Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A system approach to the demand for salmon in the European Union

This study addresses the demand for salmon in the European Union. A system of demand equations are specified with an almost ideal demand system (AIDS)to analyse the demand structure for fresh, frozen and smoked salmon, using quarterly data for the period 1984–92. The time series porperties of the data series are explored, and the data series are found to be non-stationary, but cointegrated. To avoid the invalild inference and spurious regression problems that may be created by non-stationary data series,the fully modified least squares (FMLS) estimatior is utilized.
Building Models for Credit Spreads

One standard approach to analyzing credit derivatives is to set up a Markov transition matrix describing the probabilities of moving one credit class, e.g., the Moody's bond rating, to another, and potentially to a state of default. Models based on credit migration matrices have generally been rather limited in their ability to capture real-world features of credit-sensitive instruments, such as correlation between default probabilities and interest rate movements, stochastic but correlated rate spreads between credit classes, stochastic recovery rates, and within class-yield differences that depend on whether a given bond has been upgraded or downgraded. This article presents a useful general family of credit spread models that can be set up to incorporate each of these features.
Capital Protected Notes for Loss Averse Investors: A Counterintuitive Result

Capital protected notes are very popular structured products since the internet bubble burst in 2000. Investors are protected against large losses they could suffer if they were investing directly in the underlying index or portfolio of stocks. It then seems intuitive that such products are attractive for loss averse investors. However, using a simple version of cumulative prospect theory, we show that these products are not attractive when the investor takes either the underlying index or the risk-free investment as the reference point. She always prefer an investment in the index or in the risk-free portfolio, depending on her coefficient of loss aversion.
Face Recognition Based on Two Dimension Double PCA and Affinity Propagation

Because of the low recognition rate by affinity propagation (AP) we propose an algorithm to make face recognition based on two dimension double PCA (2DDPCA) and affinity propagation in this paper. First we use two dimension principle component analysis (2DPCA) to compress the face images in horizontal direction, then we compress the features in vertical direction using 2DPCA again. At last we use affinity propagation classifying faces on the basis of face database. Compared to the original affinity propagation, the superiority of this method is that the speed of classification of large sample is faster and the recognition rate stabilized at a high level. The test results of ORL Face Database and Yale Face Database prove the effectiveness of this method.
Autologous mesenchymal stem cells produce reverse remodelling in chronic ischaemic cardiomyopathy.

AIMS The ability of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to heal the chronically injured heart remains controversial. Here we tested the hypothesis that autologous MSCs can be safely injected into a chronic myocardial infarct scar, reduce its size, and improve ventricular function. METHODS AND RESULTS Female adult Göttingen swine (n = 15) underwent left anterior descending coronary artery balloon occlusion to create reproducible ischaemia-reperfusion infarctions. Bone-marrow-derived MSCs were isolated and expanded from each animal. Twelve weeks post-myocardial infarction (MI), animals were randomized to receive surgical injection of either phosphate buffered saline (placebo, n = 6), 20 million (low dose, n = 3), or 200 million (high dose, n = 6) autologous MSCs in the infarct and border zone. Injections were administered to the beating heart via left anterior thoracotomy. Serial cardiac magnetic resonance imaging was performed to evaluate infarct size, myocardial blood flow (MBF), and left ventricular (LV) function. There was no difference in mortality, post-injection arrhythmias, cardiac enzyme release, or systemic inflammatory markers between groups. Whereas MI size remained constant in placebo and exhibited a trend towards reduction in low dose, high-dose MSC therapy reduced infarct size from 18.2 +/- 0.9 to 14.4 +/- 1.0% (P = 0.02) of LV mass. In addition, both low and high-dose treatments increased regional contractility and MBF in both infarct and border zones. Ectopic tissue formation was not observed with MSCs. CONCLUSION Together these data demonstrate that autologous MSCs can be safely delivered in an adult heart failure model, producing substantial structural and functional reverse remodelling. These findings demonstrate the safety and efficacy of autologous MSC therapy and support clinical trials of MSC therapy in patients with chronic ischaemic cardiomyopathy.
Microbial Carbonic Anhydrases in Biomimetic Carbon Sequestration for Mitigating Global Warming: Prospects and Perspectives

