Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Glutamate‐induced calcium signaling in astrocytes

Astrocytes respond to the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate with dynamic spatio‐temporal changes in intracellular calcium [Ca2+]i. Although they share a common wave‐like appearance, the different [Ca2+]i changes‐‐an initial spike, sustained elevation, oscillatory intracellular waves, and regenerative intercellular waves‐‐are actually separate and distinct phenomena. These separate components of the astrocytic Ca2+ response appear to be generated by two different signal transduction pathways. The metabotropic response evokes an initial spatial Ca2+ spike that can propagate rapidly from cell to cell and appears to involve IP3. The metabotropic response can also produce oscillatory intracellular waves of various amplitudes and frequencies that propagate within cells and are sustained only in the presence of external Ca2+. The ionotropic response, however, evokes a sustained elevation in [Ca2+]i associated with receptor‐mediated Na+ and Ca2+ influx, depolarization, and voltage‐dependent Ca2+ influx. In addition, the ionotropic response can lead to regenerative intercellular waves that propagate smoothly and nondecrementally from cell to cell, possibly involving Na+/Ca2+ exchange. All these astrocytic [Ca2+]i changes tend to appear wave‐like, traveling from region to region as a transient rise in [Ca2+]i. Nevertheless, as our understanding of the cellular events that underlie these [Ca2+]i changes grows, it becomes increasingly clear that glutamate‐induced Ca2+ signaling is a composite of separate and distinct phenomena, which may be distinguished not based on appearance alone, but rather on their underlying mechanisms. © 1994 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Determination of Polychlorinated Biphenyls in Fish Tissues from Shanghai Seafood Markets Using a Modified QuEChERS Method

Optimized Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, and Safe (QuEChERS) pretreatment methods for determination of six polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) residues in fish and aquatic invertebrates samples were investigated. Large volume injection (LVI) coupled gas chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) with selected reaction monitoring (SRM) was used to provide a very sensitive and selective means of analyzing PCBs via internal calibration. Three analytical processes were validated and compared, and the florisil Celite®545 pretreatment method was selected. Performance characteristics, such as linearity, limit of detection (LOD), limit of quantization (LOQ), recovery and precision (relative standard deviation, RSD) were studied. The method was applied to 233 samples obtained from local markets, which was useful and thus suggested that the method could serve as a screening model for PCB residues analysis.
Dental abscess: A microbiological review

Dental abscess is a frequently occurring infectious process known to the health practice. The fate of the infection depends on the virulence of the bacteria, host resistance factors, and regional anatomy. Serious consequences arising from the spread of a dental abscess lead to significant morbidity and mortality. Acute dental abscess is polymicrobial, comprising of strict anaerobes, such as anaerobic cocci, Prevotella, Fusobacterium species, and facultative anaerobes, such as viridans group streptococci and the Streptococcus anginosus group. Numerous novel, uncultivable and fastidious organisms have been identified as potential pathogens with the use of non-culture techniques. The majority of localized dental abscesses respond to surgical treatment while the use of antimicrobials is limited to severe spreading infections. There is a need for good-quality clinical trials of sufficient size to identify the ideal treatment. The microbiology of the acute dentoalveolar abscess and its treatment in the light of improved culture and diagnostic methods are reviewed.
The conjugated steroids. IV. The hydrolysis of ketosteroid sulfates.

Specific hydrolysis of the separate groups of steroid conjugates appeared to offer the simplest technique for achieving the hydrolysis without chemical modification of the steroids (3-5). A partial solution to this problem was offered when it was found that steroid glucuronides could be hydrolyzed specifically by the use of /3-glucuronidase concentrates of either animal (Cohen (3)) or bacterial (Buehler et al. (4)) origin. Before the enzyme hydrolysis could be considered to be quantitative, it was necessary to account for the 40 to 50 per cent of the total 17-ketosteroids in urine that were not liberated by this hydrolysis. Phenolsulfatase preparations have been found to be effective for the hydrolysis of estrone sulfate (Cohen and Bates (6)). No one has as yet reported the successful use of any sulfatase, either of the phenol or alcohol type, for the hydrolysis of neutral steroid sulfates (Buehler et al. (7)). A number of non-enzymatic procedures have been suggested for the hydrolysis of steroid sulfates in urine. Most of these studies have involved the determination of the degree of hydrolysis of steroid sulfates without considering the possibility of chemical alterations effected during these procedures. Bitman and Cohen (2), using a modified Talbot et al. (8) hydrolysis in buffer, pointed out that apparently only the unsaturated P-steroid sulfates are hydrolyzed by this procedure. The isolation of about 8 per cent of the “total”’ ketosteroids from normal male urine as dehydro-
A comprehensive filter to reduce drift from Euler angles, velocity, and position using an IMU

