Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Maternal placental and myometrial blood flow in the pregnant rabbit

1. In anaesthetized rabbits 27–29 days pregnant (term is 31 days) uterine blood flow was measured in an extracorporeal loop between a carotid and the central end of an external iliac artery, the descending aorta and its other branches being tied. Mean flow was 45 ± 2 ml. min−1, or 105 ± 4 ml. min−1 per kg uterus and contents in thirty‐four litters.
Strip Clubs, 'Secondary Effects', and Residential Property Prices

The "secondary effects" legal doctrine allows municipalities to zone, or otherwise regulate, sexually oriented businesses. Negative "secondary effects" (economic externalities) justify limiting First Amendment protection of speech conducted inside strip clubs. One example of a secondary effect, cited in no fewer than four United States Supreme Court rulings, is the negative effect of strip clubs on the quality of the surrounding neighborhood. Little empirical evidence that strip clubs do, in fact, have a negative effect on the surrounding neighborhood exists. To the extent that changes in neighborhood quality are reflected by changes in property prices, property prices should decrease when a strip club opens up nearby. We estimate an augmented repeat sales regression model of housing prices to estimate the effect of strip clubs on nearby residential property prices. Using real estate transactions from King County, Washington, we test the hypothesis that strip clubs have a negative effect on surrounding residential property prices. We exploit the unique and unexpected termination of a 17 year moratorium on new strip club openings in order to generate exogenous variation in the operation of strip clubs. We find no statistical evidence that strip clubs have "secondary effects" on nearby residential property prices.
Medical Management of Ulcerative Colitis in 2006: What's on the Horizon?

According to Langholz et al., at any time, only 50% of patients with ulcerative colitis are in symptomatic remission (1). One-half is not a satisfactory rate, and the status quo needs to be improved. Researchers have made striking advances in the last decade to manage patients with Crohn’s disease. In contrast, ulcerative colitis might be considered inflammatory bowel disease’s (IBD’s) “neglected child. ” The reasons for this circumstance are complex; however, this may be because ulcerative colitis is considered easier to manage than Crohn’s disease. Most patients with ulcerative colitis can be safely and effectively managed with mesalamine, and the ileoanal pouch procedure provides a “cure” for patients with more severe disease. Furthermore, a time-dependent risk of colon cancer makes prolonged immunosuppression less attractive than it is in Crohn’s disease. Consequently, the research community and industry have not invested in the therapeutics of ulcerative colitis to the same degree as for Crohn’s disease. Clinicians are, however, beginning to prioritize new treatments for ulcerative colitis.
p53 mutations in relation to human papillomavirus type 16 infection in squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck

The relationship between human papillomavirus (HPV) type 16 infection and p53 gene mutations was investigated in squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck (SCCHN). HPV was detected by general primer‐mediated and type‐specific PCR. Alterations in the p53 gene were investigated using single‐strand conformation polymorphism and sequence analysis in 27 SCCHN, of which 12 were HPV 16‐positive and 15 were HPV‐negative. Mutations were detected in 2/12 (16.7%) HPV 16‐positive and 7/15 (46.7%) HPV‐negative tumours; this difference was not statistically significant. The predominant mutations were deletions and C → T transitions; G → T transversions were found in only 2 tumours. Our results indicate that the presence of HPV 16 and p53 mutations is not mutually exclusive and detection of a p53 mutation does not exclude a potential role for HPV 16 in the pathogenesis of a subset of SCCHN. Int. J. Cancer 71: 796‐799, 1997. © 1997 Wiley‐Liss Inc.
TRPV2 knockout mice demonstrate an improved cardiac performance following myocardial infarction due to attenuated activity of peri-infarct macrophages

