Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Alterations in the oxytocin-induced intramammary pressure response after mechanical stimulation of the mammary gland of the anesthetized lactating rat.

Rhythmic, manual compression applied for 10–15 sec to two thoracic mammary glands of the urethane-anesthetized rat resulted in an immediate and significant reduction in amplitude of the intrammary pressure (IMP) response in abdominal glands induced by iv injected oxytocin. The period of reduced responsiveness to oxytocin lasted 13 min on the average; then the IMP responses gradually returned over the next few minutes to prestimulus heights. This invariably was followed by a phase of increased responsiveness to oxytocin lasting several minutes, during which the amplitude progressively increased to a maximum which was significantly above that seen before manual compression. A similar pattern of depression, recovery, and increased responsiveness of the IMP response to a given dose of oxytocin occurred if a single iv injection of 5 μg epinephrine was given instead of mammary compression. The IMP response was not reduced by manual compression of the thoracic glands if 1) the rat was pretreated with the Β-adren.
Multi-dimensional resilience in water-scarce agriculture

Surviving prolonged water scarcity in agriculture requires farmers to be resilient along multiple dimensions. Farmers may aim to attain resilience from financial as well as natural capital perspectives. In this paper, a model of multi-dimensional resilience is developed which incorporates risk reduction and wealth accumulation as farmers’ key survival strategies. Findings indicate that the relative choice over risk reduction and wealth accumulation strategies varies depending upon whether the farmer is groundwater resilience seeking type or financial resilience seeking type. Also, as the level of risks increases, the financial resilience seeking type farmer may exhibit a non-linear pattern of tradeoff between risk reduction and wealth accumulation behavior. At lower levels of risks, the farmer’s optimal response is to reduce risk further with a marginal increase in the exogenous component of the risk. However, at higher levels of risk, more wealth is accumulated as the exogenous component of the risk increases.
Exchange rate volatility and exports: evidence from the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area

This paper examines the impact of exchange rate volatility on the bilateral exports within the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area (ACFTA) by using a generalized gravity model. A panel data set of 20 bilateral observations for the period from 1982:Q1 to 2005:Q1 is estimated using fixed-effect and random effect methods. Panel unit-roots and panel cointegration tests confirm the long-run relationship among the variables. The empirical results suggest that bilateral real exchange rate volatility has a statistically significant negative impact on the bilateral exports of the major ACFTA countries. But the magnitude of the impact appears to be fairly small.
Analysis of Linkages between Central and Eastern European Capital Markets

The aim of the research is analysis of short- and long-term international relations between stock exchanges in Central and Eastern Europe. The analysis is provided in 3 stages. In the first step the order of the variables integration is examined. In the second stage short-run relationships for pairs of indexes are analyzed using Granger causality test. In the last step long-run relationships for pairs of indexes are examined applying Johansen cointegration method.
Incorporating Strategic Risk into Enterprise Risk Management: A Survey of Current Corporate Practice

Since ERM is a relatively recent activity and has yet to be fully implemented in most companies, there has been little academic research about its accomplishments and about the obstacles to further progress. In particular, very little has been published about corporate attempts to identify and manage corporate strategic risks while integrating them into a corporate- wide ERM framework. This article uses responses collected from a survey of 271 risk and financial executives in North American and European companies to address the following questions: What forces are behind this push for a more organized and integrated management of significant risks? What challenges are companies encountering as they implement implement ERM? Once fully in place, how does ERM affect the company's ability to implement its strategy? 2006 Morgan Stanley.
Performance Measurement Systems in Tourism, Hospitality, and Leisure Small Medium-Sized Enterprises: A Balanced Scorecard Perspective

In response to the United Kingdom’s government’s desire to improve the performance of tourism, hospitality, and leisure small medium-sized enterprises, this article analyzes the performance measurement processes within 10 best practice organizations. Related to contemporary approaches to improving business performance in the management literature, performance measurement approaches are analyzed using the balanced scorecard framework. An exploratory case study approach using the balanced scorecard as the theoretical framework was taken to explore and elicit critical success factors in performance measurement. Results revealed that four key concepts drove measurement and performance evaluation systems across the sample. These were the exercising of budgetary control with a view to increasing total revenue, the undertaking of customer relationship management as a means of improving quality of service and customer retention, the necessity for strategic management in managing internal business processes, and collaboration (both inter and intra) to drive innovation and learning. The article also proposes a balanced scorecard template for hotels.
Computing phagocytosis index for high-throughput applications

Phagocytes defend us against infection by ingesting invading microorganisms. This process is called phagocytosis. Specific assays have been developed to monitor, for example, the effect of immunomodulatory drugs on phagocytosis. High-throughput microscopy is used to analyze entire studies. As it is simply infeasible to evaluate such large data sets, as usually produced by high-throughput microscopes, robust image analysis algorithms are needed. The proposed method is used to compute the phagocytosis index, a quantitative measurement which allows to analyze entire concentration studies. The focus of this paper is the development of an automatic approach that does not require any user-interactive parameter settings. In addition the method is capable of dealing with a wide range of image contrasts since the quality of the assay itself can vary. Both manual scoring and consistency with biological data are used to validate the results
Long-term clinical variation of NT-proBNP in stable chronic heart failure patients.