All the leading cities in the world are slowly becoming inhospitable for human life with global warming playing havoc with the living conditions. Biomineralization of carbon dioxide using carbonic anhydrase (CA) is one of the most economical methods for mitigating global warming. The burning of fossil fuels results in the emission of large quantities of flue gas. The temperature of flue gas is quite high. Alkaline conditions are necessary for CaCO3 precipitation in the mineralization process. In order to use CAs for biomimetic carbon sequestration, thermo-alkali-stable CAs are, therefore, essential. CAs must be stable in the presence of various flue gas contaminants too. The extreme environments on earth harbor a variety of polyextremophilic microbes that are rich sources of thermo-alkali-stable CAs. CAs are the fastest among the known enzymes, which are of six basic types with no apparent sequence homology, thus represent an elegant example of convergent evolution. The current review focuses on the utility of thermo-alkali-stable CAs in biomineralization based strategies. A variety of roles that CAs play in various living organisms, the use of CA inhibitors as drug targets and strategies for overproduction of CAs to meet the demand are also briefly discussed.
Immunohistochemical Profiling of Germ Cells Within the Human Fetal Testis: Identification of Three Subpopulations

Abstract In the human fetal testis, germ cells that have migrated to the genital ridges become enclosed within testicular cords by 8 wk of gestation. Most papers refer to all types of germ cells as being “gonocytes” or “prespermatogonia,” giving the impression that they are identical. Detailed morphological studies, however, have suggested a heterogeneous population. We have used single, double, and triple immunohistochemistry to evaluate the differentiation of cells within fetal testes recovered during the first (7–9 wk) and second (14–19 wk) trimesters. In the first trimester, differentiation of Sertoli cells preceded the formation of testicular cords and the differentiation of interstitial (Leydig, peritubular myoid) cells. Immunostaining for CHK2, C-KIT, placental alkaline phosphatase, PCTAIRE-1, and MAGE-A4 revealed that the proportion of germ cells expressing each of these proteins was correlated with gestational age. Expression of the pluripotency marker OCT4 was restricted to a population of small, round germ cells. Three types of germ cell were identified, and we propose that these should be known as gonocytes (OCT4pos/C-KITpos/MAGE-A4neg), intermediate germ cells (OCT4low/neg/C-KITneg/MAGE-A4neg), and prespermatogonia (OCT4neg/C-KITneg/MAGE-A4pos). In the first trimester, most germ cells had a gonocyte phenotype; however, from 18 wk of gestation, prespermatogonia were the most abundant cell type. These data provide evidence for the functional differentiation of human testicular germ cells during the second trimester of pregnancy, and they argue against these germ cells being considered as a homogeneous population, as in rodents.
Effects of an oral dose of isosorbide dinitrate on platelet function and fibrinolysis in healthy volunteers.

1. A randomised double-blind placebo-controlled study was performed to investigate the effects of isosorbide dinitrate (ISDN; 20 mg orally) on various aspects of platelet function and fibrinolysis in vivo in 12 healthy volunteers. 2. Measurements were performed at rest (before and after tablet ingestion) and during platelet activation by adrenaline (0.4 nmol kg-1 min-1; 30 min infusion). 3. At rest, ISDN did not alter plasma concentrations of beta-thromboglobulin (beta TG). EC50 values for ADP induced aggregation in vitro (Born aggregometry) or ex vivo filtragometry readings. Adrenaline markedly increased platelet aggregability in vivo as measured by filtragometry and elevated levels of beta TG in plasma. ISDN treatment did not affect these responses in the group as a whole. 4. Individuals responding to ISDN with more pronounced vasodilatation at rest showed a lesser increase in aggregability during the ensuing adrenaline infusion (r = -0.66, P = 0.02) despite higher adrenaline levels during ISDN. In individuals showing a significant decrease in systolic blood pressure (n = 8) ISDN tended to attenuate the adrenaline induced increase in platelet aggregability (filtragometry; P = 0.08), despite higher plasma adrenaline and noradrenaline levels after ISDN ingestion. 5. Plasma concentrations of ISDN and its active metabolites isosorbide-5-mononitrate and isosorbide-2-mononitrate were not correlated to haemodynamic or platelet variables. 6. Fibrinolytic activity (t-PA antigen and activity, PAI-1 antigen and activity) increased similarly during the adrenaline infusion following ISDN and placebo. 7. It is concluded that ISDN may affect platelet aggregation responses to adrenaline in vivo, but only in individuals showing significant haemodynamic responses to ISDN. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
European Universities for Entrepreneurship: Their Role in the Europe of Knowledge.

