Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Out of Southern East Asia of the Brown Rat Revealed by Large-Scale Genome Sequencing

The geographic origin and migration of the brown rat (Rattus norvegicus) remain subjects of considerable debate. In this study, we sequenced whole genomes of 110 wild brown rats with a diverse world-wide representation. We reveal that brown rats migrated out of southern East Asia, rather than northern Asia as formerly suggested, into the Middle East and then to Europe and Africa, thousands of years ago. Comparison of genomes from different geographical populations reveals that many genes involved in the immune system experienced positive selection in the wild brown rat.
Auditory-Visual Lexical Tone Perception in Thai Elderly Listeners with and without Hearing Impairment

Lexical tone perception was investigated in elderly Thais with Normal Hearing (NH), or Hearing Impairment (HI), the latter with and without Hearing Aids. Auditory-visual (AV), auditory-only (AO), and visual-only (VO) discrimination of Thai tones was investigated. Both groups performed poorly in VO. In AV and AO, the NH performed better than the HI group, and Hearing Aids facilitated tone discrimination. There was slightly more visual augmentation (AV>AO) for the HI group, but not the NH group. The Falling-Rising (FR) pair of tones was easiest to discriminate for both groups and there was a similar ranking of relative discriminability of all 10 tone contrasts for the HI group with and without hearing aids, but this differed from the ranking in the NH group. These results show that the Hearing Impaired elderly with and without hearing aids can, and do, use visual speech information to augment tone perception, but do so in a similar, not a significantly more enhanced manner than the Normal Hearing elderly. Thus hearing loss in the Thai elderly does not result in greater use of visual information for discrimination of lexical tone; rather, all Thai elderly use visual information to augment their auditory perception of tone.
Indoor Air Pollutants and the Impact on Human Health

The major area of public concern and government policy, in terms of the impact of air pollution on human health, continues to be outdoor air. However, over the last two decades, indoor air quality (IAQ) has caused increasing concern due to the adverse effects that it may have on human health. The term "indoors" is used in relative literature to refer to a variety of environments, including homes, workplaces, and buildings used as offices or for recreational purposes. In addition, a number of studies have been carried out to measure various compounds inside vehicles during commuting activities. Most people in the developed world spend up to 90% of their time in an indoor environment and up to 60% of the workforce work in an office. (Tsakas & Siskos, 2010; McCurdy et al., 2000; Ashford & Caldart, 2008; Andersson & Klevard Setterwall, 1996) Decreased ventilation rates for energy conservation, along with increased use of synthetic materials in buildings, have resulted in increased health complaints from building occupants (Siskos, 2003). Many indoor pollutants are either known, or suspected to be, allergens, carcinogens, neurotoxins, immunotoxins or irritants, while all may contribute to sick building syndrome (SBS). The set of health symptoms associated with SBS includes nasal, ocular and generalised diseases. According to various studies performed in public buildings by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (Soldatos et al., 2003), the three most significant symptoms that were experienced in more than 70% of the buildings are dry eyes, dry throat and headaches. The IAQ and the presence of air pollutants in indoor environment is a worldwide issue, since many governments and environmental institutes have faced this serious phenomenon. Starting in the 1990s in Japan, tightly sealed buildings with low ventilation rates have been constructed. This, combined with the use of some new types of building materials has often resulted in IAQ problems. Many inhabitants suffering with SBS and multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS), have been reported (McCurdy et al., 2000; Zhang & Niu, 2004). As a result the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare have introduced indoor air guidelines for a range of VOCs including HCHO based on hazard assessments (Shinohara et al., 2009). The importance of IAQ has also been recognised in Europe and has been identified as an important element within the European Collaborative Action (ECA) (ECA, 1998) and the European Environment and Health Action Plan (Dimitroulopoulou et al., 2006). In America, the State of California has adopted an active programme for the last two decades aiming to the reduction of indoor air pollution, which has led to a range of policy instruments (Waldman & Jenkins, 2004). Over recent years, important steps have been made towards
CSMA/CA-based uplink MAC protocol design and analysis for hybrid VLC/Wifi networks

This paper proposes a multi-channel medium access control (MAC) protocol for hybrid VLC/Wifi networks. The proposed MAC protocol is based on an integration of two standards, IEEE 802.15. 7 VLC and IEEE 802.11 Wifi CSMA/CA(s) (Carrier Sense Multiple Access/Collision Avoidance). We newly add on top of current MAC protocols a sub-layer that runs dynamic channel selection by taking intelligent control decisions, regarding channel aware and traffic aware. System performance metrics are analytically studied based on a combination of queuing and Markov chain theories. Numerical results quantitatively show how the proposed protocols significantly outperform the conventional ones.
Synthesis of Size‐Tunable Polymeric Nanoparticles Enabled by 3D Hydrodynamic Flow Focusing in Single‐Layer Microchannels

