Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Quantification of Hepatic Vascular and Parenchymal Regeneration in Mice

Background Liver regeneration consists of cellular proliferation leading to parenchymal and vascular growth. This study complements previous studies on cellular proliferation and weight recovery by (1) quantitatively describing parenchymal and vascular regeneration, and (2) determining their relationship. Both together are needed to (3) characterize the underlying growth pattern. Methods Specimens were created by injecting a polymerizing contrast agent in either portal or hepatic vein in normal or regenerating livers after 70% partial hepatectomy. 3D image data were obtained through micro-CT scanning. Parenchymal growth was assessed by determining weight and volume of the regenerating liver. Vascular growth was described by manually determined circumscribed parameters (maximal vessel length and radius of right inferior portal/hepatic vein), automatically determined cumulative parameters (total edge length and total vascular volume), and parameters describing vascular density (total edge length/volume, vascular volume fraction). The growth pattern was explored by comparing the relative increase of these parameters to the increase expected in case of isotropic expansion. Results Liver volume recovery paralleled weight recovery and reached 90% of the original liver volume within 7 days. Comparing radius-related vascular parameters immediately after surgical resection and after virtual resection in-silico revealed a slight increase, possibly reflecting the effect of resection-induced portal hyperperfusion. Comparing length-related parameters between post-operative day 7 and after virtual resection showed similar vascular growth in both vascular systems investigated. In contrast, radius-related parameters increased slightly more in the portal vein. Despite the seemingly homogeneous 3D growth, the observed vascular parameters were not compatible with the hypothesis of isotropic expansion of liver parenchyma and vascular structures. Conclusion We present an approach for the quantitative analysis of the vascular systems of regenerating mouse livers. We applied this technique for assessing the hepatic growth pattern. Prospectively, this approach can be used to investigate hepatic vascular regeneration under different conditions.
Federalism and the Size of Government

Over the last few decades, the size of the public sector, in both absolute and relative terms, has increased in all of the Western economies. This has led to considerable investigation of the factors determining government size. Factors considered have included income elasticity of voter demand for public goods (i.e., Wagner's Law); relative price changes; threshold effects (e.g., wars or depressions); interest group demands (e.g., public sector employees or unions [17]; productivity differentials [1]; and redistributional motivations [18;10]. One factor which has received little more than passing interest is government structure, that is, centralization of government activities as opposed to decentralization or federalism. Authors such as Fratianni and Spinelli [7], Musgrave and Musgrave [12], Beck [2], and Buchanan [4] make no mention of government structure as a factor in the determination of government size. When considered, the impact of government structure on government size is treated more as an afterthought. For example, Mueller and Murrell [11] incorporate a centralization variable in only two of their twenty-two regression equations, and then only in their two-stage least squares equations, and offer little analysis of its expected impact on government size. Exceptions to this standard treatment of federalism include Brennan and Buchanan [3], Oates [15], Nelson [13; 14], and Marlow [9]. Brennan and Buchanan consider the structure of government and its impact on public sector size in the context of a revenue-maximizing government model. They argue that with mobile voters and local public goods, decentralization of government taxing and expenditure powers would serve to constrain the size of the public sector. In a Tiebout-like world, any attempt on the part of one jurisdiction to exploit its citizenry would result in instantaneous and complete migration on the part of the citizenry to an alternative, nonexploitive jurisdiction. This competition among jurisdictions for the patronage of the citizenry limits the extent of fiscal exploitation possible and, as such, the size of the public sector. Brennan and Buchanan note, however, that "[W]ithin a constitutionally designed federal structure, one would predict that there would be constant pressures by competitive lower-level governments to secure institutional rearrangements that would moderate competitive pressures" [3, 182]. These institutional rearrangements would take the form of collusive agreements between the central and lower-level governments which assign to the central government what were previously lower-level revenue-raising powers subject to the revenues being returned to the lower-level governments by
The Drosophila Su(var)3–7 Gene Is Required for Oogenesis and Female Fertility, Genetically Interacts with piwi and aubergine, but Impacts Only Weakly Transposon Silencing

