Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Rats exhibit aldosterone‐dependent sodium appetite during 24 h hindlimb unloading

Hindlimb unloading (HU) is an animal model of microgravity and bed rest. In these studies, we examined the role of ingestive behaviours in regulating body fluid balance during 24 h HU. In the first experiment, all rats were given distilled water to drink while two groups were also given access to a sodium chloride solution (0.9% or 1.8%). Water and saline intakes were measured before, during and after 24 h of HU. Rats reduced water intake during 24 h HU in all conditions. During HU, rats increased their intakes of both saline solutions (0.9% NaCl (n= 11): control 7.8 ± 3 ml; HU 18.2 ± 4 ml; recovery 8.9 ± 2.5 ml; 1.8% NaCl (n= 7): control 1.0 ± 0.4 ml; HU 3.8 ± 0.3 ml; recovery 1.2 ± 0.5 ml). Although water intake decreased there was no reduction in total fluid intake when saline was available. Plasma volumes were reduced during HU compared to rats in a normal posture when only water was available to drink (control (n= 11) versus HU (n= 11): 4.0 ± 0.2 versus 3.4 ± 0.2 ml (100 g body weight)−1). When 0.9% saline was available in addition to water, plasma volumes after 24 h HU were not different from rats in a normal posture (control (n= 11) versus HU (n= 12): 4.3 ± 0.4 versus 4.3 ± 0.1 ml (100 g body weight)−1). Plasma aldosterone but not plasma renin activity was significantly elevated after 24 h HU. Central infusions of spironolactone blocked the increased intake of 1.8% saline that was associated with 24 h HU. Thus, HU results in an aldosterone‐dependent sodium appetite and the ingestion of sodium may help maintain plasma volume.
Affective Disorders in Motor Neuron Disease: A Population-Based Study

Several studies have suggested that there may be an increased prevalence of affective disorders in people with motor neuron disease (MND). However, the literature is inconsistent, possibly because of small sample sizes in the existing studies. The Canadian province of Alberta has a universal health care system in which physician contacts are recorded along with ICD-9-CM diagnostic codes. In this analysis, diagnostic codes indicative of MND and affective disorders were used. Stratified analysis and logistic regression were used in the analysis. There were 336 cases of MND leading to a prevalence of 14.5 per 100,000 in provincial residents ≧20 years old. Affective disorders were identified in 8.6% of the total population during the same year. The crude odds ratio for affective disorders in MND was 2.3 (95% CI = 1.7–3.0). However, the prevalence of affective disorders declined with increasing illness duration.
Strategic planning in Research and Technology Institutes

Presents information that was based on nine of the most successful Research and Technology Institutes (RTIs) in Europe, North America and East Asia with reference to the assessment of the challenges faced by RTIs. Detailed information on the assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of RTIs; Arguments on the type of analysis that should be used for the planning and management of these institutes.
Oropouche Virus: Clinical, Epidemiological, and Molecular Aspects of a Neglected Orthobunyavirus

Oropouche virus (OROV) is an important cause of arboviral illness in Latin American countries, more specifically in the Amazon region of Brazil, Venezuela and Peru, as well as in other countries such as Panama. In the past decades, the clinical, epidemiological, pathological, and molecular aspects of OROV have been published and provide the basis for a better understanding of this important human pathogen. Here, we describe the milestones in a comprehensive review of OROV epidemiology, pathogenesis, and molecular biology, including a description of the first isolation of the virus, the outbreaks during the past six decades, clinical aspects of OROV infection, diagnostic methods, genome and genetic traits, evolution, and viral dispersal.
Productivity Assessment of African Seaports

: This paper analyses the productivity of a representative sample of African seaports in Angola, Mozambique and Nigeria from 2004 to 2010, using a data envelopment analysis (DEA) approach. The paper finds that Nigerian seaports are the most efficient, followed by those in Mozambique and Angola. A discussion of the results is provided, in addition to the related policy implications.
Antagonists of Hsp16.3, a Low-Molecular-Weight Mycobacterial Chaperone and Virulence Factor, Derived from Phage-Displayed Peptide Libraries

