Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Freeze-fractured cardiac gap junctions: structural analysis by three methods.

In isolated rat left ventricles perfused at 37 degrees C with control, Ca2+-loading, and Ca2+-depleting solutions (pH 7.3-7.4), we have investigated freeze-fractured gap junctional membrane by three quantitative techniques designed to correlate changes in junctional permeability with changes in membrane ultrastructure, i.e., 1) optical diffraction, 2) direct measurement of center-to-center spacings and particle diameters, and 3) statistical analysis of the spatial distribution of P-face particles based on analysis of nearest neighbor center-to-center distances. Junctions fixed either with glutaraldehyde or by quick freezing were compact, with closely packed rather than dispersed membrane particles even in the permeable state. Analysis of variance for all three methods indicated that replication was a major variability source limiting structural discrimination. Discrimination between random, regular, and clustered distributions depended critically on particle diameter and particle density. The results differ from published data of others on mammalian ventricular gap junctions and from measurements by our laboratory on sheep cardiac Purkinje fibers (J. Ultrastruct. Res. 75: 195-204, 1981).
Three decades of eating disorders in Dutch primary care: decreasing incidence of bulimia nervosa but not of anorexia nervosa

Background Whether the incidence of eating disorders in Western, industrialized countries has changed over time has been the subject of much debate. The purpose of this primary-care study was to examine changes in the incidence of eating disorders in The Netherlands during the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. Method A nationwide network of general practitioners (GPs), serving a representative sample (~1%) of the total Dutch population, recorded newly diagnosed patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN) in their practice during 1985–1989, 1995–1999, and 2005–2009. GPs are key players in the Dutch healthcare system, as their written referral is mandatory in order to get access to specialized (mental) healthcare, covered by health insurance. Health insurance is virtually universal in The Netherlands (99% of the population). A substantial number of GPs participated in all three study periods, during which the same case identification criteria were used and the same psychiatrist was responsible for making the final diagnoses. Incidence rates were calculated and for comparison between periods, incidence rate ratios. Results The overall incidence rate of BN decreased significantly in the past three decades (from 8.6 per 100 000 person-years in 1985–1989 to 6.1 in 1995–1999, and 3.2 in 2005–2009). The overall incidence of AN remained fairly stable during three decades, i.e. 7.4 per 1 00 000 person-years in 1985–1989, 7.8 in 1995–1999, and 6.0 in 2005–2009. Conclusions The incidence rate of BN decreased significantly over the past three decades, while the overall incidence rate of AN remained stable.
The “non‐permanent” reality!

Looks at how the rise in the use of non‐permanent employees has stimulated much debate concerning the long‐term impact on the success of organizations and skill development at the organizational and national level. Draws on internationally comparable data from 12 countries to explore the relationship between non‐permanent work and organizational profitability, workforce expansion and investment in employee training and development. Argues that national contextual conditions, in terms of employment legislation and training traditions, and the management of non‐permanent workers are important factors affecting the efficiency outcomes associated with using this particular flexible employment option.
STRATEGIC EFFECT OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES ON MALAWIAN SMALLHOLDER FARMERS: A PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY

The intent of this exploratory observational study was to ascertain the knowledge, experience, and attitudes of Malawian smallholder farmers regarding information and communication technology (ICT). This would establish a foundation for proposing ways in which ICT could best be used to provide information encouraging improved agricultural practices. Malawi is one of the poorest countries in the world. Its economy is primarily dependent on agriculture, and the bulk of its food supply is produced by smallholder farmers. Non-government organizations such as NASFAM have been working with various international aid donors to improve the livelihood of smallholder farmers. The literature review revealed that there had been almost no studies of the farmers themselves regarding their perceived needs for more information, so an interview guide was designed to elicit this basic information. This study reveals that while most Malawian smallholder farmers are literate, they have only minimal knowledge of ICT and a very limited concept of how it might be useful in improving their farming and marketing practices. The research also indicated that the farmers need more sources for financing their operations. The concluding chapter lists efforts that should be undertaken by the Malawian government and non-government organizations in order to maximize the benefits of ICTs for the smallholder agricultural sector.
Stochastic Claims Reserving in General Insurance

