Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Simple Template for Pitching Research

type="main" xml:id="acfi12116-abs-0001"> In this article, I propose a simple new research tool – a template designed for pitching research. The two-page pitching template begins with four ‘preliminaries’: working title, research question, key papers and motivation. Following this is the core of the template based on a ‘3-2-1 countdown’, namely THREE elements – idea, data and tools; TWO questions – What's new? and So what? ; and ONE bottom line – contribution. The template ends with ‘other’ considerations. Finance and accounting examples are given to illustrate application of the template.
A non-steroidal estrogen antiagonist 1-(p-2-diethylaminoethoxyphenyl)-1-phenyl-2-p-methoxyphenyl ethanol.

MER-25, l-(p-2-Diethylaminoethoxyphenyl)-l-phenyl-2-p-methoxyphenyl ethanol, blocks the response of estrogen target organs to the stimulating action of estrogens. The estrogen antagonism activity of MER-25 has been demonstrated in intact and castrate rats, mice and monkeys and in chicks and rabbits. The estrogen target organs employed for the measurement of the estrogen antagonism activity of MER-25 were the uterus, vagina and pituitaries in the mammals, and the oviduct in chicks. An additional endpoint employed was the chick plasma phospholipids. This drug antagonizes the activity of both endogenous and exogenous estrogens and steroidal and non-steroidal estrogens. The pituitaries of rats administered MER-25 were smaller than those of control animals and it prevented estrogen and castration induced pituitary hypertrophy. Weak gonadotrophin inhibition was evident in the treated male rat and in parabiotic female rats. MER-25 interfered with normal pregnancy in the rat. Male offspring of animals administere.
Firm's Output Under Uncertainty and Asymmetric Taxation

We consider competitive firms operating under price uncertainty when taxation is asymmetric (i.e. profits are taxed at a higher rate than losses are compensated). In the absence of risk sharing tools, the larger 'gap' in taxation may either lower or increase the firm's optimal output, depending on whether the relative measure of risk aversion is less than or larger than 1. In the presence of risk sharing markets optimal output does not depend on the tax rates, nor on the price distribution or the firm's attitude towards risk. The firm will engage in hedging and, as a result, will lower its expected taxes.
The effect of differing types of cloth and of contamination by non-feed nitrogen on intestinal digestion estimates using porous synthetic-fibre bags in a cow

The influence of free surface area and pore size of a synthetic-fibre bag, and flow of intestinal substances into the bag, on the intestinal digestion estimates by the nylon-bag method of dry matter (DM), neutral detergent fibre (NDF), nitrogen, NDF-N and feed 15N was studied using a non-lactating cow fed on hay supplemented with barley and oats at maintenance level. The bags containing 15N-labelled ground ryegrass (Lolium perenne), barley, barley straw or rapeseed (Brassica napus) straw were introduced into the duodenum through a T-shaped cannula and collected from the faeces. Also, the disappearance of N from the bag was related to the true intestinal N digestion by comparing it with the net loss between duodenum and faeces of 15N in ryegrass introduced into the duodenum in an aqueous suspension. It was noted that the bag cloth often significantly affected both disappearance values and the subsequent chemical composition of the residues. Re-analysing part of the data as a 2x2 factorial (free surface x pore size) suggested that free surface area was often more important than pore size as a determinant of both disappearance values and chemical composition. Lower apparent (Kjeldahl N) than true (15N) feed N disappearance from the bag suggested a notable proportion of non-feed N in the residues, especially with fibrous feeds with low N. With ryegrass, 15N net loss within the intestine was lower than 15N disappearance from the bags. It was concluded that disappearance of Kjeldahl N is an underestimate of feed N disappearance from bags, but may possibly be an overestimate of the true intestinal digestion of feed N.
Decomposing Wage Residuals: Unmeasured Skill or Statistical Artifact?

