Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Medición del insider trading en el mercado de valores español

RESUMEN El insider trading o uso de información privilegiada en el ejercicio de operaciones bursátiles es un tema de rotunda actualidad, tanto en el contexto de los mercados de valores como en el de la investigación financiera. Distintos episodios de reciente actualidad hacen más preciso conocer a fondo qué se entiende por insider trading y cómo prevenirlo. El presente trabajo trata de ofrecer mecanismos para medir la actividad negociadora de los insiders. Para ello se centra en el análisis de las distintas medidas recogidas en la literatura financiera para representar el insider trading, analizando su sentido y dando cifras para el mercado español de cara a conocer el verdadero comportamiento de los insiders en nuestro mercado. Se trata de la primera evidencia en este sentido para el mercado español, pero además ofrece algunas innovaciones respecto a los estudios para otros mercados. Nuestros resultados se expresan a favor del uso de mediciones del insider trading en las que el ratio volumen de compras menos ventas realizadas por insiders se estandariza por distintas variables, entre las que cabe destacar el tamaño de la empresa y el ratio beneficio por acción.
Occurrence of Two Sucrose Synthase Isozymes during Maturation of Japanese Pear Fruit

Additional index words. enzyme purification, fruit ripening, isozyme of sucrose synthase, sucrose metabolism Abstract. The properties of sucrose synthase (SS) isozymes partially purified from immature fruit (SS I) of Japanese pear (Pyrus serotina Rehder var. culta Rehder) were different than those of mature fruit (SS II). A clear difference in elusion pattern during DEAE-cellulose chromatography was observed, although the apparent molecular weight of the native proteins extracted from both stages was 350 kD. The Km value of SS II for UDP was similar to that for UDP-glucose; while with SS I, the Km for UDP was lower than that for UDP-glucose. This suggests that SS II activity favors sucrose synthesis compared with SS I, which favors sucrose cleavage. The optimum pH for activity toward sucrose synthesis was 8.0 for SS II and 8.5 to 9.5 for SS I. SS II from mature fruit may be an isozyme of SS occurring during periods of rapid sucrose accumulation, while SS I from immature fruit is more similar to the typical SS which functions mainly toward sucrose cleavage in many plants.
Frost Dehardening and Rehardening of Hydrangea macrophylla Stems and Buds

Hydrangea macrophylla is a popular and commercially important flowering shrub, but frost injury of buds and current-year shoots is a common problem in some of its cultivars. As a result of climate warming, temperate winters are becoming pro- gressively milder, and temperature patterns are becoming increasingly irregular with an increased frequency of warm spells. Warm spells may induce premature dehardening, increasingtheriskofsubsequentfreezinginjuries.Thisstudyinvestigatedcold-hardiness of stems and buds of Hydrangea macrophylla ssp. macrophylla (Thunb.) Ser. 'Alma' during dehardening in response to simulated warm spells and subsequent rehardening in January and early March. Plants were acclimated in the field and dehardened in the greenhouse at controlled warm temperatures for various durations. Dehardened plants were rehardened for up to 12 days in an unheated greenhouse (January) or in the field (March). Buds of H. macrophylla were slightly less cold-hardy than stems. In both stems and buds, the dehardening resistance and the rate of dehardening were influenced by temperature, but buds appeared to be less resistant to dehardening and dehardened faster than stems. In stems, dehardening proceeded faster in March than in January, and the capacity of the stems to reharden seemed reduced, indicating that both dehardening and rehardening were influenced by the progression of winter. Results of this study indicate that buds of H. macrophylla are more sensitive to frost injury than stems and the vulnerability of stems to frost injuries, caused by an unstable temperature regime, changes during the winter season.
Digital Image Analysis of Sweetpotato Storage Roots in Herbicide Trials

