Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Temporal and spatial summation in the human rod visual system.

1. Absolute and increment thresholds were measured in a retinal region 12 deg temporal from the fovea with 520 nm targets of varying size and duration. Measurements were made under rod‐isolation conditions in two normal observers and in a typical, complete achromat observer who has no cone‐mediated vision. The purpose of these experiments was to determine how the temporal and spatial summation of rod‐mediated vision changes with light adaptation. 2. The absolute threshold and the rise in increment threshold with background intensity depend upon target size and duration, but the psychophysically estimated dark light of the eye (the hypothetical light assumed to be equivalent to photoreceptor noise) does not. 3. The rise in increment threshold for tiny (10 min of arc), brief (10 ms) targets approaches the de Vries‐Rose square‐root law, varying according to the quantal fluctuations of the background light. The slope of the rod increment threshold versus background intensity (TVI) curves in logarithmic co‐ordinates is about 0.56 +/‐ 0.04 (when cones are not influencing rod field adaptation). For large (6 deg) and long (200 ms) targets, a maximum slope of about 0.77 +/‐ 0.03 is attained. 4. The steeper slopes of the rod‐detected TVI curves for large, long targets implies some reduction in temporal or spatial summation. In fact, the change in summation area is much more critical: under conditions where only the rod system is active the TVI curve slope is independent of target duration, suggesting that temporal summation is practically independent of background intensity. 5. The rise in threshold also depends on the wavelength of the background field in the normal observer but not in the achromat, confirming reports that the field adaptation of the rods is not independent of the quantal absorptions in the cones. The cone influence is most conspicuous on long‐wavelength backgrounds and is found for all target sizes and durations, but is greater for large and long targets than for the other conditions.
Ordering of Compartments in the Yeast Endocytic Pathway

We have characterized the morphology of the yeast endocytic pathway leading from the plasma membrane to the vacuole by following the trafficking of positively charged nanogold in combination with compartment identification using immunolocalization of t‐SNARE proteins. The first endocytic compartment, termed the early/recycling endosome, contains the t‐SNARE, Tlg1p. The next compartment, the prevacuolar compartment, contains Pep12p. After transport to the prevacuolar compartment, where vacuolar enzymes are seen on their way to the vacuole, endocytic content is delivered to the late endosome and on to the vacuole, both of which are devoid of Pep12p immunolabel. Traffic to the prevacuolar compartment is reduced in strains mutant for the Rab5 homologs, Vps21p, Ypt52p, and Ypt53p and in vps27 mutant cells. On the other hand, traffic to the early recycling endosome is less dependent on Rab5 homologs and does not require Vps27p.
Wage Effects of Drinking in Australia

This article analyses the wage effects of drinking using the Australian Twin Registry data. A multinomial logit framework is employed to explain the allocation of workers across various drinking states, and to correct for selection bias in the wage equations. It is found that there is a significant positive wage premium for moderate drinking. A favourable family background (during childhood) is positively related to the measure of moderate drinking. Greater genetic endowments are also associated with moderate drinking.
The Relationship Among Leader-Member Exchange, Perceived Organizational Support, and Trust in Hotel Organizations

ABSTRACT Based on an empirical study of 269 hotel employees in Korea, this research examines the hypotheses that the interaction with leader-member exchange(LMX) and perceived organizational support(POS) has an effect on trust in organization(TIO) and that POS affects organizational commitment(OC), through TIO as a mediator variable. The results of this study support both hypotheses. Managerial implications were also discussed.
Proteomics: An Overview

The application of genomics has established a ﬁrmfoundation for research into both human health and disease,and the development of proteomics was the next logical step,but what exactly is proteomics? The term proteomics wasﬁrst coined in 1995 from a combination of ‘‘protein’’ and‘‘genomics,’’ but it was far earlier in 1979 that the concept tofully characterize the human proteome was ﬁrst proposed byNorman G. Anderson and N. Leigh Anderson in a submissionentitled the ‘‘Human Proteins Index Project. ’’
Performance Evaluation of Pre-post Nationalization of Banking Sector in Pakistan: An Application of CLSA-Stress Test

