Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
O‐phospho‐L‐serine modified calcium phosphate cements – material properties, in vitro and in vivo investigations

One of the most important requirements for calcium phosphate bone cements (CPBC) is remodelling in vivo. Degradation of the artificial material and the formation of native new bone matrix have to interdigitate to avoid instability. The remodelling process should not last longer than one year. In this study a CPBC was modified with O‐phospho‐L‐serine (phosphoserine) to improve the material properties in order to speed up remodelling in vivo. The results showed that the modified cements exhibit a nano‐crystalline microstructure with a high specific surface area and increased compressive strength (about 50 %). Metabolic activity of osteoblasts was improved on the modified material. Monocytes were found to be highly activated on the cements containing phosphoserine. In addition the formation of multinucleated giant cells (osteoclast‐like cells) was not impaired on phosphoserine modified cement composites. In vivo experiments in Wistar rats and mini pigs clearly revealed that phosphoserine modified cements showed a higher capability of remodelling compared to the cements without phosphoserine.
Beta Forecasting at Long Horizons

Systematic (CAPM beta) risk forecasting for long horizons, such as one year, play an important role in financial management. This paper evaluates a variety of beta forecasting procedures for long forecast horizons. The widely utilized Fama-MacBeth approach based on five years of monthly returns is found to be unreliable in terms of mean absolute (and squared) forecast error and statistical bias. The most accurate forecasts are found to be generated from an autoregressive model of realized beta. In addition to analyzing the statistical properties of these forecasts, the economic significance between the different approaches is demonstrated through evaluating investment projects.
Development and comparison of ELISA and PCR methods for the early detection of Ganoderma disease of coconut

Abstract Molecular diagnosis, chemo-diagnosis and physiological parameter have been applied for detecting the Ganoderma disease of coconut. Polyclonal antibodies (PAbs) raised against mycelial protein of Ganoderma, specific mycelial protein (62 kDa) of Ganoderma isolates and basidiocarp protein of Ganoderma were used for detection. All the PAbs could detect Ganoderma in diseased coconut root tissues in early stage of the disease before symptom expression by indirect – ELISA at the antiserum dilution of 1:1000 for mycelial protein, 1:700 for specific protein and 1:3000 for basidiocarp protein. Low cross reactions were observed with saprophytic fungi occurring in coconut roots and also with other basidiomycetous fungi. For polymerase chain reaction tests, the primer was generated from the internal transcribed spacer region one (ITS 1) of rDNA of Ganoderma, which produced a PCR product of 167 bp in size. Utility of this method was confirmed at the field level.
A new species of the nematode genus Cylindrogaster

The writer established the genus Cylindrogaster in 1927 for the reception of a nematode found in cultures of rat's fæces. Its principal distinguishing features were the possession of very long buccal rods and an elongate, cylindrical, muscular first œsophageal bulb. The male possessed 10 caudal papillæ arranged in three groups disposed in a manner exactly similar to that of the caudal papilæ in many species of Diplogaster, Odontopharynx longicaudata and Tylopharynx striata.
A 12 500 year record of vegetational history at Sluggan Bog, Co. Antrim, N. Ireland (incorporating a pollen zone scheme for the non‐specialist)

