Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Protective Role of Melatonin and Taurine Against Carbamazepine-induced Toxicity in Freshly Isolated Rat Hepatocytes

La carbamazepina es ampliamente utilizada en un gran espectro de trastornos psiquiatricos y neurologicos. La hepatotoxicidad idiosincrasica es una conocida reaccion adversa asociada con la carbamazepina. La hepatotoxicidad es rara, pero es una preocupacion real al iniciar el tratamiento. Se ha reportado que el estres oxidativo es un potencial mecanismo para la hepatotoxicidad inducida por carbamazepina. El presente estudio evaluo la funcion hepato-protectora de la taurina y melatonina contra la hepatotoxicidad inducida por carbamazepina. Los hepatocitos se prepararon por el metodo de perfusion de la enzima colagenasa a traves de la vena porta. Las celulas fueron tratadas con 400 µM de carbamazepina, 1 mM de taurina, y 1 mM de melatonina. La muerte celular, formacion de especies reactivas de oxigeno (ERO), peroxidacion de lipidos, y despolarizacion de la membrana mitocondrial fueron evaluadas como marcadores de toxicidad, junto con investigar los efectos de la taurina y melatonina administrada en ellos. Nuestros resultados mostraron estres oxidativo inducido por carbamazepina, con aumento de las ERO, formacion de productos de la peroxidacion lipidica y disminucion del potencial de membrana mitocondrial (DYm). La carbamazepina causo una disminucion en el contenido celular de glutation y una elevacion de los niveles de glutation no-oxidado. Se observo que la preincubacion de los hepatocitos con taurina (1 mM) podria aliviar los danos oxidativos inducidos por carbamazepina; ademas la melatonina tambien fue un buen antioxidante para proteger a los hepatocitos. Se puede concluir que tanto la taurina y melatonina son antioxidantes eficaces para prevenir la hepatotoxicidad inducida por carbamazepina. Tras nuestros resultados, se sugiere estudiar los efectos antioxidantes de la taurina y melatonina en pacientes tratados con carbamazepina.
An empirical investigation on sustainability of balancing item in Asian countries

This study explores the sustainability of the balancing item in Asian economies. The conventional unit root tests (includes panel tests) illustrate that the results are rather inconclusive. However, the results from the series-specific panel unit root test consistently illustrate that five of the countries (Singapore, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Korea and Malaysia) balancing item is on the sustainable path. For other remaining eight countries (Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Thailand), there is evidence that her balancing item of balance of payments accounts is unsustainable.
Global existence and blow-up behavior for a degenerate and singular parabolic equation with nonlocal boundary condition

The aim of this article is to investigate the global existence and blow-up behavior of the nonnegative solution to a degenerate and singular parabolic equation with nonlocal boundary condition. The conditions on the existence and non-existence of the global solution are given. Furthermore, under some appropriate hypotheses, the precise blow-up rate estimate and the uniform blow-up profile of the blow-up solutions are discussed.
Errors in estimating unexpected accruals in the presence of large changes in net external financing

We demonstrate that the articulation among accruals, cash flows and revenues which is typically assumed in tests of earnings management does not hold when large (positive or negative) external financing activities are present. Our study provides evidence that managers’ “normal” operating decisions associated with net external financing activities are likely to lead to economically and statistically significant measurement errors in unexpected accruals. This is a serious concern given the frequency with which the partitioning variable used to identify instances of alleged earnings management is correlated with significant movements in net external financing. Simulation tests show that even at modest levels of net external financing changes, rejection frequencies for the null hypothesis of no earnings management rise dramatically. This result underscores the importance of additional specification tests being conducted to control for estimation biases in unexpected accruals associated with external financing. We suggest the use of a matched-firm approach using industry and external financing matches. Using this method, we demonstrate that prior conclusions about the existence of earnings management around open market repurchases (Gong et al. 2008) do not appear robust when attempts are made to control for the effect on unexpected accruals of large changes in net external financing.
Error tolerance of topological codes with independent bit-flip and measurement errors

