Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
EFFECT OF OVERIECTOMY AND OF ESTROGEN ADMINISTRATION UPON DUODENAL ULCERATION INDUCED BY CYSTEAMINE

Duodenal ulcers were induced in ovariectomized, intact and old mice using cysteamine hydrochloride. Under these experimental conditions ovariectomy and old age strikingly increased sensitivity to ulcer induction while estrogen administration showed a decrease in sensitivity to ulcer induction. Nevertheless, the administration of estrogen in old mice showed no effects in either intact or overiectomized mice. This change in ulcer sensitivity reflected from histological, histochemical and biochemical studies. The histological study was performed by using haematoxylin-eosin and haematoxyline staining technique. The histochemistry of the duodenal region was studied by using periodic acid Schiff reaction (PAS) for glycoproteins. The biochemical study was performed to study various constituents of glycoproteins like hexose, fucose, sialic acid and the protein. The result showed that ulcer severity was more in overiectomized cysteamine treated mice and old mice treated with cysteamine. The histological studies showed that ovariectomy decreased or did not show any change in the ulcer sensitivity considering cryptus Lieburkuhn and Brunner's glands. The same result reflected by differential intensity in the staining property of the Brunner's gland. The biochemical study showed that the glycoprotein contents were reduced many times in overiectomized cysteamine treated mice and their reversal in estrogen administered ovariectomized cysteamine injected mice. These findings prove that estrogen protects the duodenal ulcer from cysteamine administration.
Transcriptional Responses during the Pathogenic Interaction between Heterobasidion Annosum s . l . and Conifers

Karlsson, M. 2005. Transcriptional responses during the pathogenic interaction between Heterobasidion annosum s. l. and conifers. Doctor’s dissertation. ISSN 1652-6880, ISBN 91-576-7031-5. This thesis summarizes the results of four studies regarding transcriptional changes of Heterobasidion annosum (Fr.) Bref. s. l. and conifers in response to their pathogenic interaction. The diversity of expressed genes in H. annosum during the pathogenic interaction with Scots pine seedlings were studied by construction of a cDNA-library and generation of expressed sequence tags. Contig analysis identified 318 unigenes, of which 62 were repeatedly sampled. A putative function was assigned to 223 unigenes (70 %) that showed high or moderate similarity to protein sequences in public databases. The unigenes encoded proteins of metabolic functions with putative involvement in the pathogenic process, such as secondary metabolism, degradation of host material, signal perception and transduction and membrane transport. The transcriptional responses of several genes were studied with realtime-PCR during fungal infection of conifer material. Genes with a putative involvement in secondary metabolism, protection against oxidative stress and degradation/detoxification of host material were shown to be differentially expressed. A cytochrome P450 gene displayed sequence similarities towards genes encoding proteins involved in secondary metabolism and was highly expressed during fungal growth in Norway spruce bark. Up-regulation of a superoxide dismutase gene during early infection of Scots pine seedlings was detected. Transcript profiles of a laccase and two glutathione S-transferase genes showed transient expression during a time-coarse experiment of fungal infection of Norway spruce tissue cultures. A putative arabinase gene was exclusively expressed during infection of Scots pine seedlings. Up-regulation of Norway spruce genes phenylalanine ammonia lyase, peroxidase, glutathione S-transferase and class II and IV chitinases were detected upon fungal colonization of spruce callus tissue.
Quantum tomography via compressed sensing: error bounds, sample complexity and efficient estimators

Intuitively, if a density operator has small rank, then it should be easier to estimate from experimental data, since in this case only a few eigenvectors need to be learned. We prove two complementary results that confirm this intuition. Firstly, we show that a low-rank density matrix can be estimated using fewer copies of the state, i.e. the sample complexity of tomography decreases with the rank. Secondly, we show that unknown low-rank states can be reconstructed from an incomplete set of measurements, using techniques from compressed sensing and matrix completion. These techniques use simple Pauli measurements, and their output can be certified without making any assumptions about the unknown state. In this paper, we present a new theoretical analysis of compressed tomography, based on the restricted isometry property for low-rank matrices. Using these tools, we obtain near-optimal error bounds for the realistic situation where the data contain noise due to finite statistics, and the density matrix is full-rank with decaying eigenvalues. We also obtain upper bounds on the sample complexity of compressed tomography, and almost-matching lower bounds on the sample complexity of any procedure using adaptive sequences of Pauli measurements. Using numerical simulations, we compare the performance of two compressed sensing estimators—the matrix Dantzig selector and the matrix Lasso—with standard maximum-likelihood estimation (MLE). We find that, given comparable experimental resources, the compressed sensing estimators consistently produce higher fidelity state reconstructions than MLE. In addition, the use of an incomplete set of measurements leads to faster classical processing with no loss of accuracy. Finally, we show how to certify the accuracy of a low-rank estimate using direct fidelity estimation, and describe a method for compressed quantum process tomography that works for processes with small Kraus rank and requires only Pauli eigenstate preparations and Pauli measurements.
Information Management and Pricing in Platform Markets