summary A radiocarbon-dated pollen diagram from a typical lowland raised bog in County Antrim is presented, together with a limited stratigraphic study. The record of vegetational development described is unusually complete for the last 12 FDD years. The pollen diagram is divided into ten pollen zones which it is hoped will be useful to the non-specialist. A visual summary is given in Figure 5. Deposits of the Midlandian late-glacial are contained in a small basin beneath the reedswamp and later Sphagnum peats of the mire. Birch woodland developed early in the sequence (approx, 12 350 BP) in the Belling interstadial period. Declines of this woodland occurred at approx. 12 200 BP and 11 700 BP. The probability that the 12200 BP decline represents the end of the thermal maximum of the late-glacial interstadial is discussed. In the period equivalent to the classical Allerod interstadial, the vegetation appears to have been essentially treeless. A summary comparison of Irish Late-glacial pollen assemblage zones is given. All radiocarbon dates are conventional, without calibration. The birch woods of the early post-glacial (early Littletonian) were subject to a set-back at approx. 9400 BP that lasted some 200 years during which time there appears to have been a reversion to the unstable soils characteristic of earlier times. The possibility of an early post-glacial climatic oscillation is discussed. In the zonation scheme, attention is drawn to the decline of hazel pollen at approx. 8600 bp which appears to represent a turning point in woodland development. The mire surface was invaded by pines in the Late Boreal period. The decline of the pine pollen curve at the Boreal-Atlantic transition (our S: V1-S: VII pollen zone boundary, dated to approx. 7000 DP) is discussed in relation to evidence of burning and possible human activity. Neolithic forest clearance activity on a minor scale is attested at the elm decline which at Sluggan falls rather late in the usual range for this horizon, at approx. 4900 bp. Major episodes of forest clearance took place in the Bronze Age. Thereafter woodland largely regenerated before further clearance starting in the seventh century AD which must have become substantial by Viking times. The local woodlands appear to have recovered again, however, and despite some further clearance in the Late Anglo-Norman period persisted substantially until relatively recent times. The possibility of climatic influences on the later vegetational history is discussed, particularly in relation to declines of the pollen curves of elm at approx. 4200 BP and AC 300, and of pine at approx. 3800 BP.
Kinetics and Specificity of Amino Acid Uptake by the Duckweed Spirodela polyrhiza (L.) Schleiden

Borstlap, A. C. , Meenks, J. L. D. , van Eck, W. F. and Bicker, J. T. E. 1986. Kinetics and specificity of amino acid uptake by the duckweed Spirodela polyrhiza (L.) Schleiden. —J. exp. Bot. 37: 1020-1035. Uptake of 14C-labelled amino acids by intact, axenically grown plants of Spirodela polyrhiza (L.) Schleiden was investigated. Experiments in which uptake was measured from the decrease in the amino acid concentration in the medium, indicated that saturable uptake conforms to the sum of two Michaelis-Menten terms, possibly corresponding with a high-affinity and a low-affinity system. Further experiments with L-leucine, L-glutamic acid, and L-lysine, in which uptake was measured by assaying the amount of 14C in the plants, showed the presence of a non-saturable component in addition to the dual saturable uptake. Uptake of L-glutamic acid precipitously declined between pH 4 0 and 6 0 and that of L-leucine between pH 4 0 and 8 0, whereas L-lysine uptake was optimal at pH 6 0. No evidence was found that the apparent high-affinity and low-affinity systems responded differently to changes in external pH or to the addition of CCCP. The non-saturable uptake component was not affected by changes in external pH or by adding CCCP, and might have been due to free space uptake. Mutual inhibition of uptake was found between acidic and neutral amino acids (L-leucine, L-methionine, L-glutamic acid) and between basic amino acids (L-lysine, L-ornithine). The basic amino acids had no effect on the uptake of L-leucine, L-methionine and L-glutamic acid, although the uptake of basic amino acids was inhibited by glutaminc acid and several neutral amino acids. It is suggested that the duckweed has a high-affinity transport system for neutral and acidic amino acids, and a distinct high-affinity system for basic amino acids. It is argued that the first system transports zwitterionic amino acids (z-system), and that the second system transports cationic amino
The Effect of Family, Peer, Behavior, Saving and Spending Behavior on Financial Literacy Among Young Generations

