Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
How does the U.S. stock market affect the stocks of Chinese state-owned companies?

This paper examines how the U.S. stock market affects the Chinese stock market, with a focus on Chinese state-owned companies, and compares the impacts on different industries and time periods. Results show that the U.S. stock market affects non-state-owned companies and state-owned companies with international business, but not state-owned companies without international business. The correlations between two markets are stronger in industries with lower percentages of state-owned companies. The impacts the U.S. stock market has on the Chinese stock market are increasing in time and in longer term.
A polyphase RC filter implemented in ring configuration for a SiGe millimetre-wave receiver

A broadband polyphase RC Filter is presented suitable for millimetre-wave image reject receivers. A ring layout is chosen in preference to the traditional grid layout to improve symmetry. Crossover paths are implemented in microstrip and inverted microstrip with high isolation. Electromagnetic simulation shows a gain imbalance less than 1.0 dB and phase imbalance less than 1.4° from 20 to 50 GHz.
CrossTalk opposing view: The middle cerebral artery diameter does not change during alterations in arterial blood gases and blood pressure

The cerebral circulation is regulated by arterial carbon dioxide tension (PaCO2 ) with hypercapnia and hypocapnia increasing and decreasing cerebral blood flow (CBF), respectively (Serrador et al. 2000; Ide et al. 2003). This relationship between CBF and PaCO2 , termed cerebral vasomotor reactivity, provides a measure of cerebral vascular function. Reduction of cerebral vasomotor reactivity is associated with carotid artery disease (Ringelstein et al. 1988), diabetes (Kadoi et al. 2003) and hypertension (Lavi et al. 2006), and is a predictor and contributor to stroke (Gur et al. 1996; Nur et al. 2009). Furthermore, cerebral vascular dysfunction has been implicated in other conditions including cognitive dysfunction and Alzheimer’s disease (Silvestrini et al. 2006; Bar et al. 2007). A number of approaches are used to assess cerebral vascular function during perturbations of arterial blood gases or blood pressure. Transcranial Doppler (TCD) assessment of cerebral blood flow velocity (CBFV) in the middle cerebral artery (MCA) is commonly
Experimental trial for diagnosis of pancreatic ductal carcinoma based on gene expression profiles of pancreatic ductal cells

Pancreatic ductal carcinoma (PDC) remains one of the most intractable human malignancies, mainly because of the lack of sensitive detection methods. Although gene expression profiling by DNA microarray analysis is a promising tool for the development of such detection systems, a simple comparison of pancreatic tissues may yield misleading data that reflect only differences in cellular composition. To directly compare PDC cells with normal pancreatic ductal cells, we purified MUC1‐positive epithelial cells from the pancreatic juices of 25 individuals with a normal pancreas and 24 patients with PDC. The gene expression profiles of these 49 specimens were determined with DNA microarrays containing >44 000 probe sets. Application of both Welch's analysis of variance and effect size‐based selection to the expression data resulted in the identification of 21 probe sets corresponding to 20 genes whose expression was highly associated with clinical diagnosis. Furthermore, correspondence analysis and 3‐D projection with these probe sets resulted in separation of the transcriptomes of pancreatic ductal cells into distinct but overlapping spaces corresponding to the two clinical classes. To establish an accurate transcriptome‐based diagnosis system for PDC, we applied supervised class prediction algorithms to our large data set. With the expression profiles of only five predictor genes, the weighted vote method diagnosed the class of samples with an accuracy of 81.6%. Microarray analysis with purified pancreatic ductal cells has thus provided a basis for the development of a sensitive method for the detection of PDC. (Cancer Sci 2005; 96: 387–393)
Organization and changes of local govertnment finance system in view of implementation of participatory budgeting

