Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Intracellular responses of the rat cochlear nucleus to sound and its role in temporal coding

THE anteroventral cochlear nucleus (AVCN), the first centre of the central auditory pathway, contains globular bushy cells, which are unique in their ability to produce fast excitatory post-synaptic potentials (EPSPs). Using in vivo intracellular recordings in the rat AVCN we examined these fast EPSPs in relation to temporal coding. At frequencies up to 2.5 kHz, EPSPs were evoked on successive sine waves of the stimulus with EPSP summation limited. This one-to-one relationship between the EPSPs and the sound wave period was present at higher frequencies and over a greater intensity range than for action potentials. These results suggest that temporal coding is possible in globular bushy neurones by their ability to extract temporal information through fast processing of convergent presynaptic input.
Impact of smallholder management strategies on sow and piglet condition and performance

This thesis examined the impact of management strategies on performance and condition of sows and piglets owned by smallholder farmers in Lao PDR. A survey was performed on smallholder pig farms (SHPF) and larger-scale pig farms (LSPF) to identify factors with potential to improve performance. Sows on SHPF produced fewer litters per year, with a small number of weaned piglets per litter compared with sows on LSPF. Piglet mortality was the main problem on SHPF, especially in remote villages. Sow feeding on SHPF was based on rice bran and piglets were fed rice bran only. On around 70% of SHPF, water intake was limited to that included in the feed and only 7- 25% of sows were given nesting material. Studies investigating the effect of providing extra water, nesting material, and simple cooling to Moo Lath sows showed that sows provided with nesting material and extra water (NMW) had higher water intake and lower body weight (BW) loss from two weeks prior to farrowing until weaning than the untreated Control and sows only given nesting material (NM). Total plasma protein concentration (TPP) declined from farrowing until 21 days of lactation in NMW sows, whereas it increased (indicating dehydration) or was unchanged in NM and Control sows. Re-mating period was shorter and number of litters per year greater in NMW than in Control and NM sow. Piglet mortality was lower in treatment NMW than in Control and NM. Body weight increased from mating until weaning in sows provided with cooling, whereas BW decreased in sows without cooling (Control). Weight loss from two weeks prior to farrowing until weaning was smaller in sows with cooling than in Control and TPP was maintained from farrowing until 21 days of lactation in sows with cooling, but steadily increased in Control. Piglet mortality at weaning was lower in sows with cooling than in Control. Analysis of plasma cortisol concentration in blood samples from sows showed that provision of a cooling system had no effects, while restricted water intake increased cortisol concentrations. Thus the performance, condition and welfare of sows and piglets on smallholder farmers in Lao PDR and other countries with similar conditions can be markedly improved by simple means such as providing cooling and water ad libitum and providing nesting material. Keywords: cooling, pig, management, survival, growth, plasma protein, water.
Kondisi Keuangan, Opinion Shopping dan Opini Audit Going Concern pada Perusahaan Pertambangan yang Terdaftar di BEI

Going concern audit opinion is the auditor's opinion to ascertain whether the company can maintain the survival of the entity. The importance of disclosing the company's survival will have an impact on steakholder valuation and trust. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of financial conditions, opinion shopping and disclosure on going concern audit opinions on mining companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) during the period between 2014-2017.The population in this study are mining companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange in the 2014-2017 period. The company becomes a sample based on the purposive sampling method chosen by certain criteria. The type of data used in this study is secondary data. Data analysis using multiple linear regression methods using SPSS 24 as an analysis tool.The results of the study show that Opinion shopping has a negative effect on the going concern audit opinion while disclosure has a positive effect on the going concern audit opinion.
The Influence of Professionalism, Competence and Independence to the Audit Quality and Its Impact to the Performance of Government Internal Supervisory Apparatus West Aceh District Inspectorate

