Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Factors Influencing Dividend Policy Decisions of Corporate India

The present study analyzes the results of 2001 survey of 81 CFOs of bt-500 companies and her most valuable PSUs in India to find out the determinants of the dividend policy decisions of the corporate India. It uses factor analytic framework on the CFOs' responses to capture the determinants of the dividend policy of corporate India. Most of the firms have target dividend payout ratio and dividend changes follow shift in the long-term sustainable earnings. The findings on dividend policy are in agreement with Lintner's study on dividend policy. The dividend policy is used as a signaling mechanism to convey information on the present and future prospects of the firm and thus affects its market value. The dividend policy is designed after taking into consideration the investors' preference for dividends and clientele effect.
Speech Understanding in Noise with a Med-El COMBI 40+ Cochlear Implant Using Reduced Channel Sets

Objective The objective of the investigation described in this paper was the determination of the number of (widely spaced) active electrodes needed for users of a COMBI 40+ cochlear implant to achieve asymptotic performance in the recognition of speech against a background of wideband noise. Design This study measured the performance in speech tests of patients using the Med-El implementation of continuous interleaved sampling with widely spaced electrode pair subsets of 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, and 10 out of a possible maximum of 12. An eight-vowel test, a 16-consonant test, and BKB sentences were presented against a background of pink noise. Additionally, AB monosyllabic words were presented both in quiet and in noise to processors with 6, 8, and 11 widely spaced electrodes. 11 subjects participated in the study. Results Using moderate signal-to-noise ratios, for these patients the curve relating percentage score to increasing numbers of active channels approached an asymptote before the 10-channel data point was reached. Asymptotic performance was achieved using four channels for consonants, and eight channels for sentences. Understanding of monosyllabic words reached a maximum value at a similar number of channels for both quiet conditions and against a background of pink noise, and the mean increase in test score between 6 and 11 channels was only 7%. Conclusions These results are similar to those of previous experiments carried out in quiet listening conditions. The data suggest that 12 frequency channels (the number implemented by the COMBI 40+ cochlear implant) are more than adequate for users to achieve asymptotic performance levels in clinical speech tests applied in the presence of wideband noise at moderate signal-to-noise ratios.
Isolation and characteristics of yeasts able to grow at low concentrations of nutrients

Seven oligotrophic yeasts, which can grow in a 104‐fold dilution of malt–yeast–glucose–peptone medium (10−4 YM), were mainly isolated from soil. These yeasts belong to the Cryptococcaceae. When inoculated at about 102 cells/ml in 10−4 YM, the isolates grew to 1·4×103–2·4×105 cells/ml after 3 days. Some culture collection yeasts fell into three groups according to their growth characteristics in 10−4 YM, one group showing characteristics of the oligotrophic yeasts. The half‐saturation values of uptake by the five isolated oligotrophic yeasts for D‐glucose, L‐leucine and L‐amino acids were 6·0–25·0, 1·7–43·3 and 3·5–21·6 μM, respectively. The oligotrophic yeasts suspended in 10 mM‐phosphate buffer (pH 6·0) had high tolerances for starvation, and remained more than 15% viable after 90 days of starvation. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Cash flow volatility and investor sentiment

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to test whether investors take flight to safety when sentiment is low. In other words, do safe firms perform better than risky firms following periods of low sentiment. Design/methodology/approach Using cash flow volatility and the percent of bullish investors as proxies for risk and investor sentiment the paper tests the relationship between sentiment and returns conditional on risk this performance. Second, a cross-sectional analysis is conducted based on individual firm characteristics and sentiment to explain annual returns. Findings The paper finds that there is a negative relationship between investor sentiment and the return of risky companies, which is contrary to prior studies. All told, risky companies perform worse following periods of high investor sentiment. Originality/value This paper presents evidence contrary to extant literature and that there is no concerted flight to safety. Investor sentiment has little influence on safe stocks.
Fundamental Ca2+ Signaling Mechanisms in Mouse Dendritic Cells: CRAC Is the Major Ca2+ Entry Pathway