ABSTRACT The persistence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis is a major cause of concern in tuberculosis (TB) therapy. In the persistent mode the pathogen can resist drug therapy, allowing the possibility of reactivation of the disease. Several protein factors have been identified that contribute to persistence, one of them being the 16-kDa low-molecular-weight mycobacterial heat shock protein Hsp16.3, a homologue of the mammalian eye lens protein alpha-crystallin. It is believed that Hsp16.3 plays a key role in the persistence phase by protecting essential proteins from being irreversibly denatured. Because of the close association of Hsp16.3 with persistence, an attempt has been made to develop inhibitors against it. Random peptide libraries displayed on bacteriophage M13 were screened for Hsp16.3 binding. Two phage clones were identified that bind to the Hsp16.3 protein. The corresponding synthetic peptides, an 11-mer and a 16-mer, were able to bind Hsp16.3 and inhibit its chaperone activity in vitro in a dose-dependent manner. Little or no effect of these peptides was observed on alphaB-crystallin, a homologous protein that is a key component of human eye lens, indicating that there is an element of specificity in the observed inhibition. Two histidine residues appear to be common to the selected peptides. Nuclear magnetic resonance studies performed with the 11-mer peptide indicate that in this case these two histidines may be the crucial binding determinants. The peptide inhibitors of Hsp16.3 thus obtained could serve as the basis for developing potent drugs against persistent TB.
Multiple Criteria Decision Making in the Valuation of Real Options

Traditional project evaluation is based on discounted cash flow method (DCF) with Net Present Value (NPV) as the main measure. This approach sometimes leads to the abandonment of profitable projects, because the DCF method does not take into account the role of managerial flexibility. The Real Options Valuation (ROV) method takes into account future situations in the valuation, assuming that the project is properly managed. The Project Manager shall have the right to take action as appropriate. A widely used method for the valuation of real options is the binomial tree method (CRR), proposed by Cox, Ross and Rubinstein. It takes into account one state variable. In many real problems, however, many factors should be considered. This leads to a multi-criteria decision-making problem. This paper presents an extension of the CRR method for several state variables.
Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) Test

• Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is a protein produced by cells of the prostate gland. The PSA test measures the level of PSA in the blood (see Question 1). • The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the use of the PSA test along with a digital rectal exam to help detect prostate cancer in men age 50 and older. The FDA has also approved the PSA test to monitor patients with a history of prostate cancer to see if the cancer has recurred (come back) (see Question 2). • Doctors’ recommendations for PSA screening vary (see Question 3). • The higher a man’s PSA level, the more likely it is that cancer is present, but there are other possible reasons for an elevated PSA level (see Questions 4 and 5). • Doctors take several factors into account for men who have a rising PSA level after treatment for prostate cancer (see Questions 2 and 6). • The PSA test for screening has limitations and is still controversial (see Questions 7 and 8). • Researchers are studying ways to validate and improve the PSA test and to find other ways of detecting prostate cancer early (see Questions 9 and 10).
Qualitative Analysis of Verbal Fluency Before and After Unilateral Pallidotomy

This study examined qualitative aspects of phonemic and semantic fluency before and after unilateral pallidotomy in patients with intractable Parkinson’s Disease (PD). Specifically, clustering (number of similar words generated sequentially) and switching (number of changes or switches from one cluster to another) were evaluated for both fluency tasks. Twenty-five PD patients participated and were grouped according to whether they improved or declined on each of the fluency measures after surgery. Decliners evidenced decreased switching, but not clustering, suggesting difficulties with set-shifting and cognitive flexibility rather than a diminished semantic store of information or retrieval difficulties. Though consistent with hypotheses about difficulties with executive processing after pallidotomy, a series of correlational analyses with composite measures of neuropsychological functioning (attention, language, executive processing, and memory) suggest caution in interpreting these findings. In these analyses, clustering was not meaningfully related to any of the composites whereas switching was significantly and positively related to the composites; this pattern emerged, for the most part, on both fluency measures before and after surgery. Switching, but not clustering, was also significantly and positively correlated with total words generated on both semantic and phonemic fluency. Switching changes across time were also related to DRS changes post-pallidotomy. These correlational analyses challenge the specificity of the switching variable and, more broadly, the validity of these qualitative measures of verbal fluency.
Transmission of Financial Crises and Contagion:: A Latent Factor Approach

