Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Application of a catchment water quality model for an East-Australian catchment

This paper presents the calibration of a catchment water quality model developed for the continuous simulation of stormwater pollutants from a catchment to the catchment outlet. Calibration of the model was performed using the rainfall and water quality data collected for 'Saltwater Creek Catchment' in Gold Coast, Australia. Runoff estimations from the hydrologic model were compared with calculated discharges through widely used Australian runoff models, WBNM and DRAINS. Sensitivity analysis of the model parameters showed that maximum build-up rate, build-up rate coefficient and wash-off coefficients are sensitive parameters of the model. Based on measured water quality data, different parameters of the model were calibrated for the above-mentioned catchment. Calibration of the model was demonstrated for the water quality pollutants suspended solids (SS), total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP).
Market Risk Exposure of Merger Arbitrage in Australia

type="main" xml:lang="en"> We investigate the risk-return characteristics of merger arbitrage in the Australian market for corporate control, whereby hedge fund managers acquire companies subject to a takeover offer. On average, a strategy of buying target companies and short-selling bidders making scrip offers would have generated an annual return of 30 per cent from 1985 to 2008, excluding transaction costs, compared to the return on the broader market of 12 per cent. However, performance is not market neutral, being positively associated with market returns during downturns and inversely related to market movements during rising markets. The payoffs to this strategy are analogous to a short straddle, whereby the investor is short a call and put option at the same exercise price. These results are consistent with large-sample evidence from the United States and the United Kingdom and have not previously been documented in Australia, in which prior evidence is based only on cash deals during the 1990s.
An Approach to Searching Protein Sequences for Superfamily Relationships or Chance Similarities Relevant to the Molecular Mimicry Hypothesis: Application to the Basic Proteins of Myelin

Abstract: A rapid method for similarity searches (FASTP program) was used to identify similarities between a protein database and the human basic proteins from myelin [P2 protein and 17.2K, 18.5K, and 21.5K variants of myelin basic protein (MBP)]. From similarity scores, we concluded that none of the presently known proteins are in a family containing the MBPs. No new members were found for the lipid‐binding family of which P2 is a member. Sequence similarities deemed relevant to the molecular mimicry hypothesis for virus‐induced autoimmunity were identified in FASTP data with the aid of microcomputer programs. Several MBP/viral protein similarities were found that have not been reported previously. Of note because of their association with demyelinating conditions were proteins from visna and vaccinia. Similarity with visna was specific to the 21.5K and 20.2K MBPs. The most interesting new possibility for mimicry involving the P2 protein was between the influenza A NS2 protein and a sequence region of P2 thought to be neuritogenic in animals and mitogenic for lymphocytes from some patients with Guillain‐Barre syndrome (GBS). This may have relevance for some cases of GBS associated with the 1976 U.S.A. swine flu vaccination program. Because FASTP reports only the best similarities between proteins, searches with FASTP may not have detected all the examples of mimicry present in the database. Searches might also be more effective if similarities could be scored on immunological rather than structural relatedness.
Impact of Swarnajayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana on Poverty Alleviation

Poverty in India is a great social and more challenging problem. The process of economic development had made the rich richer while the poor have become poorer. Today, most of Indian population lives below poverty line and is unable to fulfill its basic need of food, clothes and shelter. Swarnajayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana is a very important tool for combating unemployment and underemployment in the rural areas and for attacking rural mass poverty and raising the rural poor above the poverty line. The present study was conducted during 2009-10 in Morar block of Gwalior district Madhya Pradesh. The total sample for this study consisted of 300 beneficiaries’ respondents. It may be stated that after the inclusion of respondents under SGSY programme they utilized the credit / loan in proper way for economic development and their annual income increased in significant way. Out of ten independent variables Caste and family type were found non-significant relationship with annual income. The coefficient of multiple determinations (R 2 ) indicated that only 83.03 per cent of variation in the annual income increased of the respondents could be explained due to 10 independent variables. The highly significant “F” value reported the confirmation to the validity of R 2 (0.8303) worked out with the variables identified for the study. The path coefficient analysis revealed that education exhibited highest positive direct effect on the annual income increased of the respondents. Complicated process in getting credit and the benefits of programme are not read to the needed people were the major constraints.
Dynamic expiratory CT: An effective non‐invasive diagnostic exam for fragile children with suspected tracheo‐bronchomalacia