A comprehensive filter is developed to practically remove errors on position estimation derived from inertial measurement unit (IMU) raw signals. The comprehensive filter is applied to a bicep-curl exercise where the initial and end positions of the host (the forearm of the subject) is known. The comprehensive filter benefits from an explicit complementary filter, a zero-rate updating algorithm, Kalman filter, and a kinematic constraint. The sequence of two Kalman filters provides a significant reduction in the velocity and position drift.
Mainstreaming ICT Mobile in Teaching Large Classes in Higher Learning Institutions in Tanzania: The Case of Ardhi University

Mobile learning is part of a new learning landscape created by the availability of technologies supporting flexible, accessible, personalized education. With the increasing demand of over enrolment of students in higher learning institutions (HLI) around the world teaching of large classes has become an issue that requires close attention. This study was conducted to generate evidence for proposing solutions on how to mainstream mobile ICT technology and facilities in teaching and learning in expanding large classes in the higher learning institutions in Tanzania. A structured self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data. Random sampling was used for the selection of respondents. Study population consisted of 120 first to fifth year students. Generally, the findings of the study showed that most students (90.7%) are capable of using ICT facilities, 90% of the students agreed that the ICT facilities in the university need to be updated to suffice the demand posed by large classes as well as catch up with the increasing pace of Information and Communication Technology. The majority 96.9% use internet for studying purposes. Moreover, a small number of respondents 14% pointed out that the ICT facilities used are excellent. Furthermore, the results highlighted the challenges faced by students when taught in large classes.Based on the findings the HLI management can improve upon usage of mobile ICT technology in teaching large classes by increasing the ICT budget, setting clear rules to ensure students are taught using ICT facilities and include laptop/computer as a mandatory faculty requirement to students.
The Wolves of Wall Street? Managerial Attributes and Bank Risk

We investigate the role of executive-specific attributes (or ‘styles’) in explaining bank business models beyond pay-per-performance incentives. We decompose the variation in business models and document that the ‘style’ of members of a bank’s top management team is reflected in key bank policy choices. Manager styles far outrank executive compensation and other observable manager variables in terms of their ability to describe variation in bank business models. Bank manager styles also explain differences in risk and performance across banks. Finally, we combine manager styles from various bank policies to derive manager profiles that are associated with manager’s personal risk preferences, board characteristics and whether or not managers will be appointed as CEO during their careers.
Effects of swimming training on aerobic capacity and exercise induced bronchoconstriction in children with bronchial asthma

BACKGROUND A study was undertaken to determine whether swimming training improved aerobic capacity, exercise induced bronchoconstriction (EIB), and bronchial responsiveness to inhaled histamine in children with asthma. METHODS Eight children with mild or moderate asthma participated in swimming training every day for six weeks. The intensity of training was individually determined and set at 125% of the child’s lactate threshold (LT), measured using a swimming ergometer. Another group of eight asthmatic children served as control subjects. Aerobic capacity and the degree of EIB were assessed by both cycle ergometer and swimming ergometer before and after swimming training. RESULTS The mean (SD) aerobic capacity at LT increased by 0.26 (0.11) kp after training when assessed with the swimming ergometer and by 10.6 (4.5) W when assessed with the cycle ergometer, and these changes were significantly different from the control group. The mean (SD) maximum % fall in forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) to an exercise challenge (cycle ergometer) set at 175% of LT decreased from 38.7 (15.4)% before training to 17.9 (17.6)% after training, but with no significant difference from the control group. There was, however, no difference in histamine responsiveness when compared before and after the training period. CONCLUSION A six week swimming training programme has a beneficial effect on aerobic capacity but not on histamine responsiveness in children with asthma.
Hydrothermal Synthesis of Metal Oxide Nanoparticles in Supercritical Water

This paper summarizes specific features of supercritical hydrothermal synthesis of metal oxide particles. Supercritical water allows control of the crystal phase, morphology, and particle size since the solvent's properties, such as density of water, can be varied with temperature and pressure, both of which can affect the supersaturation and nucleation. In this review, we describe the advantages of fine particle formation using supercritical water and describe which future tasks need to be solved.
An Online Method for Static Eccentricity Fault Detection in Axial Flux Machines