ABSTRACT This paper considers a wide range of stochastic reserving models for use in general insurance, beginning with stochastic models which reproduce the traditional chain-ladder reserve estimates. The models are extended to consider parametric curves and smoothing models for the shape of the development run-off, which allow extrapolation for the estimation of tail factors. The Bornhuetter-Ferguson technique is also considered, within a Bayesian framework, which allows expert opinion to be used to provide prior estimates of ultimate claims. The primary advantage of stochastic reserving models is the availability of measures of precision of reserve estimates, and in this respect, attention is focused on the root mean squared error of prediction (prediction error). Of greater interest is a full predictive distribution of possible reserve outcomes, and different methods of obtaining that distribution are described. The techniques are illustrated with examples throughout, and the wider issues discussed, in particular, the concept of a ‘best estimate’; reporting the variability of claims reserves; and use in dynamic financial analysis models.
Forecasting among alternative strategies in the management of uncertainty

This paper explores why expectations elicited from corporate decision-makers may fall short of the rational expectations ideal: the formation of an informed forecast may just not be part of the optimal management of uncertainty. The analysis of an investment decision shows that when forecasting is expensive, this strategy is likely to be superseded by the possibility to wait, to switch between projects, or the alternative to eliminate inferior projects over time. Even at low forecasting costs it may be optimal not to forecast and instead to diversify over different projects. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Target distance estimation using monocular vision system for mobile robot

Mobile robot with vision could be useful for many applications and purposes. However, the vision system needs to be robust, effective, robust and fast to achieve on its goal. Somehow it needs stereo vision system to estimate the depth of the object. In this paper, a monocular vision system is introduced to the mobile robot to enhance their capabilities for calculating the distance or depth approximately. The main topic explains method used in monocular vision system, which is Hough transforms and how this method operates. This paper also shows the basic mathematical morphology which is implemented in Hough transform for image processing.
Bernard-Soulier syndrome.

IN 1948, BERNARD AND SOULIER described a young male patient with a severe bleeding disorder that was characterized by a prolonged bleeding time, thrombocytopenia, and extremely large platelets. [1][1] They termed the disorder “la dystrophie thrombocytaire-hemorragipare congenitale. ” Since then
Evaluation of Metastatic Cholangiocarcinoma in a Spitz Dog

A 12-year-old spitz breed dog, with progressive neurologic symptoms including seizures, ataxia, mental depression, walking aimlessly and head pressing was referred to Small Animal Hospital of Veterinary Medicine, the University of Tehran. The dog was received Diazepam prior to examination and diagnosis, whereas it died at first day eventually. In physical examination, there was a firm mass with irregular nodular surface, about 8 cm in diameter under the skin of mammary glands region. At necropsy, considerable abdominal ascites, several masses with different sizes throughout liver lobes and on intestinal serosa were observed. According to histological adjectives of biliary epithelium due to firm texture of the tumour masses and numerous mitotic figures the tumour was confirmed as cholangiocarcinoma, and immuniohistochemical results for cytokeratin marker demonstrated such diagnosis.
An Empirical Study of Dividend Payout and Future Earnings in Singapore

The main purpose of this paper is to apply Johansen's vector error-correction model (VECM) to investigate the existence of the dividend signalling effect in the Singapore aggregate market through impulse response analysis, forecast error variance decomposition and Granger-causality test. Our findings show that a unit shock increase in dividend payout leads to a permanent increase in future earnings over time. These results imply that there exists informational/signalling content in dividend payout in the Singapore market over the long run. We further find that at least half of the forecast error variance in earnings can be accounted for by innovations in the dividend payout. In addition, the payout ratio is also shown to Granger-cause earnings in the Singapore market.
Observer based leader following consensus for multi-agent systems with random packet loss

This paper addresses the leader-follower consensus problem of multi-agent systems (MASs) consisting of general linear agents in the event of stochastic communication link failure over the network. Bernoulli process is applied to model the packet dropout during operation while the packet dropout in communication links are assumed to be asynchronous and independent. A distributed observer-type algorithm is proposed based on the sufficient conditions using Lyapunov-based method, linear matrix inequality (LMI) techniques and the separation principle. It is shown that the sufficient conditions can be decomposed into small conditions of same dimension as a single agent, provided that the followers are symmetrically connected, which leads to efficient solutions when considering consensus problem of a large group of high-order linear agents. Numerical simulations for groups of five double-integrator agents and three linearized quadcopter agents are conducted to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.
Tourism development and planning: The Case of Kalkan, Antalya, Turkey

