Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Pre- and Post-COVID-19: The Impact of US, UK, and European Stock Markets on ASEAN-5 Stock Markets

This study investigates the relationship between closing–opening prices of stocks in the US, UK, and European markets and the prices of stocks in the five Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN-5) markets, a group consisting of five founding members, namely, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand. In particular, this study examines the impact of US, UK, and European stock market movements on ASEAN-5 stock markets before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. An autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) bounds testing approach was employed on two independent data sets, representing prices of stocks before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results reveal that among the ASEAN-5 markets, only the Philippines had a cointegration relationship with the US, UK, and European markets before the crisis. However, almost all ASEAN-5 markets moved in tandem with the US, UK, and European markets during COVID-19, except for Thailand. These empirical findings also indicate that the stock markets in the two regions tended to co-move during the COVID-19 pandemic, implying a contagion effect. Further, the causality results also provide substantial evidence of contagion between markets during the pandemic. These results imply that the stock markets in ASEAN-5 are susceptible at the opening bell to the behaviour of US, UK, and European stocks. Therefore, investors or traders in ASEAN-5 should participate in foreign markets (other than the US, UK, and Europe) that do not exhibit cointegration relationships to better mitigate and manage risk at the opening bell, especially during a global crisis.
Maternal Dietary Deficiencies in Folic Acid and Choline Result in Larger Damage Volume, Reduced Neuro-Degeneration and -Inflammation and Changes in Choline Metabolites after Ischemic Stroke in Middle-Aged Offspring

Maternal dietary levels of one-carbon (1C) metabolites (folic acid and choline) during pregnancy play a vital role in neurodevelopment. However, the impact of maternal dietary deficiencies on offspring stroke outcomes later in life remains undefined. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of maternal dietary deficiencies in folic acid and choline on ischemic stroke outcomes in middle-aged offspring. Female mice were maintained on either a control or deficient diet prior to and during pregnancy and lactation. At 10 months of age ischemic stroke was induced in male and female offspring. Stroke outcome was assessed by measuring motor function and brain tissue. There was no difference in offspring motor function; however, sex differences were present. In brain tissue, maternal dietary deficiency increased ischemic damage volume and offspring from deficient mothers had reduced neurodegeneration and neuroinflammation within the ischemic region. Furthermore, there were changes in plasma 1C metabolites as a result of maternal diet and sex. Our data indicate that maternal dietary deficiencies do not impact offspring behavior after ischemic stroke but do play a role in brain histology and one-carbon metabolite levels in plasma. Additionally, this study demonstrates that the sex of mice plays an important role in stroke outcomes.
Education Research: Diversity in Neurology Graduate Medical Education Leadership

To describe the current landscape of gender and racial diversity among adult neurology residency and fellowship program directors (PDs). Diversity in medicine affects the quality of care provided to a diverse patient population. There are efforts in nearly every field of medicine to increase the diversity of the physician workforce. While there has been improvement in some of the known disparities in medicine such as gender disparities, these disparities have persisted in more senior academic positions in medicine.A data set was generated by the Association of American Medical Colleges for the purpose of this study using a variety of sources. The data included deidentified, person-level variables, including self-reported gender, race, or ethnicity, and the type of program for all PDs of Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education–accredited residencies and fellowships. This retrospective descriptive survey study sought to (1) describe the current gender and race climate of neurology PDs and (2) identify groups that may be disproportionally underrepresented in these positions compared with those in other specialties and levels of medical training. Descriptive statistics and tests of nonrandom association were performed to address the objectives.We found that 56.7% of residency PDs and 58% of fellowship PDs are male. The male to female ratio of PDs was similar to current neurology residents who are 53.4% male. There were significantly more female medical students (51.5%) compared with all other categories of academic rank other than neurology residency PDs (41.1%). Only 4.3% of residency PDs were Black and only 3.7% were Hispanic. There were no Black fellowship PDs, and 5.1% were Hispanic. There were significantly more non-White medical students and trainees compared with each PD group. The breakdown of gender and ethnic diversity of neurology PDs was similar to that of PDs from all residencies and fellowships.While there are many barriers to achieving diversity in medicine, program leadership in graduate medical education may be one of them. This report describes the current landscape of diversity among PDs of residency and fellowship programs in the United States. This study shows one snapshot in time, which can be used as a baseline during this era of change.
Dividend Policy: An Empirical Analysis

Abstract Starting with the “partial adjustment model” suggested by Lintner [10, 11], this paper examines the dividend policies of individual firms. The Lintner model, in which the change in dividends from year t-1 to year t is regressed on a constant, the level of dividends for t-1, and the level of profits for t, explains dividend changes for individual firms fairly well relative to other models tested. But a model in which the constant term is suppressed and the level of earnings for t-1 is added, provides the best predictions of dividends on a year of data not used in fitting the regressions. Though the dividend policy of individual firms is certainly a subject of economic interest, perhaps much of the novelty of the paper is methodological: specifically, the way in which a validation sample, simulations, and prediction tests are used to investigate results obtained from a pilot sample. To avoid spurious results that could follow from the extensive data-dredging involved in finding “good-fitting” divid.
Distributions of microcanonical cascade weights of rainfall at small timescales

