Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Two Distinct Modes of Hypoosmotic Medium-Induced Release of Excitatory Amino Acids and Taurine in the Rat Brain In Vivo

A variety of physiological and pathological factors induce cellular swelling in the brain. Changes in cell volume activate several types of ion channels, which mediate the release of inorganic and organic osmolytes and allow for compensatory cell volume decrease. Volume-regulated anion channels (VRAC) are thought to be responsible for the release of some of organic osmolytes, including the excitatory neurotransmitters glutamate and aspartate. In the present study, we compared the in vivo properties of the swelling-activated release of glutamate, aspartate, and another major brain osmolyte taurine. Cell swelling was induced by perfusion of hypoosmotic (low [NaCl]) medium via a microdialysis probe placed in the rat cortex. The hypoosmotic medium produced several-fold increases in the extracellular levels of glutamate, aspartate and taurine. However, the release of the excitatory amino acids differed from the release of taurine in several respects including: (i) kinetic properties, (ii) sensitivity to isoosmotic changes in [NaCl], and (iii) sensitivity to hydrogen peroxide, which is known to modulate VRAC. Consistent with the involvement of VRAC, hypoosmotic medium-induced release of the excitatory amino acids was inhibited by the anion channel blocker DNDS, but not by the glutamate transporter inhibitor TBOA or Cd2+, which inhibits exocytosis. In order to elucidate the mechanisms contributing to taurine release, we studied its release properties in cultured astrocytes and cortical synaptosomes. Similarities between the results obtained in vivo and in synaptosomes suggest that the swelling-activated release of taurine in vivo may be of neuronal origin. Taken together, our findings indicate that different transport mechanisms and/or distinct cellular sources mediate hypoosmotic medium-induced release of the excitatory amino acids and taurine in vivo.
Host Range Testing of Diaphorencyrtus aligarhensis (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) for Use in Classical Biological Control of Diaphorina citri (Hemiptera: Liviidae) in California

ABSTRACT Host range tests for Diaphorencyrtus aligarhensis (Shafee, Alam, & Agarwal) (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae), an endoparasitoid of Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri Kuwayama (Hemiptera: Liviidae), sourced from Punjab Pakistan, were conducted in quarantine at the University of California, Riverside, CA. Seven nontarget psyllid species representing four psyllid families were exposed to mated D. aligarhensis females in four different treatment types: 1) short sequential no-choice treatments, 2) prolonged sequential no-choice treatments, 3) prolonged no-choice static treatments, and 4) choice treatments. Selection of nontarget psyllid species was based on phylogenetic proximity to D. citri, likelihood of being encountered by D. aligarhensis in the prospective release areas in California, and psyllid species in biological control of invasive weeds. D. aligarhensis exhibited high host affinity to D. citri, and only parasitized one nontarget species, the pestiferous potato psyllid, Bactericera cockerelli (Sulc), at low levels (<14%). Based on the results of this study, we conclude that D. aligarhensis has a narrow host range and exhibits a high level of host specificity, as it shows a significant attack preference for the target pest, D. citri. Results presented here suggest D. aligarhensis poses minimal risk to nontarget psyllid species in California.
A Concept-Based Framework for Passage Retrieval at Genomics

The task of TREC 2006 Genomics Track is to retrieve passages (from part to paragraph) from full-text HTML biomedical journal papers to answer the structured questions from real biologists. A system for such task needs to be able to parse the HTML free-texts (convert the HTML free-texts into plain texts) and pinpoint the most relevant passage(s) within documents for the specified question. This task is accomplished in three steps in our system. The first step is to parse the HTML articles and partition them into paragraphs. The second step is to retrieve the relevant paragraphs. The third step is to identify the most relevant passages within paragraphs and finally rank those passages. We are interested in 1 . How does a concept-based IR model perform on structured queries comparing to Okapi? 2 . Will the query expansion based on domain knowledge increase retrieval effectiveness? 3 . Will our abbreviation database from MEDLINE help improve query expansion and will the abbreviation disam-biguation help improve the ranking? The experiment re-sults show that our concept-based IR model works better than the Okapi; query expansion based on domain knowledge is important, especially for those queries with very few relevant documents; an abbreviation database for query expansion and disambiguation is helpful for passage retrieval.
A comparative study of recruitment and training practices between small and large businesses in an emerging market economy

