Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The inhibin B response to the testicular toxicant 1, 3 dinitrobenzene in male rats.

BACKGROUND This study was conducted as part of an ILSI-HESI International Life Sciences Institute-Health & Environmental Sciences Institute consortium effort to assess the utility of circulating Inhibin B as an early biomarker of Sertoli cell-specific testicular toxicity in rats. 1, 3-Dinitrobenzene (1,3-DNB) was selected as a testicular toxicant in this study as it is known to target Sertoli cells. METHODS 1,3-DNB (2 and 6 mg/kg/day) or control (corn oil) was administered orally to male rats for two or five consecutive days. Blood was collected from rats treated for 2 days on days 1 and 2 and from rats treated for 5 days on days 1, 3, and 5. The resulting serum was evaluated for Inhibin B and follicle stimulating hormone. At the end of the treatment periods, the testes were removed, weighed, and examined histopathologically. RESULTS Daily administration of 1,3-DNB resulted in decreased testis weight only on day 5 and only at the high dose (6 mg/kg/day). There was a time-dependent increase in incidence and severity of testicular findings characterized by degeneration of the germinal epithelium with loss of pachytene spermatocytes and vacuolization of the Sertoli cells in the seminiferous tubules at the high dose. Inhibin B levels in 1,3-DNB-treated animals were decreased with treatment only on day 5 at the high dose; there were no associated changes in follicle stimulating hormone. CONCLUSIONS Changes in serum Inhibin B levels were detected only in association with moderate or severe testicular toxicity as evidenced by histopathology and is therefore considered to be of limited value as a biomarker for Sertoli cell toxicity.
Miniaturized microwave tunable bandpass filters on high-k LTCC

This paper describes a MEMS tunable bandpass filter, which operates at the K band and features a low insertion loss of −2.79–3.58 dB, a small size of 2.9 mm by 1.5 mm and a wide continuous tuning range of 32%. The tunable filter is based on MEMS-varactors-loaded microstrip resonators and has been directly constructed on a high-k low-temperature-co-fired-ceramics (LTCC) wiring wafer using MEMS-on-LTCC technology. The developed tunable filter was combined with a 90-nm CMOS-based broadband power amplifier to demonstrate a frequency tunable power amplifier module. This tunable power amplifier technique is a first step toward future reconfigurable radio front-end modules up to K-band.
The c-MET/PI3K Signaling Is Associated with Cancer Resistance to Doxorubicin and Photodynamic Therapy by Elevating BCRP/ABCG2 Expression

Overexpression of BCRP/ABCG2, a xenobiotic efflux transporter, is associated with anticancer drug resistance in tumors. Proto-oncogene c-MET induces cancer cell proliferation, motility, and survival, and its aberrant activation was found to be a prognostic factor in advanced ovarian cancers. In the present study, we investigated the potential crossresistance of doxorubicin-resistant ovarian cancer cells to the pheophorbide a (Pba)–based photodynamic therapy (PDT), and suggest c-MET and BCRP/ABCG2 overexpression as an underlying molecular mechanism. The doxorubicin-resistant A2780 cell line (A2780DR), which was established by incubating A2780 with stepwise increasing concentrations of doxorubicin, showed low levels of cellular Pba accumulation and reactive oxygen species generation, and was more resistant to PDT cytotoxicity than A2780. In a microarray analysis, BCRP/ABCG2 was found to be the only drug transporter whose expression was upregulated in A2780DR; this increase was confirmed by Western blot and immunocytochemical analyses. As functional evidence, the treatment with a BCRP/ABCG2-specific inhibitor reversed A2780DR resistance to both doxorubicin and PDT. We identified that c-MET increase is related to BCRP/ABCG2 activation. The c-MET downstream phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT signaling was activated in A2780DR and the inhibition of PI3K/AKT or c-MET repressed resistance to doxorubicin and PDT. Finally, we showed that the pharmacological and genetic inhibition of c-MET diminished levels of BCRP/ABCG2 in A2780DR. Moreover, c-MET inhibition could repress BCRP/ABCG2 expression in breast carcinoma MDA-MB-231 and colon carcinoma HT29, resulting in sensitization to doxorubicin. Collectively, our results provide a novel link of c-MET overexpression to BCRP/ABCG2 activation, suggesting that this mechanism leads to crossresistance to both chemotherapy and PDT.
The role of mitochondrial permeability transition pore in regulating the shedding of the platelet GPIbα ectodomain

