Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Relationship between Futures and Spot Market for Selected Spices in India

We examine the relationship between spot and futures prices for selected five agricultural commodities, namely, Chilli, Coriander, Jeera, Pepper and Turmeric. We considered all the contracts of the above commodities over a period of 36 months, from Jan 2008 to Dec 2010. The study examined the existence of unit root in the data series by employing Augmented Dickey-Fuller (ADF) test and we found the existence of long run relationship between selected spot and futures market using Johansen cointegration test and the presence of disequilibrium between markets in short run by employing Vector Error Correction Model (VECM).
Acute Iron Dextran Injection Increases Liver Weight and Reduces Glycerol Kinase Expression in Liver

Iron is essential and needed in a very small amount. When iron exceeds normal need, metabolic alteration occurs, causing hepatosteatosis. The mechanism of iron inducing hepatosteatosis remains unclear. Glycerol kinase, the enzyme responsible in triglyceride synthesis initiation, is assumed to have a role in the pathomechanism of hepatosteatosis. This study aimed to investigate the gene expression of glycerol kinase in an acute iron overload condition. This study was conducted in Animal Laboratory Faculty of Medicine and Central Laboratory Universitas Padjadjaran from May to June 2017. Three groups of mice were divided by the dose of iron dextran injection (0, 0.1, 0.3 mg/day/mice). After 19 days, mice were terminated, liver weight was measured and glycerol kinase gene expression in the liver was determined by semi-qualitative PCR. Quantification of PCR result was calculated by ImageJ software. There was a significant change in liver weight of the mice in a dose-dependent manner of iron injection. The expression of glycerol kinase tended to decrease, but statistically insignificant. Acute iron dextran injection increases liver weight and tends to reduce glycerol kinase gene expression in mice liver.Keywords: Glycerol kinase, hepatosteatosis, iron overload Efek Zat Besi Dosis Tinggi Akut dalam Meningkatkan Berat Organ dan Menurunkan Ekspresi Gliserol Kinase HeparAbstrakZat besi merupakan nutrien esensial dan diperlukan dalam jumlah yang sangat kecil. Ketika kadar zat besi melebihi kadar normal dalam tubuh, terjadi perubahan metabolisme yang menyebabkan hepatosteatosis. Mekanisme zat besi dalam menyebabkan hepatosteatosis masih belum diketahui secara pasti. Gliserol kinase, enzim yang menginisiasi sintesis trigliserida, diduga berperan dalam patomekanisme hepatosteatosis. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk meneliti ekspresi gen gliserol kinase pada hepar pada kondisi tinggi zat besi akut. Penelitian ini dilakukan di Laboratorium Hewan Fakultas Kedokteran dan Laboratorium Sentral Universitas Padjadjaran dari bulan Mei sampai dengan Juni 2017. Tiga kelompok mencit dibagi berdasarkan dosis injeksi iron dextran intraperitoneal (0, 0,1, 0,3 mg/hari/ekor). Setelah 19 hari, mencit diterminasi, berat hepar ditimbang dan ekspresi gen gliserol kinase diukur dengan metode semi-kualitatif PCR. Kuantifikasi hasil PCR dilakukan dengan menggunakan aplikasi ImageJ. Terdapat peningkatan berat hepar secara signifikan yang sejalan dengan dosis ijeksi zat besi. Ekspresi gen gliserol kinase cenderung menurun, meskipun secara statistik tidak signifikan. Keadaan tinggi kadar zat besi yang akut meningkatkan berat hepar dan cenderung menurunkan ekspresi gen gliserol kinase pada hepar mencit.Kata kunci: Gliserol kinase, hepatosteatosis, zat besi berlebih
Changes in the Temporal Organization of Autobiographical Memories

The temporal organization of autobiographical memories was examined through the event-cueing technique. Participants were presented a word indicating a life-time period and asked to recall autobiographical events sequentially. Temporal relations between recalled events were analyzed. Analysis suggested that recent autobiographical memories are organized temporally. As time passes, however, temporal organization becomes ambiguous, and old autobiographical memories can evoke temporally distant memories sharing the person, life theme, or other distinctive features.
Synthesis and Antimicrobial Activity of {2‐[2‐(N, N‐disubstituted thiocarbamoyl‐sulfanyl)‐acylamino] thiazol‐4‐yl}acetic Acid Ethyl Esters