Purpose – This study seeks to determine differences between recruitment processes and methods and training practices used in small and large businesses in the retailing, manufacturing, and tourism sectors in an emerging economy, Barbados.Design/methodology/approach – The research utilized a quantitative survey covering 49 retailing, manufacturing and tourism‐oriented organizations to ascertain whether small organizations practice the procedures and methods outlined in the prescriptive literature on recruitment and training compared with large organizations. Institutional theory and resource‐based view informed the research.Findings – It was found that recruitment processes and methods and training practices vary among small and large organizations. It suggests that, in Barbados, small businesses are likely to rely on informal recruitment methods and informal training practices compared with large businesses.Research limitations/implications – This study is only conducted across the retailing, manufacturin.
Relationship between Dividend Payout and Economic Value Added: A Case of Square Pharmaceuticals Limited, Bangladesh

The financial goal of a firm is to maximise the economic welfare of the owners. Owners' economic welfare could be maximised by maximising the shareholders wealth as reflected in the market value of shares. The value of shares is represented by their market price which is a reflection of the firm's financial decisions that include investment or long-term asset-mix decision, financing or capital-mix decision and dividend or profit allocation decision. Among the critical decisions, decision relating to dividend is the most crucial as the financial manager must decide whether the firm should distribute all profits or retain them or distribute a portion and retain the balance. However, the preachers of shareholders value theory have discouraged payment of dividend as it implies inefficiency on the part of the management towards shareholder's wealth maximisation. Taking this argument into account, this paper attempts to study the relationship between dividend payout and economic value added (EVA), an indicator to shareholders wealth creation, introduced by United States based consultants Stern Stewart and Company, New York, in 1990, using data of Square Pharmaceutical Limited (SPL), one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in Bangladesh, for the periods 2004-05 to 2010-11. Using simple regression equation method, the study comes to the conclusion that there is an inverse relationship between dividend payout and EVA and recommends SPL to continue the existing dividend policy of retaining a bulky portion of earnings rather than high payout ratio.
Field Experiments of Discrimination in the Market Place

Controlled experiments, using matched pairs of bogus transactors, to test for discrimination in the marketplace have been conducted for over 30 years, and have extended across 10 countries. Significant, persistent and pervasive levels of discrimination have been found against nonwhites and women in labour, housing and product markets. Rates of employment discrimination against non-whites, in excess of 25% have been measured in Australia, Europe and North America. A small number of experiments have also investigated employment discrimination against the disabled in Britain and the Netherlands, and against older applicants in the United States.
Highly scalable appearance-only SLAM - FAB-MAP 2.0

We describe a new formulation of appearance-only SLAM suitable for very large scale navigation. The system navigates in the space of appearance, assigning each new observation to either a new or previously visited location, without reference to metric position. The system is demonstrated performing reliable online appearance mapping and loop closure detection over a 1,000 km trajectory, with mean filter update times of 14 ms. The 1,000 km experiment is more than an order of magnitude larger than any previously reported result. The scalability of the system is achieved by defining a sparse approximation to the FAB-MAP model suitable for implementation using an inverted index. Our formulation of the problem is fully probabilistic and naturally incorporates robustness against perceptual aliasing. The 1,000 km data set comprising almost a terabyte of omni-directional and stereo imagery is available for use, and we hope that it will serve as a benchmark for future systems.
Consumer Optimism and Saving Behavior

