Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Wound Healing Process and Measurement of Incisional Gape in Two Animal Models Using In Vivo Confocal Microscopy

Using in vivo confocal microscopy, corneal wound healing was evaluated in both rabbit and cat eyes after radial keratotomy. A total of six rabbit and six cat eyes were evaluated sequentially over time for 1 mo after surgery by in vivo confocal microscopy, and quantitative measurements of changes in incisional wound gape were determined. In vivo histopathologic changes were correlated with conventional histopathologic findings in 18 rabbit and 4 cat eyes; the animals were killed at various intervals from 0-30 days after surgery. In the rabbit, in vivo corneal wound healing was characterized by the initial ingrowth of corneal epithelium followed by persistence within the wound without a marked fibrotic response. Measurement of incisional wound gape showed increasing gape from 144 ± 32 /um on day 0 to 976 ±155 fim on day 26 at a distance of 2.4 mm from the optical zone. These in vivo measurements were not significantly different (P = 0.996) from those obtained using conventional histopathologic techniques which showed an incisional wound gape of 252 ±112 ^m on day 0 and 917 ± 216 nm on day 26 at 2.5 mm from the optical zone. In the cat eyes, healing of radial keratotomy wounds showed an initial increase in incisional wound gape from 135 ± 56 nm on day 0 to 245 ± 88 Mm on day 7 at a distance of 2.4 mm from the optical zone. Starting at day 14 and continuing to day 30, there was a progressive decrease in incisional wound gape from 198 ± 41 jum to 92 ± 35 Mm. Sequential, in vivo histopathologic analyses indicated that increasing incisional wound gape correlated with the retention of corneal epithelium in the wound. Initiation of decreasing incisional wound gape was associated with replacement of the incisional epithelial plug with fibroblastic tissue. These changes in the incisional wound gape observed in the cat suggest that healing of radial keratotomy wounds involves contraction of the wound in response to the ingrowth of fibroblastic cells. Furthermore, the contractile response appears to be biphasic involving a precontractile and contractile phase. Overall these data indicated that in vivo confocal microscopy provides quantitative histopathologic data on living tissue comparable with that obtained with conventional techniques on dead, fixed, and sectioned tissue. Additionally, the absence of wound fibrosis in the rabbit radial keratotomy model raises important questions as to the appropriateness of this experimental model for human radial keratotomy. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 33:3255-3270,1992
The fixed effects approach as alternative to multilevel models for cross-national analyses

Multilevel models which combine individual and contextual factors are increasingly popular in comparative social science research. However, their application in country‐comparative studies is often associated with several problems. First of all, some data‐sets utilized for multilevel modelling include only a small number (N<25) of macro level units, and therefore, the estimated models have a small number of degrees of freedom on the country level. If models are correctly specified paying regard to the small level‐2 N, only few macro level indicators can be controlled for. Furthermore, the introduction of random slopes and cross‐level interaction effects is then hardly possible. Consequently, (1.) these models are likely to suffer from omitted variable bias regarding the country level estimators and (2.) the advantages of multilevel modelling cannot be fully exploited. The fixed effects approach is a valuable alternative to the application of conventional multilevel methods in country‐comparative analyses. This method is also applicable with a small number of countries and avoids the omitted variable bias through controlling for country level heterogeneity. Following common practice in panel regression analyses, the moderator effect of macro‐level characteristics can be estimated also in fixed effects models by means of cross‐level interaction effects. Despite the advantages of the fixed effects approach, up to now it is rarely used for the analysis of cross‐national data. In this paper, I compare the fixed effects approach with conventional multilevel regression models and give practical examples using data of the International Social Survey Programme (ISSP) from 2006. As it turns out, the results of both approaches regarding the effect of cross‐level interactions are similar. Thus, fixed effects models can be used either as an alternative to multilevel regression models or to assess the robustness of multilevel results.
The bombardment history of the Moon as recorded by 40Ar‐39Ar chronology

