Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Generation of a Mouse Model for Arginase II Deficiency by Targeted Disruption of the Arginase II Gene

ABSTRACT Mammals express two isoforms of arginase, designated types I and II. Arginase I is a component of the urea cycle, and inherited defects in arginase I have deleterious consequences in humans. In contrast, the physiologic role of arginase II has not been defined, and no deficiencies in arginase II have been identified in humans. Mice with a disruption in the arginase II gene were created to investigate the role of this enzyme. Homozygous arginase II-deficient mice were viable and apparently indistinguishable from wild-type mice, except for an elevated plasma arginine level which indicates that arginase II plays an important role in arginine homeostasis.
Evaluation of the In Vivo Efficiency and Safety of Hepatic Radiofrequency Ablation Using a 15-G Octopus® in Pig Liver

Objective To determine in vivo efficacy of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) in porcine liver by using 15-gauge Octopus® (15-G Octopus®) electrodes to create a large coagulation. Materials and Methods A total of 18 coagulations were created by using a 180-W generator and 15-G Octopus® electrodes during laparotomy, performed in 14 pigs. Coagulation necrosis was created in the pig livers by the use of one of three RFA protocols: 1) group A, monopolar RFA using a 15-G Octopus® electrode with a 5-mm inter-electrode distance (n = 4); 2) group B, monopolar RFA using a 15-G Octopus® electrode with a 10-mm inter-electrode distance (n = 6); and 3) group C, switching monopolar RFA using two 15-G Octopus® electrodes (n = 8). The energy efficiency, shape, maximum and minimum diameters (Dmx and Dmi), and the volume of the coagulation volume were measured in each group. The Summary statistics were obtained and Mann-Whitney test was were performed. Results The mean ablated volume of each group was 49.23 cm3 in A, 64.11 cm3 in B, and 72.35 cm3 in C. The mean Dmx and Dmi values were 5.68 cm and 4.58 cm in A and 5.97 cm and 4.97 cm in B, respectively. In group C, the mean diameters of Dmx and Dmi were 6.80 cm and 5.11 cm, respectively. The mean ratios of Dmi/Dmx were 1.25, 1.20, and 1.35 in groups A, B, and C, respectively. There was one animal death during the RFA procedure, the cause of which could not be subsequently determined. However, there were no other significant, procedure-related complications during the seven-hour-delayed CT scans. Conclusion RFA procedures using 15-G Octopus® electrodes are useful and safe for creating a large ablation in a single electrode model as well as in the multiple electrodes model.
Sparse Modeling Reveals miRNA Signatures for Diagnostics of Inflammatory Bowel Disease

The diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) still remains a clinical challenge and the most accurate diagnostic procedure is a combination of clinical tests including invasive endoscopy. In this study we evaluated whether systematic miRNA expression profiling, in conjunction with machine learning techniques, is suitable as a non-invasive test for the major IBD phenotypes (Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC)). Based on microarray technology, expression levels of 863 miRNAs were determined for whole blood samples from 40 CD and 36 UC patients and compared to data from 38 healthy controls (HC). To further discriminate between disease-specific and general inflammation we included miRNA expression data from other inflammatory diseases (inflammation controls (IC): 24 chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), 23 multiple sclerosis, 38 pancreatitis and 45 sarcoidosis cases) as well as 70 healthy controls from previous studies. Classification problems considering 2, 3 or 4 groups were solved using different types of penalized support vector machines (SVMs). The resulting models were assessed regarding sparsity and performance and a subset was selected for further investigation. Measured by the area under the ROC curve (AUC) the corresponding median holdout-validated accuracy was estimated as ranging from 0.75 to 1.00 (including IC) and 0.89 to 0.98 (excluding IC), respectively. In combination, the corresponding models provide tools for the distinction of CD and UC as well as CD, UC and HC with expected classification error rates of 3.1 and 3.3%, respectively. These results were obtained by incorporating not more than 16 distinct miRNAs. Validated target genes of these miRNAs have been previously described as being related to IBD. For others we observed significant enrichment for IBD susceptibility loci identified in earlier GWAS. These results suggest that the proposed miRNA signature is of relevance for the etiology of IBD. Its diagnostic value, however, should be further evaluated in large, independent, clinically well characterized cohorts.
Gender in the Afterlife: An Exploration of Dynamic Gender Stereotypes in the Epitaphs of the Merry Cemetery of Săpânţa