This study examines the factors affecting household saving, extending previous research by adding measures of consumer optimism to the variables previous investigators used to analyze saving behavior. In addition to expectations about household income and the economy, we create an optimism variable related to life expectancy. The 1995-2007 Survey of Consumer Finances datasets were used. Two multivariate analyses show that including optimism variables in the model improved the explanation of household saving behavior. In general, those who are optimistic about future income, future economy, and life expectancy are more likely to be savers than are pessimistic individuals.
An evaluation of the effectiveness of Value-at-Risk (VaR) models for Australian banks under Basel III

This study compares Value-at-Risk (VaR) measures for Australian banks over a period that includes the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) to determine whether the methodology and parameter selection are important for capital adequacy holdings that will ultimately support a bank in a crisis period. VaR methodology promoted under Basel II was largely criticised during the GFC for its failure to capture downside risk. However, results from this study indicate that 1-year parametric and historical models produce better measures of VaR than models with longer time frames. VaR estimates produced using Monte Carlo simulations show a high percentage of violations but with lower average magnitude of a violation when they occur. VaR estimates produced by the ARMA GARCH model also show a relatively high percentage of violations, however, the average magnitude of a violation is quite low. Our findings support the design of the revised Basel II VaR methodology which has also been adopted under Basel III.
Does intellectual capital disclosure reduce an IPO's cost of capital?: The case of underpricing

Purpose – The pivotal aim is to examine the association between underpricing and intellectual capital (IC) disclosures amongst Singapore initial public offerings (IPOs). A secondary aim is to elaborate on the research by Bukh into IC disclosures by Danish IPOs.Design/methodology/approach – Using a theoretical framework based on the notions of ex ante uncertainty and information asymmetry, the study examines empirically 334 Singapore IPO prospectuses between 1997 and 2004.Findings – Contrary to theoretical predictions and much of the prior financial disclosure/underpricing research, we find a positive association between underpricing and the extent of IC disclosure. Additional sub‐sample analysis shows that the positive association holds across the market's broader industry base, but is strongest amongst IPOs that are heavily reliant on IC resources.Research limitations/implications – The research studies Singapore IPOs only, within a specific timeframe (1997‐2004), and concentrates on a single disclosure .
FISCAL RULES AND UNEMPLOYMENT

This paper shows how fiscal policy affects unemployment in a New Keynesian model with search and matching frictions and distortionary taxation. The model is estimated using US data that includes labor market flows and distinct fiscal instruments. Several findings stand out. First, unemployment multipliers for spending and consumption tax cuts are substantial, even though output multipliers turn out to be less than one. Second, multipliers for labor tax cuts are small. Third, fiscal rules enhance the positive effects of discretionary fiscal policy. However, these expansionary effects on the multipliers are modest compared to earlier studies.
Effi cacy of electrical stimulation to increase muscle strength in people with neurological conditions : a systematic review

Background and Purpose. Weakness in partially paralysed muscles is a disabling impairment for people with neurological conditions. Strength training programmes are widely administered to address this impairment. There is a common belief that the effectiveness of strength training programmes can be enhanced by the addition of electrical stimulation. The purpose of this systematic review was to assess the effi cacy of electrical stimulation for increasing voluntary strength in people with neurological conditions. Method. Eligible randomized trials of electrical stimulation were identifi ed by searches of computerized databases. The search yielded 11 267 abstracts, of which 60 were retrieved. Two assessors independently reviewed full text versions of these articles. Results. Eighteen studies satisfi ed the inclusion criteria. These studies involved participants with spina bifi da (n = 1), cerebral palsy (n = 1), peripheral nerve lesion (n = 1), multiple sclerosis (n = 1), spinal cord injury (n = 3) and stroke (n = 11). The mean (SD) PEDro score for trial quality was 4.9 (1.0) out of 10. Metaanalyses of studies involving similar patients were not done because of insuffi cient data or lack of homogeneity. The results of all studies were analysed individually. Conclusion. Several studies suggest a modest benefi cial effect of electrical stimulation in patients with stroke. It is not clear whether patients with other types of neurological disabilities benefi t from electrical stimulation in the same way. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Trade Union Cooperation in the EU: Views Among Swedish Trade Unions and Their Members

