Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Estrogen‐regulated progestin receptors are found in the midbrain raphe but not hippocampus of estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) gene‐disrupted mice

Estrogen and progesterone may modulate serotonergic function through intracellular receptors, alpha (ERα) and/or beta (ERβ), and the progestin receptor (PR). Studies in macaque and rat suggest species differences in steroid action. Presently, we examined the mouse. To identify whether ERα is involved in estrogen induction of PR in midbrain raphe, we studied the ERα gene‐disrupted (αERKO) mouse. The hippocampus was examined as another estrogen/progestin‐sensitive brain area reported to express ERα, ERβ, and PR. Female and male homozygous αERKO and wildtype mice were gonadectomized and given estradiol benzoate or vehicle. Dual‐label immunocytochemistry was performed for PR or ERα and the serotonin‐synthesizing enzyme, tryptophan hydroxylase (TPH). Cells exhibiting PR immunoreactivity (PR‐ir) or ERα‐ir were observed in dorsal and median raphe and hippocampus in both sexes. No ERα‐ir cells were observed in αERKO brains. In raphe, PR‐ir or ERα‐ir often colocalized with TPH‐ir. Thus, estrogen and progesterone may directly modulate gene expression in select serotonergic neurons via ERα and PR in female and male mice. Estrogen significantly increased the number of PR‐ir cells, and the percentage of PR‐ir cells colocalizing TPH‐ir in both raphe nuclei, regardless of sex and genotype. Although less among αERKO mice, the significant estrogen induction of PRs implicates the involvement of another ER, perhaps ERβ. In hippocampus, distinct estrogen‐induced PR‐ir cells were observed only in wildtype animals, demonstrating an ERα‐mediated event in this forebrain region. Collectively, these findings suggest that estrogen can regulate the expression of one gene (the PR) via multiple mechanisms, based upon brain region. J. Comp. Neurol. 427:185–195, 2000. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The Power and Pitfalls of Experiments in Development Economics: Some Non‐random Reflections

Impact evaluation based on randomized controlled trials (RCTs) offers a powerful tool that has fundamentally reshaped development economics by offering novel solutions to long-standing problems of weak causal identification. Nonetheless, RCTs suffer important and underappreciated pitfalls, some of which are intrinsic to the method when applied to economic problems, others that are the result of methodological boosterism. Among the pitfalls are ethical dilemmas, uncontrollable treatments that result in a ‘faux exogeneity,’ distortion of the research agenda, and a tendency to estimate interventions' abstract efficacy rather than their effectiveness in practice. We illustrate these points through the literature on smallholder capital access and productivity growth. Ultimately, we argue for a methodological pluralism that recognizes all identification strategies' limitations.
Mediatization: key concept or conceptual bandwagon?

Mediatization is emerging as an influential new concept that places the media at the centre of all kinds of important cultural, political and social developments. However, it has so far attracted little critical evaluation. In this article the authors identify three areas of concern, namely, how causal processes are thought about, how historical change is understood, and how concepts are designed. It is hoped this article will generate critical debate and reflection to prevent the term from being applied so inconsistently and indiscriminately that it becomes a ‘concept of no difference’.
Customer Citizenship Behaviours Directed at Service Personnel: What the Experts have to Say.

This paper provides initial insights and face validity of the dimensionality of the higher order construct, customer citizenship behaviour directed to service personnel (CCB-SP). Customer citizenship behaviour directed to service personnel is an important construct to study as it contributes to employee job satisfaction (Bove and Garma, 2006). As citizenship behaviour is source, target and context specific, Rossiter’s (2002) construct definition guide and Churchill’s (1979) scale development procedures were followed to operationalise the construct. This paper reports the face validity of generated items as undertaken by two groups of experts (Faculty and service personnel). The results suggest six discrete dimensions identified by forty-two reflective items.
Multicast provision in a differentiated services network

In next generation Internet, there will be more and more applications that require real-time transmission and multicast services. To fulfill these requirements, integrated services (IntServ) and differentiated services (DiffServ) are thus proposed. The IntServ architecture provides an end-to-end QoS guarantee on a per-flow basis. The DiffServ architecture, on the other hand provides QoS guarantee to aggregate of flows, and is more scalable for backbone networks. We propose an integrated environment in which local access networks provide IntServ while backbone networks provide DiffServ. Issues on how to map service classes between these two types of network and how to provide multicast services are discussed and possible solutions are proposed.
Two-Lesion Kinetic Model of Double-Strand Break Rejoining and Cell Killing

