Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Modulation of synaptic function through the α-neurexin–specific ligand neurexophilin-1

Significance Communication between neurons via synapses is essential for information processing and cognitive function in our brains and is found impaired in many neuropsychiatric disorders. Synaptic transmission is remarkably variable in strength, and cell-adhesion molecules as neurexins and their binding partners are candidates to regulate neurotransmission. This study changes our understanding of how neurotransmission can be adapted to local demands by investigating the previously undescribed functions of neurexophilins, arguably the most elusive ligands of α-neurexins. Neurexophilins are expressed only in subpopulations of synapses, and their presence is able to change short-term plasticity and molecular composition at these terminals. Neurotransmission at different synapses is highly variable, and cell-adhesion molecules like α-neurexins (α-Nrxn) and their extracellular binding partners determine synapse function. Although α-Nrxn affect transmission at excitatory and inhibitory synapses, the contribution of neurexophilin-1 (Nxph1), an α-Nrxn ligand with restricted expression in subpopulations of inhibitory neurons, is unclear. To reveal its role, we investigated mice that either lack or overexpress Nxph1. We found that genetic deletion of Nxph1 impaired GABAB receptor (GABABR)-dependent short-term depression of inhibitory synapses in the nucleus reticularis thalami, a region where Nxph1 is normally expressed at high levels. To test the conclusion that Nxph1 supports presynaptic GABABR, we expressed Nxph1 ectopically at excitatory terminals in the neocortex, which normally do not contain this molecule but can be modulated by GABABR. We generated Nxph1-GFP transgenic mice under control of the Thy1.2 promoter and observed a reduced short-term facilitation at these excitatory synapses, representing an inverse phenotype to the knockout. Consistently, the diminished facilitation could be reversed by pharmacologically blocking GABABR with CGP-55845. Moreover, a complete rescue was achieved by additional blocking of postsynaptic GABAAR with intracellular picrotoxin or gabazine, suggesting that Nxph1 is able to recruit or stabilize both presynaptic GABABR and postsynaptic GABAAR. In support, immunoelectron microscopy validated the localization of ectopic Nxph1 at the synaptic cleft of excitatory synapses in transgenic mice and revealed an enrichment of GABAAR and GABABR subunits compared with wild-type animals. Thus, our data propose that Nxph1 plays an instructive role in synaptic short-term plasticity and the configuration with GABA receptors.
Auto-ID on Delivery: The Value of Auto-ID Technology in the Retail Supply Chain

Auto-ID technology has left the lab and is out in the real world so it’s not a matter of if, but when. Will you be ready to take advantage of the future scenario described above? Accenture has a vision for RFID and broader related technologies, called Silent Commerce. Silent Commerce creates unlimited new business opportunities by making objects intelligent and interactive. It is “silent” because communication and commerce can take place between objects such as cases of paper towels, dock doors and warehouse management systems. For several years we have been exploring the business potential of these innovative technologies at Accenture Technology Labs’ Silent Commerce Centers located in Chicago, IL; Palo Alto, California; and Sophia Antipolis, France.
Study of the prevalence of impaired hearing and its determinants in the city of Itajaí, Santa Catarina State, Brazil

The number of people with impaired hearing is increasing; knowing its magnitude is essential for public health. Objective To study the prevalence and determinants of impaired hearing in Itajaí/SC. Methods A population-based survey based on a World Health Organization protocol. Field research was carried out from July 2008 to 2011. Procedures for evaluating hearing in households: questionnaire, measurement of noise, otoscopy, pure tone audiometry at 1000, 2000, and 4000 Hz, tympanometry, and acoustic reflexes: individuals above 4 years; children under 4 years: evoked otoacoustic emissions (OAE), cocleo-palpebral reflex(CPR), tympanometry, and acoustic reflexes. In the elderly population a questionnaire of perception of hearing loss was applied. Results The study sample consisted of 379 individuals – 45.38% were males and 54.62% were females. Age-range: 11.34% up to 10 years; 64.39% 10 to 60 years, 24.27% over 60 years. Evaluation of the best hearing ear showed that 74.1% of residents had normal hearing, 18.9% had mild hearing loss, 5.1% had moderate hearing loss, 1.9% had severe hearing loss. Disabling impaired hearing was detected in 26 subjects: one child (otitis media); four adults (one otitis, one noise-induced, two idiopathic); 21 elderlies (presbyacusis). Of eight children under 4 years all presented CPR, three were normal examinations, two had absent OAE bilaterally, one had absent OAE in the right ear and one in the left ear. Conclusion The prevalence of disabling impaired hearing in Itajaí was 7%; the highest prevalence was in the 50-year and above age group – the main cause was presbyacusis.
Is there a Difference Between For-Profit Versus Not-For-Profit Charter Schools?

