Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Differential Temporal Evolution of Post‐Training Changes in Regional Brain Glucose Metabolism Induced by Repeated Spatial Discrimination Training in Mice: Visualization of the Memory Consolidation Process?

The present study analyses the effects of the stage of learning on the spatial patterns and time‐course of [14C] glucose uptake in BALB/c mice brain regions produced by spatial discrimination training in an eight‐arm radial maze. Our particular approach was designed to follow, during the post‐training period, the level of functional activity in individual brain areas which may underlie the memory consolidation process. Regional mapping of relative [14C] glucose uptake was assessed at three post‐training time intervals (5 min, 1 and 3 h) after either the first (Day 1), the fourth (Day 4) or the last (Day 9) daily training session of the discrimination task and compared with sham‐conditioned animals placed in the same experimental environment. The results indicated that numerous subcortical and cortical brain regions exhibit metabolic alterations following the acquisition of the spatial discrimination task. These alterations, which were specifically related to learning since they did not appear in sham‐conditioned animals, were functions both of the post‐training interval studied and of the degree of mastery of the task. On Day 1, a progressive, time‐dependent and sequential increase in labelling was found from subcortical (5 min post‐training) to cortical regions (3 h post‐training). On Day 4, a peak of cortical metabolic activation was identified at 1 h post‐training. In contrast, on Day 9, maximum labelling was found 5 min post‐training in all subcortical and cortical regions followed by a general monotonic decline at 1 and 3 h post‐training. These findings, which show widely distributed changes of metabolic activity in the brain, are consistent with the hypothesis that learning involves distributed neural networks. The sequential activation from subcortical to cortical regions seems to indicate a general mechanism whose function would ultimately be to store cortical memory representations. The acquisition‐dependent shifts in the patterns of post‐training metabolic labelling observed as a function of task mastery may be taken to represent a visualization of the spatio‐temporal evolution of the networks of brain structures actively engaged in the memory consolidation process. In particular, the present data suggest that the duration of post‐acquisition memory processing is a function of the quantity of new information which has to be dealt with by the central nervous system.
Venture Capital Formation, Investment, and Regional Industrialization

Abstract Venture capital is an important element of regional capital formation, technological innovation and regional industrialization. While neoclassical economic theory assumes perfectly free capital markets, geographers have long noted the spatial dimensions of finance and investment. This paper introduces metropolitan-level data on venture capital and develops statistical models for both the location of venture capital (supply) and the spatial distribution of investment (demand). The findings suggest that venture capital is characterized by: (1) high degrees of capital mobility operating through a well-defined spatial structure, (2) investment flows to the areas of greatest opportunity and return on investment, and (3) the development of specialized sources of venture capital supply around both established financial centers and centers of high-technology industry. Geographic proximity is required to reduce uncertainty, compensate for ambiguous information, and minimize investment risk. Investment poo.
The Relationship between Procedural Rationality and Political Behavior in Strategic Decision Making

Despite the central place of rationality and political behavior in the decision-making literature, we know little about the relationship between these two dimensions. Can decisions be made using both rational and political methods, or must managers use one approach or the other? These questions were addressed in a study of 61 strategic decisions in 24 companies using a multiple-informant, structured interview protocol. Results indicate that procedural rationality and political behavior are independent dimensions of the strategic decision-making process. The implications of our findings for future strategic decision-making research are discussed.
Negative Return-Volume Relationship in Asian Stock Markets: Figarch-Copula Approach

We explore the potential dependence among different Asian stock markets, using several different statistical models. Extreme return-volume dependence in Hong Kong Seng Index, Bombay Stock Exchange, Indonesia Composite Index and Bursa Malaysia has been examined by using FIGARCH-Copula and GARCH-Copula approach. We have used Gaussian, Student-t, Frank, Clayton, Survival Clayton and Gumbel copulas. Based on Akaike information criterion (AIC), we found that using FIGARCH model for return series improves the results of copula parameter estimation. According to our finding, Hong Kong and Indian stock indices showed weak upper tail dependence between return and volume. Further, we have found that the extremely low returns for Malaysia and Indonesia stock indices are followed by high volumes, providing evidence of leverage effect. Our investigation shows that Malaysia and Indonesia stock indices are sensitive to bad news rather than good news.
Identification of the Novel K15 Gene at the Rightmost End of the Kaposi's Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus Genome

