Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of Aging on the Regenerative Capacity of the Pancreatic B-Cell of the Rat

Since an increased insulin resistance could be expected to lead to a compensatory B-cell hyperplasia, it may be speculated that human type II diabetes becomes manifest only in those individuals who are unable to respond to an increased insulin demand with a higher rate of B-cell proliferation. To test this hypothesis experimentally, the cell cycle and growth regulation of the pancreatic B cell has been studied in vitro. Islets of fetal, 1-wk, 3-wk, and 3-mo-old rats were isolated and maintained in tissue culture at different glucose concentrations. The proliferating islet cells were synchronized with hydroxyurea and their progression through the cell cycle studied by pulse labeling with 3H-thymidine. From the cell cycle data it was possible to calculate the rate of formation of new B-cells. The cell cycle of the B-cells was similar in all donor age groups. When the glucose concentration of the culture medium was raised from 2.7 to 16.7 mM, the rate of B-cell proliferation increased 2.5-fold in all age groups, but there was no further increase in proliferation at 33.3 mM. At each of the glucose concentrations tested the rate of B-cell formation decreased with increasing age of the donor. Results indicate that only a fraction of the islet cells are capable of entering the cell cycle and undergoing mitosis. This fraction composed about 10% of the fetal islet cells but was less than 3% in the adult islets. The small pool of proliferating cells in adult islets could explain why B-cell multiplication, although present in the aging rat, is insufficient to increase the insulin output to levels at which normal glucose tolerance is maintained. This forms an interesting parallel to the development of type II diabetes in man, in which an inherited low capacity for B-cell regeneration may predispose to the disease.
A Contrast of the Plasma Membrane Lipid Composition of Oat and Rye Leaves in Relation to Freezing Tolerance

The lipid composition of the plasma membrane isolated from leaves of spring oat (Avena sativa L. cv Ogle) was vastly different from that of winter rye (Secale cereale L. cv Puma). The plasma membrane of spring oat contained large proportions of phospholipids (28.8 mol% of the total lipids), cerebrosides (27.2 mol%), and acylated sterylglucosides (27.3 mol%) with lesser proportions of free sterols (8.4 mol%) and sterylglucosides (5.6 mol%). In contrast, the plasma membrane of winter rye contained a greater proportion of phospholipids (36.6 mol%), and there was a lower proportion of cerebrosides (16.4 mol%); free sterols (38.1 mol%) were the predominant sterols, with lesser proportions of sterylglucosides (5.6 mol%) and acylated sterylglucosides (2.9 mol%). Although the relative proportions of individual phospholipids, primarily phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine, and the molecular species of these two phospholipids were similar in oat and rye, the relative proportions of di-unsaturated species of these two phospholipids were substantially lower in oat than in rye. The relative proportions of sterol species in oat were different from those in rye; the molecular species of cerebrosides were similar in oat and rye, with only slight differences in the proportions of the individual species. After 4 weeks of cold acclimation, the proportion of phospholipids increased significantly in both oat (from 28.8 to 36.8 mol%) and rye (from 36.6 to 43.3 mol%) as a result of increases in the proportions of phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine. For both oat and rye, the relative proportions of di-unsaturated species increased after cold acclimation, but the increase was greater in rye than in oat. In both oat and rye, this increase occurred largely during the first week of cold acclimation. During the 4 weeks of cold acclimation, there was a progressive decrease in the proportion of cerebrosides in the plasma membrane of rye (from 16.4 to 10.5 mol%), but there was only a small decrease in oat (from 27.2 to 24.2 mol%). In both oat and rye, there were only small changes in the proportions of free sterols and sterol derivatives during cold acclimation. Consequently, the proportions of both acylated sterylglucosides and cerebrosides remained substantially higher in oat than in rye after cold acclimation. The relationship between these differences in the plasma membrane lipid composition of oat and rye and their freezing tolerance is presented.
Multilevel Quasi-Monte Carlo methods for lognormal diffusion problems

