Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of GHRH and GHRP-2 treatment in vitro on GH secretion and levels of GH, pituitary transcription factor-1, GHRH-receptor, GH-secretagogue-receptor and somatostatin receptor mRNAs in ovine pituitary cells.

OBJECTIVE Growth hormone (GH)-releasing hormone (GHRH) and GH-releasing peptides (GHRPs) stimulate the release of GH through their specific receptors on somatotropes. Combined GHRH and GHRP administration causes a synergistic GH release in vivo by an unknown mechanism. The current study focuses on the direct action of GHRH and GHRP on several molecular targets in somatotropes. DESIGN AND METHODS To clarify the mechanism of action, ovine somatotropes were used to measure the expression of mRNAs encoding for GH, pituitary transcription factor-1 (Pit-1), GH-secretagogue receptor (GHS-R), GHRH-R, somatostatin receptor subtypes (sst-1 and sst-2) and GH release after GHRH and GHRP-2 treatment for 0.5, 1, 1.5 and 2 h. RESULTS GHRH (10 nM), GHRP-2 (100 nM) and combined GHRH-GHRP-2 increased the levels of GH mRNA and GH release from 0.5 to 2 h in a time-dependent manner. The levels of Pit-1, GHRH-R and GHS-R mRNA were increased after 0.5 h treatment of cells with GHRH and GHRP-2. The levels of sst-1 but not sst-2 mRNA were significantly increased after 0.5 and 1 h of GHRH treatment. In contrast, both sst-1 and sst-2 mRNA expression was inhibited after 0.5-2 h of GHRP treatment. CONCLUSIONS These data demonstrate a direct in vitro modification of ovine somatotropes by GHRH and GHRP-2 resulting in altered GHRH-R, GHS-R, Pit-1, sst-1, sst-2 and GH gene expression; this may underlie the regulatory action of GHRH and GHRP-2 on GH secretion.
Emissions of nitrous oxide and ammonia from a sandy soil following surface application and incorporation of cauliflower leaf residues

SUMMARY Vegetable production systems are often characterized by excessive nitrogen (N) fertilization and the incorporation of large amounts of post-harvest crop residues. This makes them particularly prone to ammonia (NH3) and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions. Yet, urgently needed management strategies that can reduce these harmful emissions are missing, because underlying processes are not fully understood. The present study therefore focuses on the effects of residue placement on NH3 and N2O emissions. For this, cauliflower leaf residues (286 kg N/ha) were either applied as surface mulch (mulch) or mixed with the topsoil (mix) and in situ NH3 and N2O emissions were investigated. The experiment took place on a sandy soil in Northeastern Germany during summer 2012. Residue application created a high peak in N2O emissions during the first 2 weeks, irrespective of residue placement. There was no significant difference in the emission sums over the experimental period (65 days) between the mix (5·8 ± 0·68 kg N2O-N/ha) and the mulch (9·7 ± 1·53 kg N2O-N/ha) treatment. This was also the case for NH3 emissions, which exhibited a lower initial peak followed by a prolonged decline. Measured emission sums were 4·1 ± 0·33 (mix) and 5·1 ± 0·73 (mulch) kg NH3-N/ha. It was concluded that substantial NH3 and N2O emissions can occur after high input of available organic carbon and N even in a coarse-textured soil with low water-holding capacity. Other than expected, surface-application does not enhance NH3 emissions at the expense of N2O emissions compared with residue mixing into the soil, at least under the conditions of the present study.
Understanding object feature binding through experimentation as a precursor to modelling