Although Ca2+-signaling processes are thought to underlie many dendritic cell (DC) functions, the Ca2+ entry pathways are unknown. Therefore, we investigated Ca2+-signaling in mouse myeloid DC using Ca2+ imaging and electrophysiological techniques. Neither Ca2+ currents nor changes in intracellular Ca2+ were detected following membrane depolarization, ruling out the presence of functional voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels. ATP, a purinergic receptor ligand, and 1–4 dihydropyridines, previously suggested to activate a plasma membrane Ca2+ channel in human myeloid DC, both elicited Ca2+ rises in murine DC. However, in this study these responses were found to be due to mobilization from intracellular stores rather than by Ca2+ entry. In contrast, Ca2+ influx was activated by depletion of intracellular Ca2+ stores with thapsigargin, or inositol trisphosphate. This Ca2+ influx was enhanced by membrane hyperpolarization, inhibited by SKF 96365, and exhibited a cation permeability similar to the Ca2+ release-activated Ca2+ channel (CRAC) found in T lymphocytes. Furthermore, ATP, a putative DC chemotactic and maturation factor, induced a delayed Ca2+ entry with a voltage dependence similar to CRAC. Moreover, the level of phenotypic DC maturation was correlated with the extracellular Ca2+ concentration and enhanced by thapsigargin treatment. These results suggest that CRAC is a major pathway for Ca2+ entry in mouse myeloid DC and support the proposal that CRAC participates in DC maturation and migration.
Facilitation between extensor carpi radialis and pronator teres in humans: A study using a post-stimulus time histogram method

Abstract Group I muscle afferents modulate the excitability of motor neurons through excitatory and inhibitory spinal reflexes. Spinal reflex relationships between various muscle pairs are well described in experimental animals but not in the human upper limb, which exhibits a fine control of movement. In the present study, spinal reflexes between the extensor carpi radialis (ECR) and pronator teres (PT) muscles were examined in healthy human subjects using a post-stimulus time histogram method. Electrical stimulation of low-threshold afferents of ECR nerves increased the motor neuron excitability in 31 of 76 PT motor units (MUs) in all eight subjects tested, while stimulation of low-threshold afferents of PT nerves increased the motor neuron excitability in 36 of 102 ECR MUs in all 10 subjects. The estimated central synaptic delay was almost equivalent to that of homonymous facilitation. Mechanical stimulation (MS) of ECR facilitated 16 of 30 PT MUs in all five subjects tested, while MS of PT facilitated 17 of 30 ECR MUs in all six subjects. These results suggest excitatory reflex (facilitation) between PT and ECR. Group I afferents should mediate the facilitation through a monosynaptic path.
Influence of acute preload changes on mitral annulus velocity measured by tissue Doppler echocardiography in critically ill patients

The assessment of diastolic function remains difficult in critical care patients because of unstable preload conditions. Described as fairly insensitive to preload changes, tissue Doppler velocity measurement at the lateral mitral annulus (e′ lat) may help evaluate diastolic function. Our aim was to prospectively evaluate e′ lat changes in relation to fluid expansion in critically ill patients.
Inclusive water poverty index: a holistic approach for helping local water and sanitation services planning

This paper addresses two approaches to guiding the inclusion of the poor and vulnerable in clean water and sanitation programmes in the framework of Sustainable Development Goals. It proposes an operational and adapted participatory approach for identifying the poorest and most vulnerable, which has become a central interest for inclusive development policies worldwide post Millennium Development Goals. Then, it proposes an inclusive water poverty index for the inclusion of the poor and vulnerable. This index, with six components, materializes the spatial and temporal equity in the distribution of water and sanitation services through a given district or municipality, particularly in developing countries.
Towards a theory of regional diversification: combining insights from Evolutionary Economic Geography and Transition Studies

