Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Differential expression of Group I metabotropic glutamate receptors in motoneurons at low and high risk for degeneration in ALS

Glutamate excitotoxicity has been suggested to play a role in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), yet it remains unclear why some groups of motoneurons (MNs) are more vulnerable to degeneration than others. Our aim was to compare, in normal adult rats, the expression of Group I metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluR1 and mGluR5) in MNs normally affected in ALS (XII and spinal MNs) with those which are spared (III and IV MNs). RT-PCR analysis of tissue punches taken from III and XII motor nuclei revealed mRNA for both ‘a’ and ‘b’ splice variants of the mGluR1 and mGluR5 receptor subtypes, with expression of the ‘a’ variant dominant for both receptor subtypes in III and XII nuclei. Immunolabeling for mGluR1a protein was strong in vulnerable (XII and spinal) but negligible in the resistant (III and IV) MNs. Immunoreactivity for mGluR5 was not detected in the cell bodies or proximal dendrites of any MN pool examined. Greater expression of mGluR1a receptor protein within vulnerable MN pools may predispose these neurons to neurodegeneration as seen in ALS.
Evaluating the impact of Enterprise Ireland assistance: methodological considerations when estimating deadweight and displacement

This paper examines an approach to estimating the net additionality of financial assistance to indigenously-owned firms in Ireland for the period 2000 to 2002. Using a sample of Enterprise Ireland assisted-firms an innovative self-assessment case study methodology was adopted in order to test the ways in which estimates of partial deadweight can be derived. The results show that the net additionality of Enterprise Ireland assistance can be estimated as around 50 per cent for this sample of case studies which represent a pool of clients which accounted for just-over two-thirds of the financial assistance provided by Enterprise Ireland in the period of the study. JEL Classification: H5; O1; O2 Evaluating the Impact of Enterprise Ireland Assistance 2 Evaluating the Impact of Enterprise Ireland Assistance: methodological considerations when estimating deadweight and displacement.
Use of propofol in patients with food allergies

We read with interest the recent correspondence highlighting the inclusion of peanut allergy in the list of contraindications in the product literature for propofol [1]. The potential for peanutallergic patients to be sensitive to propofol is due to the fact that soya oil is one of the excipients of propofol, and that cross-reactivity occurs in legume allergy, for example between soya and peanut. However, it is the protein component that is responsible for allergic reactions in these patients, and as the soya oil present in propofol is refined, it is unlikely to contain significant quantities of allergenic particles. In the food industry soya-containing mixed vegetable oil may be sold for consumption without listing soya as an ingredient [2]. The reason for this is that the dose of protein contained in refined soya oil is too small to provoke a reaction when ingested. Although the minimum dose of protein required to trigger a reaction after oral ingestion has been identified, the same is not true of parenteral administration [3]. There is no mention of egg allergy in the product literature for propofol. The main triggers for egg anaphylaxis are three proteins found in egg white: ovoalbumin, ovomucoid and conalbumin. Lecithin, a purified egg phosphatide present in propofol, is not thought to be problematic for patients who are allergic to eggs. Allergic reactions to propofol have been shown to be triggered by the iso-propyl or phenol groups rather than the lipid vehicle [4, 5]. One case report describes an anaphylactic reaction following administration of propofol to a child with multiple food allergies including egg and peanut. However, other drugs including rocuronium had also been administered. Skin prick testing was not performed and the specific causative agent remains unclear [6]. We have spoken to the Medical Information Department at AstraZeneca who informed us that the final decision to use Diprivan in patients with egg allergy remains at the discretion of the individual anaesthetist concerned (personal communication, D. Gupta, AstraZeneca Ltd). In summary, the negligible protein content of refined soya oil in propofol suggests the drug is unlikely to trigger a reaction in patients with peanut allergy. The fact that the product literature cites this as a contra-indication must, however, be given careful consideration prior to administration. If the clinician decides propofol is unsuitable, inhalational induction of anaesthesia may provide a useful alternative.
Heterogeneous Beliefs and Asymmetry in Asset Returns Volatility

In this paper we introduce a new asymmetric GARCH model that is suitable for the modelling of intraday volatility. Contrary to previous studies, asymmetry in volatility is generated by the existence of news rather than its nature (leverage e¤ect). In the presence of asymmetric information (traders with heterogeneous beliefs), we infer the existence of news from the level of trading intensity shocks. Empirical applications reveal that positive (negative) trading intensity shocks imply a higher (smaller) volatility impact of the square of past return shocks, con rming Easley and OHaras (1992) conjecture about the informational content of the trading intensity. Moreover, our results suggest that this microstructural form of volatility asymmetry statistically dominates the one based on nancial leverage. Finally we discuss issues related to forecasting and establish the link between our framework and the mixture hypothesis of discrete heteroskedastic distributions.
Endovascular infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm repair