This paper investigates a novel online method for static eccentricity (SE) fault detection of single-stator-single-rotor axial flux permanent-magnet (AFPM) machines. The method allows for both estimating the SE factor and computing the minimum air-gap position. As direct flux measurements are expensive, the proposed method for fault detection is based on the measurement of the voltages of three search coils uniformly distributed in the air gap. Unlike the current spectrum-based fault detection methods on which the winding configuration has a considerable impact, the proposed method can be used for any type of AFPM machine independently on the winding layout. A simplified 2-D analytical approach is used. Moreover, a circuit-coupled 3-D finite-element method (FEM) was used to compute the induced voltages in the search coils and show the validity of the method through 20 eccentric scenarios. Moreover, an experimental setup was built to validate the analytical approach and to confirm the results achieved with the 3-D FEM. Several experimental measurements have been done. All measurements confirm the accuracy of the proposed method. It is also shown that the method yields accurate results under any load condition.
Business Sustainability in Bangladesh: An Analysis of Economic Sustainability in Ready-made Garments Industries

Sustainable business practices are long cherished system that business organizations are expected to exercise to sustain their businesses. The Ready-made Garments industries (RMG) in Bangladesh are now facing this crucial question to adopt a sustainable system in operating their businesses. The more the industry experiences rapid growth, the higher the demand for the implementation of sustainability. Though the experienced and old garments are seen quite well in maintaining this sustainability, the newly established RMG factories are blamed for not having sustainable business procedure, especially economic sustainability which relates to labor standards and labor rights. Despite continuous tremendous pressure from government and international communities, these new establishments often emphasize on profit maximization rather good labor practices. This article examines the business sustainability issues on economy aspects in new generation RMG factories in Bangladesh. This economic sustainability includes the functional strategies regulating the human resources, labor rights and labor conditions of a factory. To study these issues, this research follows the mixed-method research approaches to get better findings of the sampled factories. The study is based on findings of factory level investigation and analysis of in-depth semi structured interviews and focus group discussions (FGD). The results of factory visits show that most of the investigated factories are lack of implementation of economic sustainability. The findings from interviews and FGD revealed underlying causes of this lack of implementation.
A Novel and Generalized Three-Phase Power Flow Algorithm for Islanded Microgrids Using a Newton Trust Region Method

A new formulation is required to provide a proper power flow analysis in islanded microgrids taking into consideration their special philosophy of operation. In this paper, a novel and generic three-phase power flow algorithm is formulated for islanded microgrids. The algorithm is novel since it adapts the real characteristics of the islanded microgrid operation; i.e., 1) some of the distributed generation (DG) units are controlled using the droop control methods and their generated active and reactive power are dependent on the power flow variables; 2) the steady-state system frequency is considered as one of the power flow variables. The proposed algorithm is generic, where the features of distribution systems, i.e., three-phase feeder models, unbalanced loads and load models have been taken in consideration. Further, all possible operation modes of DG units (droop, PV, or PQ) have been considered. The problem has been formulated as a set of nonlinear equations. A globally convergent Newton-trust region method has been proposed to solve this set of nonlinear equations. The proposed algorithm is a helpful tool to perform accurate steady state studies of the islanded microgrid. Different case studies have been carried out to test the effectiveness and the robustness of the proposed algorithm.
A Clinical Trial of Buspirone and Diazepam in the Treatment of Generalized Anxiety Disorder*

In double-blind trials with hundreds of patients, buspirone has proven to be as effective an anxiolytic as the benzodiazepines. It causes less sedation and motor impairment than diazepam, and may be particularly useful in geriatric patients. We conducted a 4 week double-blind, randomized trial of buspirone versus diazepam and placebo in thirty adult outpatients with generalized anxiety disorder. Maximum doses were 40 mg of diazepam or buspirone or eight placebo tablets a day. There were no significant differences in outcome between the three groups on any physician or subject measures. Some implications of this finding are discussed.
Merger Arbitrage Profitability in China

This paper examines the profitability of merger arbitrage strategies in China. Additionally, it examines the presence of insider trading in the target company, prior to the announcement of the M&A offer, in the Chinese stock market. Using a sample of 22 tender offer bids (from January 2002 to December 2006) and applying standard event study methodology, we find that the average cumulative abnormal return (CAR) from a portfolio, which purchases long the target firm is significant at positive 17.7%, for voluntary tender offers (from day -30 to the announcement day 0). However, the average CAR form day 0 to the resolution day is significant at negative -4.14%. For mandatory tender offer, both the pre- and post-announcement average CAR are not statistically significant. These results suggest that there is no opportunity for investors to profit from a post-announcement long only strategy. In addition, the significant pre-announcement price appreciation followed by post-announcement negative return suggests insider trading. Finally, the pattern of CAR for mandatory tender offers is different from that for voluntary offers, where the mandatory tender offer events have no impact on the share price of target firm.
Challenge of Public Transport Planning in Private Vehicle Dominated Community