In order to explore underlying brain mechanisms and to further understand how and where object feature binding occurs, psychophysical data are analysed and will be modelled using an attractor network. This paper describes psychophysical work and an outline of the proposed model. A rapid serial visual processing paradigm with a post-cue response task was used in three experimental conditions: spatial, temporal and spatio-temporal. Using a ‘staircase’ procedure, stimulus onset asynchrony for each observer for each condition was set in practice trails to achieve ~50% error rates. Results indicate that spatial location information helps bind objects features and temporal location information hinders it. Our expectation is that the proposed neural model will demonstrate a binding mechanism by exhibiting regions of enhanced activity in the location of the target when presented with a partial post-cue. In future work, the model could be lesioned so that neuropsychological phenomena might be exhibited. In such a way, the mechanisms underlying object feature binding might be clarified.
Next-generation protein-rich potato expressing the seed protein gene AmA1 is a result of proteome rebalancing in transgenic tuber

Protein deficiency is the most crucial factor that affects physical growth and development and that increases morbidity and mortality especially in developing countries. Efforts have been made to improve protein quality and quantity in crop plants but with limited success. Here, we report the development of transgenic potatoes with enhanced nutritive value by tuber-specific expression of a seed protein, AmA1 (Amaranth Albumin 1), in seven genotypic backgrounds suitable for cultivation in different agro-climatic regions. Analyses of the transgenic tubers revealed up to 60% increase in total protein content. In addition, the concentrations of several essential amino acids were increased significantly in transgenic tubers, which are otherwise limited in potato. Moreover, the transgenics also exhibited enhanced photosynthetic activity with a concomitant increase in total biomass. These results are striking because this genetic manipulation also resulted in a moderate increase in tuber yield. The comparative protein profiling suggests that the proteome rebalancing might cause increased protein content in transgenic tubers. Furthermore, the data on field performance and safety evaluation indicate that the transgenic potatoes are suitable for commercial cultivation. In vitro and in vivo studies on experimental animals demonstrate that the transgenic tubers are also safe for human consumption. Altogether, these results emphasize that the expression of AmA1 is a potential strategy for the nutritional improvement of food crops.
Why Construing Theories of Depression as Lakatos' Research Programs Might Spell Trouble for their Proponents

In his “Let the drugs lead the way! On the unfolding of a research program in psychiatry,” Shai Mulinari nicely lays out the evolution of theories of depression since the late 1950s; that is, understanding depression as ultimately a brain disorder centering on the functioning of monoamine neurotransmitters. Moreover, the emergence of various psychotropic drug treatments have provided researchers with a “pharmacological bridge” to gain a more precise understanding of depression by observing the effects of these drugs on patients’ monoamines and mood. This evolution, Mulinari argues, fits Imre Lakatos’s concept of a research program. Mulinari’s narrative is clear, compelling, and informative and it generates some further discussions that I wish to outline.
De-Politicizing Parasites: Reflections on Attempts to Control the Control of Neglected Tropical Diseases

Large amounts of funding are being allocated to the control of neglected tropical diseases. Strategies primarily rely on the mass distribution of drugs to adults and children living in endemic areas. The approach is presented as morally appropriate, technically effective, and context-free. Drawing on research undertaken in East Africa, we discuss ways in which normative ideas about global health programs are used to set aside social and biological evidence. In particular, there is a tendency to ignore local details, including information about actual drug take up. Ferguson’s ‘anti-politics’ thesis is a useful starting point for analyzing why this happens, but is overly deterministic. Anti-politics discourse about healing the suffering poor may shape thinking and help explain cognitive dissonance. However, use of such discourse is also a means of strategically promoting vested interests and securing funding. Whatever the underlying motivations, rhetoric and realities are conflated, with potentially counterproductive consequences.
Synchrotron X-Ray Diffraction Topography of Semiconductor Heterostructures

