Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of product scarcity: the mediating role of consumer need for uniqueness and conformity

This study aims to investigate both the effects of scarcity due to supply (SDS) and scarcity due to demand (SDD) on the perceived value of products and consumers' purchase intention, as mediated by consumer need for uniqueness (NFU) and conformity, respectively. Cell phones (conspicuous products) and body wash (inconspicuous products) were chosen as research products, both with fiction brand and using leaflets slogan to manipulate the scarcity message. Data from a total of 923 Taiwan usable internet surveys were collected. The results showed that in the SDS model, the NFU partially mediates the positive effect of SDS on perceived value, and also directly as well as indirectly enhances purchase intention. In the SDD model, conformity partially mediates the positive effect of SDD on perceived value, and also directly as well as indirectly enhances purchase intention.
Influence of fatiguing noise on auditory evoked responses to stimuli of various levels in a beluga whale, Delphinapterus leucas

ABSTRACT The negative impact of man-made noise on the hearing of odontocetes has attracted considerable recent attention. In the majority of studies, permanent or temporary reductions in sensitivity, known as permanent or temporary threshold shift (PTS or TTS, respectively), have been investigated. In the present study, the effects of a fatiguing sound on the hearing of a beluga whale, Delphinapterus leucas, within a wide range of levels of test signals was investigated. The fatiguing noise was half-octave band-limited noise centered at 32 kHz. Post-exposure effects of this noise on the evoked responses to test stimuli (rhythmic pip trains with a 45-kHz center frequency) at various levels (from threshold to 60 dB above threshold) were measured. For baseline (pre-exposure) responses, the magnitude-versus-level function featured a segment of steep magnitude dependence on level (up to 30 dB above threshold) that was followed by a plateau segment that featured little dependence on level (30 to 55 dB above threshold). Post-exposure, the function shifted upward along the level scale. The shift was 23 dB at the threshold and up to 33 dB at the supra-threshold level. Owing to the plateau in the magnitude-versus-level function, post-exposure suppression of responses depended on the stimulus level such that higher levels corresponded to less suppression. The experimental data may be modeled based on the compressive non-linearity of the cochlea. According to the model, post-exposure responses of the cochlea to high-level stimuli are minimally suppressed compared with the pre-exposure responses, despite a substantially increased threshold. Summary: Investigation of the effects of a fatiguing sound on the hearing of a beluga whale within a wide range of levels of test signals shows that fatiguing noise exposure reduces responses to supra-threshold signals.
Postmarketing surveillance of suicidal adverse events with pediatric use of antidepressants.

OBJECTIVE The aim of this analysis was to delineate trends in spontaneous postmarketing reporting data with antidepressant drugs for adverse events involving suicidal behaviors in children and adolescents. METHODS The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Adverse Event Reporting System (AERS) was searched for postmarketing adverse event reports of suicidal thoughts and behaviors occurring in children and adolescents treated with 10 antidepressant drugs. The search covered the period from market launch of each drug through November 2003. RESULTS A total of 524 reports were returned by the search. All drugs had reports, and most drugs demonstrated 15 or fewer reports annually, with the following two exceptions. We observed a peak of reporting for fluoxetine in the early 1990s, and another peak of reporting for paroxetine in recent years. Further investigation revealed that the peak in recent paroxetine reporting was accounted for by reports from consumers, whereas reporting by health professionals remained fairly constant. In contrast, the earlier peak in reports for fluoxetine was not accounted for by an increase in consumer reporting. CONCLUSIONS Spontaneous reporting data for suicidal events in pediatric patients treated with antidepressant drugs appears to be highly variable and subject to various influences. The most appropriate method to assess an association of antidepressant drug treatment with suicidal behaviors is examination of systematically collected data with appropriate comparison groups, such as randomized, controlled trial data.
MIMO extensions for SC/FDE systems

Several efforts are currently underway in investigating multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communication systems. MIMO technology promises high data rate wireless communications and/or the potentiality of exploiting transmit and receive diversity schemes. For WLAN (wireless local area networks) scenarios most investigations focus on OFDM (orthogonal frequency division multiplexing) transmission. In this paper we discuss multiple antenna diversity and spatial multiplexing schemes for SC/FDE (single carrier transmission with frequency domain equalization), a single carrier technology closely related to OFDM due to its frequency domain signal processing characteristics. Equalizer structures are derived and analyzed, and their performance is demonstrated using BER-simulations
Asymptotic design and analysis of linear detectors for CDMA systems