The role of for-profit educational organizations in the predominantly public and not-for-profit K-12 U.S. schooling system is being fiercely debated across our nation. Little empirical research is available to help policy makers develop informed decisions regarding the educational value that for-profit schools provide to our students. This paper fills in part, for the first time in detail, this void. This paper uses a four year panel of charter schools from the state of Michigan and a random effects model that controls for student and district characteristics. Results indicate that for-profit charter schools have lower math test scores than not-for-profit charter schools. Interestingly, this result holds even when expenditure per pupil is controlled for. The analysis developed in this paper takes the debate one step further as well, and examines the role that the size of for-profit firms plays in the associated outcomes.
The Profitability of Simple Technical Trading Strategies: The Case of Hong Kong

In this paper, we investigate two simple but very popular trading rules, simple moving average (SMA) and trading range break (TRB), by looking at a series of data of Hang Seng Index over thirty-five years, from 1972 to 2006. To avoid the data-snooping biases, we apply the out-of-sample tests in additional to the traditional tests to check for the validity of the profitability of the trading rules. In general, our results show that there is one trading rule, the (1, 50) rule, outperforms the market (HSI) over the 35 years testing period and in the pre-1986 sub-periods in our study in the SMA trading rule. These average returns from SMA rule are higher than the returns found in the US market (Brock et al., 1992) and Hong Kong market (Bessembinder and Chan, 1995). Besides, the VMA (1, 50) rule performs better than the FMA (1, 50) rule because it includes the information of the first nine days into investors' decision. With the flexibility of buy or sell within the first nine days, the VMA (1, 50) rule can generate 2.5% to 7.5% (annual) more profit than the FMA rule before transaction costs. However, the returns of the TRB rules are all small and insignificant. We find that the high trading returns are unlikely to be explained by the difference risk in difference trading strategies and transaction costs. However, they can be partly explained by the positive first order autocorrelation in the Hong Kong stock market and the time-varying premium. Furthermore, the inconsistent subperiod abnormal average returns suggest that the stock market integration leads to a more efficient dissemination of information over time in Hong Kong.
Fulminant Bacterial Meningitis

Background: Fulminant bacterial meningitis is a rare host reaction to infection characterized by sudden onset, rapid deterioration, abrupt cerebral edema and refractory intracranial hypertension associated with an extremely high mortality rate. Methods: A search of all relevant medical literature since 1900 was conducted to clarify the nature of this entity and its medical management. Results: Fulminant meningitis occurs in a small percentage of all cases of bacterial meningitis, at all ages and with all infecting organisms. The mortality rate exceeds 50%. Descriptions of fulminant bacterial meningitis are found in medical literature from the preantibiotic era. Its incidence and clinical character have not changed since the introduction of antibiotics and advanced intensive care medicine. The explosive cerebral edema cannot be predicted, and the underlying molecular pathophysiology remains poorly understood. Vigorous neuroresuscitation and the use of adjunctive techniques to control the cerebral edema have not been shown to modify the extreme intracranial hypertension and risk of herniation. Conclusion: Fulminant bacterial meningitis is an example of an aberrant host response to infection that challenges available medical intervention.
Interorganizational Endorsements and the Performance of Entrepreneurial Ventures

This paper investigates how the interorganizational networks of young companies affect their ability to acquire the resources necessary for survival and growth. We propose that, faced with great uncertainty about the quality of young companies, third parties rely on the prominence of the affiliates of those companies to make judgments about their quality and that young companies “endorsed” by prominent exchange partners will perform better than otherwise comparable ventures that lack prominent associates. Results of an empirical examination of the rate of initial public offering (IPO) and the market capitalization at IPO of the members of a large sample of venture-capital-backed biotechnology firms show that privately held biotech firms with prominent strategic alliance partners and organizational equity investors go to IPO faster and earn greater valuations at IPO than firms that lack such connections. We also empirically demonstrate that much of the benefit of having prominent affiliates stems from the transfer of status that is an inherent byproduct of interorganizational associations.
Financial accounting quality in a European transition economy : the case of the Czech Republic