New petrography and 40Ar‐39Ar ages have been obtained for 1–3 mm sized rock fragments from Apollo 16 Station 13 soil 63503 (North Ray crater ejecta) and chips from three rocks collected by Apollo 16 and Apollo 17 missions. Selection of these samples was aimed at the old 40Ar‐39Ar ages to understand the early history of the lunar magnetic field and impact flux. Fifteen samples were studied including crustal material, polymict feldspathic fragmental breccias, and impact melts. The impact ages obtained range between approximately 3.3 and 4.3 billion years (Ga). Polymict fragmental breccia 63503,1 exhibits the lowest signs of recrystallization observed and a probable old relic age of 4.547 ± 0.027. The plateau age of 4.293 ± 0.044 Ga obtained for impact melt rock 63503,13 represents the oldest known age for such a lithology. Possibly, this age represents the minimum age for the South Pole‐Aitken (SPA) Basin. In agreement with literature data, these results show that impact ages >3.9 Ga are found in lunar rocks, especially within soil 63503. Impact exhumation of deep‐seated warm crustal material onto the lunar surface is considered to explain the common 4.2 Ga ages obtained for weakly shocked samples from soil 63503 and Apollo 17. This would directly imply that one or more basin‐forming events occurred at that time. Some rock fragments showing none to limited petrologic features indicate thermal annealing. These rocks may have lost Ar while resident within the hot‐ejecta of a large basin. Concurrent with previous studies, these results lead us to advocate for a complex impact flux in the inner solar system during the initial approximately 1.3 Ga.
Behavioral dividend policy

In this paper we develop an optimal dividend policy in the presence of limited rational inves-tors. Concretely, investors with mental accounts for dividends and stock prices as well as emotions like disappointment and elation embody the limited rationality. Furthermore, investors evaluate changes in wealth instead of final wealth. A management maximizing investors' modified utility results in the optimality of dividend payments as well as dividend smoothing, which both have long been puz-zles to financial theorists. Moreover, a model specification leads to a gradual dividend adjustment to changes in net earnings as described by Lintner (1956).
Effect of Sodium Fluoride on Seed Germination and Seedling Growth of Triticum aestivum var. Raj. 4083

Fluoride contamination in water, soil and plants has been a continuing problem in the world. The effects of 4, 8, 12, 16 and 20 mg/L sodium fluoride (NaF) were studied on Triticum aestivum var. Raj. 4083 seeds and seedling growth. After 7 days of treatment with control, 100% germination occurred, but at 20 mg NaF/L, germination was reduced to 88%. Physiological parameters, viz., root length, shoot length and dry weight decreased with increasing NaF concentration. At 20mg NaF/L, the average root length, shoot length and dry weight were reduced by 36.6%, 24% and 20.54% respectively. At 20 mg NaF/L, Vigor index was reduced by 37.20% compared to control. The chlorophyll content of the leaves was also reduced monotonically. At 20mg NaF/L, it was 0.074 mg/g which was 27.45% lesser compared to control. Ascorbic acid content initially decreased and then increased with increasing concentration of NaF (20mg/L). So our study concludes that sodium fluoride has significant impact on seed germination and seedling growth of wheat.
DEPENDENCE OF INNER ACCRETION DISK STRESS ON PARAMETERS: THE SCHWARZSCHILD CASE

We explore the parameter dependence of inner disk stress in black hole accretion by contrasting the results of a number of simulations, all employing three-dimensional general relativistic MHD in a Schwarzschild spacetime. Five of these simulations were performed with the intrinsically conservative code HARM3D, which allows careful regulation of the disk aspect ratio, H/R; our simulations span a range in H/R from 0.06 to 0.17. We contrast these simulations with two previously reported simulations in a Schwarzschild spacetime in order to investigate possible dependence of the inner disk stress on magnetic topology. In all cases, much care was devoted to technical issues: ensuring adequate resolution and azimuthal extent, and averaging only over those time periods when the accretion flow is in approximate inflow equilibrium. We find that the time-averaged radial dependence of fluid-frame electromagnetic stress is almost completely independent of both disk thickness and poloidal magnetic topology. It rises smoothly inward at all radii (exhibiting no feature associated with the innermost stable circular orbit, ISCO) until just outside the event horizon, where the stress plummets to zero. Reynolds stress can also be significant near the ISCO and in the plunging region; the magnitude of this stress, however, depends on both disk thickness and magnetic topology. The two stresses combine to make the net angular momentum accreted per unit rest mass 7%–15% less than the angular momentum of the ISCO.
Effect of weight loss on bone mineral content and bone mineral density in obese women 1 – 3