Topological quantum error correction codes are currently among the most promising candidates for efficiently dealing with the decoherence effects inherently present in quantum devices. Numerically, their theoretical error threshold can be calculated by mapping the underlying quantum problem to a related classical statistical-mechanical spin system with quenched disorder. Here, we present results for the general fault-tolerant regime, where we consider both qubit and measurement errors. However, unlike in previous studies, here we vary the strength of the different error sources independently. Our results highlight peculiar differences between toric and color codes. This study complements previous results published in New J. Phys. 13, 083006 (2011).
The Egyptian Banking Sector: Assessing Efficiency Using a Stochastic Frontier Cost Function

This paper analyzes the cost efficiency of Egyptian banks in a period that witnessed major regulatory and structural changes. Using the full set of Egyptian commercial banks over the period 2000 to 2006, a multi-output cost function is specified and estimated by a stochastic frontier model. The results show that the banks suffer significantly from internal X-inefficiency, where the average distance to the frontier is about 12%. Increasing economies of scale are found to exist up to a bank size of about EGP 30bn ($ 5bn), implying that all but the four largest banks in Egypt could reduce their average costs by growth. Surprisingly, Egyptian banks did not benefit from technological change, but instead faced a negative dynamics of the cost frontier. Second-stage regressions, conducted to explain the different efficiency levels of the institutions, revealed a positive impact of size, growth, and merger activities on inefficiency. Summarizing, the statement “the bigger, the better” describes pretty well the current status of the Egyptian banking industry, encouraging further growth and consolidation by mergers and acquisitions.
Dynamics and Predation Efficiency of Chrysoperla externa (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae) on Enneothrips flavens (Thysanoptera: Thripidae)

Abstract The dynamics of predation by the green lacewing Chrysoperla externa Hagen (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae) on Enneothrips flavens Moulton (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) was investigated by placing embryonated eggs and first-instar larvae of C. externa on potted peanut plants (Arachis hypogaea L.; Fabales: Fabaceae) in a greenhouse. The plants that received either embryonated eggs or larvae of C. externa showed significant reductions in the mean numbers of thrips, about 9 days after the release of the predator on the plants. The potential of C. externa as a biological control agent for thrips is discussed.
Influence of Artificial Weathering on Some Properties of Nano Silicon Dioxide Incorporated Into Maxillofacial Silicone

Background: In spite of desirable properties of Siliconeelastomers like, easy manipulation, easy coloration, andbiocompatibility, it may suffer from degradation after 4-14 months of clinical use. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of addition of silanated SiO2 nanofiller on the tear strength, tensile strength, hardness and surface roughness of A-2186 maxillofacial silicone after artificial accelerated weathering. Material and method: 120 samples were fabricated by addition of 5% SiO2silanated nanofiller to A-2186 silicone. Based on our pilot study, the 5% reinforcement revealed superior properties (tear strength, tensile strength, and hardness) among the other percentages (3%,4%). The main study samples were divided into four (4) groups, each group contains (30) samples according to the conducted tests, i.e.tear strength, tensile strength, hardness test, and surface roughness.Then, each group was subdivided into three subgroups according to the artificialweathering environment (A.control before weathering, B. after 200 hours of artificial weathering, and C. after 300 hours of weathering), (n= 10 samples in each subgroups.The samples were tested before and after artificial weathering, andthe data were analyzed with a descriptive statistical analysis, one-way ANOVA and post-hoc LSD test. Results: The addition of 5%of SiO2nanofillerinto A-2186 maxillofacial elastomer resulted in a highly increase in mean values of the tear strength, tensile strength and hardness according to the results of our pilot study. After artificial weathering for(200-300 hours), the tear strength and tensile strength values werehighly significantly decreased (P≤ 0.01), while the hardness value was highly significantly increased(P≤ 0.01) with aging but still within acceptable clinical limit. A non-significant decrease in surface roughness(P>0.05) was observed after artificial aging. Conclusion: Incorporation of SiO2 nanofiller did not protect the silicone matrix from artificial aging degradation, but can increase the service life of the prosthesis.
12 Structural Equation Modeling in Management Research: A Guide for Improved Analysis

