Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Characterization of Cecal Microbiota and Response to an Orally Administered Lactobacillus Probiotic Strain in the Broiler Chicken

A probiotic Lactobacillus strain was given in drinking water to young broiler chickens from 1 to 19 days of age. Cecal contents were collected from 4- and 19-day-old chickens in treated and control groups. Enumeration of bacteria by culture on selective media showed a decrease in Clostridium perfringens carriage in the 4-day-old treated chickens, whereas coliforms and Lactobacillus populations were not significantly affected by the treatment. Fluorescent in situ hybridization analysis with 7 phylogenetic probes targeting the major groups of intestinal bacteria revealed that the Clostridium coccoides group accounted for more than 50% of the total bacteria in the cecum of 4-day-old chickens, whereas the bacterial community of 19-day-old chickens evolved towards a more diverse microbiota with Faecalibacterium prausnitzii (36%) and C. coccoides (22%) groups representing the predominant bacteria. No effect of the Lactobacillus strain supplementation was observed in the composition of the cecal microbiota assessed by fluorescent in situ hybridization with the 7 probes. Nevertheless, profiling of the cecal microbiota using temporal temperature gradient gel electrophoresis in combination with principal component analysis demonstrated an impact of the probiotic treatment on the overall bacterial community as well as on the Lactobacillus population.
Time-hopping sequences with zero correlation zone for approximately synchronized THSS-UWB systems

In this paper, a novel time-hopping (TH) sequences family with TH zero correlation zone (ZCZ) for approximately synchronized time-hopping spread spectrum ultra wideband (THSS-UWB) systems is presented. When the approximate chip synchronization is held in the whole system, the multiple-access interference (MAI) of THSS-UWB systems employing the proposed ZCZ TH sequences is eliminated, and such THSS-UWB systems are more tolerant to the multipath problem. Consequently, the need of accurate synchronism in whole system is reduced while orthogonal communications are realized
Explaining Employees' Experience of Work in Outsourced Call Centres: The Influence of Clients, Owners and Temporary Work Agencies

Third party call centres are growing as employers respond to market pressures. However, evidence shows their employees' experience of work is inferior compared to those working for in-house call centres. Drawing on research in two organizations we argue that the differences in employees' experiences can be explained by examining external influences on HR practices. These cases reveal a complex web of relationships involving clients, owners and Temporary Work Agencies. The strategic choice of HR practices is severely constrained by these important external parties and by the labour market making it difficult to develop effective, stable, mutually beneficial employment relationships. The impact of these external influences has implications for employee representation and legal protection in third-party call centres and for future research into the constraints on HR decision-making in these organizations.
LY 83583 interferes with the release of endothelium-derived relaxing factor and inhibits soluble guanylate cyclase.

LY 83583 (6-anilino-5,8-quinolinedione) has been reported to lower intracellular cyclic GMP by an unknown mechanism. The objective of the present study was to investigate the effect of LY 83583 on different types of vasorelaxation and to study its mechanism of action. Low concentrations of LY 83583 (less than or equal to 0.1 microM) inhibited endothelium-dependent relaxations of rabbit aortic strips induced by acetylcholine or by the calcium ionophore A23187. Higher concentrations (greater than or equal to 0.3 microM) were required to produce partial inhibition of relaxation to sodium nitroprusside and glyceryl trinitrate. Cyclic AMP-mediated relaxations, induced by isoprenaline or forskolin, were not affected by LY 83583 (10 microM). The site of interference of LY 83583 with endothelium-dependent relaxation was examined with endothelium-derived relaxing factor (EDRF) released from cultured endothelial cells that were grown on microcarrier beads and stimulated by superfusion with ATP or thimerosal. EDRF in the superfusate was detected by endothelium-denuded segments of rabbit femoral artery, which responded with dilation and, simultaneously, by purified soluble guanylate cyclase (GC) in test tubes, which was activated by EDRF. When LY 83583 was added to the glutathione-containing GC-assay or to the superfusate from cultured endothelial cells, it did not affect stimulation of soluble GC by EDRF but it slowly reversed the dilator response of the arterial detector segment. Superfusion of cultured endothelial cells with LY 83583 (1 microM), rapidly and reversibly inhibited EDRF release. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Extra- and Intracochlear Electrocochleography in Cochlear Implant Recipients