Digital image analysis (DIA) was evaluated for use in assessing size and shape attributes of sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam. ) storage roots in herbicide studies. Digital image files of U.S. no. 1 storage roots were taken using a digital camera. Image analysis was performed using a publicly available software package. Eight size and shape attributes were measured and subjected to univariate and multivariate procedures. DIA revealed differences for storage root width and roundness attributes. Principal component analysis suggested that storage root length, width, and roundness best described the variability of the storage root sample. The results demonstrate the potential use of DIA in augmenting data from sweetpotato herbicide trials as well as other investigations that require information about storage root size and shape responses.
De novo sequencing of Bletilla striata (Orchidaceae) transcriptome and identification of genes involved in polysaccharide biosynthesis

Abstract Bletilla striata polysaccharide (BSP) is the main component of Bletilla striata, which has important pharmacological and pharmacological effects; however, due to the lack of genetic data, the metabolic pathways of BSP remain unclear. For this study, 11 representative resources of B. striata were analyzed, and the BSP contents of the different samples were significantly different; however, the monosaccharide composition of BSP was glucose and mannose. The representative samples were selected to observe their life history in situ, which were then divided and cultured in a greenhouse. Finally, samples from various organs of different plants were combined for transcriptome sequencing using the Illumina system. Our results summarized the BSP metabolic pathway, and we found that there were eight enzyme genes involved in biosynthesis, but these genes showed tissue specificity. Following qRT-PCR validation and comparative analysis, manA showed the highest expression; however, there were significant differences between the two germplasm resources in which the BSP content was significantly different, while UGP2, GPI, PMM, and GMPP had significant differences between the two samples. In summary, this study lays the foundation for further research into BSP metabolism and other physiological processes at the molecular level.
Roles of Delayed Repolarization and Altered Calcium Handling in Determining Regional Arrhythmia Propensity Under Conditions of Reduced Inward-Rectifier Potassium Current

Andersen-Tawil syndrome Type 1 (ATS1) is a disorder linked to a loss of function of the inward rectifier current IK1. Such a reduction in repolarization reserve has an established link with heterogeneous action potential duration (APD) prolongation. This in turn can serve as a substrate for reentrant arrhythmias. While APD prolongation and increased dispersion have been reported in pharmacological models of ATS1 they have not been linked with arrhythmogenesis. APD prolongation secondary to reduced IK1 can increase Ca entry into myocytes. The resultant accumulation of cytosolic Ca has been linked with ventricular ectopies which can trigger arrhythmias. Indeed this mechanism of arrhythmogeneis has been proposed in ATS1 based on previous in silico and ex vivo studies. However, ATS1associated cytosolic Ca overload and increased arrhythmia propensity has not been demonstrated in tissue preparations. The overall goal of this research was to characterize the factors that underlie arrhythmia propensity in a pharmacological model of ATS1. To this end we performed two studies. The first study analyzed APD gradients to determine whether they were sufficient for induction of reentrant arrhythmias. The results indicated they were not. However, this study revealed increased arrhythmia propensity which correlated with cytosolic Ca overload. Therefore, the second study focused on Ca handling and showed that ectopic activity originated from regions of higher Na/Ca exchanger
Association of a Polygenic Risk Score With Breast Cancer Among Women Carriers of High- and Moderate-Risk Breast Cancer Genes

Key Points Question Are polygenic risk scores associated with changes in breast cancer risks for individuals with a pathogenic variant in moderate-risk breast cancer genes? Findings In this case-control study of 9802 women carrying pathogenic variants of breast cancer genes, an 86–single-nucleotide variation score was associated with breast cancer risk in each of the tested carrier populations. Stratification was more pronounced for noncarriers and CHEK2 pathogenic variant carriers than for BRCA1 or BRCA2 pathogenic variant carriers, with ATM and PALB2 pathogenic variant carriers being intermediate between those groups. Meaning Theses findings suggest that the 86–single-nucleotide variation score may modify risk for carriers of BRCA1, BRCA2, CHEK2, ATM, and PALB2 pathogenic variants.
Characterizing the Mechanism of Action of an Ancient Antimicrobial, Manuka Honey, against Pseudomonas aeruginosa Using Modern Transcriptomics