This study aims to examine and analyze the influence of professionalism, competence and independence to the audit quality and its impact to the performance of Government Internal Supervisory Apparatus in West Aceh District Inspectorate. This study was carried out at the Office of West Aceh District Inspectorate with a sample population of 47 employees. The sampling technique was done through census techniques with the use of statistical equipment in the form of path analysis. The results of the study show that: (1) Professionalism, competence and independence at West Aceh District Inspectorate have been running well; (2) Professionalism, competence and independence both partially and simultaneously have significant influence on audit quality;(3) Professionalism, competence, independence and audit quality both partially and simultaneously have significant influence on the performance of Government Internal Supervisory Apparatus; and(4). Each of professionalism, competence and independence, indirectly has significant influence on the performance of Government Internal Supervision Apparatus through audit quality.
Dispersion in Financing Costs and Development

We study how dispersion in financing costs and financial contract enforcement affect entrepreneurship, firm dynamics and economic development in an economy in which financial contracts are imperfectly enforced. We use employee-employer administrative linked data combined with data on financial transactions of all formal firms in Brazil to show how interest rate spreads vary with firm size, age and loan characteristics, such as loan size and loan maturity. We present a model of economic development based on a modified version of Buera, Kaboski, and Shin (2011) which are consistent with those facts and provide evidence on the effects of financial reforms on economic development. Eliminating dispersion in financing costs leads to more credit and higher output due to cheaper credit for productive agents with low assets. Moreover, abstracting from heterogeneity in interest rate spreads understates the impacts of financial reforms that improve the enforcement of credit contracts.
Pathologic and radiologic differences between idiopathic and collagen vascular disease-related usual interstitial pneumonia.

BACKGROUND Patients with usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP) associated with collagen vascular disease (CVD) have been reported to have a better prognosis than those with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis with a UIP pattern (IPF/UIP) seen on histology. The aim of this study was to evaluate the pathologic and radiologic differences between the two conditions and their relationship with clinical outcome. METHODS A retrospective review of 100 patients (CVD-UIP, 39 patients; IPF/UIP, 61 patients) with UIP pattern diagnosed by surgical lung biopsy at one tertiary referral center. RESULTS The median follow-up period was 34.4 months. The CVD-UIP group was younger, included more women and nonsmokers, and showed better survival than the IPF/UIP group. Pathologically, CVD-UIP patients had fewer fibroblastic foci and smaller honeycombing (HC) spaces with higher germinal centers and total inflammation scores than IPF/UIP patients. Radiologically, CVD-UIP patients had a lower emphysema score and more likely a nontypical UIP pattern without HC. The germinal centers score was the best distinguishing feature between CVD-UIP and IPF/UIP patients (odds ratio, 2.948; p = 0.001) and was marginally related to survival (p = 0.076). The HC score (hazard ratio [HR], 1.134; p < 0.001), total lung capacity (TLC) [HR, 0.932; p = 0.004], and age (HR, 1.052; p = 0.017) were significant predictors of survival in all patients with UIP histology, regardless of the presence of CVD. Among IPF/UIP patients, those with positive autoantibodies were pathologically more similar to CVD-UIP than to IPF/UIP without autoantibodies, despite no difference in survival between them. CONCLUSIONS The germinal centers score was the best discriminative between CVD-UIP and IPF/UIP patients; it was of marginal prognostic significance. Age, TLC, and HC score were independent prognostic factors in all patients with UIP histology.
A joint compression and indexing technique in wavelet compressed domain

The recent MPEG 4 and JPEG 2000 standards address the need for content based coding and manipulation of visual media. The upcoming MPEG 7 standard proposes content descriptors, which succinctly describe the visual content for the purpose of efficient retrieval. This implies that there is an impending need for efficient and effective joint compression and indexing approaches. Several compressed domain indexing techniques have been presented in the recent literature. These are based on the extraction of features from the compression parameters to derive the indices. However, there is little work in the domain of exploring the use of these features to serve the purposes of both compression and indexing. In this paper, we propose a new technique for joint compression and indexing in the wavelet domain. We note that wavelet based compression is used in JPEG 2000 and (for texture coding) in MPEG 4. In the proposed technique, the wavelet decomposed image is first preprocessed to extract features which are then used for compressing the image as well as for deriving the indices. Extensive simulations have been performed in the JPEG 2000 compressed domain to demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed technique.
Isolation and preliminary probiotic selection of lactobacilli from koumiss in Inner Mongolia

