Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Intertemporal and Interdependent Nature of Financial Decisions: An Applicacation to Cash Flow Sensitivities

Empirical studies of firms' financing, investment, and payout policies routinely examine these policies in isolation. In this paper we develop a dynamic multi-equation model where firms make financing and investment decisions jointly subject to the constraint that sources of cash must equal uses of cash. We argue that static models of financial decisions produce inconsistent coefficient estimates. We also argue that models that do not acknowledge the interdependence among decision variables produce inefficient coefficient estimates and provide an incomplete and potentially misleading view of firms' financial behavior. We use our model to study the relationship between investment and cash flow. Unlike static single-equation studies that conclude that firms react to cash flow shocks by changing investments, we find that regardless of financial health, firms react by changing leverage.
Functional genomics in rodent models of hypertension

Inbred strains of rodents have been used to study mammalian physiology and pathophysiology in an attempt to understand the contribution of genes in the pathogenesis of the disease process. In this review we focus on experimental animal models to identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) and possible strategies for identifying underlying genetic determinants responsible for hypertension. Confirmation of the existence of the QTL and dissection of the implicated region can be undertaken by production of either recombinant inbred, consomic or congenic strains. Despite complex interactions and the relatively few confirmed causative genes underlying QTL, recent developments in rat genome resources and advancement in statistical and bioinformatic methods will facilitate the identification of major gene(s) responsible for complex, polygenic traits.
A New Approach to Measuring the Action Spectrum for Singlet Oxygen Production by Human Retinal Lipofuscin

Abstract The human retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) layer contains a complex mixture of components called lipofuscin; this mixture forms with age and with various genetic disorders such as Stargardt's disease. Its presence may contribute to retinal deterioration via several mechanisms including photochemical processes. In the lipofuscin mixture, both type I and II mechanisms have been identified, with the latter consisting of the generation of singlet oxygen. Several components of that mixture have been identified, most notably a bis-retinoid pyridinium compound called A2E and its derivatives. Photooxidative studies on the compound A2E have revealed that its dominant photochemical mechanism is via free radical or type I processes. Because singlet oxygen is an important photooxidative intermediate in tissue, its generation in the RPE may contribute to retinal maculopathies. It is therefore necessary to determine which specific component(s) in the lipofuscin mixture produce singlet oxygen upon excitation with light. This was ascertained by evaluating the action spectrum for singlet oxygen production for the whole lipofuscin mixture using time-resolved spectroscopy. Singlet oxygen was generated by excitation of the sample at different wavelengths while maintaining a constant beam energy, and was directly detected by its phosphorescence decay at 1270 nm using a Ge photodiode. The action spectrum for singlet oxygen sensitization by the organic soluble portion of lipofuscin had an absorption maximum at ca 380 nm, which is to the blue of A2E (maximum at 430 nm). Compounds with a similar absorption maximum eluted in the HPLC earlier than A2E and were detected in human lipofuscin. The concentration of this component apparently increased in concentration in human RPE lipofuscin mixture as a function of age up to 90 years old.
Subicular efferents are organized mostly as parallel projections: A double‐labeling, retrograde‐tracing study in the rat

To understand the functional relevance of the subiculum as a major distributor of hippocampally processed information, detailed information about its neuronal organization is necessary. A striking feature of the subiculum is that it can be divided into four different areas, each characterized by a specific set of efferent connections. To establish whether the different areas of the subiculum are similar with respect to the organization of the origin of their respective efferents, the double‐fluorescence retrograde‐tracing technique was used to study the degree of collateralization. Because CA1 gives rise to a major input to the subiculum but also projects to some of the targets reached by subicular projections, we compared the subicular degree of collateralization with that of CA1. Throughout CA1, the percentages of double‐labeled cells were high, ranging from 17% to 39%. In contrast, the percentages of double‐labeled cells in the subiculum were much lower, ranging from 0% to 12%, and no differences were noted between the four areas of the subiculum. This indicates that the four regions of the subiculum are organized in the same way with regard to the output connectivity. Because all four different regions of the subiculum share this paucity of collateralized projections, we conclude that subicular outputs generally originate as parallel projections. This characteristic organization is in line with a proposed function of the subiculum in information storage. J. Comp. Neurol. 393:284–297, 1998. © 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Defense Response and Suppression of Phytophthora Blight Disease of Pepper by Water Extract from Spent Mushroom Substrate of Lentinula edodes