Background We have recently shown that the expression of the transient receptor potential vanilloid 2 channel, TRPV2, is upregulated in the peri-infarct zone 3–5 days following an acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Further analysis has demonstrated that invading monocytes maturing to macrophages merely harbor the documented elevated expression of this channel. Purpose Assess cardiac function in TRPV2-KO mice compared to TRPV2-WT following AMI and analyze the potential involvement of TRPV2-expressing macrophages in the recovery process. Methods TRPV2-KO or WT mice were induced with AMI by ligation of the left anterior descending artery (LAD). In another set of experiments, TRPV2-KO mice induced with AMI, were intravenously (IV) injected with WT or TRPV2-KO peritoneal macrophages in order to directly assess the potential contribution of TRPV2-expressing macrophages to cardiac healing. Cardiac parameters were obtained by echocardiography 1 day and 30 days post infarction. The relative changes in the ejection fraction (EF) and additional cardiac parameters between baseline (day 1) and day 30 were calculated and statistical significance was determined (SPSS). Results The in vivo study showed that while EF was significantly decreased in the WT animals between baseline and day 30, EF was only slightly and insignificantly reduced in the KO animals. Likewise LVESD and LVESA were significantly modified exclusively in the WT animals. Moreover, intravenous administration of peritoneal WT macrophages, but not KO macrophages, significantly reduced survival of post-MI TRPV2-KO mice. Conclusion The data suggest that knockout of the TRPV2 channel may attenuate macrophage-dependent pro-inflammatory processes and result in better cardiac recovery. TRPV2 may thus represent a novel therapeutic target for treatment of patients undergoing an acute MI.
Comparing virtual reality with computer monitors as rating environments for affective dimensions in social interactions

Virtual Reality technologies present exciting opportunities for increasing the understanding of affect and emotion-related phenomena. However, they remain understudied both from the principles of data gathering and for their prospective use as annotation tools. A 2×2 mixed design experiment assessed the influence of presentation of emotion related social interactions in virtual reality and using more traditional database techniques. Participants rated the interactions along four emotion-related dimensions (empathy, rapport, trust and tone), for conversational “floor” dominance and how they made the raters “feel” on a valence dimension. Forty-three participants watched clips of a recorded conversation. Significant differences were found between the rapport, trust, emotional tone, floor dominance and subjective feeling ratings when comparing emotional valence of the materials; however, there was no effect of presentation medium for any measure-presenting in virtual reality made no difference to a raters annotations when compared to more traditional computer monitor style ratings. Implications for using virtual reality for database creation and annotation are discussed and the value is assessed given the current state of these technologies. We conclude that this does not diminish the need for research in Virtual Reality in Affective Computing but call for caution in the interpretation of results.
Molecular Basis of the Catalytic Differences among DT-diaphorase of Human, Rat, and Mouse*

DT-diaphorase (EC 1.6.99.2), also referred to as NAD(P)H:(quinone-acceptor) oxidoreductase, is involved in the reductive activation process of several cytotoxic antitumor quinones and nitrobenzenes. It has been observed in our and other laboratories that the rat enzyme is significantly more effective in activating these drugs than the human and mouse enzymes. These results indicate that the available cytotoxic drugs are better substrates for the rat enzyme and are not the most ideal prodrugs for activation by DT-diaphorase in human tumors. In this study, using site-directed mutagenesis to replace residues in the rat enzyme with the human sequences and residues in the human enzyme with the rat sequences, we have found that residue 104 (Tyr in the rat enzyme and Gln in the human and mouse enzymes) is an important residue responsible for the catalytic differences between the rat and the human (and mouse) enzymes. With an exchange of a single amino acid, the rat mutant Y104Q behaved like the wild-type human enzyme, and the human mutant Q104Y behaved like the wild-type rat enzyme in their ability to reductively activate the cytotoxic drug CB 1954 (5-(aziridin-1-yl)-2,4-dinitrobenzamide). The study also confirms the conclusion of the x-ray structural analysis of rat enzyme that residue 130 (Thr in the rat enzyme and Ala in the human and mouse enzymes) is positioned near the binding region of the nicotinamide portion of NAD(P)H. This structural information is very important for designing suitable drugs and approaches for human cancer chemotherapy mediated by DT-diaphorase.
Strategic interactions in corporate tax between Chinese local governments