This article compares views among Swedish trade unions with those of their members regarding cross-national union cooperation in Europe or the EU. Data are derived from two different surveys, one among trade unions in 2010–2011 and the other among employees in 2006. It turns out that trade unions are generally more affirmative than their members to transnational union cooperation. In the employee survey, differences appear between members of the three peak-level organizations—the LO (manual workers), the TCO (white-collar workers), and Saco (professionals). However, controlling for education, these differences cannot be verified statistically. Higher education—which above all Saco members have—is linked to more positive attitudes toward transnational union cooperation. The gap between the organizations and their affiliates concerning engagement in European issues appears to be larger in the LO than in Saco, with the TCO somewhere in the middle.
Role-Playing in an Inclusive Classroom: Using Realistic Simulation to Explore Differentiated Instruction.

Students are sitting in pairs at their desks, practicing multiplication and division, taking turns asking each other questions. The teacher is circulating among the pairs, monitoring and redirecting students, as well as clarifying and reteaching the material. Meanwhile, Lucas is sitting by himself in one corner, quietly playing with his watch. In another corner, Monica also is sitting alone, rocking back and forth in her chair while humming to herself. Both children are left unattended. I am later told that Lucas, in keeping with goals outlined in his IEP, had been expected to be tracing numbers with a paraprofessional, who happened not to be in the room at that moment. Monica was to sit by herself, as she has difficulty working with others, and practice the math operations. It is clear, however, that neither child is being taught. One of the major hurdles in preparing preservice teachers to differentiate instruction has been that they tend not to see much differentiated instruction in actual classrooms (Benjamin, 2002; Tomlinson, 1999). There always may be a contradiction in wanting to promote change in instructional practices while, at the same time, relying on a teacher education concept that is based on modeling by established teachers. The
Impact of Photosensitizers Activation on Intracellular Trafficking and Viscosity

The intracellular microenvironment is essential for the efficiency of photo-induced therapies, as short-lived reactive oxygen species generated must diffuse through their intracellular surrounding medium to reach their cellular target. Here, by combining measurements of local cytoplasmic dissipation and active trafficking, we found that photosensitizers activation induced small changes in surrounding viscosity but a massive decrease in diffusion. These effects are the signature of a return to thermodynamic equilibrium of the system after photo-activation and correlated with depolymerization of the microtubule network, as shown in a reconstituted system. These mechanical measurements were performed with two intracellular photosensitizing chlorins having similar quantum yield of singlet oxygen production but different intracellular localizations (cytoplasmic for mTHPC, endosomal for TPCS2a). These two agents demonstrated different intracellular impact.
Automated Talairach Atlas labels for functional brain mapping

An automated coordinate‐based system to retrieve brain labels from the 1988 Talairach Atlas, called the Talairach Daemon (TD), was previously introduced [Lancaster et al., 1997 ]. In the present study, the TD system and its 3‐D database of labels for the 1988 Talairach atlas were tested for labeling of functional activation foci. TD system labels were compared with author‐designated labels of activation coordinates from over 250 published functional brain‐mapping studies and with manual atlas‐derived labels from an expert group using a subset of these activation coordinates. Automated labeling by the TD system compared well with authors' labels, with a 70% or greater label match averaged over all locations. Author‐label matching improved to greater than 90% within a search range of ±5 mm for most sites. An adaptive grey matter (GM) range‐search utility was evaluated using individual activations from the M1 mouth region (30 subjects, 52 sites). It provided an 87% label match to Brodmann area labels (BA 4 & BA 6) within a search range of ±5 mm. Using the adaptive GM range search, the TD system's overall match with authors' labels (90%) was better than that of the expert group (80%). When used in concert with authors' deeper knowledge of an experiment, the TD system provides consistent and comprehensive labels for brain activation foci. Additional suggested applications of the TD system include interactive labeling, anatomical grouping of activation foci, lesion‐deficit analysis, and neuroanatomy education. Hum. Brain Mapping 10:120–131, 2000. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Root Zone Cooling and Exogenous Spermidine Root-Pretreatment Promoting Lactuca sativa L. Growth and Photosynthesis in the High-temperature Season