Abdominal aortic aneurysm repair has undergone a revolution since Volodos and Parodi described endoluminal repair in the early 1990s. Subsequent data from large registries have confirmed its efficacy. Randomised controlled trials have shown that although endoluminal repair may not be as cost effective as open repair, it can be performed with a lower mortality in patients fit for open repair. Some European countries (eg, Belgium) have taken the results of these trials to rationalise the number of hospitals able to do endovascular repair. The devices continue to improve and although most require open surgical access at present, in future percutaneous access will become the norm. This article reviews the current state of endoluminal aortic aneurysm repair in the infrarenal aorta.
Asking About Wages: Results from the Bank of Canada’s Wage Setting Survey of Canadian Companies

The Bank of Canada conducted a Wage Setting Survey with a sample of 200 private sector firms from mid-October 2007 to May 2008. Results indicate that wage adjustments for the Canadian non-union private workforce are overwhelmingly time dependent, with a fixed duration of one year, and are clustered in the first four months of the year, suggesting that wage stickiness may not be constant over the year. Ad hoc adjustments between these fixed dates are rare, but when they do occur they are almost always upward and often in response to tight labour markets. The market wage rate is the most important factor managers consider when setting wages for their employees. Depending on firm size, different strategies are used to gain information about the market wage. Other important factors taken into account when setting wages include the firm’s profitability, its difficulty in attracting staff and workers’ productivity. While many managers acknowledge a link between the wage decision and inflation, very few use formal wage indexation rules such as a cost-of-living adjustment. Rather, most describe an informal backward-looking link. Survey results also suggest that managers are very reluctant to cut nominal base wages in times of weak demand. Managers are more likely to cut incentive pay, which would allow some flexibility in total compensation even if base pay is inflexible, or reduce the quantity of labour inputs (hours and employees).
An Efficient Algorithm for Detection of Soccer Ball and Players

In this paper we propose an effective algorithm for detection of a soccer ball and players. In the currently available methods, the ball may not be detected when it is attached to the lines in the ground. To overcome this problem, we introduce a method to separate lines from the ball and segment the ball effectively. At first we detect the ground and the edges of the original image. Then an efficient line detection method is applied, and finally players and a ball are extracted. The experimental results show that our algorithm is robust when the ball is attached to the line.
Empirical PPP Experiences in Europe: National Variations of a Global Concept

This chapter aims to provide a structured overview of the spread of public-private partnerships (PPPs) in several countries of Central, Eastern, and Southern Europe. This follows earlier research that indicated considerable institutional differences between these 3 country clusters. The focus is on the long-term infrastructure contracts form of PPPs as outlined by Hodge et al. The practice of PPPs are discussed, whereby the implementation dynamics of PPPs are mapped in various European countries with regard to policy fields and sectors, government levels, as well as types of existing PPP projects. The final section provides some insights into recent research and evaluations on PPPs to learn about the main challenges that confront PPPs within Europe.
The Survival of New Firms: Do Bank Loans at Birth Matter?

In this article, we explore the issue of whether the financial conditions into which a firm is born have an effect on its survival chances. After both correction of the omitted variables bias and introduction of time varying covariates, we show two distinctive effects of banking debt on the survival of new firms in function of the time horizon: an insignificant or negative impact of banking debt in the short term (less than 2 years) and a persistently positive effect in the medium term (more than 2 years). Founding financial conditions have long-lasting effects upon survival.
Analysis of fetal sex in TCC sample DNA: a contribution to the validation of this approach

We compared two methods of collection of transcervical cell samples, mucus aspiration and cytobrush, with respect to the efficiency in determining fetal sex and we correlated the results with the week of gestation (7–11 weeks) to evaluate if the age of gestation influenced the success of the analysis. DNA extracted from TCC samples recovered by mucus aspiration (n=27) and cytobrush (n=36) were analysed by nested PCR to predict fetal sex. The statistical indices of sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value were determined, and compared with those of other studies previously performed. No statistically significant difference was found between the two methods of TCC sampling concerning the success of fetal sex prediction which was high for both methods (78 per cent and 89 per cent) and no correlation with the week of gestation was found. Transcervical cell sampling represents an encouraging prospect for first‐trimester prenatal diagnosis even when the least invasive techniques are used. Copyright © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Stock Market Effects of Institutional Investment Flows: Evidence from Australian Pension Plan Mandate Changes

