Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Androgens Modulate Glucocorticoid Receptor mRNA, but not Mineralocorticoid Receptor mRNA Levels, in the Rat Hippocampus

Androgen, mineralocorticoid and glucocorticoid receptors (AR, MR and GR, respectively) are ligand‐activated transcription factors that alter gene expression and have a wide variety of effects in the central nervous system. High levels of AR, MR and GR mRNA have been found in the CA1 pyramidal cell region of the rat hippocampus and all 3 of these proteins bind to a similar hormone response element in DNA suggesting the possibility of common receptor function or cross‐talk between these receptors at the level of transcription. To begin to investigate this hypothesis, we examined the regulation of AR, MR and GR mRNA expression in the rat hippocampus following treatment with androgens in combination with gonadectomy and/or adrenalectomy. Three‐month‐old male Sprague‐Dawley rats were either castrated for 3 weeks, castrated and immediately implanted with 2 Silastic capsules filled with the non‐aromatizable androgen, dihydrotestosterone, or left gonadally intact. Four days prior to sacrifice, these animals were either adrenalectomized or sham operated. GR, MR and AR mRNA were measured in the hippocampal subfields using in situ hybridization. In the CA1 region, dihydrotestosterone treatment of castrates decreased GR mRNA levels to 69 percent of levels found in gonadally intact rats and prevented the adrenalectomy‐induced increases in GR mRNA observed in the gonadally intact and castrated animals. No changes in GR mRNA were observed in the CA3 region or dentate gyrus, where AR expression is low or absent. There was no effect of androgen treatment on MR mRNA levels nor did gonadectomy or androgen replacement alter the increases in MR mRNA following adrenalectomy. AR mRNA levels in the CA1 region were unchanged across all treatment groups. In vitro binding studies revealed almost complete nuclear occupancy of hippocampal AR in dihydrotestosterone‐treated castrates. No appreciable in vitro binding of dihydrotestosterone to hippocampal MR or GR (Ki≈1500 nM) was observed which suggests that androgen regulation of GR mRNA in the hippocampus is occurring through AR binding. These data demonstrate a functional similarity of androgens and glucocorticoids in the regulation of GR mRNA levels in an area where AR and GR are colocalized. Androgen‐mediated downregulation of GR expression may prove to be an important event in the adaptive responses of CA1 pyramidal cells to hormonal stimuli.
Lattice thermal conductivity of lower mantle minerals and heat flux from Earth’s core

The amount of heat flowing from Earth’s core critically determines the thermo-chemical evolution of both the core and the lower mantle. Consisting primarily of a polycrystalline aggregate of silicate perovskite and ferropericlase, the thermal boundary layer at the very base of Earth’s lower mantle regulates the heat flow from the core, so that the thermal conductivity (k) of these mineral phases controls the amount of heat entering the lowermost mantle. Here we report measurements of the lattice thermal conductivity of pure, Al-, and Fe-bearing MgSiO3 perovskite at 26 GPa up to 1,073 K, and of ferropericlase containing 0, 5, and 20% Fe, at 8 and 14 GPa up to 1,273 K. We find the incorporation of these elements in silicate perovskite and ferropericlase to result in a ∼50% decrease of lattice thermal conductivity relative to the end member compositions. A model of thermal conductivity constrained from our results indicates that a peridotitic mantle would have k = 9.1 ± 1.2 W/m K at the top of the thermal boundary layer and k = 8.4 ± 1.2 W/m K at its base. These values translate into a heat flux of 11.0 ± 1.4 terawatts (TW) from Earth’s core, a range of values consistent with a variety of geophysical estimates.
Heat stress exacerbates the reduction in middle cerebral artery blood velocity during prolonged self‐paced exercise