Root zone high-temperature stress is a major factor limiting hydroponic plant growth during the high-temperature season. The effects of root zone cooling (RZC; at 25°C) and exogenous spermidine (Spd) root-pretreatment (SRP, 0.1 mM) on growth, leaf photosynthetic traits, and chlorophyll fluorescence characteristics of hydroponic Lactuca sativa L. grown in a high-temperature season (average temperature > 30°C) were examined. Both treatments significantly promoted plant growth and photosynthesis in the high-temperature season, but the mechanisms of photosynthesis improvement in the hydroponic grown lettuce plants were different between the RZC and SRP treatments. The former improved plant photosynthesis by increasing stoma conductance (Gs) to enhance CO2 supply, thus promoting photosynthetic electron transport activity and phosphorylation, which improved the level of the photochemical efficiency of photosystem II (PSII), rather than enhancing CO2 assimilation efficiency. The latter improved plant photosynthesis by enhancing CO2 assimilation efficiency, rather than stomatal regulation. Combination of RZC and SRP significantly improved PN of lettuce plants in a high-temperature season by both improvement of Gs to enhance CO2 supply and enhancement of CO2 assimilation. The enhancement of photosynthetic efficiency in both treatments was independent of altering light-harvesting or excessive energy dissipation.
Missing correlation of retinal vessel diameter with high-altitude headache

The most common altitude‐related symptom, high‐altitude headache (HAH), has recently been suggested to originate from restricted cerebral venous drainage in the presence of increased inflow caused by hypoxia. In support of this novel hypothesis, retinal venous distension was shown to correlate with the degree of HAH. We quantified for the first time retinal vessel diameter changes at 4559 m using infrared fundus images obtained from a state of the art Spectralis™ HRA+OCT with a semiautomatic VesselMap 1® software. High‐altitude exposure resulted in altered arterial and venous diameter changes at high altitude, however, independent of headache burden.
Economic drivers of dwelling satisfaction: Evidence from Germany

Purpose - Sociologists are discussing whether or not economic growth enhances subjective well-being. To complement their research from a housing perspective, the purpose of this paper is to investigate whether aggregate income enhances dwelling satisfaction over time. While cross-sectional studies have only examined the direct influence of income on dwelling satisfaction, this paper suggests that there are additional influences mediated by other social indicators. Design/methodology/approach - Based on data from Germany, correlation and regression analyses examine the impacts of aggregate income and other social indicators on dwelling satisfaction. Path analysis is used to test for the existence of mediated relationships. Findings - The paper finds that aggregate income positively influences dwelling satisfaction. Environmental satisfaction, customer satisfaction and satisfaction with family relations also positively impact dwelling satisfaction and mediate influences of aggregate income. The mediated effects are stronger than the direct effect of aggregate income on dwelling satisfaction. Research limitations/implications - The longitudinal availability of aggregate customer satisfaction data is still limited. Future research on dwelling satisfaction is encouraged to account for customer satisfaction and to reexamine the analyses of this study with future data. Practical implications - Stimulating economic growth is a good strategy to improve dwelling satisfaction. Policies improving the environment, family support and shopping opportunities are also effective. Originality/value - This paper is original in that it examines the impacts of economic growth and customer satisfaction on dwelling satisfaction. While the extant literature has only analysed direct effects of income on dwelling satisfaction, this study also accounts for mediated effects.