Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Amygdaloid Projections to the Ventral Striatum in Mice: Direct and Indirect Chemosensory Inputs to the Brain Reward System

Rodents constitute good models for studying the neural basis of sociosexual behavior. Recent findings in mice have revealed the molecular identity of the some pheromonal molecules triggering intersexual attraction. However, the neural pathways mediating this basic sociosexual behavior remain elusive. Since previous work indicates that the dopaminergic tegmento-striatal pathway is not involved in pheromone reward, the present report explores alternative pathways linking the vomeronasal system with the tegmento-striatal system (the limbic basal ganglia) by means of tract-tracing experiments studying direct and indirect projections from the chemosensory amygdala to the ventral striato-pallidum. Amygdaloid projections to the nucleus accumbens, olfactory tubercle, and adjoining structures are studied by analyzing the retrograde transport in the amygdala from dextran amine and fluorogold injections in the ventral striatum, as well as the anterograde labeling found in the ventral striato-pallidum after dextran amine injections in the amygdala. This combination of anterograde and retrograde tracing experiments reveals direct projections from the vomeronasal cortex to the ventral striato-pallidum, as well as indirect projections through different nuclei of the basolateral amygdala. Direct projections innervate mainly the olfactory tubercle and the islands of Calleja, whereas indirect projections are more widespread and reach the same structures and the shell and core of nucleus accumbens. These pathways are likely to mediate innate responses to pheromones (direct projections) and conditioned responses to associated chemosensory and non-chemosensory stimuli (indirect projections). Comparative studies indicate that similar connections are present in all the studied amniote vertebrates and might constitute the basic circuitry for emotional responses to conspecifics in most vertebrates, including humans.
Three Essays on FDI in China

Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) has contributed a great deal to China's extraordinary growth by injecting capital into the economy, creating jobs, transferring technology and knowledge, enhancing trade, bringing in competition for local enterprises, improving the quality of local labor and intermediate goods suppliers, and connecting China's gradually opening economy to the global market. For over a decade, China has been the second largest recipient of inward FDI in the world behind the United States. In 2009, China received $95 billion, which is 8.5% of the world's total. However, the large amount of inward FDI has been unevenly distributed across Chinese provinces, with around 80% annual inward FDI flowing into the coastal region of China. Central authorities of China have been making efforts in directing FDI from the eastern coast to farther inland. This dissertation analyzes the regional determinants of FDI inflows into Chinese provinces and intends to fill certain gaps in the literature and provide new directions in this strand of research. After the introductory chapter that provides a general overview of FDI inflows in China, three self-contained essays follow. The first essay analyzes the changing agglomeration effect of FDI in China. Empirical evidence supports a weakening agglomeration effect of FDI over the years, and it suggests that at present FDI is not agglomerating. In addition, this research empirically points out the changing relative importance in market size as an FDI determinant over the years. The aims of the second essay are to examine the interdependence of Chinese provinces and to provide empirical evidence for the recent general equilibrium theory of multinational enterprises. Using two spatial models, I find that despite the competing pattern of FDI across provinces, not all surrounding provinces' endowments display competing effects. Actually some surrounding provinces' endowments have complementary effects. Evidence suggests that Export-Platform and Pure-Vertical forms of FDI dominate the aggregate FDI inflows into China. As some past studies have shown concerns regarding the feedback of FDI on GDP and the wage rate, the third essay constructs a simultaneous equations model to further explore this issue. Above all, the empirical results relieve our worry about the simultaneity problem, since FDI has delayed effects on both GDP and the wage rate. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am greatly indebted to all my dissertation committee members for nurturing my enthusiasm and bringing out my potentials in academic research. My advisor, Dr. Van den Berg has great knowledge and enthusiasm …
A Population of Intergalactic Supernovae in Galaxy Clusters