Abstract Agonists induce platelet activation or apoptosis with concomitant shedding of the platelet receptor glycoprotein Ibα (GPIbα) ectodomain in a disintegrin and metalloproteinase 17 (ADAM17)-dependent mechanism. Mitochondrial permeability transition pore (MPTP) plays a pivotal role in platelet activation or apoptosis. However, its impact on ADAM17-mediated GPIbα ectodomain shedding remains unclear. Here, we aimed to test the hypothesis that MPTP regulates ADAM17-dependent GPIbα ectodomain shedding. We showed that calcium ionophore A23187- or thrombin plus collagen-induced GPIbα ectodomain shedding was partially inhibited by a MPTP inhibitor, and a MPTP potentiator promoted A23187-induced GPIbα cleavage. Furthermore, A23187-induced elevation of mitochondrial Ca2+ levels was blocked by the mitochondrial calcium uniporter (MCU) inhibitor Ru360 or treatment with the membrane-permeable Ca2+ chelator BAPTA-AM. We also demonstrated that an increase in mitochondrial Ca2+ levels triggered MPTP opening, as revealed by the examination of mitochondrial inner transmembrane potential depolarization. In addition, A23187 induced-mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation was blocked by the MPTP inhibitor or by treatment with the mitochondria-targeted ROS scavenger. Lastly, A23187-induced GPIbα shedding was partially blocked by inhibitors of either ROS or calpain, and was completely inhibited when platelets were exposed to both inhibitors. Therefore, these observations indicate that MPTP opening triggered mitochondrial ROS production, which plays an important role in regulating ADAM17-mediated shedding of the GPIbα ectodomain in A23187-treated platelets.
Risk factors of the recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma originating from residual cancer cells after hepatectomy.

BACKGROUND/AIMS Little has been documented to differentiate between recurrence originating from microscopic residual tumor cells and recurrence due to metachronous multicentric origin of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The aim of this study was to clarify the risk factors of HCC recurrence closely related to residual tumor cells. METHODOLOGY A retrospective review of hepatic resections for HCC during the period between April 1985 and April 1997 was undertaken at a University Hospital with a long history of hepatectomy for HCC. Three hundred and thirteen HCC patients without any definite multicentric recurrence, who underwent hepatectomy, were retrospectively investigated. Main outcome measures were: (Study 1) Risk factors for recurrence were univariately and multivariately investigated among various clinicopathological variables, including the vi factor as a new indicator of the potential malignancy of HCC (i.e., the presence of both microscopic portal vein invasion and intrahepatic metastasis). (Study 2). The risk factors for recurrence were then analyzed according to the period of recurrence. RESULTS (Study 1) Independent risk factors were: (tumor factors) a positive vi factor, alpha-fetoprotein > 100 ng/ml, and poorly differentiated histology; (host factors) albumin < 3.8 g/dl, the presence of diabetes mellitus, platelet count < 14 x 10(4)/microliter, Y-globulin fraction > 20%. In those risk factors, the relative risk of the vi factor (2.6) was the largest. (Study 2) Within 1 year after hepatectomy, only tumor factors, including the vi factor and poorly differentiated histology, were significant risk factors, tumor factors were significant only up to 2 years after hepatectomy, and thereafter only host factors were significant. CONCLUSIONS The risk factors for non-multicentric recurrence of HCC are considered to be a positive vi factor, alpha-fetoprotein, and poorly differentiated histology, and the vi factor is considered to be a new prognostic indicator expressing the potential malignancy of HCC such as invasion and metastasis.
Research on shared-savings contract of online shopping supply chain based on risk aversion