According to the Constitution of the Republic of Poland, the basic unit of local government in the country is a commune (Constitution of the Republic of Poland 1997). Since 27 May 1990 the term “commune” is used to refer to every basic unit of local government. In the relevant literature one can fi nd the idea that “. the primary task of local government is to provide adequate living conditions to local communities with regard to population growth, progressive urbanization, dangers to the natural environment of humans and the willingness to provide equal living conditions to the populations of cities and rural areas” [Kosek-Wojnar, Surówka 2007]. For this reason, it seems essential for the local government fi nance system, in particular with regard to the possibility of funding the growing needs and expectations of the local communities, to continuously improve and become more fl exible when it comes to the adjustment to the changing surroundings. The principal aim of this paper was to demonstrate new possibilities in the organization and performance of the tasks of local authorities offered by the implementation of participatory budgeting
Pol gene quasispecies of human immunodeficiency virus: mutations associated with drug resistance in virus from patients undergoing no drug therapy

The nucleotide sequences of two pol gene regions (codons 41 to 108 and 181 to 219 of reverse transcriptase) of 60 human immunodeficiency virus type 1 genomes obtained directly from primary lymphocytes from infected individuals are reported. In addition, the mutant spectra of several quasispecies have been sampled by repetitive sequencing of molecular clones representing the same pol genomic regions. Average mutation frequencies ranged from 1.6 x 10(-2) to 3.4 x 10(-2) substitutions per nucleotide for independent samples (relative to their consensus nucleotide sequence) and from 3.6 x 10(-3) to 1.1 x 10(-2) substitutions per nucleotide for individual quasispecies distributions. Several mutations leading to amino acid substitutions related to loss of sensitivity to reverse transcriptase inhibitors have been identified in samples from patients not subjected to antiretroviral therapy. Mutation frequencies in the codons previously identified as involved in resistance to reverse transcriptase inhibitors were very similar to the average mutation frequencies in the pol region analyzed. Thus, the finding of mutations related to drug resistance (even in the absence of positive selection by the corresponding drugs) is the expected consequence of the statistical distribution of mutations along the pol gene. The presence of such critical amino acid replacements in human immunodeficiency virus type 1 populations underscores the importance of viral quasispecies as reservoirs of phenotypic virus variants and has a number of implications for AIDS control.
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE AND EARNINGS MANAGEMENT : EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE FROM MALAYSIAN AND NIGERIAN BANKS

The objective of this study as a pioneer is to investigate the likelihood of virtually all key elements of corporate governance in reducing the scope of banks earnings management in both developed and emerging economies. The Modified Jones Model is explored to investigate earnings management. Investigations into the differences in key corporate governance structure including board independence, composition, size, frequency of board meeting, leadership independence, audit committee existence and size, audit committee chairman independence, frequency of audit committee meeting, separation of roles of chairman of board and CEO, auditors status, Basel II compliance were equally made. The sample of this study consists of all the listed Nigerian banks and Malaysian commercial banks for year 2007- 2011. For Nigerian banks the earnings management has a negative mean, which means that the total accrual was negative in the majority of the sample. On the other hand, total accruals have a positive mean for Malaysian sample banks. Consequently, the residual value in the equation (e t) was higher for Nigerian banks compared to Malaysian banks, indicating respectively, lower/higher accruals and earnings quality. Key aspects of corporate governance have positive or negative association with earnings management. While these are mostly lacking in Nigerian banks’ corporate governance structure, resulting in the poor accrual and earnings quality, high accruals and earnings quality of Malaysian banks is traceable to good corporate governance.
Cloud Service Provider Methods for Managing Insider Threats: Analysis Phase 1

Abstract : In early 2013, researchers in the CERT (registered trademark) Insider Threat Center contacted commercial and government cloud service providers (CSPs) about participating in research to gain a preliminary understanding of implemented administrative and technical controls that they are using to identify and manage the threats posed by insiders. These CSP participants provided frank and meaningful insight about their insider threat management programs and enterprise security practices. This report contains the observations obtained from interviewing the CSP personnel who volunteered to participate as well as an analysis of CSP management of insider threats based on the information obtained in interviews, observations of implemented insider threat controls, and risk considerations.
Conditional Response Probabilities Confirm Two Stages of Free Recall, Working Memory Very Localized, Second Stage Delocalized, Both with Strong Tendencies to Forward Subsequent Recalls