The decomposition of wage residuals into standard deviation and percentile ranks can be misleading because the two measures are not necessarily independent. With rising wage inequality, the mean percentile rank of low‐wage groups will rise simply because more dispersed distributions have thicker tails. This interpretation is consistent with the observed stability of gender and racial wage gaps. In contrast, the unmeasured skill interpretation of wage residuals would predict widening wage gaps in the face of rising wage inequality, unless one posits an increase in the level of unobserved skill for women and blacks.
On the Contribution of New Keynesian Economics

In this paper we consider whether New Keynesian economics provides a meaningful framework for the analysis of the coordination problem in economic society. At this stage the New Keynesian coordination failure framework raises more questions than it provides answers. However, it has the potential to develop to an important area of macroeconomic research if subsequent research is directed toward the implications for economic performance of institutional characteristics of modern economies. In this respect the general equilibrium framework of New Keynesian economics is not appropriate. The analysis of coordination failures may benefit from insights that have been developed in the non-mainstream literature.
Validation of functional calibration and strap-down joint drift correction for computing 3D joint angles of knee, hip, and trunk in alpine skiing

To obtain valid 3D joint angles with inertial sensors careful sensor-to-segment calibration (i.e. functional or anatomical calibration) is required and measured angular velocity at each sensor needs to be integrated to obtain segment and joint orientation (i.e. joint angles). Existing functional and anatomical calibration procedures were optimized for gait analysis and calibration movements were impractical to perform in outdoor settings. Thus, the aims of this study were 1) to propose and validate a set of calibration movements that were optimized for alpine skiing and could be performed outdoors and 2) to validate the 3D joint angles of the knee, hip, and trunk during alpine skiing. The proposed functional calibration movements consisted of squats, trunk rotations, hip ad/abductions, and upright standing. The joint drift correction previously proposed for alpine ski racing was improved by adding a second step to reduce separately azimuth drift. The system was validated indoors on a skiing carpet at the maximum belt speed of 21 km/h and for measurement durations of 120 seconds. Calibration repeatability was on average <2.7° (i.e. 3D joint angles changed on average <2.7° for two repeated sets of calibration movements) and all movements could be executed wearing ski-boots. Joint angle precision was <4.9° for all angles and accuracy ranged from -10.7° to 4.2° where the presence of an athlete-specific bias was observed especially for the flexion angle. The improved joint drift correction reduced azimuth drift from over 25° to less than 5°. In conclusion, the system was valid for measuring 3D joint angles during alpine skiing and could be used outdoors. Errors were similar to the values reported in other studies for gait. The system may be well suited for within-athlete analysis but care should be taken for between-athlete analysis because of a possible athlete-specific joint angle bias.
Intermediate and long-term side effects of high-dose radioiodine therapy for thyroid carcinoma.

UNLABELLED The present investigation is an evaluation of intermediate and long-term side effects in patients after high-dose radioiodine treatment due to differentiated thyroid carcinoma. METHODS A total of 203 patients were interviewed using a standardized questionnaire. RESULTS After radioiodine treatment, 76.8% of the patients reported intermediate (from discharge up to 3 mo) or long-term (more than 3 mo after treatment) complaints, and 61.1% reported long-term side effects. Nonstochastic side effects included sialoadenitis, which occurred in 33.0% of cases, and 27.1% of patients suffered from a transient loss of taste or smell. More than 1 yr after the last radioiodine application, 42.9% of patients suffered from reduced salivary gland function. Complete xerostomia occurred in 4.4% of patients. Hematological abnormalities were found in 9 patients. In 28.1% of patients a transient episode of alopecia was reported. In 22.7% of patients chronic or recurrent conjunctivitis was reported, and 4 patients underwent dacryocystorhinostomy; 13.8% of patients suffered from an increased frequency of influenza, but 3.4% reported a reduced occurrence of such infections. For sialoadenitis, the loss of taste/smell and dry mouth, the dependence on accumulated activity was significant. CONCLUSION Severe long-term side effects are rare after high-dose radioiodine treatment. Moderate side effects are common. The side effects are commonly the result of radiation damage to the salivary glands. The frequency of such complaints advocates regular protection of the salivary glands.
The Determinants of Capital Buffers in CEECs

