Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Convergence of sensory information from abdominal viscera in the rat brain stem.

This study was carried out to establish whether there was convergence of sensory information in the rat brain stem stimulated by physiological activation of gastric mechanoreceptors and hepatic glucoreceptors. Extracellular recordings were made from single neurons in the region of the dorsal vagal nucleus and nucleus of the solitary tract in the medulla. The responses of these neurons to gastric distension, hepatic portal vein perfusion of isotonic D-glucose, and hepatic portal vein infusion of isotonic saline were studied. Fifty-six neurons were studied; it was found that there was no significant difference in the proportion of neurons responding to gastric distension compared with the number responding to either form of hepatic stimulation. In 20 neurons (all 3 types of stimulation were tested on the same neuron), both excitation and inhibition were observed with both forms of visceral stimulation. Of the seven of these neurons that responded to hepatic portal vein infusion, four of them also had an input from gastric mechanoreceptors. Only three of the neurons that responded to hepatic stimulation showed a specific response to hepatic glucose perfusion; in the remainder a component of the response was due to the infusion of the volume itself. The results from these experiments have demonstrated an apparently weak functional synaptic projection carried by hepatic vagal afferents, particularly those responding to changes in portal glucose concentration, which may indicate a rather diffuse and nonspecific sensory system in the liver. These results have also demonstrated the convergence onto neurons in the brain stem of information from gastric and hepatic enteroceptors. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Cultural control and multinationals: the case of privatized Jordanian companies

Abstract This paper draws on the findings of two case studies to examine how two French multinationals used expatriates and training and development to introduce and support a process of cultural reform in companies that they had acquired under the Jordanian government’s privatization programme. It notes that in both cases these mechanisms of cultural change had been extensively employed and that the overall purpose of the organizational reforms they were intended to support exhibited many similarities. For example, in each of the companies a central aim of the reforms being introduced was to make the acquired organizations more business- and target-orientated and, to this end, incorporated initiatives to improve appraisal and selection procedures, establish closer links between pay and performance and introduce more devolved and decentralized management structures. In addition, expatriates were being widely used to develop and implement desired reforms and training and development was being actively used to engender supportive attitudinal changes. More generally, it was noticeable that neither of the multinationals adopted a markedly different approach to the management of their Jordanian operations, notwithstanding that they were based in a developing country and were either only partially owned or operated under a management contract. At the same time, marked variations existed in terms of the extent to which these reforms were centrally determined and hence authored, variations that, in part, appeared to stem from product market differences. The authors consequently warn against assuming too close an association between the human resource strategies of multinationals and the national business systems in which they are based. In addition and more generally, they note that it is often difficult to draw a clear distinction between cultural change, on the one hand, and structural and policy reforms, on the other, since all of these reforms, arguably, had a ‘cultural dimension’.
Renewable Natural Resource Management and Use without Markets

Natural resources, by their nature, are not readily bent to the status of private property. Efficient resource use is complicated by jurisdictional externalities, public goods, non-use values, and beneficiaries spatially separated from the location of resources. The task is made more challenging by ecological complexity that obscures cause (benefits) and effects (costs), and dramatic time lags between individual actions and subsequent social consequences that, together with substantial uncertainty, introduce the chance of irreversibilities. Resource economists have played a major role in the literature on externalities, the development of individual transferable quotas, non-market valuation techniques and common property management.
Entrepreneur or Manager: Who Runs the Firm?