Objective: To monitor cochlear function by extra- and intracochlear electrocochleography (ECoG) during and after cochlear implantation and thereby to enhance the understanding of changes in cochlear function following cochlear implantation surgery. Methods: ECoG responses to acoustic stimuli of 250, 500 and 1,000 Hz were recorded in 9 cochlear implant recipients with presurgical residual hearing. During surgery extracochlear ECoG recordings were performed before and after insertion of the cochlear implant electrode array. After insertion of the electrode array, intracochlear ECoG recordings were conducted using intracochlear electrode contacts as recording electrodes. Intracochlear ECoG recordings were performed up to 6 months after implantation. ECoG findings were correlated with findings from audiometric tests. Results: Extra- and intracochlear ECoG responses could be recorded in all subjects. Extracochlear ECoG recordings during surgery showed moderate changes. Loss or reduction of the ECoG signal at all three frequencies did not occur during cochlear implantation. During the first week following surgery, conductive hearing loss, due to middle ear effusion, led to a decrease in intracochlear ECoG signal amplitudes. This was not attributable to changes of cochlear function. All persistent reductions in ECoG response magnitude after normalization of the tympanogram occurred during the first week following implantation. Thresholds of ECoG signals were at or below hearing thresholds in all cases. Conclusion: Gross intracochlear trauma during surgery appears to be rare. In the early postoperative phase the ability to assess cochlear status by ECoG recordings was limited due to the regular occurrence of middle ear effusion. Still, intracochlear ECoG along with tympanogram recordings suggests that any changes of low-frequency cochlear function occur mainly during the first week after cochlear implantation. ECoG seems to be a promising tool to objectively assess changes in cochlear function in cochlear implant recipients and may allow further insight into the mechanisms underlying the loss of residual hearing.
Exploring the Intelligibility of Philippine English

Abstract A review of the literature suggests that there have been very few studies on the intelligibility of Philippine English. The dearth of research in this area poses potential problems in defining standard spoken Philippine English and in providing inputs to initiatives aimed at establishing the international intelligibility of world Englishes, which, in turn, will help in bringing about effective cross-cultural communication. This study attempted to explore the intelligibility of Philippine English, in the hope of contributing to ongoing discourses on the intelligibility of world Englishes. To do this, speech samples of exemplars of Philippine English were audio-taped and then listened to by representatives of the Kachruvian circles, who wrote down what they heard. The paper presents the findings and discusses their implications for English language teaching.
Pivotal Advance: Nonfunctional lung effectors exhibit decreased calcium mobilization associated with reduced expression of ORAI1

CD8+ T cells play a critical role in the clearance of respiratory pathogens. Thus, it is surprising that functional inactivation of lung effectors has been observed in many models of viral infection. Currently, the molecular defect responsible for the shut‐off of function in these cells is unknown. In the present study, we addressed this question using a model of respiratory infection with the paramyxovirus SV5. Nonfunctional cells were found to exhibit decreases in SOCE, resulting in reduced NFAT1 activation. Notably, function could be restored by the provision of increased levels of extracellular calcium. The reduced ability to mobilize calcium was associated with reduced expression of ORAI1, the CRAC channel subunit. These findings reveal a previously unknown mechanism for the negative regulation of function in effector T cells.
Risk factors for occupational hand injuries: relationship between agency and finger.

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to define the risk factors for occupational hand injuries and explore the relationship between the machines and the fingers injured, based on the records of a hospital in Turkey specialized in hand and microsurgery. METHODS Five thousand twenty seven occupational hand injuries treated at a hand and microsurgery hospital between 1992 and 2005 were included in the study. All the injuries were retrospectively recoded according to ICD-10, (ICECI) and ILO recommendations. Logistic regression and chi-square for trend analysis were used to evaluate the risk factors for occupational injuries. RESULTS The most frequent injuries were traumatic amputation of wrist and hand (53.2%), open wound of wrist and hand (46.3%). Considering all injuries, 60.9% of agricultural machines, 52.7% of metal working machines, 54.7% of transmission machinery, and 42.8% of wood and assimilated machines affected the right hand. Powered wood cutters, presses, planning and milling machines, and machine belts were the most frequent five machines involved in injuries, each having a different finger pattern. The proportion of machinery among all hand injuries was significantly decreasing with time. CONCLUSION A stricter and more frequent supervision of the use of protective equipment and prohibition of the purchase of machinery not complying with the regulations could contribute to the prevention of hand injuries.
Effect of futures trading on the stability of stock index returns: a case of BSE Sensex

This paper attempts an to investigate the effect of futures trading on the stability of returns on BSE Sensex by using daily observations from January 1996 to December 2007. Three statistical tests namely, Kolmogorov Smirnov 2-sample test, Wilcoxon Rank Sum test and Goldfeld Quandt tests are used. The study found that higher volatility of daily returns in post-futures period than in the pre-futures period but the volatility of monthly returns remained unchanged. Apart from the months May 2004 and May 2006, there is no evidence that monthly BSE Sensex volatility has increased after inception of the Futures trading.
Household Decisions and Gender Inequality in Education in Rural China