The threat of antimicrobial resistance to human health has prompted interest in complex, natural products with antimicrobial activity. Honey has been an effective topical wound treatment throughout history, predominantly due to its broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity. Unlike traditional antibiotics, honey-resistant bacteria have not been reported; however, honey remains underutilized in the clinic in part due to a lack of understanding of its mechanism of action. Here, we demonstrate that honey affects multiple processes in bacteria, and this is not explained by its major antibacterial components. Honey also uniquely affects bacterial membranes, and this can be exploited for combination therapy with antibiotics that are otherwise ineffective on their own. We argue that honey should be included as part of the current array of wound treatments due to its effective antibacterial activity that does not promote resistance in bacteria. ABSTRACT Manuka honey has broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity, and unlike traditional antibiotics, resistance to its killing effects has not been reported. However, its mechanism of action remains unclear. Here, we investigated the mechanism of action of manuka honey and its key antibacterial components using a transcriptomic approach in a model organism, Pseudomonas aeruginosa. We show that no single component of honey can account for its total antimicrobial action, and that honey affects the expression of genes in the SOS response, oxidative damage, and quorum sensing. Manuka honey uniquely affects genes involved in the explosive cell lysis process and in maintaining the electron transport chain, causing protons to leak across membranes and collapsing the proton motive force, and it induces membrane depolarization and permeabilization in P. aeruginosa. These data indicate that the activity of manuka honey comes from multiple mechanisms of action that do not engender bacterial resistance. IMPORTANCE The threat of antimicrobial resistance to human health has prompted interest in complex, natural products with antimicrobial activity. Honey has been an effective topical wound treatment throughout history, predominantly due to its broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity. Unlike traditional antibiotics, honey-resistant bacteria have not been reported; however, honey remains underutilized in the clinic in part due to a lack of understanding of its mechanism of action. Here, we demonstrate that honey affects multiple processes in bacteria, and this is not explained by its major antibacterial components. Honey also uniquely affects bacterial membranes, and this can be exploited for combination therapy with antibiotics that are otherwise ineffective on their own. We argue that honey should be included as part of the current array of wound treatments due to its effective antibacterial activity that does not promote resistance in bacteria.
Learning to Design Research: Students’ Agency and Experiences in a Master of Education Program in Hong Kong

Purpose: Learning to do research has been understudied in the context of professional development in postgraduate programs. This exploratory study investigated the agency and experiences of five Chinese students who learned to design their research project in a Master of Education program at an English-medium university in Hong Kong SAR. Design/Approach/Methods: We obtained the data from semi-structured interviews and documents to establish data triangulation. Findings: The findings revealed that (1) the students’ agency in research design and proposal writing was associated with their personal/professional backgrounds, (2) their English proficiency affected their agency in the proposal writing, (3) the supervisors’ feedback would stimulate students’ agency in changing/refining their research design, and (4) ineffective supervision and learning resources would impede students’ achievement of agency on their way to creating a robust research design. Originality/Value: This study adds empirical evidence to the field of research training through the lens of learner agency. It demonstrates the applicability of using the ecological framework of agency in theoretically interpreting the contextual facilitators and constraints in making postgraduate students active agents.
Toll-like Receptor 9 Regulates Tumor Necrosis Factor-α Expression by Different Mechanisms