Within the time framework of this study (1998-2012), the institutional settings of intergovernmental relations may constrain any strategic behavior of local governments since provincial tax rates are set by the central government. However, attracting business is an important measure of public officials? performance. Government officials have created alternative channels for tax competition. Our findings are consistent with this view that competition in corporate tax is relevant between provinces. As expected, the positive coefficient on the neighbor’s tax variable indicates provinces respond by changing around 0.73% of GDP to changes in neighboring jurisdictions of 1%.
Compatibility of Ten Elite Cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) Clones

One way of boosting cocoa productivity which has plummeted over the last decade in Cote d’Ivoire is to introduce high performing clones. Preliminary observations have indicated that these new clones have differing growth patterns and agronomic traits in the field. Assessing their compatibility is of paramount importance since these clones will be made available to the farmers in the near future. This study was conducted in Soubre, southwest of Cote d’Ivoire, to evaluate the compatibility of ten new cocoa clones (coded as C1, C8, C9, C14, C15, C16, C17, C18, C20, and C21). A half diallel design consisting of 10 self-pollinations and 45 inter-crosses, replicated three times, was used. Results showed significant differences among clones for pollination success. Out of the ten clones evaluated, six (C1, C8, C9, C15, C17 and C21) were self-compatible. With a 39% mean pollination success, C9 was quite interesting because it has been reported to be among the highest yielding clones. Introduction of improved germplasm will go a long way towards enhancing productivity in Cote d’Ivoire, radically impact farmers’ livelihoods, and contribute significantly to a more reliable supply of cocoa beans for chocolate manufacturers.
PENGARUH UKURAN PERUSAHAAN, STRUKTUR AKTIVA DAN PROFITABILITAS TERHADAP STRUKTUR MODAL

The use of own capital will be the burden to the total risk of the company and it becomes assurance for the creditors. Meanwhile, foreign capital is a capital which comes from the creditor and it is an account receivable for the related company. The purpose of this research is to find out the influence of firm size, asset structure, and profitability to the capital structure on automotive companies which are listed in Indonesia Stock Exchange. The samples are 10 automotive companies which are listed in Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) and quantitative is the method which used in this research, the data is the secondary data which is in the form of audit financial statement. The quantitative research method is used as the data analysis technique which is done by performing descriptive research, meanwhile the multiple linear regressions is used as the analysis technique. The result of the research shows that the coefficient determination value is 37.8% and each of asset structure, firm size, and profitability variable has significant influence to the capital structure. Meanwhile, 62.2% of the disclosure of capital structure can be explained by the others variable outside of this research model. The result of hypothesis test is the influence of asset structure, firm size and profitability variables which have positive influence to the capital structure with its significance value is less than α (0.05). Keywords: Firm Size, Asset Structure, Profitability, and Capital Structure.
Assessment of the BACTEC NR660 blood culture system for the detection of bacteremia in young children

The sensitivity of the BACTEC NR660 blood culture system was assessed by using paired bottles of anaerobic (NR7A) and resin-containing aerobic (NR16A) media and conditions and organisms which simulated those found in pediatric practice. Corresponding media (7D and 16B) of the established BACTEC 460 radiometric method served as controls. The performances of the two systems were similar with 50 isolates of 10 aerobic organisms (aerobic medium) and with 21 isolates of 15 strict anaerobes (anaerobic medium).
Credit Constraints and Firm Productivity: Evidence from Italy

This paper studies the impact of credit constraints on manufacturers' production. We exploit a matched firm-bank panel data covering all Italian companies over the period 1998-2012 to derive a measure of supply-side shock to rm speci c credit constraints, and study how it affects input accumulation and value added productivity. We show that an expansion in the credit supply faced by a firm increases both input accumulation (size effect) and its ability to generate value added for a given level of inputs (productivity effect). Results are robust to various productivity estimation techniques, and to an alternative measure of credit supply shock that uses the 2007-2008 interbank market freeze to control for assortative matching between firms and banks. We discuss different potential channels for the estimated e ect and explore their empirical implications.
Improvement of spontaneous speech in early stage Alzheimer's with rivastigmine.