This paper explores the theoretical foundations of the concept of entrepreneurialism in universities and the contribution it can make to the knowledge society. It reviews the concept as an economic phenomenon and draws a distinction between the use of the term in economics and its use in higher education and that in higher education it can be seen as a contested idea which can in some circumstances be destructive of academic values. On the other hand it can strengthen institutional autonomy and can be an enabling process which stimulates research and innovation. Barriers to entrepreneurialism at national and institutional levels are noted and the important area of risk. Two particular ideas are discussed, the concept of the academic entrepreneur and the relationship between the new emphasis on universities’ regional role and the nature of the entrepreneurial university.
Using inertial and visual sensing from a mounted smartphone to stabilize a ball and beam test-bed

Mobile technology is developing and impacting society at an accelerating pace. Since their release in 2007, over one billion smartphones have reshaped the daily lives of their users and their embedded technologies have become increasingly more powerful and miniaturized with each new model. Yet, the majority of the most popular uses of these devices do not take full advantage of their sensing, storage, computation, and communication (SSCC) capabilities. In this paper, we consider an experimental setup in which a smartphone is mounted to a ball and beam system using a 3D-printed mounting structure attached at each end of the beam. To perform feedback control of the ball and beam system, the smartphone's inertial and camera sensors are used to measure the angular orientation and velocity of the beam and translational position of the ball on the beam. To account for the nonlinear effects added to the system by the presence of the smartphone and its mounting structure, a feedback linearizing controller is used to stabilize the system. Simulation and experimental results are presented to show that smartphones and their various sensors can be integrated in the wireless sensing and control of physical systems as part of an emerging class of smartphone-mounted test-beds for research and education.
Blood Viscosity, Lipid Profile, and Lipid Peroxidation in Type-1 Diabetic Patients with Good and Poor Glycemic Control

Background: In diabetic patients, persistent hyperglycemia and poor glycemic control cause disturbances of lipid profiles, especially an increased production of oxygen free radicals. Lipid peroxidation has been considered to be a pathogenic factor of diabetic complications in Type-1 Diabetes mellitus. Aims: The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of glycemic control on blood viscosity, lipid profile, and lipid peroxidation in Type-1 Diabetic subjects. Materials and Methods: The study included three groups; Group-I (age-matched healthy control subjects, n = 50), Group-II (Type-1 Diabetics with good glycemic control, n = 10), and Group-III (Type-1 Diabetics with poor glycemic control, n = 15). The Type 1 diabetic patients with duration of diabetes for more than 5 years were taken. Blood samples of all subjects were analyzed for all biochemical, hematological, and oxidative stress parameters. Results: The Erythrocyte malondialdehyde level was non-significantly changed (P = NS) in group–II patients but significantly increased (P < 0.001) in group-III patients, and no significant changes were found (P = NS) in Blood viscosity of both the groups (group-II and group-III), as compared to healthy control subjects (group-I). Conclusions: Our findings suggest that the monitoring of Oxidative stress and Blood Viscosity in poorly controlled Type-1 diabetic patients may be very useful marker of diabetic complications.
Weather‐risk hedging by farmers: An empirical study of willingness‐to‐pay in Rajasthan, India