Gender stereotypes are shaped by the roles men and women fulfill in society. Our study uses a cultural artifact analysis and explores the way in which remunerated jobs, development across lifespan and historical time frames influence the content of gender stereotypes. We coded the feminine and masculine attributes in a selection of epitaphs written on the painted crosses of the Merry Cemetery of Săpânţa (Romania) between 1935 and 2010. This novel historical approach allowed us to explore the dynamic nature of gender stereotypes and the extent to which changes in the social context or the social roles have transformed the content of gender stereotypes. We show that during years of social unrest associated with the World War II and the early communist years the masculine attributes are dominant while during the last decades of the communist regime and the post-communist period the feminine attributes become more prevalent. Moreover, people having paid jobs are described as being more masculine than the homemakers. Finally, our results show an increase of masculinity during the lifespan for both male and female as well as an increase of androgyny with age for women and a slight decrease with age for men.
Model studies on the eutrophication of shallow lakes and ditches

This study concentrates on eutrophication effects in shallow lakes and ponds on the one hand and in ditches (small water channels in agricultural areas) on the other. In shallow lakes (up to ca 4 m of depth), ihe clear-water community characterized by macrophytes is generally replaced by a dominance of phytoplankton and turbid water, while a diverse fish community including piscivores is transferred into a species-poor community dominated by bream. In ditches, eutrophication causes the typical, richly structured community of submerged macrophyles to be replaced by a monotonous layer of small floating plants, duckweeds. This leads, among olher things, to an anaerobic environment and deterioration of aquatic life. As these biotic effects are considered as undesirable, it is important to be able to predict, as far as possible in a quantitative way, at what degree of eutrophication these changes will occur, and whether they are reversible or not. Mathematical models are a useful tool to address such questions and support management decisions. This thesis describes two such mathematical model, a model for lakes and a model for ditches
Language control in bilingual language comprehension: evidence from the maze task

Most empirical evidence on switch costs is based on bilingual production and interpreted as a result of inhibitory control. It is unclear whether such a top–down control process exists in language switching during comprehension. This study investigates whether a non-lexical switch cost is involved in reading code-switched sentences and its relation to language dominance with cross-script bilingual readers. A maze task is adopted in order to separate top–down inhibitory effects, from lexical effects driven by input. The key findings are: (1) switch costs were observed in both L1–L2 and L2–L1 directions; (2) these effects were driven by two mechanisms: lexical activation and inhibitory control; (3) language dominance modulated the lexical effects, but did not affect the inhibitory effects. These results suggest that a language control mechanism is involved in bilingual reading, even though the control process is not driven by selection as in production. At the theoretical level, these results lend support for the Inhibitory Control model during language switching in comprehension; while the BIA/BIA+ model needs to incorporate a top–down control mechanism to be able to explain the current findings.
The Wage Curve and Local Labour Markets in New Zealand

Blanchflower and Oswald argue in their 1994 book that there is a stable downward-sloping convex curve linking the level of pay to the local unemployment rate. They derived this so-called wage curve from measurements on individuals within regions (local labour markets) for several countries and periods. Other investigators have confirmed the robustness of this finding. In this paper we seek evidence for the wage curve in New Zealand drawing on data at the regional level by means of the /996 census of population and dwellings. New Zealand research is hampered by the inaccessibility of unit record data and the paper reports results based on publicly available grouped data. The results show that a cross-sectional wage curve does exist in New Zealand. The elasticity is in the range of-0.07 to -0.12, which is similar to results obtained for other countries. However, research to date has not been able to choose between competing explanations for this phenomenon. We argue that a better understanding of the dynamics of local labour markets is an essential requirement for further study of the wage curve.
Deformation and crustal rigidity of rotating neutron stars