This study examined the influence of hyperthermia on middle cerebral artery mean blood velocity (MCA Vmean). Eleven cyclists undertook a 750 kJ self‐paced time trial in HOT (35 °C) and COOL (20 °C) conditions. Exercise time was longer in HOT (56 min) compared with COOL (49 min; P < 0.001). Power output in HOT was significantly lower from 40% of work completed onward (P < 0.01). Rectal temperature increased to 39.6 ± 0.6 °C (HOT) and 38.8 ± 0.5 °C (COOL; P < 0.01). Skin temperature, skin blood flow, and heart rate were higher throughout HOT compared with COOL (P < 0.05). A similar increase in ventilation (P < 0.05) and decrease in end‐tidal partial pressure of CO2 (PETCO2; P < 0.05) occurred in both conditions. Arterial blood pressure and oxygen uptake were lower from 50% of work completed onward in HOT compared with COOL (P < 0.01). MCA Vmean increased at 10% in both conditions (P < 0.01), decreasing thereafter (P < 0.01) and to a greater extent in HOT from 40% of work completed onward (P < 0.05). Therefore, despite a comparable ventilatory response and PETCO2 in the HOT and COOL conditions, the greater level of thermal strain developing in the heat appears to have exacerbated the reduction in MCA Vmean, in part via increases in peripheral blood flow and a decrease in arterial blood pressure.
"Rent seeking" in agricultural contracts in the country.

Institutional conditions are reason for existing of actors, famous as "rent seekers". They have opportunities as they avail themselves of the non-market benefits, such as: (a) monopoly in the course of ordinary activities, (b) opportunities to profit from duplication of routine, administrative activities and functions, (c) created legal obstacles before other participants. All this leads to certain public losses, which can be measured by transaction costs. The study focuses on one part of the institutional environment and particular processes relating whit farmland in the country. This research demonstrates the relation between “rent seeking”, institutional change and social costs of transactions.
Simulation‐based power calculations for large cohort studies

A large number of factors can affect the statistical power and bias of analyses of data from large cohort studies, including misclassification, correlated data, follow‐up time, prevalence of the risk factor of interest, and prevalence of the outcome. This paper presents a method for simulating cohorts where individual's risk is correlated within communities, recruitment is staggered over time, and outcomes are observed after different follow‐up periods. Covariates and outcomes are misclassified, and Cox proportional hazards models are fit with a community‐level frailty term. The effect on study power of varying effect sizes, prevalences, correlation, and misclassification are explored, as well as varying the proportion of controls in nested case–control studies.
Transcriptional effects of metal-rich acid drainage water from the abandoned Løkken Mine on Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) smolt

ABSTRACT Runoff of metals represents one of the major environmental challenges related to historic and ongoing mining activity. In this study, transcriptomics (direct RNA sequencing [RNA-seq] and reverse-transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction [RT-qPCR]) was used to predict toxicity of metal-rich acid mine drainage (AMD) water collected in the abandoned copper (Cu) mine called Løkken Mine on Atlantic salmon liver and kidney, the main target organs of Cu-induced toxicity in fish. Smolts were exposed to control and diluted AMD water, which contains a mixture of metals but is especially enriched with Cu, at 4 concentrations in freshwater (FW) for 96 h, and then were transferred to and kept in seawater (SW) for another 24 h. Significant accumulation of Cu was observed in the gills, but not liver and kidney tissues, after 96 h of exposure. Short-term exposure to metal-rich ADM (high exposure group) significantly upregulated 3201 transcripts and downregulated 3782 transcripts in liver. The strongest effect attributed to exposure was observed on the KEGG pathway “protein processing in endoplasmic reticulum,” followed by “steroid biosynthesis. ” Gene ontology (GO) analysis suggested that exposure predominantly affected “protein folding,” possibly by disrupting disulfide bonds as a result of endoplasmic-reticulum-generated stress, and “sterol biosynthetic processes. ” Transfer to uncontaminated SW for 24 h amended the transcription of several genes, suggesting a transient effect of treatment on some mechanisms. In conclusion, the data show that trace metals in AMD from abandoned pyrite mines might disturb molecular mechanisms linked to protein folding in Atlantic salmon smolt endoplasmic reticulum.
Optimal cut-off points of weight for height, waist circumference and waist-to-height ratio for defining overweight and obesity in Thai school-aged children.