{2‐[2‐(N, N‐Disubstituted thiocarbamoyl‐sulfanyl)acylamino ]thiazol‐4‐yl}acetic acid ethyl esters (3a—x) were synthesized by the reaction of potassium salts of N, N‐disubstituted dithiocarbamoic acids with [2‐(2‐chloroalkanoyl)amino‐thiazol‐4‐yl]acetic acid ethyl esters. The structures of the synthesized compounds were confirmed by elemental analyses, UV, IR, 1H‐NMR, and EI mass spectral data. The antimicrobial activities of all the compounds were investigated by microbroth dilution technique using Mueller‐Hinton broth and Mueller‐Hinton agar. In this study, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 6538, Staphylococcus epidermidis ATCC 12228, Escherichia coli ATCC 8739, Klebsiella pneumoniae ATCC 4352, Pseudomonas aeruginosa AT CC 1539, Salmonella typhi, Shigella flexneri, Proteus mirabilis ATCC 14153 and Candida albicans ATCC10231 were used as test microorganisms. Among the tested compounds 3a, d, e, f, h, k, w activity against S. epidermidis ATCC 12228 (MIC: 156 mg/L, 78 mg/L, 62.5 mg/L, 78 mg/L, 62.5 mg/L, 312 mg/L, 250 mg/L, respectively), compound 3d had some activity against S. aureus ATCC 6538 (MIC: 156 mg/L) and C. albicans ATCC 10231(MIC: 156 mg/L). Compounds 3l, 3x also evaluated for antituberculosis activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv using the BACTEC 460 radiometric system and BACTEC 12B medium. The preliminary results indicated that all of the tested compounds were inactive against the test organism.
A Systematic Review of Interventions to Improve Handwriting

Background. Handwriting difficulties are among the most common reasons for referral of children to occupational therapy. Purpose. To determine the effectiveness of handwriting interventions. Methods. A systematic review was carried out. Included studies were randomized or nonrandomized controlled trials of interventions that could be used by an occupational therapist to improve written output (printing or writing) among school-aged children identified as having difficulties with handwriting. Electronic searches of relevant databases were conducted up to January 2010. Findings. Eleven studies met the inclusion criteria. These studies tested (1) relaxation and practice with or without EMG, (2) sensory-based training without handwriting practice, and (3) handwriting-based practice (including sensory-focused or cognitive focused handwriting practice). Regardless of treatment type, interventions that did not include handwriting practice and those that included less than 20 practice sessions were ineffective. Implications. Effective occupational therapy for improving handwriting must include adequate handwriting practice.
Supersingular Isogeny and Ring Learning With Errors-Based Diffie-Hellman Cryptosystems: A Performance and Security Comparison

The purpose of this work is to provide a complexity analysis of the trade-off between performance and security for two post-quantum cryptosystems: isogeny cryptosystems based on supersingular elliptic curves (SSI) and the lattice-based ring learning with errors key exchange (RLWE), considered to be secure against quantum attacks. The intractability of the Computational Supersingular Isogeny Problem (CSSIP) and of the Decisional Supersingular Product Problem (DSSPP) form the basis of the security for cryptosystems based on isogenies between supersingular elliptic curves. As for the RLWE cryptosystem, its security rests on the hardness of the Learning With Errors problem, proven to be as hard as the Shortest Vector Problem (SVP). We analyze the trade-off between performance and security for both SSI and RLWE cryptosystems in comparison with Discrete Logarithm Problem (DLP) and Integer Factorization Problem (IFP). As complexities increase for the attack algorithms when the key lengths become longer, RLWE outperforms all the other algorithms (including SSI) regarding key sizes at practical security levels.
Mental budgeting: how young people manage their money, credit and debt