Financial literacy has become a significant challenge in society especially among the young generation. Financial literacy is about distinct knowledge, behavior and normative influence towards financial literacy affairs. It will help the youthful generation to make good financial commitment. Financial literacy also involves the distinct ability to understand financial idea and interpret data. Hence, the purpose of this study is to assess the height of financial literacy amid the young generation in Malaysia. It directs to developing a unique representation of financial literacy among youthful age as assumed Family, Peer, Attitude, Saving and spending behavior significantly influence Financial Literacy among Young Generations. Considered relationships were tested using survey response from Kedah, Perlis, Perak, Johor and Kuala Lumpur, with a sample of 500 respondents. About 410 answers from the respondents were received. The questionnaire consisted of 42 items. The results revealed a significant positive relationship between Behavior and Financial Literacy. Furthermore, the findings showed that Family/Parental and Peer significantly influenced Financial Literacy. Hence, this study implies that it is related to the public, academic and university administrators, government, and financial advisor to grow the level of financial literacy by implementing several financial educational programmers. Ultimately, this study is considered one of the studies that have contributed to the literature by developing apprehensions of financial literacy.
Research Subsidy Spillovers, Two Ways

We study how the outputs of research spill over technological and geographic space in the context of the U.S. Small Business Innovation Research program. We infer input-output links using text analyses and identify the marginal costs of producing patents using noncompetitive grant matching policies. Due to technological spillovers, the cost of spurring patents related to specific technologies are much larger than the costs of spurring any kind of patent. Due to geographic spillovers, roughly 80% of the net patents produced by the program are from inventors that do not directly receive grants; the domestic/foreign split of output is about 75/25. The large spillovers across these two dimensions imply that the cost effectiveness of research subsidies can vary widely depending on which outputs count. Within the U.S., we identify regions likely responsible for these spillovers, which reveals a pattern that suggests the government must trade off its ability to influence either the rate or direction of invention.
Sex-specific bias in helicopter surveys of elk: Sightability and dispersion effects

Sex-ratio data for adult elk (Cervus elaphus) collected from helicopters may be biased if males and females have different sighting probabilities. Sightability models can account for differential sightability if they are sex-specific or if sightability functions are the same for both sexes. I collected sightability data from a sample of radiocollared elk in Washington that included a large proportion of adult males to test 2 hypotheses about sightability: (1) male and female elk had equal sighting probabilities, and (2) the functional relationship between factors affecting sightability and the probability of sighting groups was the same for both sexes. I also tested the hypothesis that the spatial distribution of male and female elk was the same during experimental surveys. Using logistic regression modeling, 1 found that females were >9 times more likely to be seen than males during surveys. A multivariate logistic model containing the variables group size and overstory canopy closure explained sighting probabilities as well as models with more parameters. Sex was related (P < 0.001) to group sightability in univariate analyses, but the effect of sex was nonsignificant (P = 0.77) when group size and canopy closure were present in a multivariate model, indicating sex operated as a confounder but not an effect modifier. The spatial overlap of adult male and female elk in blocks of aerial sampling units was 67% during the sightability trials. The distribution of male and female elk among these blocks was related to sex (P≤0.05) and bivariate relocations from males and females were spatially distinguishable (P<0.001), indicating that males and females were spatially segregated. These results suggest that sightability models need not be sex-specific to reduce bias in sex-ratio data collected from helicopters. However, the spatial distribution of male and female elk during winter is a potential source of bias in helicopter surveys designed to yield accurate sex-ratio data if survey area boundaries are defined by the distribution of high-sightability groups, which are likely to be groups of females.
Biomass and nutrients in regenerating woody vegetation following whole-tree and conventional harvest in a northern mixed forest

Biomass and nutrient contents of regenerating woody plants and litter fall were measured after a northern mixed conifer–hardwood forest was harvested by conventional and whole-tree methods. Before harvest, the central Ontario study site was occupied by a 95-year-old pine (Pinusresinosa, P. strobus) and aspen (Populustremuloides, P. grandidentata) stand growing on gently rolling, gravel-free outwash sands. Four years after harvest, aspen abundance increased 100-fold in both harvested areas, with higher densities after whole-tree harvest (WTH) (4.1 stems/m2) than after conventional harvest (CH) (2.7 stems/m2). No self-thinning of aspen occurred between 2 and 4 years after harvest. Total aboveground woody biomass accumulated at 2.0 t•ha−1•year−1 in the WTH area and 1.5 t•ha−1•year−1 in the CH area; the preharvest rate was 2.0 t•ha−1•year−1. Peak autumn litter production occurred earlier in the harvested areas than in an adjacent uncut area. Cycling of N and K in litter fall returned to preharvest rates after.
Evaluating the Ecological Sustainability of a Ponderosa Pine Ecosystem on the Kaibab Plateau in Northern Arizona

