Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Involvement of the PI3K/Akt/NF-κB Signaling Pathway in the Attenuation of Severe Acute Pancreatitis-Associated Acute Lung Injury by Sedum sarmentosum Bunge Extract

Sedum sarmentosum Bunge possesses excellent anti-inflammatory properties and was used in the treatment of inflammatory diseases. The aim of the present study was to investigate the efficiency of Sedum sarmentosum Bunge extract (SSBE) on severe acute pancreatitis-associated (SAP-associated) acute lung injury (ALI) in rats and to explore the underlying mechanisms. Here, we used a sodium taurocholate-induced SAP rat model to determine the role of SSBE in ALI. During the course of pancreatitis, the expressions of phosphorylated phosphoinositide 3-kinases (PI3K)/protein kinase B (Akt) and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) p65 in the lungs were upregulated. Meanwhile, a parallel increase in the levels of interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in the lungs was observed after the induction of SAP. Treatment with SSBE significantly reduced the expression of p-Akt and p-p65 in the lungs and attenuated the severity of SAP-associated ALI compared to the SAP group at 12 h and 24 h. In summary, this study showed that SSBE has beneficial effects on SAP-associated ALI, probably through the PI3-K/Akt signaling pathways by suppressing the NF-κB activities.
CEO Pay Determinants. An Empirical Analysis for Europe and the USA (2000-2006)

A lot of research has been done on the CEO pay determinant factors. However, findings do not reach a single conclusion. To overcome this, in the present paper an effort will be made to introduce a unique worldwide formula for CEO remuneration and through this it will be attempted to relate CEO pay with many determinant factors such as: economic growth, obstacles to entrepreneurship, trade union power, uncertainty avoidance, masculinity versus femininity as well as power distance. Our sample covers Western Europe and the United States of America for the period 2000-2006. The elaboration of panel data regression will be feasible by means of the Eviews software. Hence, the contribution of this paper is that it gives an answer by using globally the same measure of CEO pay.
A Novel Control Strategy for Three-Phase Rectifier with High Power Factor

In this paper, the proposed approach to improve the power factor of three-phase rectifiers and to stabilize the output voltage against the loads change is presented. The key elements of the given control strategy are small size, low cost, high performance, and simplicity. The proposed control strategy of switches is based on the prototype of three bi-directional switched consisting of four diodes and one IGBT. The development of control technique and operation procedure, either theory or experiment, are also performed. The experimental results clearly verify the theoretical analysis from the prototype connected to grid unity
Role of extraocular muscle proprioception in the development of depth perception in cats.

1. The ophthalmic branch of the trigeminal nerve (V1), which carries extraocular proprioceptive afferents, was sectioned unilaterally or bilaterally in kittens and adult cats. Depth perception was measured behaviorally in these sectioned cats, as well as in control cats. 2. For kittens that underwent unilateral V1 sections at 6-11 wk of age, postsurgical values of binocular depth perception--measured 1.5-3 mo later--were 2-3 times worse than in normal control animals. Cats that underwent unilateral V1 sections as adults, however, showed no postsurgical deficits in binocular depth perception. 3. For kittens that underwent bilateral V1 sections at 6.5-7.5 wk of age, similar longterm impairments were found in binocular depth perception. No impairment was found in two kittens bilaterally sectioned at 11.5 wk of age. A cat that underwent bilateral sections as an adult also showed no binocular depth perception deficits. 4. Although these behavioral effects were observed only when unilateral and bilateral V1 sections were performed up to a certain age in development, they differed in two ways. 1) Imbalance of extraocular proprioceptive inflow produced by unilateral section had a deleterious effect at an age when the final adult level had been reached. At that stage, complete suppression of inflow produced by the bilateral section failed to impair the final level of binocular performance. 2) Short-term effects observed during the week following the section appeared in bilaterally operated animals as a transient freezing of the presurgical binocular performance whatever the age of the section during the sensitive period. In contrast, short-term effects produced by unilateral section were found to be age dependent: a progressive slowing down in the normal rate of improvement of binocular thresholds was observed following a section performed at 5 wk of age; an arrest in development was found when surgery was done at 6-7 wk of age. A significant impairment appeared within 2 days when the section was performed at 11 wk of age. 5. In all experimental kittens, monocular depth perception thresholds were unaffected or impaired only to a minor extent (less than 15% change) following the unilateral or bilateral section. In unilaterally operated kittens, there were no consistent differences associated with the side of the section. 6. A sham-operated kitten, in which the V1 was visualized but not cut, showed no impairments in binocular or monocular depth perception. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Effectiveness of Spinosad and Temephos for the Control of Mosquito Larvae At A Tire Dump In Allende, Nuevo Leon, Mexico

