Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Microsatellite markers for the endangered fir Abies guatemalensis (Pinaceae)

Eight newly developed polymorphic microsatellite markers are presented for Abies guatemalensis Rehder, an endangered tree endemic to Mexico and Central America. These microsatellite markers are useful for evaluating the population genetics of the species which is threatened by greenery poaching in natural populations. Novel conservation plans are needed to secure a more sustainable use strategy and to preserve the genetic diversity of the species.
Effects of Morphine/CP55940 Mixtures on an Impulsive Choice Task in Rhesus Monkeys

Pain is the leading reason for seeking medical care. Mu opioid receptor agonists are commonly prescribed to treat moderate to severe pain despite adverse effects such as respiratory depression, abuse, and constipation. In animal models of pain, cannabinoid receptor agonists increase the potency of opioids to produce antinociception at doses that do not increase the potency of opioids to produce reinforcing effects. It is unknown whether cannabinoids enhance other adverse effects of opioids. Opioids and cannabinoids can impair cognition in humans; this study used an impulsive choice task (delay discounting) to characterize the effects of the mu opioid receptor agonist morphine (0.32 – 5.6 mg/kg, s.c.), the cannabinoid receptor agonist CP55940 (0.0032 – 0.32 mg/kg, s.c.), and morphine/CP55940 mixtures in three adult male rhesus monkeys. Monkeys chose between 1 pellet delivered immediately and 2 pellets delivered after a delay. The delay adjusted within‐session based on performance: two consecutive choices of the immediate or delayed reward decreased or increased, respectively, the delay by 25%. Pretreatment times were 15 min for morphine and 60 min for CP55940. Under control conditions, the median adjusted delay, indicating indifference between 1 immediate pellet and 2 delayed pellets, was 33, 44, and 101 sec for individual monkeys. Morphine had no effect on median adjusted delay in two subjects up to doses that decreased responding; however, for one subject morphine dose‐dependently increased the median adjusted delay (i.e., decreasing discounting) and caused exclusive choice for the larger delayed reward. CP55940 produced an inverted U‐shaped dose‐response function with at least one dose significantly increasing the median adjusted delay in each monkey. In two monkeys, 0.01 mg/kg CP55940 increased the median adjusted delay from 33 and 101 sec to 73 and 173 sec, respectively. In the third monkey, 0.032 mg/kg CP55940 increased the median adjusted delay from 44 to 83 sec. Potency differences for CP55940 among individuals were not related to baseline delays. When 0.32 and 1 mg/kg morphine were tested in combination with CP55940 (0.0032 – 0.032 mg/kg), the effects on performance were not different from the effects of CP55940 alone. Conversely, doses of morphine and CP55940 that individually were without effect on response rate decreased responding by at least 50% when tested in combination. Overall, neither morphine nor CP55940 decreased the adjusted delay (i.e., increased discounting) in this task, and the effects of CP55940/morphine mixtures on response rate but not adjusted delay were greater than the effects of either drug alone. These results extend previous work showing that cannabinoids enhance antinociceptive effects but not adverse (reinforcing) effects of opioids. Because treatment of pain often requires repeated drug administration, the effects of morphine/CP5540 mixtures on cognitive performance need to be assessed during and after daily drug administration.
Developmental programmes in floral organ formation.

In contrast to animals, organogenesis in plants is continuous, allowing development in response to intrinsic and extrinsic signals. Organs arise from primordia formed on the flanks of meristems. The apical meristem produces primordia that acquire leaf identity, while floral meristems form primordia which develop into four organ types: sepals, petals, stamens and carpels. The production of mature organs involves two distinct processes, the initiation of organ primordia and the establishment of meristem, primordia and cell identities. Here we concentrate on floral organogenesis in Arabidopsis and examine the extent to which these processes utilize similar control mechanisms and regulatory molecules.
The Risk Assessment Study for Electric Power Marketing Competitiveness Based on Cloud Model and TOPSIS