The asymptotic performance of the linear MMSE detector for any finite observation window and any symbol impinging the observed signal is derived for asynchronous but chip synchronous CDMA systems with random spreading. Additionally, a multistage detector that does not suffer from windowing effects and performs as well as the correspondent detector in synchronous systems is proposed. In contrast to the synchronous case, considering a sufficient large delay, the proposed multistage detector can even outperform the full rank linear MMSE detector constrained to a finite fixed observation window.
BRCA1 and BRCA2 pathways and the risk of cancers other than breast or ovarian.

OBJECTIVE Germline mutations in the tumor suppressor genes BRCA1 and BRCA2 predispose women to breast and ovarian cancer. Female carriers of BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutations have very high lifetime risks for breast and ovarian cancers. Genetic abnormalities occur in all cancers, so BRCA-related pathways are critical because they serve to safeguard genetic content. Although protecting genetic information is a general function, BRCA-related pathways seem largely specific to preventing breast and ovarian cancer. The objective of this study was to resolve this difference between the theoretical functions of BRCA genes and their specific clinical effects. DATA SOURCES, DATA EXTRACTION, DATA SYNTHESIS The author collected data published in > 30 epidemiologic studies on the incidence of cancers other than breast or ovarian in mutation carriers and in large populations eligible for mutation testing. Data were extracted and used directly as published whenever possible with a minimum of statistical manipulation. CONCLUSIONS Although mutations target breast and ovary, a broader spectrum of cancers also occur with statistically significant elevated frequencies. Risks for "all cancers except breast or ovary" are elevated, with some population subgroups differing with regard to how frequently elevated risks were found at individual sites. Additional sites at risk included stomach, pancreas, prostate, and colon. The increased risk ranged from about 20% to 60%, with the greatest increases in risk in stomach and pancreas. The collected data show BRCA-pathway functions are probably required at multiple sites, not just in breast or ovary. Known interactions and relationships among BRCA-related pathways strongly support the idea that their inactivation provides growth or survival advantages for a variety of cancers. The data suggest applying an increased level of clinical alertness to those with defects in BRCA-related pathways. Identifying molecules that confer growth or survival advantages to BRCA-related cancers may provide broadly useful targets for chemotherapy or chemoprevention.
Homocysteine as a predictive factor for hip fracture in older persons.

BACKGROUND The increased prevalence of osteoporosis among people with homocystinuria suggests that a high serum homocysteine concentration may weaken bone by interfering with collagen cross-linking, thereby increasing the risk of osteoporotic fracture. We examined the association between the total homocysteine concentration and the risk of hip fracture in men and women enrolled in the Framingham Study. METHODS We studied 825 men and 1174 women, ranging in age from 59 to 91 years, from whom blood samples had been obtained between 1979 and 1982 to measure plasma total homocysteine. The participants in our study were followed from the time that the sample was obtained through June 1998 for incident hip fracture. Sex-specific, age-adjusted incidence rates of hip fracture were calculated for quartiles of total homocysteine concentrations. Cox proportional-hazards regression was used to calculate hazard ratios for quartiles of homocysteine values. RESULTS The mean (+/-SD) plasma total homocysteine concentration was 13.4+/-9.1 micromol per liter in men and 12.1+/-5.3 micromol per liter in women. The median duration of follow-up was 12.3 years for men and 15.0 years for women. There were 41 hip fractures among men and 146 among women. The age-adjusted incidence rates per 1000 person-years for hip fracture, from the lowest to the highest quartile for total homocysteine, were 1.96 (95 percent confidence interval, 0.52 to 3.41), 3.24 (0.97 to 5.52), 4.43 (1.80 to 7.07), and 8.14 (4.20 to 12.08) for men and 9.42 (5.72 to 13.12), 7.01 (4.29 to 9.72), 9.58 (6.42 to 12.74), and 16.57 (11.84 to 21.30) for women. Men and women in the highest quartile had a greater risk of hip fracture than those in the lowest quartile--the risk was almost four times as high for men and 1.9 times as high for women. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that the homocysteine concentration, which is easily modifiable by means of dietary intervention, is an important risk factor for hip fracture in older persons.
Conformational analysis of bacterial cell wall peptides indicates how particular conformations have influenced the evolution of penicillin‐binding proteins, β‐lactam antibiotics and antibiotic resistance mechanisms