Financial crises often transmit across geographical borders and different asset classes. Modelling these interactions is empirically challenging, and many of the proposed methods give different results when applied to the same data sets. In this book the authors set out their work on a general framework for modeling the transmission of financial crises using latent factor models. They show how their framework encompasses a number of other empirical contagion models and why the results between the models differ. The book builds a framework which begins from considering contagion in the bond markets during 1997-1998 across a number of countries and culminates in a model which encompasses multiple assets across multiple countries through over a decade of crisis events from East Asia in 1997-1998 to the sub prime crisis during 2008. Program code to support implementation of similar models is available.
Technological strategy, open innovation and innovation performance: evidences on the basis of a structural-equation-model approach

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to shed further light on determinants of the openness degree to give a more conclusive evidence to the research in the field. In particular, the influence exerted by the technological strategy is still debated, in that evidence on the relationship between the technological strategy and openness is conflicting. Design/methodology/approach – The authors put forward a structural equation model which enriches the state-of-the-art literature by explicitly testing the interplay among technological strategy, openness (innovatively measured in terms of partner intensity, phase intensity and variety in terms of partners, phases and contents) and innovation performance. Our study relies on data from 415 firms based on a research survey developed in Finland, Italy and Sweden. Findings – Findings show that openness, if measured in terms of partner intensity and phase intensity, fully mediates the relationship between technological strategy and innovation performance, by suggesti.
Persisting mental health problems among AIDS-orphaned children in South Africa.

BACKGROUND By 2008, 12 million children in sub-Saharan Africa were orphaned by AIDS. Cross-sectional studies show psychological problems for AIDS-orphaned children, but until now no longitudinal study has explored enduring psychological effects of AIDS-orphanhood in the developing world. METHODS A 4-year longitudinal follow-up of AIDS-orphaned children with control groups of other-orphans and non-orphans. 1021 children (M = 13.4 years, 50% female, 98% isiXhosa-speaking) were interviewed in 2005 and followed up in 2009 with 71% retention (49% female, M = 16.9 years), in poor urban South African settlements. Children were interviewed using sociodemographic questionnaires and well-validated standardised scales for assessing depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress. Data were analysed using mixed-design ANOVA and backward-stepping regression. RESULTS AIDS-orphaned children showed higher depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) scores in both 2005 and 2009 when compared with other-orphans and non-orphans. Backward-stepping regression, controlling for baseline mental health, and sociodemographic cofactors such as age, gender, and type of bereavement, revealed that being AIDS-orphaned in 2005 was associated with depression, anxiety, and PTSD scores in 2009. This was not the case for other-orphaned or non-orphaned children. Age interacted with orphan status, such that there was a steep rise in psychological distress in the AIDS-orphaned group, but no rise with age amongst other-orphans and non-orphans. CONCLUSIONS Negative mental health outcomes amongst AIDS-orphaned children are maintained and worsen over a 4-year period. It is important that psychosocial support programmes are sustained, and focus on youth as well as young children.
Combining Capital and Operating Expenditure Costs in Vehicular Roadside Unit Placement

