Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Early Changes in Alpha Band Power and DMN BOLD Activity in Alzheimer’s Disease: A Simultaneous Resting State EEG-fMRI Study

Simultaneous resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rsfMRI)–resting state electroencephalography (rsEEG) studies in healthy adults showed robust positive associations of signal power in the alpha band with BOLD signal in the thalamus, and more heterogeneous associations in cortical default mode network (DMN) regions. Negative associations were found in occipital regions. In Alzheimer’s disease (AD), rsfMRI studies revealed a disruption of the DMN, while rsEEG studies consistently reported a reduced power within the alpha band. The present study is the first to employ simultaneous rsfMRI-rsEEG in an AD sample, investigating the association of alpha band power and BOLD signal, compared to healthy controls (HC). We hypothesized to find reduced positive associations in DMN regions and reduced negative associations in occipital regions in the AD group. Simultaneous resting state fMRI–EEG was recorded in 14 patients with mild AD and 14 HC, matched for age and gender. Power within the EEG alpha band (8–12 Hz, 8–10 Hz, and 10–12 Hz) was computed from occipital electrodes and served as regressor in voxel-wise linear regression analyses, to assess the association with the BOLD signal. Compared to HC, the AD group showed significantly decreased positive associations between BOLD signal and occipital alpha band power in clusters in the superior, middle and inferior frontal cortex, inferior temporal lobe and thalamus (p < 0.01, uncorr., cluster size ≥ 50 voxels). This group effect was more pronounced in the upper alpha sub-band, compared to the lower alpha sub-band. Notably, we observed a high inter-individual heterogeneity. Negative associations were only reduced in the lower alpha range in the hippocampus, putamen and cerebellum. The present study gives first insights into the relationship of resting-state EEG and fMRI characteristics in an AD sample. The results suggest that positive associations between alpha band power and BOLD signal in numerous regions, including DMN regions, are diminished in AD.
What's Behind 'Inflation Perceptions'? A Survey-Based Analysis of Italian Consumers

This study investigates inflation perceptions, and their relationship with factors likely to affect them, through a survey of a representative sample of Italian consumers. The results show that reported inflation is, on average, much higher than measured by official statistics. Inflation perceptions are higher for women, the unemployed and less educated individuals, as well as for consumers with some forms of financial distress. A very low knowledge of the inflation concept and related statistics and an inaccurate memory of past prices turn out to play a significant role in explaining the highest class of perceptions. These results suggest that when consumers express their opinions on what they report as “inflation”, they are incorporating a complex combination of forces that go well beyond the phenomena measured by official inflation statistics.
Drag reduction by closed-loop control of a separated flow over a bluff body with a blunt trailing edge

The present investigation focuses on the drag reduction of a bluff body with a blunt trailing edge in wind tunnel experiments. Two different approaches of closed-loop control are presented. First, a robust controller based on a family of linear black-box models is designed to suppress the vortex shedding by controlling the base pressure. To reduce the conservatism of this approach, a nonlinear static precompensation is included. In the second approach, a model-based based sensor and an extremum seeking controller are combined to determine the optimal phase of the actuation to synchronise the vortex shedding. It is shown that the synchronisation of the vortex shedding leads to a more efficient drag reduction with respect to energy.
Earnings quality, bankruptcy risk and future cash flows

Abstract Prior research suggests that the quality of accruals may be compromised where the magnitude of accruals is abnormally high, due to the presence of errors in the accruals‐estimation process (Dechow and Dichev, 2002; Richardson, 2003). A consequence of this is that abnormal accruals may not map into realised future cash flows to the extent that would normally be expected of accruals data. Indeed, the association may be insignificant if abnormal accruals consist primarily of estimation noise. Our study investigates whether abnormal accruals for UK firms provide incremental insight into future cash flows. In particular, our paper may be viewed as a development of Subramanyam (1996). We find a significant positive association between abnormal accruals and one‐year‐ahead operating cash flows. This provides a rationale for the pricing of abnormal accruals by the market (Subramanyam, 1996; Xie, 2001) and suggests that abnormal accruals are not merely the products of noise in the accruals‐estimation process. However, our results are conditional upon the probability of one‐year‐ahead bankruptcy risk (Charitou et al., 2004). We also find that abnormal accruals possess small but significant explanatory power for future cash flows even when controlling for the disaggregation of accruals into individual items (Barth et al., 2001).
N‐acetylcysteine inhibits Na+ absorption across human nasal epithelial cells