AIMS Here, the aim is to assess long-term clinical variation (CV) of N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) in stable chronic heart failure (CHF) patients. The proposed use of NT-proBNP for monitoring of CHF patients will require accurate information about long-term CV of the peptide. METHODS AND RESULTS Medication, biochemical variables, and NYHA class were recorded at 1-year and 2-year follow-up in patients treated in our heart failure clinic. Only patients without changes in medication and the NYHA class who were not hospitalized or died in the period from first follow-up to 12 months after the second follow-up were included. A total of 78 patients fulfilled the criteria, and year-to-year CV was calculated to 30% (median) (range: 0-111%) (% changes range: -87 to 397%). Log transformation of NT-proBNP (skewed to the right) reduced the year-to-year CV to 4.7% (range: 0-22%) (% changes range: -18 to 38%). CONCLUSION Long-term CV of plasma concentrations of NT-proBNP in stable CHF patients is 30%, but the variation is substantial. Therefore, high long-term CV of NT-proBNP does not necessarily carry prognostic significance within the subsequent 12 months. Plasma concentrations of NT-proBNP followed a lognormal distribution, and the low CV of log(NT-proBNP) indicate that NT-proBNP levels are constant during stable conditions.
A Computational Approach to Managing Performance Dynamics in Networked Governance Systems

Governance systems continue to become more networked, collaborative, and interdependent. A computational approach to understanding and capitalizing on the complexity of such systems can provide invaluable insights on managing and enhancing performance. Building upon a complex adaptive systems view, this article demonstrates the use of computer simulation modeling to understand performance in networked governance systems and inform practitioners on how benefits can be harvested from the evolution of governance structures. The article contributes to the performance management field by directing attention to ex ante conditions and dynamic tensions among multiple stakeholders, in contrast to collecting ex post performance data. It also discusses the inherent challenges of a computational approach and how they can be mitigated.
The Making of Independent Auditing Standards in China

Chinese independent auditing standards (CIAS) have been promulgated since 1995. This paper contextualizes the various Chinese attempts at setting auditing standards, especially the making of the CIAS, by identifying factors that motivated these efforts. It finds that, prior to the CIAS, some auditing standards and procedures were issued on a voluntary basis in order to educate auditors and auditees, to improve audit quality, and to help auditors survive the competition between various consultancy firms. However, these standards failed to achieve their objectives and could not prevent auditors from being involved in a number of well‐publicized major financial scandals. Amid crises of public confidence, the CPA Law was stipulated and the Chinese regulators began to formulate the CIAS to strengthen the legal system that regulates the audit profession and to harmonize Sino‐foreign auditing. The paper also illuminates some major features of the Chinese audit market, such as the lack of audit independence, the shortage of well‐qualified auditors, an environment of extensive corruption, and the existence of many misconceptions about the audit. These conditions will significantly hinder the further development of the audit profession in China. In particular, they will severely impair the effectiveness of the CIAS and recently developed accounting standards. Consequently, investments in Chinese companies will still involve considerable risks despite the existence of the CIAS.
Ventilation efficiencies and thermal comfort results of a desk-edge-mounted task ventilation system.

