Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Bromocriptine given orally to periparturient of lactating sows inhibits milk production.

Gilts were assigned as controls (CTL, n = 6) or received orally 10 mg of bromocriptine thrice daily from d 110 of gestation until farrowing, (BRPP, n = 7), from d 1 to 6 postpartum (PP) (BRL1, n = 6), from d 7 to 13 PP (BRL2, n = 7), from d 14 to 20 PP (BRL3, n = 6), or from d 21 to 27 PP (BRL4, n = 6). Weights of pigs were recorded at birth, 24 h later, and on d 7, 14, 21, 28, 31 (weaning), 42, and 56 PP. Jugular blood samples were collected from sows on d 109 of gestation and every other day until farrowing, as well as on d 1, 6, 13, 20, and 27 PP. Behavioral observations of sows and litters were taken every 3 min for a 24-h period beginning 48 h after the onset of the treatments. In experimental sows, bromocriptine induced marked reductions in prolactin levels during treatment (P < .001). Compared to CTL sows, concentrations of IGF-I were higher at d 21 (P = .01) and 28 (P = .003) PP in BRL3 and BRL4 sows, respectively. In bromocriptine-treated sows, weight gain of litters was either drastically reduced or abolished (P < .001) during the week of treatment. Treatments also altered significantly the suckling behavior of pigs at all stages studied. Therefore, the present results strongly suggest that prolactin is essential for the initiation and the maintenance of milk production in sows. Results also indicate that prolactin does not seem to be involved in the maintenance of lactational anestrus during a 4-wk lactation.
An Empirical Comparison of Insider Trading Enforcement in Canada and the United States

Canadian and American securities market regulators have differing approaches to enforcement. In this article, we present the results of an empirical study comparing a highly salient aspect of securities enforcement—insider trading—in Canada and the United States. We reach a number of important findings. First, adjusting for trading volume, Canada has a greater intensity of enforcement when compared to the U.S. Second, Canadian securities regulators primarily concern themselves with insider trading in Canadian companies, while the SEC brings more enforcement actions involving insider trading in companies incorporated outside the U.S. Third, we do not find significant differences in the fraction of actions involving multiple traded companies between Canada and the U.S. However, we do see that U.S. investigations involve a significantly greater number of defendants and that the SEC is more than twice as likely to pursue tippers or tippees (although we observe no significant difference in the likelihood that top insiders will be pursued). Fourth, we find that U.S. cases are significantly more likely to result in a criminal referral leading to prosecution. Fifth, we find that settlements are more likely in the U.S. Finally, in terms of monetary penalties, we find no significant difference between the two countries. However, we do find that Canada is more likely to apply a bar as a sanction, but if a bar is applied, the U.S. is more likely to make the bar permanent. These findings neither demonstrate a need for systemic reform in either jurisdiction nor suggest that centralized regulation is more effective from an enforcement perspective. But, they do provide insight into the differing points of regulatory emphasis in two jurisdictions. From a comparative perspective, our research invites securities regulators to evaluate whether their enforcement approach is optimal on the basis of quantitative data.
‘Celtic’ Phenylketonuria Chromosomes Found? Evidence in Two Regions of Quebec Province