N‐acetylcysteine (NAC) is a widely used mucolytic drug in patients with a variety of respiratory disorders. The mechanism of action is based on rupture of the disulfide bridges of the high molecular glycoproteins present in the mucus, resulting in smaller subunits of the glycoproteins and reduced viscosity of the mucus. Because Na+ absorption regulates airway surface liquid volume and thus the efficiency of mucociliary clearance, we asked whether NAC affects the bioelectric properties of human nasal epithelial cells. A 24‐h basolateral treatment with 10 mM of NAC decreased the transepithelial potential difference and short‐circuit current (ISC) by 40%, and reduced the amiloride‐sensitive current by 50%, without affecting the transepithelial resistance. After permeabilization of the basolateral membranes of cells with amphotericin B in the presence of a mucosal‐to‐serosal Na+ gradient (135:25 mM), NAC inhibited 45% of the amiloride‐sensitive current. The Na+‐K+‐ATPase pump activity and the basolateral K+ conductance were not affected by NAC treatment. NAC did not alter total cell mRNA and protein levels of α‐epithelial Na+ channel (EnaC) subunit, but reduced abundance of α‐ENaC subunits in the apical cell membrane as quantified by biotinylation. This effect can be ascribed to the sulphydryl (SH) group of NAC, since N‐acetylserine and S‐carboxymethyl‐l‐cysteine were ineffective. Given the importance of epithelial Na+ channels in controlling the thin layer of fluid that covers the surface of the airways, the increase in the fluidity of the airway mucus following NAC treatment in vivo might be in part related to downregulation of Na+ absorption and consequently water transport. J. Cell. Physiol. 201: 106–116, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Critical Role and Screening Practices of European Business Incubators

Business incubators guide starting enterprises through their growth process and as such constitute a strong instrument to promote innovation and entrepreneurship. In this article we sketch the European business incubator landscape. Then we describe screening practices by European business incubators in 2003 and compare these results with the American incubators in the 1980s. In the last phase an exploratory link between screening practices and performance, measured in terms of tenant failure, is established. Most incubators do not screen potential tenants on a balanced set of factors, but concentrate either on the characteristics of the tenant's market or on the characteristics of the tenant's management team. However, we found that the tenant survival rate is positively related to a more balanced screening profile. Based on our study results, we propose some recommendations for the main stakeholders in the field: authorities, incubators and innovative entrepreneurs.
An examination of conditional effect on cross-sectional returns: Singapore evidence