UNLABELLED In chamber experiments, we investigated the ventilation effectiveness and thermal comfort of a task ventilation system with an air supply nozzle located underneath the front edge of a desk and directing air towards a heated mannequin or a human volunteer seated at the desk. The task ventilation system provided outside air, while another ventilation system provided additional space cooling but no outside air. Test variables included the vertical angle of air supply (-15 degrees to 45 degrees from horizontal), and the supply flow rate of (3.5-6.5 l/s). Using the tracer gas step-up and step-down procedures, the measured air change effectiveness (i.e., exhaust air age divided by age of air in the breathing zone) in experiments with the mannequin ranged from 1.4 to 2.7 (median, 1.8), whereas with human subjects the air change effectiveness ranged from 1.3 to 2.3 (median, 1.6). The majority of the air change effectiveness values with the human subjects were less than values with the mannequin using comparable tests. Similarly, the tests run with supply air temperature equal to the room air temperature had lower air change effectiveness values than comparable tests with the supply air temperature lower ( approximately 5 degrees C) than the room air temperature. The air change effectiveness values are higher than typically reported for commercially-available task ventilation or displacement ventilation systems. Based on surveys completed by the subjects, operation of the task ventilation system did not cause thermal discomfort. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS With a desk-edge-mounted task ventilation system it is possible to obtain an increase in the effective ventilation rate of 50%. This could lead to reduced energy use. Also, this improvement can be gained while maintaining thermal comfort for occupants. Thus occupants can be thermally comfortable and save energy at the same time.
Empirical Evidence on the Determinants of Rent-to-Own Use and Purchase Behavior

This study uses logit and multinomial logit models and data from a nationwide random sample of rent-to-own (RTO) customers to investigate financial, demographic, regulatory, and other factors associated with consumer use of RTO transactions and the purchase of RTO merchandise. The analysis recognizes that RTO transactions can be used for either the purchase of merchandise or a temporary rental and models the determinants of use and purchase separately for each group of customers. The study concludes that income, access to credit, education, and race are significant determinants of whether consumers use RTO transactions with the intent to purchase. The study also finds some indication that state RTO laws may affect use and purchase, although this result is less robust. The determinants differ for consumers entering RTO transactions intending to purchase and intending a temporary rental, suggesting the industry serves two separate and distinct markets. The policy implications are discussed.
Economic Crisis, Political Legitimacy, and Social Cohesion

Between 2008 and 2009, the world’s economy collapsed. Although the epicentre of this global shock was located in the US sub-prime mortgage market, many European countries were amongst the hardest hit, suffering GDP losses unrecorded since the Oil crisis of the early 1970s (see Chapter 1 in this book). The impact of recession has been particularly sore in Euro-zone peripheral economies that experienced a real state bubble (i.e. Spain, Ireland, Greece), irresponsible banking practices (i.e. Iceland, Ireland, Spain) and/or decades-long governmental over-expending (i.e. Greece, Italy, Portugal). Unable to sustain their public finances, the governments of Greece, Ireland and Portugal drew on IMF and EU full bailout packages in 2010 and 2011, whilst Spain requested a special Eurozone bailout to finance its teetering banking system in June 2012 (Spiegel and Mallet 2012). Exceptional actions to sustain national banking sectors were undertaken by many other governments across Europe. These actions have soon been followed by equally extraordinary measures to contain mounting public deficits. Due to the unprecedented severity of the global crisis originated in 2008-2009, many have dubbed it as the Great Recession.
Modulatory effects of rutin on the expression of cytochrome P450s and antioxidant enzymes in human hepatoma cells

Abstract Expression of a drug and xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes, cytochrome P450s (CYPs), and antioxidant enzymes can be modulated by various factors. The flavonoid rutin was investigated for its anti-carcinogen and protective effects as well as modulatory action on CYPs and phase II enzymes in human hepatocellular carcinoma cells. Rutin inhibited proliferation of HEPG2 cells in a dose-dependent manner with the IC50 value of 52.7 μmol L-1 and invasion of HEPG2 cells (21.6 %, p = 0.0018) and colony formation of those invaded cells (57.4 %, p < 0.0001). Rutin treatment also significantly increased early/late-stage apoptosis in HEPG2 cells (28.9 %, p < 0.001). Treatment by rutin significantly inhibited protein expressions of cytochrome P450-dependent CYP3A4 (75.3 %, p < 0.0001), elevated CYP1A1 enzymes (1.7-fold, p = 0.0084) and increased protein expressions of antioxidant and phase II reaction catalyzing enzymes, NQO1 (2.42-fold, p < 0.0001) and GSTP1 (2.03-fold, p < 0.0001). Besides, rutin treatment significantly inhibited mRNA expression of CYP3A4 (73.2 %, p=0.0014). Also, CYP1A1, NQO1 and GSTP1 mRNA expressions were significantly increased 2.77-fold (p = 0.029), 4.85- fold (p = 0.0051) and 9.84-fold (p < 0.0001), respectively.
Language-based Examples in the Statistics Classroom