Banking capital ratios show a steadily decline in almost Central and Eastern European Countries (CEECs) since 2001, despite unchanged capital adequacy rules. Using a dynamic panel-analysis based on country-level data for CEECs, we empirically assess the determinants of capital buffers. Main results are as follows. First, there are large and significant adjustment costs in raising capital. Second, banks behave pro-cyclically, depleting their buffers in upturns to benefit from unanticipated investment opportunities. Third, there is a significant negative relationship between current levels of non-performing loans (NPLs) and capital buffers, suggesting that banks in CEECs are risk-takers. Banking sectors with large past NPLs however tend to have larger buffers. Finally, the access to external capital may appear still somewhat limited, with banks relying on internally generated funds to raise buffers.
Epidermal Growth Factor-Induced Tumor Cell Invasion and Metastasis Initiated by Dephosphorylation and Downregulation of Focal Adhesion Kinase

ABSTRACT Upregulated epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor (EGFR) expression and EGFR-induced signaling have been correlated with progression to invasion and metastasis in a wide variety of carcinomas, but the mechanism behind this is not well understood. We show here that, in various human carcinoma cells that overexpress EGFR, EGF treatment induced rapid tyrosine dephosphorylation of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) associated with downregulation of its kinase activity. The downregulation of FAK activity was both required and sufficient for EGF-induced refractile morphological changes, detachment of cells from the extracellular matrix, and increased tumor cell motility, invasion, and metastasis. Tumor cells with downregulated FAK activity became less adherent to the extracellular matrix. However, once cells started reattaching, FAK activity was restored by activated integrin signaling. Moreover, this process of readhesion and spreading could not be abrogated by further EGF stimulation. Interruption of transforming growth factor alpha-EGFR autocrine regulation with an EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor led to a substantial increase in FAK tyrosine phosphorylation and inhibition of tumor cell invasion in vitro. Consistent with this, FAK tyrosine phosphorylation was reduced in cells from tumors growing in transplanted, athymic, nude mice, which have an intact autocrine regulation of the EGFR. We suggest that the dynamic regulation of FAK activity, initiated by EGF-induced downregulation of FAK leading to cell detachment and increased motility and invasion, followed by integrin-dependent reactivation during readhesion, plays a role in EGF-associated tumor invasion and metastasis.
The identification of bacteria associated with periodontal disease and dental caries by enzymatic methods.

This brief review describes the potential usefulness of enzymatic reagents for the diagnosis of dental caries and periodontal disease. The cultural tests for salivary S. mutans levels should soon become commercially available in the U.S. and their success may preclude the immediate development of enzymatic diagnostic reagents for this group of organisms. However, in regards to periodontal disease, these enzyme reagents offer great promise, particularly those which measure the trypsin-like activity of plaque. The BANA hydrolytic activity of plaque, while not due exclusively to the spirochetes, nevertheless seems to reflect the spirochetal load of the plaque. Of even greater interest is the possibility that this and other enzymes can also be measured in the saliva. This would lend itself to routine screening for these enzymes in the saliva.
An Approach to Solve Assignment Problems with Linguistic Assessment Information Based on Two-Tuple Linguistic Representation Model

This paper proposes a new approach to solve assignment problems with linguistic assessment information. In this approach, linguistic assessment information is aggregated and calculated taking use of the newly developed two-tuple linguistic representation. First, the efficiency matrixes with linguistic assessment information provided by experts are changed into two-tuple linguistic representations. Secondly, the synthetic efficiency matrix is obtained taking use of the two-tuple linguistic aggregation operators. Then, a mathematical model for the assignment problem is established and the optimal solution to the models is determined by means of the approach to traditional assignment problems according to the characteristics of two-tuple linguistic representation. The approach is simple and has the exact characteristic in linguistic information processing. Finally, a numerical example is used to illustrate the use of the proposed approach.
Risk Factors for Pediatric Intensive Care Admission in Children With Acute Asthma