In the real life, most of the suppliers and retailers are risk aversion. This paper discusses the supply chain collaboration incentive problem based on the secondary supply chain composed of a single risk aversion supplier and a single risk aversion retailer. Firstly, we study the impact of the risk aversion coefficient of the supplier and the retailer on the wholesale price and the retail price under the stackelberg model. Then, demonstrate the relationship between the effort degree and the price decision of the supplier and the retailer under the shared-savings model based on the effort degree. Finally, the shared-savings contract can help to coordinate the whole online shopping supply chain.
Morphology and ultrastructure of epilithic versus cryptic, microbial growth in lower Cambrian phosphorites from the Montagne Noire, France

The lower Cambrian grainy phosphorites of the northern Montagne Noire occur interbedded with grey to black, laminated to massive shales and limestones deposited along the edge of a continental shelf, associated with slope‐related facies and unstable substrates. The concentration of phosphate took place by repeated alternations of low sedimentation rates and condensation (hardgrounds), in situ early‐diagenetic precipitation of fluorapatite, winnowing and polyphase reworking of previously phosphatized skeletons and hardground‐derived clasts. The succession of repeated cycles of sedimentation, phosphate concentration, and reworking led to multi‐event phosphate deposits rich in allochthonous particles. Phosphogenesis was primarily mediated by microbial activity, which is evidenced by the abundance of phosphatized putative microbial remains. These occur as smooth and segmented filaments, sheaths, and ovoid‐shaped coccoids. These simple morphologies commonly form composite frameworks as a result of their aggregation and entanglement, leading to the record of biofilms, microbial mats, and complex networks. These infested the calcitic skeletonized microfossils that littered the substrate. Microbial activity evidences epilithic (anisotropic coatings on skeletons), euendolithic (perforating skeletal walls), and cryptoendolithic (lining inter‐ and intraparticulate pores) strategies, the latter dominated by bundles of filaments and globular clusters that grew along the cavities of helcionellids and hyoliths. According to their epilithic versus cryptic strategies, microbial populations that penetrated and dwelled inside hard skeletal substrates show different network and colonial morphologies. These early Cambrian shell concentrations were the loci of a stepwise colonization made by saprophytic to mutualistic, cyanobacterial–fungal consortia. Their euendolithic and cryptoendolithic ecological niches provided microbial refugia to manage the grazing impact mainly led by metazoans.
Uptake of serotonin by adult rat corpus callosum is partially reduced by common antidepressants

The corpus callosum (CC) is the main white matter tract involved in interhemispheric brain communication. We establish that uptake of [3H]5‐hydroxytryptamine (5‐HT) in CC is partially inhibited by some antidepressants. Slices of the adult rat CC had a high‐affinity uptake of 5‐HT. About 80% of this uptake was Na+ dependent, with a Michaelis‐Menten constant, Km, of 420 ± 80 nM and a rate of 5‐HT uptake, Vmax, of 9.5 ± 0.8 pmol/mg protein/min. The 5‐HT uptake was reduced ∼60% at pH 5 compared with that at pH 7. Fluoxetine (Prozac) inhibited only 43% of 5‐HT uptake in a concentration‐dependent manner, with an affinity constant, Ki, of 44.7 ± 10.0 nM. We also studied the effects of other monoamine uptake inhibitors, all at 10 μM, and found that zimelidine, imipramine, and clomipramine inhibited 5‐HT uptake in the CC by ∼30–40%. The fluoxetine‐insensitive 5‐HT uptake was not altered by high concentrations of dopamine plus norepinephrine. The present data show that Na+‐dependent 5‐HT uptake occurs in the CC and optic nerve and that this uptake is partially sensitive to antidepressants and probably mediated by the serotonin transporter, which may be relevant during depression. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
An Empirical Test of New Forecasting Methods Derived from a Theory of Intelligence: The Prediction of Conflict in Latin America