This research study is based on nationalization and de-nationalization of banking industry of Pakistan. An effort has been made to analyze and evaluate the performance and efficiency of banking sector using Credit Leona’s Securities Asia stress test. It covers the period of pre and post nationalization of state owned and commercial banks of Pakistan. Through the utilization of adjusted and unadjusted stress test, it has been analyzed that some banks are mediocre, under stress or sound in regard to the capital strength, assets quality, efficiency and liquidity. This is a pioneering attempt to apply stress test on banks operating in Pakistan and prescribes a procedure to gauge solvency of individual banks.
Development of S-Methylmethionine Sulfonium Derivatives and Their Skin-Protective Effect against Ultraviolet Exposure

In a previous study, we have demonstrated that S-methylmethionine sulfonium (SMMS) confers wound-healing and photoprotective effects on the skin, suggesting that SMMS can be used as a cosmetic raw material. However, it has an unpleasant odor. Therefore, in the present study, we synthesized odor-free SMMS derivatives by eliminating dimethyl sulfide, which is the cause of the unpleasant odor and identified two derivatives that exhibited skin-protective effects: one derivative comprised (2S,4S)- and (2R,4S)-2-phenylthiazolidine-4-carboxylic acid and the other comprised (2S,4R)-, (2S,4S)-, (2R,4R)-, and (2R,4S)-2-phenyl-1,3-thiazinane-4-carboxylic acid. We performed in vitro proliferation assays using human dermal fibroblasts (hDFs) and an immortalized human keratinocyte cell line (HaCaT). The two SMMS derivatives were shown to increase hDF and HaCaT cell proliferation as well as improve their survival by protecting against ultraviolet exposure. Moreover, the derivatives regulated the expression of collagen type I and MMP mRNAs against ultraviolet exposure in hDFs, suggesting that these derivatives can be developed as cosmetic raw materials.
Brief report: Use of the mini-clinical evaluation exercise in internal medicine core clerkships

INTRODUCTION: Direct observation of medical students’ clinical skills is important, but occurs infrequently. The mini-clinical evaluation exercise (mCEX) is a tool developed for use with internal medicine (IM) residents that can be used to promote direct observation of medical students’ clinical skills. It is unknown how many IM core clerkships in the United States use the mCEX or how it has been implemented.METHODS: Questions about use of the mCEX were incorporated into an online annual survey distributed to the 114 IM clerkships belonging to Clerkship Directors in Internal Medicine, a national organization of individuals responsible for teaching IM to medical students.RESULTS: The survey response rate was 83%. Twenty-eight percent (N=27) of respondents use the mCEX in their clerkship. The mean number of required mCEX encounters is 2.3 (SD 1.6). The mCEX is used for formative assessment (68%) more than summative assessment (11%). Ward attendings are the most common mCEX evaluators (72%). DISCUSSION: The mCEX is being used to promote direct observation of medical students’ clinical skills in a significant minority of IM core clerkships. The mCEX is 1 tool for facilitating feedback from both faculty and residents on trainees’ developing skills.
Ownership structure and underwriter spread: evidence from Japanese IPO firms

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to empirically examine the relationship between the level of underwriter spread and ownership structure by using data from Japanese IPO firms that are issued during the years 1997-2002. Design/methodology/approach - The paper uses regression analysis to determine the effect of the ownership structure (board, bank, affiliated venture capital firms) on underwriter spread and on the post-issue operating performance of IPO firms. Findings - This paper finds several results that are in contrast with previous studies. The ownership by board members is positively associated with the level of gross spread but is not associated with post-issue operating performance. The presence of a commercial bank in the ownership structure of IPO firms decreases the gross spread and increases the post-issue operating performance of IPO firms. Issuers pay a lower underwriting fee as the ownership share of the lead underwriter-affiliated VC increases, unlike that of other VCs. Originality/value - The results of this paper, supporting certification and monitoring hypotheses, contribute to academic research. Most previous studies do not support certification effects.
Optical measurement of isolated canine lung filtration coefficients at normal hematocrits.