Abstract The effectiveness of spinosad and temephos for the control of mosquito larvae was evaluated in a tire dump in Allende, Nuevo Leon, Mexico. Three groups of 12 to 17 tires located in tree shade were utilized for this study. After the larvicides were applied, samples were collected weekly from 7 randomly chosen tires. The data showed a significant difference between the larvicides and control. Under the conditions of the present study, the effectiveness of spinosad against mosquito larvae was similar to that of temephos, both being effective for up to 91 days postapplication. In addition, spinosad allowed the establishment of the mosquito predator Toxorhynchites sp.
Effects of Prenalterol and Volume Loading with Dextran on Haemodynamics and Oxygen Consumption in Dogs During High Epidural Block with Special Reference to the Splanchnic Region

High lumbar epidural block was induced in seven dogs, causing a fall in mean arterial blood pressure (AP) from 24.5 ⋅ 2.9 to 12.0 ⋅ 3.1 kPa owing to reductions in cardiac output (QT) and systemic vascular resistance (SVR) to 67% and 68% of the pre‐epidural values. Volume loading with dextran 10 ml ⋅ kg‐1 b. w. increased QT nearly to the pre‐epidural value. SVR decreased further to 61% of the pre‐epidural value and AP was only slightly increased to 14.9 ⋅ 2.7 kPa. Subsequent administration of prenalterol 20 μg ⋅ kg‐1 b. w. caused a further increase in QT to 17% above the pre‐epidural value due to an increase in heart rate of 51 beats/min. AP did not change since SVR decreased further to 49% of the pre‐epidural value. The hepatic arterial blood flow (QHA) was essentially unchanged during epidural block as well as during volume loading, while the portal venous blood flow (QPV) was changed concurrently with (QT). In spite of the decrease in SVR, the preportal and hepatic arterial vascular resistances were not diminished following prenalterol. The increase in QT must therefore have favoured other vascular beds. Hepatic and pre‐portal tissue oxygen uptakes were unchanged during the experimental procedure, while whole‐body oxygen uptake decreased by 20% following the epidural block and increased nearly to the pre‐epidural level following volume loading in combination with prenalterol.
[Specific-pollen immunotherapy in the treatment of oral allergy syndrome in patients with tree pollen hypersensitivity].

UNLABELLED Over the last three decades several authors have described the existence of an association between sensitivity to different pollens and sensitivity to diverse edible vegetables. Most patients with birch pollen allergy report oral allergy symptoms after eating fresh apples and other vegetable foods. Major birch pollen and apple allergens, Bet v 1 and Mal d 1, and other antigens are highly homologous; as a consequence, pollen-specific immunotherapy (SIT) might be expected to improve apple hypersensitivity. A prospective study was carried out in 27 birch pollen-sensitive patients with apple-induced OAS (oral allergy syndrome) who received injection immunotherapy for 24, or 36 months. Eight patients not submitted to SIT and followed up for 24-36 months were used as a control. Sixteen patients (59%) reported a significant reduction (37%) or a total disappearance (22%) of OAS symptoms after SIT. CONCLUSION SIT with birch pollen extracts effectively reduces clinical apple sensitivity in some cases; these effects are not paralleled by a similar reduction of specific IgE and skin reactivity.
Plasmodium malariae: Parasite and Disease

SUMMARY A review of the life history of Plasmodium malariae, the quartan malaria parasite of humans, is presented. Much of the information is based on data obtained from induced infections in humans who were given malaria therapy for the treatment of neurosyphilis between 1940 and 1963. Prepatent periods (i.e., the time until the first day of parasite detection) fever episodes, and maximum parasitemias as a result of infection with P. malariae were obtained and are presented. Experimental and known vectors of the parasite are also discussed. Splenectomized chimpanzees and New World monkeys are readily infected and serve as sources of parasites and antigens for diagnostic and molecular studies. South American monkeys are naturally infected with a parasite known as Plasmodium brasilianum. This parasite appears to be P. malariae that has adapted from humans to grow in monkeys, probably within the last 500 years. Infection with P. malariae is associated with the production of immune complexes in the kidneys and the associated nephrotic syndrome. The essential lesions are a thickening of the glomerular basement membrane and endocapillary cell proliferation. Studies of monkeys infected with P. malariae indicate the same pathology as that demonstrated in humans.
Characteristic Modeling of TOA Ranging Error in Rotating Anchor-Based Relative Positioning

In this paper, we describe a rotating anchor-based positioning method using time of arrival (TOA) measurements to obtain the relative positional relationship between two locators, which can help a rescuer to efficiently determine the direction to a trapped person or help a lost person to find the direction to an exit in first responder applications. Since the TOA ranging error of this special scenario cannot be modeled by the distributions proposed for traditional fixed anchor-based indoor geolocation, a new characteristic model based on the $\alpha $ -stable distribution is presented for rotating anchor-based relative positioning. The model is verified by the Kolmogorov-Smirnov hypothesis and Akaike weights and compared with the traditional distributions. Moreover, the parameters of the model are used to improve the direction identification accuracy, further reflecting the value of the model.
Teleoperation system for multiple mobile robots

