Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Enhancing the responsivity of UV to visible by inserting a SiO2 layer between p-Si and i-ZnO for the heterojunction photodiode with p-Si/SiO2/i-ZnO/n-ZnO structure

Silicon dioxide (SiO<sub>2</sub>) was inserted between p-Si and intrinsic zinc-oxide (i-ZnO) to improve the photo responsivity of p-i-n heterojunction photodiodes (HPDs) with a structure of p-Si/SiO<sub>2</sub>/i-ZnO/n-ZnO. The i-ZnO and n-ZnO layers were grown on the p-Si substrate by radio-frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering system. Observations found that the p-i-n HPDs with SiO<sub>2</sub> insertion can reduce the leakage current and hence increase the rectification ratio from 12.8 to 8.7×10<sup>3</sup> at ± 2 V. The insertion of SiO<sub>2</sub> also decreases visible response and enhance ultraviolet (UV) response, resulting in a higher ratio of UV to visible.
Involvement of ATP-sensitive Potassium (KATP) Channels in the Loss of Beta-cell Function Induced by Human Islet Amyloid Polypeptide*

Islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP) is a major component of amyloid deposition in pancreatic islets of patients with type 2 diabetes. It is known that IAPP can inhibit glucose-stimulated insulin secretion; however, the mechanisms of action have not yet been established. In the present work, using a rat pancreatic beta-cell line, INS1E, we have created an in vitro model that stably expressed human IAPP gene (hIAPP cells). These cells showed intracellular oligomers and a strong alteration of glucose-stimulated insulin and IAPP secretion. Taking advantage of this model, we investigated the mechanism by which IAPP altered beta-cell secretory response and contributed to the development of type 2 diabetes. We have measured the intracellular Ca2+ mobilization in response to different secretagogues as well as mitochondrial metabolism. The study of calcium signals in hIAPP cells demonstrated an absence of response to glucose and also to tolbutamide, indicating a defect in ATP-sensitive potassium (KATP) channels. Interestingly, hIAPP showed a greater maximal respiratory capacity than control cells. These data were confirmed by an increased mitochondrial membrane potential in hIAPP cells under glucose stimulation, leading to an elevated reactive oxygen species level as compared with control cells. We concluded that the hIAPP overexpression inhibits insulin and IAPP secretion in response to glucose affecting the activity of KATP channels and that the increased mitochondrial metabolism is a compensatory response to counteract the secretory defect of beta-cells.
Improving Regulatory Decisions through Targeted Research: A Case Study Concerning Amino Acids

This paper argues that the EU regulatory practice in the food area may be unnecessarily applying the Precautionary Principle by focussing on upper intake limits for naturally occurring nutrients, while not controlling the quality of the ingredients used in commercial products even though precedents of public health issues arising from adulterated ingredients do exist. Risk governance depends heavily on expert evidence and the case of amino acid supplements is used to document an industry-supported effort to strengthen the science database and thus enhance the regulatory process: Thus ensuring that amino acid use in the EU is safely and proportionately regulated. Scientific work conducted in the last decade by the not-for-profit association, the International Council on Amino Acid Science (ICAAS) is used as a simple case study highlighting the role of proactive clinical research in an era characterized by precaution in risk management, and by the escalating costs of scientific research, and the growing influence of the internet.
Pterostilbene Inhibits the Growth of Human Esophageal Cancer Cells by Regulating Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress

Background/Aims: Pterostilbene (PTE), a natural dimethylated resveratrol analog from blueberries, is known to have diverse pharmacological activities, including anticancer properties. In this study, we investigated the anticancer activity of PTE against human esophageal cancer cells both in vitro and in vivo and explored the role of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress (ERS) signaling in this process. Methods: Cell viability, the apoptotic index, Caspase 3 activity, adhesion, migration, reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, and glutathione (GSH) levels were detected to explore the effect of PTE on human EC109 esophageal cancer cells. Furthermore, siRNA transfection and a chemical inhibitor were employed to confirm the role of ERS. Results: PTE treatment dose- and time-dependently decreased the viability of human esophageal cancer EC109 cells. PTE also decreased tumor cell adhesion, migration and intracellular GSH levels while increasing the apoptotic index, Caspase 3 activity and ROS levels, which suggest the strong anticancer activity of PTE. Furthermore, PTE treatment increased the expression of ERS-related molecules (GRP78, ATF6, p-PERK, p-eIF2α and CHOP), upregulated the pro-apoptosis-related protein PUMA and downregulated the anti-apoptosis-related protein Bcl-2 while promoting the translocation of cytochrome c from mitochondria to cytosol and the activation of Caspase 9 and Caspase 12. The downregulation of ERS signaling by CHOP siRNA desensitized esophageal cancer cells to PTE treatment, whereas upregulation of ERS signaling by thapsigargin (THA) had the opposite effect. N-Acetylcysteine (NAC), a ROS scavenger, also desensitized esophageal cancer cells to PTE treatment. Conclusions: Overall, the results indicate that PTE is a potent anti-cancer pharmaceutical against human esophageal cancer, and the possible mechanism involves the activation of ERS signaling pathways.
The Impact of CSR on Consumers Purchase Intention: The Mediating Role of Corporate Reputation and Moderating Peers Pressure

This study examines the link between corporate social responsibility and consumer purchase intention by focusing on the mediating role of corporate reputation and the moderating role of peer pressure. The results of distinctive data from 378 consumers of Pakistan reveal that corporate reputation positively relates to consumer purchase intention, and that corporate reputation fully mediates the positive influence of corporate social responsibility on consumer purchase intention. We also found that peer pressure moderates the relationship between the corporate reputation and consumer purchase intention. Furthermore, the mediating effect between corporate reputation and consumer purchase intention is moderated by peer pressure, that is to say moderated mediation. We discuss implications of these findings for research and practice.
APPLICATIONS OF NEURAL NETWORK'S FOR DECISION MAKING IN MARKETING

Amidst burgeoning competitive business environment, marketing strategies form an integral part of revenue generation for a company; it is imperative for companies to plan and implement their marketing plans accordingly with meticulous efforts. Last decade has witnessed evolution of analytics driven marketing efforts resulting in significant improvement of targeting efforts with great precession. Intense competition and search of better ways of indentifying prospective customers have forced companies to highly rely on cutting-edge analytics driven marketing efforts. Neural Networks are parallel distributed processes that have a natural propensity for storing experiential knowledge and making it available for use. Neural Networks are powerful data mining and modeling techniques that are capable of capturing and identifying complex relationships by input/output mechanism, the greatest advantage of Neural Networks is its ability of learn both linear and non-linear relationships in the modeling dataset. Traditional techniques (Logistic Regression, Linear Classifier, etc) for modeling the cause-and-effect relationships related to target selection have low capability of fitting the nonlinear and asymmetric relationships naturally existing in the modeling set, in this paper we try to overcome this shortcoming by using Neural Networks as an alternative approach. In this paper we attempt to explain the application of neural networks based on Multi Layer Perceptrons [MLP] with feed forward learning mechanism for designing optimal targeting customer's strategy, the data used for modeling pertains to a campaign executed by a telecom company for targeting its customers for telecom service. This attempt confirms that the neural network models are robust in recognizing existing linear and non-linear patterns in the modeling data. The advantages of using the neural network model are highlighted and marketing implications are demonstrated in the paper.
Determinants of Hedge Fund Performance