CpG oligodeoxynucleotides (CpG-ODNs), mimicking bacterial DNA, stimulate osteoclastogenesis via Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) in receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (RANKL)-primed osteoclast precursors. This activity is mediated via tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α induction by CpG-ODN. To further reveal the role of the cytokine in TLR9-mediated osteoclastogenesis, we compared the ability of CpG-ODN to induce osteoclastogenesis in two murine strains, BALB/c and C57BL/6, expressing different TNF-α alleles. The induction of osteoclastogenesis and TNF-α release by CpG-ODN was by far more noticeable in BALB/c-derived than in C57BL/6-derived osteoclast precursors. Unexpectedly, as revealed by Northern analysis, CpG-ODN induction of TNF-α mRNA increase was more efficient in C57BL/6-derived cells. The cytokine transcript abundance was increased due to both increased message stability and rate of transcription. The difference between the two cell types was the result of a higher transcription rate in CpG-ODN-induced C57BL/6-derived cells caused by a single nucleotide polymorphism in κB2a site within the TNF-α promoter sequence. CpG-ODN enhanced the rate of the cytokine translation in BALB/c-derived cells. Thus, CpG-ODN modulated both transcription and translation of TNF-α. The induction of transcription was more evident in C57BL/6-derived cells, while the induction of translation took place only in BALB/c-derived osteoclast precursors. Altogether the cytokine was induced to a larger extent in BALB/c-derived osteoclast precursors, consistent with the increased CpG-ODN osteoclastogenic effect in these cells.
Using Common Themes: Cost-Effectiveness of Permanent Supported Housing for People With Mental Illness

This article examines the cost-effectiveness of providing permanent supported housing to homeless people with mental illness. Through the use of billing records and frequency of use charts, researchers were able to map the service usage of a cohort of 268 homeless individuals from both urban and rural communities. The results suggest that significant cost savings can be achieved by establishing supportive housing programs from the homeless rather than forcing them to rely on emergency services. Data from this study can inform policy changes at both the State and Federal level. It can also provide for the introduction of common themes of money and cost-effectiveness which all of the stakeholders in the service funding debate can use. Further recommendations and uses for the data are described and discussed.
Antimicrobial Susceptibility Pattern in Urinary Bacterial Isolates

Objectives : To study antimicrobial susceptibility pattern in urinary bacterial isolates. Methods : A retrospective analysis was done for the resistance pattern of urinary bacterial isolates was done over a period of 2 years (July 2004 – 2006) in a tertiary care hospital. Results : Commonest isolates were E. coli (41.3%) followed by Klebsiella spp. (15.8%), pseudomonas spp. (11.4%), Enterobacter spp. (8%) and Proteus spp. (6.2%) in gram negative whereas Staphylococcus Aureus (7.8%) and Enterococcus spp. (5.8%) in gram positive organisms. Antibiotic susceptibility pattern of these isolates revealed that Amikacin susceptibility in gram negative isolates was more than 40% except for Pseudomonas spp. Co-trimoxazole, Augmentin and quinolones were not found to be effective. In MDR strains cefotaxime + sulbactam, imipenem and meropenem were effective. In Pseudomonas spp. Piperacillin , ceftazidime and Amikacin and piperacillin + Tazobactam (MDR Strains) were effective. Methicillin resistance was reported in 33.8% cases Maximum susceptibility was seen to Amikacin, Nitrofurantoin and cefotaxime. All MRSA isolates showed 100% susceptibility to vancomycin. No Vancomycin resistant enterococcus were encountered in the study.
Wavelength Discrimination in the Zebrafish (Danio rerio): Evidence for Functional Color Vision

The zebrafish (Danio rerio) is a popular vertebrate model in several fields of research, especially visual neuroscience, where it has been used for anatomical, physiological, genetic, developmental, and behavioral research. Anatomical and physiological studies have shown the zebrafish has the necessary mechanisms for color vision, but it is not known whether zebrafish can use color vision to regulate behavior. Recently, studies have shown that zebrafish can learn an instrumental discrimination task. The study reported here used instrumental discrimination learning procedures with wavelength as the discriminanda. The results indicate that the zebrafish does, indeed, have functional color vision. The methods used here could be further developed to investigate the functionality of UV visual processing in zebrafish, color perception thresholds, and similar phenomena.
Responses of flea beetles (Podagrica spp.) and okra plants (Abelmoschus esculentus L. Moench) to differently coloured polyethylene shades