Students' spending and levels of debt have already been researched both within the marketing arena (e.g. Prince [1]; Palmer, Pinto and Parente [2]) and other disciplines - in particular, economic psychology (see, for example, Scott, Lewis and Lea [3]; Webley et al. [4]). This current research extends previous studies to include a broader sample of young people in the UK aged between 17 and 21 years, exploring how they spend their money and how they manage their finances. Findings from depth interviews and focus groups suggest that for all these participants there is recognition of the importance of structured financial planning and money management, but that in reality any such planning is via mental budgeting which may lead to over- and under-consumption patterns. This in turn may result in some younger consumers accruing significant and disorganised personal debt. For the providers of financial services, this presents opportunities to attract and educate new or switching customers, but at the same time, the reality that many younger consumers are setting themselves up for several years of extensive personal debt
Respiratory motion estimation in x-ray angiography for improved guidance during coronary interventions

During percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) catheters and arteries are visualized by x-ray angiography (XA) sequences, using brief contrast injections to show the coronary arteries. If we could continue visualizing the coronary arteries after the contrast agent passed (thus in non-contrast XA frames), we could potentially lower contrast use, which is advantageous due to the toxicity of the contrast agent. This paper explores the possibility of such visualization in mono-plane XA acquisitions with a special focus on respiratory based coronary artery motion estimation. We use the patient specific coronary artery centerlines from pre-interventional 3D CTA images to project on the XA sequence for artery visualization. To achieve this, a framework for registering the 3D centerlines with the mono-plane 2D + time XA sequences is presented. During the registration the patient specific cardiac and respiratory motion is learned. We investigate several respiratory motion estimation strategies with respect to accuracy, plausibility and ease of use for motion prediction in XA frames with and without contrast. The investigated strategies include diaphragm motion based prediction, and respiratory motion extraction from the guiding catheter tip motion. We furthermore compare translational and rigid respiratory based heart motion. We validated the accuracy of the 2D/3D registration and the respiratory and cardiac motion estimations on XA sequences of 12 interventions. The diaphragm based motion model and the catheter tip derived motion achieved 1.58 mm and 1.83 mm median 2D accuracy, respectively. On a subset of four interventions we evaluated the artery visualization accuracy for non-contrast cases. Both diaphragm, and catheter tip based prediction performed similarly, with about half of the cases providing satisfactory accuracy (median error < 2 mm).
Half Mode Substrate Integrated Waveguide (HMSIW) 3-dB Coupler

In the microwave band, substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) couplers take the advantages of low profile, low insertion loss, low interference etc., but suffer from the big size. In this letter, a novel half mode substrate integrated waveguide (HMSIW) 3-dB coupler is proposed, which keeps the good performance of the SIW coupler with nearly a half reduction in size. Simulated results are in agreement with the measured data
Scaling of CO2 Production in the Timber Rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus), with Comments on Cost of Growth in Neonates and Comparative Patterns

To understand the bioenergetic fluxes of free‐ranging timber rattlesnakes (Crotalus horridus) better, we measured CO2 production rate of 83 snakes in response to body mass, body temperature, time of day, sex, and geographic locality (northwest Arkansas and coastal Virginia). Effects of body mass, temperature, time of day, and the temperature‐by‐time interaction were remarkably similar to effects reported for other rattlesnakes. We noted that C. horridus has relatively high, but precedented, Q10 (3.71–4.78); however, the adaptive significance of this observation, if any, remains obscure. Once the confounding effect of body mass was statistically adjusted, C. horridus exhibited no sex‐specific effects; however, there was a significant locality‐by‐time effect, which is of equivocal biological significance. In contrast to the findings of a recent review on cost of growth in neonatal reptiles, C. horridus neonates exhibited metabolic rates that were from 200% to 400% greater than expectations from the mass scaling of yearlings and older animals. We interpreted this as evidence for a cost of synthesis in growing neonates. We report regression equations for the estimation of resting CO2 production rate in C. horridus as a function of body mass, body temperature, and time of day. Our data contribute to a growing, comparative database documenting rattlesnakes as low‐energy specialists.
Errors in the estimation of hydration status from changes in body mass