This study employs a multidisciplinary approach to understand household education decisions and their implications for gender inequality in education in rural China. Based on a household survey of poor rural counties in Gansu and Hebei and local accounts, the study finds that parents have higher educational expectations for boys than for girls. Household education spending is a heavy economic burden for poor rural households, and school non-attendance rates are higher for girls than for boys in the majority of the counties. School attendance is related to economic burden, gender and other factors, but the relationship differs across the counties.
A Note on Evaluation of Derivatives with Collaterals

This is a revised version of our published paper Han et al. (2014). In this paper, valuation of a derivative, which is traded between default-free counterparties, partially collateralized in another specific (foreign) currency and funding in a third specific currency is studied. Replication pricing approach together with PDE and martingale solutions are presented. Our findings show that the current marking-to-market value of such a derivative consists of three components: A) the price of the perfectly collateralized derivative (a.k.a. the price by discounting in the collateral rate of the trading/payoff currency), B) the value adjustment due to the collateral rate difference between the collateral currency and the trading currency, and C) the value adjustment resulting from the uncollateralized portion of the derivative exposure. These results generalize previous works on discounting for fully collateralized derivatives and on funding value adjustments for partially collateralized or uncollateralized derivatives.It is also shown that, different from the conventional risk-neutral pricing, the derivative price is represented as an expectation in a measure where the underlying assets grow in their individual funding rates, and this measure may be reduced to the conventional risk-neutral measure in a special case.
Integrating Finance into Global Production Networks

Coe N. M. , Lai K. P. Y. and Wójcik D. Integrating finance into global production networks, Regional Studies. While successful in its aim of ‘globalizing’ regional development, the global production network (GPN) approach has thus far paid less attention to the role of finance in the dynamics of the global economy and regional development. This lacuna is significant as finance is arguably even more globalized and networked than production. To address this gap the paper distils the concept of the global financial network (GFN) from financial geography and related scholarship, with advanced business services, world cities and offshore jurisdictions at the core. Interactions between the GPN and the GFN are discussed, focusing on the financing and financializing of GPNs and the co-evolution of globalization and financialization. Integrating finance into GPN research entails more than a simple extension of the approach; it would also enrich it conceptually, and enable it methodologically and empirically.
RNA-sequencing based identification of crucial genes for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

AIMS To identify key genes and pathways in the development of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma with RNA-seq data. MATERIALS AND METHODS RNA-seq data including three paired samples were downloaded from Sequence Read Archive database under accession number SRP007169 and differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified with package edge R of R. Functional enrichment analysis was performed to uncover their biological functions with the Database for Annotation, Visualization, and Integrated Discovery (DAVID) tools. RESULTS A total of 5561 DEGs were obtained, including 1829 upregulated and 3732 downregulated. Quite a few upregulated genes were components of collagen and matrix metallopeptidases (MMPs), which are involved in cell adhesion, cell mobility and so on. Keratin, mucin and cysteine-rich secretory protein were found to be significantly downregulated. Significantly over-represented biological processes for downregulated genes were epidermis development, epidermal cell differentiation and arachidonic acid metabolism. CONCLUSION These identified DEGs may be underlying targets for diagnosis and treatment of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.
Global HRM integration: a knowledge transfer perspective

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to review the literature on HRM in MNCs from a knowledge transfer perspective, to identify some of the key weaknesses in extant research and to outline a future research agenda.Design/methodology/approach – In this paper key contributions to the literature on HRM in MNCs are reviewed and discussed in connection with the knowledge transfer literature. The review and discussion culminate in the presentation of an agenda for future research.Findings – The paper finds that, by viewing global HRM integration in MNCs as a process of knowledge transfer, three weaknesses in the extant literature are identified: inadequate consideration of HRM's knowledge characteristics at different levels within the organisation – the “what”; insufficient attention paid to the organisational mechanisms through which HRM is transferred – the “how”; and a lack of rigour in assessing when HRM transfer can be viewed as successful – the “when”. Originality/value – In viewing global HRM integratio.
Bureaucratic Control and the Soft Budget Constraint

Abstract In the hierarchy of China's state sector, both before and during the current reform period, government bureaucrats select and supervise state-owned enterprise (SOE) managers. The incentive problem of SOE managers has been studied carefully, but that of the bureaucrats has not. This paper uses a model to show that the agency problem of the bureaucrat leads to the persistence of the soft-budget constraint (SBC) in the state sector. This suggests that the problem of SBC is unlikely to go away even when other familiar reasons contributing to the SBC disappear, e.g., concern about employment. J. Comp. Econom. , March 1998, 26(1), pp. 41–61. Bolton College, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts 02167; and Industrial Relations Center, Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455.
Event-related Brain Potentials Suggest a Late Interaction of Meter and Syntax in the P600