The spent mushroom substrate (SMS) of Lentinula edodes that was derived from sawdust bag cultivation was used as materials for controlling Phytophthora blight disease of pepper. Water extract from SMS (WESMS) of L. edodes inhibited mycelial growth of Phytophthora capsici, suppressed Phytophthora blight disease of pepper seedlings by 65% and promoted growth of the plant over 30%. In high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis, oxalic acid was detected as the main organic acid compound in WESMS and inhibited the fungal mycelium at a minimum concentration of 200 mg/l. In quantitative real-time PCR, the transcriptional expression of CaBPR1 (PR protein 1), CaBGLU (β-1,3-glucanase), CaPR-4 (PR protein 4), and CaPR-10 (PR protein 10) were significantly enhanced on WESMS and DL-β-aminobutyric acid (BABA) treated pepper leaves. In addition, the salicylic acid content was also increased 4 to 6 folds in the WESMS and BABA treated pepper leaves compared to water treated leaf sample. These findings suggest that WESMS of L. edodes suppress Phytophthora blight disease of pepper through multiple effects including antifungal activity, plant growth promotion, and defense gene induction.
Injection-site lesions in carcasses of cattle receiving injections at branding and at weaning.

Crossbred steer and heifer calves (n = 84) were given injections at branding and at weaning (using a completely randomized block design); 225 to 376 d later, pairs of two subprimal cuts from each animal were evaluated for incidence and severity of injection-site lesions. The four products compared were 1) a 2-mL clostridial, 2) a 5-mL clostridial, 3) vitamin AD3, and 4) a long-acting oxytetracycline antibiotic (OTC). Branding-age calves (mean 48.3 d of age) received intramuscular injections of two of the four products, in the semimembranosus (inside round) muscles (one in the left muscle and one in the right); at weaning age (mean 199.3 d of age), calves received injections of the remaining two products in the gluteus medius (top sirloin butt) muscles (one in the left and the other in the right). Injections at branding of 2 mL of clostridial, 5 mL of clostridial, vitamin AD3, and OTC caused injection-site lesions in 72.5, 92.7, 5.3, and 51.2%, respectively, of inside rounds from slaughter cattle. Incidence of injection-site lesions was lowest (P < .05) among inside rounds and top sirloin butts from animals given vitamin AD3 (as calves, and at both branding and weaning times) and was highest (P < .05) in inside rounds from cattle given, as calves, injections of 5 mL of clostridial at branding or of OTC at weaning. Less trimming was required to remove the lesions resulting from injections of all four products when they were given at weaning time. Before completion of the present study, it was thought that injection-site lesions were from damage that subsisted only briefly following an inoculation; these results make it abundantly clear that intramuscular administration of clostridials and certain antibiotics will cause damage so severe that it will be evident in beef muscle 7.5 to 12 mo later.
The sodium‐potassium hypothesis as the basis of electrical activity in frog ventricle

The aim of this study was to see whether the action potential of cardiac muscle can be explained in terms of a sodium-potassium theory similar to that proposed by Hodgkin & Huxley (1952). There is much evidence supporting the idea that an exchange of sodium and potassium ions underlies the electrical activity of heart muscle. Thus, conduction in cardiac tissue is blocked in sodium-free solutions (Overton, 1902; Clark, 1913; Draper & Weidmann, 1951; Brady & Woodbury, 1957). It is generally agreed that the membrane potentials recorded intracellularly in all cardiac tissue except pace-maker tissue reverse during depolarization (Cranefield, Eyster & Gilson, 1951; Draper & Weidmann, 1951, Brady & Woodbury, 1957). Weidmann (1951, 1955) has demonstrated an increase in the membrane slope conductance in Purkinje tissue during depolarization and a dependence of the maximum depolarization rate on the external sodium concentration and the initial resting potential. The data on exchange of radioactive ions in heart muscle are difficult to interpret. However, Johnson's (1957) results suggest that the exchange of sodium ions in frog ventricle is sufficient to account for depolarization. Similarly, Wilde, O'Brien & Bay (1956) found a pulsatile increase in potassium efflux from beating turtle ventricle at about the time of rapid repolarization. The membrane resting potentials of cat auricle (Burgen & Terroux, 1953) and of the Purkinje fibres in calf and sheep (Weidmann, 1956a) depend upon the external potassium concentration. On the other hand, Coraboeuf & Otsuka (1956) found that the peak height of the action potential of guinea-pig ventricle does not behave like a sodium electrode, but that conduction is blocked in a sodium-free medium after 15-20 min. Although apparently contradictory, this observation can be explained within the framework of the sodium-potassium theory (see Discussion). The experiments described here support the view that the sodiumpotassium theory, suitably modified, adequately accounts for the electrical
Informatics for tandem mass spectrometry-based metabolomics

