Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Novel C5a Receptor-Tissue Factor Cross-Talk in Neutrophils Links Innate Immunity to Coagulation Pathways1

Neutrophils and complement are key sentinels of innate immunity and mediators of acute inflammation. Recent studies have suggested that inflammatory processes modulate thrombogenic pathways. To date, the potential cross-talk between innate immunity and thrombosis and the precise molecular pathway by which complement and neutrophils trigger the coagulation process have remained elusive. In this study, we demonstrate that antiphospholipid Ab-induced complement activation and downstream signaling via C5a receptors in neutrophils leads to the induction of tissue factor (TF), a key initiating component of the blood coagulation cascade. TF expression by neutrophils was associated with an enhanced procoagulant activity, as verified by a modified prothrombin time assay inhibited by anti-TF mAb. Inhibition studies using the complement inhibitor compstatin revealed that complement activation is triggered by antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) IgG and leads to the induction of a TF-dependent coagulant activity. Blockade studies using a selective C5a receptor antagonist and stimulation of neutrophils with recombinant human C5a demonstrated that C5a, and its receptor C5aR, mediate the expression of TF in neutrophils and thereby significantly enhance the procoagulant activity of neutrophils exposed to APS serum. These results identify a novel cross-talk between the complement and coagulation cascades that can potentially be exploited therapeutically in the treatment of APS and other complement-associated thrombotic diseases.
Comparison of the modified Elek test and Wagatsuma agar for determination of the Kanagawa phenomenon of Vibrio parahaemolyticus

The modified Elek test and Wagatsuma agar were compared for their ability to detect the Kanagawa activity of 142 strains of Vibrio parahaemolyticus. The performance of the modified Elek test was on a par with that of the Wagatsuma agar as far as positivity was concerned, and the test was far superior to Wagatsuma agar in eliminating doubtful results. The results of the modified Elek test were not unduly influenced by the different types of agar used.
Stereotypy, schizophrenia and dopamine D2 receptor binding in the basal ganglia

Synopsis Animal models suggest a relationship between disturbed striatal dopaminergic function and stereotyped behaviour. Several studies show increased stereotypy in schizophrenic patients compared to normal controls. We investigated the performance of 12 antipsychotic-drug-free schizophrenic patients, and 15 healthy control subjects on a neuropsychological measure of stereotypy – the two-choice guessing task – and correlated this with in vivo striatal dopamine D2 receptor binding, as measured by 123I-iodobenzamide single photon emission tomography. Patients and controls did not differ with respect to the measures of stereotypy derived from the task. However, there was a significant correlation between one of these measures (RR Information) and the degree of striatal D2 receptor binding asymmetry in the patient group only. In view of research connecting striatal and frontal lesions with stereotypy in animals and cognitive inflexibility in humans, these data could suggest a similar disturbance underlying the phenomenon in schizophrenia.
Healthy Choice: The Effect of Simplified Point-of-Sale Nutritional Information on Consumer Food Choice Behavior

Grocery retailers are joining the fray against obesity by offering a wide range of health and wellness programs at the point of sale. However, the success of such programs in promoting healthy choices remains an open question. The authors examine the effectiveness of a growing health and wellness initiative: a simplified nutrition scoring system. They present a conceptual framework that predicts the effect of such a scoring system on shoppers’ food decisions and their sensitivity to price and promotion, as well as the moderating influence of category-level factors. Using a large-scale quasi experiment and panel data across eight product categories for more than 535,000 members of a grocery chain's frequent shopper program, the authors demonstrate that the point-of-sale nutrition scoring system helped consumers make healthier food choices, such that they switched to higher-scoring products in the postrollout period. The results also reveal that shoppers became less price sensitive and more promotion sensitive following the introduction of the food scoring system. The authors discuss implications for research and practice.
Putting Services in Context

Business transactions between companies are more and more executed by a flow of well-defined electronic business documents. The resulting inter-organizational business processes are often realized by concepts known from service-oriented computing. Exchanging a business document corresponds to a service call and the input/output of the service calls commonly follows a certain business document standard. However, these standards typically present the superset of all required elements used in any business context. In a specific context (in a specific industry, in a specific geopolitical region, etc.) the input/output is adjusted to this context by constraints on the generic structure. Accordingly, a specific service is always used in a specific context. It follows that it is important to define the business context of a service (in a structured format). For this purpose we have developed the Business Context Ontology model (BCOnt). In this paper we elaborate on the theoretical concepts and the underlying algorithms as well as on their implementation in practice. Keywords—business context; ontology based business context model; (semi-) automatic generation of e-business documents
The Complexity of Eliminating Dominated Strategies