ABSTRACT Towards a theory of regional diversification: combining insights from Evolutionary Economic Geography and Transition Studies. Regional Studies. This paper develops a theoretical framework of regional diversification by combining insights from Evolutionary Economic Geography and Transition Studies. It argues that a theory of regional diversification should not only build on the current understanding of related diversification but also account for processes of unrelated diversification by looking at the role of agency in processes of institutional entrepreneurship, and at enabling and constraining factors at various spatial scales. This paper proposes a typology of four regional diversification trajectories by cross-tabulating related versus unrelated diversification with niche creation versus regime adoption, and it develops a number of propositions.
The Validity, Reliability, and Feasibility of Measurement Tools Used to Assess Sleep of Pre-school Aged Children: A Systematic Rapid Review

Background: Sleep of pre-school aged children is important for their health and development, but there are currently no standards for measuring sleep in this age group. We aimed to examine the validity, reliability and feasibility of tools used to assess sleep of pre-school aged children. Methods: Studies were eligible for inclusion if they examined the validity and/or reliability and/or feasibility of a measurement tool used to examine sleep of pre-school aged children (aged 3–7 years). We systematically searched six electronic databases, grey literature and trial registries. We manually searched topic specific journals, reference and citations of included studies, and reference lists of existing reviews. We extracted data and conducted a risk of bias assessment on the included studies using the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) risk of bias checklist. We used a narrative synthesis to present the results. Results: Sixteen studies met the inclusion criteria: these explored accelerometers (n = 3) and parental reported tools (n = 13; nine questionnaires, six diaries). Studies assessed construct validity (n = 3), criterion validity (n = 1), convergent validity (n = 13), test-retest reliability (n = 2), internal consistency (n = 4) and feasibility (n = 12). Most studies assessed the convergent validity of questionnaires and diaries compared with accelerometers, but the validity of accelerometers for sleep in this age group is unknown. Of studies with a low risk of bias, one sleep diary was shown to be valid for measuring sleep duration. No measurement tools were appropriate for determining sleep quality. Reporting of reliability and feasibility was minimal. Discussion: The evidence base in this field is limited, and most studies had high risk of bias. Future research on sleep in pre-school aged children should focus on assessing the validity, reliability and feasibility of accelerometers, which in turn will improve the quality of studies that assess questionnaires and diaries against accelerometers. Systematic Review Registration: https://www.crd. york.ac. uk/prospero/display_record. php? ID=CRD42021230900; PROSPERO: CRD42021230900.
Application of a new approach for the quantitation of drug synergism to the combination of cis-diamminedichloroplatinum and 1-beta-D-arabinofuranosylcytosine.

This report describes the application of a new approach, the universal response surface approach, to the quantitative assessment of drug interaction, i.e., the determination of synergism, antagonism, additivity, potentiation, inhibition, and coalitive action. The specific drug combination and experimental growth system for this introductory application was that of 1-beta-D-arabinofuranosylcytosine (ara-C) and cisplatin with simultaneous drug exposure (1, 3, 6, 12, or 48 h) against L1210 leukemia in vitro. To quantitate the type and degree of drug interaction, a model was fitted using nonlinear regression to the data from each separate experiment, and parameters were estimated (K. C. Syracuse and W. R. Greco, Proc. Biopharm. Sect. Am. Stat. Assoc., 127-132, 1986). The parameters included the maximum cell density over background in absence of drug, the background cell density in presence of infinite drug, the 50% inhibitory concentrations and concentration-effect slopes for each drug, and a synergism-antagonism parameter, alpha. A positive alpha indicates synergism, a negative alpha, antagonism, and a zero alpha, additivity. Maximal synergy was found with a 3-h exposure of ara-C + cisplatin, with alpha = 3.08 +/- 0.96 (SE) and 2.44 +/- 0.70 in two separate experiments. Four different graphic representations of the raw data and fitted curves provide visual indications of goodness of fit of the estimated dose-response surface to the data and visual indications of the intensity of drug interaction. The universal response surface approach is mathematically consistent with the traditional isobologram approach but is more objective, is more quantitative, and is more easily automated. Although specifically developed for in vitro cancer chemotherapy applications, the universal response surface approach should prove to be useful in the fields of pharmacology, toxicology, epidemiology, and biomedical science in general.
Molecular Evolution of Cytochrome bd Oxidases across Proteobacterial Genomes