Abstract A large segment of management research in recent years has used structural equation modeling (SEM) as an analytical approach that simultaneously combines factor analysis and linear regression models for theory testing. With this approach, latent variables (factors) represent the concepts of a theory, and data from measures (indicators) are used as input for statistical analyses that provide evidence about the relationships among latent variables. This chapter first provides a brief introduction to SEM and its concepts and terminology. We then discuss four issues related to the measurement component of such models, including how indicators are developed, types of relationships between indicators and latent variables, approaches for multidimensional constructs, and analyses needed when data from multiple time points or multiple groups are examined. In our second major section, we focus on six issues related to the structural component of structural equation models, including how to examine mediatio.
CEASER: Mitigating Conflict-Based Cache Attacks via Encrypted-Address and Remapping

Modern processors share the last-level cache between all the cores to efficiently utilize the cache space. Unfortunately, such sharing makes the cache vulnerable to attacks whereby an adversary can infer the access pattern of a co-running application by carefully orchestrating evictions using cache conflicts. Conflict-based attacks can be mitigated by randomizing the location of the lines in the cache. Unfortunately, prior proposals for randomized mapping require storage-intensive tables and are effective only if the OS can classify the applications into protected and unprotected groups. The goal of this paper is to mitigate conflict-based attacks while incurring negligible storage and performance overheads, and without relying on OS support. This paper provides the key insight that randomized mapping can be accomplished efficiently by accessing the cache with an encrypted address, as encryption would cause the lines that map to the same set of a conventional cache to get scattered to different sets. This paper proposes CEASE, a design that uses Low-Latency Block-Cipher (LLBC) to translate the physical line-address into an encrypted line-address, and accesses the cache with this encrypted line-address. We analyze efficient designs for LLBC that can perform encryption and decryption within two cycles. We also propose CEASER, a design that periodically changes the encryption key and performs dynamic-remapping to improve robustness. CEASER provides strong security (tolerates 100+ years of attack), has low performance overhead (1% slowdown), requires a storage overhead of less than 24 bytes for the newly added structures, and does not need any OS support.
Response of diffusive equilibrium in thin films (DET) and diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) trace metal profiles in sediments to phytodetritus mineralisation

Environmental context Contaminated sediments can have a large and lasting effect on marine ecosystems. It was discovered that significant amounts of pollutants, especially arsenic, were released from contaminated sediments during a phytoplankton bloom in the Belgian Continental Zone. Once released to the water column, these pollutants can accumulate up marine food chains and be a source of contaminants to humans. Abstract Field data from the Belgian Continental Zone showed elevated trace metal concentrations at the sediment–water interface after the occurrence of a phytoplankton bloom. In the present study, laboratory incubation experiments were used to investigate the effect of the phytodetritus remineralisation process on the release of trace metals from contaminated muddy sediments. This remineralisation process was followed by the measurement of chlorophyll-a and dissolved organic carbon levels in the top sediment layers. Two gel techniques, diffusive equilibrium in thin films (DET) and diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT), were used to assess vertical metal profiles in the sediment pore waters and to calculate the metal effluxes. These metal effluxes compared very well with the trace metal concentration variations in the overlying water of the sediment. Much higher effluxes of Mn, Co and As were observed after 2 days of incubation in the microcosms which received additions of phytodetritus. This trend gradually decreased after 7 days of incubation, suggesting that the elevated efflux of trace metals was proportional to the quantity of phytodetritus mineralised at the sediment–water interface. The release of large amounts of toxic elements from the sediments after phytoplankton blooms can therefore potentially affect the marine ecosystem in the Belgian Continental Zone.
On the hormonal inhibition of moulting in decapod Crustacea II. The terminal anecdysis in crabs