INTRODUCTION: Severe acute asthma in children is associated with substantial morbidity and may require pediatric ICU (PICU) admission. The aim of the study was to determine risk factors for PICU admission. METHODS: The study used a retrospective multicenter case-control design. The cases included children admitted to the PICU because of severe acute asthma and a history of out-patient treatment by pediatricians or pediatric pulmonologists. Controls were children with asthma without a PICU admission for severe acute asthma. The children were matched for sex, age, hospital, and time elapsed since the diagnosis of asthma. Fourteen possible risk factors were analyzed. RESULTS: Sixty-six cases were matched to 164 controls. In univariate analysis, all but one of the analyzed variables were significantly associated with PICU-hospitalization. After multivariate conditional logistic regression analysis, 4 risk factors remained significant. These included active or passive smoking, allergies, earlier hospitalization for asthma, and non-sanitized home. CONCLUSIONS: Physicians and parents should be aware of these risk factors, and efforts should be made to counteract them.
A Class of Generalized Quasi-Cyclic LDPC Codes: High-Rate and Low-Complexity Encoder for Data Storage Devices

In this paper, we study no 4-cycle, high-rate LDPC codes based on finite geometries for use in data storage devices and prove that these codes cannot be classified as quasi-cyclic (QC) codes but should be considered as broader generalized quasi-cyclic (GQC) codes. Because of the GQC structure of such codes, they can be systematically encoded using Groebner bases and their encoder can be implemented using simple feedback-shift registers. In order to demonstrate the efficiency of the encoder, we show that the hardware complexity of the serial-in serial-out encoder architecture of these codes is of linear order O(n). To encode a binary codeword of length n, less than 2n adders and 3n memory elements are required. Furthermore, we evaluated the error performances of these codes with sum product algorithm (SPA) decoding over additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) channels. At a bit error rate (BER) of 10^-5, they perform 1-dB away from the Shannon limit after 10 decoding iterations.
Functional Characterization and Transcriptome Analysis of Embryonic Stem Cell–Derived Contractile Smooth Muscle Cells

Complete transcriptome profiling of contractile smooth muscle cells (SMCs) differentiated from embryonic stem cells is crucial for the characterization of smooth muscle gene expression signatures and will contribute to defining biological and physiological processes in these cells. We have generated a transgenic embryonic stem cell line expressing both the puromycin acetyl transferase and enhanced green fluorescent protein cassettes under the control of the Acta2 promoter. Applying a specific monolayer culture protocol using retinoic acid, a puromycin-resistant and enhanced green fluorescent protein–positive Acta2+ SMC population of 95% purity was isolated. Acta2+ SMCs were characterized by semiquantitative and quantitative RT-PCR profiling of SMC markers and by microarray expression profiling, as well as by immunostaining for SMC-specific cytoskeletal proteins. Patch-clamp electrophysiological characterization of these cells identified SMC-specific channels such as the ATP-sensitive potassium channel and the Ca2+-activated potassium channel. Culturing of Acta2+ SMCs in serum-containing medium resulted in a significant number of hypertrophic and binucleated cells failing to complete cell division. Functional characterization of the cells has been proved by stimulation of the cells with vasoactive agents, such as angiotensin II and endothelin. We concluded that our embryonic stem cell–derived SMC population possesses the contractile and hypertrophic phenotype of SMCs incapable of proliferation. This is the first study describing the complete transcriptome of ES-derived SMCs allowing identification of specific biological and physiological processes in the contractile phenotype SMCs and will contribute to the understanding of these processes in early SMCs derived from embryonic stem cells.
An Institutional Code of Ethics.- A Response to Attitude of Israeli Teachers＇ Education College Students Towards Academic Plagiarism