This paper studies the choice facing the owner of a valuable project. She can either run it herself or sell it to an outside investor and continue to work as the manager, receiving a performance related salary. Which is better? In other words, should an agent carry out a project herself or hire a principal? The main result the author establishes is that either can be preferred. The crucial difference lies in the relationship between the individual's effort and external economic conditions. The entrepreneur works harder when times are bad than when they are good, the manager does exactly the opposite. Copyright 1996 by Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
Beat The Market

Speculation in asset market is modelled as a stochastic betting game played by finite number of players and repeated infinite times. With stochastic asset return and unkown quality of public signal, a generic adaptive learning rule is proposed and the corresponding evolutionary dynamics is analyzed. The impact of historical events on players' belief decays over time. It is proved to be a robust approach to adapt to stochastic regime shifts in the market. The market dynamics has characteristics, i.e. endogenous boom-bust cycle, positive correlation in return and volume, and negative first order autocorrelation in return series, commonly observed in financial market but inexplicable by conventional rational expectations theory.
[Isolation and culture of multipotent mesenchymal stem cells from porcine bone marrow].

OBJECTIVE To establish a method for the isolation of porcine mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) from bone marrow and to demonstrate their differentiation ex vivo into various mesenchymal tissue cells. METHODS MSCs were isolated from bone marrow and purified by centrifuge and in vitro. The proliferation and growth characteristics were observed in primary and passage culture. Cell cycle was analyzed by measuring DNA content with FAC-Scan flow cytometer and cell multipotent was identified with specific staining. RESULTS The adherent, fibroblast-like cells were confluent in single layer after plating for 12-14 days. The cultured MSCs in vitro differentiated into osteoblasts. The cell cycle analysis showed that 80% of MSCs were in G0/G1 phase. CONCLUSION Porcine MSCs can be isolated from postnatal bone marrow through their adherent ability. Porcine MSCs may be introduced as a valuable model system to study the mesenchymal lineages for basic research and tissue engineering.
Nervous control of glycogenolysis and blood flow in arterially and portally perfused liver.

In a recently developed model for the simultaneous perfusion of isolated rat liver via both the hepatic artery (120 mmHg, 20-35% flow) and the portal vein (10 mmHg, 80-65% flow), the arterial and portal nerve plexuses were stimulated (20 V, 2 ms, 2.5-20 Hz for 0.33-5 min) either jointly in the liver hilus or separately at the common hepatic artery and the mesenteric vein, respectively. Stimulation of the arterial plexus alone caused an increase of glucose output, a shift from lactate uptake to output, and a decrease of arterial and, "transhepatically," also of portal flow. Stimulation of the portal plexus alone elicited the same yet clearly smaller metabolic and transhepatic hemodynamic effects. The sum of the metabolic actions of single arterial and portal stimulations but not the sum of the hemodynamic actions was equal to the effects of simultaneous separate stimulations of the hepatic artery and mesenteric vein or joint stimulations in the liver hilus. Half-maximal and maximal effects were reached during 5-min stimulation periods within the physiological range of frequencies, i.e., at 5-6 and 10 Hz for metabolic alterations and at 8 and 20 Hz for hemodynamic changes. At a frequency of 10 Hz, half-maximal and maximal effects were observed with stimulation periods of 0.5 and 1 min for metabolic alterations and with 2 and 5 min for hemodynamic changes. The described model of isolated rat liver perfusion is well suited for the study of the complex metabolic and hemodynamic actions of the arterial and portal nerves, their mutual interactions, and modulations by circulating factors.
A novel navigation scheme in dynamic environment using layered costmap

Navigation is one of basic functions of auto-mobile robots. After dozens of years of development, now the navigation in static environment almost has been realized, taking the method in ROS (i.e. Robot Operation System) navigation stack as an example. However, when cruising in dynamic environment, there are more difficulties, as the objects in the environment can change their positions. To deal with such cases, we propose a scheme to navigate using layered costmap. By predicting the dynamic object's encounter position according to both its and the robot's kinematic information, and put it in another layer, and set different costs around the objects according the estimation of the motion of them, then path based on the layered costmaps can be planned. In this paper, the safety and efficiency of our scheme have been proven by the results of simulation.
Screening for diverse PDGFRA or PDGFRB fusion genes is facilitated by generic quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction analysis