Heterochromatin is made of repetitive sequences, mainly transposable elements (TEs), the regulation of which is critical for genome stability. We have analyzed the role of the heterochromatin-associated Su(var)3–7 protein in Drosophila ovaries. We present evidences that Su(var)3–7 is required for correct oogenesis and female fertility. It accumulates in heterochromatic domains of ovarian germline and somatic cells nuclei, where it co-localizes with HP1. Homozygous mutant females display ovaries with frequent degenerating egg-chambers. Absence of Su(var)3–7 in embryos leads to defects in meiosis and first mitotic divisions due to chromatin fragmentation or chromosome loss, showing that Su(var)3–7 is required for genome integrity. Females homozygous for Su(var)3–7 mutations strongly impair repression of P-transposable element induced gonadal dysgenesis but have minor effects on other TEs. Su(var)3–7 mutations reduce piRNA cluster transcription and slightly impact ovarian piRNA production. However, this modest piRNA reduction does not correlate with transposon de-silencing, suggesting that the moderate effect of Su(var)3–7 on some TE repression is not linked to piRNA production. Strikingly, Su(var)3–7 genetically interacts with the piwi and aubergine genes, key components of the piRNA pathway, by strongly impacting female fertility without impairing transposon silencing. These results lead us to propose that the interaction between Su(var)3–7 and piwi or aubergine controls important developmental processes independently of transposon silencing.
Metacognitive judgment and denial of deficit: Evidence from frontotemporal dementia

Patients suffering from the behavioral variant of Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD-b) often exaggerate their abilities. Are those errors in judgment limited to domains in which patients under-perform, or do FTD-b patients overestimate their abilities in other domains? Is overconfidence in FTD-b patients domain-specific or domain-general? To address this question, we asked patients at early stages of FTD-b to judge their performance in two domains (attention, perception) in which they exhibit relatively spared abilities. In both domains, FTD-b patients overestimated their performance relative to patients with Dementia of Alzheimer Type (DAT) and healthy elderly subjects. Results are consistent with a domain-general deficit in metacognitive judgment. We discuss these findings in relation to ``regression to the mean'' accounts of overconfidence and the role of emotions in metacognitive judgments.
Financial statement informativeness and intellectual capital disclosure: An empirical analysis

Purpose - – The purpose of this paper is to analyse the relationship between financial statement informativeness (FSI) and intellectual capital disclosure (ICD). Design/methodology/approach - – While FSI was measured as the explanatory power of financial information in explaining market value, ICD was collected through content analysis of annual reports. A sample of 126 US companies, divided into two groups – high-tech and low-tech companies – were used in this study. Empirical analysis was carried out using the Poisson regression method. Findings - – The results show a negative (substitutive) relationship between FSI and ICD, especially in high-tech companies. This indicates that companies with low FSI disclose more information about their IC in annual reports. Practical implications - – This study confirms the role of voluntary ICD as a solution towards mitigating the problem of the distortion of financial information due to the lack of accounting recognition of IC as an asset in the financial statements. Originality/value - – This is the first empirical study to analyse the relationship between FSI and ICD. Therefore, it serves as feedback to the regulators and standard-setters that recently published recommendations on voluntarily disclosing IC.
The spatial and sectoral pattern of fast-growing young firms in the Netherlands: Theoretical background and analysis

Analysis of employment trends in several countries suggests that significant employment creation takes place in relatively few small but fast-growing firms. The emergence of these fast-growing firms might even be a more significant source of uneven regional development than the rate of new firm formation in general. The objective of this paper is to describe and analyse the location of fast-growing young firms in the Netherlands. First, the sectoral pattern of fast-growing young firms in the Netherlands will be described. Second, the spatial pattern will be described in a regional distribution. The spatial pattern of fast-growing young firms will be compared with regional start-up rates for example. Third, the spatial pattern of fast-growing young firms in specific sectors will be described. Finally, in explaining these patterns, some suggestions for further research will be given.
Start-up firms' networks for innovation: Embedded in entrepreneurs' networks in private and public spheres

We develop a model of how a start-up firm's networking for innovation is embedded in the personal network around the entrepreneur. Using data from the Global Entrepreneurships Monitor including 11,792 start-ups from 38 countries surveyed in 2012-13, we examine how entrepreneurs' networking in private and public spheres is impacting (1) innovation (2) firms' collaborative networking, and (3) the effectiveness of firms' collaborative networking for innovation. The analyses show that entrepreneurs' networking in the public sphere has a direct positive impact on start-ups' innovation, while networking in the private sphere reduces innovation. Firms' networking for innovation intensifies with larger public sphere networks around the entrepreneurs but decreases with larger private sphere networking. Also, large private sphere networks around the entrepreneurs decrease effectiveness of networking for innovation. These findings refine our knowledge of the functioning of start-up firms' networking for innovation, especially the positive and negative imprints of the entrepreneurs' networking in the public and private spheres.
Effects of caffeine and other methylxanthines on the development and metabolism of sea urchin eggs. Involvement of NADP and glutathione

