Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Intertrial Intervals Impair Water Maze Performance in Old Fischer 344 Rats

Male and female Fischer 344 rats (N = 55) aged approximately 18,21, and 24 months were tested for spatial learning in the water maze with intertrial intervals of 1-4 min (Massed) or 23-33 min (Spaced). Animals tested in the Massed condition showed an age-related impairment on trials to criterion; rats aged 24 months performed more poorly than younger subjects. Spaced animals did not differ at any age nor did they differ from 18or 21-month-old Massed subjects. The youngest rats in both groups were comparable to animals aged 7-8 months tested under Massed conditions. Tests on swim distance, swim speed, and escape latency produced similar results. Our data suggest that acquisition deficits in 24-month-old rats tested with long intertrial intervals are due at least in part to increased susceptibility to fatigue and/or thermal stress. Caution should be used, therefore, when interpreting age-related impairments in water maze performance.
Small states, islands and small states that are also islands

In recent years there has been considerable research attention directed at understanding the economic performance of sovereign very small states, many of which are also islands. This paper reviews the theoretical and conceptual arguments concerning the different challenges which small states and island economies face within an increasingly globalised system. The empirical evidence drawn from previous research by the authors stands in direct contrast to the theoretical literature. Very small states are shown to have performed generally very well and their economic performance is as good as, and often better, than that of larger states. Interestingly, whether a very small state is an island or not appears to have virtually no influence upon subsequent economic performance. The paper concludes with a comparison of very small states and non-sovereign island economies within Western Europe. Sovereign small states (whether islands or not) generally perform better than their non-sovereign island counterparts in Western Europe. The pattern is not, however, a uniform one. Some non-sovereign islands in Western Europe, particularly those able to develop summer vacation tourism activity have performed well.
DISTRIBUTION OF THE F-SPREAD OCCURRENCE PROBABILITY IN THE MAIN IONOSPHERIC TROUGH REGION FOR THE WINTER MIDNIGHT CONDITIONS

The global distribution (in both hemispheres, at all longitudes) of the occurrence probability, P, of the F-spread at F2-layer maximum height is built. About 5000 topside ionograms obtained on board of the Intercosmos-19 satellite in a period of the high solar activity for the two winter solstices 1979-1981 around the midnight (22-02 LT) were used. The latitudinal-longitudinal variations in the F-spread occurrence probability were investigated. An analysis shows that longitudinal variations in P in the first approximation anticorrelate with foF2 variations, both in the winter and summer conditions. As a result the longitudinal sectors stand out where P is a maximum in a broad belt of the latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere (60-90°E) and in the Southern one (~300°E), and P is a minimum at mid-latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere (~300°E) and in the Southern one (180-210°E). The latitudinal variations in P show a local peak in a minimum of the main ionospheric trough in the Northern (winter) hemisphere. A comparison of the Intercosmos-19 data with the ground-based stations data was carried out. The reasons of the revealed F-spread occurrence features are discussed.
Endogenous Appropriability

The appropriability of innovation depends not only on the instruments available to an innovator to protect private returns, but how those instruments interact with each other as part of the firm’s entrepreneurial strategy. We consider the interplay between two appropriability mechanisms available to start-up innovators: control, whereby the innovator earns rents from their establishment of formal intellectual property rights, versus execution, whereby innovators earn returns through a first-mover advantage that yields dynamic benefits allowing the firm to “get ahead, stay ahead. ” While most prior work has taken these instruments to be independent, we establish that these two alternative appropriability instruments are substitutes on the margin. For example, if the learning advantage from execution is sufficiently high, an entrepreneur might choose not to invest in a patent, even if intellectual property protection is costless. Moreover, the endogenous choice between control and execution is interdependent with other strategic choices of start-up innovators, such as the choice to pursue a narrow or broad customer segment, or whether to commercialize a “minimal viable product” version of their innovation versus delay commercialization until a product is available with a higher level of technical functionality and reliability.
Impaired NLRP3 inflammasome activation/pyroptosis leads to robust inflammatory cell death via caspase-8/RIPK3 during coronavirus infection