This article empirically examines the usefulness of beta, firm size, book-to-market equity ratio (B/M) and earnings-to-price ratio (E/P), as risk proxies in explaining the cross-sectional returns in the Singapore stock market under both unconditional and conditional frameworks based on up and down markets. Consistent with previous studies, though beta plays no role under unconditional framework, there is evidence of a significantly positive (negative) risk premium on beta during periods of up (down) markets, supporting for the continuous use of beta as a risk measure. Interestingly, our results show that firm size is the only significant variable in explaining average returns under the unconditional framework but its impact becomes much less under the up and down market conditions. However, significant conditional effect of E/P is found. Although, B/M alone is not significantly conditionally related to returns, in various combinations with beta, it becomes significant and the joint role of beta and B/M, due to an interaction effect between them, has an ‘amplified’ gain in the explanatory power. Our study suggests that beta does not suffice to explain the cross-sectional variations of returns, but it is possible that the joint effect of beta and B/M may be a surrogate as an underlying and more fundamental factor that is missing in the conditional SLB model. We also find evidence that investors in the Singapore stock market react virtually the same to these firm-specific factors and to beta during up and down markets. Our results are robust for both beta-size and size-beta sorting procedures and for both value- and equally weighted market proxies.
The HLA‐DRB1 shared epitope is not associated with antibodies against cyclic citrullinated peptide in Chinese patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Objective: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a destructive autoimmune polyarthritis that has been associated with a group of human leucocyte antigen (HLA)‐DRB1 alleles that share a common amino‐acid sequence at residues 70–74 called the shared epitope (SE). Recently, anti‐cyclic citrullinated peptide (CCP) antibodies have also been reported to be associated with HLA‐DR4 and have gained wide acceptance as early diagnostic markers for RA in Caucasian patients. The current study was performed to investigate whether the association between the SE (HLA‐DRB1*0401/04/05/10) and anti‐CCP antibodies is also present in Chinese Han patients with RA. Methods: One hundred and four RA patients and 122 healthy controls were recruited. HLA‐DR4 was detected by the sequence‐specific primer polymerase chain reaction (SSP‐PCR) phototyping method. Anti‐CCP antibodies and immunoglobulin M rheumatoid factor (IgM‐RF) were measured by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and laser nephelometry, respectively. Results: Of the Chinese patients with RA, 76.5% exhibited anti‐CCP antibodies compared with none of the controls (76.5% vs. 0%, p<0.001). The prevalence of the SE was significantly higher in patients with RA compared with controls [p = 0.010, odds ratio (OR) = 2.42, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.16–5.07]. Among the HLA‐DR4 alleles, the presence of HLA‐DRB1*0401 was significantly higher in RA patients than in controls (p = 0.0118, OR = 9.68, 95% CI = 1.13–448.8). In our study we found that the SE was not associated with production of anti‐CCP antibodies (p = 0.2899, OR = 1.920, 95% CI = 0.52–8.89). Conclusions: The prevalence of the SE is significantly lower in Chinese RA patients, as compared with previous reports of a study using a Caucasian cohort, indicating that distinct genetic risk factors might be associated with anti‐CCP antibody production. These data emphasized the complexity of the genetic effects of the major histocompatibility complex on the RA phenotype.
The determinants of audit committees: evidence from the charity sector

Drawing on the theoretical perspectives of agency theory, institutional theory and resource dependency theory, this study finds that board attributes (consisting of the number of trustees and board structure), charity size, the nature of charitable activities, and external influences (namely proportion of restricted funds, presence of government funding and auditor quality) are all significantly positively associated with the annual report disclosure of audit committee existence. No relationship was found with either organizational legal form or donor dependence.
A Long Noncoding RNA, lncRNA-Amhr2, Plays a Role in Amhr2 Gene Activation in Mouse Ovarian Granulosa Cells

Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) is critical to the regression of Müllerian ducts during mammalian male differentiation and targets ovarian granulosa cells and testicular Sertoli and Leydig cells of adults. Specific effects of AMH are exerted via its receptor, AMH type II receptor (Amhr2), but the mechanism by which the Amhr2 gene is specifically activated is not fully understood. To see whether a proximal promoter was sufficient for Amhr2 gene activation, we generated transgenic mice that bore the enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) gene driven by a 500-bp mouse Amhr2 gene promoter. None of the established 10 lines, however, showed appropriate EGFP expression, indicating that the 500-bp promoter was insufficient for Amhr2 gene activation. As a regulatory element, we found a long noncoding RNA, lncRNA-Amhr2, transcribed from upstream of the Amhr2 gene in ovarian granulosa cells and testicular Sertoli cells. In primary granulosa cells, knockdown of lncRNA-Amhr2 resulted in a decrease of Amhr2 messnger RNA level, and a transient reporter gene assay showed that lncRNA-Amhr2 activation increased Amhr2 promoter activity. The activity was correlated with lncRNA-Amhr2 transcription in stably transfected OV3121 cells derived from mouse granulosa cells. Moreover, by the Tet-on system, the induction of lncRNA-Amhr2 transcription dramatically increased Amhr2 promoter activity in OV3121 cells. These results indicate that lncRNA-Amhr2 plays a role in Amhr2 gene activation in ovarian granulosa cells by enhancing promoter activity, providing insight into Amhr2 gene regulation underlying the AMH signaling in the female reproductive system.
Outsourcing: assessing the risks and benefits for organisations, sectors and nations