Studies of body-composition changes during weight loss have had conflicting results with regard to changes in bone mineral content (BMC) and bone mineral density (BMD). We examined BMC and BMD for changes during weight loss. Fourteen women enrolled in a 15-wk weight loss program. Dualenergy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) measures of the total body were made at baseline (T1), the midpoint of weight loss (T2), and at the end of weight loss (T3). Body weight changed significantly throughout the 15 wk, declining from a high of 89.7 ± 3.6 to 74.1 ± 3.2 kg. Fat-free mass declined initially (47.8 ± 1.7 kg at T1, 45.7 ± 1.4 kg at T2, and 46.0 ± 1.5 kg at T3) and then stabilized. Fat mass changed significantly during the study (39.2 kg at T1, 32.4 kg at T2, and 29.3 kg at T3). No significant differences were observed in BMC or bone areal measurement during the study. However, BMD declined significantly from baseline (1.217 g/cm2 at T1, 1.197 g/cm2 at T2, and 1.200 g/cm2 at T3). The changes in BMC and BA were in opposite directions, resulting in a significant decline in BMD without a loss of BMC. These data suggest that changes in BMD observed with weight loss may be the result of a lack of instrument sensitivity when body weight and composition change and are simply an artifact and not a physiologic change in BMD. Further research is needed to determine the full effect of weight loss on BMC, bone area, and BMD. Am J Clin Nutr 1998;67:734–8.
A Three-Dimensional Coupled Internal/External Simulation of a Film-Cooled Turbine Vane

A three-dimensional Navier-Stokes simulation has been performed for a realistic film-cooled turbine vane using the LeRC-HT code. The simulation includes the flow regions inside the coolant plena and film cooling holes in addition to the external flow. The vane is the subject of an upcoming NASA Lewis Research Center experiment and has both circular cross-section and shaped film cooling holes. This complex geometry is modeled using a multi-block grid which accurately discretizes the actual vane geometry including shaped holes. The simulation matches operating conditions for the planned experiment and assumes periodicity in the spanwise direction on the scale of one pitch of the film cooling hole pattern. Two computations were performed for different isothermal wall temperatures, allowing independent determination of heat transfer coefficients and film effectiveness values. The results indicate separate localized regions of high heat flux in the showerhead region due to low film effectiveness and high heat transfer coefficient values, while the shaped holes provide a reduction in heat flux through both parameters. Hole exit data indicate rather simple skewed profiles for the round holes, but complex profiles for the shaped holes with mass fluxes skewed strongly toward their leading edges.Copyright © 1999 by ASME
Topographic characterization and electrostatic response of M-DNA studied by atomic force microscopy

Modified DNA species have attracted the interest of the scientific community in the last years in a search for an appropriate molecular wire for the incoming nanotechnology. M-DNA, a complex of DNA with divalent metallic ions, is one of the candidates for a molecular wire. In this paper we describe the procedure to fabricate M-DNA using NiCl2 and CoCl2, and a simple test to check the production of the modified biomolecule. We present atomic force microscope (AFM) images of nickel and cobalt M-DNA. Our results show that the DNA modified with these metal ions suffers a fivefold reduction in length and an increment of almost one order of magnitude in height as compared to the length and height of regular B-DNA. This type of condensation of the DNA is fully reversible upon the addition of EDTA. AFM images of reversed M-DNA show no differences from regular B-DNA. Two types of electrostatic experiment performed on this modified molecule show no evidence for metallic or semiconductor behaviour.
Reproductive Performance of Friesian ‐ Holstein Cows at