We have discovered seven cluster supernovae (SNe) of Type Ia in the course of the Wise Observatory Optical Transients Search in the fields of 0.06 < z < 0.2 galaxy clusters. Two of these events, SN 1998fc in Abell 403 (z = 0.10) and SN 2001al in Abell 2122/4 (z = 0.066), have no obvious hosts. Both events appear projected on the halos of the central cD galaxies but have velocity offsets of 750–2000 km s-1 relative to those galaxies, suggesting they are not bound to them. We use deep Keck imaging of the locations of the two SNe to put upper limits on the luminosities of possible dwarf hosts, MR > -14 mag for SN 1998fc and MR > -11.8 mag for SN 2001al. The fractions of the cluster luminosities in dwarf galaxies fainter than our limits are less than 3 × 10-3 and less than 3 × 10-4, respectively. Thus, 2/7 of the SNe would be associated with ≤3 × 10-3 of the luminosity attributed to galaxies. We argue, instead, that the progenitors of both events were probably members of a diffuse population of intergalactic stars recently detected in local clusters via planetary nebulae and red giants. Considering the higher detectability of hostless SNe compared with normal SNe, we estimate that 20 (20) percent at the 68% (95%) confidence level of the SN Ia parent stellar population in clusters is intergalactic. This fraction is consistent with other measurements of the intergalactic stellar population and implies that the process that produces intergalactic stars (e.g., tidal disruption of cluster dwarfs) does not disrupt or enhance significantly the SN Ia formation mechanism. Hostless SNe are potentially powerful tracers of the formation of the intergalactic stellar population out to high redshift.
Effect of Meditation on Cognitive Functions in Context of Aging and Neurodegenerative Diseases

Effect of different meditation practices on various aspects of mental and physical health is receiving growing attention. The present paper reviews evidence on the effects of several mediation practices on cognitive functions in the context of aging and neurodegenerative diseases. The effect of meditation in this area is still poorly explored. Seven studies were detected through the databases search, which explores the effect of meditation on attention, memory, executive functions, and other miscellaneous measures of cognition in a sample of older people and people suffering from neurodegenerative diseases. Overall, reviewed studies suggested a positive effect of meditation techniques, particularly in the area of attention, as well as memory, verbal fluency, and cognitive flexibility. These findings are discussed in the context of MRI studies suggesting structural correlates of the effects. Meditation can be a potentially suitable non-pharmacological intervention aimed at the prevention of cognitive decline in the elderly. However, the conclusions of these studies are limited by their methodological flaws and differences of various types of meditation techniques. Further research in this direction could help to verify the validity of the findings and clarify the problematic aspects.
Economic Reforms and New Zealand Agriculture

New Zealand undertook major adjustments in their macro economic policies in the 1980s. As part of a larger program to place greater reliance on market forces, agricultural subsidies were reduced sharply. The New Zealand experience demonstrates how broad economic policies can adversely affect the agricultural sector. It also demonstrates that inequities can arise if protection for some industries are continued while other sectors are exposed to liberalized policy reforms.
Fermented Brown Rice Flour as Functional Food Ingredient

As fermentation could reduce the negative effects of bran on final cereal products, the utilization of whole-cereal flour is recommended, such as brown rice flour as a functional food ingredient. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effect of fermented brown rice flour on white rice flour, white rice batter and its steamed bread qualities. Brown rice batter was fermented using commercial baker’s yeast (Eagle brand) according to the optimum conditions for moderate acidity (pH 5.5) to obtain fermented brown rice flour (FBRF). The FBRF was added to white rice flour at 0%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40% and 50% levels to prepare steamed rice bread. Based on the sensory evaluation test, steamed rice bread containing 40% FBRF had the highest overall acceptability score. Thus, pasting properties of the composite rice flour, rheological properties of its batter, volume and texture properties of its steamed bread were determined. The results showed that peak viscosity of the rice flour containing 40% FBRF was significantly increased, whereas its breakdown, final viscosity and setback significantly decreased. Viscous, elastic and complex moduli of the batter having 40% FBRF were also significantly reduced. However, volume, specific volume, chewiness, resilience and cohesiveness of its steamed bread were significantly increased, while hardness and springiness significantly reduced in comparison to the control. These results established the effectiveness of yeast fermentation in reducing the detrimental effects of bran on the sensory properties of steamed white rice bread and encourage the usage of brown rice flour to enhance the quality of rice products.
N-Poisson document modelling