Teleoperation is an important strategy for controlling outdoor mobile robots. It determines the reliability and the fields of the mobile robots. This paper introduced a type of teleoperation system for multiple mobile robots. Improved image radio system ensured the image transmission channels of coherent image clarity. Improved new data transmission system ensured that the data transmission is stable and reliable. Added of the guided remote control mode has increased operating flexibility. Because of adding the GPS electronic map, the operator has wider view. And we also designed a friendly man-machine interface and a good manipulative multi-functionary teleoperation terminal. Some preliminary experimental results verified the stability and the reliability of the system in performing teleoperation in complex environments in variety of fields.
Utilization of coronary computed tomography angiography for rapid risk stratification in emergency chest pain units

Background: Coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) is a well-known method for evaluating anatomic coronary stenosis, but the reliability of CCTA to predict cardiovascular events is an issue of controversy. Materials and Methods: In this prospective observational study, 58 patients with acute chest pain and low-to-moderate risk were selected and CCTA was performed on them. During follow up, the occurrence of major adverse cardiac events (MACE), defined as, cardiac death, myocardial infarction or coronary revascularization, were evaluated. Sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of CCTA for the occurrence of MACE, at the six-month follow up, were also evaluated. Results: A total of nine (15.5 %) were positive in terms of the MACE criteria and they all had positive CCTA results. It seemed that there was 100% sensitivity for CCTA in predicting the occurrence of MACE. Forty-nine patients had no MACE, among whom 48 patients had negative CCTA. The specificity of CCTA in predicting the occurrence of MACE was 98%. All patients with positive CCTA showed significant stenosis in angiography. Conclusion: It appears that CCTA allows us to predict the prognosis of patients with acute chest pain and low-to moderate-risk in terms of MACE occurrence.
The role of multinational enterprises in the aerospace industry clusters in Mexico: The case of Baja California

The aerospace industry in Mexico has been growing significantly in recent years. This study seeks to determine the productive and organizational capabilities of multinational aerospace enterprises that are developing in the Baja California region, in northern Mexico, especially for the particular way in which they are joining the Global Value Chain. Undoubtedly, this is related to the way in which the industrial regions of developing countries are integrated into the global value chain by multinational corporations. Data for the analysis come mainly from ProMexico, a Mexican federal agency. According to results, at the present time Baja California aerospace industry integrates to the industry global value chains in the low steps, similar to what happens in other sectors and other regions around the country. Baja California activity specialized in manufacturing producing of parts or components for other foreign companies, which in turn are the ones that actually develop the aircraft’s systems and subsystems.
Vascular endothelial growth factor and its soluble receptor in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome undergoing IVF

We aimed to examine the behaviour of the angiogenetic factor vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and its soluble receptor (sVEGFR-1) in polycystic ovary patients undergoing In vitro fertilisation (IVF) compared with respect to normally ovulating controls. Levels of VEGF and sVEGFR-1 were compared in follicular fluid and serum, both on the day of human choriogonadotropin (hCG) administration and on the day of oocyte retrieval (OR), in controls and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) patients undergoing IVF cycles. The bioactivity of VEGF (VEGF/sVEGFR-1 ratio) in the two groups was calculated. Thirty PCOS patients and 20 controls referring to the IVF Centre of the University of Pisa (Italy) were enrolled. In each patient, blood samples were collected on the day of hCG and on the day of OR administration, and follicular fluid samples. VEGF and sVEGFR-1 were measured by Enzyme Linked Immuno Sorbant Assay (ELISA). Serum VEGF bioactivity markedly increased in both groups after hCG administration. Serum and follicular fluid VEGF bioactivity was greater in PCOS patients than in controls on the day of OR. The increase in VEGF bioactivity in PCOS patients undergoing IVF was not only because of increasing levels of VEGF but also to decreasing levels of its soluble receptor. We believe that additional studies will clarify their role in the pathogenesis of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, which most often occurs in patients with PCOS.
Role of 4-hydroxynonenal-protein adducts in human diseases.