Background Rapid identification of diverse fusion genes with involvement of PDGFRA or PDGFRB in eosinophilia-associated myeloproliferative neoplasms is essential for adequate clinical management but is complicated by the multitude and heterogeneity of partner genes and breakpoints. Design and Methods We established a generic quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction to detect overexpression of the 3′-regions of PDGFRA or PDGFRB as a possible indicator of an underlying fusion. Results At diagnosis, all patients with known fusion genes involving PDGFRA (n=5; 51 patients) or PDGFRB (n=5; 7 patients) showed significantly increased normalized expression levels compared to 191 patients with fusion gene-negative eosinophilia or healthy individuals (PDGFRA/ABL: 0.73 versus 0.0066 versus 0.0064, P<0.0001; PDGFRB/ABL: 196 versus 3.8 versus 5.85, P<0.0001). The sensitivity and specificity of the activation screening test were, respectively, 100% and 88.4% for PDGFRA and 100% and 94% for PDGFRB. Furthermore, significant overexpression of PDGFRB was found in a patient with an eosinophilia-associated myeloproliferative neoplasm with uninformative cytogenetics and an excellent response to imatinib. Subsequently, a new SART3-PDGFRB fusion gene was identified by 5′-rapid amplification of cDNA ends polymerase chain reaction (5′-RACE-PCR). Conclusions Quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction analysis is a simple and useful adjunct to standard diagnostic assays to detect clinically significant overexpression of PDGFRA and PDGFRB in eosinophilia-associated myeloproliferative neoplasms or related disorders.
From mercantile strategy to domestic demand stimulation: changes in China's solar PV subsidies

Through scrutinizing China's industrial subsidies towards its solar photovoltaic (PV) sector from a theoretical perspective constructed by Michael Porter on the government's role in forging national comparative advantages, this study tries to capture recent dynamics in China's state capitalism, which has been evolving from a mercantile stage in which most subsidies were designed to influence factor conditions and supporting industries, to a new stage of domestic demand with more subsidies aimed at reshaping domestic demand conditions to absorb redundant manufacture capacity. China has emerged as the world's largest solar panel producer, but compared to its fast-expanding wind power market that has congenital advantages in attracting policy support, China's domestic solar PV market has been underdeveloped and failed to absorb a large part of its inflated production capacity. Empirical evidences have shown that in sync with the state's recent policy shift to domestic demand from export-orientated mercantile strategy, the government's role in supporting the solar PV industry has been transforming from subsidizing the production side to subsiding the demand side. As solar PV power generation is approaching the breaking point of grid parity with existing subsidies and feed-in tariffs, China could witness its PV installed capacity grow exponentially in the near future.
Investment Slowdown in Developing Countries During the 1980s: Debt Overhang or Foreign Capital Inflows?

This paper estimates a simultaneous-equation model for the determination of creditworthiness and investment rates in developing countries. Its purpose is to test the debt overhang hypothesis, according to which the external debt burden provides a strong disincentive to domestic capital formation. The results indicate that debt overhang has contributed significantly to the reduction in developing country investment rates during 1980-86. The model also examines the contribution of foreign capital inflows and shows that commercial inflows contributed significantly to the investment slowdown, while noncommercial inflows were insignificant. Copyright 1992 by WWZ and Helbing & Lichtenhahn Verlag AG
Brain magnetic resonance in experimental acute‐on‐chronic liver failure

Acute‐on‐chronic liver failure is the term that refers to sustained liver injury with acute decompensation, usually induced by a precipitating factor. A common link between ensuing failures of various organs is impairment of the vascular supply, which may also induce vasogenic oedema in the brain. The aim of this study was to perform magnetic resonance (MR) study of the brain in a rat model combining bile duct ligation (BDL) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) administration to investigate brain oedema in liver failure.
Canadian Jobs and Firm Size: Do Smaller Firms Pay Less?