We analyzed mutations, RFLP haplotypes (H), and a VNTR polymorphism at the phenylalanine hydroxylase locus (PAH) in 12 French-Canadian patients with phenylketonuria (PKU) from the eastern region of Quebec province and 13 non-French-Canadian PKU patients from the Montreal region. There were 10 different mutation/H/VNTR haplotype combinations on the 50 PKU chromosomes: one set of 5 and another of 8 accounted for 88 and 77% of these chromosomes in the French-Canadian and non-French-Canadian patients, respectively. The differences in PKU haplotypes between the two groups of probands reflect the different histories of the two populations. Three PKU haplotype combinations were shared by the two groups: IVS12nt1:H-3:VNTR-8, I65T:H-9:VNTR-8, and R408W:H-1:VNTR-8. The IVS12nt1 mutation (18% of the total sample) is prevalent in northern Europeans. The I65T-H-9 and R408W:H-1 haplotypes have seldom been reported in Europeans but when encountered tend to be found in northwestern regions. The R408W mutation is usually on H-2 in Europeans. In Quebec the R408W:H-1 and I65T:H-9 haplotypes accounted for 20% of PKU chromosomes, clustered in two geographic regions, and in every family where they occurred an Irish or Scottish (‘Celtic’) ancestor could be inferred. We propose that I65T:H-9:VNTR-8 and R408W:H-1:VNTR-8 chromosomes are markers for a diaspora of ‘Celtic’ descendants. Our findings predict the distributions of these unusual PKU haplotypes in contemporary Europeans.
P3H-4 The Finite Element Analysis of Quartz Crystal Resonators with Mindlin Plate Theory and Parallel Computing Techniques on Computer Clusters

The accurate analysis of high frequency vibrations of quartz crystal resonators are increasingly critical in product design and development because the miniaturization has signified effects of complications such as electrodes, beveling, and mountings, which affect the resonator performance through key indicators like the frequency-temperature characteristics and quality factor. The practical solutions are available from finite element analysis based on the implementation of three- dimensional piezoelectricity equations and Mindlin plate theory with proven success. On the other hand, the strong demand on computing resource and software has discouraged applications and further development efforts in industry. In order to advance the design technology through the utilization of advanced computer clusters based on the open source Linux operating system and software components, we need to integrate the latest technology with cost-effective hardware to achieve industrial strength performance. With these objectives, we have rewritten our proven Mindlin plate theory based finite element analysis program with public domain software for the parallel implementation, eigenvalue extraction, and sparse matrix handling to improve the computing efficiency with scaleable clusters. Our research results on Mindlin plate theory have also been incorporated into the program to improve the accuracy in frequency calculation. The improved software has increased the performance in comparison with the earlier sequential program for single processor machines, and core software components also make the completed software more affordable to industrial users. Our results show that through aggressive parallelization and utilization of sparse matrix techniques, computing efficiency in terms of time can be reduced significantly, and it is a great improvement from our record a few years ago. Further improvements are being implemented for the adoption of computing technology for the reduction of computing time and memory requirement, and latest features of Mindlin plate theory and quartz crystal resonator model will also be added to meet actual design needs. The software will be validated through our joint efforts in the design process integration, and further optimization and tuning will be performed based on design cycles.
Time-varying Models for Macroeconomic Forecasts

This thesis consists of three studies focusing on ways to detect and model time variation among macroeconomic variables. In these three studies, errors with autoregressive moving averages (ARMA), model averaging, and stochastic volatility (SV) are used to investigate the uncertainty and the instability of macroeconomic dynamics. In particular, I expand upon both univariate (autoregressive; AR) and multivariate (vector autoregressive; VAR) time series models. Chapter 1 provides a general introduction to the research interest of this thesis. Next, Chapter 2 introduces an ARMA component with SV into the unobserved component model. A transformation to a stacked matrix form of the model is conducted for posterior fast simulation. The proposed model is then used to study macroeconomic time series in the United States (US). The proposed new model provides good full-sample simulation for the majority of the macroeconomic variables, and can improve both the point and the interval forecasting performance of these variables across different horizons. In Chapter 3, I use real-time macroeconomic variables and both time-varying and equal weights with time-varying parameter models to forecast inflation in the US. Three time-varying coefficient models with three specifications of their error terms are studied. The alternative error-term assumptions are errors with a Gaussian distribution, errors with SV, and errors with moving average SV. Both point forecasts and density forecasts suggest that adding variables and allowing time-varying lag length choice can significantly improve forecasting performance. The forecasting performance of the time-varying and equal weights model combination methods show that adding SV can improve density forecasts but not point forecasts. Finally, in Chapter 4, I employ a time-varying parameter VAR with SV (TVPVAR-SV) to analyze the dynamics of renewable electricity generation (REG), gross domestic product (GDP) growth, and CO2 emissions. TVP-VAR-SV and other restricted variants are employed for forecasting REG with data from the US. The empirical results suggest that TVP-VAR-SV is suitable for studying the relationship between REG, GDP, and CO2. The forecasting results suggest that VARs with a timevarying volatility specification can perform much better than those without SV, while allowing for time-varying coefficients does not improve forecasting performance.
Eribis Peptide 94 Reduces Infarct Size in Rat Hearts Via Activation of Centrally Located &mgr; Opioid Receptors