Coronaviruses have caused several zoonotic infections in the past two decades, leading to significant morbidity and mortality globally. Balanced regulation of cell death and inflammatory immune responses is essential to promote protection against coronavirus infection; however, the underlying mechanisms that control these processes remain to be resolved. Here we demonstrate that infection with the murine coronavirus mouse hepatitis virus (MHV) activated the NLRP3 inflammasome and inflammatory cell death in the form of PANoptosis. Deleting NLRP3 inflammasome components or the downstream cell death executioner gasdermin D (GSDMD) led to an initial reduction in cell death followed by a robust increase in the incidence of caspase-8– and receptor-interacting serine/threonine-protein kinase 3 (RIPK3)–mediated inflammatory cell deathafter coronavirus infection. Additionally, loss of GSDMD promoted robust NLRP3 inflammasome activation. Moreover, the amounts of some cytokines released during coronavirus infection were significantly altered in the absence of GSDMD. Altogether, our findings show that inflammatory cell death, PANoptosis, is induced by coronavirus infection and that impaired NLRP3 inflammasome function or pyroptosis can lead to negative consequences for the host. These findings may have important implications for studies of coronavirus-induced disease.
A global meta-analysis of livestock grazing impacts on soil properties

Grazing effects on soil properties under different soil and environmental conditions across the globe are often controversial. Therefore, it is essential to evaluate the overall magnitude and direction of the grazing effects on soils. This global meta-analysis was conducted using the mixed model method to address the overall effects of grazing intensities (heavy, moderate, and light) on 15 soil properties based on 287 papers published globally from 2007 to 2019. Our findings showed that heavy grazing significantly increased the soil BD (11.3% relative un-grazing) and PR (52.5%) and reduced SOC (-10.8%), WC (-10.8%), NO3- (-23.5%), and MBC (-27.9%) at 0–10 cm depth, and reduced SOC (-22.5%) and TN (-19.9%) at 10–30 cm depth. Moderate grazing significantly increased the BD (7.5%), PR (46.0%), and P (18.9%) (0–10 cm), and increased pH (4.1%) and decreased SOC (-16.4%), TN (-10.6%), and P (-23.9%) (10–30 cm). Light grazing significantly increased the SOC (10.8%) and NH4+ (28.7%) (0–10 cm). Heavy grazing showed much higher mean probability (0.70) leading to overgrazing than the moderate (0.14) and light (0.10) grazing. These findings indicate that, globally, compared to un-grazing, heavy grazing significantly increased soil compaction and reduced SOC, NO3-, and soil moisture. Moderate grazing significantly increased soil compaction and alkalinity and reduced SOC and TN. Light grazing significantly increased SOC and NH4+. Cattle grazing impacts on soil compaction, SOC, TN, and available K were higher than sheep grazing, but lower for PR. Climate significantly impacted grazing effects on SOM, TN, available P, NH4+, EC, CEC, and PR. Heavy grazing can be more detrimental to soil quality based on BD, SOC, TN, C: N, WC, and K than moderate and light grazing. However, global grazing intensities did not significantly impact most of the 15 soil properties, and the grazing effects on them had insignificant changes over the years.
Expansion of Gamma Delta T Cells - A Short Review on Bisphosphonate and K562-Based Methods

Page 6 of 12 Expansion of Gamma Delta T Cells – A Short Review on Bisphosphonate and K562-Based Methods Wee Kiat Tan1, Johan CK Tay2, Jieming Zeng3, Min Zheng4, Shu Wang2,3* 1Tessa Therapeutics, Pte Ltd., Singapore 239351 2Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117543 3Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, Singapore 138669 4Department of Dermatology, Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University, School of Medicine, China 310009
Characterizing vortex tangle properties in steady-state He II counterflow using particle tracking velocimetry