The rapid growth of pension systems raises the specter of market disruptions from pension plan flows. In particular, appointments and changes of fund managers by pension trustees are accompanied by large intermittent portfolio flows, mostly channeled via the upstairs market. In this article we use pension plan mandate awards and terminations and stock trades initiated by delegated portfolio managers to investigate the stock market impact of shocks resulting from the flow of money from the retirement sector on the main market. Mandate decisions reduce the probability of observing trades. Mandate awards are associated with reduced market impact costs. There is evidence of price pressure from mandate-associated flows.
Up- and Downside Variance Risk Premia in Global Equity Markets

This paper studies the variance risk premium from a new perspective by disaggregating the total premium into upper and lower semivariance premia. To this end, we provide novel tools for computing conditional expectations using traded options as well as moment generating functions. Across a dataset of global stock market indices, we find that the variance premium is almost exclusively driven by downside risk. Our results are robust with respect to the sample period. These findings substantiate the hypothesis found in the literature that the variance premium is largely driven by the left tail of the index return distribution.
In vivo normative atlas of the hippocampal subfields using multi‐echo susceptibility imaging at 7 Tesla

Objectives: To generate a high‐resolution atlas of the hippocampal subfields using images acquired from 7 T, multi‐echo, gradient‐echo MRI for the evaluation of epilepsy and neurodegenerative disorders as well as investigating R2* (apparent transverse relaxation rate) and quantitative volume magnetic susceptibility (QS) of the subfields. Experimental Design: Healthy control subjects (n = 17) were scanned at 7 T using a multi‐echo gradient‐echo sequence and susceptibility‐weighted magnitude images, R2* and QS maps were reconstructed. We defined a hippocampal subfield labeling protocol for the magnitude image produced from the average of all echoes and assessed reproducibility through volume and shape metrics. A group‐wise diffeomorphic registration procedure was used to generate an average atlas of the subfields for the whole subject cohort. The quantitative MRI maps and subfield labels were then warped to the average atlas space and used to measure mean values of R2* and QS characterizing each subfield. Principal Observations: We were able to reliably label hippocampal subfields on the multi‐echo susceptibility images. The group‐averaged atlas accurately aligns these structures to produce a high‐resolution depiction of the subfields, allowing assessment of both quantitative susceptibility and R2* across subjects. Our analysis of variance demonstrates that there are more apparent differences between the subfields on these quantitative maps than the normalized magnitude images. Conclusion: We constructed a high‐resolution atlas of the hippocampal subfields for use in voxel‐based studies and demonstrated in vivo quantification of susceptibility and R2* in the subfields. This work is the first in vivo quantification of susceptibility values within the hippocampal subfields at 7 T. Hum Brain Mapp 35:3588–3601, 2014. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Household Preferences for Solid Waste Management in Malaysia

This study employs non-marketed goods valuation techniques - Choice Modelling (CM) and Contingent Valuation (CV) - to elicit consumers' willingness to pay (WTP) for different service options. The CM especially aims to estimate the implicit price for each service attribute such as the collection frequency, mode of transportation, the provision of facilities and containers to facilitate separation of waste at source and the tradeoffs among these attributes. Other important objectives include assessing the frequency of generation and magnitude of SW and to understand households' knowledge, attitude, and behavior on various wastes reductions strategies.
General Model for RACH Procedure Performance Analysis

This letter introduces an analytical model aiming at modeling the performance of the Random Access CHannel (RACH) procedure, with a special focus on the case of highly synchronized machine type communication (MTC) traffic activated according to beta distribution. The accuracy of the proposed model is then verified through computer simulation. Obtained results demonstrate the effectiveness of the model to capture the RACH procedure behavior when MTC devices are activated in a highly synchronized way. Note that 1) the proposed model is not dedicated only to beta distribution, but other distributions could be used and 2) this model could be used with any congestion control method managing the number of new arrivals, such as access class barring (ACB).
Differences Between Tooth Stimulation and Capsaicin-induced Neurogenic Vasodilatation in Human Gingiva