Purpose - Small farmers in developing countries have very little means of managing the weather-risk to their agricultural produce. Weather derivatives could provide a solution, but the demand for such instruments and the willingness to invest in them needs to be researched. The purpose of this paper is to assess weather-risk hedging by farmers, focusing on the willingness to pay in Rajasthan, India. Design/methodology/approach - The paper presents results of a contingent valuation study done on the findings of a survey carried out in six villages in the state of Rajasthan. The survey was done on over 500 farmers after explaining the concept of weather derivatives and how they would work to help them hedge their weather-related yield risk. The survey included questions on factors, which could have a bearing on the farmers' willingness to pay, and a bidding game where responses were solicited to premiums in a hypothetical market. Probit and logit models are used to determine probabilities of “Yes” responses to various bids and the mean willingness-to-pay. Findings - The paper brings out a model, which uses nine independent variables affecting the probability of a farmer saying “Yes” to a price quoted to him for a weather derivative. Using the results from the probit and logit models, the farmers' mean willingness-to-pay is determined to be around 8.8 per cent of the maximum possible payout of a weather derivative contract. Originality/value - With weather derivatives being accepted as a means of risk management for agriculture in developing countries, the willingness-to-pay figures determined in this paper would provide an insight to the structuring and pricing of weather derivatives, especially in developing countries.
Volterra-TLS method for chaotic time series prediction

A new Volterra-TLS method for chaotic time series prediction is proposed, which is based on Volterra series model, TLS criterion and iterative TLS algorithm. According to study results, the prediction precision of Volterra-TLS method is not inferior to that of Volterra-NLMS method, while Volterra-TLS method has higher training convergence speed and is more robust against noise.
Unleashing social innovation for social economy: experience of social enterprise development in Hong Kong

This paper reflects on the emergence and growth of social enterprises in Hong Kong via the theoretical lens of social innovation. Two distinct and yet complementary usages of the term in the fields of local/urban governance and social entrepreneurship are employed to make sense of the development of social enterprises in the past decade. By reviewing the development trajectories and the organizational practices of five local social enterprise cases, the twofold meanings of social innovation as new modalities of service governance and key components in the practice of social entrepreneurship are delineated, which are found applicable to the policy discourse in Hong Kong. The experience of social enterprise development suggests that the idea of social innovation would likely play an important role in building and sustaining the growth of the social economy.
On the implementation of ISO 9001:2000: a comparative investigation

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to report on the results of a study investigating the association between organizational differences and some aspects relating to the implementation of ISO 9001:2000.Design/methodology/approach – Data required for this study were collected from 42 ISO 9001:2000‐certified organizations of different size and sector type in the Sultanate of Oman. The Kruskal‐Wallis test was adopted for testing 12 research hypotheses.Findings – The results show that there is no strong evidence to suggest that the motives for implementation, the process and cost of achieving certification, the perceived benefits, and the shortcomings differ significantly according to organization size or sector type.Practical implications – The main outcome of this study is that the issue of organization size or sector type should not be a factor for an organization in deciding certification. This outcome is of value to organizations that are interested investing in ISO certification.Originality/value – S.
ATTENUATION OF THE EFFECTS OF RAT HEMORRHAGIC SHOCK WITH A REPERFUSION INJURY-INHIBITING AGENT SPECIFIC TO MICE

Death after hemorrhagic shock (HS) may be caused by a generalized reperfusion injury, particularly noticeable in the gut. A period of tissue ischemia followed by reinstitution of perfusion produces severe inflammation that can be blocked in mice by preventing the binding of a pathogenic natural immunoglobulin M (IgM) of defined specificity to antigens in reperfused tissue by using a soluble peptide analogue of the IgM tissue target. We hypothesize that this agent can improve end points of rat HS: death, intestinal injury, and lung injury. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were anesthetized; 50% of calculated blood volume was removed for 120 min, shed blood, then returned; and animals were sacrificed at 72 h. One group of rats received i.v. analogue ([N2] 300 &mgr;g) with the return of shed blood. Small intestine and lung were evaluated by histological examination and immunohistochemistry. Lung edema was assessed by Evans blue extravasation and histological examination. I.v. N2 decreased experimental mortality from 62% to 12% (P < 0.05). Associated with this was diminution of gut injury score from 57.8% ± 5.5% to 19.5% ± 2.5% (P < 0.05), lung injury from 21.4 ± 1.5 to 14.8 ± 1.3 polymorphonuclear leucocytes per high-power field ×400 (P < 0.05), and Evans blue extravasation index from 0.61 ± 0.14 to 0.18 ± 0.06 (P < 0.05). As well, the deposition of IgM and C3 that is seen in intestinal villi from HS was not present in N2-treated rats. The N2 peptide agent that blocks reperfusion injury in mice prevents death from rat HS, as well as attenuates gut reperfusion injury and its remote target injuries. These data suggest that death from HS is caused by reperfusion injury, and that an agent derived from mice is effective in rats when given in real therapeutic time.
Comparative Efficacy Between the Glycoprotein IIb/IIIa Antagonists Roxifiban and Orbofiban in Inhibiting Platelet Responses in Flow Models of Thrombosis