Recently it was shown that free recall consists of two stages: the first few recalls empty working memory and a second stage concludes the recall (Tarnow, 2015; for a review of the theoretical prediction see Murdock, 1974). Here I investigate conditional response probabilities in Murdock's 40-1 (1962) free recall dataset. I find that the conditional response probabilities confirm the presence of two stages. The first stage is characterized by a large enhancement of the forward subsequent recall (up to 30 times chance) and a large suppression of backward recalls (up to 26 times smaller than chance for recalls between 10 and 40 items away). The second stage forward subsequent recall is enhanced by a factor of 5 and the probability of backward and forward recalls are concentrated at small distances. Thus both stages favor forward subsequent recalls. As in Tarnow (2015), the first stage is much more localized than the second stage. Working memory capacity is estimated in six ways to be about 4.5 word items for the 40-1 word list.
Endoscopic Neurosurgery “Around the Corner” with a Rigid Endoscope. Technical Note

Endoscopically "working around the corner" is presently restricted to the use of flexible endoscopes or an endoscope-assisted microneurosurgical (EAM) technique. In order to overcome the limitations of these solutions, endoscopic equipment and techniques were developed for "working around the corner" with rigid endoscopes. A steering insert with a 5 French working channel is capable of steering instruments around the corner by actively bending the guiding track and consecutively the instrument. A special fixation device enables strict axial rotation of the endoscope in the operating field. Endoscopic procedures "around the corner", including aqueductal stenting, pellucidotomy, third ventriculostomy and biopsy were performed in human cadavers. Special features of the used pediatric neuroendoscope system, i.e., reliable fixation, axial rotation, and controlled steering of instruments, increase the safety and reduce the surgical traumatization in selected cases, such as obstructive hydrocephalus due to a mass lesion in the posterior third ventricle, since endoscopic third ventriculostomy and biopsy can be performed through the same burr hole trephination. Limitations of this technique are given by the size of the foramen of Monro and the height of the third ventricle as well as by the bending angle of the instruments (40-50 degrees).
Methoxyverapamil Reduction of Nicotine‐induced Catecholamine Release Involves Inhibition of Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Currents

The mechanism by which the putative Ca2+ channel blocker methoxyverapamil (D600) inhibits nicotine‐induced catecholamine release was investigated in bovine adrenal chromaffin cells and in neurons from paravertebral sympathetic ganglia of chick embryos. We found D600 to prevent catecholamine release evoked by 30 s applications of nicotine with a significantly higher potency than the release induced either by 30 s K+ depolarizations or by electrical field stimulation of sympathetic neurons. Like the use‐dependent action of D600 upon Ca2+ channels, the magnitude of inhibition of the K+‐evoked secretion depended on the duration of stimulation (10 s to 5 min). Data on catecholamine release were supplemented by patch‐clamp recordings. We found whole‐cell currents in chromaffin cells evoked by (extrapolated) 0.5 s applications of nicotine to be significantly more sensitive to D600 than Ca2+ currents induced by a 0.5 s depolarization from ‐80 to 0 mV. In both instances, the potency of D600 depended on the duration of the (nicotinic and depolarizing) stimuli. Our data suggest that D600 inhibits nicotine‐induced catecholamine release by reducing nicotinic acetylcholine receptor currents rather than voltage‐gated Ca2+ currents. Hence, in chromaffin cells as well as in sympathetic neuronal preparations, D600 does not appear to be a suitable tool to investigate the part voltage‐activated Ca2+ currents play in cellular events induced by nicotine.
When collaboration is difficult : The impact of dependencies and lack of Suppliers on small and medium sized firms in a remote area

In order to ensure their success, small and medium sized firms should collaborate. This study reports on the perceptions of tourism firms in Eastern Norrbotten, Sweden, with regard to collaboration. The findings indicate a low level of collaboration and a lack of understanding of the dependencies among tourism firms, as well as the benefits of reciprocity.
DAUNORUBICIN-LOADED CHITOSAN MICROPARTICLES-PREPARATION AND PHYSICOCHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION

The present study deals with the preparation and characterization of chitosan microparticles as a drug delivery system for daunorubicin. The microparticles are prepared by the suspension method and their properties are improved by covalent crosslinking using glutaraldehyde. The obtained spherical microparticles with size of 300 μm are loaded with daunorubicin. The мorphology and chemical composition of the microparticles obtained are investigated by scanning electron microscopy and FTIR. The effect of the crosslinking and the amount of the encapsulated drug on the in vitro release kinetics is investigated by VIS spectroscopy. The release rate of daunorubicin (physically entrapped) is controlled by the degree of swelling of the microparticles hydrogel matrix. The release rate of the covalently bounded daunorubicin from chitosan microparticles in simulated intestinal fluids containing lysozyme depends on the density of crosslinking. It is found that slower drug release rates are obtained from highly crosslinked microparticles. These results indicate that chitosan microparticles have a potential as a drug delivery system for oral administration because they provide controlled release with the participation of the lysozyme enzymes in the digestive tract.
Consumer Behaviour in Tourism

Context: Introduction Main concepts in consumer behaviour History of tourist behaviour Conclusion The Purchase-Decision Process: Models Determinants Models of purchase decision processes Typologies of Tourist Behaviour: Classifications and typologies of tourist behaviour Tourism Demand and Markets: The pattern of world demand National differences - domestic, outbound, inbound The nature and demand in different segments Markets for different sectors Consumer Behaviour and Marketing: Researching tourist behaviour Marketing mix and tourist behaviour Topical Issues in Tourist Behaviour: Eco tourist/green consumer : myth or reality? Rise of the global/euro tourist? - post modernism Emerging demand/markets/segments Quality & tourist satisfaction Conclusions and Future: New models of tourist behaviour Tourist behaviour and general consumer behaviour - a comparison Future of tourist behaviour including an agenda for research Case Studies: PGL Thomas Cook's Club 18-30 The segmentation of the outbound Japanese market Segmenting the leisure shopping market The savoy hotel, london First choice holiday's all inclusive package the cruise market - Carnival cruise lines Wensleydale creamery, hawes, north Yorkshire Societe roquefort Industrial tourism in france British airways - environmental policy TUI germany - environmental policy Ragdale hall - health hydro The international spa market Adventure tourism in new zealand Gay and lesbian tourism in Australia easyjet Las vegas, nevada, usa Taiwan, the emergence of a new major outbound tourism market The inbound market to the republic of cyprus Susi madron's cycling for softies Glossary of Terms Bibliography Index
Contribution of GABAA, Glycine, and Opioid Receptors to Sacral Neuromodulation of Bladder Overactivity in Cats

In α-chloralose–anesthetized cats, we examined the role of GABAA, glycine, and opioid receptors in sacral neuromodulation-induced inhibition of bladder overactivity elicited by intravesical infusion of 0.5% acetic acid (AA). AA irritation significantly (P < 0.01) reduced bladder capacity to 59.5 ± 4.8% of saline control. S1 or S2 dorsal root stimulation at threshold intensity for inducing reflex twitching of the anal sphincter or toe significantly (P < 0.01) increased bladder capacity to 105.3 ± 9.0% and 134.8 ± 8.9% of saline control, respectively. Picrotoxin, a GABAA receptor antagonist administered i.v. , blocked S1 inhibition at 0.3 mg/kg and blocked S2 inhibition at 1.0 mg/kg. Picrotoxin (0.4 mg, i.t.) did not alter the inhibition induced during S1 or S2 stimulation, but unmasked a significant (P < 0.05) poststimulation inhibition that persisted after termination of stimulation. Naloxone, an opioid receptor antagonist (0.3 mg, i.t.), significantly (P < 0.05) reduced prestimulation bladder capacity and removed the poststimulation inhibition. Strychnine, a glycine receptor antagonist (0.03–0.3 mg/kg, i.v.), significantly (P < 0.05) increased prestimulation bladder capacity but did not reduce sacral S1 or S2 inhibition. After strychnine (0.3 mg/kg, i.v.), picrotoxin (0.3 mg/kg, i.v.) further (P < 0.05) increased prestimulation bladder capacity and completely blocked both S1 and S2 inhibition. These results indicate that supraspinal GABAA receptors play an important role in sacral neuromodulation of bladder overactivity, whereas glycine receptors only play a minor role to facilitate the GABAA inhibitory mechanism. The poststimulation inhibition unmasked by blocking spinal GABAA receptors was mediated by an opioid mechanism.
A Second Generation of Genetically Modified Food