This dissertation consists of three essays which focus on the determinants of hedge fund performance. The first essay defines two distinct styles of active portfolio management: alpha active and beta active. I develop measures of beta activity and find ample evidence that top beta active managers deliver superior out-of-sample performance. In addition, I find that beta activity measure successfully captures the time varying nature of beta exposures that can be interpreted as the common factor driving the long term out-of-sample predictive power of both Systematic Risk and R. The second essay attempt to span the space of potential risk factors with exchange traded funds and replicate hedge fund return through selected ETF portfolio. I find the portfolio of clones created with my procedure provides better out-of-sample performance than the portfolio of “cloneable” hedge funds. In contrast, “non-cloneable” hedge fund portfolio reflects the hedge fund active management style supported by the superior risk-adjusted performance. The third essay investigates a new dimension of market timing activity. I decompose hedge fund excess return to alpha and beta return and find a strong monotonic mean reversal pattern in out of sample performances of portfolios sorted by beta return. I identify two types of managers: Multi-active Managers and Risk-writing Managers, and find the superior performance of bottom quartile beta return portfolio is mainly driven by Multi-active Managers. I find evidence that Risk-writing Managers exhibit the greatest total risk and beta risk, and generate returns through excessive risk taking. Multi-active Managers actively manage their market position that are reflective of their beliefs, continuously search for market opportunities and effectively adjust their beta positions to reflect their evolving market expectations.
Automatic Representation for Life-Time Value Recommender Systems Automatic Representation for Life-Time Value Recommender Systems

Recommender systems are embedded in almost every commercial site, proposing users items which are likely to draw their interest. While most systems maximize the immediate gain, a better notion of success would be the lifetime value (LTV) of the user-system interaction. The LTV approach instead considers the future implications of the item recommendations, and seeks to maximize over the cumulative gain over time. Reinforcement Learning (RL) framework is the standard formulation for optimizing the cumulative successes over time, but RL is rarely used in practice due to its complicated representation, optimization and validation techniques. In this paper we propose a new architecture for combining RL with recommendation systems which obviates the need for hand-tuned features, thus automating the state-space representation construction process. We analyze the practical difficulties in this formulation and test our solutions on real-world recommendation data.
Increasing uptake of genetic technologies across the beef value chain

This paper reviews the agricultural extension literature to identify strategies that could increase the use of genetic technologies across all sectors of the Australian beef industry. An ideal strategy would be creation of a value-based marketing system that rewards suppliers who use genetic technologies to better comply with market specifications. Interventions to support such a strategy could focus on overcoming factors that inhibit adoption, including methods to overcome the perceived complexity of genetics and their lack of trialability and observability. Successful interventions would also need to directly address social factors that limit use of genetic technologies. The aim would be to implement a practical management strategy with appropriate performance metrics that increase efficiencies, coordination and communication across the entire beef value chain, along the lines recommended by Bryceson and Slaughter (2009).
Derivatives Pricing on Integrated Diffusion Processes: A General Perturbation Approach

Many derivatives products are directly or indirectly associated with integrated diffusion processes. We develop a general perturbation method to price those derivatives. We show that for any positive diffusion process, the hitting time of its integrated process is approximately normally distributed when the diffusion coefficient is small. This result of approximate normality enables us to reduce many derivative pricing problems to simple expectations. We illustrate the generality and accuracy of this probabilistic approach with several examples in the Heston model, including variance derivatives, European vanilla options, timer forwards, and timer options. Major advantages of the proposed technique include extremely fast computational speed, ease of implementation, and analytic tractability.
The Locus Coding for the 3-Nitrobenzoate Dioxygenase of Comamonas sp. Strain JS46 Is Flanked by IS1071 Elements and Is Subject to Deletion and Inversion Events

ABSTRACT In Comamonas sp. strain JS46, 3-nitrobenzoate (3Nba) is initially oxidized at the 3,4 position by a dioxygenase, which results in release of nitrite and production of protocatechuate. The locus coding for the 3Nba dioxygenase (designated mnb, for m-nitrobenzoate) was mobilized from strain JS46 using a plasmid capture method, cloned, and sequenced. The 3Nba dioxygenase (MnbA) is a member of the phthalate family of aromatic oxygenases. An open reading frame designated mnbB that codes for an NAD(P)H-dependent class IA aromatic oxidoreductase is downstream of mnbA. MnbB is tentatively identified as the oxidoreductase that transfers reducing equivalents to MnbA in strain JS46. The mnb locus is flanked by IS1071 elements. The upstream element is interrupted by a novel insertion sequence designated ISCsp1, and the transposase genes of the flanking insertion elements are transcribed in the direction opposite the direction of mnbA transcription. Spontaneous deletion of mnb occurs because of homologous recombination between the directly repeated flanking IS1071 elements. In addition, in ∼0.007 to 0.2% of any population of JS46 cells growing on 3Nba, alternative orientations of mnb relative to the flanking IS1071 elements are detected. These alternative forms are the result of inversions of mnb and the flanking IS1071 elements. Inversions appear to occur because of homologous recombination between the inverted repeats that flank the IS1071 elements.
Comprehension of Reversible Relative Clauses in Specifically Language Impaired and Normally Developing Greek Children

