Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Development of endocrine pancreatic islets in embryos of the grass snake Natrix natrix (Lepidosauria, Serpentes)

Differentiation of the pancreatic islets in grass snake Natrix natrix embryos, was analyzed using light, transmission electron microscopy, and immuno‐gold labeling. The study focuses on the origin of islets, mode of islet formation, and cell arrangement within islets. Two waves of pancreatic islet formation in grass snake embryos were described. The first wave begins just after egg laying when precursors of endocrine cells located within large cell agglomerates in the dorsal pancreatic bud differentiate. The large cell agglomerates were divided by mesenchymal cells thus forming the first islets. This mode of islet formation is described as fission. During the second wave of pancreatic islet formation which is related to the formation of the duct mantle, we observed four phases of islet formation: (a) differentiation of individual endocrine cells from the progenitor layer of duct walls (budding) and their incomplete delamination; (b) formation of two types of small groups of endocrine cells (A/D and B) in the wall of pancreatic ducts; (c) joining groups of cells emerging from neighboring ducts (fusion) and rearrangement of cells within islets; (d) differentiated pancreatic islets with characteristic arrangement of endocrine cells. Mature pancreatic islets of the grass snake contained mainly A endocrine cells. Single B and D or PP–cells were present at the periphery of the islets. This arrangement of endocrine cells within pancreatic islets of the grass snake differs from that reported from most others vertebrate species. Endocrine cells in the pancreas of grass snake embryos were also present in the walls of intralobular and intercalated ducts. At hatching, some endocrine cells were in contact with the lumen of the pancreatic ducts.
An empirical study on the relationship between the spatial environment and the survival of old firms in the Netherlands

This is an empirical research on old firms in the Netherlands where old firms are defined als those firms that were founded before 1851 and still exist today. The study is divided in two main parts. The first part is descriptive and provides information on the firm population at stake. The regional differences concerning age, size, sector and percentage of the total firm population are shown. In the second part, an analysis on the outcome of a survey conducted at the research population is presented. The analysis focuses on the relation between firm characteristics and the spatial environment and whether or not similarities can be identified in these old firms. Overall, economic theory suggests that forces external to the firm such as strong competition, lagging demand, or technological drawbacks are the dominant determinants of firm closure. In this line of reasoning it may be claimed that low competition, growing demand and innovative behaviour might stimulate survival chances of firms on the long run. There are few sources on firm's activities during the life course of individual firm and on the influence of the spatial environment on these firm activities. This study might shed some light on the relationship between the spatial environment, specific firm characteristics and long term survival of firms in the Netherlands. Insight in the background of 'long-term' survival of firms can be of importance to industrial organization research and firm demography and also to the economic and regional policymaking in understanding and stimulating regional dynamics. Furthermore it might help to identify indicators of more successful firm strategies.
Humidity sensor based on multi-walled carbon nanotube thin films

The properties of the humidity sensors made of chemically treated and untreated multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) thin films are investigated systematically. It shows that both the chemically treated and untreated MWCNT thin films demonstrate humidity sensitive properties, but the former have stronger sensitivity than the latter. In the range of 11%-98% relative humidity (RH), the resistances of the chemically treated and untreated MWCNT humidity sensors increase 120% and 28%, respectively. Moreover, the treated humidity sensors showed higher sensitivity and better stability. In addition, the response and recover properties, and stabilization of the humidity sensors are measured, and the humidity sensitive mechanisms of the sensors are analyzed. The humidity sensitivity of carbon nanotube thin films indicates it promise as a kind of humidity sensitive material.
Perceived Racism and Mental Health: A Meta-Analytic Review

Perceived Racism and Mental Health: A Meta-Analytic Review Hokule’a David Conklin Department of Counseling Psychology and Special Education, BYU Doctor of Philosophy The present study provides a synthesis of extant research examining the association between perceived racism and mental health. The aims of this study were to identify the overall magnitude of this association and to elaborate on the possible influence of participant characteristics (acculturation level, age, gender, race, education, and socioeconomic status) and study characteristics (year of data collection, geographic region of the study, and research design) in moderating this association. A total of 130 studies were included in the final analysis. The omnibus effect size for this meta-analysis was r = -. 188 (p < .001), which indicates that higher instances of perceived racism were associated with lower levels of mental health. The overall magnitude of this association suggests a moderately small relationship between these two constructs. None of the participant characteristics moderated the results. However, studies conducted in more recent years appeared to be associated with effect sizes of greater negative magnitude than studies conducted in previous years. The implications of these findings for multicultural psychology are discussed and suggestions regarding future research in this area are presented.
UvA-DARE ( Digital Academic Repository ) Let ' s talk about alcohol : The role of interpersonal communication and health campaigns