This paper considers the problem of vehicular roadside unit (RSU) placement so that the sum of capital expenditure (CAPEX) and operating expenditure (OPEX) costs is minimized. The minimum cost solution considers these two cost contributions jointly when making RSU placement decisions. The input to the placement process consists of historical vehicular traffic traces and a set of candidate site locations from which RSU placements are chosen. An integer linear program (ILP) formulation is first given that computes the minimum cost placement based on the input traffic traces and candidate locations. A practical algorithm is then introduced that solves a relaxed version of the ILP and uses a novel rounding procedure to obtain real RSU placements. The algorithm takes into account the energy costs incurred by vehicular requests when the latter are scheduled using a minimum energy online scheduler. Performance results are presented that show that the proposed algorithm performs well compared to the case where placements are done without jointly considering both CAPEX and OPEX cost components.
Implementation of interorganizational cost management and its infrastructure: the case of a Korean ‘Chaebol’ firm

In this paper, purchasing innovation in the case of a distribution company is analysed from an interorganizational cost management (IOCM) perspective. In this company, purchasing costs play an important strategic role. This study suggests that a new practice of IOCM is necessary that is suitable for Korea's economic circumstances, including the family-controlled conglomerates (Chaebols) that dominate the entire economic system. The strong need to reduce purchasing costs within Chaebols and the Korean government policy that promotes joint growth of large and small firms are crucial factors in the successful implementation of IOCM practices. We also discuss the infrastructure that enables effective IOCM in the long term, thereby adding new findings to academic research in the area, and practical implications of this benchmark case for other companies planning purchasing innovations.
Cognitive radio for improved reliability in a real-time wireless MAC protocol based on TDMA

Wireless communications enables introduction of Internet of Things (IoT) in industrial networks. Unfortunately, real-time guarantees required for many IoT applications, may be compromised in wireless networks due to an unreliable transmission medium. A key component in enabling real-time communications is the medium access control (MAC) layer and its ability to effectively avoid concurrent transmissions that causes deadline misses. Also, deploying the network in a harsh interference environment can lead to low reliability. Time diversity, based on transmitting several copies of the same data at different instants, increases reliability but at the expense of increased jitter and bandwidth. A more efficient resource utilization is expected from cognitive radio, which dynamically takes into account the status of the wireless environment before performing transmissions. This paper proposes a wireless MAC protocol based on scheduled timeslots to avoid concurrent transmissions, combined with two different mechanisms to increase reliability, one based on time diversity and another on cognitive radio. The protocol and its mechanisms to enhance reliability are compared in different interference scenarios, and show that cognitive radios achieves better performance than time diversity, especially when the interference is produced by a jammer.
Barriers to Competitive Tenders in Building Conservation Works

Conservation works in Malaysia that is procured by public organisation usually follow the traditional approach where the works are tendered based on Bills of Quantities (BQ). One of the purposes of tendering is to enable the selection of a competent contractor that offers a competitive price. While competency of the contractors are assessed by their technical knowledge, experience and track records, the assessment of pricing will be dependent on the tender amount. However, the issue currently faced by the conservation works sector is the difficulty in assessing the competitiveness and reasonableness of the tender amount due to the high variance between the tenders amount. Thus, this paper discusses the factors that cause difficulty to the tenderers in pricing competitively in a bidding exercise for conservation tenders. Data on tendering is collected from interviews with conservation works contractors to gain in-depth understanding of the barriers faced in pricing tenders of conservation works. Findings from the study lent support to the contention that the variance of tender amount is very high amongst tenderers. The factors identified in the survey are the format of BQ, hidden works, experience and labour and material costs. Keywords—Building Conservation, Malaysia, Bill of Quantities, Tender.
Outsourcing the Internal Audit Function: A Survey of the UK Public and Private Sectors

Although not a new phenomenon on the business scene, outsourcing nowadays is occurring on a much broader scale and often encompasses a wide variety of traditionally in-house activities. Whether, however, the practice of outsourcing the internal audit function is occurring on the scale and extent that has been often depicted, is an issue open to debate. This paper reports the results of a questionnaire survey carried out in the UK public and private sectors on the issue of outsourcing internal audit. The authors believed that some degree of hesitancy is present among organisations when it comes to outsourcing the internal audit function. This is supported by the survey findings which indicate that organisations which have embraced outsourcing and have entrusted the provision of a broad range of services such as cleaning, information technology and security to outside service providers, are not so keen to outsource the internal audit function and instead are keeping it in-house.
Perturbation-Assisted DBP for Nonlinear Compensation in Polarization Multiplexed Systems