This dissertation documents the quality of financial accounting information in a transition economy, the Czech Republic. High quality accounting information decreases the risks for investors, promotes investment activities and increases the ability of companies to raise funds at a reasonable cost of capital. Countries with high quality accounting information have a comparative advantage in attracting financial capital. Transition economies - i.e. countries switching from centrally planned to market economies - are typically in need of capital. Therefore a new accounting regulation had to be developed that would satisfy the needs of new private investors. The quality of financial accounting information depends on accounting quality (an outcome of applied accounting principles) and disclosure quality (an outcome of the amount and characteristics of information provided in the financial statements). Accounting quality is measured as the value relevance of accounting numbers and certain attributes of earnings which promote the value relevance. Disclosure quality is measured in terms of mandatory disclosure requirements, actual disclosures of companies (i.e. the level of compliance with legislation) and additional information provided voluntarily by the companies. Sweden is used as a benchmark for well-developed market economy and the quality of financial accounting information in the Czech Republic is systematically compared to the quality of Swedish financial accounting information throughout the dissertation. The results show that both accounting and disclosure quality in the Czech Republic were inferior in the beginning of the transition period. Over time, the value relevance of accounting numbers has however improved. The change in the value relevance may be attributed in particular to improvements in disclosure quality. The key factors behind the development were improved accounting legislation and control mechanisms, accompanied by changes in the business climate including higher sophistication of both the producers and users of the financial information.
Choreographies meet Communication Failures

Choreographies are global descriptions of communication structures, inspired by the "Alice and Bob" notation of security protocols. They have been successfully employed in the design and implementation of distributed systems. However, there is still limited evidence of the applicability of choreographies in the real-world setting of distributed programming, where communication actions may fail. In this work, we propose the first choreography model that allows for communication failures and the programming of user-defined code to deal with such failures. We validate our model by implementing common strategies for handling communication failures in a robust way, which in turn can be used as a library by choreographies that assume reliable communication. We equip our model with a typing discipline that can statically verify reliability properties, in particular at-most-once and exactly-once delivery. We demonstrate the applicability of our model by defining a semantics-preserving compilation procedure towards a process calculus equipped with unreliable I/O actions.
Control of the hyperpolarization‐activated cation current by external anions in rabbit sino‐atrial node cells.

1. Effects of varying concentrations of anions on the hyperpolarization‐activated current (I(f)) were studied in myocytes isolated from the rabbit sino‐atrial node. Substituting Cs+ for the intracellular K+ clearly separated I(f) from the delayed rectifier K+ current. Control properties, including gating kinetics and ion selectivity, similar to previous studies were obtained. 2. Substitution of extracellular Cl‐ with larger anions including isethionate, glutamate, acetate, and aspartate, reduced the amplitude of I(f) without changing the reversal potential. Substitution with small anions such as iodide or nitrate supported an intact I(f). These effects were reproduced in the excised outside‐out patch conformation. 3. The conductance for I(f) was a saturating function of the extracellular Cl‐ concentration ([Cl‐]o) with an equilibrium binding constant (K1/2) of 11 mM and a slope factor of about 1 when substituted with large anions. Total removal of small anions completely abolished I(f). 4. The voltage‐dependent gating of I(f) was not affected by changing ([Cl‐]o), suggesting that Cl‐ modulates conductance properties of I(f). 5. The results indicate that I(f) conductance is unique in that it is dependent on an extracellular anion (Cl‐), yet it is carried exclusively by cations, K+ and Na+. These effects are independent of any measurable voltage‐dependent gating parameters.
The growth paths of small business in a competitive global economy : the network perspective in the context of the clothing manufacturing industry in Durban.

One of the most enigmatic phenomena to explain in social and business sciences is the functioning and economic growth of organisations and national economies. This is testified by the several theoretical frameworks, which, with varying degrees of success, attempt to unravel the growth puzzle. This dissertation focuses on the network theory, with particular reference to small business growth in the contemporary competitive global economy. The primary focus is the isolation thesis which maintains that although small business growth is constrained by a number of factors, isolation rather than size is the key problem and that the answer lies in networking and clustering. Hypothesising that fraternal network is the most significant type of network for small business growth, the dissertation investigates the structural properties of networks in relation to the performance of the small clothing manufacturing enterprises (SCMEs) in the Durban Metropolitan Area (DMA). Combining qualitative and quantitative research approaches, descriptive network data and hermeneutic analyses, the dissertation argues that the growth and development of small business may be understood by the framework of relationships between the scopes of fraternal and factor networks, the medium of communication and the human factor. The dissertation empirically confirms the isolation thesis and the widely documented view that networks have positive impact on business performance although they could also be detrimental. The study finds that although clustering may be necessary it is certainly not a sufficient condition for inter-firm co-operation and joint action to a level that promotes individual firm performance and collective efficiency. The study argues that the widely documented poor performance of the clothing industry in the Durban Metropolis is, to a large extent, due to inadequate network relationships. The observed minimal network relationships among the sampled firms is largely the result of human factor decay manifesting as mistrust, selfishness, dishonesty, greed etc. Conceding that human factor decay is largely a consequence of the process of modernisation or the transition from Germeinschaft (Community) to Gesellschaft (Association), the dissertation maintains that human factor decay among the sampled
Pengaruh Alokasi Dana Zakat Terhadap Kinerja Keuangan Perbankan Syariah

