement is a central concept used to define intense product-consumer interactions, recent researchers are contributing new constructs to better understand highly engaged brand relationships. In this study, the concept of sustained consumer fascination is introduced to help understand the intense and enduring relationships that arise among consumers and consumption activities. Based on online gardening diaries and in-depth interviews with avid gardeners, we propose that the concept of sustained consumer fascination is composed of surprise, creative engagement, restorative escape, and insight.
Inhibition of Chemokine (CXC Motif) Ligand 12/Chemokine (CXC Motif) Receptor 4 Axis (CXCL12/CXCR4)-mediated Cell Migration by Targeting Mammalian Target of Rapamycin (mTOR) Pathway in Human Gastric Carcinoma Cells*

Background: The cross-talk between CXCL12/CXCR4 axis and PI3K/mTOR pathway in migration of gastric carcinoma cells is unknown. Results: p110β provided a conduit for CXCL12-stimulated signaling and targeting PI3K/mTOR blocked CXCL12-activated cell motility. Conclusion: Targeting PI3K/mTOR pathway inhibited CXCL12-mediated cell migration. Significance: Drugs targeting mTOR pathway may be used for the therapy of metastatic gastric cancer expressing high levels of CXCL12. CXCL12/CXCR4 plays an important role in metastasis of gastric carcinoma. Rapamycin has been reported to inhibit migration of gastric cancer cells. However, the role of mTOR pathway in CXCL12/CXCR4-mediated cell migration and the potential of drugs targeting PI3K/mTOR pathway remains unelucidated. We found that CXCL12 activated PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway in MKN-45 cells. Stimulating CHO-K1 cells expressing pEGFP-C1-Grp1-PH fusion protein with CXCL12 resulted in generation of phosphatidylinositol (3,4,5)-triphosphate, which provided direct evidence of activating PI3K by CXCL12. Down-regulation of p110β by siRNA but not p110α blocked phosphorylation of Akt and S6K1 induced by CXCL12. Consistently, p110β-specific inhibitor blocked the CXCL12-activated PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway. Moreover, CXCR4 immunoprecipitated by anti-p110β antibody increased after CXCL12 stimulation and Gi protein inhibitor pertussis toxin abrogated CXCL12-induced activation of PI3K. Further studies demonstrated that inhibitors targeting the PI3K/mTOR pathway significantly blocked the chemotactic responses of MKN-45 cells triggered by CXCL12, which might be attributed primarily to inhibition of mTORC1 and related to prevention of F-actin reorganization as well as down-regulation of active RhoA, Rac1, and Cdc42. Furthermore, rapamycin inhibited the secretion of CXCL12 and the expression of CXCR4, which might form a positive feedback loop to further abolish upstream signaling leading to cell migration. Finally, we found cells expressing high levels of cxcl12 were sensitive to rapamycin in its activity inhibiting migration as well as proliferation. In summary, we found that the mTOR pathway played an important role in CXCL12/CXCR4-mediated cell migration and proposed that drugs targeting the mTOR pathway may be used for the therapy of metastatic gastric cancer expressing high levels of cxcl12.
Acanthoparyphium sp. and Other Metazoan Symbionts of the American Oyster, Crassostrea virginica, from South Texas

Abstract: In this study, we investigated oysters, Crassostrea virginica, from Laguna Madre in South Texas, where a 45-yr old study recorded metacercarial infections of the echinostomatid trematode, Acanthoparyphium spinulosum, an Asian relative of which, Acanthoparyphium tyosenense, has been associated with human infections via the ingestion of raw mollusks. In an effort to examine the base-line infection parameters of Acanthoparyphium sp. in oysters, we examined the effect of distance from the shoreline, which is the habitat of the first intermediate host snail, Cerithidea pliculosa, as well as temporal changes in oyster infection levels, by conducting quarterly collections of oysters during a year. We found that almost all oysters (prevalence = 97.8–100%) were infected regardless of distance to the shoreline and season. However, the abundance of metacercariae was significantly higher close to the shoreline, while no significant temporal changes could be detected. In addition to the echinostomatid, we found a high abundance of the metacestode Tylocephalum sp. and the presence of 4 other metazoan parasites. None of the infections seemed to incur significant tissue damage to the oysters. Our study shows that at least locally, recreational harvesters of oysters may be exposed to Acanthoparyphium sp. Future studies should examine oysters from snail host habitats in the Gulf of Mexico, and the potential zoonotic risk of Acanthoparyphium sp. should be evaluated using experimental infections of animal models.
Voluntary Disclosure with Informed Trading in the IPO Market

