Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Expression Vector for Zymomonas mobilis

This study describes the construction of several useful cloning vectors which can be conjugated from Escherichia coli into Zymomonas mobilis at high frequency, approaching 10−2 per donor or recipient. These vectors contain a broad-host-range replicon and mob site from RSF1010, a chloramphenicol acyltransferase gene under the control of an enteric consensus promoter, and a second mob site (originally derived from RP4). The addition of this second mob site appears to be responsible for a 2-order-of-magnitude increase in the efficiency of transfer into Z. mobilis. Such vectors may be useful for other gram-negative bacteria in which conjugation efficiencies are low. These vectors are stably maintained in Z. mobilis with no detectable loss of plasmid after 50 generations in the absence of selective pressure. One of these, pLOI193, contains the tetracycline gene from pBR322 and associated cloning sites for insertional inactivation. Another, pLOI204, contains a Z. mobilis promoter immediately upstream from a BamHI site which can be used for cloning. This promoter has been shown to efficiently drive the expression of beta-galactosidase in both Z. mobilis and E. coli. This promoter fragment from Z. mobilis has been sequenced, and the site for transcriptional initiation in E. coli and Z. mobilis has been identified.
Salivary biomarkers of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome in children

The present pilot study was performed to evaluate the HPA axis and ANS activity by measuring salivary cortisol and α‐amylase diurnal trajectory and production, respectively, in mild or moderate‐to‐severe (MS) OSA‐affected, but otherwise healthy, children. Moreover, a correlative analysis was performed between the salivary biomarker concentrations and the PSG variables characterizing the OSA severity.
Dispersion in analysts' forecasts and momentum strategies in the Norwegian stock market

I 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1 2.0 PREVIOUS LITERATURE/LITERATURE REVIEW 2 3.0 CONTRIBUTION AND RESEARCH QUESTION 4 4.0 DATA AND METHODOLOGY 5 TABLE 1: DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS OF ANALYSTS’ FORECASTS 8 4.1 REVISION STRATEGIES 9 TABLE 2: RAW RETURNS OF PORTFOLIOS 10 TABLE 3: ABNORMAL RETURNS OF PORTFOLIOS 11 4.2 INTRODUCING THE EFFECT OF DISPERSION IN ANALYSTS’ FORECASTS . 13 TABLE 5: RETURNS BEFORE AND AFTER THE FINANCIAL CRISIS 16 5.0 MARKET CORRELATION 17 6.0 MARKET EFFICIENCY 18 7.0 CONCLUSION 20 8.0 REFERENCES 22 ARTICLES 22 WEBPAGES 25 BOOKS 25 DATABASE 25 GRA 19003 Master Thesis 01.09. 2012
Betting on Market Power: Product Market Competition and Mutual Funds' Information Production

Processing qualitative information about a firm’s product market competition matters for fund performance. I find that fund managers with a better understanding of a firm’s market power exhibit a superior risk-adjusted performance. Managers who overweight companies with the fewest competitors (monopolies) outperform by up to 92 basis points annually. My identification strategy includes exogenous shocks to the public information environment using the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and to a firm’s competitive position using the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Managers who place larger bets on monopolies pursue more long-term and illiquid investment strategies and hold companies with a better R&D track record. They also more actively avoid competition within their portfolio. These findings suggest that skilled managers exploit hardto-process information about a firm’s competitive environment when picking stocks.
Three Essays on Dividend Policy

THREE ESSAYS ON DIVIDEND POLICY Mehmet Deren Caliskan Old Dominion University, 2015 Advisor: Dr. John A. Doukas This dissertation considers paying earnings out as dividends a conservative policy as opposed to investing earnings in to value-increasing projects. Based on this view, this dissertation explores the effect of chief executive officers’ (CEO) risk preferences on dividend policy, market’s reaction to dividend policy changes, and the effect of dividend policy on firm financial distress. The first chapter hypothesizes that risk seeking CEOs will be less likely to pay dividends compared to conservative CEOs. The second chapter hypothesizes that when the market sentiment is high (i.e., when investors are willing to take risk) firms that omit dividends should outperform the firms that initiate dividends. The third chapter predicts non-dividend-paying firms to be more likely to be in financial distress compared to dividend paying firms. Results support these hypotheses.
Factors affecting Mathematics achievement of first-year secondary school students in Central Uganda