Academic plagiarism becomes very easy due to new opportunities provided by the Internet era (Scrinber, 2003; Underwood & Sazabo, 2003; Ross, 2005). We believe that academic dishonesty is a major issue, because it strikes at the heart of the academic and social values: honesty, trust and integrity. When dealing with education students, the future educators of children, academic dishonesty takes on added significance with much graver consequences for our society. This paper is aimed to reveal the opinions of 200 Israeli teacher education students towards different aspects of plagiarism. These responses, which were collected using likert scale questionnaire, led us to define some principles for a plan to reduce academic dishonesty, especially internet based plagiarism (Mc Murtry, 2001; Foster, 2002; Landau, Druen, & Arcuri, 2002; Murray, 2002). We suggest focusing on a plan for an institutional ethic code to reduce plagiarism and unconscious academic dishonesty.
A REVIEW OF CROSS LAYER DESIGN

All the nodes in the mobile ad-hoc network (MANET) cooperatively maintain the network connectivity. Exploiting the dependencies and interactions between layers has been shown to increase performance in certain scenarios of wireless networking. Although layered architectures have served well for wired networks, they are not suitable for wireless networks. The wireless network has several advantages over the wired technologies like flexibility, mobility, cheaper and faster deployment, easier maintenance and upgrade procedures. These issues make way to cross-layer design (CLD). However, many technical issues still exist in this field; this paper presents a detailed investigation of CLD and challenges, potential issues involved with it and simulators. Also this article brief the readers an overview of cross-layer concept while discussing different cross-layer proposals given by researchers, with an objective to spark new research interests in this field.
Eukaryotic DNA Polymerases

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is replicated and repaired by a family of enzymes called DNA polymerases. Eukaryotic cells have a diversity of these enzymes that, while sharing a common biochemical activity, are specialised for particular roles. Three polymerases are required for the replication of the nuclear genome, with Pol α involved in priming and initial synthesis and Pols δ and ϵ involved in bulk DNA replication. These polymerases are dependent on a large number of other proteins which unwind the DNA and perform other functions essential for efficient DNA synthesis. Polymerases are also involved in DNA repair and many repair-specific enzymes have been identified. Some repair polymerases can refill a gap generated by removal of damaged DNA, or copy a damaged template, allowing DNA synthesis to proceed across a damaged template. Repair polymerases can also have tissue-specific functions in lymphoid cells, where they contribute to somatic hypermutation of immunoglobulin genes. Key Concepts: Catalytic function of DNA polymerases. Concepts of ‘proofreading’ and ‘processivity’. Roles of replicative DNA polymerases needed for chromosome replication and organisation at the replication fork. Function of accessory proteins needed for polymerase function in chromosome replication. Different modes of action of specialised polymerases involved in DNA repair. Catalytic mechanism of polymerases. Assays used to detect polymerase function in vitro. Relevance of DNA polymerases to human disease. Keywords: DNA replication; DNA repair; DNA synthesis; cell cycle; cancer; genome stability; S phase
Water quality and food safety: a review and discussion of risks

While increased diversification of developing-country diets as a result of agricultural and economic growth has improved nutritional status and human health, the increased consumption of high-value products—particularly fresh fruits, vegetables, dairy and animal products—has lead to significant food safety risks associated with unsafe management and use of water resources These risks are both magnified and masked in developing countries due to a lack of regulation combined with a dearth of data and information on the relations between water use, water quality and food safety risks. Given the likely estimated rapid increase in production, trade, and consumption of agricultural commodities with high water-related food safety risks, avoiding contamination and maintaining water quality and food safety are becoming growing public health issues in developing countries. This paper introduces the linkages between water quality and food safety, describes the causes for declining water quality levels, and identifies the various stages of the production process that are vulnerable to contamination due to water use. It concludes with a review of constraints to food safety and water quality management and identifies the main research gaps relevant to agricultural water management in developing countries.