In many if not most species of crabs (but not quite all) there is a limit to growth, when no more moulting or ecdysis is possible in normal circumstances. This condition of permanent anecdysis is known as the terminal anecdysis. In the spider crab Maia squinado, the last moult is the moult of puberty, when the animal finally attains sexual maturity, and this moult has different biometrical characteristics from the others. In Carcinus maenas, in contrast, the moult of puberty takes place when the animal is quite small and may be succeeded by about ten further moults before the terminal anecdysis begins. The immediate cause of the cessation of moulting in Maia squinado is shown to be the degeneration of the Y-organ, which secretes a moult-promoting hormone. In the absence of this gland and its secretion moulting can no longer continue. In Carcinus the Y-organ does not degenerate after the final ecdysis and the cause of the cessation of moulting is to be sought in the excessive production by the X-organ-sinus gland complex of the moultinhibiting hormone. This effectively prevents moulting from proceeding Removal of the X-organ-sinus gland complex in Carcinus allows ecdysis to continue, so that giant crabs can be produced in the laboratory by this means, and at the same time the life-span may be increased. The operation has no such effect on Maia. In either species injection of Y-organ extracts produces transiently the first signs of an approaching moult, in the form of a heightened blood-calcium level. In Carcinus repeated injection led to eventual ecdysis. The presence of the Y-organ is shown to be necessary for removal of the X-organ-sinus gland complex to stimulate moulting in Carcinus. Two separate methods of producing terminal anecdysis exist in crabs, both involving the hormones which normally regulate the moult cycle, but no reason is known for the existence of the phenomenon.
Evaluation of a Nutrition Intervention through a School-Based Food Garden to Improve Dietary Consumption, Habits and Practices in Children from the Third to Fifth Grade in Chile

Objective: Use a school-based food garden as an instrument to improve healthy dietary consumption, habits, and practices among children from the third to fifth grade in public schools in Chile. Design: Quasi-experimental, six-month intervention with an evaluation of dietary consumption, habits, and practices and use of the school-based food garden among the 3rd to 5th grade students. Setting: Two municipal schools in a low-middle income district in Santiago de Chile; one with a school garden intervention and a control school without a garden. Subjects: 155 third to fifth grade children, 63 in the intervention school and 92 in the control school (average age 10 years old, 58% boys). Results: In the intervened school, there was a significant improvement in the children’s dietary habits, such as peeling and slicing fruit (p Conclusions: The school-based food garden was effective in achieving change in dietary habits and practices among the third to fifth grade children. The project should be carried out for a longer period of time, so that the changes will be reflected in the students’ food consumption and nutritional status.
Non-equilibrium relaxation law for entangled polymers

We study the far-from-equilibrium relaxation of an initially stretched, entangled polymer by using an exactly solvable lattice gas model for reptation. Over a significant time range, including an initial universal power law regime, the predicted tube length relaxation is in very good agreement with experimental data for the relaxation of DNA. Experimental evidence and theoretical arguments suggest an observed systematic long-time deviation to be due to entanglement fluctuations. This view is confirmed by the analysis of an extension of the lattice gas model which appears to be a reliable foundation for further study of reptation dynamics.
Male and female pollination success in a deceptive orchid, a selection study