Recently, polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) have attracted enormous attention as targeted drug delivery vehicles. [1-4] Especially, biodegradable and biocompatible polymeric NPs comprised of poly(lactide-co-glycolide)-b-polyethyleneglycol (PLGA-PEG) block copolymers exhibit optimal physicochemical characteristics such as the ability to incorporate various targeting agents, enhanced immune evasion, controlled drug release, and high payload of drug molecules. [5-6] Targeted PLGA-PEG NPs have shown very promising in vivo results for treatment of cancer[7-9] and they are now poised to enter clinical trials. Preparation of such targeted NPs in a robust and reproducible manner has thus become very important for therapeutic applications where precise control of the physicochemical properties of NPs is required to achieve optimal biodistribution and therapeutic efficacy. [10]
Managerial overconfidence and debt maturity structure of firms: Analysis based on China's listed companies

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to empirically analyze the effects of managerial overconfidence on debt maturity structure decisions in terms of liquidity risk and asset match in Chinese listed companies. Design/methodology/approach - Combining data from CSMAR with some default data collected by hand, this paper selects age, tenure, education, education background and whether the board chair and CEO positions are consolidated in Chinese listed companies as proxies of managerial overconfidence. Thus, the authors acquired needed and credible empirical data. Findings - It was found that, the younger the CEO, the shorter the tenure, the lower the education, having economics or management education and being chairman concurrently, CEOs have stronger managerial overconfidence. Thus, corporate debt maturity structure is more weakly correlated with debt ratio and asset structure. Research limitations/implications - The findings in this study suggest that managerial irrationality, especially overconfidence, does have an effect on the financing decisions of firms. Originality/value - This is the first paper to analyze the effects of managerial overconfidence on debt maturity structure decisions in terms of liquidity risk and asset match. The findings inspire firm risk management policies from managerial overconfidence.
The paradox of customer education: Customer expertise and loyalty in the financial services industry

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to consider the dynamics of customer education by exploring the relationship between education and customer expertise and their combined effects on customer loyalty in a high involvement investment services context. The paper also considers the service context within which customer education initiatives are delivered. More specifically, it explores the moderating effects of increasing levels of customer expertise (the outcome of customer education) on the relative importance of technical service quality (what is delivered) and functional service quality (how it is delivered) in determining the loyalty decision. In doing so, the paper aims to provide implications for the investment service firm for managing the service offering as customers develop expertise over time.Design/methodology/approach – The paper proposes a conceptual model that formalises the research objectives as a series of testable hypotheses. This is followed by an outline of the research design and m.
An evaluation of infants' growth in the Kingdom of Nepal

Abstract Background : The His Majesty's Government/Japan International Cooperation Agency Primary Health Care Project began in April 1993 in collaboration with the Saitama Prefectural Government, for the purpose of improving the health status of the people in model districts of the Kingdom of Nepal. Growth monitoring is one of the basic methods that defines the health and nutritional status of children.
Pharmacokinetics of tralokinumab in adolescents with asthma: implications for future dosing.

AIMS Tralokinumab, an investigational human immunoglobulin G4 monoclonal antibody, potently and specifically neutralizes interleukin-13, a central mediator of asthma. Tralokinumab has shown improvements in clinical endpoints in adults with uncontrolled asthma. The present study explored the pharmacokinetics (PK) and safety of a single tralokinumab dose, and utilized a population PK modelling and simulation approach to evaluate the optimal dosing strategy for adolescents. METHODS Adolescent subjects with asthma, using daily controller medication, received a single subcutaneous dose of tralokinumab 300 mg. Safety, immunogenicity and PK data were collected during a 57-day follow-up. A population PK model was developed using data from the present study and prior studies in adults. Simulations were performed to evaluate dose adjustment requirements for adolescents. RESULTS Twenty adolescents (12-17 years) were enrolled; all completed the study. No clinically relevant safety findings or antidrug antibodies were detected. PK parameters were similar to those observed in adults. PK modelling showed that body weight was a minor predictor of tralokinumab PK; after incorporating body weight into the PK model, a 15% (nonparametric 95% confidence interval 5%, 26%) lower clearance was found in adolescents compared with adults [173 (151, 209) vs. 204 (191, 229) ml day(-1)]. Simulations showed no therapeutically relevant differences in exposures between adolescent and adult populations, and similar PK profiles for weight-based (4 mg kg(-1)) and fixed (300 mg) fortnightly subcutaneous doses of tralokinumab. CONCLUSION Single-dose administration of tralokinumab 300 mg in adolescents was well tolerated, with a PK profile similar to that in adults. Exposure predictions suggest that dose adjustment is not required for adolescents.
Community Collaboration and Venture Capital Finance