With the rapid development of the energy internet and the deepening of the electric power reform, the traditional marketing mode of electric power does not apply to most of electric power enterprises, so must seek a breakthrough, however, in the face of increasingly complex marketing information, how to make a quick, reasonable transformation, makes the electric power marketing competitiveness assessment more accurate and objective becomes a big problem. In this paper, cloud model and TOPSIS method is proposed. Firstly, build the electric power marketing competitiveness evaluation index system. Then utilize the cloud model to transform the qualitative evaluation of the marketing data into quantitative values and use the entropy weight method to weaken the subjective factors of evaluation index weight. Finally, by TOPSIS method the closeness degrees of alternatives are obtained. This method provides a novel solution for the electric power marketing competitiveness evaluation. Through the case analysis the effectiveness and feasibility of this model are verified.
Thank you for not smoking

The aim of this study was to test whether maternal smoking-specific communication and parental smoking related to smoking cognitions (i.e., attitude, self-efficacy, social norm) derived from the Theory of Planned Behavior in association with smoking onset during preadolescence. A total of 1,478 pairs of mothers and children participated (mean age: 10.11; SD = .78). Structural equation models in Mplus were used to examine whether smoking-specific communication influences children’s smoking cognitions, which in turn, affect smoking onset. Results showed a positive association between pro-smoking attitudes and smoking onset. Smoking-specific communication and parental smoking were related to smoking cognitions. Specifically, frequency of communication was negatively associated with pro-smoking attitudes, social norms of mother and best friend. Quality of communication related negatively to pro-smoking attitudes and positively to self-efficacy and norms of friends. Parental smoking was positively associated with pro-smoking attitudes and norms of mother and (best) friends. Additionally, more frequent communication and higher levels of parental smoking were associated with higher smoking onset. In conclusion, smoking-specific communication and parental smoking were associated with smoking cognitions and smoking onset. Already during preadolescence, parents contribute to shaping the smoking cognitions of their children, which may be predictive of smoking later in life.
Experiences Virtualizing a Large-Scale Test Platform for Multimedia Applications

Testing is an essential part of software development and many test platforms exist to facilitate the process. Test systems are scarce, because especially scalability tests require many computational resources. In this paper we show that these limitations can be overcome by migrating the test infrastructure into Cloud environments. Concrete virtualization concepts for large-scale testbeds are discussed using the example of NESSEE - an emulation environment for testing distributed Audio/Video conferencing applications. Furthermore, we describe how the Cloud migration allows us to better integrate the test runs of the platform into the work ﬂow of software development.
Factors impacting consumer purchase behaviour for pharmaceutical products

ABSTRACT Understanding of the factors consumer consider, while purchasing and repurchasing over-the-counter (OTC) pharmaceutical products, will be of great help to the marketers. Identified factors can be used to position the products in the direct-to-consumer advertising. The research is an exploratory in the nature. It is based on the primary data. Primary data are collected via questionnaire. Three hundred respondents participated in the study. The respondents are from Metro and A class city and B class city. There were 100 respondents each from Mumbai, Nashik, and Pimpalgaon. Respondents are selected on a random basis. Factors influencing the consumer purchase behaviour are analysed on quantitative and qualitative features. It was observed that five factors – influencers, reliability, awareness, corporate image, and promotion – are responsible for the purchase of OTC pharmaceutical products. Medicinal factors, aesthetics, and producer’ image also have a major influence on purchase of the OTC pharmaceutical products. However, there is variance in the role of factors among the three cities. In this study, we tried to incorporate the theory of planned behaviour (Ajzen I. Attitudes, personality, and behavior. Homewood (IL): Dorsey Press; 1988) and extension of the theory of reasoned action (Ajzen I, Fishbein M. The prediction of behavior from attitudinal and normative variables. J Exp Soc Psychol. 1970;6:466–487. DOI:10.1016/0022-1031(70)90057-0) to develop and predict consumer behaviour using factor analysis.
PEMBINAAN PENINGKATAN PROGRAM KERJA MELALUI SUPERVISI MANAJERIAL KEPALA SEKOLAH (Studi Kasus di SDN 06 Ujan Mas, Kabupaten Kepahiang)