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Examining the Effect of Pupil Background on Primary and Secondary Pupils’ Attainment: Key Findings from the Improving School Effectiveness Project

This paper describes some of the key findings of the Improving School Effectiveness Project (ISEP) study of Scottish primary and secondary schools, examining the impact of pupil background characteristics on pupils’ cognitive attainments, and progress in these attainments over a two-year period. The project sought to integrate the two research traditions of school effectiveness and school improvement and involved a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods. By drawing on both school effectiveness methods and the legacy of sociological and educational studies we have explored the impact of structural influences, such as socio-economic status. We believe the ISEP research provides a rich source of evidence which can help to illuminate the current equity debate. Our findings illustrate both the strength of background influences, but also the importance of schools.
versus Cultural Background Leadership Behaviors around the World: The Relative Importance of Gender

This study examined the associations of gender and cultural clusters with two classical leadership styles: consideration and initiating structure. We used a unique database for this study: 64,000 subordinates evaluating the leadership behaviors of their direct supervisors (N = 13,595), representing 42 countries. Hypotheses were tested using hierarchical regression analysis for cultural clusters. As hypothesized, culture had a stronger impact on leadership behaviors than gender, particularly on initiating structure. In line with predictions, female managers around the world used more consideration. Yet, unexpectedly, women also used more initiating structure. The results suggest that gender differences in managerial behavior are predominantly present in western societies. Results contradict classic stereotypes regarding male and female managerial behaviors. More theory is needed to understand the interaction between gender and culture in relation with leadership. Outcomes have practical implications for HRM practices in international firms and cross cultural leadership training, which should aim at reducing stereotypical thinking on female and male leadership attributes in different cultures.
Dependence on the environment of the abundance function of light-cone simulation dark matter haloes

Aims. We study the dependence of the halo abundance function (AF) on different environments in a whole-sky ΛCDM light-cone halo catalogue extending to z ~ 0.65, using a simple and well-defined halo isolation criterion. Methods. The isolation status of each individual dark matter halo is determined by the distance to its nearest neighbour, which defines the maximum spherical region devoid of halos above a threshold mass around it (although the true size of such region may be much larger since it is not necessarily spherical). A versatile double power-law Schechter function is used to fit the dark matter halo AF, and its derived parameters are studied as a function of halo isolation status. Results. (a) Our function fits the halo abundances for all halo isolation statuses extremely well, while the well-established theoretical mass functions, integrated over the volume of the light-cone, provide an adequate but poorer fit than our phenomenological model. (b) As expected, and in agreement with other studies based on snap-shot simulations, we find significant differences of the halo abundance function as a function of halo isolation, indicating different rates of halo formation. The slope of the power law and the characteristic mass of the Schechter-like fitting function decrease with isolation, a result consistent with the formation of less massive haloes in lower density regions. (c) We find an unexpected upturn of the characteristic mass of the most isolated haloes of our sample. This upturn originates and characterises only the higher redshift regime (z ≳ 0.45), which probably implies a significant and recent evolution of the isolation status of the most isolated and most massive haloes.
STABILITY OF INTERLOCKING ARMOUR UNITS ON A BREAKWATER CREST

The hydraulic stability of single layer, interlocking armour units on low crested and submerged breakwaters was investigated in 2D hydraulic model tests. Displacements of armour units and rocking were monitored and have been applied as indicators for the armour layer stability on the crest, front and rear slope. The effect of freeboard, packing density and wave steepness on the armour layer stability have been investigated. The stability of interlocking concrete armour units on low crested and submerged structures is qualitatively different from rock armour. About 40% to 50% larger armour units are required on the seaward slope and crest of low crested structures (as compared to conventional high crested breakwaters). About 35% larger armour units are required on the rear slope. Larger armour units are not required on submerged breakwaters if the water depth on the crest exceeds 50% of design wave height.
Cyclone Sidr Impacts on the Sundarbans Floristic Diversity