This paper is a report of a study investigating the validity of the Multiple Poisson (nP) model of word distribution in document collections. An nP distribution is a mixture of n Poisson distributions with different means. We describe a practical algorithm for determining if a certain word is distributed acording to an nP distribution and computing the distribution parameters. The algorithm was applied to every word in four different document collections. It was found that over 70% of frequently occurring words and terms indeed behave according to the nP distributions. The results indicate that the proportion of nP words depends on the collection size, document length and the frequency of the individual words. Most of the nP words recognised are distributed according to the mixture of relatively few single Poisson distributions (two, three or four). There is an indication that the number of single Poisson components in the mixture of relatively few single Poisson distributions (two, three or four). There is an indication that the number of single Poisson components in the mixture depends on the collection frequency of words.
Overcoming the Winner's Curse: An Adaptive Learning Perspective

Even though experience was found to improve decision-making in several tasks, there are instances in which learning is ineffective. The current paper studies one example of the last category, namely the persisting tendency of negotiators in bilateral bargaining under asymmetric information to ignore the decisions of their opponent(s), which can result in negative profits also known as the "winner's curse". Bazerman and his colleagues studied this phenomenon extensively using a task known as the "Acquiring a Company" task. One surprising finding is that even experienced participants showed no adjustment to avoid the winner's curse. The current study suggests that the observed persistence of sub-optimal behavior is largely due to the variability in the environment that leads to an ambiguous feedback. Since participants adjust their behavior adaptively, i.e., they condition their behavior on outcomes of the previous rounds, which have a high variance, it is difficult for them to overcome the winner's curse in this situation. In a series of experiments using the "Acquiring a Company" task we decreased the variance in the payoff. We find that decreasing the variance improves performance, but it does not completely eliminate the winner's curse. However, even when participants were given explicit information about the expected profit of each bid, they still overbid, suggesting that the difficulty to learn to avoid the winner's curse can be partially attributed to the utility participants have from gambling. The results show the importance of giving negotiators noise-free feedback in order to improve negotiation skills.
Young Children's Literacy Development and the Role of Televisual Texts

Explores and analyses the ways in which very young children's developing literacy can be supported by their experience of watching TV and videos. This book addresses ways teachers can use children's experience of watching stories on video or TV to feed back into their own story-writing, reading, story-telling and role-play in the classroom. Explores areas specifically highlighted in the National Curriculum for English, and will benefit teachers developing their literacy teaching in light of the government Literacy Hour initiative.
Association between the number of eggs and live birth in IVF treatment: an analysis of 400 135 treatment cycles.

BACKGROUND While live birth is the principal clinical outcome following in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment, the number of eggs retrieved following ovarian stimulation is often used as a surrogate outcome in clinical practice and research. The aim of this study was to explore the association between egg number and live birth following IVF treatment and identify the number of eggs that would optimize the IVF outcome. METHODS Anonymized data on all IVF cycles performed in the UK from April 1991 to June 2008 were obtained from the Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority (HFEA). We analysed data from 400 135 IVF cycles. A logistic model was fitted to predict live birth using fractional polynomials to handle the number of eggs as a continuous independent variable. The prediction model, which was validated on a separate HFEA data set, allowed the estimation of the probability of live birth for a given number of eggs, stratified by age group. We produced a nomogram to predict the live birth rate (LBR) following IVF based on the number of eggs and the age of the female. RESULTS The median number of eggs retrieved per cycle was 9 [inter-quartile range (IQR) 6-13]. The overall LBR was 21.3% per fresh IVF cycle. There was a strong association between the number of eggs and LBR; LBR rose with an increasing number of eggs up to ∼15, plateaued between 15 and 20 eggs and steadily declined beyond 20 eggs. During 2006-2007, the predicted LBR for women with 15 eggs retrieved in age groups 18-34, 35-37, 38-39 and 40 years and over was 40, 36, 27 and 16%, respectively. There was a steady increase in the LBR per egg retrieved over time since 1991. CONCLUSION The relationship between the number of eggs and live birth, across all female age groups, suggests that the number of eggs in IVF is a robust surrogate outcome for clinical success. The results showed a non-linear relationship between the number of eggs and LBR following IVF treatment. The number of eggs to maximize the LBR is ∼15.
Cardiac Metallothionein Induction Plays the Major Role in the Prevention of Diabetic Cardiomyopathy by Zinc Supplementation