Abstract The aim of this research was a cross-cultural investigation of views regarding Genetically Modified Organisms, specifically food crops, to determine if there were significant differences in the views of French and American respondents. In addition, we sought to introduce the issue of possible consumer benefits of second generation GMOs into the research by examining differences in acceptance of value-enhanced GMOs compared with first generation GMOs for both French and American respondents. Both first and second generation GMOs are better accepted by American respondents than by French respondents, but respondents in both countries perceive a direct benefit from second generation GM foods with at least a less negative attitude toward them. In addition, respondents indicated factors which would make it more likely that they would purchase such enhanced GM foods.
Mental representation of landmarks on maps: Investigating cartographic visualization methods with eye tracking technology

Landmarks are intuitively used in navigational processes as conspicuous points for orientation. Graphical guidelines that ensure a quick visual encoding and easy mental representation in maps do not exist. To breach this gap, an experiment is conducted on three study groups to test whether landmarks are most effectively displayed as vignettes, icons or text symbols in abstract maps. Eye tracking techniques and interviews are carried out with 21 participants to identify the symbol class offering the quickest visual recognition and a detailed mental representation in cognitive maps. The results show that the fixation duration had little variation when the three symbol classes were shown. The landmark symbol class achieving the highest average memory score was the text symbol.
Easily-handled method to isolate mesenchymal stem cells from coagulated human bone marrow samples.

AIM To establish an easily-handled method to isolate mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) from coagulated human bone marrow samples. METHODS Thrombin was added to aliquots of seven heparinized human bone marrow samples to mimic marrow coagulation. The clots were untreated, treated with urokinase or mechanically cut into pieces before culture for MSCs. The un-coagulated samples and the clots were also stored at 4 °C for 8 or 16 h before the treatment. The numbers of colony-forming unit-fibroblast (CFU-F) in the different samples were determined. The adherent cells from different groups were passaged and their surface profile was analyzed with flow cytometry. Their capacities of in vitro osteogenesis and adipogenesis were observed after the cells were exposed to specific inductive agents. RESULTS The average CFU-F number of urokinase-treated samples (16.85 ± 11.77/10(6)) was comparable to that of un-coagulated control samples (20.22 ± 10.65/10(6), P = 0.293), which was significantly higher than those of mechanically-cut clots (6.5 ± 5.32/10(6), P < 0.01) and untreated clots (1.95 ± 1.86/10(6), P < 0.01). The CFU-F numbers decreased after samples were stored, but those of control and urokinase-treated clots remained higher than the other two groups. Consistently, the numbers of the attached cells at passage 0 were higher in control and urokinase-treated clots than those of mechanically-cut clots and untreated clots. The attached cells were fibroblast-like in morphology and homogenously positive for CD44, CD73 and CD90, and negative for CD31 and CD45. Also, they could be induced to differentiate into osteoblasts and adipocytes in vitro. CONCLUSION Urokinase pretreatment is an optimal strategy to isolate MSCs from human bone marrow samples that are poorly aspirated and clotted.
The role of primary varicose veins in venous ulceration.

"Venous" ulceration is usually ascribed to deep venous insufficiency. We record the cases of 20 patients with 23 ulcers without a history suggestive of deep vein disease who were found to have a normal deep venous system when evaluated by Doppler ultrasound, ambulatory venous pressures, and photoplethysmography. All had gross varicose veins present for many years (mean 24 years; range 10 to 35 years), and only 14 limbs had incompetent calf perforating veins. Effective treatment is facilitated by recognition of the relationship of varicose ulcer to superficial venous disease, usually incompetence of the saphenofemoral junction, with or without the presence of incompetent calf perforating veins.