Abstract Eribis peptide 94 (EP 94) is a novel enkephalin derivative that binds with high potency to &mgr; and &dgr; opioid receptors with less affinity for the &kgr; opioid receptor. This compound has recently been shown to produce an acute reduction in myocardial infarct size in the anesthetized pig and rat partially via an endothelial nitric oxide synthase and KATP channel–dependent mechanism. EP 94 also was found to produce a chronic reduction in infarct size 24 hours postdrug administration via the upregulation of inducible nitric oxide synthase in rats. Despite these findings, no data have emerged in which the opioid receptor subtype responsible for cardioprotection has been identified and the site of action, heart, other peripheral organs, or the central nervous system, has not been addressed. In the current study, EP 94, was administered in 2 divided doses (0.5 &mgr;g/kg, intravenously) at 5 and 10 minutes into the ischemic period, and the opioid antagonists were administered 10 minutes before the onset of the 30-minute ischemic period. The selective antagonists used were the &mgr; receptor antagonist CTOP (D-Phe-Cys-Tyr-D-Trp-Orn-Thr-Pen-Thr-NH2), the &dgr; receptor antagonists naltrindole and BNTX (7-benzylidenenaltrexone), and the &kgr; receptor antagonist nor-BNI (norbinaltorphimine). Surprisingly, only CTOP completely blocked the cardioprotective effect of EP 94, whereas naltrindole, BNTX, and nor-BNI had modest but nonsignificant effects. Because there is controversial evidence suggesting that &mgr; receptors may be absent in the adult rat myocardium, it was hypothesized that the protective effect of EP 94 may be mediated by an action outside the heart, perhaps in the central nervous system. To test this hypothesis, rats were pretreated with the nonselective opioid antagonist, naloxone hydrochloride, which penetrates the blood–brain barrier or naloxone methiodide, the quaternary salt of naloxone hydrochloride, which does not penetrate the blood–brain barrier before EP 94 administration. In support of a central nervous system site of action for EP 94, naloxone hydrochloride completely blocked its cardioprotective effect, whereas naloxone methiodide had no effect. These results suggest that EP 94 reduces infarct size (expressed as a percent of the area at risk) in the rat primarily via activation of central &mgr; opioid receptors.
Institutions, parental selection, and locus of control

ABSTRACT Locus of control, that is, people’s perception of how much influence they have over their lives, is an important predictor for economic outcomes – earnings, health and education, to name a few. This article uses difference-in-differences analysis to investigate the importance of the institutional environment for the development of locus of control, using the fall of the Berlin Wall as exogenous shock to the educational system in East Germany. Using data from the German Socioeconomic Panel (SOEP), we find that women showed less external locus of control following the fall of the Berlin Wall but less clear results for men.
Myelin‐deficient rat: a point mutation in exon III (A‐‐‐‐C, Thr75‐‐‐‐Pro) of the myelin proteolipid protein causes dysmyelination and oligodendrocyte death.