We study platform markets in which the information about users’ preferences is dispersed. First, we show how the dispersion of information introduces idiosyncratic uncertainty about participation decisions and how the latter shapes the elasticity of the demands and the equilibrium prices. We then study the effects on profits, consumer surplus, and welfare of platform design, blogs, forums, conferences, advertising campaigns, post-launch disclosures, and other information management policies affecting the agents’ ability to predict participation decisions on the other side of the market.
Investigating Underperformance by Mutual Fund Portfolios

Underperformance by equity mutual funds has been widely documented by both the popular press and academic research. Whereas previous research has interpreted underperformance as evidence that fund managers lack the ability to pick stocks, this paper focuses on the impact of portfolio composition and excess turnover on fund performance. Using standard portfolio optimization techniques, we show that the portfolio weights for the stocks selected by fund managers are on average inefficient. Our results suggest that while fund managers may actually possess superior stock selection skills, substantial gains could be achieved by improving the efficiency of the allocation of mutual fund assets. In addition, we present evidence suggesting that mutual fund turnover is excessive and that fund managers may rely too heavily on stock price momentum. ∗We are grateful to Wayne Ferson, Richard Green, Burton G. Malkiel, Larry Merville, and the anonymous referees for their comments. The address of the corresponding author is: Yexiao Xu, School Of Management, The University of Texas at Dallas, PO Box 688, Richardson, Texas 75080, USA; Email: yexiaoxu@utdallas.edu
Biodegradable Composites from Rice Straw and Cornstarch Adhesives

The main goal of this study was to use Rice Straw (RS) in the production of environmentally sound composites using Cornstarch Adhesives (CA). Treatments of RS with NaOH, oxalic acid and hot-water were undertaken to evaluate the effect of such treatments on the characteristics of rice straw and the performance of produced composites. Results showed that all treatments were efficient in partially changing RS surface properties, as evidenced by FTIR and improving wettability of RS. The dependence of physical-mechanical properties of obtained composites on treatments performed on RS was studied. Hot-water treated straw composites displayed the best set of final mechanical properties. The composites exhibited poor waterproof performance, but considerable moisture resistance and environment-friendly properties.
Attainment of isotopic equilibrium between ocean water and the benthonic foraminifera genus Uvigerina: isotopic changes in the ocean during the last glacial

It is shown that even when the oxygen isotopic composition of foraminiferal tests is examined using non-standard analytical methods, the measurements may be expressed in terms of the PDB standard. In order to investigate departure from isotopic equilibrium, comparison must be made not with an empirical relationship determined for molluscs in a limited temperature range, but with a relationship based on inorganic calcite precipitation in the temperature range of interest. By such a comparison it is found that Uvigerina deposits its test at or near isotopic equilibrium in the temperature range 0.8 °G to 7 °C. Values for the isotopic composition of tests of this genus which lived during the last glacial can only be explained in terms of a change in the mean oxygen isotopic composition of the oceans which probably exceeded 1 %elox about 20 000 years, and exceeded 0.5%« for about 70 000 years.
Reducing the ambiguity of karst aquifer models by pattern matching of flow and transport on catchment scale

Assessing the hydraulic parameters of karst aquifers is a challenge due to their high degree of heterogeneity. The unknown parameter field generally leads to a high ambiguity for flow and transport calibration in numerical models of karst aquifers. In this study, a distributed numerical model was built for the simulation of groundwater flow and solute transport in a highly heterogeneous karst aquifer in south-western Germany. Therefore, an interface for the simulation of solute transport in one-dimensional pipes was implemented into the software COMSOL Multiphysics ® and coupled to the three-dimensional solute transport interface for continuum domains. For reducing model ambiguity, the simulation was matched for steady-state conditions to the hydraulic head distribution in the model area, the spring discharge of several springs and the transport velocities of two tracer tests. Furthermore, other measured parameters such as the hydraulic conductivity of the fissured matrix and the maximal karst conduit volume were available for model calibration. Parameter studies were performed for several karst conduit geometries to analyse the influence of the respective geometric and hydraulic parameters and develop a calibration approach in a large-scale heterogeneous karst system. Results show that it is possible not only to derive a consistent flow and transport model for a 150 km 2 karst area but also to combine the use of groundwater flow and transport parameters thereby greatly reducing model ambiguity. The approach provides basic information about the conduit network not accessible for direct geometric measurements. The conduit network volume for the main karst spring in the study area could be narrowed down to approximately 100 000 m 3 .
Data Integration in Functional Analysis of MicroRNAs