Methylxanthines (MX) inhibit cell division in sea urchin and clam eggs. This inhibitory effect is not mediated via cAMP. MX also inhibit respiration in marine eggs, at concentrations which inhibit cleavage. Studies showed that no changes occurred in ATP and ADP levels in the presence of inhibitory concentrations of MX, indicating an extra- mitochondrial site of action for the drug. Subsequent studies revealed decreased levels of NADP+ and NADPH, when eggs were incubated with inhibitory concentrations of MX, but no change in levels of NAD+ and NADH. MX did not affect the pentose phosphate shunt pathway and did not have any effect on the enzyme NAD+ -kinase. Further studies showed a marked inhibitory effect on the glutathione reductase activity of MX- treated eggs. Reduced glutathione (GSH) could reverse the cleavage inhibitory effect of MX. Moreover, diamide, a thiol-oxidizing agent specific for GSH in living cells, caused inhibition of cell division in sea urchin eggs. Diamide added to eggs containing mitotic apparatus (MA) could prevent cleavage by causing a dissolution of the formed MA. Both MX and diamide inhibit a Ca2+-activated ATPase in whole eggs. The enzyme can be reactivated by sulfhydryl reducing agents added in the assay mixture. In addition, diamide causes an inhibition of microtubule polymerization, reversible with dithioerythritol. All experimental evidence so far suggests that inhibition of mitosis in sea urchin eggs by MX is mediated by perturbations of the in vivo thiol-disulfide status of target systems, with a primary effect on glutathione levels.
Reinserting the professional into the study of globalizing professional service firms: the case of law

Abstract In discussions of the globalization of professional service firms there is an increasing recognition that understanding the ‘social construction’ of organizational architectures is essential. In this article we argue, using the management of transnational law firms as an example, that to understand effectively these social constructions we must reincorporate an understanding of the principles of professionalism into discussions. We highlight the importance of occupational autonomy to professionals and how this is likely to influence the strategies that global professional service firms use. We also point to what we term the ‘varieties of professionalism’ and the spatially variable professional projects that underlie the values and identities of lawyers. This reveals the way rational and efficient forms of organizing have to be adapted as a result of professional values and the diverse ideals and beliefs of lawyers in different international jurisdictions.
Collective Entrepreneurship in a Globalizing Economy

Preface Collective Entrepreneurship: The Ultimate Advantage The Other Side of Globalization and the Limits of Reengineering The Other Side of Globalization: Price and Business Destruction The Limits of Reengineering and Operational Effectiveness Beyond Reengineering: Constructive Destruction, Collective Entrepreneurship, and Communities of Common Fate The Constructive Destruction of the Corporation The Concept of Collective Entrepreneurship Communities of Common Fate The Limits of Collective Entrepreneurship Summary and Conclusions Selected Bibliography Index
Loan characteristics and credit risk

This paper is the sole responsibility of its authors and the views represented here do not necessarily reflect those of the Bank of Spain. The authors would like to express their thanks for the valuable comments received during the presentation made at the CEMFI lunch seminar, and the contributions made by Javier Delgado, Jorge Pérez, Daniel Pérez and Carlos Trucharte. The technical support given by Esther Llorente and Estrella Pulido was crucial to the successful completion of this work. Any errors that remain are, however, entirely the authors' own. Abstract The aim of this paper is to study the impact that certain characteristics of loans (i.e. collateral, maturity, size, type of lender and closeness of the customer-bank relationship) have on default rates (PD). The results allow us to discern between the various theoretical approaches regarding the relationship between loan characteristics and credit risk and are generally in line with the scarce empirical evidence at international level. However, in some cases (particularly, savings banks) there are substantial differences that may have their origin in certain specific features of the Spanish financial system. This study uses information on the more than three million loans entered into by Spanish credit institutions over a complete business cycle (1988 to 2000) collected by the Bank of Spain's Credit Register (Central de Información de Riesgos). In addition to its academic interest, the result of this study may be of use to banking supervisors interested in monitoring institutions' credit risk and banking regulators that wish to link capital requirements and provisions more closely to the risk actually incurred by institutions.
Residual Networks are Exponential Ensembles of Relatively Shallow Networks