SIGNIFICANCE Oxidative stress provokes the peroxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids in cellular membranes, leading to the formation of aldheydes that, due to their high chemical reactivity, are considered to act as second messengers of oxidative stress. Among the aldehydes formed during lipid peroxidation (LPO), 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (HNE) is produced at a high level and easily reacts with both low-molecular-weight compounds and macromolecules, such as proteins and DNA. In particular, HNE-protein adducts have been extensively investigated in diseases characterized by the pathogenic contribution of oxidative stress, such as cancer, neurodegenerative, chronic inflammatory, and autoimmune diseases. RECENT ADVANCES In this review, we describe and discuss recent insights regarding the role played by covalent adducts of HNE with proteins in the development and evolution of those among the earlier mentioned disease conditions in which the functional consequences of their formation have been characterized. CRITICAL ISSUES Results obtained in recent years have shown that the generation of HNE-protein adducts can play important pathogenic roles in several diseases. However, in some cases, the generation of HNE-protein adducts can represent a contrast to the progression of disease or can promote adaptive cell responses, demonstrating that HNE is not only a toxic product of LPO but also a regulatory molecule that is involved in several biochemical pathways. FUTURE DIRECTIONS In the next few years, the refinement of proteomical techniques, allowing the individuation of novel cellular targets of HNE, will lead to a better understanding the role of HNE in human diseases.
What is the Effect of Fuel Efficiency Information on Car Prices? Evidence from Switzerland

Inadequate information is often identified as a potential cause for the so-called “energy efficiency gap,” i.e., the sluggish pace of investment in energy efficiency technologies, which potentially affects a wide variety of energy-using goods, including road vehicles. To improve the fuel economy of vehicles, in 2003 Switzerland introduced a system of fuel economy and CO2 emissions labels for new passenger cars, based on grades from A (best) to G (worst). We have data for all cars approved for sale in Switzerland from 2000 to 2011. Hedonic regressions suggest that there is a fuel-economy premium, but do not allow us to identify whether the fuel economy label has an additional effect on car price, above and beyond the effect of fuel economy. To circumvent this problem, we turn to a sharp regression discontinuity design based on the mechanism used by the government to assign cars to the fuel economy label, which estimates the effect of the A label on price to be 6-11%. Matching estimators find this effect to be 5%.
Human Monocytes Kill Shigella flexneri but Then Die by Apoptosis Associated with Suppression of Proinflammatory Cytokine Production

ABSTRACT Shigella flexneri infection of human macrophages is followed by rapid bacterial escape into the cytosol and secretion of IpaB, which activates caspase-1 to mediate cell death and release of mature interleukin (IL)-1β. Here we report a different outcome following infection of human peripheral blood monocytes. S. flexneri infects monocytes inefficiently in the absence of complement and, following complement-dependent uptake, cannot escape the endosomal compartment. Consequently, bacteria are killed within the first 60 min in the absence of monocyte cell death, as demonstrated by immunofluorescence and electron microscopy and enumeration of colonies in a gentamicin protection assay. Despite early bacterial death, wild-type S. flexneri influenced the subsequent monocyte proinflammatory cytokine response and cell fate. Infection with wild-type S. flexneri resulted in IpaB-dependent suppression of IL-1β, tumor necrosis factor alpha, and IL-6 compared with that of plasmid-cured avirulent S. flexneri-infected cells. Furthermore, over the following 6 to 8 h, virulent S. flexneri-infected monocytes died by apoptosis whereas avirulent infected monocytes died by necrosis. Together, these results imply that monocytes migrating into the inflammatory site during the early stages of shigellosis kill S. flexneri but that during bacterial uptake, they receive virulence signals from S. flexneri which induce delayed apoptosis associated with suppression of the proinflammatory cytokine response to bacterial phagocytosis. This delayed apoptosis may have important effects on the ordered initiation of the innate immune response, leading to the excessive inflammatory response characteristic of shigellosis.
Nonrandom mating in pikas Ochotona princeps: evidence for inbreeding between individuals of intermediate relatedness

The extent and effect of inbreeding in natural populations remain largely undetermined. Pikas Ochotona princeps have been considered a likely candidate for close inbreeding in natural populations due to observations of frequent juvenile philopatry (colonization of natal home range or neighbouring home range) and high levels of spatial overlap and social tolerance between neighbouring individuals of the opposite sex. A 4‐year investigation of inbreeding in pikas, however, has revealed that dispersal and mating patterns are uncoupled in this species, i.e. explained by different hypotheses. DNA fingerprinting analysis revealed that band‐sharing scores between mated pairs, identified via parentage analysis, were not commensurate with band‐sharing among known first‐order relatives, but were similar to scores for a small sample of known second‐order relatives (i.e. half‐siblings, grandparent‐grandchild pairs). Band‐sharing scores between mated pairs were then compared with those between potential mated pairs within the population to assess whether mating was random or nonrandom with respect to genetic similarity. The results of Monte Carlo randomization tests show that pikas mated with individuals with intermediate genetic similarity in greater proportion than would be expected by chance. These data suggest mate choice in pikas may be based upon intermediate levels of relatedness.