The discovery of microRNAs (miRNAs), about a decade ago, has completely changed our understanding of the complexity of gene regulatory networks. It has already been shown that they are abundantly found in many organisms and can regulate hundreds of genes in post-transcriptional level. To elucidate the individual or co-operative effects of miRNAs, it is required to place them in the overall network of gene regulation and link them to other pathways and systems-level processes. One key step in this effort is predicting targets of individual miRNAs. Although current tools are helpful in predicting miRNA-mRNA binding to a considerable extent, they are not able to model many-to-many relationships between miRNAs and their targets using solely sequence information. Therefore, other types of information sources have been employed for better prediction of these functional relationships. This report focuses on the state-of-the-art solutions and current challenges on mining miRNA-related data to discover the systems-level role of miRNAs, with an emphasis on the integration of different information sources. We aim to provide new insights for fusion of different types of biochemical and experimental information sources which may facilitate functional analysis of miRNAs.
Mandatory Gender Balance and Board Independence

We find that forcing radical gender balance on corporate boards is associated with increased board independence and reduced firm value. A mandatory 40-percent gender quota shifts the average fraction of independent directors from 46 to 67 percent because female directors are much more often independent directors than males are. This shock to board independence via gender quotas is strongest in small, young, profitable, non-listed firms with powerful stockholders and few female directors. Such firms also lose the most value, presumably because they need advice from dependent directors the most and monitoring by independent directors the least.
A Quantitative Study on NoC Traffic Scenarios

In the research of Network-on-Chip (NoC), after a new routing algorithm is devised, its performance should be evaluated by a lot of simulations. In these simulations, a large number of traffic scenarios, such as uniform random, transpose, tornado, etc. have been taken into consideration. However, there is lack of comparative study of these traffic scenarios in the literature. In this paper, the routing pressures of ten routing algorithms are compared under 1,000,000 traffic scenarios. Then simulations are carried out under more than 100 traffic scenarios. The computation and simulation results show that if a routing has small routing pressure and good performance under both transpose1 and transpose2 traffics, then poor performance will not be achieved under any other traffic scenario, with high probability.
Body composition by dual X-ray absorptiometry in Mexican schoolchildren with or without obesity

Objective: Apply dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) to determine the amount of fat mass, lean mass, and bone mineral density in Mexican schoolchildren with and without obesity. Material and methods: We performed an observational, analytical, comparative, cross-sectional study of 80 Mexican schoolchildren who attended the Nutrition Clinic of the Pediatric Medical Center in Monterrey, Mexico during the period of January to April 2005. Body mass index (BMI) was determined to classify the participants according to the growth charts of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Two groups of 40 children each (with and without obesity) were formed and DXA was carried out on each individual. Cronbach’s Alpha was used to determine instrument reliability and the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was used to test the normality of numerical variables. Means were compared using Student´s t test. Results: Statistically signiicant differences were found in fat mass (p≤0.001) and lean mass (p≤0.001), but not in bone mineral content (p=0.051) between both groups. Conclusions: Differences exist in fat mass and lean mass in both groups, but not in bone mineral content between both groups. A signiicant positive correlation was found between fat mass, determined by DXA, and BMI in schoolchildren with and without obesity
Equity-based Financial Slack and New Venture Performance: Evidence from matched single-founder ventures

This paper examines whether equity-based financial slack in the form of relatively high levels of founding equity will systematically hurt new venture performance. Drawing on data on 445 single-founder new ventures over the period 2004-2007, it uses the propensity score matching method to estimate the average effect of equity-based financial slack on new venture performance. It finds a negative and statistically significant average effect. This implies that single-founder new ventures that started out with relatively high levels of founding equity subsequently had a relatively low rate of profitability on average. The underlying mechanisms behind this empirical finding are explored, and the implications for the development of existing theory and practice are discussed.
Improved radial velocity orbit of the young binary brown dwarf candidate Cha Hα 8