Even after controlling for observable workers' characteristics and for occupation and industry-specific effects, a substantial wage differential remains between large and small firms. What underlies the remaining wage differential is unclear. Direct evidence on pension plan coverage and on lay-off rates by firm size is inconsistent with the "bad working conditions" hypothesis. The union avoidance hypothesis does not seem to explain an important portion o f the wage differential. As suggested by efficiency wage models, part of the remaining wage differential may be due to firms' heterogeneity. Similarly, perhaps large firms pay higher wages simply (partly) beca use they employ workers with more unobserved abilities. Because differen t explanations of the wage differential may lead to different policy implications, determining the source of the wage-firm size effect is an important question for future research.
Impact of dielectric variability on modal signaling over cable bundles

In this paper, the feasibility of Modal Signaling (MS) transmission scheme in presence of dielectric variability is addressed from a stochastic standpoint. Recently, MS has been proposed to reduce crosstalk over high-speed interconnects. Being it based on the encoding of signals onto fundamental transmission-line modes, the correct operation requires an accurate knowledge of the physical interconnect parameters. The impact of random variations in the dielectric permittivity on MS effectiveness is analyzed by means of an efficient tool for the stochastic simulation of interconnects, namely Polynomial Chaos (PC) technique.
Repeated Stand-Replacing Crown Fires Affect Seed Morphology and Germination in Aleppo pine

Post-fire reproductive niche of Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis) is deeply interlaced with fire products. Indeed, the high pH and low osmotic potentials of ash beds under burnt crowns constitute the main constraints to seed germination. In this study, we aim to investigate whether fire recurrence, through the physico-chemical constraints imposed by the ash beds, affects the reproduction ability of P. halepensis at the germination stage. To this aim, Aleppo pine seeds were collected in neighboring even-aged stands subjected to 0, 1, or 2 fires (namely fire cohorts), and seed morphology and germination performance, in terms of cumulative germination and germination kinetics, were studied under increasing osmotic potentials (from 0.0 to −1.2 MPa) and pH (from 6 to 11). Besides fire history, the role of ontogenetic age of mother plants on seed morphology and germination was also investigated. Differences in seed morphology among the three cohorts have been highlighted in a multivariate context, with anisotropic enlargement of the seeds produced by pine stands experiencing repeated fires. The patterns of seed germination varied primarily in relation to the fire cohort, with seeds from the pine stand experiencing repeated fires exhibiting enhanced tolerance to pH stress. Conversely, germination performances under osmotic constraints mainly depends on tree ontogenetic stage, with an involvement of fire history especially in the timing of seed germination. Our results suggest that, at least in the short term, fire recurrence does not constrain the reproduction ability of Aleppo pine. These results highlight the need for further research to elucidate the mechanisms behind these responses to recurrent fires.
Civil Service Reform in China

Despite a consistent task to balance political, managerial, and legal values, China’s civil service reform in the past three decades demonstrated a paradigmatic shift from a conflict-oriented to harmony-oriented model. The 2005 Civil Service Law highlighted a legal effort to institutionalize the coexistence of competing values. Such a shift was justified by, besides the changed path of political reform, contextual factors including the convergence of values, the strategy of decoupling, and the validated advantages of a unified system. An examination of the post-2005 developments discloses complex patterns of interaction between values across reform arenas, showing a limit to the harmony-oriented model. Despite its capability to constrain outright conflicts, China’s integrated political system faces an urgent demand of institutional capacities to balance the competing values.
Modulating Crossover Frequency and Interference for Obligate Crossovers in Saccharomyces cerevisiae Meiosis