This paper describes a process to evaluate the ecological sustainability of fire-adapted ecosystems, using a case study based on ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) forests. We evaluated ecological sustainability by: 1) using reference conditions and models to describe the historical range of natural variability; 2) using recent remote sensing-based mid-scale mapping of existing vegetation to describe current conditions; and 3) retooling the reference condition models to incorporate current natural and anthropogenic processes to project future conditions of ecosystems. Finally, we discuss a process for incorporating consequences of climate change. Using the Vegetation Dynamics Development Tool (VDDT), we constructed state-and-transition models (STM) for cold ponderosa pine bunchgrass systems of northern Arizona. We included historic and contemporary fire frequencies in the respective models, and integrated forest insect and disease events. For the contemporary model, we added anthropogenic transitions based on the types and frequencies of current management activities. We calculated the historic proportion of each vegetation state by averaging model outputs from multiple 1000 yr simulations. We summarized current conditions from remote-sensing based existing vegetation map data, and then used the contemporary model to generate out-year projections as expressions of current management practices. Finally, we generated ecological departure ratings based on disparities between current and historic conditions, and between projected and historic conditions. Our analysis indicated that fire suppression coupled with infrequent management activities contributed to already significant trends in departure from reference conditions. We concluded by recommending additional steps for evaluating the effects of climate change, as well as the effects of alternative management scenarios for addressing climate change issues.
Monitoring or Tunneling by Large Shareholders: Evidence from China Private Listed Companies

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to analyze the relationship between ownership concentration and company performance in China private listed companies.Design/methodology/approach: By taking into account of the difference of managerial positions of large shareholders in listed companies (whether they assume the posts as presidents or general managers), and based on the two agency theories, the paper analyzes the state dependency of the relationship between ownership concentration and the company performance of listed companies with the samples of China private listed companies from 2003 to 2011.Findings: The paper finds that if the large shareholders assume no posts in the listed companies, there is an inverted U shape relation between shareholding ratio of the largest shareholders and the company performance. This result indicates the inadequate or excessive monitoring to the companies by the large shareholders according to different shareholding ratios. If large shareholders assume posts in the listed companies, there is a U shape relation between shareholding ratio of the largest shareholders and the company performance. This result indicates the tunneling and propping to the small shareholders by the large shareholders according to different shareholding ratios.Research limitations/implications: This paper has not taken the influence of earnings management of the listed companies. Practical Implications: For strengthening the protection of investors, proper distinction shall be made among shareholders of different conditions, and difference of roles large shareholders play in the company under different conditions shall be understood correctly, so as to formulate and perfect market rules for corporate governance, rather than just restraining the power (rights) of large shareholders. The study in this paper is for helping understand the different roles large shareholders play under different corporate governance conditions.Originality/Value: First, different from the research paradigm of relationship between ownership concentration and company performance in existing literature, the paper discriminates the study background with the post-assuming conditions of large shareholders in listed companies and believes that relationship between ownership concentration and company performance shall be presented differently under different post-assuming conditions. Second, by using Monitoring Theory and Tunneling and Propping Theory to explain the behaviors of large shareholders under different post-assuming conditions respectively, a new theory explanation view is provided for explaining the relation between ownership concentration and company performance.
Effects of 2,3,7,8‐tetrachlorodibenzo‐p‐dioxin, 12‐O‐tetradecanoylphorbol‐13‐acetate and 17β‐estradiol on estrogen receptor regulation in MCF‐7 human breast cancer cells