The response of flea beetles (Podagrica spp.) to visual cues produced by differently coloured polyethylene films, and the performance of okra plants grown under shades, were studied in Nigeria. In the first of our experiments, factorial combinations of seven shade contrasts and two okra varieties grown in pots were laid out in a completely randomized design. A second experiment comprised five differently coloured plastic water trap bowls laid out in the field in a randomized complete block design, with four replications. Okra plants covered with yellow polyethylene films consistently attracted significantly higher numbers of adult Podagrica than plants grown under other-coloured films. Plant height, stem diameter, leaf number and size were significantly higher under red polyethylene covers. The number of fruits harvested under the transparent (clear) cover was significantly higher than the number harvested under red, green or blue film polyethylene covers. Also, the yellow-coloured plastic water trap bowls caught consistently more flea beetles than bowls of other colours. Generally, the intensity of transmitted light and temperature varied only slightly under the various covers. Yellow reflectance from the polyethylene film was therefore inferred to elicit strong attractant responses in Podagrica; the implications of this for monitoring and management of Podagrica in the field are discussed.
Molecular phylogeny of the subfamily Exoristinae (Diptera, Tachinidae), with discussions on the evolutionary history of female oviposition strategy

Abstract. Phylogenetic relationships among tribes in the tachinid subfamily Exoristinae (Diptera, Tachinidae) are inferred from four genes, namely white, 18S, 28S and 16S rDNA. For phylogenetic inferences, maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood and Bayesian Markov chain Monte Carlo analyses were performed. The resultant, very similar, trees are nearly concordant with the traditional classification based on morphological characters. Our results suggest that the Tachinidae are monophyletic and sister to the Sarcophagidae. The tribal relationships within Exoristinae are supported in part with high reliabilities and are similar to those inferred by Stireman. Based on the resultant trees, the phylogenetic relationships and possible morphological synapomorphies were investigated. In addition, we evaluated the transformation of female reproductive habits in the Exoristinae, finding support for the hypothesis that ovolarviparity evolved independently from oviparity in several clades, and obtaining different results concerning the evolutionary history of micro‐ovolarviparity depending on character optimization.
Identifying the Need for Respite Care for People with Learning Disabilities in Northern Ireland

The present paper describes the methods employed to investigate the range and models of respite care services provided for people with learning disabilities and their carers in Northern Ireland. A total of 1786 carers (representing 1917 persons with learning disabilities) were surveyed to determine their perceptions and levels of satisfaction regarding the range of services provided for them. In addition 101 local respite care services were examined and interviews conducted with commissioners, providers and professional support staff to assess the perceptions of individuals involved in the planning, commissioning and provision of respite care services. The study confirmed that regional variations existed throughout the Province and that the current range of services often failed to meet the significant (and often complex) needs of users. Epidemiological data was obtained regarding the presenting needs of users. Specific recommendations were made requesting that the availability of comprehensive information about respite care should be readily accessible to users and carers. The need to extend the range of services and to provide more inclusive services for groups such as children and adults with autistic spectrum disorder, people with behavioural and complex medical conditions was also identified. Whilst the study was conducted in Northern Ireland it is considered that many of the findings will be equally applicable to elsewhere in the UK and the Republic of Ireland.
Comparative analyses of phytochemicals and antimicrobial properties of extracts of wild Tamarindus indica pulps

Tamarindus indica L. (Tamarind), an underutilised fruit tree which belongs to the Leguminosae family, grows wild in the savannah region of Nigeria. T. indica pulp was obtained from 19 towns of the 20 savannah states of Nigeria. The methanol and hexane crude extracts obtained from it pulps were evaluated in vitro to determine their inhibition activities on human pathogenic microorganisms made up of five bacteria and three fungi. All the bacterial strains were sensitive to both extracts at concentrations ranging from 25 to 125 mg/ml, using the agar broth cup diffusion procedure. Only the hexane extract exhibited intrinsic antifungal properties on Penicillium species. Preliminary phytochemical screening of both extracts indicated the presence of alkaloids and tannins. Both the antimicrobial and phytochemical properties of the extracts of the pulp varied for locations of the tamarind. Natural products present in tamarind pulp have potential of being used as agents for animals and/or plants protector against pathogenic microorganisms.