In this study, lung filtration coefficient (Kfc) values were measured in eight isolated canine lung preparations at normal hematocrit values using three methods: gravimetric, blood-corrected gravimetric, and optical. The lungs were kept in zone 3 conditions and subjected to an average venous pressure increase of 10.24 +/- 0.27 (SE) cmH2O. The resulting Kfc (ml . min-1 . cmH2O-1 . 100 g dry lung wt-1) measured with the gravimetric technique was 0.420 +/- 0.017, which was statistically different from the Kfc measured by the blood-corrected gravimetric method (0.273 +/- 0.018) or the product of the reflection coefficient (sigmaf) and Kfc measured optically (0. 272 +/- 0.018). The optical method involved the use of a Cellco filter cartridge to separate red blood cells from plasma, which allowed measurement of the concentration of the tracer in plasma at normal hematocrits (34 +/- 1.5). The permeability-surface area product was measured using radioactive multiple indicator-dilution methods before, during, and after venous pressure elevations. Results showed that the surface area of the lung did not change significantly during the measurement of Kfc. These studies suggest that sigmafKfc can be measured optically at normal hematocrits, that this measurement is not influenced by blood volume changes that occur during the measurement, and that the optical sigmafKfc agrees with the Kfc obtained via the blood-corrected gravimetric method.
May the Economic Downturn Affect Corporate Philanthropy? Exploring the Contribution Trends in Spanish and U.S. Companies

The study purpose is to gain insight into changing diverse management approaches to corporate philanthropy in a period that spans both from economic boom and recession. First, the authors present an overview of Spanish corporate philanthropy and compare it to U.S. corporate philanthropy. The authors find a significant gap between the U.S. and Spain’s corporate philanthropic spending as a percentage of profits and different trends between the two. A significant similarity is that the economic downturn is having a lower impact on spending than was predicted. The authors then focus on eight Spanish companies to explore how firms manage their philanthropy. The authors present a management model matrix that provides a framework for philanthropy management types and throws up divergent results for both society and companies. It seems that those companies that are managing philanthropy in a more sustainable way are not cutting their spending in this field despite falling profits.
Surfactant-Associated Protein A Provides Critical Immunoprotection in Neonatal Mice

ABSTRACT The collectins surfactant-associated protein A (SP-A) and SP-D are components of innate immunity that are present before birth. Both proteins bind pathogens and assist in clearing infection. The significance of SP-A and SP-D as components of the neonatal immune system has not been investigated. To determine the role of SP-A and SP-D in neonatal immunity, wild-type, SP-A null, and SP-D null mice were bred in a bacterium-laden environment (corn dust bedding) or in a semisterile environment (cellulose fiber bedding). When reared in the corn dust bedding, SP-A null pups had significant mortality (P < 0.001) compared to both wild-type and SP-D null pups exposed to the same environment. The mortality of the SP-A null pups was associated with significant gastrointestinal tract pathology but little lung pathology. Moribund SP-A null newborn mice exhibited Bacillus sp. and Enterococcus sp. peritonitis. When the mother or newborn produced SP-A, newborn survival was significantly improved (P < 0.05) compared to the results when there was a complete absence of SP-A in both the mother and the pup. Significant sources of SP-A likely to protect a newborn include the neonatal lung and gastrointestinal tract but not the lactating mammary tissue of the mother. Furthermore, exogenous SP-A delivered by mouth to newborn SP-A null pups with SP-A null mothers improved newborn survival in the corn dust environment. Therefore, a lack of SP-D did not affect newborn survival, while SP-A produced by either the mother or the pup or oral exogenous SP-A significantly reduced newborn mortality associated with environmentally induced infection in SP-A null newborns.
Frontal metabolic activity contributes to individual differences in vulnerability toward total sleep deprivation‐induced changes in cognitive function