The purpose of this research is to examine the effect of the allocation of zakat funds on the financial performance of Islamic banking 2009-2012. The choosing of the samples done by purposive sampling with the requirement all the companies publishing their sources and uses of funds statement of zakat, in order to obtain four banks, namely Bank Syariah Mandiri, Bank Muamalat, BRI syariah, and Bank Mega Syariah. Testing conducted using Partial Least Squares ( PLS ) mediation effect, ie entering Dana Pihak Ketiga as an intervening variable. Results of this study indicate that the zakat significant effect on the financial performance of Islamic banking to Dana Pihak Ketiga as mediating variable. These results indicate that Islamic banks have implemented effective marketing strategies through distribution of zakat is performed simultaneously in the framework of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in attracting investors to invest their funds in Islamic banks.Keywords : zakat , dana pihak ketiga , islamic banking financial performance, corporate socialresponsibility (CSR)
Exposing an RSA Private Key Given a Small Fraction of its Bits

We show that for low public exponent rsa, given a quarter of the bits of the private key an adversary can recover the entire private key. Similar results (though not as strong) are obtained for larger values of e. For instance, when e is a prime in the range [N 1=4 ;N 1=2 ], half the bits of the private key su(cid:14)ce to reconstruct the entire private key. Our results point out the danger of partial key exposure in the rsa public key system
Lobular Breast Cancer: How Useful is Breast Magnetic Resonance Imaging?

Rationale and objectives To review magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings in lobular breast carcinoma, the in situ or infiltrating subtype, with special attention to the dynamic curves with the aim to evaluate possible differences with ductal carcinoma. Methods In 2 years, 27 patients with lobular and one with tubular carcinoma underwent MRI at the Istituto Nazionale Tumori of Milan. Results All lobular carcinomas demonstrated early or late enhancement (100% sensitivity), without significant differences in morphology compared with ductal carcinoma, but frequently with a different shape of the dynamic curves. Conclusions Due to its infiltrative growth associated to only limited connective tissue reaction, lobular carcinoma often encounters difficulties in mammographic diagnosis. In contrast, MRI can be very helpful in evaluating the true extension of the disease, especially when breast conservation is considered. Due to a more consistent fibrotic stroma, these lesions sometimes show a delayed enhancement, which suggests that more than one set of subtracted images should be evaluated during MRI analysis.
Compliance with patient-reported outcomes in multicenter clinical trials: methodologic and practical approaches.

PURPOSE This report describes interventions undertaken by the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP) to improve compliance with patient-reported outcome (PRO) assessments in the setting of multicenter cancer clinical trials. We describe the effectiveness of several interventions and of observational factors. METHODS PRO submission rates were analyzed for the following three NSABP protocols: the Study of Raloxifene and Tamoxifen (STAR), B-32, and B-35. Institutions participating in protocol B-35 were randomly assigned to receive automated reminders of upcoming assessments or not. Compliance was analyzed with a logistic repeated measures mixed modeling. RESULTS Compliance was high in the three protocols, with rates greater than 80% for nearly all time points. Institutions were a significant source of variability (P < .01). The largest institutions had the highest compliance in STAR (odds ratio [OR] = 0.68 for < 50 participants enrolled and OR = 0.82 for 50 to 99 participants enrolled v larger institutions; P < .001). Midsized institutions had highest compliance in B-32 (OR = 4.63 for 31 to 50 patients enrolled and OR = 3.12 for > 50 patients enrolled v small institutions; P = .007). Compliance increased with participant age in STAR (OR = 0.57, 0.89, and 1.01 for ages < 50, 50 to 60, and 60 to 70 years, respectively, v > 70 years; P < .001). Race was significant in B-32 (OR = 2.63 for white v nonwhite; P < .001) and in STAR (OR = 1.41 for white v nonwhite; P < .001). Treatment group was significant in B-32 (OR = 0.74; P = .006). The B-35 prospective reminder did not improve compliance significantly (P = .30), but in B-32, delinquency sanctions were significant (OR = 1.56; P = .007). CONCLUSION Compliance in NSABP PRO studies is higher now than a decade ago. Results for compliance initiatives were mixed. Age and race are important factors, but institutional variation remains significant and largely unexplained.
Fast and Precise Protein Tracking Using Repeated Reversible Photoactivation

Photoactivatable fluorescent proteins opened principally novel possibilities to study proteins’ movement pathways. In particular, reversibly photoactivatable proteins enable multiple tracking experiments in a long‐drawn work with a single cell. Here we report ‘protein rivers tracking’ technique based on repeated identical rounds of photoactivation and subsequent images averaging, which results in dramatic increase of imaging resolution for fast protein movement events.