As a manager, the principal was faced with many tasks that require genuine responsibility for their implementation. The School Action Research was conducted at SD 06 Ujan Mas Kepahiang district and the problems the research were the quality of principals work program by school supervisor through principals managerial supervision who followed with guidance and coaching directly and continuously. In the implementation of this PTS the procedure was to supervise and analyze the principal administration, provide technical guidance on SWOT analysis and ways of compiling annual work program and the direct guiding SWOT analysis and preparation of annual work program of principals.
Financial Integration and Global Interdependence

Fundamental to China’s global impact is the ‘unbalanced’ nature of its growth surge since the 1990s. The expansion of merchandise production at a faster rate than consumption in particular has had direct, and much analysed, effects on the terms of trade facing other regions.2 By having created a parallel excess supply of savings, however, this also changed the global financial terms of trade. That in turn contributed to the observed trend decline in asset yields in the same period.3 These improvements in both the product and the financial terms of trade of the advanced economies have, however, been partially offset by structural unemployment.4
An efficient approach for sentence-based opinion retrieval

Recently, there is a growing interest in sharing personal opinions on the Web, such as product reviews, economic analysis, political polls, etc. Therefore, opinion retrieval, which targets to retrieve documents expressing opinions or comments about the query, has become more and more popular. A typical method for opinion retrieval is document-based and each document is assigned a relevant score and an opinionated score, respectively. Then the documents are ranking based on a combination of the two scores. In this method, however, the document is split into bag-of-word, and the association between the opinion and its corresponding target is broken. In an extreme case, a relevant document full of irrelevant opinions will also be retrieved. In this paper, we propose a sentence-based approach since opinions are always expressed in one sentence where the association between an opinion and its corresponding target is maintained. We assign an individual score to each sentence rather than assign an overall score to the document directly. Moreover, we consider the effectiveness of different positions of sentences in documents to further capture the structural information. Compared with document-based approaches, experimental results on our own dataset show that our approach has achieved significant improvement.
On the Total Domination Subdivision Number in Graphs

A set S ⊆V of vertices in a graph G = (V,E) without isolated vertices is a total dominating set if every vertex of V is adjacent to some vertex in S. The total domination number γt(G) is the minimum cardinality of a total dominating set of G. The total domination subdivision number sdγt (G) is the minimum number of edges that must be subdivided (each edge in G can be subdivided at most once) in order to increase the total domination number. In this paper we prove that sdγt (G)≤ α ′(G)+1 for some classes of graphs where α ′(G) is the maximum cardinality of a matching of G. 2010 Mathematics Subject Classification: 05C69
Performance analysis framework for a complex financial data warehouse

This report describes the project that analyzes the performance of a data warehouse used for liquidity risk data aggregation in Rabobank. Furthermore, a methodological approach to performance evaluation is suggested as part of the testing phase. This method consider three sources of information: the hardware running the programs, the processes that support the execution of the system, and the system’s processes. Following that, a framework was outlined and built to support the method suggested. In conclusion, the results demonstrate the benefits of using the framework, bringing valuable new insights into the system’s performance.
Protein Kinase C-ζ and Protein Kinase B Regulate Distinct Steps of Insulin Endocytosis and Intracellular Sorting*