In this paper we present a rigorous cost and error analysis of a multilevel estimator based on randomly shifted Quasi-Monte Carlo (QMC) lattice rules for lognormal diffusion problems. These problems are motivated by uncertainty quantification problems in subsurface flow. We extend the convergence analysis in [Graham et al., Numer. Math. 2014] to multilevel Quasi-Monte Carlo finite element discretizations and give a constructive proof of the dimension-independent convergence of the QMC rules. More precisely, we provide suitable parameters for the construction of such rules that yield the required variance reduction for the multilevel scheme to achieve an $\varepsilon$-error with a cost of $\mathcal{O}(\varepsilon^{-\theta})$ with $\theta < 2$, and in practice even $\theta \approx 1$, for sufficiently fast decaying covariance kernels of the underlying Gaussian random field inputs. This confirms that the computational gains due to the application of multilevel sampling methods and the gains due to the application of QMC methods, both demonstrated in earlier works for the same model problem, are complementary. A series of numerical experiments confirms these gains. The results show that in practice the multilevel QMC method consistently outperforms both the multilevel MC method and the single-level variants even for non-smooth problems.
The extended gatekeeper: central government and the implementation of EC regional policy in the UK

This article evaluates the merits of multi-level governance as an explanatory model of EU decision-making. Regional policy implementation is a particularly good case study for evaluating multi-level governance for two reasons. First, because regional policy, along with other EC structural policies, is considered to be at 'the leading edge of multi-level governance'. And, second, because 'Multi-level governance is prominent in the implementation stage' (Marks et al . 1996: 365). The article presents evidence to suggest that while multi-level participation is a feature of EC regional policy implementation in the UK, it is less clear that this constitutes multi-level governance: central government remains dominant. Thus, where the intergovernmentalist 'gatekeeper' notion is useful in describing the behaviour of national governments in EU policy-making, it makes sense to refer to an extended gatekeeper that can operate at all stages of the policy process, including the contested sphere of policy implementation.
The Mediating Effect of Self-Efficacy in the Connections between Strength-Based Parenting, Happiness and Psychological Distress in Teens

Preliminary studies of strength-based parenting (SBP), a style of parenting that seeks to build strengths knowledge and strengths use in one’s child, have reported benefits such as higher life satisfaction, subjective wellbeing, and positive emotions together with lower stress in children and teens. Two proximal mediators conveying these effects have been identified: teen’s own use of strengths and strength-based coping, along with a small moderating effect of growth mindsets relating to strengths. The current study tests the potential mediating effect of self-efficacy, a sense of agency in life, in the relationship between SBP and mental health (wellbeing and illbeing) in teens. Self efficacy has been linked to wellbeing and strengths processes in past studies and is classed as a basic human need and form of eudaimonic happiness. This study reconfirmed the adaptive benefits of SBP in a large sample of Australian adolescents (N = 11,368; 59% male; Mage = 14.04, SDage = 1.99) sourced from 28 schools. Using structural equation modeling, SBP significantly and directly predicted higher happiness and lower depression, with direct effects falling into the 85th and 95th percentile of meta-analytically derived individual differences effect sizes. In addition, self-efficacy was a significant partial mediator, accounting for 40.0% of the total effect on happiness and 52.7% of the total effect on distress. Self-efficacy was also a full mediator in the case of anxiety, with a strong indirect effect. Results suggest that building strengths in teens can also build self-efficacy, and given the large effect sizes, that SBP is a promising leverage point for increasing teen wellbeing.
Securitisation, economisation and the political constitution of temporary migration: the making of the Austrian seasonal workers scheme

Temporary migration has recently received considerable attention from migration researchers. This article shifts the analytic focus from migration practices to migration politics and enquires into the logics and processes underlying the formulation of temporary migration programmes. Based on Foucault’s analysis of liberal governmentality and Jessop’s strategic-relational approach, it is argued that the governing of temporary labour migration by nation-states requires sophisticated political technologies. These technologies entail the differentiated deprivation of fundamental rights and are therefore neither unproblematic nor self-evident. Developing and establishing the necessary legal categorisations along skill levels, nationality, employment status, and so on, requires a complex interplay of two political rationalities that are often conceived of as contradictory: the securitisation and the economisation of migration. Once established, differentiations and measures introduced under securitised conditions can be invested in utilitarian migration policies. The interplay of these two rationalities depends on and is mediated by wider political-economic and societal transformation processes. This general argument is illustrated by the example of the Austrian Seasonal Worker Scheme, which shows significant parallels to policies introduced in other nation-states over the past two decades.
Knowledge Transfer and Innovation in Germany and Britain: ‘Intermediate Institution’ Models of Knowledge Transfer under Strain?

