Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Leucine Supplementation Accelerates Connective Tissue Repair of Injured Tibialis Anterior Muscle

This study investigated the effect of leucine supplementation on the skeletal muscle regenerative process, focusing on the remodeling of connective tissue of the fast twitch muscle tibialis anterior (TA). Young male Wistar rats were supplemented with leucine (1.35 g/kg per day); then, TA muscles from the left hind limb were cryolesioned and examined after 10 days. Although leucine supplementation induced increased protein synthesis, it was not sufficient to promote an increase in the cross-sectional area (CSA) of regenerating myofibers (p > 0.05) from TA muscles. However, leucine supplementation reduced the amount of collagen and the activation of phosphorylated transforming growth factor-β receptor type I (TβR-I) and Smad2/3 in regenerating muscles (p < 0.05). Leucine also reduced neonatal myosin heavy chain (MyHC-n) (p < 0.05), increased adult MyHC-II expression (p < 0.05) and prevented the decrease in maximum tetanic strength in regenerating TA muscles (p < 0.05). Our results suggest that leucine supplementation accelerates connective tissue repair and consequent function of regenerating TA through the attenuation of TβR-I and Smad2/3 activation. Therefore, future studies are warranted to investigate leucine supplementation as a nutritional strategy to prevent or attenuate muscle fibrosis in patients with several muscle diseases.
Character degrees and nilpotence class of finite p-groups: An approach via pro-p groups

Let S be a finite set of powers of p containing 1. It is known that for some choices of S, if P is a finite p-group whose set of character degrees is S, then the nilpotence class of P is bounded by some integer that depends on S, while for some other choices of S such an integer does not exist. The sets of the first type are called class bounding sets. The problem of determining the class bounding sets has been studied in several papers whose results made it tempting to conjecture that a set S is class bounding if and only if p ¬∈ S. In this article we provide a new approach to this problem. Our main result shows the relevance of certain p-adic space groups in this problem. With its help, we are able to prove some results that provide new class bounding sets. We also show that there exist non-class-bounding sets S such that p ¬∈ S.
Systems of Innovation

Contents: 1. Introduction 2. Technological Infrastructure and International Competitiveness 3. Structural Crises of Adjustment, Business Cycles and Investment Behaviour 4. Innovation and Growth 5. Family Allowances, Technical Change, Inequality and Social Policy 6. Continental, National and Sub-national Systems of Innovation 7. Rise of the East Asian Economies and the Computerisation of the World Economy 8. A Hard Landing for the "New Economy": Information Technology and the United States National System of Innovation 9. Catching Up and Innovation Systems: Implications for Eastern Europe 10. The ICT Paradigm 11. A Schumpeterian Renaissance? 12. Conclusions: A 'Theory of Reasoned History'
Community Service and Social Responsibility in Youth

This is an analysis of the beneficial effects of community service on the political and moral identity of adolescents. This text uses a case study from a predominantly black, urban high school in Washington, D.C., building on the insights of Erik Erikson on the social and historical nature of identity development. The study seeks to show that service at a soup kitchen as part of a course on social justice gives opportunity to reflect on their status in society, on how society is organized, on how government should use its power, and on moral principles related to homelessness and poverty. By developing a sense of social responsibility and a civic commitment, young people can begin to see themselves as active agents in society. The book challenges negative steoptypes of contemporary adolescents, and illustrates how young people can use their talents for social good when given the opportunity. It is designed to interest those concerned with today's youth and tomorrow's society.
The Origin of Oil— A Creationist Answer

ISSN: 1937-9056 Copyright © 2008 Answers in Genesis. All rights reserved. Consent is given to unlimited copying, downloading, quoting from, and distribution of this article for non-commercial, non-sale purposes only, provided the following conditions are met: the author of the article is clearly identified; Answers in Genesis is acknowledged as the copyright owner; Answers Research Journal and its website, www.answersresearchjournal. org, are acknowledged as the publication source; and the integrity of the work is not compromised in any way. For more information write to: Answers in Genesis, PO Box 510, Hebron, KY 41048, Attn: Editor, Answers Research Journal. The views expressed are those of the writer(s) and not necessarily those of the Answers Research Journal Editor or of Answers in Genesis. Abstract The dominant view of the origin of oil amongst western oil companies until 1969 was that it was due to the decay of living matter. Now other views are making themselves heard. To try and resolve the issue whether oil is biogenic (derived from living matter) or abiogenic (built up from primordial matter and therefore not from living matter) a Hedberg Conference recently took place. The issue was not resolved. This suggests that a third alternative is needed, especially as neither model fits into a youngearth scenario. The purpose of this paper is to discuss those naturalistic models, show that there are severe problems with both models, and offer a robust alternative which respects the geochemistry of oil, the known geology of rocks involved in the process, the Creator’s power, and the geological events surrounding the Noachian Flood. I have called it the “theobaric” model, meaning made by God. The oil existed in pristine state before the Flood, and moved during the Flood into the reservoirs where we now find it. This has interesting implications for Christian apologetics and the choice of Flood models.
servicescapes , trust , and purchase intentions