Tracheobronchomalacia, defined as variable collapse of the airways, has been recognized as an important cause of respiratory morbidity but still widely underdiagnosed. Bronchoscopy is still considered as the gold standard, but numerous limitations are known, especially for fragile sick children. Moreover, information on parenchymal lung disease cannot be described. There is a real need for a reliable, non‐invasive test to help detection of airway and parenchymal malformations in children, specifically when bronchoscopy cannot be performed.
Arthroscopic subchondral bone plate microfracture technique augments healing of large chondral defects in the radial carpal bone and medial femoral condyle of horses.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effect of arthroscopic subchondral bone microfracture on healing of large chondral defects in horses. STUDY DESIGN Short- (4 months) and long-term (12 months) in vivo experimental chondral defect model. ANIMALS 10 horses, aged 2 to 5 years. METHODS Each horse had a 1 cm2 full-thickness chondral defect created in both radial carpal bones and both medial femoral condyles. One carpus and one femoral condyle of each horse had the subchondral bone plate under the defect perforated using an orthopedic awl. All horses were exercised, five horses were evaluated after 4 months and five horses after 12 months. Gross, histologic, and histomorphometric examination of defect sites and repair tissues was performed, as was collagen typing of the repair tissue. RESULTS On gross observation a greater volume of repair tissue filled treated defects (74%) compared with control defects (45%). Histomorphometry confirmed more repair tissue filling treated defects, but no difference in the relative amounts of different tissue types was observed. There was an increased percentage of type II collagen in treated defects compared with control defects and evidence of earlier bone remodeling as documented by changes in porosity. CONCLUSIONS In full-thickness chondral defects in exercised horses, treatment with subchondral bone microfracture increased the tissue volume in the defects and the percentage of type II collagen in the tissue filling the defects when compared to nontreated defects. CLINICAL RELEVANCE No negative effects of the microfracture technique were observed and some of the beneficial effects are the basis for recommending its use in patients cases with exposed subchondral bone.
Sorption and biodegradation of selected antibiotics in biosolids

Laboratory experiments were conducted to investigate the sorption and degradation of six antibiotics including Ciprofloxacin (CIP), Tetracycline (TC), Doxycycline (DTC), Sulfamethazine (SMZ), Sulfamethoxazole (SMX) and Clindamycin (CLD) in an aerobically digested biosolid. In the sorption experiment, CIP, TC, and DTC sorbed strongly, followed by CLD, while SMZ and SMX were only weakly sorbed to particles. An adsorption/desorption hysteresis was observed for nearly all the antibiotics to some extent. In the degradation experiment, the elimination of antibiotics, except CIP for which no degradation was observed, was found primarily attributed to biological degradation. For the degradation of TC, DTC, and CLD, a stable phase was achieved after preliminary degradation. We hypothesize that the nondegradable residuals are nondesorbable portions of sorbed antibiotics. From the results, other than SMX, all tested antibiotics can potentially survive biosolids storage periods and can be introduced into the environment following biosolids land application.
Measurement and prediction of the acceptable noise level for single-microphone noise reduction algorithms

Abstract Objective: To measure the acceptable noise level (ANL) with and without noise reduction algorithms (NRAs), and to predict ΔANL, i.e. the difference in acceptable noise level with and without NRAs. Design: The ANL test was applied to three NRAs. Furthermore, the measured ΔANL was predicted using several methods based on either the calculation of the signal-to-noise ratio or correlation methods of the processed signals with an unprocessed reference signal. Study sample: Ten normal-hearing and eleven hearing-impaired subjects accomplished the ANL test. Results: In general, the ANL test could determine an increased acceptance of noise with some NRAs. However, great inter-individual differences also resulted that were attributed to audible distortions when an NRA was used. Prediction of the mean measured DANL was possible, but individual prediction of DANL failed due to inter-individual differences. Mean DANL was predicted more accurately for hearing-impaired subjects when individual hearing loss was taken into account. Conclusions: The ANL test is a suitable tool for measuring the advantage of one NRA. A prediction of the measured individual ΔANL failed. However, mean DANL could be predicted with some methods. Furthermore, the individual hearing loss should be taken into account for a more accurate prediction for hearing-impaired subjects.
Defensive and expansion responses to environmental shocks in China: Interpreting the 2008 economic crisis

We tested organizational actions as a result of interpreting the 2008 crisis with a sample of 80 firms in mainland China collected in 2009. Our findings indicate that threat and urgency interpretations positively affect defensive responses, while controllability and feasibility interpretations positively affect expansion responses. Moreover, we find that strategic flexibility and risk-taking orientation moderate the relationships between controllability/feasibility interpretations and expansion responses. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Interrelation Among Events of Default

This paper contrasts technical default, debt service default and bankruptcy, and establishes that the valuation effects of their announcements are significant and increasingly severe. We show the events are interrelated. That is, technical default increases the likelihood of future debt service default and bankruptcy, and bankruptcy is more likely following debt service default. Further, we show that technical default is a timely warning of further distress insofar as adverse stock price effects of debt service default are mitigated if preceded by technical default. We also evaluate explanations of how debt service default and bankruptcy occur without firms first reporting technical default. We find that it is not because debt covenants are written with too much slack. While disclosure rules allow discretion in reporting technical default, our evidence suggests that non-reporting of covenant defaults occurs only in cases where the potential default is immaterial. We conclude that covenants do not always provide warnings of future difficulties.
Irreversibility, sunk costs and investment under incomplete information