Metabolomics is a rapidly expanding field with applications in areas such as medicine, agriculture, or food safety. Tandem mass spectrometry (MS) is one of the main technologies that drives the field forward. Optionally coupled to a chromatographic element, MS can capture detailed snapshots of an organism’s metabolome. The resulting data sets are complex and difficult to analyse due to the multitude of external, biologically irrelevant influences. In particular metabolite identification – the ultimate goal of MS metabolomics – is a highly challenging exercise with inherently uncertain results. We have developed the data processing tool MassCascade to rapidly analyse and visualise chromatography MS data. MassCascade features methods for data (pre-)processing from initial file input to the compilation of the final result matrix. To simplify use and break down the complex analysis process, the tool has been made available in the form of a plug-in for the workflow platform KNIME: MassCascade-KNIME offers a visual representation of each processing function that can be utilized following the concept of visual programming. To further support metabolomics data analysis, cheminformatics methods have been added separately to the workflow platform from the Chemistry Development Kit to enable digital small molecule handling, essential for semi-automated metabolite identification. To demonstrate the MS analysis process and test MassCascade and its plugin, two scenarios typical in metabolomics were chosen: spectral fingerprinting and metabolite identification. A set of metabolomics tomato samples from a long-term study about chromatography MS system stability was processed and interpreted. Distinct trends and clustering could be extracted and explained verifying correct processing by the tool. Metabolite identification of spectral features was applied on a study about tomato ripening. Features differentiating ripening of four different tomato genotypes were singled out to that end. The implemented information-driven identification methodology enabled the selection of putative metabolite identifications from large lists of chemical compounds.
Fatty liver disease determines the progression of coronary artery calcification in a metabolically healthy obese population

Objectives Metabolically healthy obese (MHO) phenotype describes an obese state with a favorable metabolic profile. However, the prognosis of this subpopulation remains controversial. We aimed to examine whether MHO phenotype is associated with progression of atherosclerotic activity, reflected as the changes in coronary artery calcification (CAC) over time. If so, we sought to determine the role of fatty liver disease (FLD), the hallmark of hepatic steatosis, in this progression. Methods We enrolled 1,240 asymptomatic subjects who underwent repeated CAC score measurement during routine health examinations. CAC score progression was defined as either incident CAC in a population free of CAC at baseline, or an increase by ≥2.5 units between the baseline and final square root of CAC scores in participants with detectable CAC at baseline. Subjects were stratified by body mass index (cut-off, 25.0 kg/m2) and metabolic health state using Adult Treatment Panel-III criteria. FLD was assessed via ultrasonography. Results Over 2.9 years of follow-up, 25.2% of total subjects exhibited CAC score progression. The MHO phenotype was not significantly associated with CAC score progression (multivariate adjusted-odds ratio [OR], 1.45; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.93–2.25), as compared to the metabolically healthy non-obese (MHNO) phenotype. However, subgroup analysis indicated that the MHO/FLD phenotype was significantly associated with CAC score progression (multivariate adjusted-OR, 2.37; 95% CI, 1.34–4.16), as compared to the MHNO/no FLD phenotype, whereas the MHO/no FLD phenotype was not (multivariate adjusted OR, 1.25; 95% CI, 0.71–2.24). Conclusions Obese individuals with FLD have an increased risk of atherosclerosis progression, despite their healthy metabolic profile. Preventive interventions targeting cardiometabolic risk factors should be considered in such individuals, regardless of the weight status.
Coordinated Dynamic Hybrid Position/Force Control for Multiple Robot Manipulators Handling One Constrained Object

In coordinated manipulation of a single object using multiple robot arms or a multifingered robot hand, simultaneous control of the object motion and of the internal force exerted by arms or fingers on the object is required. Furthermore, in the case where the motion of the object is constrained in some direc tions because of contact with its environment, control of the constraint force also becomes necessary. In this article, we pro pose a coordinated dynamic hybrid control method for multiple robotic mechanisms. The method takes the manipulator dynam ics and object dynamics into consideration and controls the motion of an object under constraint as well as the constraint force and the internal force. The motion control of an object in free space can be treated as a special case within the same formulation. A unified description for accommodating various grasp types is used. Several experimental results that show the validity of the proposed approach are presented. The results of this article will be useful for fine manipulation tasks using multiple robotic mechanisms, where the individual specifications of the object motion, the interaction force between the object and its environment, and the grasping force of the object are given.
Gaining a foothold: tackling poverty, gender inequality, and HIV in Africa