Statistics pedagogy values using a variety of examples. Thanks to text resources on the Web, and since statistical packages have the ability to analyze string data, it is now easy to use language-based examples in a statistics class. Three such examples are discussed here. First, many types of wordplay (e.g., crosswords and hangman) involve finding words with letters that satisfy a certain pattern. Second, linguistics has shown that idiomatic pairs of words often appear together more frequently than chance. For example, in the Brown Corpus, this is true of the phrasal verb to throw up (p-value=7.92E-10.) Third, a pangram contains all the letters of the alphabet at least once. These are searched for in Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, and their lengths are compared to the expected value given by the unequal probability coupon collector's problem as well as simulations.
The Brazilian system of innovation for bioethanol: a case study on the strategic role of the standardisation process

This paper presents the results of a case study on the importance of the standardisation process for the Brazilian system of innovation for bioethanol. It shows evidence of the strategic role played by the state in helping industry to enjoy the opportunities opened during a paradigmatic change, through sound investments on R&D and innovation. More recently, the standardisation process has been gaining increased attention, in face of the strategy of transforming the product into an international commodity. The main contribution of this paper is then the provision of a broader understanding of the importance of standardisation in this process and its relation to national systems of innovation.
The Planning Response to Urban Service Sector Growth: an International Comparison

The restructuring of urban economies from manufacturing to service industries has been a major feature of the last twenty-five years. Large cities with a population of at least one million have been at the forefront of this change with the primate cities of the newly industrialized countries increasingly affected. The growth characteristics, planning experiences, and policy implications of the expansion of service industries in large and medium-size metropolitan areas around the world are examined. This has illuminated issues connected with the interurban competition for services. The service sector has shaped new urban planning and public policy agendas and the way in which metropolitan areas in this study have started to reshape their policies provides a good lead for others to follow. It is likely that new pressures will strengthen the need to look beyond their established urban planning policies to broader, integrated urban management policies.
Analysis of the efficiency of recombinant Escherichia coli strain cultivation in a gas‐vortex bioreactor

The levels of aeration and mass transfer are critical parameters required for an efficient aerobic bioprocess, and directly depend on the design features of exploited bioreactors. A novel apparatus, using gas vortex for aeration and mass transfer processes, was constructed in the Center of Vortex Technologies (Novosibirsk, Russia). In this paper, we compared the efficiency of recombinant Escherichia coli strain cultivation using novel gas‐vortex technology with conventional bioprocess technologies such as shake flasks and bioreactors with mechanical stirrers. We demonstrated that the system of aeration and agitation used in gas‐vortex bioreactors provides 3.6 times higher volumetric oxygen transfer coefficient in comparison with mechanical bioreactor. The use of gas‐vortex bioreactor for recombinant E. coli strain cultivation allows to increase the efficiency of target protein expression at 2.2 times for BL21(DE3)/pFK2 strain and at 3.5 times for auxotrophic C600/pRT strain (in comparison with stirred bioreactor).
Insecticide resistance in vector mosquitoes in China.

Because of their special behaviour, physiology and close relationship with humans, mosquitoes act as one of the most important vectors of human diseases, such as filariasis, Japanese encephalitis, dengue and malaria. The major vector mosquitoes are members of the Culex, Aedes and Anopheles genera. Insecticides play important roles in agricultural production and public health, especially in a country with a huge human population, like China. Large quantities of four classes of insecticides, organochlorines, organophosphates, carbamates and pyrethroids, are applied annually to fields or indoors in China, directly or indirectly bringing heavy selection pressure on vector populations. The seven major species of vector mosquito in China are the Culex pipiens L. complex, C. tritaeniorhynchus Giles, Anopheles sinensis Wied. , A. minimus Theobald, A. anthropophagus Xu & Feng, Aedes albopictus (Skuse) and Ae. aegypti L. , and all have evolved resistance to all the above types of insecticide except the carbamates. The degree of resistance varies among mosquito species, insecticide classes and regions. This review summarizes the resistance status of these important vector mosquitoes, according to data reported since the 1990s, in order to improve resistance management and epidemic disease control, and to communicate this information from China to the wider community.
Reputational Sanctions in China's Securities Market

Literature suggests two distinct paths to stock market development: an approach based on legal protections for investors, and an approach based on self-regulation of listed companies by stock exchanges. This paper traces China's attempts to pursue both approaches, while focusing on the role of the stock exchanges as regulators. Specifically, the paper examines a fascinating but unstudied aspect of Chinese securities regulation, namely, public criticism of listed companies by the Shanghai and Shenzhen exchanges. Based on both event study methodology and extensive interviews of market actors, we find that the criticisms have significant effects on listed companies and their executives. We evaluate the role of public criticisms in China's evolving scheme of securities regulation, contributing to several strands of research on the role of the media in corporate governance, the use of shaming sanctions in corporate governance, and the importance of informal mechanisms in supporting China's economic growth.