Empirical frequency distributions of multiplicative cascade weights, or breakdown coefficients, at small timescales are analyzed for 5-min precipitation time series from four gauges in Germany. It is shown that histograms of the weights, W, are strongly deformed by the recording precision of rainfall amounts. A randomization procedure is proposed to statistically remove the artifacts due to precision errors in the original series. Evolution of the probability distributions of W from beta-like for large timescales to combined beta-normal distribution with a pronounced peak at W ≈ 0.5 for small timescales is observed. A new 3N-B distribution built from 3 separate normal, N, distributions and one beta, B, distribution is proposed for reproduction of the empirical histograms of W at small timescales. Parameters of the 3N-B distributions are fitted for all gauges and analyzed timescales. Microcanonical cascades models with a generator based on 3N-B distributions are developed and their performance at disaggregating precipitation at 1280-min intervals down to 5-min intervals is evaluated.
Synthesis and Characterization of Quercetin–Iron Complex Nanoparticles for Overcoming Drug Resistance

Quercetin, one of the major natural flavonoids, has demonstrated great pharmacological potential as an antioxidant and in overcoming drug resistance. However, its low aqueous solubility and poor stability limit its potential applications. Previous studies suggest that the formation of quercetin-metal complexes could increase quercetin stability and biological activity. In this paper, we systematically investigated the formation of quercetin-iron complex nanoparticles by varying the ligand-to-metal ratios with the goal of increasing the aqueous solubility and stability of quercetin. It was found that quercetin-iron complex nanoparticles could be reproducibly synthesized with several ligand-to-iron ratios at room temperature. The UV-Vis spectra of the nanoparticles indicated that nanoparticle formation greatly increased the stability and solubility of quercetin. Compared to free quercetin, the quercetin-iron complex nanoparticles exhibited enhanced antioxidant activities and elongated effects. Our preliminary cellular evaluation suggests that these nanoparticles had minimal cytotoxicity and could effectively block the efflux pump of cells, indicating their potential for cancer treatment.
Prevalence and haemato-biochemical changes of tick-borne haemoparasitic diseases in crossbred cattle of Haryana, India

Theileriosis, babesiosis and anaplasmosis are the important tick-borne haemoparasitic diseases (TBHDs) of ruminants, mostly prevalent in the tropics and subtropics, pose a substantial economic losses to dairy industry particularly in developing countries. Here we have discussed the prevalence and haemato-biochemical changes of these TBHDs in eastern Haryana, India. The prevalence of TBHDs in crossbred cattle was studied by screening 10,776 clinically suspected blood samples during the period of July 2010 to June 2015. Among the screened samples, 4,454 animals (41.33%) were found to be TBHDs-positive. Out of 4,454 positive cases, Theileria annulata, Babesia bigemina, Anaplasma marginale and mixed infections were reported to be 80.62% (n=3591), 11.52% (n=513), 4.06% (n=180), and 3.82% (n=170), respectively. T. annulata was more prevalent during rainy season (37.26%) followed by summer (32.49%) and winter (26.37%); whereas B. bigemina and A. marginale were more prevalent in summer (6.26% and 1.94%, respectively) followed by winter (4.79% and 1.86%, respectively) and rainy season (3.14% and 1.28%, respectively). Significant decrease of values like Hb, TEC, PCV in TBHDs observed in infected animals compared to healthy control groups, indicated haemolytic anaemia. Hypoglycemia was also observed in the infected group. High activity of ALT and AST was noted among the animals of infected group and may be associated with hepatic injury or due to muscle trauma caused by prolong clinical recumbency. Year-wise an increasing trend of prevalence of tick-borne haemoparasitic diseases and the presence of seasonal variation in occurrence of T. annulata and B. bigemina infection was observed in the present study. T. annulata was found to be the most prevalent and endemic haemoparasites in this region. Findings of the present study have profound clinical significance towards controlling tick-borne diseases as well as improving animal health and productivity.
Effectiveness and robustness with respect to time delays of boundary feedback stabilization in one-dimensional viscoelasticity

The damping effect of a boundary feedback mechanism on torsional vibrations of a homogeneous viscoelastic rod is examined. A characteristic equation is derived for the oscillatory modes, and the solutions of this equation are studied by analytic and numerical methods, as functions of the feedback gain parameter and of a parameter for feedback delay. Results are compared to recent studies of elastic materials, where a feedback delay can cause exponential instability; here this phenomenon depends significantly on the short-time behavior of the viscoelastic memory kernel. Finally, an existence result is given, showing that the behavior of a weak solution corresponds in the expected way to the location of the characteristic roots.
Vertical distribution differences of the understory herbs and their driving factors on shady and sunny slopes in high altitude mountainous areas

