Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Is commercial state ownership tax neutral?

A pillar of the European Union’s single market is the prohibition of state aid: governments must not discriminate against some (cid:12)rms by oﬀering tax advantages to others. This study examines the tax neutrality of commercial state ownership in the European Union. It (cid:12)nds that commercial state-owned enterprises pay, on average, higher eﬀective tax rates than comparable private (cid:12)rms but react to tax rate increases similarly. A likely explanation for this (cid:12)nding is the budgetary importance of commercial state ownership, which makes governments force distributions from their commercial companies via tax payments. Additional results indicate that this eﬀect is not equally present in all member states
Subduction as a Smoothing Machine: How Multiscale Dissipation Relates Precursor Signals to Fault Geometry

Understanding the process of earthquake preparation is of utmost importance in mitigating the potential damage caused by seismic events. That is why the study of seismic precursors is fundamental. However, the community studying non-seismic precursors relies on measurements, methods, and theories that lack a causal relationship with the earthquakes they claim to predict, generating skepticism among classical seismologists. Nonetheless, in recent years, a group has emerged that seeks to bridge the gap between these communities by applying fundamental laws of physics, such as the application of the second law of thermodynamics in multiscale systems. These systems, characterized by describing irreversible processes, are described by a global parameter called thermodynamic fractal dimension, denoted as D. A decrease in D indicates that the system starts seeking to release excess energy on a macroscopic scale, increasing entropy. It has been found that the decrease in D prior to major earthquakes is related to the increase in the size of microcracks and the emission of electromagnetic signals in localized zones, as well as the decrease in the ratio of large to small earthquakes known as the b-value. However, it is still necessary to elucidate how D, which is also associated with the roughness of surfaces, relates to other rupture parameters such as residual energy, magnitude, or fracture energy. Hence, this work establishes analytical relationships among them. Particularly, it is found that larger magnitude earthquakes with higher residual energy are associated with smoother faults. This indicates that the pre-seismic processes, which give rise to both seismic and non-seismic precursor signals, must also be accompanied by changes in the geometric properties of faults. Therefore, it can be concluded that all types of precursors (seismic or non-seismic), changes in fault smoothness, and the occurrence of earthquakes are different manifestations of the same multiscale dissipative system.
The Effect of Delivery Matrix on Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis HN019 Survival through In Vitro Human Digestion

Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis HN019 is a probiotic with several documented human health benefits. Interest in probiotics has led to the development of new formats that probiotics, including HN019, can be supplemented into. In this study, we looked at common HN019 formats such as frozen culture and freeze-dried powder as well as supplementing it into the following food matrices: yogurts (dairy, soy, and oat based), xanthan gum-based tablets, pulpless orange juice, whey sports drink, and dark chocolate (70% cocoa). In this work, our aim was to investigate whether the food matrix that carried HN019 via simulated human digestion (a dual model system mimicking both upper and lower gastrointestinal digestion) influenced probiotic delivery. To that end, we validated and used a real-time qPCR assay to detect HN019 after simulated digestion. In addition, we also measured the effect on a panel of metabolites. After simulated digestion, we were able to detect HN019 from all the matrices tested, and the observed changes to the metabolite profile were consistent with those expected from the food matrix used. In conclusion, this work suggests that the food matrix supplemented with HN019 did not interfere with delivery to the colon via simulated human digestion.
Immunohistochemical Expression of Epithelial Cell Adhesion Molecule (EpCAM) in Salivary Gland Cancer: Correlation with the Biological Behavior

Salivary gland neoplasms comprise a diverse group of tumors with different biological behaviors and clinical outcomes. Understanding the underlying molecular alterations associated with these malignancies is critical for accurate diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment strategies. Among the many biomarkers under investigation, epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) has emerged as a promising candidate in salivary gland cancer research. This article aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the differential expression of EpCAM in salivary gland cancer and its potential correlation with the biological behavior of these tumors. The clinical characteristics of 65 patients with salivary gland malignancy of different histopathological subtypes were included. We report the differential expression of EpCAM and the relationship between the clinical and histopathologic features of these tumors. Regarding the evaluation of the effect of EpCAM expression on survival, in our study, we showed that tumors with high EpCAM expression had reduced disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) (p < 0.001) compared to patients with cancers with low EpCAM expression. In addition, the concurrent presence of perineural invasion and positive EpCAM expression appeared to be associated with shorter disease-free survival and overall survival. In conclusion, our study confirmed the prognostic value of detecting perineural invasion and EpCAM expression.
Distribution of Mountain Permafrost in the Daisetsu Mountains, Hokkaido, northern Japan