Our aim was to use a conformational analysis technique developed for peptides to identify structural relationships between bacterial cell wall peptides and β‐lactam antibiotics that might help to explain their different actions as substrates and inhibitors of penicillin binding proteins (PBPs). The conformational forms of the model cell wall peptide Ac‐L‐Lys(Ac)‐D‐Ala‐D‐Ala are described by just a few backbone torsion combinations: three C‐terminal carboxylate regions, with Tor8 (ψi+1) ranges of D3 region (50° to 70°), D6 region (140° to 170°) and D9 region (−50° to −70°) are combined with either of two Tor6 (ϕi)‐Tor4 (ψi) combinations, C4 region (−50° to −80°) with B8 region (−40° to −70°) or C11 region (30° to 50°) with B2 region (30° to 70°). From these results, and comparisons with conformational analyses of various β‐lactams and Ac‐L‐Lys(Ac)‐D‐Ala‐D‐Lac, it is concluded that molecular recognition of cell wall peptide substrates by PBPs requires conformers with backbone torsion angles of D3C4B8. β‐Lactam antibiotics are constrained compounds with fewer conformational forms; these match well the backbone torsions of cell wall peptides at D3C4, allowing their recognition and acylation by PBPs, whereas their unique Tor4 produces differently orientated CO and N atoms that appear to prevent subsequent deacylation, leading to their action as suicide substrates. The results are also related to the selective pressures involved in evolution of β‐lactamases from PBPs. From analysis of conformers of Ac‐L‐Lys(Ac)‐D‐Ala‐D‐Ala and the vancomycin‐resistant analogue Ac‐L‐Lys(Ac)‐D‐Ala‐D‐Lac, it is concluded that vancomycin may recognise D6C11B2 conformers, giving it complementary substrate specificity to PBPs. This approach could have applications in the rational design of antibiotics targeted against PBPs and their substrates. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Career Duration in the NBA

Using a panel of National Basketball Association players from 1990 through 2013, we analyze the determinants of career length in the league. We find that foreign-born players who did not play college basketball in the United States have shorter careers than do American-born players holding performance constant. Foreign-born players who played college basketball in the United States do not have shorter careers. We suggest that both push and pull immigration factors might cause this early exit.
RNA Recombination In Vivo in the Absence of Viral Replication

ABSTRACT To study fundamental aspects of RNA recombination, an in vivo RNA recombination system was established. This system allowed the efficient generation of recombinant cytopathogenic pestiviruses after transfection of synthetic, nonreplicatable, subgenomic transcripts in cells infected with a replicating noncytopathogenic virus. Studies addressing the interplay between RNA recombination and replication revealed that cotransfection of noninfected cells with various pairs of nonreplicatable RNA derivatives also led to the emergence of recombinant viral genomes. Remarkably, homologous and nonhomologous recombination occurred between two overlapping transcripts, each lacking different essential parts of the viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) gene. Apart from the generally accepted viral replicative copy choice recombination, our results prove the existence of a viral RdRp-independent mechanism of RNA recombination that occurs in vivo. It appears likely that such a mechanism not only contributes to the evolution of RNA viruses but also leads to the generation of recombinant cellular RNAs.
A multivariate method for estimating mortality rates among children under 5 years from health and social indicators in Iraq.