We examine voluntary disclosure and capital investment by an informed manager in an initial public offering (IPO) in the presence of informed and uninformed investors. We find that in equilibrium, disclosure is more forthcoming—and investment efficiency is lower—when a greater fraction of the investment community is already informed. Moreover, managers disclose more information when the likelihood of an information event is higher, more equity is issued, or the cost of information acquisition is lower. Investment efficiency and the expected level of underpricing are non‐monotonic in the likelihood that the manager is privately informed.
Self powered wireless brake shoe force measurement system for train brakes

Railroad freight car safety and maintenance cost is directly related to knowledge of the actual braking force provided by a brake shoe. If the brake force is too low, safety is at risk. If the brake shoe is replaced before the end of it's lifetime to ensure safety, maintenance and thus operating costs are increased. Through Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) funding under the Department of Transportation (DoT) small business innovative research (SBIR) program, Mide Technology Corporation is developing a self-powered brake force measurement system applicable to freight trains. The system provides its own power using Mide's proprietary piezoelectric energy harvester that harnesses energy from structural vibrations inherent on all trains. The brake force is measured using specialty high temperature strain gauges installed directly on the brake beam.
Stress and immune responses after surgical treatment for regional breast cancer.

BACKGROUND Adults who undergo chronic stress, such as the diagnosis and surgical treatment of breast cancer, often experience adjustment difficulties and important biologic effects. This stress can affect the immune system, possibly reducing the ability of individuals with cancer to resist disease progression and metastatic spread. We examined whether stress influences cellular immune responses in patients following breast cancer diagnosis and surgery. METHODS We studied 116 patients recently treated surgically for invasive breast cancer. Before beginning their adjuvant therapy, all subjects completed a validated questionnaire assessing the stress of being cancer patients. A 60-mL blood sample taken from each patient was subjected to a panel of natural killer (NK) cell and T-lymphocyte assays. We then developed multiple regression models to test the contribution of psychologic stress in predicting immune function. All regression equations controlled for variables that might exert short- or long-term effects on these responses, and we also ruled out other potentially confounding variables. RESULTS We found, reproducibly between and within assays, the following: 1) Stress level significantly predicted lower NK cell lysis, 2) stress level significantly predicted diminished response of NK cells to recombinant interferon gamma, and 3) stress level significantly predicted decreased proliferative response of peripheral blood lymphocytes to plant lectins and to a monoclonal antibody directed against the T-cell receptor. CONCLUSIONS The data show that the physiologic effects of stress inhibit cellular immune responses that are relevant to cancer prognosis, including NK cell toxicity and T-cell responses. Additional, longitudinal studies are needed to determine the duration of these effects, their health consequences, and their biologic and/or behavioral mechanisms.
Effects of epidermal growth factor, insulin-like growth factor-I, and dialyzed porcine follicular fluid on porcine oocyte maturation in vitro.