Reproductive performance of modern dairy cow is declining and is wide spread (Lucy, 2001; Löf et al. 2007). In an invited lecture at New Zealand Society of Animal Production conference, Lucy (2001) reported declining fertility in dairy cows in United States of America (USA), Ireland, United Kingdom (UK) and Australia. In Sweden, calving interval increased from 391 days during 1994/95 to 403 days in 2004/5 (Löf et al. 2007) while service per conception increased from 1.8 to 3 in dairy cows in USA (Washburn et al. 2002). In other parts of the world such as the tropics, decreased reproductive performance of dairy cows has also been reported (Ageeb and Hayes 2000; Retrospective data from Sebele Dairy Farm were analysed for reproductive performance of Friesian/Holstein cows. Three hundred records from 1989 to 1995 were used. The herd was zero grazed and the data was analysed for age at first calving (AFC), calf birth weights (BW), calving interval (CI), days open (DO), calving rate (CR), reproductive wastage (RW) and calving difficulty (CD); dystocia, after-birth retention and misrepresentation of foetus) and calving weights (CW). The effects of year of calving (YOC) and year of birth (YOB) were tested. The year of calving affected age at first calving (P<0.05) whereby in 1989/90 and 1990/91 cows were younger than the rest of the years. Calving weight at first calving was significantly affected (P<0.01) by year of calving. YOC had an effect (P<0.05) on both calving interval and days open. CW and CR were significantly affected (P<0.001 and more) by the year of calving. Reproductive wastage tended (P=0.065) to be affected by YOC while no effect (P>0.05) was observed for BW and CD. The year of birth of cows (YOB) had an effect (P<0.05) on age at first calving and it also significantly affected (P<0.01) CW of first calving heifers. Heifers born in the 1980’s had lower live weight at calving than those born in the 1990’s. Age categories (1=20–39 months; 2=40–69 months and 3=>70 months) tended (P=0.062) to influence the birth weights of calves. As cows’ age increased, birth weights of their calves decreased. However, age category did not affect (P>0.05) calving interval or days open. Male calves were heavier (P<0.05) at birth than females (38.7±1.3 kg vs. 36.8±0.7 kg). CW was lower for heifers than for cows and represented 84% of the cows’ weights. Heifers had higher (P<0.01) CR than cows (100 vs. 64.9%), however RW was higher (P<0.01) for heifers than cows (25.0 vs. 11.0%). RW was significantly correlated with birth difficulty (r=0.50; P<0.001). It seems that a low temperature-humidity index in the month of conception resulted in higher CR nine months later. It is recommended that when cows are zero grazed, feed quality should be assured by nutrient balancing and should not affect performance between years.
Higher-order tangents and Fefferman's paper on Whitney's extension problem

Whitney [W2] proved that a function defined on a closed subset of R is the restriction of a Cm function if the limiting values of all mth divided differences form a continuous function. We show that Fefferman? s solution of Whitney? s problem for Rn [F, Th. 1] is equivalent to a variant of our conjecture in [BMP2] giving a criterion for Cm extension in terms of iterated limits of finite differences.
Kapalbhati changes cardiovascular parameters

Background and Objectives: Kapalbhati is among one of the cleansing act ( shatkarma ) in yogic philosophy. It is one of the popular Pranayama which has several benefits. It is highly recommended for those who have to do great deal of study and need a clean, clear mind. This study was conducted among nursing students at Janaki medical college, Janakpur, Nepal. Material and Methods: This analytical study was conducted among PCL Nursing students of Janaki Medical College, Janakpurdham, Nepal. Total 40 nursing student who gave consent and performed Kapalbhati correctly were included in the study. A detailed demographic profile with a structured questionnaire and observational checklist was filled for data collection. HR, SBP, DBP were the cardiac parameters taken. Those parameters were taken before, during, immediately after and after 1 minute, 2 minutes, 3 minutes and 5 minutes Pranayama . The data were entered in SPSS and Statistical analysis was done using version 20. Results: As in usual exercises, the HR, SBP and DBP increases significantly during Kapalbhati session but immediate post effect was surprisingly significantly fall in those parameters when compared with the value during exercises. The basal (pre- Kapalbhati ) mean HR, SBP and DBP were 88.25 ± 9.02, 111.43 ± 11.28 and 73.9 ± 7.70 which increases upto 133.58 ± 35.70, 89.63 ± 23.31 and 118.55 ± 19.08 respectively during exercises and fall immediately after exercises value being 114.48 ± 21.94, 76.43 ± 15.34 and 88.6 ± 17.25 respectively. Conclusion: There is no significant difference between pre and post value of HR, SBP and DBP as in other study. There is significant rise between Pre-value and during-value of all parameters and significant fall of all parameters if compared between during-value and post-value. Janaki Medical College Journal of Medical Sciences (2015) Vol. 3 (2): 43-49
Motivations for Sound Symbolism in Spatial Deixis: A study of 101 languages