From 16 samples of traditional fermented koumiss collected in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China, forty‐eight lactobacilli strains were isolated and phenotypically characterized by their abilities to ferment different carbohydrates and by additional biochemical tests. The dominant lactobacilli species were identified as L. casei (17 strains), L. helveticus (10 strains) and L. plantarum (8 strains), with a lower frequency of isolation for L. coryniformis subsp. coryniformis (5 strains), L. paracasei (3 strains), L. kefiranofaciens (2 strains), L. curvatus (1 strain), L. fermentum (1 strain) and W. kandleri (1 strain). The pH values of all these samples were ranging from 3.37 to 3.94. In isolates, L. casei Zhang, L. helveticus ZL12‐1, and L. plantarum BX6‐6 were selected as potentially probiotic strains through the preliminary tests including resistance to low acid, abilities to grow in MRS with bile salts, antimicrobial activities and the viabilities during prolonged cold storage in fermented milk. Moreover 16S rDNA was conducted to confirm the identification. (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Mechanisms Underlying Exaggerated Metaboreflex Activation in Prehypertensive Men.

PURPOSE Previously, we found that the pressor response to muscle metaboreflex activation is enhanced in prehypertension and associated with peripheral vasoconstriction. However, mechanisms underlying this exaggerated response are not clear. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that activation of this reflex is augmented owing to increased production of muscle metabolites (i.e., lactate, K, and H). METHODS Twenty-two men (11 normotensive and 11 prehypertensive) were studied. Changes in cardiac output (Q˙), mean arterial pressure (MAP), and total peripheral resistance (TPR) were compared between the two groups during static exercise (SE) and postexercise muscular ischemia (PEMI). Subjects completed 2 min of SE at 50% of maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) followed by 2 min of PEMI. Venous blood samples for determination of metabolites and hormones (catecholamines, vasopressin, and plasma renin activity) were taken from the exercising and nonexercising arm, respectively. RESULTS Mean arterial pressure responses to SE (39 ± 3 vs 31 ± 2 mm Hg) and PEMI (24 ± 3 vs 19 ± 3 mm Hg) were significantly higher in the prehypertensive group. Increases in lactate and decreases in pH during PEMI were seen in both groups. However, changes in these variables were greater in the prehypertensive group (lactate, 50.1 ± 6.2 vs 32.8 ± 7.6 mg·dL; pH, -0.06 ± 0.02 vs -0.01 ± 0.01) (P < 0.05). Postexercise muscular ischemia did not evoke increases in hormones in either group. CONCLUSIONS Compared to the normotensive group, the augmented pressor response to the metaboreflex in the prehypertensive group was associated with greater production of muscle metabolites that activate its afferent arm. The augmented response was not associated with activation of the vasopressin and renin-angiotensin systems and greater activation of the sympathetic nervous system was not apparent. Consequently, additional factors specific to prehypertension, such as arterial stiffness, may have been involved.
Simulated dose reduction in conventional chest CT: validation study.

PURPOSE To validate a technique of computer-simulated dose reduction for conventional chest computed tomography (CT). MATERIALS AND METHODS In 27 patients, CT scans were obtained at 200, 100, and 40 mAs at two levels. The raw data from the 200-mAs scan were modified on a computer workstation to simulate the increased noise present on 100- and 40-mAs scans. Real and simulated 100- and 40-mAs images were independently assessed in random order for overall image quality and radiologic findings by four subspecialty-trained chest radiologists who were blinded to the technique. The four observers were given paired real and simulated images. They were asked to identify the real image and note any difference in diagnostic quality. RESULTS No difference was seen in overall image quality or radiologic findings between real and simulated images (P > .05). In the paired comparison, 433 of 864 (50.1%) real images were correctly identified. CONCLUSION Computer modification of 200-mAs raw scan data to simulate 100- and 40-mAs noise levels produces reconstructed images indistinguishable from real 100- and 40-mAs scans. This technique provides realistic reduced-dose images without patient radiation exposure and with identical image registration and motion artifact.
Molecular Characterization of Salt Tolerant Rhizobial Strains Induced by Gamma Rays Using RAPD Markers