Substantial individual differences characterize the changes induced by total sleep deprivation on cognitive functions. Despite some progress having been achieved, the mechanisms of individual differences in response to total sleep deprivation have not been clearly elucidated. Cerebral metabolism in the resting state is among the key physiological processes supporting the daily function of the brain, and may play an important role in these individual differences. Twenty‐two right‐handed participants (nine females and 13 males) between 20 and 26 years old completed a mathematical processing task both in resting wakefulness and after 24 h of total sleep deprivation. Fluorine‐18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography‐computed tomography was used to investigate brain metabolism changes. The mathematical task was performed after the positron emission tomography scans were completed. Correlation analysis was used to investigate the correlations between cognitive performance changes and brain metabolism changes. Large inter‐individual differences were found in the throughput changes, but these inter‐individual differences were not associated with baseline or post‐deprivation performance levels. Specifically, deterioration of throughput on the mathematical processing task was significantly correlated with metabolism changes in the superior frontal medial gyrus. These findings suggested that frontal metabolic activity contributes to individual differences in waking‐induced impairment of cognitive performance.
The Drosophila melanogaster fl(2)d gene is needed for the female‐specific splicing of Sex‐lethal RNA.

In Drosophila melanogaster, sex determination and dosage compensation are under the control of the Sex‐lethal (Sxl) gene. We have identified a gene, female‐lethal‐2‐d (fl(2)d), located in the second chromosome, that interacts with Sxl. fl(2)d homozygous clones, induced during the larval stage of fl(2)d/+ females, develop male structures instead of female ones. fl(2)d homozygous females hypertranscribe their two X chromosomes, as measured by comparing the level of the X‐linked sgs‐4 transcript, which is dosage compensated, with that of the autosomal sgs‐3 transcript. Thus, with respect to the processes of sex determination and dosage compensation, loss‐of‐function mutations at the fl(2)d and at the Sxl genes are equivalent. Moreover, fl(2)d homozygous female larvae express the Sxl transcripts characteristic of males. These results indicate that the fl(2)d gene is needed for the sex‐specific splicing pattern of the Sxl RNA that occurs in females, thus suggesting the involvement of the fl(2)d gene in the positive autoregulatory pathway of Sxl.
Missing Markets for Human Capital and Differences in Growth

Standard growth models predict that consumption and GNP growth rates should not differ among countries when international capital markets are considered. This paper introduces a generational structure which implies that the return on human capital exceeds the return on physical capital in equilibrium. Thus, when the return on human capital differs internationally, the growth rates of consumption and GNP vary across countries even when there is free capital mobility. Furthermore, GNP and GDP grow at the same rate within a country, there is positive investment in every country, and poverty traps persist in spite of international capital markets.
Trust: Forms, Foundations, Functions, Failures and Figures

Trust is an elusive concept, meaning different things to different people, and so needs to be clearly defined. By focusing on relations within and between firms, this volume produces a clearer definition of trust and its role in the economy. This volume deals with a range of questions such as: what are the roles of trust? What can we trust in? Can trust serve as an instrument for the governance of relations? Is trust a substitute, a precondition or an outcome of contracts? It then goes on to analyze what trust is based on, what its limits are, how it grows and how it can also break down. The role of intermediaries is also discussed. The book goes on to argue that trust goes beyond calculative self-interest and that blind, unconditional trust is unwise. It then examines the paradox of how trust can be non-calculative and yet, not blind. The book also reveals ways to measure and model trust, its antecedents and its consequences.
Transfer of polychlorinated biphenyls and chlorinated pesticides from mother to pup in relation to cytochrome P450 enzyme activities in harp seals (Phoca groenlandica) from the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Canada