The Sundarbans - the world’s largest single block of tidal halophytic mangrove forest situated at the southwest of Bangladesh, plays a vital role in maintaining environmental sustainability of the country and the world in general. This study identified and quantified the extent and degree of damage caused to the floristic diversity of the Sundarbans by the tropical cyclone Sidr in 15 November 2007. It also quantified the extent and rate of the post-cyclone regeneration in the damaged flora. Unsupervised classification - ISODATA and the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) were carried out over a temporal series of 2007-2010 on four Landsat 7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM +) images for the months of February. Land change analysis from the classification results show that three important floristic taxa - Heritiera fomes (Sundari), Excoecaria agallocha (Gewa) and Sonneratia apetala (Kewra) have been significantly affected by the cyclone. NDVI analysis indicates that 45% area of the Bangladesh’s part of the Sundarbans (approximately 2500 sq.km) was affected due to the cyclone action. Results further indicated that the average rate of post-cyclone floristic growth in 2009-2010 is four times higher than the average rate in 2008-2009. Thus the study identified a temporary loss of the diversity (in terms of relative abundance) in the affected three floristic taxa of the Sundarbans after that severe exogenous perturbation; which took three years to regenerate. Moreover, it showed the higher efficiency and promptness of remote sensing techniques in similar cases than the ground data based studies.
ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN IMPLIED AND REALIZED VOLATILITY: EVIDENCE FROM THE NORWEGIAN OPTION AND EQUITY MARKETS

The thesis presents evidence on the relationship between implied and realized volatility from the Norwegian option and equity markets. Studies of implied volatility in highly liquid markets have been numerous. However, much less is known about implied volatility’s behavior in markets with lower liquidity. The sampling procedure applied is in large inspired by Christensen and Prabhala (1998), who sample data on a monthly, non-overlapping basis, to avoid econometric problems due to “telescoping” data. The Black and Scholes option pricing formula, specifically taking dividends into account, is used when calculating implied volatilities. To test the information content of implied volatility, we apply ordinary least squares regression analysis, in addition to instrumental regression and root mean square deviation. This allows us to compare our results with a vast body of literature applying a similar way of calculating and testing implied volatility. We find that implied volatility can be argued to be an unbiased and efficient predictor of future realized volatility when we use the efficiency criteria put forward by Christensen and Prabhala (1998), Hansen (1999) and Christensen and Hansen (2002). They argue that implied volatility is efficient when it subsumes the information in lagged realized volatility. However, we extend the market information set in a natural way and calculate a GARCH(1,1) forecast. Thus, we apply a stricter, and more realistic, efficiency criteria. Implied volatility do not subsume the information in our GARCH(1,1) forecast and must therefore be considered inefficient. Our GARCH(1,1) forecast dominates implied volatility in an encompassing regression, however, both implied volatility and the GARCH(1,1) forecast are significant, making a combined forecast preferable in the Norwegian market. __________________________________________________________________
Antibacterial Activity of Methanolic Extracts, Decoction and Isolated Triterpene Products from Different Parts of Birch, Betula pendula, Roth

Five methanolic extracts obtained from different parts of birch, Betula pendula, Roth. (external and internal bark, flowers, leaves and buds), were evaluated for their antibacterial activity in this study. Triterpene compounds, betulin, betulinic acid, oleanolic acid and lupeol, were isolated from the external parts of birch bark using the method of dry column chromatography (DCC) as well as preparative thin layer chromatography (TLC). These compounds were also investigated for their antibacterial activity. Taking into account that decoction is the most commonly used pharmaceutical form of herbal drug, decoctions made from external bark, leaf, flower and bud were investigated for their antibacterial activity. Antibacterial screening, against selected Gram-positive bacteria, Bacillus subtilis ATCC 6633, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 6538P and Gram-negative bacteria, Escherichia coli ATCC 8739 and Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 9027 was carried out. The methods of diffusion and dilution were used for this investigation according to European Pharmacopoea, 1996. The most prominent antibacterial activity showed oleanolic acid against bacterial species Staphylococcus aureus, expressed as minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC): 1.25% and Bacillus subtilis MIC: 0.625%. Escherichia coli showed resistance on all investigated samples.
Test Frequency Selection Using Particle Swarm Optimization

The paper deals with the problem of test frequency selection for multi-frequency parametric fault diagnosis of analog linear circuits. An appropriate set of test frequencies is determined by minimizing the conditionality of the sensitivity matrix based on the system of fault equations using a global stochastic optimization. A novel method based on the Particle Swarm Optimization, which provides more accurate results and improves the convergence rate, is described. The paper provides several practical examples of its application to test frequency selection for active RC filters. A comparison of the results obtained by the proposed method and by the Genetic Algorithm is also presented.
Does Business Strategy Impact a Firm's Information Environment?

