Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Potential use of pine plantations to restore native forests in a highly fragmented river basin

Abstract• In forests, the substitution of broadleaf species by conifers can reduce biodiversity because coniferous forests generally provide less diverse vascular understories than broadleaf forests. However, in some cases, former pine plantations might be useful for restoring native forests. We compared plant species composition on the plot scale in natural beech and mixed oak forests with that in plantations of Pinus radiata. Links between plant diversity and landscape parameters (patch size, fractal dimension and distance to the nearest patch of the same type) were investigated. • The objective of this study was to evaluate the use of pine plantations for restoring native diversity in a zone where native forests are very fragmented. • Similar to oak forests, plant diversity in pine plantations was high, mainly due to the presence of generalist species. Some species characteristic of oak forests also appeared in pine plantations, suggesting the onset of natural forest regeneration. • These results suggest that pine plantations could be used to promote natural regeneration of original oak forests. Moreover, residual native stands should be conserved as important sources of native species and their seeds. Résumé• Dans les forêts, la substitution des espèces feuillues par des conifères peut réduire la biodiversité, car les forêts de conifères ne présentent pas généralement un sous bois aussi diversifié que les forêts feuillues. Toutefois, dans certains cas, les anciennes plantations de pins pourraient être utiles pour la restauration des forêts naturelles. Nous avons comparé la composition des espèces végétales à l’échelle de la parcelle en hêtraie naturelle et chênaie mixte de même que dans les plantations de Pinus radiata. Les liens entre diversité végétale et paramètres du paysage (taille des bouquets, dimension fractale, et distance du plus proche bouquet de même type) ont été étudiés. • L’objectif de cette étude était d’évaluer le recours à des plantations de pin pour le rétablissement de la diversité naturelle dans une zone où les forêts sont très fragmentées. • La diversité végétale des pinèdes, similaire à celle des chênaies, était élevée, principalement en raison de la présence d’espèces généralistes. Certaines espèces caractéristiques des chênaies sont aussi apparues dans les plantations de pins, ce qui suggère l’apparition d’une régénération de la forêt naturelle. • Ces résultats suggèrent que les plantations de pins pourraient être utilisées pour promouvoir la régénération naturelle des chênaies originelles. En outre, les peuplements résiduels originels devraient être conservés comme sources importantes d’espèces naturelles et de leurs graines.
Circadian Regulation of Basal Cortisol Levels in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric condition that can occur following exposure to trauma. Because the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is a major hormonal system mediating the stress response, and has been found to be altered in response to a variety of acute and chronic stressors, it has been hypothesized that fundamental changes in the HPA axis would be relevant to the pathophysiology of PTSD. There is now converging evidence suggesting that PTSD patients show HPA axis alterations that are substantially different from those that have been described in stress and major depression. For example, in s ~ m e , l ~ but not all studies4 basal 24-hr urinary excretion of cortisol was lower in PTSD compared with normal and depressed patients. Furthermore, in contrast to the “nonsuppression” of cortisol observed in major depression, cortisol levels following dexamethasone (DEX) were lower (i.e., more suppressed) in combat veterans with PTSD than in normals.sd It has also been observed that combat veterans with PTSD exhibit a larger number of cytosolic glucocorticoid receptors (GR) on circulating lymphocytes compared to other psychiatric groups such as bipolar mania, panic disorder, schizophrenia, and major depre~sion. ~ Combat veterans with PTSD also appear to have a larger number of GR than combat veterans who do not meet criteria PTSD6 and normal control^. ^^^ Veterans who do not meet criteria for PTSD were found to have a larger number of GR than normals? Although the larger number of cytosolic GR in PTSD may simply reflect the lower circulating levels of cortisol, it is also possible that some long-lasting alterations in GR binding parameters result from exposure to traumatic events, and/or the subsequent development of PTSD. Based on the above data, we have hypothesized that HPA axis alterations in chronic PTSD appear to reflect an enhanced negative feedback at one or more sites along the axis? In this model, chronic increases in the release of CRF would lead to an altered responsivity of the pituitary, as evidenced by the blunted ACTH response to CRF previously observed. * However, because of a primary alteration in GR responsivity, there would be a stronger negative feedback resulting in attenuated baseline ACTH and cortisol levels as well as an enhanced responsivity to DEX. According to this model it would be expected that some target tissue of the HPA axis might be unusually responsive or sensitized. Recently, in order to further explore the enhanced sensitivity of the HPA axis in PTSD, we conducted a chronobiological analysis to elucidate the intrinsic regulatory
Content and Context: Two-Pronged Bootstrapped Learning for Regex-Formatted Entity Extraction