Abstract Stewart, R. D. Two-Lesion Kinetic Model of Double-Strand Break Rejoining and Cell Killing. Radiat. Res. 156, 365–378 (2001). Radiobiological models, such as the lethal and potentially lethal (LPL) model and the repair-misrepair (RMR) model, have been reasonably successful at explaining the cell killing effects of radiation. However, the models have been less successful at relating cell killing to the formation, repair and misrepair of double-strand breaks (DSBs), which are widely accepted as the main type of DNA damage responsible for radiation-induced cell killing. A fully satisfactory model should be capable of predicting cell killing for a wide range of exposure conditions using a single set of model parameters. Moreover, these same parameters should give realistic estimates for the initial DSB yield, the DSB rejoining rate, and the residual number of unrepaired DSBs after all repair is complete. To better link biochemical processing of the DSB to cell killing, a two-lesion kinetic (TLK) model is proposed. In the TLK model, the family of all possible DSBs is subdivided into simple and complex DSBs, and each kind of DSB may have its own repair characteristics. A unique aspect of the TLK model is that break ends associated with both kinds of DSBs are allowed to interact in pairwise fashion to form irreversible lethal and nonlethal damages. To test the performance of the TLK model, nonlinear optimization methods are used to calibrate the model based on data for the survival of CHO cells for an extensive set of single-dose and split-dose exposure conditions. Then some of the postulated mechanisms of action are tested by comparing measured and predicted estimates of the initial DSB yield and the rate of DSB rejoining. The predictions of the TLK model for CHO cell survival and the initial DSB yield and rejoining rate are all shown to be in good agreement with the measured data. Studies suggest a yield of about 25 DSBs Gy−1 cell−1. About 20 DSBs Gy−1 cell−1 are rejoined quickly (15-min repair half-time), and 4 to 6 DSBs Gy−1 cell−1 are rejoined very slowly (10- to 15-h repair half-time). Both the slowly and fast-rejoining DSBs make substantial contributions to the killing of CHO cells by radiation. Although the TLK model provides a much more satisfactory formalism to relate biochemical processing of DSBs to cell killing than did the earlier kinetic models, some small differences among the measured and predicted CHO cell survival and DSB rejoining data suggest that additional factors and processes not considered in the present work may affect biochemical processing of DSBs and hence cell killing.
Enhancement of Image and Depth Map Using Adaptive Joint Trilateral Filter

In this paper, we present an adaptive joint trilateral filter (AJTF), which consists of domain, range, and depth filters. The AJTF is used for the joint enhancement of images and depth maps, which is achieved by suppressing the noise and sharpening the edges simultaneously. For improving the sharpness of the image and depth map, the AJTF parameters, the offsets, and the standard deviations of the range and depth filters are determined in such a way that image edges that match well with depth edges are emphasized. To this end, pattern matching between local patches in the image and depth map is performed and the matching result is utilized to adjust the AJTF parameters. Experimental results show that the AJTF produces sharpness-enhanced images and depth maps without overshoot and undershoot artifacts, while successfully reducing noise as well. A comparison of the performance of the AJTF with those of conventional image and depth enhancement algorithms shows that the proposed algorithm is effective.
Corporate Savings and Shareholder Consumption

This paper reexamines the implications of changing corporate savings, testing for the presence of a "corporate veil". We argue that previous tests for such s veil have lacked proper focus, identifying influences of corporate saving on private saving that are entirely consistent with a complete piercing of the corporate veil. We formulate two tests. Results based on the first find that wealth-neutral changes In corporate dividend policy do not significantly affect aggregate consumption, suggesting that no corporate veil exists, The second test finds the aggregate consumption response to changes in corporate wealth is close to zero, consistent with the presence of a veil but also with heterogeneity in the population with respect to consumption behavior.
Issues and Concerns in Implementing Quality Circles in Public School Management in Nigeria

Quality improvement in educational institutions in Nigeria and the world at large is a major concern. Countries all over the world are therefore making concerted efforts towards the improvement of educational standards. One of the management techniques applied in most of these countries especially Japan, Britain and America is the Quality Control circles. Its application in Nigeria raises a lot of concerns. These concerns and issues bother on the structure, techniques; methods; and reactions of management of the institutions in implementing the recommendations of quality circles. These and many other issues and concerns form the major crux of this paper. The paper concludes that inspite of these issues and concerns; Quality circle is a technique that will assist in the achievement of educational goals Keywords : Issues and concerns, Implementing, Public Schools and Management.
Estimation of the terminal temperature difference target value of three-segment feed water heater under various working conditions

In this paper, a method to estimate the target value of terminal temperature difference of horizontal three-segment feed water heater under various working conditions is proposed. The temperature of the water at the outlet of the condensation segment is obtained through mass and energy balance on the basis of actual extracted steam flow rate. Then by means of energy balance equation and heat transfer efficiency equation, the temperature of the outlet water at maximum heat transfer efficiency is calculated, thus obtaining the terminal temperature difference target value. Results based on offline operation data of a real 1000 MW supercritical power plant are given and the difference between target value and actual operation value could be used to estimate the loss differential of the terminal temperature difference.
Technical Factors Affecting the Adoption of E-Government