Do entrepreneurial ventures that adopt open business model (i.e., ? Open source? ) obtain a different quality of VC financing, and receive a different level of VC governance and monitoring post investment? We conduct the analysis on a sample of 514 software entrepreneurial ventures that received VC funding in 6,555 different deals extracted from VentureXpert. The data indicate entrepreneurial ventures with open business model receive funding from VCs that are more highly industry-specialized; more experienced, had greater IPO success, raised more capital and are more connected in syndication network. Also, they are monitored more intensively through more frequent staged investment rounds.
EFFECT OF I199V POLYMORPHISM ON PRKAG3 GENE ON CARCASS AND MEAT QUALITY TRAITS IN SLOVENIAN COMMERCIAL PIGS

The effect of I199V polymorphism at the PRKAG3 gene on carcass and meat quality of commercial pigs was studied independently from PRKAG3 200Q or RYR1 “n” allele, known to decrease meat quality, i.e., animals were genotyped for RYR1 R615C, PRKAG3 I199V and R200Q substitutions, and only pigs without 200Q and “n” were retained for the analysis of carcass and meat quality traits (n = 274). Genotype frequencies were 12.0, 57.7 and 30.3% for I/I, I/V and V/V, respectively. The I199V polymorphism affected significantly fat thickness and drip loss and tended to affect ultimate pH. Interestingly, I/V were the fattest and significantly different from V/V, with I/I pigs being intermediate. The ultimate pH of I/I was higher than the one of I/V or V/V pigs. Regarding drip loss, significant difference was detected between I/I and V/V pigs. The heterozygous I/V pigs were intermediate with differences to I/I or V/V tending toward significance. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS Our results provide new evidence about the significant effect of second polymorphism on the PRKAG3 gene (I199V) on carcass and meat quality. Because of low frequencies of I/I genotype in the majority of modern pig breeds, the available literature data for genotype I/I are scarce. Our results confirm a beneficial impact of 199I allele for pork quality, but indicate possible adverse impact for carcass leanness. It would be worthwhile rechecking the interesting position of heterozygous I/V pigs, which turned out to be the fattest. We expect the results to be useful for breeders in search of the compromise between carcass and meat quality.
Validity of the international physical activity questionnaire in the arctic.

PURPOSE Information about physical activity (PA) in Greenland is limited, partly because of a lack of validated instruments in countries with non-Western living conditions. We modified the long form of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ-L) to arctic living conditions. The aim of the study was to compare IPAQ-L estimates with combined accelerometry and heart rate monitoring (ACC + HR) in a population-based study of adult Inuit in Greenland. METHODS Cross-sectional data were collected by face-to-face interview and ACC + HR monitoring among Inuit (18 yr and above) in Greenland during 2005-2010 (n = 1508). PA energy expenditure (PAEE) and time spent sedentary and on PA at moderate and vigorous intensity were derived from IPAQ-L and ACC + HR. Estimates were compared using Bland-Altman agreement analysis and Spearman correlations stratified by sex, place of residence (capital, towns, and villages), and age groups. RESULTS Questionnaire-based PAEE was moderately correlated with objectively measured PAEE (r = 0.20-0.35, P < 0.01). Self-reported time spent at moderate- and vigorous-intensity PA and time spent sedentary were weakly correlated with the objective measure (r = 0.11-0.31). Agreement analyses showed relatively small median differences for all measures of PA; however, time spent at moderate-intensity PA was substantially overreported by IPAQ-L when including walking (>1.5 h·d, P < 0.001) but not when excluding walking. CONCLUSIONS The IPAQ-L adapted to arctic living conditions in Greenland had a moderate level of agreement with combined accelerometry and heart rate monitoring for total PAEE at population level, but it was less valid to measure different intensities of PA and sedentary activity. Validity did not differ markedly between rural and urban communities.
The New Human Capital Strategy: Improving the Value of Your Most Important Investment--Year After Year

It is often said that the only true source of sustained competitive advantage is people. But what does that mean and how can this be measured and managed? How many organizations know whether their human capital outperforms their competitors', or even whether it improves year-over-year? And what is the strategy for continually improving that performance? The New Human Capital Strategy is a roadmap for delivering measurable business results by systematically improving the performance of those in roles most important to customers and shareholders. Proposing a radical shift in the way organizations measure and manage their people, the book asserts that competitive advantage is a function of four areas of strength:* effective executive teams* leaders who deliver results* outperforming competitors in key positions* workforce performanceUsing examples, research, and metrics, this essential guide provides readers with a system for ensuring that their people are more valuable this year than the last.
Compensatory regulation of HDAC5 in muscle maintains metabolic adaptive responses and metabolism in response to energetic stress