This study explores the sources of variability in Mathematics achievement of Ugandan students at the student, classroom and school level. The Mathematics score and questionnaire responses of 4,819 first-year secondary school students (Grade Seven, about 14-15 years old) from 78 classrooms of 49 schools were analysed. A three-level linear model was used. The results indicate that out of the total variance in Mathematics achievement 68.8%, 14.2% and 17.0% are situated at student, classroom and school level, respectively. Of all the considered explanatory variables at the three levels, i.e. socio-economic status, gender, prior Mathematics achievement, parental support, peer influence, class mean of prior Mathematics achievement and of students’ perception of good classroom assessment, school mean of class climate (class mean of attitude toward mathematics) and of parental support were significant predictors of Mathematics achievement. The relevant factors could explain 7.6%, 73.1% and 84.3%, respectively, of student-, classroom- and school-level differences. Implications of our study are considered. Keywords : mathematics achievement, multilevel analysis, secondary school, Uganda
Survival of tuberculosis patients treated under DOTS in a rural Tuberculosis Unit (TU), south India.

OBJECTIVE To estimate survival probabilities and identify risk factors for death of tuberculosis (TB) patients during treatment period. METHODS TB patients registered during May 1999 to December 2004 from a rural TB unit (TU) with a population of 580,000 in Tiruvallur district, South India, formed study population. Life table and Cox's regression methods were used. RESULTS Of the 3818 TB patients who were initiated on treatment, 96, 94 and 97% of category--I, II and III respectively, were surviving after completion of treatment. Higher death rates were independently associated with patient's age (45 years), previous history of treatment, alcoholism and initial body weight (<35 kgs). CONCLUSION The survival probability was found to be similar in all patients irrespective of categorization. Necessary actions need to be initiated in the programme to improve body weight and abstain from alcoholism.
THE CAPITAL STRUCTURE OF A FIRM

Summary The earnings of a firm are represented by a discrete stochastic process, in which the terms can take negative values. Earnings can be added to the firm's working capital, or paid out as dividends. If the firm has debts, a part of the earnings must be set aside to service the debt. It is assumed that the firm is ruined and has to cease its operations if the working capital becomes negative. The payments from the firm, to shareholders and creditors can be represented by two discrete stochastic processes. According to a theorem by Modigliani and Miller the sum of the market values of these two payment sequences should be independent of the equity-debt ratio. It is shown that this cannot be true under any reasonable assumptions about the market. The results are illustrated by a simple numerical example.
User-centered methods for designing patient-centric self-help tools

Involving end users in the design process can be challenging and in many cases fails to become a priority for system developers. This is also the case with numerous applications in the health care domain. This article focuses on the design process for applications intended for direct use by the patients themselves, often referred to as self-help tools. A framework for the user involvement in the design process is presented. This framework is inspired both from existing methods and standards within the field of human computer interaction, as well as documented experiences from relevant e-health projects. An analysis of three case studies highlights the importance of patient involvement in the design process and informs guidelines for patient-centric system design.
Spatial semantics: Modeling the meaning of prepositions

Reference to space, especially with prepositions, plays a central role in natural language and is receiving more and more attention over the past decades. One line of research uses formal semantic modeling, using topological and other geometrical concepts such as regions, vectors, and paths. Another line of research has drawn attention to the role of function, force-dynamics, polysemy, prototypes, and crosslinguistic variation in this domain. This paper gives an overview of both lines of research and argues that a synthesis is possible, based on a proper division of labor between semantics and pragmatics, richer ontologies, and a perspective on categorization that uses conceptual spaces and semantic maps.
Soluble CD 14-subtype ( Prespsin ) and Hepcidin as Diagnostic and Prognostic markers in Early Onset Neonatal Sepsis