ABSTRACT Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) encodes a distinct open reading frame called K15 at a position equivalent to the gene encoding LMP2A of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). K15 isolates from body cavity-based lymphoma (BCBL) cells exhibited a dramatic sequence variation and a complex splicing pattern. However, all K15 alleles are organized similarly with the potential SH2 and SH3 binding motifs in their cytoplasmic regions. Northern blot analysis showed that K15 was weakly expressed in latently infected BCBL-1 cells, and the level of its expression was significantly induced by tetradecanoyl phorbol acetate stimulation. K15 encoded 40- to 55-kDa proteins, as determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and was localized at the cytoplasm and plasma membrane. To demonstrate the signal-transducing activity of the K15 protein, we constructed a chimeric protein in which the cytoplasmic tail of the human CD8α polypeptide was replaced with that of KSHV K15. While the CD8-K15 chimera was not capable of eliciting cellular signal transduction upon stimulation with an anti-CD8 antibody, it significantly inhibited B-cell receptor signaling, as evidenced by a suppression of tyrosine phosphorylation and intracellular calcium mobilization. This inhibition required the putative SH2 or SH3 binding motif in the cytoplasmic region of K15. Biochemical study of CD8-K15 chimeras showed that the cytoplasmic region of K15 was constitutively tyrosine phosphorylated and that the tyrosine residue within the putative SH2 binding motif of K15 was a primary site of phosphorylation. These results demonstrate that KSHV K15 resembles LMP2A in genomic location, splicing pattern, and protein structure and by the presence of functional signal-transducing motifs in the cytoplasmic region. Thus, KSHV K15 is likely a distant evolutionary relative of EBV LMP2A.
A MULTI-LEVEL FUZZY SYNTHETIC EVALUATION ON INVESTMENT PROGRAMS IN SHIPPING

This paper analyzes the factors that influence a shipping investment decision within a multi-level fuzzy synthetic evaluating (MLFSEM) network. The difference between the MLFSEM and traditional evaluation is that the former provides a judicial value while the latter gives the economic value of a project. The appealing property of the new method is that various factors can be taken into consideration.
Value Versus Growth in Dynamic Equity Investing

Purpose - The value-premium is the empirical observation that “value” stocks (low market/book) have higher returns than “growth” stocks (high market/book). The purpose of this paper is to propose a new explanation for the value-premium that the authors call the limits to growth hypothesis. Design/methodology/approach - To guide the testing, a dynamic equity valuation model was used that has the property that profitability increases risk for value firms in anticipation of future growth-leverage, whereas, profitability “covers” the capital expenditure costs of growth, which decreases risk for growth firms. Because the authors interpret dividends as a corporate response to growth-limits, they test for this predicted differential relation between profitability and risk for value versus growth stocks with the returns of profitable dividend-paying firms. Findings - It is found that profitability increases returns to a greater extent for dividend-paying value firms compared to dividend-paying growth firms, which is consistent with a differential relation between profitability and risk. At the same time, it is also found that growth firms have lower returns than value firms. Originality/value - The authors use the limits-to-growth hypothesis to explain why profitability can either increase or decrease risk. High-profitability dividend-paying growth firms have lower returns than low-profitability dividend-paying value firms. This value-premium is consistent with the argument that high profitability “covers” the capital expenditure costs of growth, which decreases risk and, thus, returns. At the same time, profitability increases returns to a greater extent for value stocks compared to growth stocks, which is consistent with the hypothesis that profitability increases risk for value firms in anticipation of future growth-leverage.
Knowledge, networks and nations: global scientific collaboration in the 21st century

Science is a global enterprise. Today there are over 7 million researchers around the world,drawing on a combined international R&D spend of over US$1000 billion(a 45%increase since 2002), and reading and publishing in around 25,000 separate scientific journals per year. These researchers collaborate with each other,motivated by wishing to work with the very best people and facilities in the world, and by curiosity, seeking new knowledge to advance their field or to tackle specific problems. Knowledge, Networks and Nations reviews, based on available data,the changing patterns of science, and scientific collaboration, in order to provide a basis for understanding such ongoing changes. It aims to identify the opportunities and benefits of international collaboration,to consider how they can best be realised, and to initiate a debate on how international scientific collaboration can be harnessed to tackle global problems more effectively. From Singapore to South Africa, new researchers and research communities are reshaping the landscape for science and innovation, so long dominated by the USA, Japan and Europe. This report explores this changing geography of science and innovation.
States, subjects and sovereign power: Lessons from global gun cultures