OBJECTIVES Placebo-controlled trials have shown that rivastigmine can delay cognitive deterioration in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease (AD). Benefits on cognitive functioning, as measured with the ADAS-Cog, occur on a daily dose of 6-12 mg when used for at least 6 months. The effect of rivastigmine on the adequacy of spontaneous speech is unknown. This study aimed to (i) compare the spontaneous speech of AD patients with the spontaneous speech of persons with normal cognition, (ii) compare the spontaneous speech of the same group of AD patients before and after treatment with rivastigmine. METHODS Spontaneous speech of AD patients (n=9) was compared with that of healthy elderly volunteers (n=8). In the patient group, spontaneous speech was analysed before and after treatment with rivastigmine. RESULTS Before treatment, 100% discrimination was found between the spontaneous speech of AD patients and of healthy volunteers based on two linguistic parameters: empty words and compound sentences. After treatment with rivastigmine the spontaneous speech of the AD patients improved on these two variables, while the ADAS-Cog scores decreased. Mean interval between the two spontaneous speech samples was 8.89 months. CONCLUSION Assessment of spontaneous speech might be a valid parameter to discriminate between normal cognition and AD, and to evaluate the effects of anti-AD medication.
A 19–26 GHz balanced amplifier in 130 nm CMOS technology

The design of a fully integrated balanced amplifier implemented in a 130 nm CMOS technology is described in this paper. This balanced amplifier achieves a gain of 30 dB from 19 GHz to 26 GHz. To reduce the signal loss and the physical dimensions of the 90° coupler utilized in this balanced amplifier, a meandered broadside coupler with shield is designed. This on-chip 90° coupler occupies a compact area of 300 um × 120 um. An effective technique based on tuning the width of the transistors to achieve wideband operation is also proposed in this paper. The proposed balanced amplifier design achieves an IIP3 of −6.0 dBm and an input 1-dB gain compression point of −16.5 dBm. The OIP3 and the output 1-dB gain compression point are 24.0 dBm and 10.7 dBm, respectively.
CLIMATE CHANGE INFORMATION NEEDS OF RURAL FARMERS IN ENUGU STATE

The study assessed the information needs of rural farmers on climate change issues in Enugu State, Nigeria. Using the multistage sampling procedure, 152 respondents were selected and data were collected through the use of a structured interview schedule. Descriptive statistics, factor analysis and multiple linear regression model were used for the analysis. Results of the study showed that all (100.0%) the respondents were aware of climate change, but lacked adequate knowledge of key climate change issues. The multiple linear regression model revealed a significant influence of years of formal education (t= 2.020; p≤0.05), membership of social organizations (t=2.385; p≤0.05), number of climate change training (t= -2.438; p= p≤0.05), farm size (t=2.564; p≤0.05), and access to credit (t=2.833; p≤0.05) on the respondents’ level of knowledge on climate change. The information needs on climate change as perceived by farmers were: use of improved varieties ( χ= 1.80), occupational diversification ( χ=1.78), and change in timing of farm operations ( χ=1.76), among others. Poor extension services and infrastructure were the major constraints to effective communication of climate change information. The study recommends the empowerment of extension agents by government to teach farmers climate change adaptation and mitigation measures using languages they can understand and in a participatory manner so as to enable them cope with the challenges of climate change. Keywords : Adaptation strategy, climate change, information needs, rural farmers, mitigation measures.
Epidermal ablation of Dlx3 is linked to IL-17–associated skin inflammation