Daily trips in many Asian developing cities mainly rely on private vehicles. This paper presents a challenge of public transport planning in private vehicle dominated community. The case study was at Prince of Songkla University, in the southern Thailand. Electric bus service has been provided for internal trips within the campus. However, the bus service does not attract to the students and staff, influenced by private vehicles (motorcycle and passenger car). The Stated Preference (SP) technique was applied to evaluate travelers' responses to different policies in encouraging the modal shift from private vehicles to public transport. Binary logit models were developed and applied to evaluate different policies. The results show that the integrated policies between improvement of bus service (travel time and waiting time reduction) and management of private vehicle parking (parking limitation and pricing) could promote the bus system and reduce CO₂ emission in the community.
Involuntary Corporate Finance: The Influence of Inertia, Industry, Institutions and Firm Attributes on Finance Decisions

This article follows the broadening of corporate strategy research from examining the consequences of firm financial decisions to understanding their determinants. It introduces the concept of involuntary corporate finance that is defined as the influences on financial decisions of firms’ inanimate or non-human features, which arise from well-recognized effects, particularly imposed constraints, transaction costs, moral hazard and firm resources. Seven decision examples are chosen for analysis: leverage, payout ratio, change in issued equity, expenditure on capital and R&D, CEO tenure and proportion of CEO compensation at risk. The dataset consists of a panel of 365 manufacturing and retail firms during 2000-2007 which covers the most recent full cycle in the equities market. These sectors enable use of Bureau of Census data for manufacturing and trade firms, and firms have data in Compustat, IBES and Thomson Reuters databases. This provides 31 independent variables, and OLS is used to quantify cause-and-effect links in firm decisions. Financial decisions prove path-dependent, so that prior year’s levels explain an average 30 percent of variation between firms. Causality flows from involuntary factors to firm decisions, and explanatory power is highest for leverage, R&D expenditure and CEO tenure. Involuntary factors explain 30 percent of variation, and are particularly significant to leverage and R&D expenditure. Relationships are economically rational rather than protecting against agency problems. An innovative finding is that fund investors self-limit their property rights when firms perform well, but will exert their influence over management to restrict capital and force firm regeneration when return drops below the industry average. Given that lagged values and involuntary influences together explain an average of 43 percent of variation between firms in financial decisions, agency theory cannot comprehensively explain corporate behavior.
Relay selection and beamforming for cooperative bi-directional transmissions with physical layer network coding

Application of network coding in wireless communications has enabled the development of physical layer network coding (PLNC). Applying the principle of PLNC to wireless cooperative networks for spectral efficiency improvement has recently received tremendous attention from the research community. The best relay selection is extensively investigated in the literature for PLNC cooperative networks with multiple relays. However, the authors study the problem of signal beamforming and relay selection for a cooperative bi-directional relay network using PLNC and consider signal beamforming and relay selection for (i) multiple relays each equipped with single antenna and (ii) multiple relays with multiple antennas on uncoded amplify-and-forward scheme for PLNC transmission. The authors derive the optimal design criteria and provide low-complexity sub-optimal solutions for relay selection and beamforming to minimise the symbol error probability.
Corporate Governance and Dividend Policy under External Financing Constraints and Agency Problems

This paper investigates the effect of corporate governance on the dividend policy of Korean firms when they face both agency problems and external financing constraints due to asymmetric information between corporate insiders and outside shareholders. A firm’s dividend can function as an outlet of cash flow to shareholders; dividend can, therefore, deter managers’ expropriation, by which dividend can decrease a firm’s agency problems (Easterbrook, 1984; Jensen, 1986). Also, dividend can force managers to resort to external financing in future investment projects. If the primary capital market is under-developed or experiences severe information asymmetry, dividend can increase the firm’s cost of external financing (Rozeff, 1982)). In such case, the firm has to decide its payout policy by considering both agency costs and external financing costs of dividends. Previous literature has mostly focused on the direct relationship between agency costs and dividend payments without explicitly considering external financing constraints. Therefore, a study on a firm’s corporate governance and dividend policy should take into account both agency problems of dividends and firms’ external financing constraints. Extant literature argues that efficient corporate governance systems including monitoring management and shareholder protection can reduce the chance of managers facing