Animal experiments have shown that the application of capsaicin to oral mucosa leads to a neurogenic inflammation associated with blood flow elevations in gingivomucosal tissues. In this investigation, we measured the tooth stimulation and capsaicin-evoked blood flow responses in maxillary gingiva in humans to study whether axon-reflex-mediated vasodilatation crosses the midline of the maxilla. The vasoactive reactions were mapped by laser Doppler imaging. Unilateral stimulation of alveolar mucosa and attached gingiva by capsaicin evoked a distinct neurogenic vasodilatation in ipsilateral gingiva, which rapidly attenuated at the midline. Capsaicin stimulation of alveolar mucosa provoked clear inflammatory reactions. In contrast to capsaicin stimuli, tooth stimulation produced symmetrical vasodilatations bilaterally in the gingiva. The ipsilateral responses were significantly smaller during tooth stimulation than during capsaicin stimuli. Analysis of these data suggests that capsaicin-induced inflammatory reactions in gingivomucosal tissues do not cross the midline in the anterior maxilla. The enhanced reaction found during stimulation of alveolar mucosa indicates that alveolar mucosa is more sensitive to chemical irritants than attached gingiva.
Supply chain integration and performance: empirical essays in a manufacturing context

This dissertation aims at understanding how supply chain integration, and its broader context of interorganizational strategic alliances, impacts performance. While the literature is stating that the most admired and feared competitors today are companies that link their customers and suppliers into tightly integration networks, previous studies showed a positive, but rather weak link, between supply chain integration and performance. Moreover, some empirical studies even showed that supply chain integration is no guarantee for success. Consequently, other factors are influencing this link between supply chain integration and performance. Based on this statement, we looked at some other variables such as behavioural characteristics, contextual variables and the development of alliances that might impact the link between supply chain integration and performance. More specifically, the aim of this dissertation is to (1) assess the predictive value of behavioural characteristics of strategic alliances on operational performance, (2) reveal some of the contextual contingencies of these strategic alliances (3) test the notion of supply chain integration as a dynamic capability and (4) understand how these strategic alliances develop and transform over time. To understand these complex relationships between supply chain integration and performance, we combined multiple data sources and research techniques. The research methodology literature is describing this research technique as a mixed-method design, which uses both qualitative and quantitative studies. Furthermore, the quantitative results are used to guide the sampling of our qualitative research.
New Governance Responses to Healthcare Migration in the EU: The EU Guidelines on Block Purchasing

This article focuses on a single case of a ‘new governance’ response to healthcare migration in the European Union: the EU Guidelines on block purchasing of cross-border healthcare 2005. Using this focus, the article highlights the differences between legal doctrinal analysis and other analytical or critical frameworks as applied to this new phenomenon of ‘governance’ in the European Union. It notes the predominant concerns of a ‘legal’ and a ‘governance’ framework for analysis. It then considers the basis of the Guidelines, the bodies concerned with their enforcement, the effects of the Guidelines, the relationship between law and implementation and the desirability of litigation, through each of the two analytical frameworks employed. Given the synergy between legal and new governance approaches to solving problems relating to healthcare migration in the EU, the article concludes that a synergistic framework for analysis, bringing together both ‘legal’ and ‘governance’ concerns, offers the most appropriate holistic approach for EU law and policy studies of this nature.
The nature and significance of relationships in the lives of children with and without developmental disabilities

This paper explores the nature and significance of relationships in the lives of children with and without developmental disabilities. It focuses on the importance of parents, caregivers and professionals developing responsive and caring relationships with children, and how these relationships form the basis of development. The paper begins by exploring the central role that relationships play in the development of young children. It pulls together evidence regarding relationships and why these are important – the neurobiology of interpersonal relationships, the role of attachments, and the consequences of lack of responsiveness (neglect), erratic responsiveness, and negative responsiveness (abuse). Children develop through the medium of relationships, and the nature and quality of those relationships have profound developmental consequences. The paper then explores how these processes apply to children with developmental disabilities. Such children have the same developmental needs as other children, but may have difficulty having these realised because of the nature of their disabilities. However, there is evidence that attachments and relationships are just as important to children with developmental disabilities as they are to other children. The paper looks at some of this evidence, and what the consequences are for children when the relationships they experience are not optimal. Next, the paper explores some to the strategies that have been developed to help establish positive reciprocal relationships between children and parents, both for children who are at risk and those with developmental disabilities. A number of effective or promising programs and some proven strategies for promoting parental / caregiver responsiveness with children who are either at risk or who have developmental disabilities are outlined. Finally, the implications of this evidence for early childhood intervention services are explored, and overall conclusions identified.
Volatility Risk and Stock Return Predictability

This paper investigates the role of volatility risk on stock return predictability. Using 596 stock options traded at the American Stock Exchange and the Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE) for the period from January 2001 to December 2010 we examine the relation between different idiosyncratic volatility measures and expected stock returns for a period that involves both the dotcom bubble and the recent financial crisis. We first show that implied idiosyncratic volatility is the best stock return predictor among the different volatility measures used. Second, cross-section firm-specific characteristics are important on stock returns forecast. Third, we provide evidence that higher short selling constraints impact negatively stock returns having liquidity the opposite effect.