Presepsin, sCD14, EONS, CRP, Hepcidin, Treatment Background: The clinical picture and laboratory markers of Early-onset neonatal sepsis (EONS) are nonspecific, however a variety of different molecules have been suggested as clinical biomarkers in sepsis. Presepsin (soluble CD14-subtype) has been identified as a protein whose level increases significantly in the blood of septic patients. Hepcidin, an iron homeostasis regulator, it can be used in diagnosis of neonatal sepsis. Objectives: The aim of this study is to evaluate the role of new markers namely presepsin and hepcidin in diagnosis of EONS compared to CRP before and after antibiotic therapy. Methodology: The study enrolled 62 neonates, 28 of them fulfilled the criteria of EONS, and 34 healthy neonates as a control group. Serum levels of presepsin, hepcidin, CRP, complete blood picture, blood gases, and serum iron parameters for all neonates and blood cultures were done for 28 of neonates with clinical picture of sepsis. Results: Serum levels of presepsin, hepcidin, and CRP were significantly higher in neonates with sepsis than in healthy neonates. The presepsin was more sensitive and specific than hepcidin and CRP for diagnosis of EONS. After antibiotic therapy, the serum level of presepsin was dramatically decreased as compared to its pretreatment level. The same results was noted, but to a lesser degree for hepcidin and CRP. Additionally, the presepsin level was significantly correlated to blood culture results and CRP levels. Conclusion: Presepsin is considered a promising biomarker for early diagnosis of EONS with higher sensitivity and specificity rather than hepcidin and CRP. Its correlation to sepsis markers and response to treatment is more informative. Future large scale studies are needed to understand the role of hepcidin and presepsin in development of sepsis in other pediatric age groups.
Long non-coding RNA-DANCR in human circulating monocytes: a potential biomarker associated with postmenopausal osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a common disease characterized by low bone mineral density (BMD) and low trauma fractures, mainly resulting from exceeding bone resorption by osteoclasts over bone formation by osteoblasts. Circulating monocytes are directly involved in osteoclastogenesis, and lncRNAs are believed to be involved in the osteoblast differentiation. However, no study has been conducted to identify the roles of lncRNA in circulating monocytes associated with human osteoporosis. In this study, we found significant upregulation of DANCR in the blood mononuclear cells (MNCs) from low-BMD patients with the qRT-PCR analyses. We further found that DANCR promoted the expression of IL6 and TNF-α at both mRNA level and protein level in MNCs. After deletion of DANCR with siRNAs, the levels of IL6 and TNF-α are decreased in the MNCs from low-BMD postmenopausal women. Moreover, DANCR level was correlated with IL6 and TNF-α in postmenopausal women with low BMD. Furthermore, we found that DANCR-induced IL6 and TNF-α in MNCs had bone-resorbing activity. These results indicate that DANCR is involved in the pathology of osteoporosis and may be as a biomarker for postmenopausal osteoporosis. Graphical Abstract DANCR overexpressed blood mononuclear cells have increased bone resorbing activity through secreting IL6 and TNF-α and finally result in osteoporosis
Neuronal globus pallidus activity in patients with generalised dystonia