BACKGROUND Many reports on Iraq suggest that a rise in rates of death and disease have occurred since the Gulf War of January/February 1991 and the economic sanctions that followed it. METHODS Four preliminary models, based on unadjusted projections, were developed. A logistic regression model was then developed on the basis of six social variables in Iraq and comparable information from countries in the State of the World's Children report. Missing data were estimated for this model by a multiple imputation procedure. The final model depends on three socio-medical indicators: adult literacy, nutritional stunting of children under 5 years, and access to piped water. RESULTS The model successfully predicted both the mortality rate in 1990, under stable conditions, and in 1991, following the Gulf War. For 1996, after 5 years of sanctions and prior to receipt of humanitarian food via the oil for food programme, this model shows mortality among children under 5 to have reached an estimated 87 per 1000, a rate last experienced more than 30 years ago. CONCLUSIONS Accurate and timely estimates of mortality levels in developing countries are costly and require considerable methodological expertise. A rapid estimation technique like the one developed here may be a useful tool for quick and efficient estimation of mortality rates among under 5 year olds in countries where good mortality data are not routinely available. This is especially true for countries with complex humanitarian emergencies where information on mortality changes can guide interventions and the social stability to use standard demographic methods does not exist.
Effect of long-term dietary sphingomyelin supplementation on atherosclerosis in mice

Sphingomyelin (SM) levels in the circulation correlate positively with atherosclerosis burden. SM is a ubiquitous component of human diets, but it is unclear if dietary SM increases circulating SM levels. Dietary choline increases atherosclerosis by raising circulating trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) levels in mice and humans. As SM has a choline head group, we ask in this study if dietary SM accelerates atherosclerotic lesion development by increasing circulating SM and TMAO levels. Three studies were performed: (Study 1) C57BL/6 mice were maintained on a high fat diet with or without SM supplementation for 4 weeks prior to quantification of serum TMAO and SM levels; (Study 2) atherosclerosis was studied in apoE-/- mice after 16 weeks of a high fat diet without or with SM supplementation and (Study 3) apoE-/- mice were maintained on a chow diet for 19 weeks without or with SM supplementation and antibiotic treatment prior to quantification of atherosclerotic lesions and serum TMAO and SM levels. SM consumption did not increase circulating SM levels or atherosclerosis in high fat-fed apoE-/- mice. Serum TMAO levels in C57BL/6 mice were low and had no effect atherosclerosis lesion development. Dietary SM supplementation significantly reduced atherosclerotic lesion area in the aortic arch of chow-fed apoE-/- mice. This study establishes that dietary SM does not affect circulating SM levels or increase atherosclerosis in high fat-fed apoE-/- mice, but it is anti-atherogenic in chow-fed apoE-/- mice.
Checkpoint for DNA integrity at the first mitosis after oocyte activation

Activation of oocytes, arrested at the meiosis II (MII) in mammals, initiates meiotic release, mitotic divisions, and development. Unlike most somatic cell types, MII arrested female germ cells lack an efficient DNA integrity checkpoint control. Here we present evidence showing a unique checkpoint for DNA integrity at first mitosis after oocyte activation. Mouse oocytes carrying intact DNA cleaved normally after meiotic release, whereas 50% of oocytes harboring damaged DNA manifested cytofragmentation, a morphological hallmark of apoptosis. If not activated, DNA‐damaged MII oocytes did not show apoptotic fragmentation. Further, activated, enucleated oocytes or enucleated fertilized oocytes also underwent cytofragmentation, implicating cytoplasmic coordination of the fragmentation process, independent of the nucleus. Depolymerization of either actin filaments or microtubules induced no cytofragmentation, but inhibited fragmentation upon oocyte activation. During the process of fragmentation, microtubule networks formed, then microtubule asters congregated at discrete locations, around which fragmented cellular bodies formed. Mitotic spindles, however, were not formed inactivated oocytes with damaged or absent DNA; in contrast, normal mitotic spindles were formed in activated oocytes with intact DNA. These results demonstrate that damaged DNA or absence of DNA leads to cytofragmentation after oocyte activation. Further, we found a mechanism of cytoskeletal involvement in the process of cytofragmentation. In addition, possible implication of the present findings in somatic cell cloning and human clinical embryology is discussed. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 62: 277–288, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Characteristics of Partially Purified Nerve Growth Factor Receptor