BACKGROUND The Body Mass Index (BMI) is widely used to diagnose overweight and obesity. However, there are limitations on the use of BMI and development of alternative measures can be of clinical importance. This study aimed to compare specificity and sensitivity of weight for height (W/H), waist circumference (WC) and waist-to-height ratio (WHTR) with BMI-for-age in diagnosing overweight and obesity in Thai school-age children. METHODS This was a cross-sectional study. Children between the ages of 6 and 13 who attended elementary schools were potential participants of the study. BMI, W/H, WC, and WHTR were calculated for each participant. The optimal cut-off points for the diagnosis of overweight and obesity by W/H, WC and WHTR were generated by the receiver operating characteristic curves (ROC). RESULTS Using BMI cut-off points introduced by WHO, the overall prevalence of overweight and obesity in the study population was 24.6% and 12.9% respectively. W/H, WC, and WHTR all showed acceptable sensitivity and specificity in diagnosing overweight and obesity when compared to BMI-for-age results. W/H had a particularly high correlation with BMI-for-age. CONCLUSION Cut-off points of 112% and 125% W/H are validated to determine overweight and obesity in Thai school-aged children.
The Hyper-Mandolin

This paper presents the Hyper-Mandolin, which consists of a conventional acoustic mandolin augmented with different types of sensors, a microphone, as well as real-time control of digital effects and sound generators during the performer's act of playing. The placing of the added technology is conveniently located and is not a hindrance to the acoustic use of the instrument. A modular architecture is involved to connect various sensors interfaces to a central computing unit dedicated to the analog to digital conversion of the sensors data. Such an architecture allows for an easy interchange of the sensors interface layouts. The processing of audio and sensors data is accomplished by applications coded in Max/MSP and running on an external computer. The instrument can also be used as a controller for digital audio workstations. The interactive control of the sonic output is based on the extraction of features from both the data captured by sensors and the acoustic waveforms captured by the microphone. The development of this instrument was mainly motivated by the author's need to extend the sonic and interaction possibility of the acoustic mandolin when used in conjunction with conventional electronics for sound processing.
Recovering Hidden Buyer–Seller Relationship States to Measure the Return on Marketing Investment in Business-to-Business Markets

For two reasons, marketers face significant challenges in measuring return on marketing investment in business-to-business (B2B) markets. First, buyers often have irregular purchase patterns, as the authors observe in the high-tech industry. Second, marketing efforts take considerable time to build a relationship with a customer. The authors attempt to precisely recover hidden buyer–seller relationship states to capture the effect of marketing contacts in B2B markets. The authors build a comprehensive hierarchical Bayesian bivariate Tobit hidden Markov model to assess the return on marketing in B2B markets. They use a recursive computing method—a forward–backward Gibbs sampler method—to retrieve the relationship states. The results suggest that marketing contacts have a heterogeneous long- and short-term impact on customers' purchasing behavior through changes in the buyer–seller relationship states. This study provides practical value to business marketers to measure the return on marketing investment in buyer–seller relationships.
Environmental Impact And Business Management In Rural Tourism

The growth in rural tourism and the importance of the environment to its sustainability have given rise to a growing interest in analyzing the impact of tourist activity and in studying how the environmental resource fits into business management in the industry. But the economic characteristics of rural tourism businesses and the diversity and complexity of their environmental impacts have made it difficult for a generally accepted framework for such analyses to emerge. There is wider agreement on the key role played by entrepreneurs’ environmental awareness in the adoption of eco-friendly management practice. In this context, and within the Spanish region of Castilla-La Mancha, this paper undertakes a questionnaire-based study of the environmental awareness of entrepreneurs in rural tourism using the partial least squares (PLS) method to estimate its latent dimensions and the environmental impacts perceived.
Volume-fraction dependence of elastic moduli and transition temperatures for colloidal silica gels.