The "compromise" method is a new computer-based forecasting tool, available within the conversational CS package on the MIT Multics. Like regression (least squares) or new forms of Box-Jenkins methods, it estimates the parameters of a multivariate dynamic model and may be used for causal analysis or policy impact analysis. Unlike those maximum-likelihood methods, it does not assume that errors are "white noise," random and normal. It follows the newer robust philosophy of trying to minimize estimation errors on the assumption that noise will be inextricably dirty. In the case of "strong" dynamic models¿models which predict that changes in present variable values lead to comparable changes in future variable values it may reduce parameter errors by an order of magnitude. Forecasting errors will also be reduced, although the degree of reduction depends on how much randomness exists in the process. When we used the compromise method according to the new "bias" procedure, in order to reestimate the J-5 model (a nonlinear multiequation model used by the Department of Defense in long-range forecasting), forecasting errors were reduced by between 0 and 45 percent (with a median of about 20 percent) across different variables, as compared with regression. With simultaneous-equation econometric models, it has reduced them by 50 percent. The procedure has been documented for use by nonprogrammers [1]; it incorporates a new quasi-Newtonian method which can handle many parameters.
I Love My Team! Factors leading to relationship formation with a sports team

Sports are a highly profitable industry with a large, diverse fan base. The long-standing question of what causes a person to become a fan of a particular team. Prior research in sports marketing focuses on looking at sports teams as just a team. The intention of this research is to examine sports team loyalty from the perspective of the team as a brand. This study will be examining the impact of socialization, proximity, attitude toward the team, and self-image congruence on the initiation of a consumer-brand relationship with the team. The goal is to determine which factors are statistically significant in initiating a long-term relationship with a team. Results will provide sports marketers with a clearer picture of what drives people to start a relationship with a sports team and how to appeal to their target consumers.
A Novel Method for Sensitive Determination of Subclinical Left-Ventricular Systolic Dysfunction in Subjects With Obstructive Sleep Apnea

BACKGROUND: This study was to evaluate the subclinical left-ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction with 2-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography in subjects with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) with normal left ventricular ejection fraction and without any confounding disease that can cause myocardial dysfunction. METHODS: Nineteen healthy individuals and 60 subjects with OSA were included in this study. According to the severity of disease, OSA subjects were examined in 3 groups: mild, moderate, and severe OSA. LV apical views (for longitudinal strain) and short-axis views (for circumferential strain) were acquired for evaluation. Three-layer longitudinal strain values and circumferential strain values were determined for each view, and averages of these were used in comparison with other groups. RESULTS: Three-layer longitudinal strain values of the subjects with OSA were lower than those of the healthy individuals, and these values were decreased along with the OSA severity. The difference was significant between severe OSA and all other groups. Three-layer circumferential strain values of the OSA subjects were lower than those of the healthy individuals, and the difference was significant between the control group and all other groups. The apnea hypopnea index was found to be correlated with the 3-layer longitudinal strain (r = −0.74, P < .001; r = −0.72, P < .001; r = −0.69, P = <.001). CONCLUSIONS: Three-layer longitudinal and circumferential LV systolic functions in OSA subjects with normal left ventricular ejection fraction are deteriorated in the subclinical stage. Two-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography can be used as an effective method in the determination of subclinical myocardial dysfunction in subjects with OSA.
The Patient Experiences Questionnaire: development, validity and reliability.

OBJECTIVE . To describe the development of the Patient Experiences Questionnaire (PEQ) and to evaluate reliability and validity of constructed summed rating scales. DESIGN Literature review, focus groups and pilot surveys. Two national cross-sectional studies performed in 1996 and 1998. SETTING Two postal surveys in a national sample of 14 hospitals stratified by geographical region and hospital size. Subjects. Patients consecutively discharged from surgical wards and wards of internal medicine. The surveys included 36 845 patients and 19 578 responded (53%). RESULTS We constructed 10 summed rating scales based on factor analysis and theoretical considerations: Information on future complaints, Nursing services, Communication, Information examinations, Contact with next-of-kin, Doctor services, Hospital and equipment, Information medication, Organization and General satisfaction. Eight scales had a Cronbach alpha coefficient of >0.70, the remaining two were >0.60. Repeatability was >0.70 for five scales and >0.60 for the remaining scales. CONCLUSIONS The PEQ is a self-report instrument covering the most important subjects of interest to hospital patients. Results are presented as 10 scales with good validity and reliability. It emphasizes practicability and comprehensibility while at the same time providing sufficient information about domains applicable to most patients admitted to medical and surgical wards.
On-farm and postharvest processing sources of bacterial contamination to melon rinds.