As a major step to development, countries try to implement e-government and encouraging the public to use e-services instead of traditional ways. It is obvious that adoption of e-government has increased in many countries over the world, but the rate of adoption varies from country to country, and also the factors which are affecting the adoption of e-government differ from developing countries to developed countries. The purpose of this research study is to identify and describe the technical factors affecting the adoption of e-government from the management prospective of e-government projects in turn, to enhance the e-services of those projects and to improve the development process of e-government adoption by illustrating the level of importance for technical factors in the current e-government stages. This study has considered Oman government as an example as it hopes to be helpful for other governments which are at the similar level of e-government stages and close circumstances with Oman. This study has found four technical factors that affecting the current adoption of e-government initiative in six government agencies in Oman. Those factors are ICT infrastructure, IT security, IT standards and technical expertise. Moreover, it found that each one of them has a different level of importance in the management process. The most important factor that Oman government needs to be considering in the current stages of e-government is ICT infrastructure. Furthermore, it found two non-technical factors that support these four technical factors to be functioning appropriately which are IT Governance and citizens‘ awareness. This study has brought up different ways of managing these technical factors in order to accomplish the adoption of e-government through these factors which affect the adoption. These different ways are: set a unit as a coordinator to guide the management of these factors to fasten the adoption, with centralized the e-government initiatives the implementation should be decentralized upon the agency itself, setting up framework for example ICT infrastructure framework and security frame work to standardise the processes in a way that assist to speed up e-government adoption, and the last one is to gain experience from pioneers and other consultancy offices. In addition to that, the management of those factors could be affected by external pressures like internet facility in the country, government regulations, the private sectors attraction for technical expertises and citizens‘ awareness about security issues.
Automatic detection of diabetic retinopathy using an artificial neural network: a screening tool.

AIMS: To determine if neural networks can detect diabetic features in fundus images and compare the network against an ophthalmologist screening a set of fundus images. METHODS: 147 diabetic and 32 normal images were captured from a fundus camera, stored on computer, and analysed using a back propagation neural network. The network was trained to recognise features in the retinal image. The effects of digital filtering techniques and different network variables were assessed. 200 diabetic and 101 normal images were then randomised and used to evaluate the network's performance for the detection of diabetic retinopathy against an ophthalmologist. RESULTS: Detection rates for the recognition of vessels, exudates, and haemorrhages were 91.7%, 93.1%, and 73.8% respectively. When compared with the results of the ophthalmologist, the network achieved a sensitivity of 88.4% and a specificity of 83.5% for the detection of diabetic retinopathy. CONCLUSIONS: Detection of vessels, exudates, and haemorrhages was possible, with success rates dependent upon preprocessing and the number of images used in training. When compared with the ophthalmologist, the network achieved good accuracy for the detection of diabetic retinopathy. The system could be used as an aid to the screening of diabetic patients for retinopathy.
The Mdm Network and Its Regulation of p53 Activities: A Rheostat of Cancer Risk

The potent transcriptional activity of p53 (Trp53, TP53) must be kept in check for normal cell growth and survival. Tumors, which drastically deviate from these parameters, have evolved multiple mechanisms to inactivate TP53, the most prevalent of which is the emergence of TP53 missense mutations, some of which have gain‐of‐function activities. Another important mechanism by which tumors bypass TP53 functions is via increased levels of two TP53 inhibitors, MDM2, and MDM4. Studies in humans and in mice reveal the complexity of TP53 regulation and the exquisite sensitivity of this pathway to small changes in regulation. Here, we summarize the factors that impinge on TP53 activity and thus cell death/arrest or tumor development.
Cppi with Cushion Insurance

Portfolio insurance allows investors to recover, at maturity, a given percentage of their initial invsetment. This limits downside risk in falling markets and allows some participation in rising markets. One of the standard portfolio insurance methods is the Constant Proportion Portfolio Insurance (CPPI). When comparing this method to the second well-known standard method, the OBPI, one of the worst scenario for CPPI is a falling market with a final growth before maturity. To limit such problem, we extend this method by providing an additional insurance on the cushion: whenever the portfolio value reaches a given floor, the investor receives a given amount. We determine and analyze the cost of this new guarantee and the performance of portfolios based on such strategy.
Argentina's Housing Market in the 2000s