Some gene deletions or mutations have little effect on metabolism and metabolic adaptation because of redundancy and/or compensation in metabolic pathways. The mechanisms for redundancy and/ or compensation in metabolic adaptation in mammalian cells are unidentified. Here, we show that in mouse muscle and myogenic cells, compensatory regulation of the histone deacetylase (HDAC5) transcriptional repressor maintains metabolic integrity. HDAC5 phosphorylation regulated the expression of diverse metabolic genes and glucose metabolism in mouse C2C12 myogenic cells. However, loss of AMP‐activated protein kinase (AMPK), a HDAC5 kinase, in muscle did not affect HDAC5 phosphorylation in mouse skeletal muscle during exercise, but resulted in a compensatory increase (32.6%) in the activation of protein kinase D (PKD), an alternate HDAC5 kinase. Constitutive PKD activation in mouse C2C12 myogenic cells regulated metabolic genes and glucose metabolism. Although aspects of this response were HDAC5 phosphorylation dependent, blocking HDAC5 phosphorylation when PKD was active engaged an alternative compensatory adaptive mechanism, which involved post‐transcriptional reductions in HDAC5 mRNA (–93.1%) and protein. This enhanced the expression of a specific subset of metabolic genes and mitochondrial metabolism. These data show that compensatory regulation of HDAC5 maintains metabolic integrity in mammalian cells and reinforces the importance of preserving the cellular metabolic adaptive response. —McGee, S. L. , Swinton, C. , Morrison, S. , Gaur, V. , Campbell, D. E. , Jorgensen, S. B. , Kemp, B. E. , Baar, K. , Steinberg, G. R. , Hargreaves, M. Compensatory regulation of HDAC5 in muscle maintains metabolic adaptive responses and metabolism in response to energetic stress. FASEB J. 28, 3384–3395 (2014). www.fasebj. org
Expression of PCNA, ICAM-1, and vimentin in lens epithelial cells of cataract patients with and without type 2 diabetes.

OBJECTIVE In order to explore the pathological feature in the progression of cataract with type 2 diabetes, we compared the expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), and vimentin in lens epithelial cells (LECs) of cataract patients with and without type 2 diabetes. METHODS The indirect immunoperoxidase technique was performed on anterior capsules obtained from 25 patients with type 2 diabetes (DM group) and 25 patients without diabetes (control group). Immunohistochemical difference in the expression of PCNA, ICAM-1, and vimentin in LECs between the 2 groups was investigated. RESULTS PCNA expression was decreased (P=0.036) but ICAM-1 expression was significantly increased (P<0.0001) in the DM group as compared with that in the control group. No difference was noted in the expression of vimentin between the 2 groups (P=0.264). CONCLUSIONS Decreased proliferation of LECs and increased expression of ICAM-1 in LECs might play an important role in the progression of cataract with type 2 diabetes.
Human Capital, Country Size, and North-South Manufacturing Multinational Enterprises

A model of North-South multinational enterprises (MNEs) is constructed in which both horizontal and vertical MNEs anse endogenously. While honizontal MNEs are more active when host countries become more similar in national income and human capital, vertical MNEs are encouraged by cheap unskilled labor and growing national income in host countries. The unified treatment of the two types of MNEs predicts a negative link of MNEs to cross-country differences in factor proportions and a positive link between MNEs and host country’s size. This result is consistent with empirical evidence that activities of MNEs in a developing country are positively related to the country’s level of economic development.
Empathetic identification and punitiveness

Studies reveal that some Americans are more willing than others to endorse harsh measures to control crime. We advance this literature by presenting a model that offers an integrated explanation of why some Americans are more punitive than others. Scholars have found that people construct images of offenders that reflect those disseminated by elites, the media, and popular culture. These images can vary across types of crime and can change over time. We posit that individual differences in punitiveness are related to whether people empathize with the images they construct of ‘typical’ stereotyped offenders. We conclude by offering a systematic model that summarizes the proposed theoretical perspective and helps to illuminate both implications for macro-level theories and future avenues of investigation.
A novel way to deal with harmonic elimination in multi level CHB inverter using without filtering technique

Fundamental target regarding aforementioned paper is to design a five level multi strand converter topology without a filter inasmuch as appropriated energy resources based dc-ac alteration system based dc-ac alteration system In this title we are proposing two strategies associated with five level's CHB inverter, specifically break even with step strategy and other is selective harmonic elimination. The oddity of comic proposition is actualizing comic CHB inverter with any filter on account of two reasons: 1. To minimized comic size, 2. To decrease comic expense of comic inverter. The ideal THD qualities are acquired with ostensible number of switches utilized inasmuch as five level yield voltage waveform era.