Abstract: Receptors for the nerve growth factor protein (NGF) have been isolated from three cell types [embryonic chicken sensory neurons (dorsal root sensory ganglia; DRG), rat pheochromocytoma (PC 12) and human neuroblastoma (LAN‐1) cells] and have been shown to be similar with respect to equilibrium dissociation constants. The present results demonstrate that there are multiple molecular weight species for NGF receptors from DRG neurons and PC 12 cells. NGF receptors can be isolated from DRG as four different molecular species of 228, 187, 125, and 112 kilodaltons, and PC 12 cells as three molecular species of 203, 118, and 107 kilodaltons. The NGF receptors isolated from DRG show different pH‐binding profiles for high‐and low‐affinity binding. High‐affinity binding displays a bell‐shaped pH profile with maximum binding between pH 7.0 and 7.9, whereas low‐affinity binding is constant between pH 5.0 and 9.1, with a twofold greater binding at pH 3.6. At 22°C, the association rate constant was found to be 9.5 ± 1.0 ± 106M‐1 S‐1. Two dissociation rate constants were observed. The fast dissociating receptor has a dissociation rate constant of 3.0 ± 1.5 ± 10‐2 S‐1, whereas the slow dissociating receptor constant was 2.4 ± 1.0 ± 10‐4S‐1. The equilibrium dissociation constants calculated from the ratio of dissociation to association rate constants are 2.5 ± 10‐11M for the high‐affinity receptor (type I) and 3.2 ± 10‐9M for the low‐affinity receptor (type II). These values are the same as those determined by equilibrium experiments on the isolated receptors. The data are consistent with the hypothesis that there are at least two different receptors for NGF.
Farmers’ perceptions of irrigation and constraints on rice production in Benin: a stakeholder-consultation approach

ABSTRACT This article examines rice farmers’ perceptions of irrigation and constraints on rice production in the municipality of Malanville, Benin. Farmers’ positive perceptions of irrigation include the use of irrigation for insurance against drought, crop yield improvement, higher income, food security and poverty reduction. Analysis of constraints reveals that farmers face major constraints such as lack of agricultural credit, poor access to production inputs, inadequate knowledge of water resources management, poor access to agricultural information and markets, and flooding of fields. Specific constraints in the irrigation scheme of Malanville include the high cost of irrigation and unavailability of water.
The in vitro and in vivo effects of 2-(4-morpholinyl)-8-phenyl-chromone (LY294002), a specific inhibitor of phosphatidylinositol 3'-kinase, in human colon cancer cells.

PURPOSE Phosphatidylinositol 3'-kinase (PI3K) and Akt/protein kinase B(PKB) allow for escape from apoptosis in various human cancer cells. We postulated that 2-(4-morpholinyl)-8-phenyl-chromone (LY294002), a PI3K inhibitor, should inactivate Akt/PKB, consequently inhibiting cell proliferation and inducing apoptosis in vitro and in vivo. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN Human colon cancer cell lines (DLD-1, LoVo, HCT15, and Colo205) and their mouse xenografts (DLD-1 and LoVo) were used in this study. The expression of phosphorylated Akt (Ser(473)) and apoptosis in cancer cells were determined by immunoblotting and immunohistochemistry. To evaluate the activity of caspase-3 in culturing cells, the caspase colorimetric assay was also performed. RESULTS LY294002 demonstrated a remarkable growth-inhibitory and apoptosis-inducing effect in these colon cancer cell lines, with decreased expression of phosphorylated Akt (Ser(473)). However, there was a great discrepancy between the sensitivity for LY294002 and the level of expression of phosphorylated Akt. Although the LoVo and Colo205 cells exhibited high sensitivity to LY294002 with increased apoptosis, the DLD-1 and HCT15 cells did not show rapid induction of apoptosis. The caspase-3 activity was significantly high in the LoVo cells but not in the DLD-1 cells. In the experiments using mouse xenografts, we found that LY294002 administration in vivo also resulted in suppression of tumor growth and induction of apoptosis, especially in the LoVo tumors, and therefore showed remarkable effectiveness in the mouse peritonitis carcinomatosa model. CONCLUSIONS PI3K-Akt/PKB plays an important role in colon cancer development and progression by helping to promote cell growth and allowing cells to escape apoptosis. These results propose the usefulness of LY294002 as an antitumoral agent for patients with colorectal cancer.