Aims. We calculate parameters A and B of the Baym-Pines model of the hydro-elastic equilibrium of rotating neutron stars. Parameter A determines the energy increase of a non-rotating star due to a quadrupolar deformation of its shape. Parameter B determines residual quadrupolar deformation due to the crustal shear strain in a neutron star that spun down to a non-rotating state. Methods. The calculations of A are based on precise numerical 2D calculations for rotating neutron stars with the realistic equations of state (EOSs) of dense matter. An approximate, but quite precise, formula for B is used, which allows us to separate the contribution of the crust from the dependence on the stellar mass M and radius R. The elastic shear strain distribution within the crust is modeled following Cutler et al. (2003). Realistic EOSs of neutron star cores are used, some of them with high-density softening due to the appearance of hyperons or a phase transition to an exotic state. Results. The values A(M )a ndB(M) were calculated for 0.2 M� < M < 0.9 Mmax (where Mmax is the maximum allowable mass) for seven EOSs of neutron star core, combined with several crust models. A standard formula based on the incompressible fluid model
Body mass index and colon cancer in a national sample of adult US men and women.

The evidence supporting obesity as a risk factor for colon cancer remains inconclusive, especially among women. The author studied the association between obesity and colon cancer in a nationally representative cohort of men and women aged 25-74 years who participated in the First National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 1971 to 1975 and were subsequently followed up through 1992. Among the 13,420 persons included in the analytic sample, 222 incident cases of colon cancer were identified. Height and weight were measured during the baseline examination. Compared with participants whose body mass index was less than 22 kg/m2, the hazard ratios were 1.79 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.87, 3.71), 1.86 (95% CI: 0.86, 4.03), 2.47 (95% CI: 1.14, 5.32), 3.72 (95% CI: 1.68, 8.22), and 2.79 (95% CI: 1.22, 6.35) for participants with a body mass index of 22-<24 kg/m2, 24-<26 kg/m2, 26-<28 kg/m2, 28-<30 kg/m2, and > or = 30 kg/m2, respectively. The hazard ratios were similar for men and women. Subscapular skinfold thickness, but not triceps skinfold thickness, was positively associated with colon cancer incidence among men but not women, after adjustment for body mass index and other possible confounders. These results strongly support the hypothesis that excess body weight is a risk factor for colon cancer among both men and women.
Regional income inequality in China and Indonesia: A comparative analysis

This study examines the extent and trends of regional income inequality in China and Indonesia, and performs a comparative analysis between these two countries in terms of factors determining regional income inequality. There are a number of studies that have analyzed the relationship between economic development and regional income inequality in China and Indonesia. However, most previous studies employed provincial income and population data to measure regional income inequality and were thus unable to measure inequality within provinces. In order to rectify this drawback, we will use district-level income and population data, rather than provincial data, to measure regional income inequality, and examine not only between-province inequalities but also within-province inequalities by using the two-stage nested Theil decomposition method developed by Akita (2002). China and Indonesia are still at a relatively early stage of economic development; therefore, income-enhancing economic activities tend to have concentrated in a few districts in each province to enjoy agglomeration economies. We will show that a very large regional income inequality exists among the districts of China and Indonesia. This study will also conduct a regression analysis to explore possible determinants of within-province income inequality, in which the following variables are considered: foreign direct investment, economic dualism, and migration.
Dramas of Nationhood: The Politics of Television in Egypt