This thesis is concerned with the possible existence of a motivated relation between sound and meaning (“sound symbolism”) in demonstrative pronouns. The goal was to search for evidence of such non-arbitrariness, and to gain a better understanding of the motivating factors behind it. Six motivations are considered. Two motivations were based on the senses of Touch and Vision. Two others - on the sense of Hearing, concerning vowels and consonants. Lastly, two concerned “proto-pointing”, based on the senses of touch and vision, respectively. Demonstrative pronouns belonging to two-way or three-way deictic systems were used through a genetically and areally spread sample consisting of 101 languages. The findings were divided into motivated (supporting the motivations), non-motivated (not supporting the motivations, arbitrary) and anti-motivated (the reverse of motivated, perhaps functionally). The results showed support for the Touch, Visual and Hearing–Vowel motivations, most strongly for the latter. This implied that the vowel frequency of the demonstrative pronouns is a potent factor in expressing a sound-symbolic relation, perhaps reinforced by the two other motivations. Functional causes such as faster learning of non-arbitrary words are suggested as the driving force behind the phenomenon.
THE ADOPTION OF ISO 14001 WITHIN THE SUPPLY CHAIN: WHEN ARE CUSTOMER PRESSURES EFFECTIVE?

Voluntary programs are now widely used by governments and other actors to improve the environmental performance of firms beyond regulatory compliance. However, it is important to understand the effectiveness and limitations of these voluntary approaches. This paper investigates the rationale for firms to ‘comply’ with or ‘resist’ the mandate of their customers to adopt the international certified management standard (CMS) ISO 14001 in the North American automotive industry. We argue that the effectiveness of such a mandate will vary according to the characteristics of the relationship between suppliers and customers. We contrast and test hypotheses based on both transaction costs economics and signaling theories to suggest that both suppliers marked by a dependent relationship with their customers as well as those marked by a distant relationship with their customers have incentives to comply with the requests of their customers but through different mechanisms. Our results, based on the analysis of the characteristics of 3,152 automotive suppliers located in the US, Canada and Mexico over the 2000-2003 period, indicate that suppliers with highly specialized assets as well as younger suppliers and those reporting to the Toxic Release Inventory are more likely to adopt the certified management standard ISO 14001.
Expectations in a dynamic investment model : survey evidence from Kenya and Zimbabwe

The theoretical literature on investment stresses the role of expectations, but in empirical work data on expectations are rarely available. This paper draws on survey data for manufacturing firms in Kenya and Zimbabwe to assess the importance of expectations for investment decisions. The paper finds large inter-firm differences in expectations concerning exchange rates and interest rates. Estimating a modified Euler equation the paper finds a substantial and significant effect for exchange rate expectations for Zimbabwe and Kenya. However, the author does not find that the large dispersion of expectations has a depressing effect on the aggregate investment rate.
High-energy emission from NGC 5506, the brightest hard X-ray Narrow Line Seyfert 1 galaxy

We present results on the hard X-ray emission of NGC 5506, the brightest narrow line Seyfert 1 galaxy above 20 keV. All the recent observations by INTEGRAL, Swift and Suzaku have been analysed and spectral analysis during nine separated time periods has been performed. While flux variations by a factor of 2 were detected during the last 7 years, only moderate spectral variations have been observed, with the hint of a hardening of the X-ray spectrum and a decrease of the intrinsic absorption with time. Using Suzaku observations it is possible to constrain the amount of Compton reflection to R = 0.6-1.0, in agreement with previous results on the source. The signature of Comptonisation processes can also be found in the detection of a high-energy cut-off during part of the observations, at Ec = 40-100 keV. When a Comptonisation model is applied to the Suzaku data, the temperature and the optical depth of the Comptonising electron plasma are measured at kT = 60-80 keV and tau = 0.6-1.0, respectively. The properties inferred for NGC 5506 in this study agree with those based on other data sets for the same AGN, and fit the picture of NLS1 having in general lower high-energy cut-offs at hard X-rays than their broad line equivalent.