Meiotic crossover frequencies show wide variation among organisms. But most organisms maintain at least one crossover per homolog pair (obligate crossover). In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, previous studies have shown crossover frequencies are reduced in the mismatch repair related mutant mlh3Δ and enhanced in a meiotic checkpoint mutant pch2Δ by up to twofold at specific chromosomal loci, but both mutants maintain high spore viability. We analyzed meiotic recombination events genome-wide in mlh3Δ, pch2Δ, and mlh3Δ pch2Δ mutants to test the effect of variation in crossover frequency on obligate crossovers. mlh3Δ showed ∼30% genome-wide reduction in crossovers (64 crossovers per meiosis) and loss of the obligate crossover, but nonexchange chromosomes were efficiently segregated. pch2Δ showed ∼50% genome-wide increase in crossover frequency (137 crossovers per meiosis), elevated noncrossovers as well as loss of chromosome size dependent double-strand break formation. Meiotic defects associated with pch2∆ did not cause significant increase in nonexchange chromosome frequency. Crossovers were restored to wild-type frequency in the double mutant mlh3Δ pch2Δ (100 crossovers per meiosis), but obligate crossovers were compromised. Genetic interference was reduced in mlh3Δ, pch2Δ, and mlh3Δ pch2Δ. Triple mutant analysis of mlh3Δ pch2Δ with other resolvase mutants showed that most of the crossovers in mlh3Δ pch2Δ are made through the Mus81-Mms4 pathway. These results are consistent with a requirement for increased crossover frequencies in the absence of genetic interference for obligate crossovers. In conclusion, these data suggest crossover frequencies and the strength of genetic interference in an organism are mutually optimized to ensure obligate crossovers.
Convergence after the collapse: The ‘catastrophic’ case of Canada

Convergence has been a controversial concept since it was first advanced by many in the 1990s as the inevitable future form of mass media. Media owners urged the loosening or removal of regulations restricting cross-ownership of media, but others expressed concern about the increased size and influence of media conglomerates enabled by convergence (Bagdikian, 2004; Klinenberg, 2007; McChesney, 1999). The lofty financial expectations that multimedia owners had for convergence initially went unrealized however, after the bursting of the stock market ‘bubble’ in technology stocks in the early 2000s. While some online-only ventures failed, this period proved only a temporary setback for most cross-media operations. An even deeper recession at decade’s end, however, left most multimedia companies in dire straits financially, and in a few notable cases even in bankruptcy. This cast even more serious doubt on the long-term viability of convergence as a business model for media. This article examines the situation in Canada, where convergence was perhaps adopted most widely at the millennium due to a lack of restrictions on cross-media ownership. It shows how the unregulated convergence of Canadian media in 2000 resulted by decade’s end in television station closures, political consternation, a bitter labor dispute, and public campaigning for regulatory relief by media corporations claiming financial hardship. As is often the case with politics and convergence, however, hyperbole and reality diverge considerably.
Market Efficiency and Returns from Convertible Bond Hedging and Arbitrage Strategies

This article explores the returns of convertibles as well as the returns of a large array of convertible hedging and arbitrage strategies. Market efficiency tests are performed using various portfolios that comprise opposite long bonds and short underlying equity positions, the returns and risks of convertible bond convergence hedging portfolios, and combinations of convertible bonds, corporate bonds, and options of the same issuer. Hedged positions based on the characteristics of the bonds are shown to provide superior absolute and relative returns. A bullish gamma hedging strategy put on at the time of the issuance of the convertibles and a delta-neutral strategy with larger delta change tolerance are shown to be particularly advantageous. These trading strategies are found to be robust to alternative specifications of transaction costs, leverage effects, and alternative parameter inputs. In summary, market commentators who predict the demise of such opportunities may be wrong.
Weather and Pollution Abatement Costs

Mae Moh Mine and Power Plant operates a lignite mine and a minemouth coal-fired electricity generation plant in Lampang province in northern Thailand. Mae Moh is Thailand's largest lignite mine, and Mae Moh Power Plant accounts for nearly 20 percent of Thailand's installed generating capacity The power plant also generates air pollution, principally sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions, as a byproduct of burning lignite. The plant's ambient concentrations of SO2 have been monitored for nearly a decade, which enables us to incorporate concentrations data with conventional input and output data to calculate the shadow value of being able to generate the SO2 concentrations, or the revenue forgone by having to abate the concentrations. We compare the cost of abating with current technology to the cost of adding new technology in the form of desulfurizaiton plants.