How do people come to think of themselves as part of a nation? "Dramas of Nationhood" identifies a fantastic cultural form that binds together the Egyptian nation-television serials. These melodramatic programs-like soap operas but more closely tied to political and social issues than their Western counterparts-have been shown on television in Egypt for more than thirty years. In this book, Lila Abu-Lughod examines the shifting politics of these serials and the way their contents both reflect and seek to direct the changing course of Islam, gender relations, and everyday life in this Middle Eastern nation. Representing a decade's worth of research, "Dramas of Nationhood" makes a case for the importance of studying television to answer larger questions about culture, power, and modern self-fashionings. Abu-Lughod explores the elements of developmentalist ideology and the visions of national progress that once dominated Egyptian television-now experiencing a crisis. She discusses the broadcasts in rich detail, from the generic emotional qualities of TV serials and the depictions of authentic national culture, to the debates inflamed by their deliberate strategies for combating religious extremism.
Nearest neighbour interconnect architecture in deep submicron FPGAs

Several commercial FPGA architectures provide fast connections between adjacent logic blocks that decrease the best-case delay between circuit elements with the goal of increasing overall performance. This paper explores the architecture of these Nearest Neighbour (NN) interconnects to determine topologies, quantities and distances that are best for performance and area. We show that certain architectures can achieve a 7.4% performance improvement at the cost of a 6.3% increase in total FPGA area when fully populated. We also show that a 6.4% improvement can be achieved for a more modest cost of 3.8% increase in area.
On the interaction of temperature-sensing, Shape Memory Alloy dynamics, and control design for a bending actuator

Temperature based control of Shape Memory Alloys faces difficulties in the determination of the actual material temperature profiles due to the typically small geometrical characteristics and possible high rates of excitation. Under such operating conditions, the expected hysteretic response can be transformed into a temperature rate-dependent one, with peculiar response characteristics. The intricacies of temperature sensing on a thin-wire SMA-actuator are coupled with a control-relevant model to enable the application of a sliding-mode controller. Experimental studies are used to validate the controlled system's performance.
Implied Correlation in CDO Tranches: A Paradigm to be Handled with Care

We illustrate the two main types of implied correlation one may obtain from market CDO tranche spreads. Compound correlation is more consistent at single tranche level but for some market CDO tranche spreads cannot be implied. Base correlation is less consistent but more flexible and can be implied for a much wider set of CDO tranche market spreads. Furthermore, base correlation is more easily interpolated and leads to the possibility to price non-standard detachments. Even so, base correlation may lead to negative expected tranche losses, thus violating basic no-arbitrage conditions. We illustrate these features with numerical examples.
Study and Calibration of a LIBOR Forward Swap Model with Stochastic Volatility

The topic of this master thesis is the study of a LIBOR forward swap model with stochastic volatility and its calibration based on the market European swaption implied volatility surface. The first part of the thesis will briefly review the most common short rate models; it will introduce the Heath-Jarrow-Morton framework and it will describe the LIBOR swap Market Model (LMM). The topic of the second part will be the extension of the LMM including a stochastic term in the forward rate volatility. In particular the thesis will follow the approach described by Wu and Zhang 2006. This approach allows a calibration of the LMM parameters to an European swaption implied volatility surface making it particularly interesting for applications in the financial industry. In the third part, the numerical implementation of the model will be described and the calibration procedures and results will be discussed. The conclusions will summarize the key features of the stochastic volatility LMM and will discuss the main results.
Simulative investigation of network services for resilient packet ring in steering mode

To recover link failure on resilient packet ring (RPR) networks, two protection mechanisms, steering and wrapping, defined in IEEE 802.17 can restore a failed network in less than 50ms, and maintain link connectivity between each node. In this study, we focus on the RPR steering mechanism and the properties of the three different traffic classes defined in RPR by conducting simulation. We find that the frame delay of protection in comparison with the normal condition is much higher. In the steering mechanism, the head nodes of protected ringlet sections can seize more bandwidth than their downstream nodes. To actually see the qualitative difference of the MPEG video transmitted in the RPR steering mechanism, we develop and realize a software-based networking environment to emulate the transmission of MPEG video traffic under protection modes. From the result, we can see the difference between the original video and emulated video.
Learning About a Shift in Trend Output: Implications for Monetary Policy and Inflation