We carried out phenotypic selection analyses to assess the relative importance of several floral traits, as well as microhabitat, in determining both male and female pollination success in a nonrewarding orchid (Cypripedium acaule Ait.) in two Nova Scotia populations. Fruit production in these one-flowered, cosexual plants was strongly pollen limited within a season: 100% of individuals set fruit following hand-pollination, but only 5% and 13% did so under natural circumstances in the two populations. Male and female reproductive success were highly correlated, with >90% of plants that received a pollinium also dispersing one. Despite very low visitation rates, the chance of a removed pollinium fertilizing another ovary was 36% and 51%, respectively, in the two populations. There was no evidence for selection acting differently, either through the two sexual functions or in the two populations. In contrast, the strength of directional selection on several traits differed among microhabitats within each population. Univariate and multivariate regressions indicated statistically significant directional selection acting on flower-opening date through male, female, and total (combined) pollination success in one population. For female, male, and total success in this population, we also detected correlational selection acting on opening date and flower height. There was also negative correlational selection acting on flower height and labellum length through female success. Microhabitats within the populations had a larger effect on both female and male success than did floral traits. In particular, the presence of ericaceous shrubs and an open canopy appeared to be closely linked with higher pollination rates.
Dust features in the 10-mu m infrared spectra of oxygen-rich evolved stars

We have analyzed the 8 13:5 mU KIRT CGS3 spectra of 142 M-type stars including 80 oxygen- rich AGB stars and 62 red supergiants, with a view to understanding the dierences and similarities between the dust features of these stars. We have classied the spectra into groups according to the observed appearance of the infrared features. In each case the normalized continuum- subtracted spectrum has been compared to those of the other stars to nd similarities and form groups. The dust features of the AGB stars are classied into six groups: broad AGB, where the feature extends from 8 mt o about 12.5 m with little structure; broad+sil AGB, which con- sists of a broad feature with an emerging 9.7 m silicate bump; and four silicate AGB groups in which a \clas- sic" 9.7 m silicate feature gets progressively narrower. Likewise, the supergiant spectra have also been classied into groups, however these do not all coincide with the AGB star groups. In the supergiant case we again have six groups: featureless, where there is little or no emission above the continuum; broad Super, where the feature ex- tends from about 9 mt o about 13m; and four silicate Super groups, which again show a progression towards the narrowest \classic" 9.7 m silicate feature. We compare the mean spectrum for each group, which yields two main results. Firstly, while the \classic" silicate feature is essen- tially identical for both AGB stars and red supergiants, the broad features observed for these two stellar types are quite dierent. We suggest that the dust in these two en- vironments follows dierent evolutionary paths, with the dust around Mira stars, whose broad feature spectra can be t by a combination of alumina (Al2O3) and magne- sium silicate, progressing from this composition to dust dominated by magnesium silicate only, while the dust around supergiants, whose broad feature can be t by a combination of Ca-Al-rich silicate and Al2O3, progresses from this initial composition to one eventually also dom- inated by magnesium silicate. The reason for the dier- ence in the respective broad features is not clear as yet, but could be influenced by lower C/O ratios and chro- mospheric UV radiation elds in supergiant outflow envi- ronments. The second result concerns the 12.5 13.0 m feature discovered in IRAS LRS spectra and widely at- tributed to Al2O3. This feature is seen predominantly in the spectra of semiregular variables, sometime in Miras and only once (so far) in supergiant spectra. We argue that it is unlikely that this feature is due to Al2O3 or, as has more recently been suggested, spinel (MgAl2O4), but could be associated with silicon dioxide or highly poly- merized silicates (not pyroxenes or olivines).
Cytological studies in two diploid mulberry varieties (Moraceae)

Most of the species of the Morus are diploid having 28 chromosome, but a few species, namely, M. tiliafolia Makino, Morus cathyana and M. nigra L. , are higher polyploidy. Chromosome number varies from 2n =28 to 2n = 308 with ploidy level from x to 22x. In the present study two diploid mulberry varieties namely, Kollegal and DD have been analyzed for both mitotic meiotic studies. Based on the somatic chromosome number, ploidy level, chromosome configuration and other meiotic behavior x = 14 have been considered as basic number of the genus. Meiosis showed marginal differences. Various meiotic abnormalities like occurrence of one large chromosome, stickiness and loose association of chromosomes at metaphase I, unequal separation at anaphase I, laggards, precocious movement and unequal separation of chromosomes at anaphase II, have been observed. The low pollen fertility and seed set may be due to irregular chromosomal pairing and separation rather than due to genic or physiological causes.