Undefined follicular factors that may influence nuclear maturation and/or cytoplasmic maturation are required during in vitro maturation of pig oocytes. Epidermal growth factor (EGF), insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I), and dialysed porcine follicular fluid (dpFF) were evaluated for their effects on porcine oocyte nuclear maturation in vitro. In Experiment I, eight different maturation media were made in a split-plot factorial design with dpFF (0% vs. 10% v/v dialyzed pFF) as the whole plot component, and EGF (0.0 vs. 50 ng/ml) and/or IGF-I (0.0 vs. 100 ng/ml) as the factorial subplot component. Experiment II was a complete factorial design with dpFF and EGF. Pig follicular granulosa-cumulus-oocyte complexes (GCOC) were obtained from slaughterhouse ovaries, washed, and cultured at 38.5 degrees C in a humidified incubator with 5% CO2 in air for 42 h. Following culture, GCOC were mechanically stripped of granulosa-cumulus cells and evaluated for nuclear maturation by light microscopy. In Experiment I, the percentage of Metaphase II oocytes for control, IGF-I, EGF, and IGF-I+EGF treatments without pFF were 50.7%, 52.6%, 80.9%, and 84.3% (control and IGF-I groups significantly less, P < .001). The same treatments in the presence of pFF were similar and high (84.2, 84.9, 82.1, and 86.8%, respectively). Experiment II gave similar results. These results demonstrate that EGF, in the absence of pFF, promotes a similar level of oocyte nuclear maturation as does pFF alone or pFF with EGF and/or IGF-I. IGF-I does not appear to influence nuclear maturation of GCOC.
mTOR Inhibition promotes TTF1-dependent redifferentiation and restores iodine uptake in thyroid carcinoma cell lines.

CONCEPT Redifferentiation of thyroid carcinoma cells has the potential to increase the efficacy of radioactive iodine therapy in treatment-refractory, nonmedullary thyroid carcinoma (TC), leading to an improved disease outcome. Mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) is a key regulator of cell fate affecting survival and differentiation, with autophagy and inflammation as prominent downstream pathways. METHODS The effects of mTOR inhibition were studied for its redifferentiation potential of the human TC cell lines BC-PAP, FTC133, and TPC1 by assessment of mRNA and protein expression of thyroid-specific genes and by performance of iodine uptake assays. RESULTS In thyroid transcription factor 1 (TTF1)-expressing cell lines, mTOR inhibition promoted redifferentiation of TC cells by the up-regulation of human sodium-iodine symporter mRNA and protein expression. Furthermore, these cells exhibited markedly elevated iodine uptake capacity. Surprisingly, this redifferentiation process was not mediated by autophagy induced during mTOR inhibition or by inflammatory mediators but through transcriptional effects at the level of TTF1 expression. Accordingly, small interfering RNA inhibition of TTF1 completely abrogated the induction of human sodium-iodine symporter by mTOR inhibition. CONCLUSION The present study has identified the TTF1-dependent molecular mechanisms through which the inhibition of mTOR leads to the redifferentiation of TC cells and subsequently to increased radioactive iodine uptake.
RAID-M: A high performance RAID Matrix mass storage

In the light of the increasingly serious I/O bottleneck problem, the paper puts forward a method named RAID-M (RAID Matrix) to build high performance mass storage from cheap PC components based on the idea of multi-channel I/O and parallel access. Theoretical analyses prove that different RAID-M configurations vary their performance, space utilization and reliability, meeting various application goals. Experiments show that both the sequential read performance and sequential write performance of a RAID-M prototype machine have broken through the limitation of 32 bit/33 MHz PCI bus.
Acute Alcohol-Induced Pancreatic Injury Is Similar With Intravenous and Intragastric Routes of Alcohol Administration

Objectives Five percent of alcoholics develop an acute pancreatitis (AP). The mechanism leading to pancreatic injury is not yet understood. Microcirculatory disorders seem to play a pivotal role. The objective of this study was to compare alcoholic pancreatic injury in response to intravenous and intragastric routes of alcohol administration. Methods Alcohol was applied in rats intravenously (IV) or gastric via a surgical implanted feeding tube (IG). Serum alcohol concentration was maintained between 1.5‰ and 2.5‰. Four subgroups (n = 6/group) were examined in the IV/IG arm and compared with healthy controls. Pancreatic microcirculation, enzyme levels, and morphological damage were assessed after 3, 6, 12, and 24 hours. Results Microcirculatory analysis showed significantly disturbed pancreatic perfusion and increased adherent leukocytes in IV and IG animals. In IV and IG groups, serum amylase was increased without morphological signs of AP compared with healthy controls. Conclusions Alcohol application does not induce AP in rodents, but impairs pancreatic microcirculation irrespectively of the application route. Intravenous application is commonly used and shows no disadvantages compared with the physiological intragastric application form. Therefore, the intravenous route offers a valid model, which mimics the physiological process for further studies of the influence of acute alcohol intoxication on the pancreas.
Preparation and in vivo evaluation of anti-plasmodial properties of artemisinin-loaded PCL–PEG–PCL nanoparticles