This article examines demand for guns for personal protection in the USA, South Africa, and India. To make sense of pro-gun sentiment across these different contexts, I argue that gun owners and carriers who arm themselves for personal protection represent a particular kind of ‘responsibilized’ subject. Drawing on Foucault’s analysis of sovereign power and governmentality, I develop a theory of the ‘sovereign subject’. This is a political rationality marked by private individuals’ capacity and desire to perform sovereign functions that the state has typically monopolized, specifically the exercise of legitimate, lethal violence. I conclude the article by suggesting four characteristics (historically precarious state monopoly on sovereign power; legality of civilian use of guns; preponderance of criminal guns; and US influence) that may encourage demand for guns in high-crime societies.
Dynamic bivariate mixture models: Modeling the behavior of prices and trading volume

Bivariate mixture models have been used to explain the stochastic behavior of daily price changes and trading volume on financial markets. In this class of models, price changes and volume follow a mixture of bivariate distributions with the unobservable number of price-relevant information serving as the mixing variable. The time series behavior of this mixing variable determines the dynamics of the price-volume system. In this article, bivariate mixture specifications with a serially correlated mixing variable are estimated by simulated maximum likelihood and analyzed concerning their ability to account for the observed dynamics on financial markets, especially the persistence in the variance of price changes. The results, based on German stock-market data, reveal that the dynamic bivariate mixture models cannot account for the persistence in the price-change variance.
Measuring Performance of Exchange Traded Funds

Fund selection is an important issue for investors. This topic has spawned abundant academic literature. Nonetheless, most of the time, these works concern only active management, whereas many investors, such as institutional investors, prefer to invest in index funds. The tools developed in the case of active management are also not suitable for evaluating the performance of these index funds. This explains why information ratios are usually used to compare the performance of passive funds. However, we show that this measure is not pertinent, especially when the tracking error volatility of the index fund is small. The objective of an exchange traded fund (ETF) is precisely to offer an investment vehicle that presents a very low tracking error compared to its benchmark. In this paper, we propose a performance measure based on the value-at-risk framework, which is perfectly adapted to passive management and ETFs. Depending on three parameters (performance difference, tracking error volatility and liquidity spread), this efficiency measure is easy to compute and may help investors in their fund selection process. We provide some examples, and show how liquidity is more of an issue for institutional investors than retail investors.
Impact of meta-order in the Minority Game

We study the market impact of a meta-order in the framework of the Minority Game. This amounts to studying the response of the market when introducing a trader who buys or sells a fixed amount h for a finite time T. This perturbation introduces statistical arbitrages that traders exploit by adapting their trading strategies. The market impact depends on the nature of the stationary state: We find that the permanent impact is zero in the unpredictable (information efficient) phase, while in the predictable phase it is non-zero and grows linearly with the size of the meta-order. This establishes a quantitative link between information efficiency and trading efficiency (i.e. market impact). By using statistical mechanics methods for disordered systems, we are able to fully characterize the response in the predictable phase, to relate execution cost to response functions and obtain exact results for the permanent impact.
A rapid and sensitive diagnosis of bovine leukaemia virus infection using the nested shuttle polymerase chain reaction 1

González E.T. , Norimine J., Valera A.R. , Travería G. ,Oliva G.A. & Etcheverrigaray M.E. 1999. A rapid and sensitive diagnosis of bovine leukaemia virus infection using the nested shuttle polymerase chain reaction. Pesquisa Veterinária Brasileira 19(2):63-67. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, 60 y 118, 1900 La Plata, Argentina. Bovine leukaemia virus (BLV) is the causative agent of enzootic bovine leukosis (EBL). In Argentina, where a program to eradicate EBL has been introduced, sensitive and reliable diagnosis has attained high priority. Although the importance of the agar gel immunodiffusion test remains unchanged for routine work, an additional diagnostic technique is necessary to confirm cases of sera with equivocal results or of calves carrying maternal antibodies.Utilizing a nested shuttle polymerase chain reaction, the proviral DNA was detected from cows experimentally infected with as little as 5 ml of whole blood from BLV seropositive cows that were nonetheless normal in haematological terms. It proved to be a very sensitive technique, since it rapidly revealed the presence of the provirus, frequently at 2 weeks postinoculation and using a two-round procedure of nested PCR taking only 3 hours. Additionally, the primers used flanked a portion of the viral genome often employed to differentiate BLV type applying BamHI digestion. It is concluded that this method might offer a highly promising diagnostic tool for BLV infection.
The role of information searches in investment choice variation: Digital information, advice seeking and heuristics