Rhizobia are soil-borne bacteria that form nodules with legume roots and convert nitrogen into ammonia. Legume plants are often a major part of native or agricultural ecosystems, which increas nitrogen in low fertility soils, e.g. saline soils. The major target of this study was to characterize salt-tolerant rhizobial strains with high symbiotic efficiency. We choose ten strains of rhizobia that were previously mutagenized. Obtained results showed that 40 krad was the highest dose of gamma rays supported by tested strains. The irradiated clones at 50 krad were more tolerant to salt stress compared to control strains, which proved that gamma irradiation was effective in changing physiological and phenotypic characteristics via random mutations. The rhizobial strains treated with gamma rays were investigated using randomly amplified polymorphic DNA profiles to differentiate the DNA patterns among gamma treated rhizobia and parental strains. The RAPD profiles showed different, similar or even the same RAPD patterns for both types of rhizobial strains. The increase of N2 fixation parameters with some mutants was related to tolerance acquisition that protects effective symbiosis against damage induced by abiotic stresses. Inoculation with mutant isolates resulted in higher total nitrogen content than parental strains. According to the results of this study it can be recommended that inoculation of Vicia faba with effective Rhizobium strains can result in significant increase in yield due to higher nitrogen fixation ability. (Mohamed M. Hassan and Ragaa A. Eissa. Molecular Characterization of Salt Tolerant Rhizobial Strains Induced by Gamma Rays Using RAPD Markers. N Y Sci J 2013;6(4):36-41). (ISSN: 1554-0200). http://www.sciencepub. net/newyork.
p-adic Hodge-theoretic properties of \'etale cohomology with mod p coefficients, and the cohomology of Shimura varieties

We show that the mod p cohomology of a smooth projective variety with semistable reduction over K, a finite extension of Qp, embeds into the reduction modulo p of a semistable Galois representation with Hodge-Tate weights in the expected range (at least after semisimplifying, in the case of the cohomological degree > 1). We prove refinements with descent data, and we apply these results to the cohomology of unitary Shimura varieties, deducing vanishing results and applications to the weight part of Serre's conjecture.
Poverty and welfare in England, 1700–1850: a regional perspective

long-term historical context is vital for their understanding. Of course, it would be asking a lot of any text of this nature to be fully comprehensive. However it would perhaps have been worth paying a bit more attention to regional differences in health and medicine in the period concerned. Britain is not a homogeneous entity, in health or any other terms, as much recent historical work has pointed out. And in a series entitled 'Social History in Perspective' we could perhaps have used a bit more social history, perhaps even at the expense of the more obviously medical history. None the less, this is a work which is clearly ahead of anything else in the field and as such is to be warmly welcomed. They're hard up North. Or so Steven King suggests in this attempt to create a distinctly regional model of the implementation of the Old and New Poor Laws between 1700 and 1850. The north and west of the country were, in King's estimation, peopled by flint-hearted overseers and self-reliant paupers, whose rigid respectability meant that they would almost starve before applying for a few pence, and even then were likely to be refused. By contrast the southern and eastern counties of England were populated by "welfare junkies" (King's expression, p. 268) who turned to the parish at the least opportunity, and who were relieved with generous pensions, and a kindly word. These characterizations are based on detailed studies of endless overseers' accounts, and are the fruit of years of hard slog in county record offices and at the keyboard, entering statistics into innumerable databases. The result is perhaps the most comprehensive collection of statistical indicators for the implementation of the poor-relief system yet produced. And King uses this material in an attempt to undermine any possibility of generalizing about the Old Poor Law and the New, in favour of what he argues is an essentially incommensurate set of regional systems. His primary analytical division is that between the north and west (highland) regions, and the south and east (lowland) parts of England. This is, of course, a now classic boundary in English social and economic history, and seen to impact on everything from marriage and bastardy patterns to village layout and interpersonal relationships. But King wants to go further than this, attempting to subdivide the whole country into at least eight further sub-regions, and suggesting that …
The Construction of Innovation Group and the Sustainable Development of Innovation Ability for Engineering Students