This article investigates the links between knowledge transfer activities and innovation performance in Germany and Britain through a detailed comparison of matched samples of electronics production and research establishments in the two countries. In contrast to mature industries such as mechanical engineering, German performance in electronics is not found to be greatly enhanced by the role played by intermediate research institutes in “bridging the gap” between the academic science base and business enterprises.
Environment‐security nexus in northeast Asia

The concept of environmental security, under the umbrella of regional comprehensive security, provides a common framework to support bilateral as well as multilateral initiatives on the nexus of environment‐security issues in Northeast Asia. These initiatives could provide the foundation upon which a common understanding and language, and common interests can be constructed on regional environmental and security issues. A consensus is to be built among key thinkers and opinion‐makers in the region. Attention is needed to the security implications of regional‐scale environmental degradation, and regional energy and environmental cooperation to address this degradation, thereby enhancing the multilateral institution‐building process in Northeast Asia. As in traditional security arena, the United States needs to take the leadership role in the management of environmental problems in Northeast Asia. While maintaining the U.S.‐Japan‐South Korea cooperation as a central axis for environmental security of Northeast Asia, the United States needs to formulate a clearly articulated, coherent China policy with explicit objectives and guidelines by which progress on a variety of issues could be measured.
On Multiuser Gain and the Constant-Gap Sum Capacity of the Gaussian Interfering Multiple Access Channel

Recent investigations have shown sum capacity results within a constant bit-gap for several channel models, e.g. the two-user Gaussian interference channel (G-IC), k-user G-IC or the Gaussian X-channel. This has motivated investigations of interference-limited multi-user channels, for example, the Gaussian interfering multiple access channel (G-IMAC). Networks with interference usually require the use of interference alignment (IA) as a technique to achieve the upper bounds of a network. A promising approach in view of constant-gap capacity results is a special form of IA called signal-scale alignment, which works for time-invariant, frequency-flat, single-antenna networks. However, until now, results were limited to the many-to-one interference channel and the Gaussian X-channel. To make progress on this front, we investigate signal-scale IA schemes for the G-IMAC and aim to show a constant-gap capacity result for the G-IMAC. We derive a constant-gap sum capacity approximation for the lower triangular deterministic (LTD)-IMAC and see that the LTD model can overcome difficulties of the linear deterministic model. We show that the schemes can be translated to the Gaussian IMAC and that they achieve capacity within a constant gap. We show that multi-user gain is possible in the whole regime and provide a new look at cellular interference channels.
A decade of Portuguese research in e-government: evolution, current standing, and ways forward

In this paper, we present an investigation of the Portuguese research on e-government. Bibliometric techniques are used to explore all the documents published by researchers affiliated to Portuguese institutions from 2005 to 2014 and listed in the Scopus® database. Research production, impact, source types, language used, subject areas, topics, scopes, methods, authors, institutions, networks, and international cooperation are analysed and discussed. We conclude that so that Portuguese research on e-government can evolve, more researchers should be involved, international cooperation should be developed, and more attention should be given to the study of the reasons behind the very good results of the country in the provision of e-government services, as measured by the international rankings. By establishing the evolution and current standing of e-government research in Portugal and exploring the ways forward, our conclusions may prove useful to e-government researchers, research managers, and research policy makers.
Interleukin 1 induces multinucleation and bone-resorbing activity of osteoclasts in the absence of osteoblasts/stromal cells.

Interleukin-1 (IL-1) is one of the most potent bone-resorbing factors involved in bone loss associated with inflammation. We previously reported that IL-1 prolonged the survival of multinucleated osteoclast-like cells (OCLs) formed in cocultures of murine osteoblasts/stromal cells and bone marrow cells via the prevention of spontaneously occurring apoptosis. It was reported that macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF/CSF-1) prolongs the survival of OCLs without the help of osteoblasts/stromal cells. The present study was conducted to determine whether IL-1 also directly induces the multinucleation and activation of OCLs. Mononuclear osteoclast-like cells (prefusion osteoclasts; pOCs) were purified using the "disintegrin" echistatin from cocultures of murine osteoblastic cells (MB 1.8 cells) and bone marrow cells. Both IL-1 and M-CSF prolonged the survival and induced the multinucleation of pOCs through their respective receptors. However, actin ring formation (a functional marker of osteoclasts) by multinucleated cells was observed in the pOC cultures treated with IL-1, but not those treated with M-CSF. We previously reported that enriched multinucleated OCLs as well as pOCs placed on bone/dentine slices formed few resorption pits, but their pit-forming activity was greatly increased by the addition of osteoblasts/stromal cells. Here, pit-forming activity of both pOCs and enriched OCLs placed on dentine slices was induced by adding IL-1, even in the absence of osteoblasts/stromal cells. M-CSF failed to induce pit-forming activity in pOC and enriched OCL cultures. These results indicate that IL-1 induces the multinucleation and bone-resorbing activity of osteoclasts even in the absence of osteoblasts/stromal cells.
The limits of external governance: implementing EU external migration policy