In this work, we introduce a novel interpretation of residual networks showing they are exponential ensembles. This observation is supported by a large-scale lesion study that demonstrates they behave just like ensembles at test time. Subsequently, we perform an analysis showing these ensembles mostly consist of networks that are each relatively shallow. For example, contrary to our expectations, most of the gradient in a residual network with 110 layers comes from an ensemble of very short networks, i.e., only 10-34 layers deep. This suggests that in addition to describing neural networks in terms of width and depth, there is a third dimension: multiplicity, the size of the implicit ensemble. Ultimately, residual networks do not resolve the vanishing gradient problem by preserving gradient flow throughout the entire depth of the network - rather, they avoid the problem simply by ensembling many short networks together. This insight reveals that depth is still an open research question and invites the exploration of the related notion of multiplicity.
Carbon Nanotube (CNT) Honeycomb Cell Area-Dependent Optical Reflectance

The relationship between the physical structure of carbon nanotube (CNT) honeycomb structures and their total, diffuse, and specular reflectance is investigated for the first time. It is found that CNT honeycomb structures with average cell areas of smaller than 30 μm2 show a higher total reflectance. Particularly, a thinner, highly packed CNT (buckypaper) film, along with a larger wall height and higher ratio of wall height to cell area, markedly increase the total reflectance for cell areas smaller than 30 μm2, which means that a higher total area of buckypapers in CNT walls and bottom areas increases the total reflectance, including the diffuse reflectance. It is also found that the total reflection of non-absorbed light in CNT honeycomb structures consists primarily of diffuse reflectance.
Optimal Risk Taking and Information Policy to Avoid Currency and Liquidity Crises

This paper reconsiders the principal's problem of determining the optimal combination of risk taking and information dissemination, when threatened with a coordinated speculative attack on the fixed exchange rate by traders, respectively a coordinated withdrawal of credits by a group of lenders. In a global game approach, we find that optimal risk and economic transparency are contingent on the prior expected mean of fundamentals. Whenever the prior mean of economic performance is below a certain threshold, the central bank respectively the firm should commit to maximal risk and to disclosing private information of maximal precision. For good prior expectations, in contrast, optimal policy requires the principal to avoid any risks and to disseminate private information of lowest possible precision.
Price rigidity in the euro area - an assessment

The study on price stickiness examined nominal rigidities in the euro area and their importance for the functioning of markets. The study examined nominal rigidities in the euro area and their importance for the functioning of markets. It analysed the price setting behaviour of firms at the micro-level, developed several indicators to measure the degree of producer and consumer price rigidity at sector and product level and examined the various factors affecting consumer and producer price rigidity. Â One of the main findings of the study is that economic adjustment to nominal shocks depends both on the frequency of price changes and on the degree of price rigidity (prices are defined as being rigid in the study if they less then fully adjust to a change in demand or costs). Â The study also distinguished between intrinsic price rigidity (prices only adjust partially to changes in demand and costs that have significant effects on the optimal price) and extrinsic price rigidity (prices do not adjust because demand and costs are stable and the optimal price does not vary a lot). Making this distinction leads to important conclusions concerning the degree of price rigidity for certain product categories and has important policy implications.
On the value and determinants of the interest tax shields

We use a dynamic model of the firm to ascertain both the value and the determinants of the debt tax shields. For a representative U.S. firm, we find that the value of the interest tax shields represents less than 5 % of firm value, and it varies considerably across U.S. industries. Our results also show that this component of firm value behaves counter-cyclically over the business cycle. Finally, besides the interest rate on debt and the corporate income tax rate, we find that the curvature of the production function is one of the main determinants of the tax advantage of debt.
Any Differences? Comparative Analysis of White and Non-White Transfer Students at a University.

This study sought to examine the community college and university experiences of students who differed by racial/ethnic background. C. R. Pace's concept of Quality of Effort was employed to frame questions regarding level of involvement, quality of effort, general perceptions and the academic and social adjustment process. The research design utilized the Transfer Student Questionnaire (TSQ) and captured a sample of 696 students. Descriptive and factor analyses as well as tests of significance were employed in the data analysis. Results suggest that non-white students are likely to have different experiences at both the twoand four-year institutions than white students in terms of quality of effort, perceptions of the environment, and educational background. White students reported a significantly higher quality of effort with regard to faculty and course learning. Whites also performed better than non-white students as measured by GPA. However, a significantly higher number of non-whites than whites were first-generation college students. Implications for future practice are discussed. Survey results are appended. Contains 37 references. (SKF) ******************************************************************************** * Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * * from the original document. * ******************************************************************************** Any Differences? Comparative Analysis of White and Non-White Transfer Students at a University Paper presented at the American Educational Research Association 1999 Annual Meeting Montreal, Canada