The vertical distribution understanding of undergrowth herbaceous plants in high altitude mountain areas is of great significance to reveal the environmental gradient change law of plant diversity. However, the species composition of herbaceous plants at different altitude gradients and the relationship between diversity and environmental factors is still vague. This study takes the Sejila Mountain in southeast Tibet at an altitude of 2,000–3,300 m as the study area to analyze the vertical distribution differences of the understory herbs and their driving factors on shady and sunny slopes. The results showed that: (1) The number of families, genera and species of herbaceous plants on sunny slope is greater than that on shady slope. Asteraceae on shady and sunny slopes has the largest number of species; (2) The α diversity index of the herbs on shady slope shows a U-shaped trend. The Cody heterogeneity index (βC) is negatively correlated with the β diversity index. The herb richness index (R) on sunny slope is unimodal. The β diversity index displays the same as that of shady slope; (3) Different environmental factors have different effects on herb diversity. The correlation between environmental factors and diversity indicators indicates that there is a certain degree of clustering among samples. The environmental factors of shady slope and sunny slope are separated; and (4) The difference of water and heat conditions caused by altitude and slope aspect is an important driving factor for the diversity of herbage species, followed by soil clay content, silt content and slope gradient. This study will help to understand the species diversity and ecosystem characteristics of the region, and provide a reference for the study of plant community structure and function and rational utilization of understory plant resources in high-altitude mountain areas.
Pd nanoparticles formation by femtosecond laser irradiation and the nonlinear optical properties at 532 nm using nanosecond laser pulses

Pd nanoparticles (NPs) were prepared by focused femtosecond laser irradiation of PdCl2 dissolved in ethanol. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis revealed that Pd NPs show certain crystalline microstructure, and the average diameter is 3.4 nm with narrow size distribution from 2.0 to 6.0 nm. The nonlinear optical absorption and refraction of Pd NPs solution were investigated with nanosecond laser pulses at 532 nm. The nonlinear absorption of Pd NPs is saturable at low intensity of 3.28×1011 W/m2 but it is changed to reverse saturable with the intensity increased to 7.96×1011 W/m2, which accordingly indicates the nonlinear refraction is changed from self-defocusing to self-focusing. The transition of the nonlinear absorption with the increase in pulse intensity is analyzed by an empirical model which includes mostly saturable absorption (SA) and two-photon absorption (TPA). The intensity of saturable Is is obtained, along with TPA coefficient β. SA and TPA are both originated from the interband .
B cells as modulators of HPV+ oropharyngeal cancer in a preclinical model

Among the different immune cells present within tumors, B cells also infiltrate human papillomavirus-positive (HPV+) oropharyngeal tumors. However, the role of B cells during programmed death-1 (PD-1) blockade in HPV+ oropharyngeal cancer needs to be better defined. By using the preclinical mouse model for HPV+ oropharyngeal cancer (named mEER), we characterized B cells within tumors and determined their functional role in vivo during PD-1 blockade. We determined that treatment naïve tongue-implanted tumors, which we have previously demonstrated to be sensitive to PD-1 blockade, contained high infiltration of CD8+ T cells and low infiltration of B cells whereas flank-implanted tumors, which are resistant to PD-1 blockade, contain a higher frequency of B cells compared to T cells. Moreover, B cell-deficient mice (µMt) and B cell-depleted mice showed a slower tumor growth rate compared to wild-type (WT) mice, and B cell deficiency increased CD8+ T cell infiltration in tumors. When we compared tongue tumor-bearing mice treated with anti-PD-1, we observed that tumors that responded to the therapy contained more T cells and B cells than the ones that did not respond. However, µMt mice treated with PD-1 blockade showed similar tumor growth rates to WT mice. Our data suggest that in untreated mice, B cells have a more pro-tumorigenic phenotype potentially affecting T cell infiltration in the tumors. In contrast, B cells are dispensable for PD-1 blockade efficacy. Mechanistic studies are needed to identify novel targets to promote the anti-tumorigenic function and/or suppress the immunosuppressive function of B cells in HPV+ oropharyngeal cancer.
Relationships between the Visual Evaluation of Soil Structure (VESS) and soil properties in agriculture: A meta-analysis