We studied 516 globus pallidus neurons in dystonic patients. The firing rate was analysed. We classified the burst activity into tonic, burst, and pause patterns. Mean ± SD firing rates and tonicity score for internal globus pallidus (GPi) and external globus pallidus (GPe) were 54.6 ± 28.6; 58.01 ± 39.1 and 1.18 ± 0.55; 0.95 ± 0.43, respectively. Differences in percentage appearance of tonic, burst, or paused neurons were not statistically significant for GPi versus GPe. GPi firing features in dystonic patients were closely similar to those of GPe. This could suggest that the abnormally patterned output from GPi would not result from increased differential inhibitory/excitatory input arising from the direct/indirect pathway but rather be transmitted from GPe, striatum, or either centromedian nucleus. © 2003 Movement Disorder Society
Effects of fermentation and salting on the bacterial, chemical and sensory characteristics of Tilapia (Chromidototilapia guentheri) based marinate in Nigeria

Microbiological, chemical and sensory analyses were carried out on Tilapia (Chromidotilapia guentheri) treated with 10 and 15% w/w NaCl with or without spices (1%w/w garlic and 1%w/w red pepper) and allowed to ferment at ambient temperature (28±2 0 C) for two weeks. Results indicate that fermentation and salting remarkably reduced the total bacterial count from 2.55x10 6
Impact of correlation errors on optimum Kalman filter matrices gains identification in multicoordinate systems

This paper investigates the impact that errors in the innovation correlation calculations has upon the steady-state Kalman filter gain identification. This issue arises in all real time applications, where the correlations must he calculated from experimental data. The algorithm proposed by [L. Hong (1991)] is considered and equations describing the impact are established. Simulation results are presented and discussed. Finally, experimental results for the algorithm in [L. Hong (1991)], applied to estimate the states of a servo system, are presented.
Antiangiogenic activity of prostate-specific antigen.

BACKGROUND Measurement of serum levels of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is widely used as a screening tool for prostate cancer. However, PSA is not prostate specific, having been detected in breast, lung, and uterine cancers. In one study, patients whose breast tumors had higher levels of PSA had a better prognosis than patients whose tumors had lower PSA levels. To test the hypothesis that PSA may have antiangiogenic properties, we evaluated the effects of PSA on endothelial cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, which are key steps in angiogenesis, the process by which tumors develop a blood supply. METHODS To assess the antiproliferative effects of PSA, we treated bovine endothelial cells and human endothelial cell lines (HUVEC and HMVEC-d) with purified human PSA (0.1-10 microM) and then stimulated them with 10 ng/mL fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2). Effects on FGF-2- or vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-stimulated endothelial cell migration, invasion, and tube formation were measured by use of one cell line only (HUVEC). PSA was administered to mice at 9 microM for 11 consecutive days after intravenous inoculation of B16BL6 melanoma cells to assess its ability to inhibit the formation of lung colonies (i.e., metastatic tumors). RESULTS PSA inhibited endothelial cell proliferation, migration, and invasion at IC(50) (i. e., the concentration at which inhibition was 50%) values ranging from 0.3-5 microM. In addition, PSA inhibited endothelial cell responses to both angiogenic stimulators tested, FGF-2 and VEGF. In a mouse model of metastatic disease, daily PSA treatment resulted in a 40% reduction in the mean number of lung tumor nodules compared with phosphate-buffered saline treatment (two-sided P =.003). CONCLUSION To our knowledge, this is the first report that PSA may function in tumors as an endogenous antiangiogenic protein. This function may explain, in part, the naturally slow progression of prostate cancer. Our findings call into question various strategies to inhibit the expression of PSA in the treatment of prostate cancer.
Development of Trade and Investment Cooperation in Greater Mekong Sub-region: Thailand, Lao PDR, Vietnam, and Cambodia