Regular expressions are an important building block of rule-based information extraction systems. Regexes can encode rules to recognize instances of simple entities which can then feed into the identification of more complex cross-entity relationships. Manually crafting a regex that recognizes all possible instances of an entity is difficult since an entity can manifest in a variety of different forms. Thus, the problem of automatically generalizing manually crafted seed regexes to improve the recall of IE systems has attracted research attention. In this paper, we propose a bootstrapped approach to improve the recall for extraction of regex-formatted entities, with the only source of supervision being the seed regex. Our approach starts from a manually authored high precision seed regex for the entity of interest, and uses the matches of the seed regex and the context around these matches to identify more instances of the entity. These are then used to identify a set of diverse, high recall regexes that are representative of this entity. Through an empirical evaluation over multiple real world document corpora, we illustrate the effectiveness of our approach.
Portfolio optimization: The Downside risk framework versus the Mean-Variance framework

The tradeoff between risk and return is a topic that most investors consider carefully before an investment decision is made. Markowitz’s pioneer work on portfolio selection using the mean-variance framework has entailed a great extent of research in this field. One research is the Sharpe ratio, which is a measure of a financial performance using variance as a risk measure. The shortcoming of variance is that it puts equal weights on positive and negative returns. Investors’ attitudes towards risk are different but in general investors are more concerned about the downside risk rather than the upside risk. This study has thus constructed a new ratio with similar interpretation as for the Sharpe ratio. The new ratio introduced referred to as the downside risk ratio, uses the downside risk measure expected shortfall as the risk measure instead of variance. To find out if there are any differences in asset allocation using different risk measure an actual performance of four stock market indexes will be evaluated using both the Sharpe ratio strategy and the downside risk ratio strategy. Optimal weights for both a portfolio with two indexes (total of six portfolios) and a portfolio containing all the indexes are found. Finally, both strategies the Sharpe ratio and the downside risk ratio will be assessed in terms of whether there are any differences in constructing a portfolio using either a variance or an expected shortfall as a risk measure.
Are Executive Control Functions Related to Autism Symptoms in High-Functioning Children?

Background: Linking autism symptoms to cognitive abilities can expand phenotypic descriptions and facilitate investigations into the etiology and treatment of this multiplex disorder. Executive dysfunction is one of several potential cognitive phenotypes in autism. Method: Archival clinical data on 89 children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders and administered a large neuropsychological battery were evaluated for relationships between executive functioning and autism symptoms. Results: Significant relationships between both laboratory tasks and behavior rating scales of executive functions and autism symptoms were identified. Multiple regression analyses revealed that measures of semantic fluency, divided auditory attention, and behavioral regulation were significantly correlated with autism symptoms, even after accounting for the variance from correlated “nuisance variables,” such as vocabulary and age. Conclusions: Executive dysfunction is related to all three clusters of behavioral symptoms in Autism Spectrum Disorders.
Art as an Investment: Risk, Return and Portfolio Diversification in Major Painting Markets

This paper examines risk, return and the prospects for portfolio diversification among major painting and financial markets over the period 1976-2001. The art markets examined are Contemporary Masters, French Impressionists, Modern European, 19th Century European, Old Masters, Surrealists, 20th Century English and Modern US paintings. The financial markets comprise US Treasury bills, corporate and government bonds and small and large company stocks. In common with the literature in this area, the study finds that the returns on paintings are much lower and the risks much higher than conventional investment markets. Moreover, while low correlations of returns suggest that opportunities for portfolio diversification in art works alone and in conjunction with equity markets exist, the construction of Markowitz mean-variance efficient portfolios indicates that no diversification gains are provided by art in financial asset portfolios. However, diversification benefits in portfolios comprised solely of art works are possible, with Contemporary Masters, 19th Century European, Old Masters and 20th Century English paintings dominating the efficient frontier during the period in question.
Syllabification of Intervocalic Consonants by English and Japanese Speakers

This study investigated how English and Japanese speakers syllabify two-syllable English words and nonwords with single intervocalic consonants. In oral tasks, participants inserted a pause between two parts of English words and nonwords. In written tasks, they selected their preferred syllabification of English words between two alternatives. In Experiment 1 both English and Japanese speakers generally tended to place intervocalic consonants in the second syllables, following the maximum onset principle. Japanese speakers showed a stronger preference for this type of segmentation than English speakers. Responses by speakers of both languages were affected by the position of stress, the length of the stressed vowel, and the sonority of the intervocalic consonant, reflecting the universal effects of these factors on syllabification. Japanese speakers produced a relatively large number of CVCV/C (C= consonant, V= vowel) responses (e.g., sala/d )which were also influenced by vowel length and consonant type. Experiment 2 tested the Japanese speakers who had been trained to recognize English syllables. They showed more ambisyllabic responses and fewer CVCV/C responses than the untrained participants, suggesting their tendency toward syllabic segmentation, rather than moraic segmentation. The results are discussed in light of linguistic and psycho linguistic theories of syllabification.
Application of scCO2 technology for preparing CoQ10 solid dispersion and SFC-MS/MS for analyzing in vivo bioavailability