Historically, there is little faith in particle tracking velocimetry (PTV) as a tool to make quantitative measurements of thermal counterflow in He II, since tracer particle motion is complicated by influences from the normal fluid, superfluid, and quantized vortex lines, or a combination thereof. Recently, we introduced a scheme for differentiating particles trapped on vortices (G1) from particles entrained by the normal fluid (G2). In this paper, we apply this scheme to demonstrate the utility of PTV for quantitative measurements of vortex dynamics in He II counterflow. We estimate $\ell$, the mean vortex line spacing, using G2 velocity data, and $c_2$, a parameter related to the mean curvature radius of vortices and energy dissipation in quantum turbulence, using G1 velocity data. We find that both estimations show good agreement with existing measurements that were obtained using traditional experimental methods. This is of particular consequence since these parameters likely vary in space, and PTV offers the advantage of spatial resolution. We also show a direct link between power-law tails in transverse particle velocity probability density functions (PDFs) and reconnection of vortex lines on which G1 particles are trapped.
Foreign ownership and novelty of product innovations in China

This paper examines a relationship between foreign ownership and innovation novelty in the context of host advanced developing economies. The analysis is focused on two dimensions of product innovation novelty, the novelty of introduced innovations and the economic benefits from introduced novelty. We find that foreign affiliates do not have higher odds than domestic firms to introduce product innovations of higher novelty. Indeed, the findings indicate that the higher odds of foreign firms of introducing innovations of higher novelty are moderated by exploitation of ownership advantages and by a host market orientation. However, we find that foreign affiliates have higher odds to capture higher economic benefits from product innovations of higher novelty than domestic firms. Hence, although foreign affiliates are not higher up on an innovation novelty ladder than domestic firms, they replenish their product and innovation portfolio with innovations of higher novelty at a faster rate than domestic firms.
The Effect of the Special Cognitive-Behavioral Intervention on the Commitment to Exercise and Adherence to the Exercise Routine

Background. Although most people are aware of the advantages of physical exercise, they fail to adhere to a regular routine of exercise, which necessitates this intervention. Objectives. In this study, by controlling the moderating role of the variable of commitment to exercise, the effect of a special cognitive-behavioral intervention on the commitment and adherence to an exercise routine has been investigated in adults. Methods. The statistical population for this study comprises 635 people with over 10 years' professional experience. Of this number, 235 were selected. Then, 80 employees were randomly assigned to two groups, experimental and control, with 40 members each. The experimental group was trained in cognitive-behavioral therapy for four months over 14 sessions. To collect the data on commitment and adherence to the exercise routine, a questionnaire was used. Results. When the effect of the pretest variable on the dependent variable was adjusted, it was observed that there is a significant difference (p<0.01) between the means of the scores for commitment to exercise and adherence to exercise routine. The covariance test revealed that the difference in the adherence to exercise routine in both the experimental and control groups, after controlling the effects of commitment to exercise, was not significant (p<0.05). Conclusion. The findings show that adherence to exercise routine can be improved in people by cognitive-behavioral intervention, using the moderating role of the variable of commitment to exercise and eliminating the gap between the intention to exercise and commitment to exercise. Therefore, counselors and therapists can use the cognitive-behavioral intervention protocol to improve the commitment to exercise and adherence to exercise routine.
The natural history of type 2 Gaucher disease in the 21st century

Objective To gather natural history data to better understand the changing course of type 2 Gaucher disease (GD2) in order to guide future interventional protocols. Methods A structured interview was conducted with parents of living or deceased patients with GD2. Retrospective information obtained included disease presentation, progression, medical and surgical history, medications, family history, management, complications, and cause of death, as well as the impact of disease on families. Results Data from 23 patients were analyzed (20 deceased and 3 living), showing a mean age at death of 19.2 months, ranging from 3 to 55 months. Fourteen patients were treated with enzyme replacement therapy, 2 were treated with substrate reduction therapy, and 3 underwent bone marrow transplantation. Five patients received ambroxol and one was on N-acetylcysteine, both considered experimental treatments. Fifteen patients had gastrostomy tubes placed; 10 underwent tracheostomies. Neurologic disease manifestations included choking episodes, myoclonic jerks, autonomic dysfunction, apnea, seizures, and diminished blinking, all of which worsened as disease progressed. Conclusions Current available therapies appear to prolong life but do not alter neurologic manifestations. Despite aggressive therapeutic interventions, GD2 remains a progressive disorder with a devastating prognosis that may benefit from new treatment approaches.
A potential role for a novel ZC3H5 complex in regulating mRNA translation in Trypanosoma brucei