This research aims to study on the trade and investment development among Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) countries, including Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam. Recently this sub-region has played more positive roles in terms of economic development and in international economic cooperation. For the first section, the gravity model is employed to explain the factors affecting the trade between Thailand and countries in GMS. The research found that Gross Domestic Products (GDP) of each country, tariff rates, trade facilities, and distance between countries are able to explain the trade value between Thailand and GMS countries. The second section of the research explains the factors affecting foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows to Thailand and to Vietnam. By using ARIMAX model, the study found that GDP per Capita, real interest rates, and degree of openness can be the leading indicators for FDI. For Vietnam, exchange rate is the additional variable that can be leading indicator for FDI. The third section of this research is the study on the effects of Thailand-Cambodia economics cooperation under the ACMECS framework. The study found that the infrastructure development under ACMECS provides the positive opportunities for Thai investors to invest in Cambodia. The study suggests that there are some industries that Thai investors may have comparative advantages in investment, such as, construction, tourism, drinking water, garments, and medical services. These are markets with high domestic demand but lacks of domestic supply.
Management of Type 2 Diabetes and Pregnancy

Pregnancy complicated by diabetes presents risks for the mother and her baby and a challenge to those responsible for their care. Type 2 diabetes now represents a significant and rapidly increasing proportion of pregestational diabetes. Outcomes of pregnancies complicated by Type 2 diabetes are certainly no better and sometimes worse than for Type 1 diabetes. Perinatal mortality, stillbirths and congenital anomalies are increased between two- and fourfold. Women with Type 2 diabetes and who are of child-bearing age merit special attention for contraception and prepregnancy care. This review considers the implications for women with Type 2 diabetes before, during and after pregnancy.
Blogs And Their Impact On Purchase Intention: A Structural Equation Modelling Approach

Purpose of this study is to investigate the utility of blogs for consumers in getting information about electronic products before purchasing them. This is an empirical study based on consumers, who often use blogs for getting information about electronic products before shopping. Survey data were collected from MBA student of management colleges situated in Delhi and the national capital region (NCR), India. The study explores the impact of consumer intention to use blogs for getting information and their relative role in purchase decision of electronic products. Structural equation modelling approach is used to test the reliability of the measurement instrument and to test the proposed model. The findings of the study give a new model describing the impact of different variables on intention to use blog for getting information about electronic products and its impact on purchase intention of the consumers. Blogs have emerged as a new internet based communication tool for companies. Blogs are listed on World wide web giving information about products; especially in electronics and consumer durable sector. This study explores the power of blogs in the hands of customers to get the desired information of the products they want to purchase. This study also comes out with a new approach which can help businesses designing their promotional campaigns using blogs.
DVFS Based on Voltage Dithering and Clock Scheduling for GALS Systems

To effectively manage power in Globally-Asynchronous Locally-Synchronous (GALS) systems with many interconnected nodes, each should be ideally provided with an individual Dynamic Voltage and Frequency Scaling (DVFS) mechanism. However, full-blown DVFS requires complex voltage regulators and PLL or DLL circuits. To reduce the difficulty of integrating many complex DVFS controllers, we propose a DVFS system that makes use of 1) voltage dithering between a few voltage levels, 2) a scheduler that selectively kills ticks of a high-frequency clock to create an "effective" clock frequency and 3) a local distributed clock-gating mechanism that periodically stalls the registers of a pipeline without incurring the penalties of global clock gating. We report results obtained on a CMOS 45 nm technology and show that the behavior is close to that of an ideal DVFS, even with only two voltage levels.
A STUDY OF SERVICE QUALITY EXPECTED AND PERCEIVED BY THE CUSTOMERS OF ICICI PRUDENTIAL LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY

Present study seeks to ascertain the expected and perceived service quality level along with gaps on the basis of Service Quality model by Sureshchandar et al. (2001) in one of the leading private sector company, ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Company (ICICIPLI). Though collectively, private sector has significantly captured the market share initially, but now a days, most of the private sector companies are struggling for a regular growth in business and market share, and the selected company is one of them. Also the customers often complaints of poor services in life insurance services, which obviously means there is something wrong in customer strategies of these companies. The same is proved in the findings of research, that there exists a significant gap in service quality expected and perceived by the customers of ICICIPLI and it is recommended that company should think strategically to improve its customer services on selected dimensions of service quality so that the business growth rate and market position may improve.