This study examines whether a firm’s business strategy affects their information environment. Organizational theory suggests that firms following an innovative “prospector” strategy have greater incentives to provide more frequent voluntary disclosures than firms following an efficient “defender” strategy. Furthermore, prospectors are more likely to attract greater coverage by external information intermediaries. We find that prospectors engage in more frequent management earnings guidance, issue more press releases and are followed by more financial analysts compared to defenders. Next, we examine the association between business strategy and information asymmetry. We find that despite prospectors having attributes associated with information asymmetry (RD growth options), prospectors appear to have lower information asymmetry than defenders. We attribute this finding to prospectors’ greater access to both internal and external sources of disclosure compared to defender firms. Collectively, our results suggest that business strategy does affect firms’ information environments, incremental to known determinants, and that strategy serves as a useful context for understanding a firm’s underlying information environment.
The Impact of an Unconditional Cash Transfer on Food Security and Nutrition: The Zambia Child Grant Programme

The Child Grant Programme is one of the Government of Zambia's largest social protection programmes. The programme provides a monthly cash payment of 60 kwacha (US$12) to very poor households with children under five years old. A randomised controlled trial of 2,515 households was implemented to investigate the impact of the programme. We find that cash transfers improve household consumption, food consumption, diet diversity and food security. These outcomes lie along the causal pathway linking the cash transfer to children's nutrition. For children under five, we observe positive but not statistically significant impacts of the programme on weight. We find strong and significant heterogeneous impacts on reducing stunting among children who have access to clean water or more educated mothers. The results demonstrate that nutrition can be improved through an integrated and holistic strategy instead of only pursuing targeted programmes in one sector such as health or agriculture.
Renal Data from Asia-Africa Epidemiology of Chronic Kidney Disease in a Sri Lankan Population: Experience of a Tertiary Care Center

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a growing problem in Sri Lanka. Diabetes and hypertension are the main contributors to the disease burden. A new form of CKD of uncertain etiology (CKD-u) is the predominant form of CKD in certain parts of Sri Lanka, threatening to reach epidemic proportions. A cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out over a three-month period at the National Hospital of Sri Lanka to identify the underlying etiologic factors for the disease in a cohort of patients with CKD. A total of 200 patients were studied with a mean age of 50.57 years. Of them, 108 (54%) were in CKD stage V. Majority of the patients were from the western province (137, 68.5%) with only five (2.5%) from provinces with high prevalence of CKD-u. The most common underlying causes of CKD were diabetes (88, 44%) and hypertension (34, 17%). However, in patients younger than 40 years of age the most common cause was glomerulonephritis (20, 42.6%). Diabetes was the most common cause of CKD among patients from the western province (74, 54%). The prevalence of CKD-u was twice as high in patients from areas outside the western province compared with patients from this province (P > 0.05). The low prevalence of CKD-u in the study population could be the result of poor representation of patients from provinces with high prevalence of CKD-u.
Rebamipide Attenuates Mandibular Condylar Degeneration in a Murine Model of TMJ-OA by Mediating a Chondroprotective Effect and by Downregulating RANKL-Mediated Osteoclastogenesis

Temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis (TMJ-OA) is characterized by progressive degradation of cartilage and changes in subchondral bone. It is also one of the most serious subgroups of temporomandibular disorders. Rebamipide is a gastroprotective agent that is currently used for the treatment of gastritis and gastric ulcers. It scavenges reactive oxygen radicals and has exhibited anti-inflammatory potential. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of rebamipide both in vivo and in vitro on the development of cartilage degeneration and osteoclast activity in an experimental murine model of TMJ-OA, and to explore its mode of action. Oral administration of rebamipide (0.6 mg/kg and 6 mg/kg) was initiated 24 h after TMJ-OA was induced, and was maintained daily for four weeks. Rebamipide treatment was found to attenuate cartilage degeneration, to reduce the number of apoptotic cells, and to decrease the expression levels of matrix metalloproteinase-13 (MMP-13) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in TMJ-OA cartilage in a dose-dependent manner. Rebamipide also suppressed the activation of transcription factors (e.g., NF-κB, NFATc1) and mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) by receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B ligand (RANKL) to inhibit the differentiation of osteoclastic precursors, and disrupted the formation of actin rings in mature osteoclasts. Together, these results demonstrate the inhibitory effects of rebamipide on cartilage degradation in experimentally induced TMJ-OA. Furthermore, suppression of oxidative damage, restoration of extracellular matrix homeostasis of articular chondrocytes, and reduced subchondral bone loss as a result of blocked osteoclast activation suggest that rebamipide is a potential therapeutic strategy for TMJ-OA.