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present and discuss a conceptual model of purchase intentions, trust, and e-servicescape that presents online physical environments as comprising three dimensions. It aims to develop and extend existing research into physical service environments through proposing, operationalizing, and testing a model of online servicescape. Design/methodology/approach – The study utilizes a survey approach to gather data regarding consumers’ perceptions of online servicescape. Surveys were administered to 257 respondents regarding a broad range of web sites. Findings – A measure of e-servicescape is evaluated that comprises three dimensions and 52 items while relationships between the dimensions of e-servicescape, trust, and purchase intentions are described. Research limitations/implications – The first contribution of this study stems from the successful operationalization of a comprehensive multi-item (in total 52 items), multi-scale (nine scales), multi-dimensional (three) measure of e-servicescape. Second, a contribution is made through the finding that trust constitutes a key variable during online exchange. Third, we contribute insights into the antecedents of consumers’ purchase intentions. Finally, the study reveals that consumers’ interpretations of online environments exert a powerful influence over trust and purchase intentions. Originality/value – The findings of this study also have numerous implications for both services managers and internet developers. The findings supply valuable insights into which factors practitioners should focus their attention to better tailor their approaches. This study strongly endorses the view that the loyalty intentions of online customers are linked to the extent to which they trust the service provider.
A Technique for Implementing Wide Dynamic-Range Polar Transmitters

This paper presents a technique for implementing wide dynamic-range polar transmitters based on the envelope elimination and restoration technique. The fast-varying instantaneous output power level is controlled by a switch that modulates the input signal of the power amplifier (PA), whereas the slow-varying average power level is controlled by changing the dc voltage of the drain of the PA. A cellular band prototype transmitter system is constructed using commercially available components. Using a CDMA2000 1× signal with 4.5-dB peak-to-average power ratio at 836.5 MHz, the prototype transmitter achieved a dynamic range of over 80 dB while passing the adjacent and alternate channel power ratios for the CDMA2000 standard without the use of digital pre-distortion or calibration.
An Energy Efficient Mutual Authentication and Key Agreement Scheme Preserving Anonymity for Wireless Sensor Networks

WSNs (Wireless sensor networks) are nowadays viewed as a vital portion of the IoTs (Internet of Things). Security is a significant issue in WSNs, especially in resource-constrained environments. AKA (Authentication and key agreement) enhances the security of WSNs against adversaries attempting to get sensitive sensor data. Various AKA schemes have been developed for verifying the legitimate users of a WSN. Firstly, we scrutinize Amin-Biswas’s currently scheme and demonstrate the major security loopholes in their works. Next, we propose a lightweight AKA scheme, using symmetric key cryptography based on smart card, which is resilient against all well known security attacks. Furthermore, we prove the scheme accomplishes mutual handshake and session key agreement property securely between the participates involved under BAN (Burrows, Abadi and Needham) logic. Moreover, formal security analysis and simulations are also conducted using AVISPA(Automated Validation of Internet Security Protocols and Applications) to show that our scheme is secure against active and passive attacks. Additionally, performance analysis shows that our proposed scheme is secure and efficient to apply for resource-constrained WSNs.
Network Structure and Strategic Investments: An Experimental Analysis

In a laptop table adapted to be mounted on a steering wheel, a basic body has at one end spaced hooks forming a support structure for supporting the base body on the steering wheel and a table is mounted on the base body so as to be height adjustable and pivot structure are provided for pivotally supporting the table on the base body and locking it in a particular angular pivot position with respect to the base body.
This Far by Faith: Stories From the African American Religious Experience