The sustainable development of economy and society depends not only on the quantity and structure of the talents, but also on the creative spirit and innovation ability of the talents. In this paper, a high-level innovative group of teachers and students was established based on the understanding of the current situation of the construction of teachers and students’ innovation team in universities at home and abroad. Firstly, A high level teachers’ innovation group was built from the aspects of scientific research environment, incentive mechanism and team cooperation. Taking the undergraduates of the college of engineering and technology as the research object in Tianjin Agricultural University, a high level students’ innovation group was built from the aspects of the selection model, training model, and management model. The problems arising in the process were summarized and the schemes were adjusted to form a sustainable development of teachers and students’ innovation group. The proposed method provides a reference for other colleges and universities to establish teachers and students’ innovation group. Keywords—Higher level; Teachers’ innovation group; Students’ innovation group; sustainable development; Innovation ability training; Engineering students
Mutations in the TATA-binding Protein, Affecting Transcriptional Activation, Show Synthetic Lethality with the TAF145Gene Lacking the TAF N-terminal Domain in Saccharomyces cerevisiae *

The general transcription factor TFIID, which is composed of the TATA box-binding protein (TBP) and a set of TBP-associated factors (TAFs), is crucial for both basal and regulated transcription by RNA polymerase II. The N-terminal small segment of yeast TAF145 (yTAF145) binds to TBP and thereby inhibits TBP function. To understand the physiological role of this inhibitory domain, which is designated as TAND (TAF N-terminaldomain), we screened mutations, synthetically lethal with the TAF145 gene lacking TAND (taf145ΔTAND), in Saccharomyces cerevisiae by exploiting a red/white colony-sectoring assay. Our screen yielded several recessive nsl (ΔTANDsynthetic lethal) mutations, two of which,nsl1-1 and nsl1-2, define the same complementation group. The NSL1 gene was found to be identical to the SPT15 gene encoding TBP. Interestingly, both temperature-sensitive nsl1/spt15 alleles, which harbor the single amino acid substitutions, S118L and P65S, respectively, were defective in transcriptional activation in vivo. Several other previously characterized activation-deficient spt15alleles also displayed synthetic lethal interactions withtaf145ΔTAND, indicating that TAND and TBP carry an overlapping but as yet unidentified function that is specifically required for transcriptional regulation.
Cloning and Expression of Three NewAzotobacter vinelandii Genes Closely Related to a Previously Described Gene Family Encoding Mannuronan C-5-Epimerases

ABSTRACT The cloning and expression of a family of five modular-type mannuronan C-5-epimerase genes from Azotobacter vinelandii(algE1 to -5) has previously been reported. The corresponding proteins catalyze the Ca2+-dependent polymer-level epimerization of β-d-mannuronic acid to α-l-guluronic acid (G) in the commercially important polysaccharide alginate. Here we report the identification of three additional structurally similar genes, designated algE6,algE7, and algY. All three genes were sequenced and expressed in Escherichia coli. AlgE6 introduced contiguous stretches of G residues into its substrate (G blocks), while AlgE7 acted as both an epimerase and a lyase. The epimerase activity of AlgE7 leads to formation of alginates with both single G residues and G blocks. AlgY did not display epimerase activity, but a hybrid gene in which the 5′-terminal part was exchanged with the corresponding region in algE4 expressed an active epimerase. Southern blot analysis of genomic A. vinelandii DNA, using the 5′ part ofalgE2 as a probe, indicated that all hybridization signals originated from algE1 to -5 or the three new genes reported here.