We have investigated the molecular mechanisms regulating insulin internalization and intracellular sorting. Insulin internalization was decreased by 50% upon incubation of the cells with the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitors wortmannin and LY294002. PI3K inhibition also reduced insulin degradation and intact insulin release by 50 and 75%, respectively. Insulin internalization was reduced by antisense inhibition of protein kinase C-ζ (PKCζ) expression and by overexpression of a dominant negative PKCζ mutant (DN-PKCζ). Conversely, overexpression of PKCζ increased insulin internalization as a function of the PKCζ levels achieved in the cells. Expression of wild-type protein kinase B (PKB)-α or of a constitutively active form (myr-PKB) did not significantly alter insulin internalization and degradation but produced a 100% increase of intact insulin release. Inhibition of PKB by a dominant negative mutant (DN-PKB) or by the pharmacological inhibitor ML-9 reduced intact insulin release by 75% with no effect on internalization and degradation. In addition, overexpression of Rab5 completely rescued the effect of PKCζ inhibition on insulin internalization but not that of PKB inhibition on intact insulin recycling. Indeed, PKCζ bound to and activated Rab5. Thus, PI3K controls different steps within the insulin endocytic itinerary. PKCζ appears to mediate the PI3K effect on insulin internalization in a Rab5-dependent manner, whereas PKB directs intracellular sorting toward intact insulin release.
Household Finance in China

This paper uses a lifecycle model to study household finance in China, focusing on the high savings rate, the low stock market participation rate and the low share of stocks in wealth. We control for important regime changes in China in the estimation of structural parameters, and examine their impacts on household finance patterns. Relative to the US, the distinctive financial choices of households in China are driven by institutional factors, such as labor market risks and costs of asset market participation, as well as by differences in preferences. Specifically, large stock market participation and adjustment costs along with high stock market volatility in China lead to the relatively low stock market participation rate and the low share of stocks in wealth conditional on participation, but they contribute little to the high savings rate. The high savings rate in China is driven mainly by high labor market risks and the patience of households. Given the estimated differences between China and the US in preferences, the model predicts that households in China would continue to save more than their US counterparts even if institutional differences disappear.
How well are patients with atherosclerotic disease treated? Secondary prevention in primary care

Objective - To examine changing trends in the field of secondary prevention of atherosclerotic disease in Norwegian general practice. Design - A multipractice survey of consecutive patients with atherosclerotic disease consulting general practitioners in 1994/95 compared with a similar survey in 1996/97. Setting - Primary health care. Subjects - 707 patients attending 31 general practitioners in 1994/95 and 1353 patients attending 63 general practitioners in 1996/97. Main outcome measures - The patients were examined and interviewed for risk factors and pharmacological treatment. Results - In 1994/95, 18% of the patients had been prescribed a lipid-lowering agent as opposed to 55% in the later survey. Consequently, the average level of LDL cholesterol in the 1996/97 population was 19% lower than in the 1994/95 population (3.8 mmol/l vs 4.7 mmol/l), which may imply a marked risk reduction. Aspirin and beta-blockers were prescribed to approximately 50% of the patients in both surveys. Diabetic patients had the same drug prescription rate and lipid profile as non-diabetics. In both surveys, about 25% of the patients were smokers. Conclusion ? Secondary prevention in the majority of patients with atherosclerotic disease though ameliorating is still unsatisfactory. More attention is needed to achieve and sustain treatment goals.
MEASURING LIMITS OF ARBITRAGE IN FIXED‐INCOME MARKETS

We use relative value to measure limits of arbitrage in fixed-income markets in a way that is simple, intuitive and model-free. We construct an index of relative value to measure limits to arbitrage for the US, UK, Japan, Germany, Italy, France, Switzerland and Canada. Relative value indices exhibit strong commonality across countries and high correlations with volatility and funding conditions within countries. The price of risk estimate for relative value is negative and robust in the cross-section of bond and option returns. Relative value shows meaningful economic value as trading signal. Overall, relative value is a cleaner measure of limits of arbitrage in fixed-income markets than the most common alternative. The relative value indices are updated regularly and available publicly.
Using Mild High-pressure Shock to Generate Bacterial Ghosts of Escherichia coli

In the context of vaccine development, bacterial ghosts are inert cells that retain the capacity to activate the immune system, and that can be used as vaccine or carrier for subunit or DNA vaccines. In this study we provide evidence that increasing the copynumber of the E. coli K12 mrr locus can render naturally occurring and virulent avian pathogenic E. coli (APEC) strains hypersensitive to high pressure. We further demonstrate that mild HP shock generates inactive bacterial ghosts from these cells that have not incurred any microscopically visible structural damage. Possible benefits of high-pressure generated bacterial ghosts as a vaccine are discussed.
Prototype model of tripod parallel mechanism with planar actuators for flight simulator