The objective of this study was to analyze the relationships between the Visual Evaluation of Soil Structure (VESS) and soil properties that make its adoption widely used in agriculture. For this, 25 papers related to the VESS (2009-2022) were considered where the information of the authors, the soil property: bulk density (BD), total soil porosity (TP), soil penetration resistance (PR), macroporosity, microporosity, soil organic carbon (SOC), and mean weight diameter of stable aggregates (MWD). The sample size (n=120 cases), and the correlation coefficient were extracted. To measure this relationship, the correlation coefficient of all studies was contemplated. A meta-analysis was carried out to obtain a global measure of the correlation between the VESS and soil properties across the studies. In the first instance, a fixed effects model was fitted for the correlation (effect size, known as the response variable in the meta-analysis). Subsequently, a random effects model was fitted for the correlation, followed by a subgroup analysis according to soil properties, due to the presence of high heterogeneity between studies. The overall effect (average correlation coefficient) of the fitted random effects model was 0.31 with a confidence interval (CI) of [0.22;0.41]. The heterogeneity between studies was high ( =94.0%) and statistically significant p<0.001. Although it is moderate, the average correlation in practical terms may be sufficient. There were significant differences in some average correlations of some categories, such as BD, PR, TP, and microporosity. The weights reported for the BD, SOC, and PR were 29.7%, 16.4%, and 14.2%, respectively. This result evidenced that the greatest contribution to the global effect of correlation between VESS and soil properties is provided by BD.
Developing a Formulation Strategy Coupled with PBPK Modeling and Simulation for the Weakly Basic Drug Albendazole

Albendazole (ABZ) is a weakly basic drug that undergoes extensive presystemic metabolism after oral administration and converts to its active form albendazole sulfoxide (ABZ_SO). The absorption of albendazole is limited by poor aqueous solubility, and dissolution is the rate-limiting step in the overall exposure of ABZ_SO. In this study, PBPK modeling was used to identify formulation-specific parameters that impact the oral bioavailability of ABZ_SO. In vitro experiments were carried out to determine pH solubility, precipitation kinetics, particle size distribution, and biorelevant solubility. A transfer experiment was conducted to determine the precipitation kinetics. A PBPK model for ABZ and ABZ_SO was developed using the Simcyp™ Simulator based on parameter estimates from in vitro experiments. Sensitivity analyses were performed to assess the impact of physiological parameters and formulation-related parameters on the systemic exposure of ABZ_SO. Model simulations predicted that increased gastric pH significantly reduced ABZ absorption and, subsequently, ABZ_SO systemic exposure. Reducing the particle size below 50 µm did not improve the bioavailability of ABZ. Modeling results illustrated that systemic exposure of ABZ_SO was enhanced by increasing solubility or supersaturation and decreasing the drug precipitation of ABZ at the intestinal pH level. These results were used to identify potential formulation strategies to enhance the oral bioavailability of ABZ_SO.
Relations between interstellar density and magnetic field fluctuations I. Kinetic theory of fluctuations

Using linear kinetic plasma theory the relation between electron density and magnetic field fluctuations for low-frequency plasma waves for Maxwellian background distribution functions of arbitrary temperatures in a uniform magnetic field is derived. By taking the non-relativistic temperature limit this ratio is calculated for the diffuse intercloud medium in our Galaxy. The diffuse intercloud medium is the dominant phase of the interstellar medium with respect to radio wave propagation, dispersion and rotation measure studies. The differences between the relation of electron density and magnetic field fluctuations from the linear kinetic theory compared with the classical magnetohydrodynamics theory are established and discussed.
The Protective Effects of Goitrin on LPS-Induced Septic Shock in C57BL/6J Mice via Caspase-11 Non-Canonical Inflammasome Inhibition

Septic shock is defined as a subset of sepsis, which is associated with a considerably high mortality risk. The caspase-11 non-canonical inflammasome is sensed and activated by intracellular lipopolysaccharide (LPS) leading to pyroptosis, it plays a critical role in septic shock. However, there are few known drugs that can control caspase-11 non-canonical inflammasome activation. We report here that goitrin, an alkaloid from Radix Isatidis, shows protective effects in LPS-induced septic shock and significant inhibitory effect in caspase-11 non-canonical inflammasome pathway. Male C57BL/6J were injected intraperitoneally with LPS (20 mg/kg) to induce experimental septic shock. The results demonstrated that the survival rates of mice pretreated with goitrin or Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) inhibitor TKA-242 increased, and LPS-induced hypothermia and lung damage improved by inhibiting inflammatory response. Elucidating the detailed mechanism, we surprisingly found goitrin is really different from TAK-242, it independent of the TLR4 signal activation, but significantly inhibited the activation of caspase-11 non-canonical inflammasome, including cleaved caspase-11 and N-terminal fragment of gasdermin D (GSDMD-NT). Furthermore, with a nonlethal dose of the TLR3 agonist poly(I:C)-primed and subsequently challenged with LPS to induce caspase-11-mediated lethal septic shock, the efficacy of goitrin had been verified. Those results revealed the effect of goitrin in protective against LPS-induced septic shock via inhibiting caspase-11 non-canonical inflammasome, which provided a new therapeutic strategy for clinical treatment of septic shock.