This paper deals with the computational complexity of some yes/no problems associated with sequential elimination of strategies using three domination relations: strong domination (strict inequalities), weak domination (weak inequalities), and domination (the asymmetric part of weak domination). Classification of various problems as polynomial or NP-complete seems to suggest that strong domination is a simple notion, whereas weak domination and domination are complicated ones.
Start-up ecosystems as a framework for the cooperation between start-up companies and knowledge-based institutions in Poland

Summary: The aim of the article is to outline the picture of the Polish start-up ecosystem (in fact consisted of few ecosystems but functioning under the same scheme), i.e. its main actors and relations among them with the special focus put on the ways and “channels” the cooperation between start-ups and knowledge-based institutions (later termed K-BI ) are to be realized.
NEW DIRECTIONS IN PROSTATE CANCER MANAGEMENT Androgen Deprivation Therapy in the Treatment of Advanced Prostate Cancer

This article reviews the issues and controversies relevant to the treatment of advanced prostate cancer with androgen deprivation therapy. Initially, diethylstilbestrol was used for achieving androgen deprivation, but was replaced by luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH). Adverse events associated with LHRH agonists include the flare phenomenon, hot flashes, loss of libido, erectile dysfunction, depression, muscle wasting, anemia, and osteoporosis. Intermittent therapy has been advocated to reduce morbidity of treatment. The addition of an antiandrogen provides maximum androgen blockade. There remains controversy regarding the timing of the addition of an antiandrogen. Secondary hormonal therapies include antiandrogens, adrenal androgen inhibitors, and estrogens. [Rev Urol. 2007;9(suppl 1):S3-S8]
Ingénierie de charpentes protéiques comme alternative aux anticorps : De la recherche au développement clinique

D’importants progres realises durant les deux dernieres decennies dans le domaine du genie moleculaire des proteines ont permis l’emergence de nouvelles charpentes proteiques demontrant des proprietes de liaison sur une cible donnee comparables a la liaison d’un anticorps a sa cible. Ces molecules appelees scaffolds presentent l’essentiel des fonctions associees a la partie variable des anticorps. En theorie, de nombreuses proteines humaines possedent une charpente susceptible d’etre modifiee par ingenierie moleculaire : proteine de transport presentant une surface de contact plane, squelette peptidique rigide permettant l’insertion de boucles hypervariables, association de plusieurs domaines de liaison induisant des effets cooperatifs. En pratique, seule une vingtaine de proteines presentent les proprietes necessaires pour constituer de potentiels candidats therapeutiques et une dizaine de scaffolds ont atteint a ce jour le stade des essais cliniques chez l’homme. Parmi leurs principales proprietes, une large diversite de proteines ciblees, une facilite de production liee a une structure tridimensionnelle simple, une petite taille, une stabilite importante, une bonne tolerance et une faible immunogenicite sont essentielles. La propriete intellectuelle associee au developpement de ces scaffolds est egalement un aspect important, qui permet de contourner les brevets lies aux anticorps et a leurs derives. Cette minirevue se focalise plus particulierement sur les scaffolds ayant debute leur developpement clinique.
On Island Constraints and Violations

“Island” is the terminology in syntactic theory, which is the most important one of the grammatical rules of pure syntactic restrictions on grammar rules of operation that has been proposed since the 1960s. It is first proposed by Ross (1967), then developed by Chomsky et al, which was included into the framework of grammar binding (GB) generated in the 70s and 80s, forming the central part of the boundary theory (ZHANG, 2002). The Island condition refers to certain syntactic structures like isolated island, where components can not be extracted as at random as theme. Island constraints include: (1) Complex NP Constraint; (2) Sentential Subject clause Constraint; (3) Coordinate Structure Constraint; (4) WH-Island Constraint; (5) Left Branch Condition; (6) Adjunct Constraints; and (7) Non-bridge-verb Constraints.
Multimeric intermediates in the pathway to the aggregated inclusion body state for P22 tailspike polypeptide chains

The failure of newly synthesized polypeptide chains to reach the native conformation due to their accumulation as inclusion bodies is a serious problem in biotechnology. The critical intermediate at the junction between the productive folding and the inclusion body pathway has been previously identified for the P22 tailspike endorham‐nosidase. We have been able to trap subsequent intermediates in the in vitro pathway to the aggregated inclusion body state. Nondenaturing gel electrophoresis identified a sequential series of multimeric intermediates in the aggregation pathway. These represent discrete species formed from noncovalent association of partially folded intermediates rather than aggregation of native‐like trimeric species. Monomer, dimer, trimer, tetramer, pentamer, and hexamer states of the partially folded species were populated in the initial stages of the aggregation reaction. This methodology of isolating early multimers along the aggregation pathway was applicable to other proteins, such as the P22 coat protein and carbonic anhydrase II.
RISK MANAGEMENT IN STARTUP PROJECTS: LEARNINGS FROM SELECT CASES IN INDIA