This work is aimed to resolve the complex molecular evolution of cytochrome bd ubiquinol oxidase, a nearly ubiquitous bacterial enzyme that is involved in redox balance and bioenergetics. Previous studies have created an unclear picture of bd oxidases phylogenesis without considering the existence of diverse types of bd oxidases. Integrated approaches of genomic and protein analysis focused on proteobacteria have generated a molecular classification of diverse types of bd oxidases, which produces a new scenario for interpreting their evolution. A duplication of the original gene cluster of bd oxidase might have occurred in the ancestors of extant α-proteobacteria of the Rhodospirillales order, such as Acidocella, from which the bd-I type of the oxidase might have diffused to other proteobacterial lineages. In contrast, the Cyanide-Insensitive Oxidase type may have differentiated into recognizable subtypes after another gene cluster duplication. These subtypes are widespread in the genomes of α-, β-, and γ-proteobacteria, with occasional instances of lateral gene transfer. In resolving the evolutionary pattern of proteobacterial bd oxidases, this work sheds new light on the basal taxa of α-proteobacteria from which the γ-proteobacterial lineage probably emerged.
Wireless Environmental Sensor Networking With Analog Scatter Radio and Timer Principles

Environmental variables monitoring with wireless sensor networks (WSNs) is invaluable for precision agriculture applications. However, the effectiveness of existing low-power, conventional (e.g., ZigBee-type) radios in large-scale deployments is limited by power consumption, cost, and complexity constraints, while the existing WSN solutions employing nonconventional, scatter-radio principles have been restricted to communication ranges of up to a few meters. In this paper, the development of a novel analog scatter-radio WSN is presented, that employs semipassive sensor/tags in bistatic topology (i.e., carrier emitter placed in a different location from the reader), consuming <;1 mW of power, with communication range exceeding 100 m. The experimental results indicate that the multipoint surface fitting calibration, in conjunction with the employed two-phase filtering process, both provide a mean absolute error of 1.9% environmental relative humidity for a temperature range of 10 °C-50 °C. In addition, the energy consumption per measurement of the proposed environmental monitoring approach can be lower than that of conventional radio WSNs. Finally, the proposed approach operational characteristics are presented through a real-world network deployment in a tomato greenhouse.
Determination of a HLA II Promiscuous Peptide Cocktail as Potential Vaccine Against EBV Latency II Malignancies

The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is associated with several malignant diseases, which can be distinguished by their patterns of viral latent gene expression. The latency II program is limited to the expression of the nonimmunodominant antigens EBNA1, LMP1 and LMP2 and is seen in EBV-positive Hodgkin disease, nasopharyngeal carcinomas, and peripheral T/NK-cell lymphomas. CD4+ T cells may play a crucial role in controlling these EBV latency II malignancies. In this study, we used the prediction software TEPITOPE to predict promiscuous major histocompatibility complex class II epitopes derived from the latency II antigens EBNA1, LMP1, and LMP2. The predicted peptides were then submitted to peptide-binding assays on HLA II purified molecules, which allowed the selection of 6 peptides (EBNA1: 3; LMP1: 1; and LMP2: 2) with a highly promiscuous capability of binding. This peptide cocktail was immunogenic in a model of HLA-DR1 transgenic mice, leading to a specific cellular and humoral TH1 response. The peptides were also recognized by human CD4+ T cells from individuals expressing various HLA II genotypes. This promiscuous peptide cocktail could be immunogenic in the majority of the population and may be used as a peptide-based vaccine in EBV latency II malignancies.
Work-related stress: a brief review