This paper develops a small forward-looking macroeconomic model where the Federal Reserve estimates the level of potential output in real time by running a regression on past output data. The Fed's perceived output gap is used as an input to the monetary policy rule while the true output gap influences aggregate demand and inflation. I investigate the consequences of two postulated shifts in the growth rate of U.S. potential output: the first occurs in the early-1970s and the second in the mid-1990s. Initially, Fed policymakers interpret these shifts to be cyclical shocks but their regression algorithm allows them to gradually discover the truth as the economy evolves over time. Under a Taylor-type rule, the model can produce a hump-shaped pattern in trend inflation that peaks around 1979 and a downward movement in trend inflation since 1995. Under a nominal income growth rule, these low-frequency movements in inflation are substantially reduced but not eliminated. The business cycle stabilization properties of the two rules turn out to be quite similar. Finally, using stochastic simulations, I show that efforts to identify the Fed's policy rule using a regression based on final data can create the illusion of strong interest rate smoothing behavior when in fact none exists.
Angewandte Mathematik Und Informatik Universit at Zu K Oln a Basic Study of the Qap-polytope

We investigate a polytope (the QAP-Polytope) beyond a \natural" integer programming formulation of the Quadratic Assignment Problem (QAP) that has been used successfully in order to compute good lower bounds for the QAP in the very recent years. We present basic structural properties of the QAP-Polytope, partially independently also obtained by Rijal (1995). The main original contribution of this work is the representation of the QAP-Polytope in a space diierent from the one in which it is deened naturally. This representation provides us with a much simpler way to derive the dimension of the QAP-Polytope, as well as to investigate the facial structure of it. Furthermore, it leads to some interesting observations concerning the combinatorial structure of the QAP-Polytope.
Amelioration of Hypoglycemia Via Somatostatin Receptor Type 2 Antagonism in Recurrently Hypoglycemic Diabetic Rats

Selective antagonism of somatostatin receptor type 2 (SSTR2) normalizes glucagon and corticosterone responses to hypoglycemic clamp in diabetic rats. The purpose of this study was to determine whether SSTR2 antagonism (SSTR2a) ameliorates hypoglycemia in response to overinsulinization in diabetic rats previously exposed to recurrent hypoglycemia. Streptozotocin diabetic rats (n = 19), previously subjected to five hypoglycemia events over 3 days, received an insulin bolus (10 units/kg i.v.) plus insulin infusion (50 mU/kg/min i.v.) until hypoglycemia ensued (≤3.9 mmol/L) (experimental day 1 [Expt-D1]). The next day (Expt-D2), rats were allocated to receive either placebo treatment (n = 7) or SSTR2a infusion (3,000 nmol/kg/min i.v., n = 12) 60 min prior to the same insulin regimen. On Expt-D1, all rats developed hypoglycemia by ∼90 min, while on Expt-D2, hypoglycemia was attenuated with SSTR2a treatment (nadir = 3.7 ± 0.3 vs. 2.7 ± 0.3 mmol/L in SSTR2a and controls, P < 0.01). Glucagon response to hypoglycemia on Expt-D2 deteriorated by 20-fold in the placebo group (P < 0.001) but improved in the SSTR2a group (threefold increase in area under the curve [AUC], P < 0.001). Corticosterone response deteriorated in the placebo-treated rats on Expt-D2 but increased twofold in the SSTR2a group. Catecholamine responses were not affected by SSTR2a. Thus, SSTR2 antagonism after recurrent hypoglycemia improves the glucagon and corticosterone responses and largely ameliorates insulin-induced hypoglycemia in diabetic rats.