Girish S. Kelkar Dr. Ashok K. Pundir Dr. L Ganapathy Abstract Startup projects constitute an essential component in building a strong ecosystem for nurturing innovation and generating viable employment that can drive sustainable economic growth in a developing country like India. However, startup projects that come up in a dynamic global business scenario face a multitude of risks that challenge their success. Our study aims at identifying various risk factors that are peculiar to startup units in India. Over 30 case studies were carried out across a variety of industrial projects and select NGOs to help identify specific risk factors that mar the success of startup units in the Indian environment. Our study finds specific risk factors at the strategic as well as operational levels that are important for success of the startup unit. It is hoped that the findings of this study will help to identify various risks during the early stages and thus improve the success rate of startup projects.
Towards an optimized design for tetrapolar affinity-based impedimetric immunosensors for lab-on-a-chip applications

Electrochemical impedance detection of biomolecules relies on the electrode system used. The architecture of the metal electrodes, on top of which the biosensing materials and consequently the target molecules are immobilized, is of particular importance. A high and uniform sensitivity of the sensor to impedance changes in regions of interest is required. In this paper, the sensitivity of tetrapolar coplanar-electrode systems is investigated as a function of electrode position, with the use of FEM modeling. The results indicate, that bringing the inner two electrodes closer to the outer two, increases positive and reduces negative sensitivity regions with zero sensitivity to impedance changes always present on the electrode surface.
Key Management Model Of Added Value In The Historical Tourist Attractions: The Case Studies The Emerald Buddha Temple Bangkok Thailand

The promotion of the historical tourist attractions is an important mission that should be accomplished to ensure that the tourists have admired ancient sites that are valuable, rare, Inimitable andnon – substitution. The tourists are thus enthusiastic to visit the ancient sites and willing to promote and encourage other tourists to visit these tourist attractions. By this reason, the objective of this research is to study the main factors affecting the added value of the tourist to the historical tourist attractions in Thailand. The factors include, Participation Management, Processes Management, Resource Management, Tourists Satisfaction, Tourist Attractions Differentiation and Added Value of Tourists. In this study, the researcher has applied both quantitative and qualitative research methodologies using questionnaires and in-depth interview. The sample comprises visitors to the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. Meanwhile, the path analysis has been used to analyze the data. At the same time the researcher intends to propose the conceptual framework for this study with an aim to identify of the research question, there are any factors affecting to the added value of the visitors to the ancient sites. Moreover, the researcher has recommended 7 assumptions to find out the factors that have effects on the added value of the visitors to the ancient sites. The result has shown that the Tourists satisfaction and the differentiation in tourist attractions have affected the visitors’ added value with the significance level at 0.008. The result of this study can be used to set up the business operations policy of the Thai tourism business. The policy focuses on differentiation placing the development of tourist attractions as first priority followed by the environmental management, the promotion of tourist attractions and the renovation of ancient sites respectively.
Lifetime weight cycling and psychological health in normal-weight and overweight women.

OBJECTIVE The relationship between weight cycling history and psychological health was studied in a sample of 429 normal-weight and overweight women. METHOD Participants were from the Healthy Women Study, a longitudinal investigation of biological and psychosocial aspects of menopause. Participants were asked to report retrospectively details on their weight cycling history in terms of the frequency and magnitude of previous weight loss episodes. Data were examined using the total cycle weight lost and the frequency of weight cycles > or = 10 lb. Self-reported measures of depression, stress, anxiety, and anger were used to evaluate psychological health. RESULTS For both normal-weight and overweight women, the analyses revealed no adverse relationships between weight cycling history and the psychological measures. DISCUSSION These findings suggest that a history of weight cycling regardless of weight status does not adversely impact psychological health.
Agritourism, rural development and related policy initiatives in Thailand