This paper uses findings from research undertaken in 2005 by the author and two colleagues to discuss the shift from a comprehensive-holistic and integrated tourism planning to a market-oriented and ad hoc mode. It also discusses the implications of weak local policies in the absence of comprehensive and integrative regional planning frameworks. The original research was on the development and conservation problems experienced in the small tourism town of Kalkan in Turkey after changes to the legal system abolishing certain restrictions on foreign purchases of real estate. The researchers conducted a rapid assessment of the problems and issues and made recommendations for the local development and conservation of historical and natural sites. The report containing recommendations was prepared following a formal request from one of the non-governmental organizations in Kalkan. Thus, the selection of Kalkan was not a matter of considered academic choice. That said, the situation in Kalkan to a certain extent offers a good example of local sensitivity and concern regarding macro-economic policies decided at a national scale. At the time of writing, the report was the first written text reporting on local impacts of market liberalization and deregulation in the real estate sector.
Unpacking International Power and the Ecological Footprints of Nations: A Quantitative Cross-National Study

Although unsustainable natural resource consumption has recently garnered significant attention in macrosociology, empirical studies neglect to analyze the environmental impacts of different forms of international power dynamics. This study dissects international power into its various economic, military, and export dependence characteristics, and analyzes their independent effects on per-capita consumption of natural resources, measured as ecological footprints. Findings of the quantitative cross-national analyses indicate that economic power in the form of capital intensity, military technological power, and overall export dependence are the structural driving forces of per-capita resource consumption. The effects of military technological power and export dependence on percapita footprints are primarily direct, whereas the effect of capital intensity is both direct and indirect, partly mediated by its effects on levels of secondary education and domestic income inequality, both of which impact levels of per-capita consumption. The results advance our collective understanding of the complexities of international power, domestic conditions, and uneven environmental outcomes and illustrate the necessity for taking a more nuanced approach to analyses of anthropogenic degradation of the global ecological system.
Multiple‐site optical monitoring of neural activity evoked by vagus nerve stimulation in the embryonic chick brain stem.

1. Electrical activity in the embryonic chick brain stem has been monitored optically. The vagus‐brain stem preparations isolated from 7‐day‐old chick embryos were stained with voltage‐sensitive merocyanine‐rhodanine dyes. 2. Voltage‐related optical absorption signals evoked by vagus nerve stimulation with depolarizing and hyperpolarizing pulses using a suction electrode were recorded simultaneously from 127 adjacent loci in the brain stem using a 12 x 12‐element photodiode array. 3. The optical signals evoked by the stimulation appeared to be concentrated longitudinally in the central region and in the lateral region, both on the stimulated side of the brain stem, and they did not spread to the opposite side. In addition, the evoked optical responses were detected from small areas on the dorsal surface of the stimulated side, in experiments using transverse slices of brain stem. 4. The optical action potential signals evoked by the brief depolarizing stimulus were conducted slowly and were blocked completely by tetrodotoxin. With relatively long‐duration depolarizing and hyperpolarizing stimulations, electrotonic responses were recorded. 5. When 2 microA/2 ms hyperpolarizing pulse stimulations were applied, anode‐break excitation signals were detected, and these signals were also blocked by tetrodotoxin. 6. On the basis of the data obtained from these experiments, we constructed maps of the electrical response area and demonstrated the spatial pattern of the vagus dorsal nucleus in the 7‐day‐old embryonic chick brain stem.
Monocular Outlier Detection for Visual Odometry

In this paper, we propose an optimization scheme to detect outliers in a visual odometry pipeline that is purely based on the optical flow of one monocular camera without requiring information about depth. First, we review different optical flow error measures and uncover the different sensitivity changes of the endpoint error for optical flow to the directional and the absolute error components. Then, we analyse the dependency of the direction of the flow induced by the translational components of the camera motion assuming the flow induced by the rotational camera motion components to be known. Based on a reliable estimate of the focus of expansion, we solve for a normalized directional flow error that takes the influence of the discretization error induced by the pixel size into account. Here, a circular and a squared error bound on the discretization error is investigated. Finally, we present a monocular outlier detection pipeline including the normalized directional flow error as a suitable constant threshold criterion almost invariant to the camera motion and the scene geometry. Further on, evaluations of the overall monocular outlier detection method called FERO included in a stereo visual odometry pipeline are given to compare the performance of monocular against stereoscopic outlier detection based on Kitti benchmark.
Nitric oxide pathway in hypertrophied heart: new therapeutic uses of nitric oxide donors

Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is regarded as a complication common to a number of cardiovascular diseases, including hypertension, myocardial infarction and ischaemia associated with coronary artery disease. Initially LVH is a compensatory mechanism, but in the long term cardiac hypertrophy predisposes individuals to heart failure, myocardial infarction and sudden death. Alteration of the nitric oxide (NO) pathway is believed to play an important role in the haemodynamically overloaded heart and pathological cardiac remodelling. Although re-establishment of the physiological NO pathway could be considered an important therapeutic target, the use of conventional nitrates is limited in the clinical setting by the development of tissue resistance and tolerance and by the shortage of large-scale clinical trials unequivocally confirming the beneficial impact of NO donors on cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. The aim of this review is to present current therapeutic options for dealing with changes in the L-arginine–NO pathway. The most promising therapeutic approach is represented by a new neutral sugar organic nitrate, LA-419, the thiol group of which seems to protect NO from degradation, thereby increasing its bioavailability. In a model of aortic stenosis-induced pressure overload, LA-419 has been found to restore the complete NO signalling cascade and reduce left ventricular remodelling, but without restoring the original pressure gradient, indicating a possible direct antiproliferative effect. Future studies are needed to confirm this therapeutic benefit in other animal models of hypertension and in the clinical setting.
Managerial perceptions of corporate environmentalism: interpretations from industry and strategic implications for organizations

Environmental issues are becoming increasingly important in organization theory and practice. Corporate environmentalism is emerging as a process of addressing environmental issues facing business firms. In this paper I examine managerial perceptions of corporate environmentalism and describes how key organizational members interpret the relationship between their firm and the biophysical environment. Corporate environmental orientation and environmental strategy focus are two themes of corporate environmentalism that emerge from the study. I discuss managerial perceptions of regulatory forces, public environmental concern, top management commitment and need for competitive advantage, and how perceptions of these factors might translate into environmental strategies. I conclude by discussing implications of corporate environmentalism for organizational theory and practice.
Women, men and organic food: differences in their attitudes and willingness to pay. A Spanish case study

The main purpose of this work consists of displaying the different attitudes of men and women towards organic food, and their willingness to pay for it, in three different consumer intensities: usual, occasional and potential consumers. Several surveys have been carried out to obtain a representative sample of regular food purchasers living in Castilla-La Mancha (Spain). Statistic analysis previously detecting significant differences with regard to gender and type of consumer has been conducted by univariate analysis to describe attitudes, and multivariate analysis, through ‘logit’ models, to calculate maximum willingness to pay. Results show that women have a more favourable attitude (directly related to their lifestyle) to the purchase and consumption of organic food than men, whereas men are inclined to pay a higher price for organic food than women. In general, men are disposed to pay a higher increase in price than women.
Specification and Estimation of Production Functions Involving Damage Control Inputs: A Two‐Stage, Semiparametric Approach

Productivity assessment of damage control inputs (such as pesticides) is complicated because their effect depends on the exposure to damage agents (such as pests). We discuss some open specification and estimation issues. The contribution is threefold. First, we elaborate the separability conditions for the damage control function and production function. Second, we employ a two-stage semiparametric technique to combine attractive features of both nonparametric and parametric approaches. Third, we model the interaction between pest exposure and damage control inputs by using slope dummies. An application to productivity analysis of small scale Bt cotton production in China illustrates the approach.
Estimating rural households' willingness to pay for water supply improvements: a Benin case study using a semi-nonparametric bivariate probit approach

This paper estimates households' willingness to pay (WTP) to improve rural water supply in Benin. Particular attention is given to the distribution of WTP, which is traditionally addressed using parametric assumptions. To avoid distributional assumptions, a semi-nonparametric bivariate probit approach is introduced. Results provide the first evidence that, in rural Benin, households wanting to improve water supply are willing to pay more than the current price. WTP for water supply is determined by wealth, education, and characteristics of existing and new water systems. Results indicate that a demand-driven management approach can contribute to water supply improvements and sustainability.
Group Ia synaptic input to fast and slow twitch motor units of cat triceps surae

1 The characteristics of the group Ia synaptic input to triceps surae motoneurones have been examined in pentobarbitone‐anaesthetized cats, using intracellular recording techniques. The mechanical properties of the muscle units innervated by the cells were determined and the motoneurone input resistance values were also measured.