A companion to the PBS series, This Far by Faith isthe story of how religious faith inspired the greatest social movementin American history -- the U.S. Civil Rights movement.Hailed upon publication as a beautiful, seminal book on the role of the church in the African American community as well as on the social history of America, This Far by Faith reveals the deep religious conviction that empowered a people viewed as powerless to blaze a path to freedom and deliverance, to stand and be counted in this one nation under God. Here are the stories of politics, tent revivals, and the importance of black churches as touchstones for every step of the faith journey that became the Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s.Using archival and contemporary photography, historical research, and modern-day interviews, This Far by Faith features messages from some of today's foremost religious leaders.
Has China passed its Lewis Turning Point? - A study of regional variation

This paper examins the dynamic relationship between the supply of labor and wages in the Chinese agricultural sector using the Lewis model. The Lewis model predicts that as economic growth takes of in a low-income country, wokers will move from the industrial sector and at a certain point called "the Lewis turning point" surplus lbor in the agricultural sector will be depleted and this will lead to sharply increased wages. This study uses provincial level data to estimate the turning point for China between 1996-2011 on both a national and regional level. The turning point is determined by comparing the marginal product of labor and wages in the agricultura sector. The result indicatesthat the national turning point occured in 2006 and that there is a wide variation in the timing of the turning point on a regional level
Stochastic agent-based modelling for reality : dynamic discrete choice analysis with interaction

Title: Stochastic agent-based modelling for reality: Dynamic discrete choice analysis with interaction Name: Takeshi Takama Society: St. Catherine’s College Degree: Doctor of Philosophy Submission: Trinity term 2005 This D.Phil. thesis develops a new agent-based simulation model to improve the results of analysis, which solely uses discrete choice modelling, as well as to analyse the effects of a road user charging scheme for the Upper Derwent Valley in the Peak District National Park. The advantages of discrete choice analysis are well known. However, results with these conventional conventional approaches, which conduct analysis solely with discrete choice models, can be biased if interaction and learning effects are significant. The Minority Game, in which agents try to choose the option of the minority side, is an appropriate tool to deal with these problems. The situation in the Upper Derwent Valley can be explained with economic game theories and the Minority Game. The two approaches mutually help to analyse the situation in the Upper Derwent Valley leading to the development of a stochastic Minority Game. The stochastic Minority Game was tested with an online game (questionnaire), which was played 3,886 times by response in all around the world. The practical part of this thesis examines the components of the stochastic Minority Game with the data collected around the Upper Derwent Valley. The main data was collected using a stated preference survey. Overall, 700 questionnaires were distributed and 323 of them were returned (i.e. a return rate of 46.1 %). In the practical part, the agent-based model has four sub modules: 1) Multinomial mixed logit model for mode choice, 2) Binary logit model for parking location choice, 3) Markov queue model for parking network, and 4) the Minority Game for parking congestion and learning.
Power Tariffs: Caught between Cost Recovery and Affordability

This is the first paper to build a comprehensive empirical picture of power pricing practices across Sub-Saharan Africa, based on a new database of tariff structures in 27 countries for the years 2004-2008. Using a variety of quantitative indicators, the paper evaluates the performance of electricity tariffs against four key policy objectives: recovery of historic power production costs, efficient signaling of future power production costs, affordability to low income households, and distributional equity. As regards cost recovery, 80 percent of the countries in the sample fully recover operating costs, while only around 30 percent of the countries are practicing full recovery of capital costs. However, due to the fact that future power development may be based on a shift toward more economic technologies than those available in the past, existing tariffs look as though they would be consistent with Long Run Marginal Costs in nearly 40 percent of countries and hence provide efficient pricing signals. As regards affordability, today's average effective tariffs are affordable for 90 percent of today's customers. However, they would only be affordable for 25 percent of households that remain unconnected to the grid. Tariffs consistent with full recovery of economic costs would be affordable for 70 percent of the population. As regards equity, the highly regressive patterns of access to power services, ensure that subsidies delivered through electricity tariffs are without exception also highly regressive in distributional incidence. The conclusion is that achieving all four of these policy objectives simultaneously is almost impossible in the context of the high-cost low-income environment that characterizes much of SSA today. Hence most countries find themselves caught between cost recovery and affordability.
Promoting teachers' professional development