The expression of the proteolipid protein (PLP) gene of the myelin deficient (md) and normal rat was studied during the myelination period. The sizes of the PLP transcripts (1.6 and 3.2 kb) in the md and normal rat were identical although the md PLP messenger RNA level was extremely reduced as shown by in situ hybridization and Northern blot hybridization analysis. The structure of the md proteolipid protein gene was analyzed on the cDNA and genomic level. The molecular basis of the myelin deficiency phenotype has been elucidated: a point mutation in exon III (A‐‐‐‐C transversion) verified by cDNA and genomic DNA sequencing causes a mutation of Thr75 to Pro and creates an additional AvaII restriction site in exon III of the md rat. The threonine to proline mutation located within the second transmembranal alpha‐helix might induce a conformational change and thereby prohibit the integration of PLP into the membrane with the clinical manifestation of dysmyelination leading to premature death within 3‐6 weeks.
Probing the Biology of Giardia intestinalis Mitosomes Using In Vivo Enzymatic Tagging

ABSTRACT Giardia intestinalis parasites contain mitosomes, one of the simplest mitochondrion-related organelles. Strategies to identify the functions of mitosomes have been limited mainly to homology detection, which is not suitable for identifying species-specific proteins and their functions. An in vivo enzymatic tagging technique based on the Escherichia coli biotin ligase (BirA) has been introduced to G. intestinalis; this method allows for the compartment-specific biotinylation of a protein of interest. Known proteins involved in the mitosomal protein import were in vivo tagged, cross-linked, and used to copurify complexes from the outer and inner mitosomal membranes in a single step. New proteins were then identified by mass spectrometry. This approach enabled the identification of highly diverged mitosomal Tim44 (GiTim44), the first known component of the mitosomal inner membrane translocase (TIM). In addition, our subsequent bioinformatics searches returned novel diverged Tim44 paralogs, which mediate the translation and mitosomal insertion of mitochondrially encoded proteins in other eukaryotes. However, most of the identified proteins are specific to G. intestinalis and even absent from the related diplomonad parasite Spironucleus salmonicida, thus reflecting the unique character of the mitosomal metabolism. The in vivo enzymatic tagging also showed that proteins enter the mitosome posttranslationally in an unfolded state and without vesicular transport.
Can the deployment of community health workers for the delivery of HIV services represent an effective and sustainable response to health workforce shortages? Results of a multicountry study

In countries severely affected by HIV/AIDS, shortages of health workers present a major obstacle to scaling up HIV services. Adopting a task shifting approach for the deployment of community health workers (CHWs) represents one strategy for rapid expansion of the health workforce. This study aimed to evaluate the contribution of CHWs with a focus on identifying the critical elements of an enabling environment that can ensure they provide quality services in a manner that is sustainable.The method of work included a collection of primary data in five countries: Brazil, Ethiopia, Malawi, Namibia, and Uganda.The findings show that delegation of specific tasks to cadres of CHWs with limited training can increase access to HIV services, particularly in rural areas and among underserved communities, and can improve the quality of care for HIV. There is also evidence that CHWs can make a significant contribution to the delivery of a wide range of other health services.The findings also show that certain conditions must be observed if CHWs are to contribute to well-functioning and sustainable service delivery. These conditions involve adequate systems integration with significant attention to: political will and commitment; collaborative planning; definition of scope of practice; selection and educational requirements; registration, licensure and certification; recruitment and deployment; adequate and sustainable remuneration; mentoring and supervision including referral system; career path and continuous education; performance evaluation; supply of equipment and commodities.The study concludes that, where there is the necessary support, the potential contribution of CHWs can be optimized and represents a valuable addition to the urgent expansion of human resources for health, and to universal coverage of HIV services.
Evidence of a role for melatonin in fetal sheep physiology: direct actions of melatonin on fetal cerebral artery, brown adipose tissue and adrenal gland