Background— Our previous studies showed that transgenic mice that overexpress cardiac-specific metallothionein (MT) are highly resistant to diabetes-induced cardiomyopathy. Zinc is the major metal that binds to MT under physiological conditions and is a potent inducer of MT. The present study therefore explored whether zinc supplementation can protect against diabetic cardiomyopathy through cardiac MT induction. Methods and Results— Diabetes was induced in mice (C57BL/6J strain) by a single injection of streptozotocin. Half were supplemented intraperitoneally with zinc sulfate (5 mg/kg) every other day for 3 months. After zinc supplementation, mice were maintained for 3 more months and then examined for cardiomyopathy by functional and morphological analysis. Significant increases in cardiac morphological impairment, fibrosis, and dysfunction were observed in diabetic mice but not in diabetic mice supplemented with zinc. Zinc supplementation also induced a significant increase in cardiac MT expression. The role of MT in cardiac protection by zinc supplementation was examined in cultured cardiac cells that were directly exposed to high levels of glucose (HG) and free fatty acid (FFA) (palmitate), treatment that mimics diabetic conditions. Cell survival rate was significantly decreased for cells exposed to HG/FFA but did not change for cells exposed to HG/FFA and pretreated with zinc or low-dose cadmium, each of which induces significant MT synthesis. When MT expression was silenced with the use of MT small-interfering RNA, the preventive effect of pretreatment with zinc or low-dose cadmium was abolished. Conclusions— These results suggest that the prevention of diabetic cardiomyopathy by zinc supplementation is predominantly mediated by an increase in cardiac MT.
Sequential Minimal Optimization in Adaptive-Bandwidth Convex Clustering

Computing not the local, but the global optimum of a cluster assignment is one of the important aspects in clustering. Convex clustering is an approach to acquire the global optimum, assuming some fixed centers and bandwidths of the clusters. The essence of the convex clustering is a convex optimization of the mixture weights whose optimum becomes sparse. One of the limitations in the convex clustering was the computational inefficiency of the Expectation-Maximization algorithm, where an extremely large number of iterations is required for the convergence. This paper proposes a more efficient optimization algorithm for convex clustering to significantly reduce the required number of iterations. The key ideas in the proposed algorithm are accurate pruning while choosing a pair of kernels and an element-wise Newton-Raphson method for fast convergence of the non-zero mixture weights. The proposed algorithm is further accelerated when incorporating locally adaptive bandwidths of the clusters, which are primarily introduced to improve the predictive capability.
The SDF-1/CXCR4 axis regulates migration of transplanted bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells towards the pancreas in rats with acute pancreatitis

Stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF-1) and its receptor, CXC chemokine receptor-4 (CXCR4), are important regulators in the migration of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs). However, the mechanisms underlying this effect in acute pancreatitis (AP) have not been investigated. In this study, BMSCs were identified by specific cell surface markers and differentiation potentials, and labeled with chloromethylbenzamido-1,1′-dioctadecyl-3,3,3′,3′-tetramethylindocarbocyanine perchlorate (CM-Dil) for in vivo cell tracking. AP was induced by retrograde infusion of sodium taurocholate into the common bile duct in rats. The expression of SDF-1 in the injured pancreas was determined by immunohistochemistry and western blot analysis. BMSCs were incubated with or without anti-CXCR4 antibody and the contribution of SDF-1 to the migration of BMSCs was investigated. Our results demonstrated that the expression of SDF-1 was significantly increased in the injured pancreas, and that these levels peaked on days 5–7 and began to decrease on day 10. SDF-1 induced a dose-dependent migration of BMSCs in an in vitro transwell migration assay, which was almost completely blocked by AMD3100 (CXCR4-specific antagonist) or anti-CXCR4 antibody. In addition, by encouraging the migration of CM-Dil-labeled BMSCs, the SDF-1/CXCR4 axis facilitated the repair of the injured pancreas. This effect was inhibited by the anti-CXCR4 antibody. Taken together, these results indicate that the interaction of locally produced SDF-1 with CXCR4 on BMSCs, has an important regulatory role in the migration of BMSCs towards the injured pancreas in AP.
Leverage Points for Addressing Digital Inequality: An Extended Theory of Planned Behavior Perspective