7 VP T J üú û üŗ 4 J W VN»»S » û þĀŗ VS O ". *Ć Ğ Ğ /,(Ą ðĞ Ć Ć ăāĂĚ ăÿüĚ Āú Ě þăüû Ě üŗ Preface " Jokainen tsäänssi on mahdollisuus! " – Matti Nykänen (Every chance is an opportunity) The work presented in this thesis was carried out in Optoelectronics Laboratory , of Electrical Engineering between 2003 and 2012. I want to express my sincere gratitude to Professor Harri Lipsanen for supervising this thesis, and for the opportunity to work on such interesting field as material science is. I am deeply grateful and indebted to the advisor of this thesis, Prof. Turkka O. Tuomi for his invaluable suggestions and insightful advice concerning synchrotron sciences and this thesis. I would also like to thank Professor Tuomi for the numerous in-sightful discussions we have had, and for the continued support during the rather long while this thesis was slowly progressing. I thank Dr. Markku Sopanen for the valuable advice and amicable help concerning this thesis. I will gladly take the opportunity here to thank Dr. Varis for the swift cooperation in the laboratory and on the field, and for being good people. Hey, let's go and have a beer together some of these days! the University of Hamburg for precious bits of information and science, as well as for the many insightful debates we have had. I want to express my gratitude to my parents Heikki and Terttu, and to my dear sister Vilja for their love and support. Finally, I thank my dear partner Dr. Annika for all the love and understanding!
Protection Techniques from Information Extraction

Information extraction technologies meet the market need for automatic tools for extracting semi-structured information from Web pages. However, pages may change over time due to different reasons, ranging from restyling pages to on-purpose modifications brought about into pages in order to puzzle Web wrappers. In this paper we deal with this latter scenario, by studying the issue of on-purpose wrapper spoiling and its relationship to wrapping. We present an architecture and a tool implementing a wrapper spoiling system, and discuss some practical spoiling techniques which are also experimentally tested
Social Networks as Signaling Mechanisms: Evidence from Online Peer-to-Peer Lending

We study the online market for peer-to-peer (P2P) lending in which individuals bid on unsecured microloans sought by other individual borrowers. Using a large sample of consummated and failed listings from the largest online P2P lending marketplace Prosper.com, we test whether social networks lead to better lending outcomes, focusing on the distinction between the structural and relational aspects of networks. While the structural aspects have limited to no significance, the relational aspects are consistently significant predictors of lending outcomes, with a striking gradation based on the verifiability and visibility of a borrower’s social capital. Stronger and more verifiable relational network measures are associated with a higher likelihood of a loan being funded, a lower risk of default, and lower interest rates. We discuss the implications of our findings for financial disintermediation and the design of decentralized electronic lending markets. This version: October 2009 ∗Decision, Operations and Information Technologies Department, **Finance Department. All the authors are at Robert H. Smith School of Business, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742. Mingfeng Lin can be reached at mingfeng@rhsmith.umd. edu. Prabhala can be reached at prabhala@rhsmith.umd. edu. Viswanathan can be reached at sviswana@rhsmith.umd. edu. The authors thank Ethan Cohen-Cole, Jerry Hoberg, Dalida Kadyrzhanova, De Liu, Vojislav Maksimovic, Gordon Phillips, Kislaya Prasad, Galit Shmueli, Kelly Shue, and seminar participants at Carnegie Mellon University, University of Utah, the 2008 Summer Doctoral Program of the Oxford Internet Institute, the 2008 INFORMS Annual Conference, the Workshop on Information Systems and Economics (Paris), and Western Finance Association for their valuable comments and suggestions. Mingfeng Lin also thanks to the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation for the 2009 Dissertation Fellowship Award, and to the Economic Club of Washington D.C. (2008) for their generous financial support. We also thank Prosper.com for making the data for the study available. The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of the authors.
On the Empirics of Sudden Stops: The Relevance of Balance-Sheet Effects

Using a sample of 32 developed and developing countries we analyze the empirical characteristics of sudden stops in capital flows and the relevance of balance sheet effects in the likelihood of their materialization. We find that large real exchange rate (RER) fluctuations coming hand in hand with Sudden Stops are basically an emerging market (EM) phenomenon. Sudden Stops seem to come in bunches, grouping together countries that are different in many respects. However, countries are similar in that they remain vulnerable to large RER fluctuations - be it because they could be forced to large adjustments in the absorption of tradable goods, and/or because the size of dollar liabilities in the banking system (i.e., domestic liability dollarization, or DLD) is high. Openness, understood as a large supply of tradable goods that reduces leverage over the current account deficit, coupled with DLD, are key determinants of the probability of Sudden Stops. The relationship between Openness and DLD in the determination of the probability of Sudden Stops is highly non-linear, implying that the interaction of high current account leverage and high dollarization may be a dangerous cocktail.
Prevalence and characteristics of dementia in Parkinson disease: an 8-year prospective study.