Publisher Summary This chapter describes some simple models for the analysis of the investment decision under uncertainty, irreversibility, and sunk costs like shadow costs of incomplete information. In Merton's model, the expected returns increase with systematic risk, firm-specific risk, and relative market value. The expected returns decrease with relative size of the firm's investor base, referred to in Merton's model as the degree of investor recognition. The chapter also illustrates how optimal investment rules can be obtained using real option theory under shadow costs of incomplete information. The chapter also presents a justification for the foundations of information costs in investment decisions. These costs are based on the shadow costs of incomplete information in the spirit of Merton's model. In addition, the chapter also provides a basic continuous-time model of irreversible investment in the presence of information costs. This model shows when the firm should invest in a project in the presence of incomplete information. Following this, the basic model is extended so that the price of the firm's output is random and the firm can stop production whenever the price falls below variable cost. The value of the project and the value of the firm's option are derived to invest in the project as well as the optimal investment rule in the presence of information costs. Simulations are provided to illustrate the main results. Finally, the chapter compares some of the results with respect to some standard models.
Laparoscopic cholecystectomy for acute cholecystitis. Can preoperative factors predict conversion?

OBJECTIVE To determine if preoperative clinical, laboratory and radiology data can predict conversion of laparoscopic cholecystectomy for acute cholecystitis to open procedure. METHODS Retrospective analysis of 44 laparoscopic cholecystectomies were performed for acute cholecystitis between August 2000 and July 2002 at King Khalid University Hospital, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Data related to age and sex of patients, maximum body temperature, white blood cell count, gallbladder wall thickness on ultrasonography and timing of surgery from onset of symptoms were collected. RESULTS The procedure was converted from laparoscopic to open cholecystectomy in 10 patients (23%). Conversion rate was significantly high (33% versus zero; p=0.01) if the gallbladder wall was thickened. Conversion rate was significantly low (zero versus 32%: p=0.01) if the procedure was performed within 48 hours from the onset of symptoms. The data related to age, sex, white blood cell count and body temperature did not reliably predict conversion of laparoscopic cholecystectomy for acute cholecystitis to open procedure. There was no mortality or major morbidity. CONCLUSION Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is a safe modality of treatment for acute cholecystitis. Factors associated with increased conversion rate are thickened gallbladder wall on ultrasonography and delay in surgery for more than 48 hours from the onset of symptoms.
[Brain tumors in Yamaguchi Prefecture--incidence through 4 years].

The incidence of brain tumors was studied in Yamaguchi prefecture of about 1,600,000 population. All of the brain tumor patients admitted to the neurosurgical hospitals in Yamaguchi prefecture were registered. Cases of osteoma, lipoma, scalp tumor and spinal tumor were excluded. From 1986 through 1989, 726 cases were registered. 135 recurrent cases were included. Therefore first-diagnosed primary brain tumors were selected to calculate the true incidence. The number of cases of primary brain tumor was 478 and showed female preponderance (male/female: 207/271). The incidence of primary brain tumor was 7.5/100,000/year (male/female: 6.8/8. 1). No difference was present between the incidence in cities and that in rural districts. Percentages of representative tumors were 28.2% for glioma, 32.8% for meningioma, 13.0% for pituitary adenoma and 10.7% for neurinoma. Age-adjusted incidence was 2.1/100,000/year for glioma and 2.1/100,000/year for meningioma. The incidence of glioma was lower and that of meningioma was higher in Yamaguchi prefecture than those in other reports. Compared with the Brain Tumor Registry of Japan (1969-1983), the percentage of meningioma cases was large in Yamaguchi prefecture. This difference owed partly to the increased number of population over age of 40's in Yamaguchi prefecture. The peak of age distribution was present in age of 50's in Yamaguchi prefecture and in age of 30's and 40's in Brain Tumor Registry of Japan. The peak of age distribution shifted to older ages in Yamaguchi and the difference was conspicuous in age of 60's. This peak consisted of mainly cases of meningioma and partly those of glioma. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Influence of Oxygen Concentration During Hypothermic Machine Perfusion on Porcine Kidneys From Donation After Circulatory Death