This study deals with the mapping and modelling the distribution of mountain permafrost in the Daisetsu Mountains, central Hokkaido, northern Japan. To these ends, the distribution and structure of permafrost were surveyed at a number of sites, covering a wide area. Simplified ground thermal prospecting methods including measurements of bottom temperature of snow cover (BTS), ground surface temperature monitoring through a year and shallow ground temperature (SGT) measurements were used together with DC resistivity sounding and imaging. With respect to the temporal BTS variations, three kinds of BTS evolution were recognized. Sites with a low BTS value were seen to correspond to areas where winter frost affects the ground thermal regimes, including direct cold heat penetration and subsurface lateral thermal flow during winter. The presence of permafrost was confirmed by DC resistivity soundings in the areas where low BTS values « -2.0 °C) were recorded. Extrapolating the thickness of permafrost layers estimated by previous studies and DC resistivity sounding at different altitudes, the lower limit of permafrost is considered to be at 1650 m ASL, where MAAT is estimated to be -2.0°C. This altitude is slightly higher than that estimated by Sone (1990), made on the basis of the analogy with circumpolar permafrost such as the lapse rate of air temperature and paIsa. Around the lower altitudinal limit, patches of permafrost were identified where thick peat prevents thermal penetration during the summer where the potential radiation is significantly reduced due to topographic shading and where the cold air concentrates due to ventilation within open-work blocky materials. SGT, year-round ground temperature monitoring and DC resistivity imaging were
A Burkholderia stabilis outbreak associated with the use of ultrasound gel in multiple healthcare centres in Montréal, Canada, May–October 2021

Background Burkholderia stabilis is a non-fermenting, gram-negative bacteria that has previously been implicated in multiple nosocomial outbreaks through the use of contaminated medical devices and substances. This article reports on an outbreak of B. stabilis infections and colonizations, involving 11 patients from five acute care hospitals in Montréal, Canada. Methods One sample was not available for testing, but the remaining 10 isolates (91%) were sent for phylogenetic testing. Medical materials and the patients’ environments were also sampled and cultured. Samples were tested using pulsed field gel electrophoresis and multilocus sequence typing. Results The outbreak was found to be associated with the use of intrinsically contaminated non-sterile ultrasound gel. Relatedness of the gel’s and the patients’ B. stabilis strains was demonstrated using gel electrophoresis and multilocus sequence typing analyses. The investigation was concluded with a prompt recall of the product, and the outbreak was declared over by the end of October 2021. Conclusion Contaminated non-sterile gel caused infections and pseudo-infections in several patients.
DISTRIBUIÇÃO E ABUNDÂNCIA DAS FAMÍLIAS LUCIFERIDAE E SERGESTIDAE (CRUSTACEA, DECAPODA, NATANTIA) NA BAÍA DE SEPETIBA, RIO DE JANEIRO, BRASIL

FUGIMURA, M.M.S.; OSHIRO, L.M. Y. ; SILVA, R. Distribution and abundance of Luciferidae and Sergestidae shrimps in Sepetiba Bay, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Revista Universidade Rural: Serie Ciencias da Vida, Seropedica, RJ: EDUR, v. 25, n. 2, p. xx-xx, jul.-dez. , 2005. The objetive of this work was to assess the abundance and spatio-temporal distribution of the holoplanktonic shrimp of the families Luciferidae and Sergestidae collected in the Sepetiba Bay. The plankton samples were obtained monthly between Mar/02 to Feb/03, in eight stations in Sepetiba Bay. Only two specimens of Acetes americanus and a total of 766 individuals of Lucifer faxoni were caught. A major concentration of L. faxoni occurred in the stations located in the entrance of Sepetiba Bay. The distribution of L. faxoni showed yearly, with a concentration peak during spring and summer.
What Is the Role of Ferroptosis in Neurodegeneration?

Ferroptosis is a unique form of programmed cell death pathway that is mechanistically different from necrosis, apoptosis, or autophagy.1 Ferroptosis is induced by reactive oxygen species (ROS) originating from multiple sources, especially accumulation of free intracellular divalent iron (Fe2+), leading to peroxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and resulting in membrane damage (Figure). One major trigger of ferroptosis is decreased availability of intracellular antioxidant enzymes, particularly glutathione peroxidases (GPXs). 1-7 Because of its high lipid concentration and oxygen consumption rate, the nervous tissue is extremely vulnerable to oxidative damage and ferroptosis. With aging, iron accumulates in the brain, which predisposes to and exacerbates these processes.8 Iron promotes ferroptosis both directly and as a cofactor required for the activity of enzymes mediating redox reactions and lipid peroxidation.9,10 Epigenetic regulation can determine cell sensitivity to ferroptosis by affecting intracellular iron levels, oxidative stress, and lipid metabolism.11 Ferroptosis affects all cell types in the nervous system, including neurons, glial cells, and pericytes.12 Microglia are the primary iron-accumulating cells in disease.13,14 Recent evidence indicates that iron-laden microglia have a critical role in ferroptosis associated with neurodegeneration.15 Studies in vitro, in experimental disease models, and in human brain tissue indicate that iron accumulation, oxidative stress, and lipid peroxidation are major disease mechanisms in a wide range of neurologic disorders. These studies also suggest that the different components of the ferroptosis pathway are potential targets for therapeutic intervention. The mechanisms of ferroptosis and its role in neurologic disorders have been the subject of several recent comprehensive reviews.7,8,16-21 Some of these concepts pertinent to neurodegeneration will be emphasized in this study.
Sample selection models with common endogeneity in the selection and outcome: revisiting the family gap