Purpose - This research aims to assess the risks and benefits of outsourcing for organisations, sectors and nations. The literature on outsourcing contains little evidence of research on holistic issues of its impact at systems levels beyond the firm, notably sectors and nations. Design/methodology/approach - A Delphi study with senior strategists from private and public sectors captured perspectives and specific observations on benefits and risks of outsourcing. Emergent issues on outsourcing policy, strategy and decision-making processes were synthesised into a framework for analysing factors associated with outsourcing. Findings - The findings suggest that a more holistic view of outsourcing is needed, linking local, organisational issues with sector and national level actions and outcomes. In this way, aggregate risks and benefits can be assessed at different systems levels. Research limitations/implications - Future research might address the motivations for outsourcing; currently there is little research evidence to assess whether outsourcing is a mechanism for failing to solve internal problems, and moving responsibility and risk out of the firm. Additionally most outsourcing research to date has concentrated on an activity either being "in" or "out"; there is little research exploring the circumstances in which mixed models might be appropriate. Practical implications - The framework provides an aid to research and an aide memoire for managers considering outsourcing. Originality/value - This paper contributes to knowledge on understanding of outsourcing at different systems levels, particularly highlighting the implications of outsourcing for sectors and nations. Previously most research has focused at the level of the firm or dyadic relationship.
Beneficial Effect on Cardiac Resynchronization From Left Ventricular Endocardial Pacing Is Mediated by Early Access to High Conduction Velocity Tissue: Electrophysiological Simulation Study

Background—Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) delivered via left ventricular (LV) endocardial pacing (ENDO-CRT) is associated with improved acute hemodynamic response compared with LV epicardial pacing (EPI-CRT). The role of cardiac anatomy and physiology in this improved response remains controversial. We used computational electrophysiological models to quantify the role of cardiac geometry, tissue anisotropy, and the presence of fast endocardial conduction on myocardial activation during ENDO-CRT and EPI-CRT. Methods and Results—Cardiac activation was simulated using the monodomain tissue excitation model in 2-dimensional (2D) canine and human and 3D canine biventricular models. The latest activation times (LATs) for LV endocardial and biventricular epicardial tissue were calculated (LVLAT and TLAT), as well the percentage decrease in LATs for endocardial (en) versus epicardial (ep) LV pacing (defined as %dLV=100×(LVLATep−LVLATen)/LVLATep and %dT=100×(TLATep−TLATen)/TLATep, respectively). Normal canine cardiac anatomy is responsible for %dLV and %dT values of 7.4% and 5.5%, respectively. Concentric and eccentric remodeled anatomies resulted in %dT values of 15.6% and 1.3%, respectively. The 3D biventricular-paced canine model resulted in %dLV and %dT values of −7.1% and 1.5%, in contrast to the experimental observations of 16% and 11%, respectively. Adding fast endocardial conduction to this model altered %dLV and %dT to 13.1% and 10.1%, respectively. Conclusions—Our results provide a physiological explanation for improved response to ENDO-CRT. We predict that patients with viable fast-conducting endocardial tissue or distal Purkinje network or both, as well as concentric remodeling, are more likely to benefit from reduced ATs and increased synchrony arising from endocardial pacing.
The Theory of Peak-Load Pricing: A Final Note