Although the fetal pineal gland does not secrete melatonin, the fetus is exposed to melatonin of maternal origin. In the non‐human primate fetus, melatonin acts as a trophic hormone for the adrenal gland, stimulating growth while restraining cortisol production. This latter physiological activity led us to hypothesize that melatonin may influence some fetal functions critical for neonatal adaptation to extrauterine life. To test this hypothesis we explored (i) the presence of G‐protein‐coupled melatonin binding sites and (ii) the direct modulatory effects of melatonin on noradrenaline (norepinephrine)‐induced middle cerebral artery (MCA) contraction, brown adipose tissue (BAT) lypolysis and ACTH‐induced adrenal cortisol production in fetal sheep. We found that melatonin directly inhibits the response to noradrenaline in the MCA and BAT, and also inhibits the response to ACTH in the adrenal gland. Melatonin inhibition was reversed by the melatonin antagonist luzindole only in the fetal adrenal. MCA, BAT and adrenal tissue displayed specific high‐affinity melatonin binding sites coupled to G‐protein (Kd values: MCA 64 ± 1 pm, BAT 98.44 ± 2.12 pm and adrenal 4.123 ± 3.22 pm). Melatonin binding was displaced by luzindole only in the adrenal gland, supporting the idea that action in the MCA and BAT is mediated by different melatonin receptors. These direct inhibitory responses to melatonin support a role for melatonin in fetal physiology, which we propose prevents major contraction of cerebral vessels, restrains cortisol release and restricts BAT lypolysis during fetal life.
On the comparison between radar cross sections of 2-D and 3-D scatterers

We compare the bistatic radar cross section of 2-D scatterers and corresponding finite-length 3-D scatterers, in order to quantify the discrepancy between 2-D and 3-D results. We consider only TM mode in 2-D case, and corresponding 3-D excitation. Method of moments (MoM) with surface integral equation formulation is used for the numerical analysis.
Image denoising using context quantization and local linear regression

A main challenge for image denoising techniques is the damaging of some specific detailed structures or edges that are useful for image application. That is why edge-preserving filtering has advanced as a prevailing topic in medical image and multimedia processing. Conventional edge-preserving filters have exploited a number of morphological operators and estimated order statistics in a set of variable local windows such that they both enhance the significant edge details and smooth additive and multiplicative noises meanwhile. However, they fail to take into account the importance of weak edges, and therefore treat them as additive or multiplicative noises to be reduced. To overcome this difficulty, we present a efficient image denoising algorithm by using context quantization and local linear regression techniques. The context quantization was conducted according to minimization of conditional entropy of the GAP prediction residual in quantized cells and the local texture features hidden in the contexts. In order to design a robust filter for pixels in each quantized context, the local linear regression technique has been applied. The experimental results validated that the proposed image denoising algorithm outperformed the conventional edge-preserving filters reviewed in this work.
Carotid body chemoreflex: a driver of autonomic abnormalities in sleep apnoea

What is the topic of this review? This article presents emerging evidence for heightened carotid body chemoreflex activity as a major driver of sympathetic activation and hypertension in sleep apnoea patients. What advances does it heighlight? This article discusses the recent advances on cellular, molecular and epigenetic mechanisms underlying the exaggerated chemoreflex in experimental models of sleep apnoea.
An Evaluation of the Self-Efficacy Theory in Agricultural Education

This research sought to evaluate the use of the self-efficacy theory in agricultural education. A total of 30 studies, published between 1997 and 2013 using self-efficacy as a theoretical foundation were compiled and analyzed. The findings of these studies were compared to expected outcomes identified by the self-efficacy theory, specifically the positive relationship between Bandura’s four identified self-efficacy building experiences and increased self-efficacy as well as the relationship between self-efficacy and career persistence. This synthesis highlights important considerations for the use of self-efficacy theory in agricultural education, including a shift from mastery experiences to vicarious experiences in the teacher development process and specific considerations for the establishment of social persuasion between cooperating and student teachers. Finally, based on the comparison of past research in agricultural education and selfefficacy theory, recommendations are made for future research that will continue the articulation of this theory in both research and practice within agricultural education.