1 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION . 4 1.1 DIGITAL INEQUALITY. WHY DO WE NEED TO STUDY IT? 4 1.2 FROM ADOPTION AND DIFFUSION OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY TO DIGITAL INEQUALITY . 11 1.3 LAGRANGE FREE INTERNET TV INITIATIVE . 12 1.4 SUMMARY . 14 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW . 17 2.1 DIGITAL INEQUALITY . 17 2.1.1 The Infrastructural Predecessor: the Telephone Divide. 17 2.1.2 Digital Inequality Defined . 19 2.1.3 The Theoretical Development of Digital Inequality. 21 2.2 ADOPTION OF INNOVATION . 33 2.2.1 Technology Acceptance Model . 33 2.2.2 Theory of Reasoned Action . 34 2.2.3 Theory of Planned Behavior . 37 2.2.4 Decomposed Theory of Planned Behavior. 39 2.2.5 A Reference Model for the Digital Inequality . 40 2.3 DIFFUSION OF INNOVATION . 42 2.3.1 Theory of Diffusion of Innovation . 43 2.3.1.1 The Innovation Decision Process . 43 2.3.1.2 The Characteristics of Innovation . 47 2.3.1.3 The Adopter Categories . 48 2.3.2 Personal Exposure to Innovation: The Threshold Model of Diffusion and Mimetic Pressure . 50 2.3.3 Diffusion of Innovation and the Theory of Planned Behavior . 54 2.4 TRUST. 56 2.4.1 The Importance of Trust. 56 2.4.2 The Conceptualization of Trust . 57 2.4.3 Trust in Adoption and Use of ICT . 58 2.4.4 Individuals’ Trust toward Institutions in Digital Inequality . 59 2.5 CONCLUSION AND RESEARCH QUESTIONS. 61 2.5.1 Conclusion . 61 2.5.2 Research Questions. 62 CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH MODEL, THEORY DEVELOPMENT, AND HYPOTHESES . 66 3.1 RESEARCH MODELS. 67 3.1.1 Modeling Behavioral Intention: Comparison 1 . 67 3.1.2 Modeling Behavior: Comparison 2. 69 3.2 UNDER-PRIVILEGED NON-ADOPTERS VS. UNDER-PRIVILEGED ADOPTERS . 73 3.2.1 Decomposing TPB . 76 3.2.2 Attitudinal Belief Structure . 77 3.2.2.1 Utilitarian Outcomes . 78 3.2.2.2 Hedonic Outcomes . 79 3.2.2.3 Social Outcomes. 80 3.2.3 Subjective Norm Belief Structure . 81 3.2.4 Behavioral Control Belief Structure . 84 3.2.4.1 Internal Control . 85 3.2.4.2 External Control . 89 3.2.4 Exposure to Innovation . 91 3.2.5 Trust in Government . 92 3.3 UNDER-PRIVILEGED ADOPTERS VS. PRIVILEGED ADOPTERS . 95 3.3.1 Attitudinal Belief Structure . 98 3.3.2 Subjective Norm Belief Structure . 100 3.3.3 Behavioral Control Belief Structure . 101 3.3.3.1 Internal Control . 101 3.3.3.2 External Control . 102 3.3. 4 Exposure to Innovation . 103 3.3. 5 Trust in Government . 104 CHAPTER 4: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY . 105 4.1 RESEARCH DESIGN . 105 4.2 SITE SELECTION. 107 4.3 SURVEY PHASE . 109 4.3.1 Instrument Development . 109 4.3.2 Sample. 115 4.3.3 Data Collection. 115 4.3. 4 Control Variables. 116 4.4 CASE STUDY PHASE. 116 4.4.1 Archival Data. 116 4.4.2 Primary Data . 117 CHAPTER 5: QUANTITATIVE DATA ANALYSIS & RESULTS . 119 5.1 SURVEY RESPONDENTS . 120 5.2 CLASSIFYING UNDER-PRIVILEGED AND PRIVILEGED . 124 5.3 COMPARISON 1: UNDER-PRIVILEGED NON-ADOPTERS VS. UNDER-PRIVILEGED ADOPTERS . 128 5.3.1 Measurement Model.
Education does not seem to improve health: Evidence from Indonesia

I examine the effects of education on health in Indonesia using an exogenous variation in education induced by an extension of Indonesia's school term length in 1978-1979, a natural experiment that fits a regression discontinuity design. I find the longer school year increases educational attainment and wages, but I do not find evidence that education improves health. I explore some mechanisms through which education may affect health, but education does not seem to promote healthy lifestyles, increase the use of modern healthcare services, or improve access to health insurance; if anything, education improves only cognitive capacity.