Abstract Objective: In this study, solid dispersion (SD) for oral delivery of a poorly water-soluble drug, coenzyme Q10 was developed by supercritical fluid technology and characterized in vitro and in vivo. Methods: Dissolution was used to optimize the formulations of CoQ10-SD. The physicochemical properties of SD were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The supercritical fluid chromatography–electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (SFC–ESI-MS/MS) was used for the in vivo study. Results: The results of DSC and PXRD indicated that the drug in SD was in amorphous state. In vitro drug release, the dissolution of coenzyme Q10 in solid dispersion improved to 78.8% compared with commercial tablets of 0.16%. The area under c–t curve (AUC0–72h) and mean maximum concentrations (Cmax) of CoQ10-SD were 2.43-fold and 3.0-fold, respectively higher than that of commercial tablets in rats, confirming improved bioavailability. Conclusion: Supercritical fluid technology was successfully used for the preparation and analysis of CoQ10-SD for the first time and significantly improved the dissolution and bioavailability of coenzyme Q10.
A Single Injection of d-Amphetamine Facilitates Improvements in Motor Training Following a Focal Cortical Infarct in Squirrel Monkeys

Background. There is growing interest in the use of d-amphetamine (d-AMPH) as a pharmacological treatment to supplement rehabilitative therapy following stroke. Based on the success of earlier animal models, several clinical studies have demonstrated beneficial effects of applying physical rehabilitation while stroke patients are under the influence of d-AMPH. To begin to understand the neural mechanisms underlying this promising adjuvant therapy, the authors examined the effects of a single pairing of d-AMPH and rehabilitative training on motor performance after cortical infarct in squirrel monkeys. Methods. Microelectrode stimulation techniques were used to delineate hand movement areas in the primary motor cortex prior to delivering a unilateral infarct to the complete hand representation. Postinfarct recovery was assessed for 3 groups of monkeys: d-AMPH + training, saline + training, and spontaneous recovery (SR). Postinfarct training groups received 14 consecutive days of motor skill training on a reach and retrieval task. A single injection of d-AMPH (0.25 mg/kg) or saline was given only on the 1st day of training (postinfarct day 10). Monkeys in the SR group had only minimal exposure to the training task once per week to monitor recovery. Results. The results show that a single coupling of d-AMPH + training initiated 10 days after cortical infarct facilitated the rate of recovery and improved performance (68% improvement from 1st day of training) beyond the level achieved by the monkeys in the saline + training group (27% improved from 1st day of training). Conclusions. D-AMPH is a potent modulator of behavioral recovery following an ischemic infarct in nonhuman primates.
Employing the Discrete Fourier Transform in the Analysis of Multiscale Problems

The idea of employing the discrete Fourier transform casted as the representative cell method for the solution of multiscale problems is illustrated. Its application in combination with analytical (structural mechanics methods, Wiener-Hopf method, integral transform methods) and numerical (finite element method, higher-order theory) methods is demonstrated. Both cases of 1-D and 2-D translational symmetry are addressed. In particular, the problems for layered, cellular, and perforated materials with and without flaws (cracks) are considered. The method is shown to be a convenient and universal analysis tool. Its numerical efficiency allowed us to solve optimization problems characterized by multiple reanalysis.
Assessment of the Clinical Utility of Glypican 3 as a Serum Marker for the Diagnosis of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Glypican-3 has been reported to be one of the most promising serum markers for hepatocellular carcinoma. This study aimed to assess the clinical utility of serum glypican 3 for the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma. We recruited consecutive patients on a large scale, 283 with hepatocellular carcinoma, 445 with chronic hepatic diseases, and 162 normal controls, to assess the diagnostic accuracy of serum glypican 3 for hepatocellular carcinoma by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. In addition, we further analyzed the relationship between the serum levels of α-fetoprotein and glypican-3 in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. The results indicated that serum glypican 3 was elevated in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (0 ng/mL, range = 0-14.0 ng/mL, P = .033) and liver cirrhosis (0 ng/mL, range = 0-12.5 ng/mL, P = .001) compared to the levels in normal control (0 ng/mL, range = 0-4.3 ng/mL), but there was no difference between hepatocellular carcinoma and liver cirrhosis (P = .097). The area under the curve of the receiver–operating characteristics curve for hepatocellular carcinoma versus all controls was 0.519, with a sensitivity of 39.9%, a specificity of 60.6%, and an optimal cutoff value of 0.002 ng/mL. The positive and negative predictive values were 32.0% and 68.3%, respectively. No significant correlation in serum levels was observed between glypican 3 and α-fetoprotein (P > .05). The diagnostic sensitivity for hepatocellular carcinoma increased to 72.8% (206 of the 283) when glypican 3 was combined with α-fetoprotein. Glypican 3 was not a promising serum maker for the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma alone, but it could be complementary to α-fetoprotein and elevate the sensitivity of hepatocellular carcinoma diagnosis.
Comparison of Transurethral Resection and Plasmakinetic Transurethral Resection Applications with Regard to Fluid Absorption Amounts in Benign Prostate Hyperplasia