In Trypanosoma brucei and related kinetoplastids, gene expression regulation occurs mostly posttranscriptionally. Consequently, RNA-binding proteins play a critical role in the regulation of mRNA and protein abundance. Yet, the roles of many RNA-binding proteins are not understood. Our previous research identified the RNA-binding protein ZC3H5 as possibly involved in gene repression, but its role in controlling gene expression was unknown. We here show that ZC3H5 is an essential cytoplasmic RNA-binding protein. RNAi targeting ZC3H5 causes accumulation of precytokinetic cells followed by rapid cell death. Affinity purification and pairwise yeast two-hybrid analysis suggest that ZC3H5 forms a complex with three other proteins, encoded by genes Tb927.11. 4900, Tb927.8. 1500, and Tb927.7. 3040. RNA immunoprecipitation revealed that ZC3H5 is preferentially associated with poorly translated, low-stability mRNAs, the 5′-untranslated regions and coding regions of which are enriched in the motif (U/A)UAG(U/A). As previously found in high-throughput analyses, artificial tethering of ZC3H5 to a reporter mRNA or other complex components repressed reporter expression. However, depletion of ZC3H5 in vivo caused only very minor decreases in a few targets, marked increases in the abundances of very stable mRNAs, an increase in monosomes at the expense of large polysomes, and appearance of “halfmer” disomes containing two 80S subunits and one 40S subunit. We speculate that the ZC3H5 complex might be implicated in quality control during the translation of suboptimal open reading frames.
Mixed Self-Assembled Monolayers of Highly Polar Rigid Biphenyl Thiols

Mixed self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of 4‘-nitro-4-mercaptobiphenyl (I) and 4‘-(dimethylamino)-4-mercaptobiphenyl (III) have been compared with that of 4‘-nitro-4-mercaptobiphenyl (I) and 4‘-methylmercapto-4-mercaptobiphenyl (II). The composition of the mixed SAMs was determined by external reflection Fourier transform infrared (ER−FTIR) spectroscopy and showed that both the magnitude and direction of dipole moment determined the final composition of mixed SAMs. In toluene, with a dielectric constant of 2.4, a significant enhancement dipolar interaction is observed. The composition of mixed SAMs of I and II showed a plateau at 40% surface concentration of I. These results can be explained by simple calculation based on the Hammett equation. The experimental results indicate that the equilibrium concentration of the two components in the mixed SAMI/II, in a nonpolar solvent, is driven by the formation of a two-dimensional assembly with zero net dipole moment.
Dietary fiber intake and risk factors for cardiovascular disease in French adults 1–3

Background: Increased consumption of dietary fiber is widely recommended to maintain or improve health, but knowledge of the relation between dietary fiber sources and cardiovascular disease risk factors is limited. Objective: We examined the relation between the source or type of dietaryfiberintakeandcardiovasculardiseaseriskfactorsinacohortofadultmenandwomen. Design: In a cross-sectional study, quintiles of fiber intake were determined from dietary records, separately for 2532 men and 3429 women. Age- and multivariate-controlled logistic models investi-gated the odds ratios of abnormal markers for quintiles 2-5 of fiber intake compared with the lowest quintile. Results: The highest total dietary fiber and nonsoluble dietary fiber intakes were associated with a significantly ( P (cid:1) 0.05) lower risk of overweight and elevated waist-to-hip ratio, blood pressure, plasma apolipoprotein (apo) B, apo B:apo A-I, cholesterol, triacylglycerols, and homocysteine. Soluble dietary fiber was less effective. Fiber from cereals was associated with a lower body mass index, blood pressure, and homocysteine concentration; fiber from vegetables with a lower blood pressure and homocysteine concentration; and fiber from fruit with a lower waist-to-hip ratio and blood pressure. Fiber from dried fruit or nuts and seeds was associated with a lower body mass index, waist-to-hip ratio, and fasting apo B and glucose concentrations. Fiber from pulses had no specific effect. Conclusion: Dietaryfiberintakeisinverselycorrelatedwithseveral cardiovascular disease risk factors in both sexes, which supports its protective role against cardiovascular disease and recommendations for its increased consumption. Am J Nutr data show that total dietary fiber intakes (cid:2) 25 g provide a significantly reduced risk of elevated BMI, waist-to-hip ratio, plasma cholesterol, and hypertension—4
Multiple existence and linear stability of equilibrium balls in a nonlinear free boundary problem