Over half of adults infected with HIV in Africa are female—but poverty and social structures still prevent many women from protecting themselves The United Nations millennium development goals have set out specific targets for 2015, including commitments to reduce extreme poverty, increase women's empowerment, and reverse the spread of the HIV pandemic. In this respect, they clearly recognise what has been called the triple threat facing Africa: poverty, gender inequalities, and HIV and AIDS.1 Tackling these issues is clearly difficult, and many people have greeted these goals with a sense of scepticism and even futility. We describe why tackling poverty and gender inequalities is central to controlling the HIV pandemic in Africa and suggest how it might be achieved. Two years ago, the UN secretary general Kofi Annan declared that “AIDS has a woman's face. ”2 Echoing this statement, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) has highlighted women, girls, and HIV and AIDS as the theme for their most recent World AIDS Day campaign. Today, women account for nearly half the 40 million people living with HIV worldwide. In sub-Saharan Africa, 57% of adults with HIV are women, and young women aged 15 to 24 are more than three times as likely to be infected as young men.3 Contradictory analyses of Uganda's success in tackling HIV and AIDS have sparked debates over the relative prevention merits of promoting condoms, sexual fidelity, or abstinence. The United States has increased its funding for abstinence-only strategies, while the Catholic Church has questioned the efficacy of condoms, raising concerns about the influence of ideological or religious perspectives in shaping global priorities for prevention.4 Yet a larger question remains. Regardless of their point of emphasis, why are HIV prevention efforts continuing to fail women and girls? The prevention …
Inositols: from physiology to rational therapy in gynecological clinical practice

It is now a common understanding that to define a rationale for an effective therapy, an in-depth knowledge of physiology as well as pathology related to the specific issue is critical. This is the case for inositol supplementation. Inositols belong to the polyols family and form nine different stereoisomers. These molecules – mainly the stereoisomer called myo-inositol (myo-Ins) – have gained momentum during the last decades as novel promising treatment for a wide range of pathological conditions namely gynecological diseases, insulin resistance, respiratory distress syndrome in newborns, psychiatric illness, and even cancer [1]. The purpose of this editorial is meant to guide the reader through the study of the physiological role exerted by inositols, which enhances the rational therapeutic use of these molecules mainly focusing on gynecological practice.
Experimental Campylobacter jejuni infection in the chicken: an animal model of axonal Guillain-Barré syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: To develop and characterise an animal model of paralytic neuropathy after Campylobacter jejuni infection. Campylobacter infection precedes development of many cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome and is particularly associated with cases having prominent axonal degeneration. Understanding the pathogenesis of Guillain-Barré syndrome after C jejuni infection has been slowed by the lack of animal models. METHODS: A spontaneous paralytic neuropathy is described that developed in chickens from the farms of four patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome. The production of paralytic neuropathy in chickens experimentally fed Campylobacter jejuni isolated from one of these patients is reported. The sciatic nerves of the spontaneously paralysed chickens were examined pathologically in teased fibres, in plastic embedded sections, and by electron microscopy. Two large groups of chickens were then fed cultures of a C jejuni (Penner type O:19) isolated from one of these patients. RESULTS: The chickens with spontaneous paralysis had pathologically noninflammatory neuropathy. Pathology in the sciatic nerves ranged from no detectable changes to severe Wallerian-like degeneration. In the experimentally inoculated groups, an average of 33% of the chickens became paralysed. The median time after inoculation to paralysis was 12 days. The lesions found in the first few days of paralysis included nodal lengthening and paranodal demyelination. In those animals that survived for several days after onset of weakness, the pathology was dominated by extensive Wallerian-like degeneration. Animals that survived for weeks with no clinically apparent neuropathy had paranodal remyelination in some teased nerve fibres, reflecting earlier paranodal demyelination. CONCLUSION: Experimental inoculation with C jejuni may provide a new model for understanding some forms of Guillain-Barré syndrome.
An Open‐label Study Adding Creatine Monohydrate to Ongoing Medical Regimens in Patients with the Fibromyalgia Syndrome

Fibromyalgia is an ill‐defined condition that causes pain and disability but still lacks effective treatment. The aim of this open‐label study was to assess the efficacy of administering a food supplement, creatine monohydrate, in an “add on” to existing therapies in patients with fibromyalgia. This study included 30 patients with fibromyalgia. After 8 weeks of receiving creatine, we witnessed a significant improvement in parameters reflecting severity of fibromyalgia, quality of life and sleep, disability, and pain. These results deteriorated 4 weeks after stopping creatine therapy. The findings of this study are preliminary and limited due to the small sample and relatively high rate of dropouts.
Moving object grouping rule mining based on accumulated spatio-temporal data

With the advance of mobile electronic devices and the development of positioning technology, a large volume of spatio-temopral data are collected in the form of desultorily data streams, which contain a lot of potential information. In this study, we focus on discovering the composition relationships between observation moving objects in a long period. Such research can be widely used in military and civilian areas, including recommendation systems, wildlife research, military monitoring and battlefield situation awareness. The composition relationships of moving objects can be called as moving object grouping rule. In this paper, we proposed an improved traveling companion discovery method based on Nearest neighbor of time to obtained the object transactions in short time and used the incremental association rule mining (ARM) method to discovering the grouping rules of moving objects in long-term.