Background Hypothermic machine perfusion (HMP) for preservation led to compelling success for outcomes of renal transplantation. Application of different concentrations of oxygen during renal HMP has not been systematically analyzed. This study investigates the aspects of renal function and morphology in dependence of oxygen concentrations during HMP in a porcine donation after circulatory death model. Methods After 30 min of warm ischemia, porcine kidneys were randomly assigned to preservation for 21 hr by HMP without oxygenation (HMPnoox), oxygenated HMP with air (HMPair), or 100% oxygen (HMPox100%). Afterward, kidneys were reperfused for 2 hr in an ex vivo model for assessment of function and integrity. Results Application of HMPox100% led to significantly increased blood flow during reperfusion compared to HMPnoox. Preservation by HMPox100% led to a doubling of creatinine clearance after 90 and 120 min of reperfusion (13.4 and 12.0 mL/min) compared to preservation by HMPnoox (7.3 and 7.7 mL/min; P=0.01). Oxygenated HMP with air led to results between the two other groups. Fractional excretion of sodium demonstrated a strong tendency of higher values after HMPnoox compared to HMPox100% (P=0.096) and HMPair (P=0.09). Analysis of structural integrity during reperfusion demonstrated significantly higher values of lactate dehydrogenase resembling cell damage (P=0.02), higher values of gamma-glutamyl-transferase (gGT) resembling tubulus injury (P=0.048), and more pronounced tubular dilatation (P=0.02) after HMPnoox compared to HMPox100%. Conclusion The present study demonstrates that application of HMPox100% for kidneys from donations after circulatory death results in better renal function during early reperfusion compared to HMPnoox.
Design and characterization of a smog chamber for studying gas-phase chemical mechanisms and aerosol formation

Abstract. We describe here characterization of a new state-of-the-art smog chamber facility for studying atmospheric gas-phase and aerosol chemistry. The chamber consists of a 30 m3 fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP) Teflon film reactor housed in a temperature-controlled enclosure equipped with black lamps as the light source. Temperature can be set in the range from −10 to 40 °C at accuracy of ±1 °C as measured by eight temperature sensors inside the enclosure and one just inside the reactor. Matrix air can be purified with non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHCs)
The Stock Price Impacts of Overseas Listings

In the period since World War II, an increasing number of American corporations have chosen to list their common stock on securities exchanges outside of the United States, in addition to their listings on organized exchanges in the U.S. A number of possible benefits to an overseas listing have been suggested. First, listing may improve the relationship between the American corporation, the foreign government and the foreign financial community [10, 13]; in turn, this may reduce political risk. If political risk is not diversifiable, such a reduction will lower the firm's cost of capital. Second, a possible increase in demand for the firm's stock provided by foreign investors with no increase in supply may result in stock price increases [10, 11, 13]. Third, foreign markets may provide a less expensive source of funds (stemming, say, from different tax structures abroad). Having a corporation's stock listed may provide the company greater access to foreign money markets [5] and make it easier to sell debt o Euromarket investors [13]. A Fortune magazine [8] article states:
Characterization of boar seminal plasma, vesicular secretion and epididymal plasma proteins by gel disc electrophoresis and isoelectric focusing on polyacrylamide.

Summary. Boar seminal plasma, vesicular secretion and epididymal plasma proteins were studied by gel disc electrophoresis at pH 4\m=. \5and 8\m=. \6and by isoelectric focusing in tubes and on plates using ampholines of pH range 3 to 10. The number of protein bands obtained in the gel disc electrophoresis was fifteen to twenty for all the samples. A similarity between the proteins of the seminal plasma and the vesicular secretion was greater at pH 4\m=. \5 than at pH 8\m=. \6.The epididymal plasma showed a different separation picture. The better resolution of the isoelectric focusing revealed a greater number of proteins. Similar protein patterns were found for the vesicular secretion and the seminal plasma in the basic part of the pH range, where the majority of the proteins of these fluids are found. The proteins of the epididymal plasma, on the other hand, possess more neutral isoelectric points and their contribution to the seminal plasma is smaller than that of the vesicular secretion. Only a few of the epididymal plasma proteins and of the minor vesicular secretion proteins could be found in the neutral and acidic regions of the seminal plasma. This is largely the result of the dilution of these accessory secretions occurring during ejacu-lation. Differences in the protein pattern of the seminal plasma of various animals could be found. The importance of these differences is as yet unknown.
Goodwill Impairment as a Reflection of Investment Opportunities

We exploit a unique opportunity to examine whether goodwill impairment write-offs reflect firms' investment opportunities during the first years of the US goodwill impairment accounting regime. We find that impairment write-offs are negatively associated with firms' underlying investment opportunities. We also find associations between goodwill impairment write-offs and traditionally applied leverage, firm size and return on assets variables, although the leverage and firm size results are less robust. The results support the International Accounting Standards Board and Financial Accounting Standards Board contention that an impairment test regime can reflect firms' underlying economic attributes, while simultaneously indicating that managers use discretion to reduce contracting costs. Copyright (c) The Authors. Journal compilation (c) 2009 AFAANZ.