This note presents a formal reconciliation of two approaches to the analysis of peak and off-peak pricing. It argues that the differences reside in varying conceptions of the time period over which costs and revenues are calculated. Both versions yield formally correct solutions so that no substantive problems emerge, as noted in the reconciliation. However, varying rates of production, implicit in the two approaches, may violate the cost linearity assumptions made in both and hence vitiate the traditional conclusions.
Essays on financial frictions : China and rest of the world

This thesis studies the role of financial frictions in shaping the consumption and investment behavior in China and its implications on rest of the world. The first chapter uses a panel of Chinese individual level data to show that the inability to borrow against future labour income forces a significant portion of individuals to deviate from a smooth consumption path over the life cycle, which they would otherwise follow. Financial frictions also affect the Chinese corporate sector. The second chapter relates China's current account surplus, as well as productivity differential between state-owned (SOEs) and privately-owned enterprises (POEs), to differences in access to finance. I consider an open- economy DSGE model of the Chinese economy with two productive sectors. I model SOEs and POEs as start-ups which need to borrow in order to begin production. Following a policy-induced asymmetric shock to the borrowing constraints, SOEs are on average less productive than POEs. Because of the lower hurdle rate for investment they face, SOEs end up creating more investable assets than POEs, while, due to more constrained credit availability, POEs save more and invest less than SOEs. In aggregate, this simple mechanism implies investment (driven by less productive SOEs) does not keep up with savings (driven by more productive POEs), resulting in a current ac- count surplus. Furthermore, the savings of Chinese POEs owners in search of investable foreign assets put downward pressure on the world long run real interest rate. In the third chapter, I move from China to an international perspective. This chapter constructed a measure of financial frictions for 41 emerging economies (EMs) between 1995 and 2008 in order to shed light on common factors across countries. Finally, Chapter four shows econometrically that financial frictions pose a serious danger to EMs, by reducing long run economic growth, raising the probability of a crisis, and leading to asset bubbles. Consistent with Chapter 2, I confirm that financial fractions can also help explain the current account position of EMs.
Rate of progression in Parkinson's disease: A 6‐[18F]fluoro‐L‐dopa PET study

The aim of this study was to investigate the rate of progression in Parkinson's disease (PD) with 6‐[18F]fluoro‐L‐dopa (FDOPA) positron emission tomography (PET). We investigated 21 patients with PD and eight healthy controls. Ten of the patients were de novo at the time of the first PET scan and antiparkinsonian medication was started thereafter, with a favourable response. A FDOPA PET scan was carried out twice at an approximately 5‐year interval. The regions of interest were drawn on individual magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) images, matched with the PET images.
Changes in masticatory mandibular movements in growing individuals: a six-year follow-up

The pattern of mandibular movement during chewing is influenced by several central and peripheral factors. The aim of the present study was to determine whether changes in masticatory function, characterized by mandibular velocity and displacement, occurred during individuals' normal growth. Forty-seven children, 9-15 years of age, were followed over a 6-year period. All had an Angle Class I occlusion with no obvious orthodontic problems. Oral motor function with respect to mandibular displacement, duration, and velocity was monitored 3-dimensionally with an opto-electronic method. The chewing cycle was divided into an opening, closing, and occlusal phase. Total body height was measured. During the follow-up period, all masticatory variables except the 3-dimensional opening distance showed significant changes. The total chewing cycle duration, the opening and occlusal time of the chewing cycle, and the 3-dimensional closing distance increased during the growth period, while the closing time of the chewing cycle, the 2-dimensional lateral and vertical distances and both the opening and closing velocity decreased. The children who grew proportionally most in height during the 6-year period, i.e. the youngest children in the group studied, showed a significantly larger decrease in the opening velocity. From this study it becomes evident that the variables of the chewing cycle undergo a continuous process of change during growth. This is possibly a reflection of anatomical changes, maturation of the central nervous system, and altered functional demands.