BACKGROUND Few longitudinal studies of dementia in Parkinson disease (PD) have been reported, and the proportion of patients with PD who eventually develop dementia is unknown. OBJECTIVE To examine the 8-year prevalence, characteristics, and risk factors of dementia in patients with PD. METHODS Patients were recruited from an epidemiological study of PD in the county of Rogaland, Norway, using explicit criteria for PD. Subjects with cognitive impairment at disease onset were excluded. A semistructured caregiver-based interview, cognitive rating scales, and neuropsychological tests were used to diagnose dementia according to criteria from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Revised Third Edition at baseline and 4 and 8 years later. A population-based sample of 3295 subjects in the municipality of Odense, Denmark, was used as a comparison group and examined at baseline and after 2 and 5 years. RESULTS We included 224 patients with PD (116 women). At baseline, 51 patients (26%) had dementia. Fifty-five patients died, and 10 refused follow-up without their dementia status known. Forty-three and 28 new cases of dementia were identified at the 4- and 8-year evaluations, respectively. The 4-year prevalence of dementia in PD was nearly 3 times higher than in the non-PD group. The 8-year prevalence in PD was 78.2% (95% confidence interval [CI], 71.1-84.0). Risk factors for dementia were hallucinations before baseline (odds ratio [OR] = 3.1; 95% CI, 1.6-6.2) and akinetic-dominant or mixed tremor/akinetic PD (OR = 3.3; 95% CI, 1.2-8.5). CONCLUSIONS More than three quarters of this representative PD cohort developed dementia during the 8-year study period. Early hallucinations and akinetic-dominant PD were associated with an increased risk of dementia.
I NTEGRATING SOFTWARE REPOSITORY MINING : A DECISION SUPPORT CENTERED APPROACH

Mining software repositories (MSR) research had significantly contributed to software engineering. However, MSR results integration across repositories is a recent concern that is getting more attention from researchers each day. Some noticeable research in this sense is related to the approximation between MSR and semantic web, specially linked data approaches which makes it possible to integrate repositories and mined results. Manifested that way, we believe that current research is not fully addressing the practical integration of MSR results, specially, in software engineering due to not considering that these results needs to be integrated to the tools as assistance to activity performers, as a kind of decision making support. Based on this statement this research describes an approach, named Sambasore, which is concerned with MSR results inter-repository integration and also to decision making support processes, based on tool assistance modelling. To show its feasibility we describe the main concepts, some related works and also a proof of concept experiment applied to a software process modelling tool named Spider PM.
Hospitalizations ACSC hospitalizations can serve as an effective metric for monitoring the availability of effective primary care delivered to children subsequent to and following the implementation of the ACA

The passing and implementation of the 2010 Affordable Care Act (ACA) ushered in a new era for the delivery of health services in the United States. The broad goals of expanding insurance coverage, controlling health care costs, and improving health care delivery system are ambitious and have implications for providers and the population. Observers have suggested that expanding insurance and decreasing financial barriers for receipt of health services will increase the demand for healthcare; simultaneously, the existing supply of providers remains constrained, as they struggle to accommodate new patients. Prior to the ACA, constrained supply was an existing hurdle for ensuring access to quality primary care services in rural and underserved communities. There is real concern that increasing demand for healthcare services stemming from the ACA could further exacerbate existing challenges in obtaining primary care in rural and underserved communities—particularly for children.
Trust, Primary Commodity Dependence and Segregation