Colloidal silica spheres bearing grafted octadecyl chains dispersed in hexadecane undergo a sol-gel transition with decreasing temperature. The gelation temperature depends on the volume fraction \ensuremath{\varphi} and, perhaps, the particle size. For \ensuremath{\varphi}g${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\varphi}}}_{gel}$(T), the value at the transition, the elastic modulus varies as (\ensuremath{\varphi}-${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\varphi}}}_{gel}$${)}^{\mathit{s}}$ with the prefactor and exponent independent of temperature. This form resembles prediction from static percolation theories, but the exponent s=3.0\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.5 lies significantly below those expected and the transition volume fraction varies with temperature. The relationship of the gelation transition to dynamic percolation and phase transitions predicted by equilibrium statistical mechanics has also been addressed. Matching the calculated structure factor for adhesive spheres with that measured by static light scattering yields the unknown strength of the interparticle attraction as a function of temperature. Though an imperfect fit introduces considerable uncertainty, this empirical relationship distinguishes the gel transition from both the dynamic percolation threshold and the spinodal associated with the fluid-fluid transition for adhesive spheres. Thus we conclude that gelation in this colloidal dispersion corresponds to a metastable state lying between the fluid-solid phase boundary and the spinodal.
Can the Point of Deflection from Linearity of Heart Rate Determine Ventilatory Threshold in Children

Whether the point of deflection from linearity of heart rate (HRD) coincides with ventilatory threshold (VT) has not been extensively examined in children. The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between the VO2 measured at VT and the VO2 measured at HRD. Twenty-two boys with a mean age of 10.7 years (±1.0) performed a graded exercise test to determine VT, HRD, and VO2max. There was no significant difference between mean VO2 (ml/kg/min) at VT and at HRD (33.5±3.5 vs. 34.1±4.4; p>0.05). Linear regression analysis revealed a correlation of r = 0.76 (p<0.01) between the VO2 measured at VT and the VO2 measured at HRD. These results indicate that HRD may be an accurate predictor of VT in most but not all children, and caution should be used when interpreting the significance of HRD.
Guiding Flexibility Investment in Agile Architecting

Agile software development pursues to deal with continuous change. But software product architectures without enough flexibility can restrict how products cope with change. However, designing for flexibility often entails high costs and risk that comes with the assumption that change will happen. Actually, in software architecture the flexibility investment decision making problem has become challenging. This paper presents a process to assist architects in Making decisions about Flexibility investment in Software Architecture (MAKE Flexi). MAKE Flexi is based on technical debt and real options approaches. Technical debt allows for estimating the additional cost derived from the lack of flexibility in software architectures, whereas the real options valuation allows for estimating the value of the flexibility that a design option could provide. MAKE Flexi has been applied to an industry project for smart grids to assist architects in making decisions about designing for flexibility to vary data storage technologies.
The Influence of Budget Transparency on Quality of Governance

Public budget is the engine that drives any economy; thus, budget transparency contributes to shaping the political process and government performance. The current study examines the relationship between budget transparency (measured by Open Budget Index (OBI)) and governance quality (measured by Worldwide Governance Indicators (WGI)). The study covers four years – 2006, 2008, 2010, and 2012 – where OBI data are available. Furthermore, the role of the human development level of nations in shaping this relationship is tested. While the result of the analysis shows a significant relationship between budget transparency and governance quality, which is inconsistent with the literature, the findings indicate minimal influence of the human development level of nations on this relationship. This result confirms the influence of budget transparency in the adoption of good governance practices by governments and increased quality of governance. Future research can examine the relationship between human development and quality of governance in the process of understanding factors that contribute in enhancing the governing process. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2016. v7n1p227
The Nature of Knowledge Management and Development of Knowledge Management Systems

Knowledge capital now is becoming the our focus regarding core competence of enterprises that was once dominated by production means and capitals,which faded quietly from the arena.With the transformation processes from industrial economy to knowledge economy,knowledge management has leveraged itself to be a new discipline and have far-reaching impacts on economy.In this paper the author investigates the core nature of knowledge management from three levels of macro,intermediate,and micro viewpoints,based on the paradigm designed by the author.A way of continuous development and improvement on knowledge management systems available is also put forward in this paper.
Leukemia in AKR mice. I. Effects of leukemic cells on antibody-forming potential of syngeneic and allogeneic normal cells