In the last three decades, the supply of housing in Argentina has not kept pace with demand. This study analyzes the main drivers of Argentina's housing market and relates them to the macroeconomic environment in order to advance a policy agenda for housing policy reform. The demand for housing was calculated and tenure choice was analyzed. Structural characteristics affecting Argentina's housing market include the high concentration of the urban population in a few large metropolitan areas, te association of urban poverty with the housing deficit, and overcrowding. The mortgage market lost its appeal following the 2001-02 crisis due to widespread breaches of contract legitimized through protective legislation (still in place), insufficient long-term financing, and high inflation. The housing deficit could be eliminated in five to eight years if well-coordinated policy initiatives to develop the mortgage market and provide low-income housing were adopted under a decentralized, demand-driven, subsidized program.
Relation of cortisol levels and bone mineral density among premenopausal women with major depression

We aimed to investigate the relationship between cortisol levels and bone mineral density (BMD) among premenopausal women with major depression. We compared BMD, plasma cortisol, osteocalcin and C‐telopeptide (CTx) levels of 36 premenopausal women with major depression with 41 healthy women who were matched for age and body mass index. Osteocalcin and CTx were used for the evaluation of bone turnover. The clinical diagnosis of major depression was made by using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM‐IV) criteria. The 21‐item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression was used for the assessment of depressive symptoms. In comparison with the controls, the mean BMD of the depressed women was significantly lower at the lumbar spine and at all sites of the proximal femur (p = 0.02, 0.01). Plasma cortisol levels were significantly higher in depressive patients than in controls (p = 0.001). Osteocalcin was lower and CTx was higher in the patient group than in controls (p = 0.04, p = 0.008). Lumbar and femur BMD scores were negatively correlated with cortisol levels in the patient group. Major depression had important effects on BMD and bone turnover markers. Depression should be considered among risk factors for osteoporosis in premenopausal women.
Ionic or non-ionic contrast media in stent placement.

In his letter to the editor, Dr Schräder poses the rhetorical question of whether the results of our study are ‘true’. To substantiate his doubts, he points out that different non-ionic contrast media (CM) were used in our study and calls for a subgroup analysis. In addition, he refers to the data obtained during the COURT trial. I am very happy to be given this opportunity to discuss the interesting results of the COURT trial since these results were not available when we submitted our paper. The second part of Dr Schräder’s criticism has to do with the sequential use of CM.
Sensemaking on Wikipedia by Secondary School Students with SynerScope

Visual analytics of linked data can be done by secondary school students with minimal preparation. We study the learning curve of students while answering typical Web analytics questions on Wikipedia and DBpedia using SynerScope visual analytics software. We find that after a short tutorial students are able to answer most complex questions in a few minutes, learning by trial and error. Older students are faster on average, but motivation appears to be a stronger factor than age for success. Answering speed doubles within two hours of experience while correctness increases.
The Effect of Mandatory Agro-Environmental Policy on Farm Environmental Performance

The EU farmers are subject to mandatory cross compliance measures requiring them to meet environmental conditions to be eligible for public support. These obligations reinforce incentives for the farmers to change their behaviour towards the environment. We apply quasi-experimental methods to measure the causal relationship between cross-compliance and farm environmental performance. We find that cross compliance reduced farm fertiliser and pesticide expenditure. This result also holds for farmers who participated in other voluntary agro-environmental schemes. However, the results do not support our expectations that farmers who relied on larger shares of public payments had a stronger motivation to improve their environmental performance.
THE IMPORTANCE OF LOOKING TOWARD THE FUTURE AND BUILDING ON THE PAST: ENTREPRENEURIAL RISK TAKING AND IMAGE IN FAMILY FIRMS

Drawing on organizational identity theory, we develop a model linking family ownership and expectations, entrepreneurial risk taking, and image in family firms to explain family firm growth. Testing our model on a sample of 163 Swiss family firms, we suggest that entrepreneurial risk taking and image can both lead to growth in family firms. We further find that family expectations have an influence on both entrepreneurial risk taking and family firm image. This finding suggests that family firms may benefit from two growth paths – forward looking risk taking and the image of the family firm that builds on the past, and that these paths are nurtured by family expectations.
Mining Knowledge from Large Corpora for Type Coercion in Question Answering

A fundamental issue in natural language processing and knowledge acquisition is recognizing whether a given string is an instance of a given type. In this paper, we present a solution to the typing problem by mining knowledge from an unstructured text corpus, and apply it in the context of type coercion in question answering. We describe a new generate-and-type framework, called TyCor (short for Type Coercion), in which candidate answers are initially produced without the use of answer type information, and subsequent stages check whether the candidate answer’s type can be coerced into the Lexical Answer Type (LAT) of the question. The TyCor framework consists of a suite of type checking algorithms and we describe two specific implementations that leverage the regularity and redundancy of linguistically expressed type relationships in a large corpus. We evaluate the performance of these TyCor algorithms for entity-typing over a broad domain test set and demonstrate their impact on end-to-end performance of our DeepQA system on blind Jeopardy! data.