Abstract Hydration status is not easily measured, but acute changes in hydration status are often estimated from body mass change. Changes in body mass are also often used as a proxy measure for sweat losses. There are, however, several sources of error that may give rise to misleading results, and our aim in this paper is to quantify these potential errors. Respiratory water losses can be substantial during hard work in dry environments. Mass loss also results from substrate oxidation, but this generates water of oxidation which is added to the body water pool, thus dissociating changes in body mass and hydration status: fat oxidation actually results in a net gain in body mass as the mass of carbon dioxide generated is less than the mass of oxygen consumed. Water stored with muscle glycogen is presumed to be made available as endogenous carbohydrate stores are oxidized. Fluid ingestion and sweat loss complicate the picture by altering body water distribution. Loss of hypotonic sweat results in increased osmolality of body fluids. Urine and faecal losses can be measured easily, but changes in the water content of the bladder and the gastrointestinal tract cannot. Body mass change is not always a reliable measure of changes in hydration status and substantial loss of mass may occur without an effective net negative fluid balance.
Export Behavior of the Turkish Manufacturing Firms

ABSTRACT This article explores the export behavior of Turkish manufacturing firms for the 1989–2010 period. A descriptive analysis and estimated export premiums suggest the superiority of exporters over non-exporters. For Turkey, both self-selection and learning effects are critical. Moreover, previous export experience plays a crucial role in the export propensity of the firms, which implies the existence of high export market entry costs. The existence of sunk costs, self-selection of exporters, and learning by exporting of Turkish manufacturing firms implies that the optimal policy for sustainable growth via exports should include microeconomic reforms that increase productivity and the size of the firms as well as regulations that remove the costs and barriers of exporting.
Reliable cell disruption in yeast

We report the results of an optical assay to determine the degree of cell wall disruption in yeast. The results indicate that cell wall disruption with glass beads yields reproducible results that can be modelled with an integral measure of time to failure that implies a decreasing failure rate. It is shown that a standard protocol results in only 60% disruption, with a relatively large coefficient of variation. The data show that the yield of total RNA harvested is proportional to the degree of cellular disruption, and that there is no loss of RNA quality with > 90% disruption. The data also show that cell disruption of a synchronous culture varies with the cell cycle. We speculate that the decreasing failure rate is related to the cell cycle phase‐dependent disruptability. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Delay-dependent stability analysis for discrete-time singular Markovian jump systems with time-varying delay

This article considers the problem of delay-dependent stability analysis for a class of discrete-time singular systems with Markovian jump and time-varying delay. The transition probabilities in Markov chain are assumed to be partially unknown. In terms of linear matrix inequality approach, the delay-dependent criteria are proposed to ensure the underlying system to be regular, causal and stochastically stable. Several numerical examples are given to demonstrate the effectiveness and less conservatism of the obtained results.
Exploring Consumers' Expectations of Sustainability in Mature and Emerging Markets

ABSTRACT “Sustainability” has turned into a buzzword for businesses around the globe as consumers in mature and, increasingly, in emerging markets shift their demand toward sustainably enhanced products. Surprisingly, a global picture of consumers' expectations regarding sustainable products is still missing. This study uses exploratory factor analysis to determine the perceived importance and interrelation of selected sustainability aspects in three developed (Germany, Switzerland, United States) and three emerging (Brazil, China, India) markets. Results are linked to national cultural value theory to explore which sustainability aspects and positioning strategies may be promising to expand the outreach of sustainable products in developed and emerging markets alike. Results suggest that across the sampled economies, sustainability is increasingly considered as being comprised of a health aspect. While health and quality of life aspects emerged as key issues across countries, cultural backgrounds and local market conditions resulted in nuanced expectations of sustainability, which should be kept in mind in communicating and positioning sustainable products.
Military Spending and Stochastic Growth: A Small Open Economy

In a stochastic endogenous growth model, the effects of military spending on economic growth are explored. In addition to the traditional crowding-out effect, we show that the portfolio effect also plays an importance role in determining growth rate in a small open economy. We find that there exists a non-linear relationship between the defense burden and the economic growth.
Vascular smooth muscle growth in genetic hypertension: evidence for multiple abnormalities in growth regulatory pathways