Abstract Purpose: Artemisinin (ART) has anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-amyloid, and anti-malarial effects, but its application is limited due to its low water solubility and poor oral bioavailability. In this study, the bioavailability, water solubility, and anti-plasmodial property of ART were improved by PCL–PEG–PCL tri-block copolymers. Methods: The structure of the copolymers was characterized by 1H NMR, FT-IR, DSC, and GPC techniques. ART was encapsulated within micelles by a single-step nano-precipitation method, leading to the formation of ART-loaded PCL–PEG–PCL micelles. The obtained micelles were characterized by dynamic light scattering (DLS) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The in vivo anti-plasmodial activity of ART-loaded micelles was measured against Plasmodium berghei infected Swiss albino mice. Results: The results showed that the zeta potential of ART-loaded micelles was about −8.37 mV and the average size was 91.87 nm. ART was encapsulated into PCL–PEG–PCL micelles with a loading capacity of 19.33 ± 0.015% and encapsulation efficacy of 87.21 ± 3.32%. In vivo anti-plasmodial results against P. berghei showed that multiple injections of ART-loaded micelles could prolong the circulation time and increase the therapeutic efficacy of ART. Conclusion: These results suggested that PCL–PEG–PCL micelles would be a potential carrier for ART for the treatment of malaria.
The association of lipid-modifying medications with mortality in patients on long-term peritoneal dialysis.

BACKGROUND The effect of lipid-lowering therapy on clinical outcomes in peritoneal dialysis patients has not been carefully addressed. STUDY DESIGN Secondary analysis of a retrospective cohort study. SETTING & PARTICIPANTS Data from 1,053 incident peritoneal dialysis patients from the US Renal Data System prospective Dialysis Morbidity and Mortality Wave 2 study. PREDICTOR Use of lipid-modifying medications (93% statins, 7% other medications). OUTCOMES & MEASUREMENTS Cox regression with propensity score adjustment was used to evaluate time to cardiovascular or all-cause mortality during a 2-year follow-up period. Subgroups based on predefined cutoff values for serum total cholesterol or triglycerides, presence of diabetes, and comorbidity index were analyzed separately. RESULTS Use of lipid-modifying medications was associated with decreased all-cause (hazard ratio [HR], 0.74; 95% confidence interval, 0.56 to 0.98) and cardiovascular (HR, 0.67; 95% confidence interval, 0.47 to 0.95) mortality compared with no use of lipid-modifying medications. In subgroup analyses, use of lipid-modifying medications was associated with decreased all-cause mortality (HR, 0.46; 95% confidence interval, 0.22 to 0.95) in the subgroups with cholesterol levels of 226 to 275 mg/dL (HR, 0.27; 95% confidence interval, 0.09 to 0.80) and cholesterol levels greater than 275 mg/dL and cardiovascular mortality (HR, 0.31; 95% confidence interval, 0.11 to 0.85) in the subgroup with cholesterol levels of 226 to 275 mg/dL. Use of lipid-modifying medications also was associated with decreased cardiovascular mortality (HR, 0.64; 95% confidence interval, 0.41 to 0.99) in patients with diabetes and decreased all-cause (HR, 0.65; 95% confidence interval, 0.45 to 0.94) and cardiovascular mortality (HR, 0.55; 95% confidence interval, 0.35 to 0.87) in those with Charlson Comorbidity Index score higher than 2. LIMITATIONS Observational study with retrospective design. Considerable amount of missing data and limited amount of information for the extreme values of cholesterol and triglycerides. CONCLUSIONS These observational data suggest that lipid-modifying medication therapy may be associated with improved clinical outcomes in peritoneal dialysis patients.
African American Women and Weight Loss