2,3,7,8‐Tetrachlorodibenzo‐p‐dioxin (TCDD) exhibits remarkably potent antiestrogenic activity. To further elucidate the role of estrogen receptor (ER) regulation in this response, we examined the effects of exposure to TCDD in MCF‐7 human breast cancer cells on ER mRNA levels by using an RNase protection assay, on ER accumulation by using an ER immunocytochemical essay (ER‐ICA), and on ER function by competitive binding assays under conditions of saturating 17β‐estradiol (E2). Comparative studies were conducted with E2 and 12‐O‐tetradecanoylphorbol‐13‐acetate (TPA), as both compounds are known to suppress ER expression. Our results indicate that 1 nM E2 and 100 nM TPA both suppress ER mRNA levels as early as 4 h after exposure and to 33.6% and 16.5% of control levels, respectively, after 72 h. In contrast, no significant effect on ER mRNA levels was attributed to exposure to 10 nM TCDD. A greater than 50% reduction in positive staining was observed by ER‐ICA after 72 h exposure to 1 nM E2 and to 100 nM TPA, while only an 11% reduction in positive staining was observed with 10 nM TCDD. Specific binding of [3H]E2 under saturating conditions (10 nM E2) in whole cells was reduced by 50% in cultures exposed to 100 nM TPA, although no effect on binding was observed with exposure to 10 nM TCDD. In contrast, specific binding using subsaturating 1 nM [3H]E2 was depressed by 49% in MCF‐7 cells exposed to 10 nM TCDD for 72 h. This depression was inhibited by a 1‐h treatment with 5 μM α‐naphthoflavone, which inhibits TCDD‐induced, P450‐mediated, E2 metabolism, and subsequent E2 depletion. In conclusion, while TPA and E2 effectively down‐regulate ER expression, TCDD, under antiestrogenic conditions, has little if any effect on total ER levels in MCF‐7 cells, and thus ER modulation is probably not necessary for the suppression of estrogenic activity in MCF‐7 cells by TCDD. © 1996 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
IPO Pricing in the Dot-Com Bubble

IPO initial returns reached astronomical levels during 1999-2000. We show that the regime shift in initial returns and other elements of pricing behaviour can be at least partially accounted for by a variety of marked changes in pre-IPO ownership structure and insider selling behaviour over the period which reduced key decision-makers' incentives to control underpricing. After controlling for these changes, there appears to be little special about the 1999-2000 period, aside from the preponderance of Internet and high-tech firms going public. Our results suggest that it was firm characteristics that were unique during the 'dot-com bubble' and that pricing behaviour followed from incentives created by these characteristics.
Moneycracy

How do wage and other …financial bene…fits affect the set of candidates for political office? In this theoretical paper, we answer the question by studying self-selection into politics of individuals with heterogeneous skills and heterogeneous motivations. Our predictions are in line with the efficiency wage results proposed by the extant literature when a benchmark model with skills as the sole relevant characteristic of individuals is considered. Welfare is increasing in the politicians’wage since the best, i.e., high-skilled, individuals are attracted to politics only if their remuneration covers their high opportunity costs. Our findings are remarkably different when motivation is also taken into account. Welfare is not likely to be maximized when the politicians’wage is relatively high, for high-skilled individuals with market-oriented rather than public-spirited motivation are attracted. Finally, we provide an overview of the labor market of politicians in Europe and suggest that the Italian Parliament might be representative of our inefficiency wage mechanism, which we call moneycracy.
Determinants of Child Labor and School Attendance: The Role of Household Unobservables

We develop a semi-parametric latent class random effects multinomial logit model to distinguish between observed and unobserved household characteristics as determinants of child labor, school attendance and idleness. We find that much of the substitution between activities as a response to changes in covariates is between attending school and being idle, with work being rather resistant. Unobserved household heterogeneity is substantial and swamps observed income and wealth heterogeneity. A characterization of households into latent types reveals very different instrinsic propensities towards the three children’s activities and that households with a high propensity to send their children to school are poorer and have less educated parents compared to households in the other classes.