Congener‐specific tansfer of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and chlorinated pesticides from female to pup was studied in harp seals from eastern Canada. Possible effects on hepatic cytochrome P450 enzymes (CYP450) due to contaminant mobilization from blubber lipids in females and ingestion of contaminated milk in pups were studied. Contaminant transfer from blubber to milk in females favored the more polar compounds (lower chlorinated PCBs, toxaphenes, hexachlorocyclohexanes, and hexachlorobenzene) relative to more lipophilic compounds (higher chlorinated PCBs, dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane [DDT], chlordane). In spite of substantial contaminant mobilization from blubber in females and ingestion of contaminated milk by pups, CYP450 activities were low in all animals. Possibly, increased plasma estradiol concentrations, involved in breeding after lactation, suppressed CYP450 directly. Although the pups were exposed to contaminants in milk, CYP450 activities were low, resulting in low contaminant metabolism. This was confirmed by similar contaminant patterns in milk and pups. A strong positive relation between CYP1A‐like activities and body weight in the pups suggested not yet fully developed CYP1A enzymes. A negative association between CYP3A and pesticides in females and pups was hypothesized to be a result of metabolic inactivation of CYP450. The CYP450 enzyme activities were considered unsuitable indicators for contaminant mobilization and transfer in harp seals.
The Mediterranean Fruit Fly: Efficient Dynamic and Static Phytosanitary Measures, Information Values, and Current Policy

A bioeconomic model is used to examine efficient dynamic and static phytosanitary policies (cold treatment periods) designed to maximize the annual present value of net monthly U.S. welfare associated with trade in commodities that serve as hosts for the Mediterranean fruit fly (medfly). Accounting for the presence of the current U.S. medfly detection and control program, efficient dynamic and static policies require less cold treatment and increase U.S. welfare 9% and 3%, respectively, relative to the current minimum 14-day treatment period. The potential value of adjusting treatment periods regularly using available information on medfly pressure abroad is shown to be nontrivial.
Optimal Protection Coordination for Microgrids With Grid-Connected and Islanded Capability

Microgrids can be operated either grid-connected to reduce system losses and for peak shaving or islanded to increase reliability and provide backup power during utility outage. Such dual configuration capability imposes challenges on the design of the protection system. Fault current magnitudes will vary depending on the microgrid operating mode. In this paper, a microgrid protection scheme that relies on optimally sizing fault current limiters and optimally setting directional overcurrent relays is proposed. The protection scheme is optimally designed taking into account both modes of operation (grid-connected and islanded). The problem has been formulated as a constrained nonlinear programming problem and is solved using the genetic algorithm with the static penalty constraint-handling technique. The proposed approach is tested on two medium-voltage networks: a typical radial distribution system and on the IEEE 30-bus looped power distribution system equipped with directly connected conventional synchronous generators.
The IMPROVE_A Temperature Protocol for Thermal/Optical Carbon Analysis: Maintaining Consistency with a Long-Term Database

Abstract Thermally derived carbon fractions including organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC) have been reported for the U.S. Interagency Monitoring of PROtected Visual Environments (IMPROVE) network since 1987 and have been found useful in source apportionment studies and to evaluate quartz-fiber filter adsorption of organic vapors. The IMPROVE_A temperature protocol defines temperature plateaus for thermally derived carbon fractions of 140 °C for OC1, 280 °C for OC2, 480 °C for OC3, and 580 °C for OC4 in a helium (He) carrier gas and 580 °C for EC1, 740 °C for EC2, and 840 °C for EC3 in a 98% He/2% oxygen (O2) carrier gas. These temperatures differ from those used previously because new hardware used for the IMPROVE thermal/optical reflectance (IMPROVE_TOR) protocol better represents the sample temperature than did the old hardware. A newly developed temperature calibration method demonstrates that these temperatures better represent sample temperatures in the older units used to quantify IMPROVE carbon fractions from 1987 through 2004. Only the thermal fractions are affected by changes in temperature. The OC and EC by TOR are insensitive to the change in temperature protocol, and therefore the long-term consistency of the IMPROVE database is conserved. A method to detect small quantities of O2 in the pure He carrier gas shows that O2 levels above 100 ppmv also affect the comparability of thermal carbon fractions but have little effect on the IMPROVE_TOR split between OC and EC.