In the United States, almost 80% of African American women are either overweight or obese. In this study, 46 low-income African American women struggling with weight issues participated in structured interviews using a social cognitive theory framework. Participants shared their social cognitive theory related weight loss thoughts and their perceived weight loss obstacles. Results suggest that although participants’ primary weight-related obstacles were environment-based, for example, unsafe environments in which to engage in regular exercise, they more often offered individual-based solutions. The study concludes with a discussion of media advocacy as a tool that can be used to promote environmental solutions.
Potential of China in global nurse migration.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this paper is to examine what is known about the nurse workforce and nursing education in China in order to assess the likely potential for nurse migration from China in the future. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS There is a severe shortage of nurses in China (only one nurse per thousand in population), but at the same time there is a very high level of unemployment and underemployment of nurses. China's nursing education system is huge in size (about 500,000 nursing students in 2005), but weak in quality and career development. CONCLUSIONS As a result of lack of limited job opportunities, low salary, and low job satisfaction, many talented Chinese nurses intend to switch occupation or work outside China. Commercial recruiters have expressed a strong interest in recruitment of nurses in China, but to date there are few examples of successful ventures. Even if the Chinese government were to implement health care financing reforms that led to an increase in nursing jobs and improved work conditions, some level of surplus will remain. As such, it is likely that China will become an important source of nurses for developed nations in the coming years.
The impact of economic globalisation on unemployment: The Malaysian experience

ABSTRACT Malaysia plans to emerge as one of the high-income economies by 2020 through the Economic Transformation Programme. A key component of this programme is to adopt more trade liberalisation policies that can generate a variety of economic activities, particularly more jobs. Although the integration with the world market bears the promise of prosperity for the developing and transitional economies, such integration may also adversely affect such economies. Preceding studies regarding labour market and international trade policies are still inconclusive and raise questions that require further examination; particularly in terms of whether exposure to the external sector can create or destroy jobs. The present study evaluates how Malaysia labour market has responded to the economic globalisation of the country. The study focuses on the long-run impact of economic globalisation on unemployment within the period between 1980 and 2014. The study uses autoregressive distributive lags method to examine the pattern of the relationship. The results show that economic globalisation have significant and positive impact on reducing unemployment in Malaysia in the long run. These findings indicate that policy-makers in Malaysia should facilitate the economy globalisation to maintain the current low level of unemployment rate.
Psychological distress and rumination in palliative care patients and their caregivers.

BACKGROUND This study is the first to explore how rumination or recurrent dwelling may contribute to psychological distress in palliative care. We hypothesised that rumination is important in palliative care because: (1) rumination is triggered by significant life events; (2) the diagnosis of a life-limiting illness means the reevaluation of a number of personal goals, which may become unattainable, and, thereby, lead to rumination; (3) palliative care patients and caregivers report a number of existential concerns, which in their style and content are characteristic of rumination. METHODS This study adopted a cross-sectional design, comparing samples of palliative care patients (n = 36), their caregivers (n = 29), and an age-matched control group (n = 30). Participants completed a combination of standardized questionnaires to assess their levels of anxiety, depression, and rumination, and open-ended interviews to identify the concerns they were ruminating on and their idiosyncratic experience of rumination. RESULTS As predicted, palliative care patients and their caregivers reported significantly more psychological distress than the control group. Palliative care patients and their caregivers also reported significantly more rumination on existential concerns (e.g., about the future) than the control group. The frequency of existential concerns and measures of rumination reported by participants positively correlated with increased psychological distress. CONCLUSION The results support the importance of addressing rumination on existential concerns in palliative care because of its association with psychological distress. Rumination was identified as a mechanism that may be important in addressing psychological distress in palliative care.