Objective: To gain insight into the mechanisms which contribute to the development of vascular hypertrophy in the spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR). Design: These experiments were performed under conditions which most closely mimic the growth of smooth muscle in blood vessels, i.e. once cell-cell contact has been achieved. Methods: A comparison of the growth characteristics (growth rates and cell density at quiescence) of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) from SHR and normotensive Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats. Results: In the presence of foetal calf serum (1, 2.5, 5 and 10%), early passaged VSMC from SHR exhibited higher growth rates and reached higher densities at quiescence than VSMC from WKY rats. Accelerated growth rates could not be attributed to differences in cell-cell interactions. Also, growth rates and cell density at quiescence appear to be regulated by distinct mechanisms. Transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) caused an inhibition of serum-stimulated proliferation of confluent VSMC from WKY rats. In contrast, TGF-β1 had little, if any, inhibitory action upon the growth of VSMC from SHR. Scatchard analysis of 125l-TGF-β1 binding to VSMC from both strains yielded a single class of high affinity binding sites. Conclusions: VSMC from SHR exhibit enhanced proliferation, attain a higher cell density at quiescence and are less susceptible to growth inhibition by TGF-β1 than VSMC from WKY rats. All these characteristics of SHR VSMC may contribute to the development of vascular hypertrophy in this strain.
Accurate and Rapid Identification of Candida spp. Frequently Associated with Fungemia by Using PCR and the Microarray-Based Prove-it Sepsis Assay

ABSTRACT The rapid identification of microbes responsible for bloodstream infections (BSIs) allows more focused and effective therapies and outcomes. DNA sequence-based methods offer an opportunity for faster, accurate diagnosis and for effective therapy. As our objective of the study, the ability of the Prove-it Sepsis platform, already proven as a rapid PCR- and microarray-based assay for the majority of sepsis-causing bacteria, was extended to also rapidly identify clinically relevant yeasts in blood culture. The performance characteristics of this extended platform are described. We found that the extended diagnostic Prove-it Sepsis platform was found to be highly accurate when analyzing primary isolates, spiked blood cultures, nucleic acid extracts from a retrospective blood culture data set, and primary blood cultures. Comparison of the blood culture results from the Prove-it Sepsis platform with those from conventional culture-based methods or by gene sequencing demonstrated a sensitivity of 99% and a specificity of 98% for fungal targets (based on analysis of a total of 388 specimens). Total assay time was 3 h from DNA extraction to BSI diagnosis. These results extend the performance characteristics of the Prove-it platform for bacteria to the easy, rapid, and accurate detection and species identification of yeasts in positive blood cultures. Incorporation of this extended and rapid diagnostic platform into the tools for clinical patient management would allow possibly faster identification and more focused therapies for BSIs.
Tacrolimus treatment of plasmacytoid dendritic cells inhibits dinucleotide (CpG‐)‐induced tumour necrosis factor‐alpha secretion

Tacrolimus is a widely used immunosuppressive agent. Although T cells are the main targets of these pharmacological drugs, antigen presentation may also be affected. Among antigen‐presenting cells, plasmacytoid dendritic cells (PDCs) are the main source of type I interferons upon microbial challenge, and are involved in several diseases and autoimmune disorders. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether tacrolimus can modulate the function of PDCs in vitro. Maturation and function of PDCs was determined using flow cytometry, enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay and cytometry bead arrays. The effect of tacrolimus on PDCs was observed mainly when the cells were pretreated with the immunosuppressive agent before activation. Upon dinucleotide–oligodeoxynucleotide (CpG–ODN) activation, tacrolimus pretreated PDCs showed a significant reduction in the surface expression of co‐stimulatory molecules and human leucocyte antigen D‐related (HLA‐DR) and secreted reduced levels of tumour necrosis factor (TNF)‐α. These results show that tacrolimus treatment of PDCs impairs CpG‐induced activation, which could affect the outcome of the immune response.