Work-related stress is a serious and growing problem in the UK and as such, is regarded as a significant health and safety issue. It is vital that this issue is addressed and that action is taken to address the problems that this may create both for individuals and the organisations in which individuals work. This paper reviews the concept of work-related stress showing how its deleterious impact may exert both direct and indirect effects on the workforce thus affecting both individual and organisational effective ness. It also shows how individual and organisational factors may contribute to the development of occupa tional stress. However, since not all the stress which affects people at work is caused by the workplace, the home/work interface is also considered. The paper concludes by considering how work-related stress may be managed.
The relationship between serum amyloid A and apolipoprotein A‐I in high‐density lipoprotein isolated from patients with coronary heart disease

Background Alteration in the protein composition of high‐density lipoprotein (HDL) has been proposed as a mechanism for the development of coronary heart disease (CHD). In HDL, an increase in serum amyloid A protein (SAA) accompanying the decrease in apolipoprotein A‐I (apoA‐I) has been found during the acute inflammation period. However, whether this phenomenon persists in CHD patients, a disease related to inflammation, is unknown. The purpose of the present study was to explore the relationship between SAA and apoA‐I in HDL isolated from CHD patients. Methods Overall, 98 patients with confirmed stable CHD and 90 control subjects matched for age and gender were enrolled in this case‐control study. Potassium bromide (KBr) density gradient ultracentrifugation was used to isolate HDL from plasma. The levels of SAA and apoA‐I in the HDL samples were detected by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay kits. Pearson's correlation and general linear models were used in the analysis. Results Compared with controls, patients with CHD had a significant decrease in the amount of apoA‐I ((14.21±8.44) &mgr;g/ml vs. (10.95±5.95) &mgr;g/ml, P =0.003) in HDL and a significant increase in the amount of log SAA (1.21±0.46 vs. 1.51±0.55, P <0.00001). Differences were independent of age, body mass index (BMI), HDL cholesterol (HDL‐C), and other factors. An independently and statistically significant positive correlation between log SAA and apoA‐I in HDL was observed only in the CHD group (&bgr; =2.0, P =0.026). In the general linear model, changes in log(SAA), age, age2, gender, BMI and HDL‐C could explain a statistically significant 43% of the variance in apoA‐I. Conclusions This study provides direct evidence for the first time that there was an independent positive correlation between log SAA and apoA‐I in the HDL of CHD patients, indicating the alteration of protein composition in HDL. However, the question of whether this alteration in HDL is associated with impairment of HDL functions requires further research.
Mobile biofeedback of heart rate variability in patients with diabetic polyneuropathy: a preliminary study

Biofeedback of heart rate variability (HRV) was applied to patients with diabetic polyneuropathy using a new mobile device allowing regularly scheduled self‐measurements without the need of visits to a special autonomic laboratory. Prolonged generation of data over an eight‐week period facilitated more precise investigation of cardiac autonomic function and assessment of positive and negative trends of HRV parameters over time. Statistical regression analyses revealed significant trends in 11 of 17 patients, while no significant differences were observed when comparing autonomic screening by short‐term HRV and respiratory sinus arrhythmia at baseline and after the 8 weeks training period. Four patients showed positive trends of HRV parameters despite the expected progression of cardiac autonomic dysfunction over time. Patient compliance was above 50% in all but two patients. The results of this preliminary study indicate a good practicality of the handheld device and suggest a potential positive effect on cardiac autonomic neuropathy in patients with type 2 diabetes.
Elaboration on functional dependencies: functional dependencies are dead, long live functional dependencies!

Functional dependencies are a popular extension to Haskell's type-class system because they provide fine-grained control over type inference, resolve ambiguities and even enable type-level computations. Unfortunately, several aspects of Haskell's functional dependencies are ill-understood. In particular, the GHC compiler does not properly enforce the functional dependency property, and rejects well-typed programs because it does not know how to elaborate them into its core language, System FC. This paper presents a novel formalization of functional dependencies that addresses these issues: We explicitly capture the functional dependency property in the type system, in the form of explicit type equalities. We also provide a type inference algorithm and an accompanying elaboration strategy which allows all well-typed programs to be elaborated into System FC.