This study was undertaken to compare the platelet binding characteristics and anti-platelet efficacy of a nonpeptide glycoprotein IIb/IIIa antagonist roxifiban with orbofiban in static and dynamic adhesion and aggregation assays. The results indicate that roxifiban binds with higher affinity to glycoprotein IIb/IIIa receptors and exhibits slower dissociation rates than orbofiban. Furthermore, the platelet inhibitory effects of roxifiban, but not orbofiban, were unaffected by changes in plasma calcium concentrations. Both agents reduced, in a concentration-dependent manner, the size of platelet thrombi deposited onto collagen I upon perfusion of heparinized blood at a shear rate of 1,500/s. At a clinically achievable concentration of 60 n M, roxifiban abrogated the formation of thrombi containing > 20 platelets per thrombus, thereby displaying comparable in vitro efficacy to that achieved by the theoretical maximal abciximab blood concentration (3.5 &mgr;g/ml) produced after standard treatment. In contrast, orbofiban, even at 500 n M, was only effective in inhibiting the formation of larger platelet thrombi (≥ 150 platelets per thrombus). Pretreatment of surface-anchored platelets with roxifiban (100 n M), but not orbofiban (500 n M), inhibited monocytic THP-1 cell attachment under flow. However, this heterotypic adhesion process was also suppressed when orbofiban (500 n M) was maintained in the perfusion buffer during the entire course of flow experiment. These findings demonstrate roxifiban (unlike orbofiban) is a potent glycoprotein IIb/IIIa antagonist with a long receptor-bound lifetime and prolonged anti-platelet efficacy and may thus be beneficial for the treatment and prevention of acute ischemic syndromes.
Compliance with cardiovascular drug prevention measures in a general population: the Multidisciplinary Intervention in Primary Care (IMAP) study

Aims: To evaluate adherence to guideline-recommended drug therapies for primary and secondary cardiovascular prevention in a general Mediterranean population. Subjects and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in a random sample of 2270 individuals (18⊟80 years) assigned to a health centre in Malaga (Spain). The appropriate use was analysed of statins, antithrombotics, beta-blockers, and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI) or angiotensin II type 1 receptor blockers (ARB), based on the criteria of the European Guidelines on Cardiovascular Prevention and the European Society of Hypertension-European Society of Cardiology. Results: The prescription rate of statins, antithrombotics, beta-blockers, and ACEI/ARB was 7.8%, 5.1%, 3.3%, and 11%, respectively. The prescription of these drugs was inappropriate in 36.2%, 22.4%, 64.5%, and 0%, respectively. Overtreatment was more frequent in subjects with greater comorbidity or ≥2 vascular risk factors (p < 0.001). The percentage of individuals with prescription criteria but who did not receive the treatment was 19.5%, 4.7%, 2%, and 9.3%, respectively, increasing significantly with age, Charlson index, and the presence of ≥2 risk factors (p < 0.001). Only 11% of patients in secondary prevention received combination therapy with statins, antithrombotics, and ACEI/ARB. Patients with ischaemic heart disease, as compared to non-coronary vascular patients, more frequently received statins (56.1% vs. 25.6%; p = 0.0001) and antithrombotic drugs (66.7% vs. 56.4%; p = 0.02). Conclusions: We detected a low adherence to existing pharmacological guidelines for the prevention of cardiovascular disease. A priority is to establish appropriate training and dissemination of cardiovascular prevention guidelines in the field of primary care.