In this paper, we develop a fully parametric estimation procedure for unbalanced panel data models with unobserved e ﬀ ects that allow for a common binary endogenous variable in both the selection equation and the outcome equation. We study the problem in the framework of a switching regression model and obtain correction terms that account for sample selection and the common endogenous dummy simultaneously and describe a two-step estimation procedure. We test the ﬁnite sample properties of the estimator using Monte Carlo simulations and ﬁnd that our estimator performs better in the presence of high endogeneity and high sample selection compared to the estimators that ignore either or both of these issues. In addition, our estimator is also robust to distributional misspeciﬁcation. We apply our econometric methodology to estimate the e ﬀ ect of fertility decisions on wages for white women using the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 (NLSY79) data from 1982-2006.
Analysis and numerics of the chemical master equation

It is well known that many realistic mathematical models of biological and chemical systems, such as enzyme cascades and gene regulatory networks, need to include stochasticity. These systems can be described as Markov processes and are modelled using the Chemical Master Equation (CME). The CME is a differentialdifference equation (continuous in time and discrete in the state space) for the probability of a certain state at a given time. The state space is the population count of species in the system. A successful method for computing the CME is the Finite State Projection Method (FSP). The purpose of this literature is to provide methods to help enhance the computation speed of the CME. We introduce an extension to the FSP method called the Optimal Finite State Projection method (OFSP). The OFSP method keeps the support of the approximation close to the smallest theoretical size, which in turn reduces the computation complexity and increases speed-up. We then introduce the Parallel Finite State Projection method (PFSP), a method to distribute the computation of the CME over multiple cores, to allow the computation of systems with a large CME support. Finally, a method for estimating the support a priori is introduced, called the Gated One Reaction Domain Expansion (GORDE). GORDE is the first domain selection method in the CME literature which can guarantee that the support proposed by the method will give the desired FSP approximation error. To prove the accuracy and convergence of these three methods, we explore non-linear approximation theory and the theory of Chemical Master Equations via reaction counts. Using these tools, the proofs of the accuracy and convergence of the three methods are given. Some numerical implementations of the three methods are given to demonstrate experimental speed-up in computing an approximation of the CME.
The Internet in the Arab World: Egypt And Beyond (Digital Formations, V. 43)

The Internet in the Arab World: Egypt and Beyond is the first book to offer a comprehensive and up-to-date guide to the status of the Internet and its uses and effects in Egypt and the Arab world. Tackling the issue in a systematic, scientific manner, this book also examines Islamic online communications, online censorship, and Internet use by the civic society as an alternative channel for its mostly oppressed voices. This book is a valuable addition to the libraries of students, scholars, and anyone interested in information technologies and the Arab world.
Functional and Bioactive Properties of Wheat Protein Fractions: Impact of Digestive Enzymes on Antioxidant, α-Amylase, and Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibition Potential

This research aimed to determine the biofunctional properties of wheat flour (WF) protein fractions and modifications to the antioxidant, anti-α-amylase and anti-angiotensin-I converting enzyme (ACE) activities induced by the action of digestive endopeptidases in vitro. A molecular characterization of the most abundant protein fractions, i.e., albumins, glutelins-1, glutelins-2 and prolamins, showed that low- and high-MW polypeptides rich in cysteine, glutamic acid and leucine were present in albumins and glutelins, whereas low-MW subunits with a high proportion of polar amino acids prevailed in prolamins. Prolamins exhibited the second-highest water holding capacity (54%) after WF (84%), while albumins provided superior foam stability (76%). Prolamins, glutenins-1 and globulins demonstrated the highest antioxidant activity (up to 95%, 68% and 59%, respectively) both before and after hydrolysis with pepsin (P-H) or trypsin–chymotrypsin (TC-H). Prolamins, globulins and WF strongly inhibited α-amylase (>90%) before and after TC-H, and before P-H (55–71%). Moreover, P-H significantly increased α-amylase inhibition by albumins from 53 to 74%. The fractions with strong ACE inhibitory activity (70–89%) included prolamins and globulins after TC-H or P-H, as well as globulins before TC-H and WF before P-H. This novel evidence indicates that WF protein fractions and their peptide-enriched P and TC hydrolysates are excellent sources of multifunctional bioactives with antioxidant, antihyperglycemic and antihypertensive potential.
In vitro assessment of growth kinetics and differentiation potential of bone marrow derived mesenchymal and fetal fibroblast cells of caprine