Abstract Many studies refer to the relevance of metric cues in speech segmentation during language acquisition and adult language processing. However, the on-line use (i.e., time-locking the unfolding of a sentence to EEG) of metric stress patterns that are manifested by the succession of stressed and unstressed syllables during auditory syntactic processing has not been investigated. This is surprising as both processes rely on abstract rules that allow the building up of expectancies of which element will occur next and at which point in time. Participants listened to metrically regular sentences that could either be correct, syntactically incorrect, metrically incorrect, or doubly incorrect. They either judged syntactic correctness or metric homogeneity in two different sessions. We provide first event-related potential evidence that the metric structure of a given language is processed in two stages as evidenced in a biphasic pattern of an early frontal negativity and a late posterior positivity. This pattern is comparable to the biphasic pattern reported in syntactic processing. However, metric cues are processed earlier than syntactic cues during the first stage (LAN), whereas both processes seem to interact at a later integrational stage (P600). The present results substantiate the important impact of metric cues during auditory syntactic language processing.
Intertemporal Equilibrium and the Transfer Paradox

The transfer paradox may occur in a world with only two countries at a dynamically stable intertemporal competitive equilibrium. In a framework of overlapping generations with production and investment, a transfer of income may immiserize the recipient while enriching the donor. Away from the golden rule, a transfer may result in a Pareto improvement.
What Do Bank Capital Requirements Do When They are Not Binding?

This paper provides a new interpretation of the role of capital regulation, recognizing that banks may not operate at the maximal leverage levels allowed, i.e., capital requirements are, in most cases, not binding. I show that the seemingly unbinding capital requirements are actually a necessary device to induce banks to choose leverage levels above the requirements. I develop a stylized model that intends to capture the basic ideas as simple as possible. Banks can invest in both real loans and marketable securities. As bank loans are special and essentially illiquid, banks earn rents on real loans. The supply of profitable lending opportunity is, however, limited because the loan production process exhibits decreasing return to scale. If banks can only invest in real loans, the trade-off between preserving rents (franchise-value incentive) and exploiting government insurance value (risk-shifting incentive) means that banks do not necessarily choose their leverage levels and asset risks to be at the boundaries imposed by regulatory rules. The resulting interior solution, however, is only a local optimum. Marketable securities, despite yielding zero present value in themselves, are attractive in the presence of government guarantee. Moreover, they are in unlimited supply. By investing in marketable securities, banks can leverage up indefinitely to exploit the government insurance. Therefore, a global optimum corresponding to maximal leverage and risk, from the banker's point of view, always dominates the local optimum. Because banks do not internalize any social costs of bank failures, the global optimum is not socially optimal. This underscores an interesting and probably unintended role that capital regulation plays. For a fixed amount of capital, capital requirements limit the bank's ability to leverage and thus impose an upper limit on the maximal gain from leveraging and risk taking. When they are properly set at a level such that the gain from operating at the boundary is lower than that at the local optimum, the bank chooses to stay at the local optimum. Hence, capital regulation is not meant to just prevent a few banks from going across the boundary, but rather, serves as a necessary device that induce the majority of banks to settle at their local optima. The macroeconomic implications are also discussed.
Interhemispheric pathways of the hippocampal formation, presubiculum, and entorhinal and posterior parahippocampal cortices in the rhesus monkey: The structure and organization of the hippocampal commissures

The interhemispheric pathways originating in the hippocampal formation, presubiculum, and entorhinal and posterior parahippocampal cortices and coursing through the fornix system were investigated by autoradiographic tracing in 29 rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta). The results revealed that crossing fibers are segregated into three contiguous systems. A ventral hippocampal commissure lies at the transition between the body and anterior columns of the fornix in the vicinity of the subfornical organ and the interventricular foramina of Monro; it is formed by axons arising in the most anterior (uncal and genual) subdivisions of the hippocampal formation. A dorsal hippocampal commissure lies inferior to the posterior end of the body of the corpus callosum; it is formed by axons arising in the presubiculum and entorhinal cortex of the anterior parahippocampal gyrus and the proisocortical and neocortical subdivisions of the posterior parahippocampal gyrus but not in the hippocampal formation. A hippocampal decussation lies between the ventral hippocampal commissure and dorsal hippocampal commissure; it is formed by axons arising in the body of the hippocampal formation. In contrast to the fibers of the ventral hippocampal commissure and dorsal hippocampal commissure, which terminate in contralateral cortical areas, these decussating fibers terminate in the contralateral septum. Thus, the ventral hippocampal commissure and dorsal hippocampal commissure of the rhesus monkey appear to be homologous to similarly designated structures in other mammals. To the extent that these observations also apply to the interhemispheric fibers of the human hippocampal formation and parahippocampal areas, their possible preservation must be considered when interpreting the effect of callosal transection on seizures and the results of “split‐brain” studies, since callosal transection may fail to sever the hippocampal commissures in their entirety.