In this paper a planar type of tripod parallel mechanism for a new flight simulator has been proposed and designed. The parallel mechanism has three legs translating on ground. A scale model of the tripod parallel mechanism with planar actuators is designed and fabricated. The planar actuator is performed with two-axis Sawyer type of linear motor floating on ground by aerostatic bearing. Distributed control for the three planar actuators with six-degree-of-freedom is carried out by one-chip microcomputer. The analytical and experimental results show that the planar type of tripod parallel mechanism has larger motion space and tilt angle than the conventional Stewart-Gough platform type of parallel mechanism.
Generating a Texture Map from Object‐Surface Texture Data

A number of 3D digitizing methods, including stereopsis, are capable of measuring not only an object's shape but also its surface texture. Measured shape data can be expressed as a polyhedron whose faces are triangular, and object‐surface texture data can be represented in the form of color data for each of the vertices of the various triangles. The ability to apply object‐surface texture data directly to the creation of computer graphics images has been severely limited by the extreme difficulty of expressing such texture data in the image from which conventional texture mapping proceeds (commonly referred to as a texture map). Proposed here is a method that generates a texture map from object‐surface texture data. First, the method reduces the number of triangles in the polyhedron while preserving essentially all the color data that it originally contained. Next, it arranges the triangles in the simplified triangle mesh onto a plane, and generates a texture map from this arrangement. This method preserves the full texture of an object, no matter how complex its shape, an advantage over the conventional cylindrical texture representation approach. Furthermore, since essentially all color data has been retained, the reduction in the number of triangles does not produce any significant reduction in the texture‐realism of the object image produced.
Why Do People Drive to Shop? Future Travel and Telecommunications Tradeoffs - eScholarship

In this study, we look at the relationship between shopping and travel trips, especially by car, and ask whether the travel trip has intrinsic value and/or costs for shoppers. We first describe recent trends in shopping travel, based on recent travel statistics. We then seek, through the transportation and marketing literatures, different approaches to the question of why people travel to stores. This leads us to pose specific hypotheses about shopping-related trips which we then test using activity-based demand modeling. Our results suggest that the behaviors associated with the adoption of electronic home shopping are complex and that it is naive to view home shopping as just another channel. Home shopping will not evolve independently of other changes in work, daily routines and leisure time use.
Studies on the structure and function of the N‐terminal domain of the pneumococcal murein hydrolases

The structures of the choline‐dependent pneumococcal murein hydrolases, LYTA amtdase and CPL1 Iysozyme, and the choline‐independent CPL7 Iysozyme were analysed by controlled proteolytic digestions. The trypsin cleavage of the CPL1 and CPL7 lysozymes produced two resistant polypeptides, F1 and F7 respectively, corresponding to the N‐terminal domain of the enzymes, whereas the amidase LYTA was completely hydrolysed by the protease. Interestingly, the F1 and F7 fragments showed a low, but significant, choline‐independent lysozyme activity. Choline reduced the rate of proteolytic hydrolysis of choline‐dependent enzymes, suggesting that the C‐terminal choline‐binding domain adopts a more resistant conformation in the presence of the ligand. On the other hand, the regions encoding the N‐terminal domains of the three enzymes have been cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli, showing that these domains adopt an active conformation even in the absence of their C‐terminal domains. The lower activity shown by the catalytic domains when compared with that of the complete enzymes suggests that the acquisition of a substrate‐binding domain represents a noticeable evolutionary advantage for enzymes that interact with polymeric substrates, allowing them to achieve a higher catalytic efficiency. These results strongly reinforce the hypothesis that the pneumococcal murein hydrolases have been originated by fusion of two structural and functional independent domains, and provide new experimental support to the theory of modular evolution of proteins.