Cells from the spleen, thymus, lymph node, and liver of leukemic AKR mice suppress in vitro antibody responses of normal syngeneic and semiallogeneic cells. This suppression can be mediated by irradiated leukemic cells, requires cell contact between leukemic and normal cells, and may occur at any time during the in vitro culture period. Leukemic AKR cells do not suppress antibody responses of allogeneic cells, even when allogeneic cells have H-2 or background genes homologous with AKR. Leukemic cells do, however, suppress cells that are unable to respond allogeneically to leukemic AKR cells, such as cells of the F1s of AKR. Suppression of normal AKR antibody responses by leukemic AKR cells may be overcome by addition of irradiated allogeneic cells. The fact that leukemic AKR cells are able to suppress normal lymphocyte responses may be of significance in pathogenesis of leukemia in these mice.
The future of CMOS: More Moore or the next big thing?

This paper discusses the industrial and research status of CMOS and CMOS-like commercial and emerging technologies. Effects of scaling on transistor cost, max. system complexity and performance are discussed. Performance of state-of-the-art CMOS VLSI systems is power-constrained. To discuss various existing and emerging technologies, a model of an abstract, technology-independent ideal switch is proposed. It is shown that in the power-constrained scenario the maximum performance (in terms of clock speed) is limited by the static Ioff current, and the Ion current (i.e. the current flowing when the device is switched on) is of secondary importance. CMOS and CMOS-like technologies: bulk CMOS, FDSOI, FinFET, tunnel FETs, junctionless FETs, nanowire FETs, and non-Si devices (e.g. carbon-based devices) are briefly presented and their technology readiness level is estimated. The main conclusion is that Si-based CMOS will remain the key VLSI technology for the next decade or longer, and older technology nodes (65 nm–350 nm) will not be abandoned.
Market Orientation and Company Performance: A Russian Service Industry Perspective

Purpose – This paper examines the influence of Market Orientation on business performance in the local service industry in Russia. Design/methodology/approach – The MKTOR and MARKOR models of Market Orientation were studied and evaluated. This led to the elaboration and proposal of a localized Market Orientation model which counts the peculiarities of doing business and the market in an emerging market. Such a model then provided the basis for a set of hypotheses tested by a field study of 133 organizations operating in the service industry. The impact of Market Orientation on business performance then was examined. Findings – The results demonstrate that Market Orientation produces a positive effect on performance. Practical implications – Companies may benefit by implementing Market Orientation. In the service industry, inter-functional coordination between different departments, competitive service product offers and a customer centred philosophy are the most crucial Market Orientation components. Others should not be overlooked as they also commonly provide a substantial basis for improved business performance. Being applied systematically, the Market Orientation paradigm may produce a positive effect on the business and its competitive position in the marketplace. Originality/value – This paper follows a stream of publications dedicated to the Market Orientation paradigm. Even with the number of publications on Market Orientation there is a lack of studies on its application to different markets, countries and industries. This paper contributes to the small number of publications dedicated to Market Orientation in one of the most multifaceted emerging markets, Russia. It is also the first that studies Market Orientation applied solely to service industry organizations in Russia
Assessing college women's associations of American specialty apparel brands

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore brand association dimensions important to consumers of US specialty apparel brands targeting young women and develop a valid and reliable brand association scale for assessing and monitoring consumers' associations about brands in this market.Design/methodology/approach – This study uses mixed methods combining qualitative and quantitative approaches through surveys to explore and validate brand association dimensions and develop a quantitative brand association measurement.Findings – In total, seven brand association themes were identified in the qualitative stage. Through a scale development and validation process, these themes were narrowed down to four brand association dimensions – self‐relevance, service, merchandise, and store environment – represented in a brand association scale consisting of 14 items.Research limitations/implications – The scale developed in this study is germane to a specific market. However, the scale development procedure prop.