Because teacher quality has a great influence on pupil attainment, teachers’ professional development receives a lot of attention in educational policy. This dissertation contains five studies on how teachers’ professional development, in terms of learning at the workplace, can be explained and promoted. The central question of the first part is how Human Resources Management (HRM) can serve as a tool in professional development. It is examined what factors hinder and promote the implementation of HRM in schools and how the implementation can be fostered when different HRM roles (administrative expert, strategic partner, change agent, employee champion) are fulfilled within schools. Furthermore, the impact of consensus between management and HRM department about goals and features of HRM policy on the implementation process in examined. In the second part of the dissertation, the central question is what individual and organisational factors explain teachers’ professional development. First, we try to explain professional development, in terms of reflection and asking feedback, by perceived self-efficacy, learning goal orientation and transformational leadership. Second, we try to explain professional development in terms of innovative behaviour and knowledge sharing, by perceived task and goal interdependence within teams. Attention is paid to the strengths and weaknesses of the research and also practical implications are mentioned.
Migration, FDI, and the Margins of Trade

The present study develops a simple analytically solvable heterogeneous firm model of trade, investment and migration; where foreign direct investment, international trade and labour migration are determined simultaneously. We estimate the theoretical model based on micro data for 4.5 million companies from the OECD countries. Our estimates confirm that entry costs and firm heterogeneity largely determine the flows of foreign direct investment, international trade and labour migration.
Effects of gastrostomy feeding in children with cerebral palsy: an AACPDM evidence report.

The objective of the American Academy for Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine (AACPDM) evidence reports is to provide the biomedical research and clinical practice communities with the current state of evidence about various interventions for the management of developmental disabilities. The AACPDM evidence reports aggregate all that has been published about outcomes of an intervention for a medical condition, gauge the credibility (i.e. strength of the internal validity) of that evidence, and identify gaps in our scientific knowledge. Methodology for developing and procedures for approving these systematic reviews can be found on the internet at www.aacpdm. org in the AACPDM Database of Evidence Reports, which contains initial and updated reports.
An Exploratory Study of the Presence and Direction of Agenda-Setting Effects between Leading U.S. Foreign Policy Think Tanks and U.S. Newspapers

This dissertation explores the roles news media and think tanks play in U.S. foreign policy in an analysis of their possible effects on each other’s agendas. In an analysis of salience of, or attention to, multiple countries over time in coverage from leading U.S. newspapers, The New York Times and Washington Post, and in published online materials from leading U.S. foreign policy think tanks, Brookings Institution and Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, the research looks at the presence, direction, and strength of agenda-setting effects in the construction of news agendas and attention foci of think tanks. Findings suggest that the relationship between news agenda and agendas of the think tanks is situational, strong when present, highly reciprocal in some cases and unidirectional (either from think tanks to news media content or the other way around) in others. The connection between the agendas of think tanks and the news agenda, as well as the possible impact of think tanks on news media attention to countries, suggest that think tanks should be included in foreign policy agendasetting models, traditionally limited to policymakers (president and congress), public, and media as active participants. The ability of news media to affect the attention foci of think tanks necessitates consideration of their content in investigating the impact of think tanks.
Mixed Layer Depth Seasonality within the Coral Sea Based on Argo Data

The worldwide deployment of Argo floats has enabled much more detailed studies of global and regional seas over the last decade. Here, the seasonal variability of the mixed layer depth (MLD) within the Coral Sea was examined with CTD profiles from Argo floats. Multiple threshold values for both temperature and density have been employed to determine the most suitable threshold values for the Coral Sea. A threshold value of 0.04 kg/m3 for density and 0.2°C for temperature appear the most fitting for this region. Although MLD and isothermal layer depth (ILD) coincide quite well in most cases, the relatively common presence of temporary, non-seasonal barrier layers induces an ILD that is significantly deeper than the MLD. Consequently, an MLD estimation based on density is more appropriate. A distinct seasonality in the MLD is evident throughout the Coral Sea, but is generally more pronounced in higher southern latitudes (20–30°S). Salinity inversions are rare and mainly occur in the south-eastern Coral Sea, while barrier layers are more commonly associated with the north-eastern Coral Sea, a region characterised by high rainfall. The significance of regional currents is evident in the north-western Coral Sea, where temperature and ocean heat content is relatively low due to a northward moving boundary current. Shallow bathymetry, in turn, is linked to the absence of Argo data on the continental shelf and in the central Coral Sea.