In an effort to understand the role of Distal-less 3 (Dlx3) in cutaneous biology and pathophysiology, we generated and characterized a mouse model with epidermal ablation of Dlx3. K14cre;Dlx3Kin/f mice exhibited epidermal hyperproliferation and abnormal differentiation of keratinocytes. Results from subsequent analyses revealed cutaneous inflammation that featured accumulation of IL-17–producing CD4+ T, CD8+ T, and γδ T cells in the skin and lymph nodes of K14cre;Dlx3Kin/f mice. The gene expression signature of K14cre;Dlx3Kin/f skin shared features with lesional psoriatic skin, and Dlx3 expression was markedly and selectively decreased in psoriatic skin. Interestingly, cultured Dlx3 null keratinocytes triggered cytokine production that is potentially linked to inflammatory responses in K14cre;Dlx3Kin/f mice. Thus, Dlx3 ablation in epidermis is linked to altered epidermal differentiation, barrier development, and IL-17–associated skin inflammation. This model provides a platform that will allow the systematic exploration of the contributions of keratinocytes to cutaneous inflammation.
Financial inclusion, bank stability, bank ownership and financial performance of commercial banks in Kenya

xv CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION . 1 1.1 Background of the Study. 1 1.1.1 Financial Inclusion . 4 1.1.2 Bank Stability . 10 1.1.3 Bank Ownership . 12 1.1.4 Financial Performance . 13 1.1. 5 Commercial Banks in Kenya . 16 1.2 Research Problem . 18 1.3 Research Objectives . 23 1.4 Value of the Study . 23 CHAPTER TWO : LITERATURE REVIEW . 25 2.
The Dividend Disconnect

We show that investors trade as if they consider dividends and capital gains in separate mental accounts, without fully appreciating that dividends come at the expense of price decreases. Investors trade differently in response to each component - trading patterns such as the disposition effect are driven by price changes, with dividends being ignored or downweighted. Investors hold dividend-paying stocks longer, and are less sensitive to price changes, consistent with dividends being valued as a separate desirable attribute of stocks. The demand for dividend-paying stocks is higher when interest rates and recent market returns are lower, consistent with investors comparing dividends to other income streams and capital gains. Investors spend the proceeds of each component differently - mutual funds and institutions rarely reinvest dividends into the stocks from which they came, but instead purchase other stocks. This leads to predictable marketwide price increases on days of large aggregate dividend payouts, including stocks not paying dividends.
Developments in the use of chemoradiotherapy in rectal cancer

This paper reviews the current evidence available from phase III trials of combination pre‐operative chemoradiotherapy (CRT) in the treatment of rectal cancer. There is clear evidence that CRT is superior to long‐course radiotherapy (LRT). However, the end‐points and definitions used must be standardized for future clinical trials of combination CRT.
STILLBIRTH AND NEONATAL MORTALITY IN TWIN PREGNANCY

AT the present day the human species is characteristically uniparous and twinning has come to be regarded as an atavism. It is well known that twin pregnancy involves greater risk of complications and of maternal and foetal death than does single pregnancy. Many papers about twin pregnancy have been published in recent years, but relatively little attention has been given to the high death rates among the babies. For that reason the present review, which is mainly a study of the causes of mortality among twin infants, is presented.
Determinants of Launch Spreads on EM USD-Denominated Corporate Bonds

This paper examines the development of launch (primary) spreads (the difference between a bond's yield to maturity at issuance and U.S. Treasury yields of corresponding maturity) on USD-denominated corporate bonds issued by emerging market (hereafter "EM") companies since the mid-1990s and decomposes their determinants to assess the primary market environment surrounding EM companies. Our empirical results indicate that while the launch spreads on EM corporate bonds properly reflect firm-specific factors as structural credit models suggest, they are also affected by those market-wide factors that describe the primary market environment at issuance (hereafter "time effects"). During the 2004 to 2008 and 2010 to 2015 periods, the time effects clearly lowered the launch spreads to a level well below the long-term average prior to the global financial crisis of 2008, which indicates that the primary market environment for EM USD-denominated corporate bonds was favorable by historical standards during these periods. In addition, we find that the more accommodative the Fed's monetary policy is, and the more stable U.S. financial markets are, the lower the launch spreads on EM USD-denominated corporate bonds are. This finding is in line with the view that the accommodative and stable financial conditions in the U.S. contributed to improving USD funding conditions for EM companies since 2010.