Purchasing risky investments can be a means to maximize individual wealth; but when faced with uncertainty about the investment outcome, individuals search for information on risk-reducing strategies. Most studies focus on digital information and advice-seeking information. This study extends the investigation of information search to discuss heuristics reliance, a simplified information search method. We also examine the effect of risk aversion on our extended information search model. The findings show that, individuals with more risk aversion tend to seek more information. More advice- seeking information search and heuristics reliance through a mass of digital information can increase investor's interest in mutual fund investments. The results demonstrate the value of enhancing the sophistication and accuracy of the information that a counselor provides, especially for investors who are risk averse. This study also has an implication for ethical issues.
Property company performance and real interest rates: a regime-switching approach

Quantitative analysis of property performance has tended to rely on linear models. This paper explores the possible insights of using non-linear, regime based models. It is argued that there may exist different regimes depending on the level of real interest rates. This is tested empirically using a Threshold Autoregressive (TAR) model on property company data. It is found that behaviour differs in high interest rate and low interest rate regimes.
A Generalized Goodness‐of‐Functional Form Test for Binary and Fractional Regression Models

This paper proposes a new conditional mean test to assess the validity of binary and fractional parametric regression models. The new test checks the joint significance of two simple functions of the fitted index and is based on a very flexible parametric generalization of the postulated model. A Monte Carlo study reveals a promising behaviour for the new test, which compares favourably with that of the well-known RESET test as well as with tests where the alternative model is nonparametric.
In vivo treatment with benzodiazepines inhibits murine phagocyte oxidative metabolism and production of interleukin 1, tumor necrosis factor and interleukin-6.

We reported previously that benzodiazepines, widely prescribed for their anxiolytic properties, bind to specific receptors on macrophages and modulate in vitro their metabolic oxidative responsiveness. This study was designed to investigate the in vivo effects of benzodiazepine molecules on several macrophage functions. Benzodiazepines injected i.p. exerted a long-lasting inhibition on phagocyte oxidative responsiveness, still detectable 48 hr after injection. This action was dose-dependent, optimally effective at 1 mg/kg and observed at the site of injection within peritoneal cells as well as at a distance, within splenocytes. It was restricted to peripheral and mixed-type molecules whereas the central-type compound, clonazepam, was ineffective, in good keeping with the molecular specificity of the receptor present on murine macrophages. The fact that benzodiazepines exerted similar effects in Nude mice highly suggests that their in vivo inhibitory activity was not T cell-dependent. The peripheral benzodiazepine Ro5-4864 injected i.p. inhibited the capacity of macrophages to produce interleukin-1, tumor necrosis factor and interleukin-6. Clonazepam remained ineffective. These results demonstrate an in vivo immunosuppressive property of peripheral and mixed but not central -type benzodiazepines affecting characteristic phagocyte functions involved in host-defense mechanisms as well as in inflammatory response.
Willingness to pay for physician services: Comparing estimates from a discrete choice experiment and contingent valuation

Discrete choice experiments (DCE) and contingent valuation (CV) are often applied to value health care benefits. However, whether the two techniques yield converging willingness-to-pay (WTP) estimates is not studied well. This study aims to compare at a disaggregated level WTP estimates for physician services obtained from DCE and CV estimates. We study the consistency between the estimates and whether there are systematic differences between the two. The analysis is based on data from a household survey in Ukraine that includes 303 respondents and is taken to be representative of the Ukrainian population. The respondents participated in both DCE (16 choice tasks) and CV (4 valuation scenarios) in a form of payment scale followed by open-ended questions about the exact maximum WTP. We find that DCE produces higher WTP estimates than CV does, and the estimates are not consistent across the two techniques. A difference between the WTP estimates from DCE over those derived from the CV technique is found (i) for respondents who do not discriminate well between the profiles, and (ii) for an increase in the presented attribute level changes. The implications for achieving better convergence between the WTP estimates from the two techniques are discussed.
Ice cream and incarceration

In this article, I set out a theoretical framework for investigating the relationship between contemporary consumer desires and practices and public demands for security and punishment. My organizing suggestion is that punishment-centred public responses to crime, social disorder and terrorist threats (what has been termed penal excess) are today bound up with other, widespread social practices of excess. The article outlines the questions that need to be posed, and the practices that can usefully be investigated, in a bid to advance empirical enquiry into this way of understanding contemporary penality. In so doing, it proceeds as follows: I begin with a discussion of how the concept of excess (and its close cousins) has been and might potentially be applied to the social analysis of crime and crime control. I then make a case for understanding demands for security and punishment as an appetite and consider how we might examine the coupling of such appetites with identity, the market and the State in ways that can shed new light on the emergence of excessive, insecurity-reproducing penal practices. I conclude with some brief reflections on corrosive, self-defeating effects of such practices and how one may seek to moderate or counteract them.