The very young brown dwarf candidate Cha Hα 8 was recently discovered to have a close (∼1 AU) companion by means of radial velocity monitoring. We present additional radial velocity data obtained with UVES/VLT between 2007 and 2010, which significantly improve the orbit determination of the system. The combined data set spans ten years of radial velocity monitoring for Cha Hα 8. A Kepler fit to the data yields an orbital period of 5.2 years, an eccentricity of e = 0.59, and a radial velocity semi-amplitude of 2.4 km s −1 . A companion mass M2 sini (which is a lower limit due to the unknown orbital inclination i )o f 25± 7 MJup and of 31 ± 8 MJup is derived when using model-dependent mass estimates for the primary of 0.07 Mand 0.10 M� , respectively. Assuming random orientation of orbits in space, we find a very high probability that the companion of Cha Hα 8 is of substellar nature: With a greater than 50% probability (i ≥ 60 ◦ ), the companion mass is between 30 and 35 MJup and the mass ratio M2/M1 smaller than 0.4; with a greater than 87% probability (i ≥ 30 ◦ ) the companion mass is between 30 and 69 MJup and the mass ratio smaller than 0.7. The absence of any evidence of the companion in the cross-correlation function together with the size of the radial velocity amplitude also indicate a mass ratio of at most 0.7, and likely smaller. Furthermore, the new data exclude the possibility that the companion has a mass in the planetary regime (≤13 MJup). We show that the companion contributes significantly to the total luminosity of the system: model-dependent estimates provide a minimum for the luminosity ratio L2/L1 of 0.2. Cha Hα 8 is the fourth known spectroscopic brown dwarf or very low-mass stellar binary with determined orbital parameters, and the second known very young one. With an age of only about 3 Myr, it is of particular interest to very low-mass formation and evolution theories. In contrast to most other spectroscopic binaries, it has a relatively long orbital period and it might be possible to determine the astrometric orbit of the primary and, thus, the orbital inclination.
Effect of transparency on changing views regarding nuclear energy before and after Fukushima accident

Using cross-country data, this paper examines the influence of government transparency on changing views regarding nuclear energy before and after Japan’s natural and nuclear disasters of 2011. It was observed that in the majority of countries the rate of favoring nuclear energy declined after the disaster. However, empirical results have shown that this rate is less likely to decrease in a more transparent country, even after a disaster. This implies that views regarding nuclear energy were less elastic to the news of the Fukushima incident when people were more certain about nuclear energy prior to the Fukushima incident.
A soil‐water‐balance approach to quantify groundwater recharge from irrigated cropland in the North China Plain

Rapidly depleting unconfined aquifers are the primary source of water for irrigation on the North China Plain. Yet, despite its critical importance, groundwater recharge to the Plain remains an enigma. We introduce a one‐dimensional soil‐water‐balance model to estimate precipitation‐ and irrigation‐generated areal recharge from commonly available crop and soil characteristics and climate data. To limit input data needs and to simplify calculations, the model assumes that water flows vertically downward under a unit gradient; infiltration and evapotranspiration are separate, sequential processes; evapotranspiration is allocated to evaporation and transpiration as a function of leaf‐area index and is limited by soil‐moisture content; and evaporation and transpiration are distributed through the soil profile as exponential functions of soil and root depth, respectively. For calibration, model‐calculated water contents of 11 soil‐depth intervals from 0 to 200 cm were compared with measured water contents of loam soil at four sites in Luancheng County, Hebei Province, over 3 years (1998–2001). Each 50‐m2 site was identically cropped with winter wheat and summer maize, but received a different irrigation treatment. Average root mean‐squared error between measured and model‐calculated water content of the top 180 cm was 4·2 cm, or 9·3% of average total water content. In addition, model‐calculated evapotranspiration compared well with that measured by a large‐scale lysimeter. To test the model, 12 additional sites were simulated successfully. Model results demonstrate that drainage from the soil profile is not a constant fraction of precipitation and irrigation inputs, but rather the fraction increases as the inputs increase. Because this drainage recharges the underlying aquifer, improving irrigation efficiency by reducing seepage will not reverse water‐table declines. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The International Match: Metaphors as Vehicles of Social Identity-Building in Cross-Border Mergers

This article focuses on cultural identity-building in the cross-border merger context. To provide an alternative to the dominant essentialist analyses of cultures and cultural differences, cultural identity-building is conceptualized as a metaphoric process. The focus is on two processes inherent in the cross-border merger context: construction of images of Us and Them and construction of images of a Common Future. Based on an analysis of a special metaphor exercise carried out in a recent Finnish-Swedish merger, the article illustrates how the metaphoric perspective reveals specific cognitive, emotional and political aspects of cultural identity-building that easily remain `hidden' in the case of more traditional approaches.
Cohesive‐frictional model for bond and splitting action of prestressing wire

This paper presents a numerical procedure for bond between indented wires and concrete, and the coupled splitting process of the surrounding concrete. The bond model is an interface, non‐associative, plasticity model. It is coupled with a cohesive fracture model for concrete to take into account the splitting of such concrete. Bond between steel and concrete is fundamental for the transmission of stresses between both materials in precast prestressed concrete. Indented wires are used to improve the bond in these structural elements. The radial component of the prestressing force, increased by Poisson's effect, may split the surrounding concrete, decreasing the wire confinement and diminishing the bonding. The combined action of the bond and the splitting is studied with the proposed model. The results of the numerical model are compared with the results of a series of tests, such as those which showed splitting induced by the bond between wire and concrete. Tests with different steel indentation depths were performed. The numerical procedure accurately reproduces the experimental records and improves knowledge of this complex process. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.