The study examines agritourism, rural development and related policy initiatives in two case study areas: Rayong and Samut Songkhram provinces in Thailand. It develops and applies an integrative conceptual framework to understand agritourism as a form of rural development and reproduction in the developing world, and also related government policies to encourage agritourism development. While the framework is applied to the case study areas, consideration is also given to its potential relevance more widely in Thailand, in other developing countries and in developed world countries. The framework adopts political economy and agency approaches and it was developed for application and subsequent evaluation in the two case study provinces. Consideration is given to agritourism development and agritourism policy initiatives, and to their relationships with the arenas of production and consumption, the processes of state deregulation and state re-regulation, and the interactions among actors and networks around rural development and the application of agritourism policies. Importantly, it was argued that there is very little existing research in the tourism field using this combined approach.The fieldwork combines varied sources, including in-depth interviews, with these being used to understand the views of actors on agritourism development and the application of government agritourism initiatives in the two case study areas. The collected data were analyzed, interpreted and reported using thematic analysis, which was influenced by the study's conceptual framework and also by issues emerging from the data.Agritourism development in the case study areas was affected by restructuring in their local economies, involving growing economic difficulties for the agricultural sector, new investment in residential development and tourism, and growth in alternative income sources for the rural population. The government's agritourism initiatives were affected by a changing national political and policy context. These interventions assisted the agricultural sector to survive the economic restructuring, providing supplementary income and local markets for their farm produce and crafts. There were gaps between the support required by agritourism operators and the support actually provided, and there were deficiencies in the application of the agritourism policies. The interactions between agritourism operators could be important for business survival, but some groups were set up largely to secure government funds and did not provide each other with substantial support. Agritourism could bring economic benefits for wider rural communities, but it could also encourage community conflicts. Deficiencies in the government's agritourism initiatives sometimes arose from there being so many agencies involved, often in different ministries, and from a lack of coordination.
Hereditary maculardegeneration (HMD) in 246 cases traced to one gene-source in central Sweden.

Two large families with hereditary macular degeneration (HMD), one from central Sweden (116 cases), the other from northern Sweden (130 cases), were found to have a common origin. The disease was traced to a couple born in central Sweden (county of Kopparberg) in the 17th century. The disease was introduced to northern Sweden (county of Vasterbotten) in the 18th century. Age of onset and severity of the disease varied widely in the 246 patients, 130 men and 116 women, carrying the same mutated gene. The distribution of age of onset was bimodal with one maximum before and one maximum after puberty. Women more often than men had their onset before puberty. The disease was inherited as an autosomal dominant trait with a high but not complete penetrance. At least one patient appeared to be homozygous.
A Comparative Study of the Engagement of Migrant and Indigenous Artisans on the Construction Sites in Lagos Metropolis and Benin City, Nigeria

It is gradually becoming a norm to find some construction trades in project sites in Nigeria being dominated by migrant artisans from other West African countries, despite the high unemployment rate in Nigeria. The magnitude and spread of these migrants in Nigerian cities deserves research attention in the effort to understand the demographic settings that encourage their influx, and the reasons why contractors often employ them. This research carried out comparative study of the factors responsible for the engagement of migrant artisans in Lagos Metropolis and Benin City, South-West and South-South Nigeria respectively. Based on data from 40 randomly selected construction sites, 20 from each of the cities; it was found that indigenous artisans were dominant on construction sites in the study area with migrant artisans constituting 19.93% in Lagos and 15.67% in Benin City. Contractors in Lagos Metropolis engage the services of migrant artisans more frequently than those in Benin City. The study further revealed that migrant artisans are mainly engaged for tiling, P.O. P. installation and plastering works in Lagos and Benin City. The migrant artisans’ ability to work for longer hours (MS= 4.03), achieve better quality of workmanship (MS= 3.94) and reduction in cost (MS= 3.92) were the most important factors accounting for their engagement in Lagos. In Benin City, better quality of workmanship (MS= 4.30), reduction in cost (MS= 4.10) and migrant artisans’ ability to work for longer hours (MS= 3.82) were the most highly rated factors. Collaboration for trade test certification between the Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity and Polytechnics in Nigeria was recommended as a means of achieving adequate training of Nigerian artisans in order to check the increasing engagement of nationals of other countries in construction trades in Nigeria.
Cost control in megaprojects: efficacy, tools and techniques, key knowledge areas and project comparisons

Abstract The aims of this study are (1) to check the prevalence of cost overrun in megaprojects, (2) to investigate the efficacy of cost control in megaprojects, (3) to identify the popular tools and techniques used for cost control, (4) to find out the key knowledge areas highly relevant to cost control in megaprojects and (5) to make a comparison of these results between mega and general projects. To achieve these goals, a comprehensive literature review was conducted first, followed by a questionnaire administered to 32 Singapore-based construction companies having experiences in megaprojects. The results showed that: on average 44.22% of megaprojects in Singapore experienced cost overrun, which is about 6% higher than that for general projects; megaprojects are facing a lower efficacy in cost control than general projects; ‘S-curve’, ‘forecasting techniques’, ‘cost control software products’ and ‘Work Breakdown Structure’ are the popular tools and techniques used for cost control in megaprojects, and they are used more frequently in megaprojects than in general projects. Finally, six knowledge areas were found highly relevant to cost control in megaprojects, demonstrating higher relevance to cost control in megaprojects than in general projects.