Multistate and international foodborne illness outbreaks, particularly involving cantaloupe and often involving rare Salmonella spp. , have increased dramatically over the past 13 years. This study assessed the sources and extent of melon rind contamination in production fields and at processing and packing facilities. In the spring of 1999, cantaloupe (Cucumis melo L. [reticulatus group] cv. Cruiser) sampled from two sites in the Rio Grande River Valley showed that postharvest-processed melon rinds often had greater plate counts of bacterial contaminants than field-fresh melons. Cantaloupe in the field had 2.5 to 3.5 log CFU g(-1) rind total coliforms by aerobic plate counts, whereas washed melons had 4.0 to 5.0 log CFU g(-1). In the fall of 1999, coliforms on honeydew melons (C. melo [inodorous group] cv. Honey Brew) ranged from 2.6 to 3.7 log CFU g(-1) after processing, and total and fecal coliforms and enterococci never fell below 2.5 log CFU g(-1). A hydrocooler at another site contaminated cantaloupe rinds with up to 3.4 log CFU g(-1) total and fecal enterococci; a secondary rinse with chlorinated water incompletely removed these bacteria. Sources of coliforms and enterococci were at high levels in melon production soils, especially in furrows that were flood irrigated, in standing water at one field, and in irrigation water at both sites. At one processing facility, wash water pumped from the Rio Grande River may not have been sufficiently disinfected prior to use. Because soil, irrigation water, and process water were potential sources of bacterial contamination, monitoring and management on-farm and at processing and packing facilities should focus on water quality as an important control point for growers and packers to reduce bacterial contamination on melon rinds.
Do Agricultural Marketing Laws Matter for Rural Growth? Evidence from the Indian States

This article examines effects of the regulatory framework of post-harvest agricultural markets on agricultural growth across Indian states over the period 1970-2008. We propose a new measure that captures various legislative dimensions of a key ‘Act’ - the Agricultural Produce Markets Commission (APMC) Act and Rules - governing the agricultural markets, evolved from the dismal colonial history of India, and use this measure to estimate growth models using panel methods. We have applied Fixed-Effects, Feasible Generalized Least Squares, and Fixed-Effects Instrumental Variable models to the panel data to address the endogeneity associated with the regulatory framework. Our results show that the Act significantly promotes not only agricultural growth but the use and the adoption of agricultural technology. Evidence presented suggests that a policy to remove market regulation rather than advancing effective ones would fail consequentially to draw investments and improve agriculture growth.
Habituation of arousal responses after intermittent hypercapnic hypoxia in piglets.

RATIONALE Clinical studies have demonstrated arousal deficits in infants suffering obstructive sleep apnea, and some infant deaths have been attributed to such an arousal deficit. OBJECTIVES To evaluate whether arousal deficits can be induced by intermittent asphyxia during normal development. METHODS AND MEASUREMENTS Young piglets were exposed to intermittent hypercapnic hypoxia for 4 days from age 9.55 +/- 0.5 days. Arousal responses were compared between control animals and animals exposed to intermittent hypercapnic hypoxia. Outcome measures included time to arouse after onset of the respiratory stimulus and frequency of arousals during recovery. MAIN RESULTS Arousal deficits emerged after successive exposures to hypercapnic hypoxia on Day 1, and were exacerbated on Day 4, although after overnight recovery, the deficit only became evident during the second and subsequent episode of hypercapnic hypoxia. On Day 1, time to arouse increased from 16.9 +/- 7.1 seconds in the first epoch to 41.7 +/- 28.6 seconds in the fourth epoch (p = 0.004 between cycles, one-way analysis of variance). In the recovery periods after hypercapnic hypoxia, there were 64% fewer arousals than baseline on Day 1 and 90% fewer arousals on Day 4. Respiratory effort, measured by VT across 10 breaths before the arousal, increased from 25.7 +/- 7.6 on Day 1 to 29.1 +/- 6.8 ml/kg on Day 4 (p < 0.001, two-way analysis of variance, Day 4 vs. Day 1, respectively). CONCLUSIONS These studies demonstrate that acute and chronic arousal deficits can be induced by intermittent asphyxia, on a background of otherwise normal postnatal development.