The European Union's (EU's) attempts to extend its policies into non-member states have been conceptualized as ‘external governance’ and have become particularly visible in projects towards neighbouring countries. The article shows the theoretical limits of the external governance approach for assessing their implementation and argues for adopting an organizational perspective to overcome these limitations. It distinguishes macro-political, distributional and organizational factors and their influence on implementation of external policies in order to evaluate the empirical limits of external governance. External migration policy is used as a test case to assess implementation dynamics of a EU priority towards Ukraine and Morocco. Rather than a story of policy transfer, this article indicates that distributional and particularly organizational factors draw out the limits of EU external governance in non-accession countries when engaging in concrete external action.
The Empirical Relevance of the New Economic Geography: Testing for a Spatial Wage Structure in Germany

In this paper we want to shed some light on the empirical relevance of the new economic geography. Using one of the central features of the core new economic geography models, namely that wages have the tendency to fall the further one moves away from centres of economic activity, we investigate the existence of a spatial wage structure for post-unification Germany. We find support for a spatial wage structure for German city-district wages, and hence indirectly for the relevance of a new economic geography model for Germany. We also find that demand linkages in Germany are strongly localised and that the "old" border still matters to the extent that economic interactions between western and eastern Germany are still limited compared to the situation within these two parts of Germany.
Respiratory Syncytial Virus Seasonality in Southeast Florida: Results From Three Area Hospitals Caring for Children

Southeast Florida generally experiences longer seasonal epidemics of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) than other parts of the country. In this report, the primary objective was to more accurately define the onset, peak, and duration of the RSV season in Southeast Florida. The results obtained for this region were also compared with those reported for the state and for the nation. Seasonal patterns for RSV in Southeast Florida were analyzed based on the total number of RSV tests performed, number of positive tests, and percent of positive tests in children presenting with bronchiolitis to 3 emergency departments from January 2003 through December 2006. RSV was detected by rapid diagnostic testing and considered to be present at epidemic levels when at least 10% of performed tests were positive during a given month. During the entire 12 months of 2003 and 2006, RSV was detected above epidemic levels. The RSV-detection test positivity rate was less than 10% in only 6 months of 48 total months of observation, but during the months that were below epidemic threshold, RSV was still frequently identified. RSV activity increased during July, peaked during October, and waned during the spring months. These findings were nearly identical to those recently reported in other studies, confirming that RSV circulated at epidemic levels in Southeast Florida during most of the 4-year observation period and remained a significant cause of respiratory disease and hospitalization throughout the year. Strategies for RSV prophylaxis in at-risk children in South Florida should consider results of local RSV test detection.
The Market Prefers Republicans: Myth or Reality

Wall Street abounds with folklore concerning aggregate stock price movements before and after Presidential elections. Some suggest that movements in the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) portend the outcome of elections. Others attribute movements in the market, prior to and after the election, to the anticipated outcome of the election. In this paper we examine some of the folklore with respect to the effect of Presidential elections on aggregate stock price movements and the implication of these movements on market efficiency.
Biological activity and chemical composition of the essential oil from Jamaican Hyptis verticillata Jacq.

The chemical composition of the essential oil obtained by hydrodistillation from the aerial parts of Hyptis verticillata Jacq. was elucidated by a combination of GC and GC-MS analyses. The oil was dominated by the sesquiterpenoids cadina-4,10(15)-dien-3-one (15.1%) (1) and aromadendr-1(10)-en-9-one (squamulosone) (30.7%) (2). The oil exhibited chemosterilant activities against the cattle tick, Boophilus microplus Canest. , and toxic action against adult Cylas formicarius elegantulus Summer, the most destructive pest of sweet potato (Ipomoea species).
Hedge Fund Replication: Putting the Pieces Together

In this paper, we aim to bring together into one common framework various advances in factor-based hedge fund replication. Our replication methodology relies on a set of investable dynamic risk factors extracted from futures contract prices and on an automatic variable and model selection procedure. The methodology is then validated by creating out-of-sample replicating portfolios for the monthly returns of more than 7,000 hedge funds ranging from 2006 to 2012 and under the assumption of transaction costs. Our results suggest that hedge fund replication is on average possible and works best for liquid strategies.