The present study assessed comparative growth kinetics and differentiation potential of mesenchymal and fetal fibroblast cells of goats in vitro. The mesenchymal cells were isolated from bone marrow and fibroblasts were obtained from skin of 3–4 months old fetus. During culture, more than 99% viability of both cell groups indicated optimum culture conditions for in vitro experiments. The population doubling time (PDT) of BM-MSCs and FFCs were similar at third (18.25±0.05 and 18.41±0.07) and seventh (19.61±0.06 and 19.68±0.12) passages. But at 12th passage, FFCs cells had a significantly higher PDT (35.77±0.68 vs 32.063±1.0) as compared to BM-MSCs. Both groups of cells showed a characteristic sigmoid curve on plotting cell concentration verses days of culture. The stem cell like property was exhibited by BM-MSCs by differentiating into osteoblast, chondrocytes and adipocytes under specific media, which were further confirmed by specific staining of cells. Also, the BM-MSCs showed colonogenic property by forming different number of clones at third (60.5±0.59), seventh (56.6±0.5) and 12th (33.4±0.45) passages. The fetal fibroblast cells did not exhibit colonogenic and differentiation potentials. This study concluded that although BM-MSCs and FFCs shared similar morphology and growth kinetics during initial passages but FFCs does not exhibit the stem cell like properties in terms of differentiation potency.
Matrix Approach to Accelerate Spin‐Up of CLM5

Numerical models have been developed to investigate and understand responses of biogeochemical cycle to global changes. Steady state, when a system is in dynamic equilibrium, is generally required to initialize these model simulations. However, the spin‐up process that is used to achieve steady state pose a great burden to computational resources, limiting the efficiency of global modeling analysis on biogeochemical cycles. This study introduces a new Semi‐Analytical Spin‐Up (SASU) to tackle this grand challenge. We applied SASU to Community Land Model version 5 and examined its computational efficiency and accuracy. At the Brazil site, SASU is computationally 7 times more efficient than (or saved up to 86% computational cost in comparison with) the traditional native dynamics (ND) spin‐up to reach the same steady state. Globally, SASU is computationally 8 times more efficient than the accelerated decomposition spin‐up and 50 times more efficient than ND. In summary, SASU achieves the highest computational efficiency for spin‐up on site and globally in comparison with other spin‐up methods. It is generalizable to wide biogeochemical models and thus makes computationally costly studies (e.g., parameter perturbation ensemble analysis and data assimilation) possible for a better understanding of biogeochemical cycle under climate change.
Generation and Transport of Vorticity and Effects on Mean Surface Currents: Wave Averaged and Wave Resolving Formulations

Abstract : Our long term goal is to understand the mechanisms controlling the intensity and spatial distribution of vortical structures, such as eddies and rip currents, evolving in the surfzone, and to understand how these flow features influence time-averaged currents, sediment transport and wave statistics. Recent computations (Kirby et al, 2003a, b) have shown that computations of shear waves using either wave-averaged circulation models on the one hand, or wave-resolving Boussinesq models on the other hand, can predict very different nearshore circulation patterns when configured similarly and applied to the same field cases. This discrepancy is troubling, in that a clear basis has not been established for determining which results are typically closer to observed field conditions. In order to resolve this issue, we plan to perform comparisons of model runs for a number of time periods from the SandyDuck field experiment, and compare results to both array measurements of long-shore and cross-shore velocities as well as Doppler Sonar measurements of the study area, which provide more information on the spatial structure of flow features.
Professional Accountability of Caring for Patients with COVID-19: A Phenomenographic Study

The purpose of this study was to explore nurses’ care experiences for COVID-19 patients during the pandemic in Taiwan. The qualitative approach of phenomenography was used. Thirty-four nurses were recruited from two assigned hospitals in which COVID-19 patients were treated in Taiwan from July to May 2021. The method of data collection in the study involved a semi-structured interview and drawing. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Phenomenographic analysis was used to analyze the qualitative data. Four categories of description of experiences of caring for COVID-19 patients were identified: facing uncountable stresses from all sides, strict implementation of infection control interventions to provide safe care, confronting ethical dilemmas and making difficult decisions, and reflecting on the meaning of care in nursing. Professional accountability was the core theme found to represent the central meaning of nurses caring for COVID-19 patients. Nurses were under enormous stress while caring for COVID-19 patients during the pandemic and were negatively affected physically, psychologically, and socially. Professional accountability in caring for COVID-19 patients can be enhanced through adequate support from nursing managers and by in-service training designed to update knowledge and skills related to infection control intervention.