Many third world countries seem to fail to create a growth-promoting and peaceful institutional framework and are plagued by ethnic, religious or social conflict. This paper focuses on the impact of primary commodities on group behavior and, thus, on the nature of the resulting societies. Strategies are analyzed in a basic one-shot game with two players and two strategies, in which priors vis-a-vis the other player matter. We show that poverty, foreign interference and trust influence a group's willingness to cooperate. Under some circumstances (partial) segregation and (political) strife prove to be utility-maximizing and equilibrium strategies.
A Direct Self-Constructing Neural Controller Design for a Class of Nonlinear Systems

This paper is concerned with the problem of adaptive neural control for a class of uncertain or ill-defined nonaffine nonlinear systems. Using a self-organizing radial basis function neural network (RBFNN), a direct self-constructing neural controller (DSNC) is designed so that unknown nonlinearities can be approximated and the closed-loop system is stable. The key features of the proposed DSNC design scheme can be summarized as follows. First, different from the existing results in literature, a self-organizing RBFNN with adaptive threshold is constructed online for DSNC to improve the control performance. Second, the control law and adaptive law for the weights of RBFNN are established so that the closed-loop system is stable in the term of Lyapunov stability theory. Third, the tracking error is guaranteed to uniformly asymptotically converge to zero with the aid of an additional robustifying control term. An example is finally given to demonstrate the design procedure and the performance of the proposed method. Simulation results reveal the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Zoogy-ME : an approach to user-centered design for proximity-based social technologies

In a World where the main role of Information and Communication Technologies still seems to be the one of connecting people over distance, a process of remediation is slowly showing how new ICTs also have the opportunity to improve the connection between individuals and their immediate surroundings. This paper presents an attempt to understand how this emerging set of technologies, later addressed as ‘proximity-based technologies’, could be researched by translating the characteristics of the context where they will be used into design solutions for new applications. This project Zoogy-ME, a real time communication tool aimed to support the creation of face-to-face interactions among students on campus, is the result of a short-term ethnographic project conducted at the London School of Economics.
Structure of physical space and nature of electromagnetic field

In the article, on the basis of the author's model of formation of the observable physical space $R_3$ in the process of dynamics of special discrete one-dimensional vectorial objects, byuons, while minimizing their potential energy of interaction in the one-dimensional space $R_1$ formed by them, and based on the Weyl's geometrical model of the electromagnetic field, the nature of this field consisting in a suitable variation of byuon interaction periods in the space $R_1$, is shown.
Transshipment networks for last-mile delivery in congested urban areas

This work develops a systemic approach for enabling transshipment operations in congested urban areas, based on two fundamental city logistics needs: efficient utilization of existing infrastructure and flexibility for logistics operators. Specifically, this research introduces the concept of urban transshipment networks (UTNs), a collection of strategically located urban logistics spaces, for efficient and flexible last-mile delivery operations in congested urban areas. By implementing the UTN framework, logistics operators can select the transshipment locations, vehicle types and operating schedules that best fit specific distribution strategies, and, simultaneously, comply with access restrictions and overcome some of the logistics complexity of dense urban zones. This concept is particularly relevant for retail dynamics observed in large metropolitan areas in the emerging world. A two-echelon location-routing model formulation is proposed to address the UTN design problem. The formulation combines a mixed-integer programing model with a closed-form routing cost approximation. The model was tested through a consumer goods distribution case study in Latin America. Results suggest that, given proper fleet type and capacity, UTNs can significantly improve delivery process efficiency in highly congested districts. Thesis Supervisor: Dr. Edgar E. Blanco Title: Research Director, Center for Transportation and Logistics
Separation Maintenance in High-Stress free Flight using a Time-to-Contact-Based Cockpit Display of Traffic Information

We evaluated the navigational performance of commercial airline pilots in simulated free flight conditions using two cockpit displays of traffic information (CDTI). One display presented minimal essential navigation information. The other added color-based time-to-contact (Tc), minimum-range, and altitude intent information. New metrics of separation maintenance were developed. Results indicated performance gains for the CDTI that automatically calculates and displays conflict-alerting information. Recommendations are made for advanced avionics for use in free flight.