We investigate an improved digital back propagation (DBP) method based on a multi-stage perturbation theory to compensate for nonlinear impairments in fiber optic links. In the standard DBP, the nonlinear operation only calculates the phase shift based on the power of the current signal sample. In the proposed perturbation-assisted DBP (P-DBP) method, the nonlinear operation calculates nonlinear phase shifts and complex distortions taking into account the correlation among neighboring optical pulses, which significantly improves the accuracy of nonlinear calculation. We obtain analytical expressions to calculate the nonlinear phase shifts due to the self-phase modulation and intra-channel cross-phase modulation effects and the complex distortions due to the intra-channel four wave mixing effect. We experimentally demonstrate that in a 256-Gb/s polarization multiplexed system over a 2,000-km fiber optic link, the P-DBP method using 4 steps shows the same compensation performance as standard DBP using 40 steps. We perform algorithm complexity analysis and show that the P-DBP method reduces the computational complexity up to 82% as compared with the standard DBP for the same gain.
Multiple Structural Breaks and Unit Root Hypothesis: Evidence from India's Service Sector

This paper takes a comprehensive investigation into India’s service sector, the main growth engine for Indian economy over past two decades. First, the paper deals with the endogenous multiple structural break developed by Bai Perron (1998, 2003). Here both the models of pure and partial structural breaks propounded by Bai and Perron are considered. Second, using the Boyce method (1986) of estimating kinked exponential models for growth rate, the growth rates in different regimes are calculated. Third, the sequential t ratio estimation method due to Banerjee, Lumsdaine and Stock (1992), Zivot Andrews (1992) and extended by Lumsdaine and Pappel (1997) is used. This paper extends the Lumsdaine and Pappel (1997) methodology further to the consideration of three possible breaks in the series. In this paper, the data used is the components of subsector of services GDP and GDP at constant prices (at 2004-05 prices) at factor cost, for the entire period from 1950-51 to 2009-2010. Using the Bai Perron methodology, there is very little difference in the estimation of the break dates in the pure and the partial break tests. The period of growth therefore can be broadly categorized into four regimes, with the first break in India’s GDP is found at 1978-79. Using the Boyce method, the growth rates are highest mainly the third and fourth regime at the sectoral level and at the aggregate level. Using the methodology used by Banerjee Lumsdaine and Stock (1992) and the extended Lumsdaine Papell test (1997), the presence of unit root in the data, irrespective of the presence of structural break, cannot be negated. The paper concludes with broad four regimes of growth of India’s GDP and the corresponding growth of subsectors of services in its process.
Potential Role of Protein Kinase B in Glucose Transporter 4 Translocation in Adipocytes.

Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI 3-kinase) activation promotes glucose transporter 4 (Glut 4) translocation in adipocytes. In this study, we demonstrate that protein kinase B, a serine/threonine kinase stimulated by PI 3-kinase, is activated by both insulin and okadaic acid in isolated adipocytes, in parallel with their effects on Glut 4 translocation. In 3T3-L1 adipocytes, platelet-derived growth factor activated PI 3-kinase as efficiently as insulin but was only half as potent as insulin in promoting protein kinase B (PKB) activation. To look for a potential role of PKB in Glut 4 translocation, adipocytes were transfected with a constitutively active PKB (Gag-PKB) together with an epitope tagged transporter (Glut 4 myc). Gag-PKB was associated with all membrane fractions, whereas the endogenous PKB was mostly cytosolic. Expression of Gag-PKB led to an increase in Glut 4 myc amount at the cell surface. Our results suggest that PKB could play a role in promoting Glut 4 appearance at the cell surface following exposure of adipocytes to insulin and okadaic acid stimulation.