This paper studies construction and linear stability of spherical interfaces in an equilibrium state in a two-phase boundary problem arising in activator-inhibitor models in chemistry. By studying the linearized eigenvalue problem near a given equilibrium ball, we show that the eigenvalues with nonnegative real parts are all real, and that they are characterized as values of a strictly convex function for specific discrete values of its argument. The stability is determined by the location of the zero points of this convex function. Using this fact, we present a criterion of stability in a useful form. We show examples and illustrate that stable equilibrium balls and unstable ones coexist near saddle-node bifurcation points in the bifurcation diagram, and a given equilibrium ball located far from bifurcation points is unstable and the eigenfunction associated with the largest eigenvalue consists of spherically harmonic functions of high degrees.
LOCAL ALIGNMENT OF MARKOV CHAINS BY NIELS

We consider local alignments without gaps of two independent Markov chains from a finite alphabet, and we derive sufficient conditions for the number of essentially different local alignments with a score exceeding a high threshold to be asymptotically Poisson distributed. From the Poisson approximation a Gumbel approximation of the maximal local alignment score is obtained. The results extend those obtained by Dembo, Karlin and Zeitouni [Ann. Probab. 22 (1994) 2022–2039] for independent sequences of i.i. d. variables.
econstor Make Your Publications Visible . A Service of zbw

The market for derivatives with payoffs contingent on the credit quality of a number of reference entities has grown considerably over recent years. The risk analysis and valuation of such multi-name structures often relies on simulating the performance of the underlying credits. In this paper we discuss the simulation of correlated unpredictable default arrival times. Our algorithm is based on the compensator of default. We construct this compensator explicitly in a multi-firm structural model with correlated defaults and imperfect asset and default threshold observation. It is shown how the model parameters can be estimated from readily available equity and single-name credit derivatives market data.
Precision Agriculture in China: Exploring Awareness, Understanding, Attitudes and Perceptions of Agricultural Experts and End-Users in China

Precision agriculture (PA) may improve the sustainability of Chinese agriculture. Ten experts were interviewed and 34 farm workers surveyed regarding their understanding, attitudes and perceptions towards PA. PA technologies were considered inaccessible, unsuitable and unnecessary for smaller farms. High cost, lack of perceived benefits, and skills and capability required to adopt PA represented barriers to adoption. Financial incentives/subsidies, the need for tangible benefits and tailored solutions to be demonstrated to farmers, and agronomic and peer support were desired. Future research should further explore PA with Chinese stakeholders and end-users in China, to inform future socio-technological developments.
Effects of steam-exploded wood as an insoluble dietary fiber source on the performance characteristics of broilers

Effects of modified insoluble fiber originating from steam-exploded Quercus mongolica were studied relative to growth performance, blood parameters, intestinal morphology, and other intestinal characteristics in poultry broilers. First, the effect of steam-explosion on physicochemical properties of insoluble fiber from Q. mongolica was investigated. Steam-explosion (severity factor Log (Ro) = 3.94) was found to increase the physical properties (water-holding capacity, oil-holding capacity, and swelling capacity) of Q. mongolica chip to different extents. Effects of feeding different concentrations of steam-exploded Q. mongolica on performance characteristics of broilers were investigated. Experimental diets of broilers consisted of a control diet (free of steam-exploded Q. mongolica), and four diets containing 0.5% to 2.0% steam-exploded Q. mongolica (severity factor Log (Ro) = 3.94). A diet containing 1.0% steam-exploded Q. mongolica promoted broiler growth performance (body weight (858.9 g) and improved blood characteristics (130.0 mg/dL), intestinal morphology (V:C ratio 7.50), and organ weights (length of intestine 17.6 cm/100 g body weight).