Introduction: We compare the absorption of irrigant fluid during gyrus plasmakinetic transurethral prostatectomy (PK-TURP) and transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP). Patients and Methods: 42 patients with clinical benign prostatic hyperplasia were randomly assigned to undergo PK-TURP or TURP. In the PK-TURP group 0.9% NaCl was used as an irrigation fluid and 1.5% glycine in the TURP group. By adding ethanol to the irrigation fluids 1% ethanol-containing solutions were formed. All operations were carried out under spinal anesthesia and alcohol concentration of the ventilated air measurements were made just at the beginning of the operation, every 10 min peroperatively and at the end of the operation by using an alcoholmeter. Results: There was no difference in age, prostate volume and the length of operation time in either group. In both groups, the estimated absorbed fluid volume increased with the duration of surgery (p < 0.05). The difference between mean fluid absorption during PK-TURP and during TURP was the statistically significant (p < 0.01). Conclusion: PK-TURP operation causes lesser absorption of the irrigation fluid than the TURP operation. The lesser absorption of irrigation fluid and using saline instead of glycine decreases the risk of TUR syndrome.
Evaluation of a suitable DNA damage biomarker for human biomonitoring of exposed workers

The objective of this study was to identify a sensitive and noninvasive biomarker of early genotoxic effects, for health risk assessment of workers exposed to mixtures of low doses of xenobiotics. We studied 30 workers exposed to antineoplastic drugs, 57 workers exposed to different mixtures of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) (41 airport workers and 16 paving workers) and 76 controls. Comet and micronucleus (MN) tests were performed on lymphocytes and exfoliated buccal cells. The MN assay on lymphocytes did not show significant differences between exposed and controls, while the MN assay on exfoliated buccal cells showed higher values in workers exposed to antineoplastics as compared with controls (0.85 vs. 0.48, P = 0.042). The comet assay on lymphocytes showed a higher comet percentage value (18.11 vs. 11.24 in controls, P = 0.001) and mean tail moment (TM) value (21.84 vs. 16.72 in controls, P = 0.003) in individuals exposed to PAHs as compared with controls; no significant differences were found in exposed to antineoplastics. The comet assay on exfoliated buccal cells did not show significant differences between exposed and control groups for comet percentages, whereas the TM value was higher in workers exposed to PAHs (55.1 vs. 32.31 for controls, P < 0.001). These results show that exfoliated buccal cells, obtained by a noninvasive procedure, represent robust target cells to assess the occupational exposure to inhalable mixture of chemicals at low doses. The comet assay seems to be suitable to promptly evaluate the genotoxic effects of PAHs mixtures that also contain volatile substances. The MN test is suitable to evaluate the effects of antineoplastics. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Does Deregulation Work? Reassessing the Unemployment Effects of Employment Protection

Using new data, this article examines the effect of employment protection legislation (EPL) on aggregate and youth unemployment in advanced economies and Central and Eastern Europe during 1980–2009. The results offer no clear support for the argument that EPL is a cause of unemployment. Although EPL reaches statistical significance at conventional levels in some models, the results are sensitive to small changes in the sample or the use of alternative estimators. While the analysis suggests some scope for complementary reforms of EPL and the tax wedge in tackling youth unemployment, the findings on the whole indicate that government efforts to tackle unemployment by deregulating EPL alone may well be futile.
The development and implementation status of RFID in China

Although the development of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) has been amazing, it is still in its infancy worldwide. RFID still has to overcome several obstacles such as privacy and security, cost and standardisation. The industry in China offers a great arena for research in this field, as it is one of the most significant manufacturing players in the world and has begun devoting resources to local RFID technology development. This paper's goal is to analyse the development and implementation of RFID in China. To achieve this goal, 18 interviews were conducted within five Chinese participant groups: researchers, logistics experts, RFID technology manufacturers, manufacturers' representatives and government establishment officers. The authors can state that the development and implementation status of RFID in the Chinese industry is behind that of developed countries, but is becoming more prominent in closed-loop applications despite the lack of local standards, low security and high costs.