This paper aims to investigate the syntactic comprehension of reversible relative clauses in a group of eight Greek children with specific language impairment (SLI) and two control groups of normally developing children matched on chronological and language age, respectively. An experiment using an acting out procedure was undertaken. Group analysis revealed that SLI children's performance is qualitatively different than that of both control groups. Interpreting the data, processes involved in syntactic comprehension are taken into consideration. It is claimed that processing demands impede SLI children's performance due to a deficit in their competence grammar.
A point mutation (W70A) in the rod PDE-gamma gene desensitizing and delaying murine rod photoreceptors.

PURPOSE To examine the corneal electroretinogram (ERG) of transgenic mice (W70A mice) carrying a point mutation (W70A) in the gene encoding for the gamma-subunit of rod cGMP phosphodiesterase (PDEgamma). METHODS The ERG of W70A mice was compared with that of normal mice. Cone responses were separated from rod responses by light adaptation, whereas rod sensitivity was assessed by threshold stimulation with dim light. Spectral sensitivity curves of the ERG were obtained using a constant response criterion. RESULTS The ERG of the W70A mouse has a desensitized, delayed rod b-wave at threshold, and a prolonged rod b-wave at higher flash intensities. The a-wave is absent even at maximal stimulation. The cone ERG of the W70A mouse is indistinguishable from that of normal mice. The spectral sensitivity of the W70A mouse is maximal in the UV spectrum, in contrast to the normal mouse, which is most sensitive in the green region of the spectrum. This supports the interpretation of the results as normal cone and abnormal rod function in the W70A mouse. CONCLUSIONS The W70A mouse represents new model of stationary nyctalopia that can be recognized by its unusual ERG features.
Advances in TCM symptomatology of rheumatoid arthritis.

In view of the rich experiences and new advances in TCM treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, it is very promising to find a further breakthough in the field of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Treating the disease by means of differentiation of symptoms and signs is a distinctive feature of TCM, however the difficult and also the major point would be the research of mechanism of its symptomatology. The following is a summary of the advances in the study of symptomatology, especially its epidemiology, the role of immune system and blood rheology made since 1987 when the ARA criteria1 was published. ……
Værdigrundlag og forandringsprocesser

Users may download and print one copy of any publication from the public portal for the purpose of private study or research. You may not further distribute the material or use it for any profit-making activity or commercial gain ? You may freely distribute the URL identifying the publication in the public portal ? Take down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us at vbn@aub.aau. dk providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim.
Is There a Liability of Japaneseness in Least Developed and Developing Economies:A Study of the Japanese FDI in The Middle East and Africa

Given the insularity of Japan and its institutional, economic and cultural framework uniqueness, we postulate the hypothesis that the ‘’liability of Japaneseness’’ will likely hinder the Japanese firms’ ability to internationalize in settings drastically different from those found in Japan. An econometric analysis of the host countries’ economic, institutional, cultural and experiential variables was carried out in this paper to assess their impact on the Japanese Foreign Direct Investments inflows. Using the gravity equation of trade, we estimate to which extent the Economic Distance, the Economic Freedom Distance, the Cultural Distance, and the Experiential Learning Effect (main variables) impact the Japanese outbound FDIs in 31 least developed and developing countries (LDDCs) of the Middle East and Africa between 2003 and 2012. Results suggest that the Economic Distance and the Economic Freedom Distance have negative impacts on the Japanese FDIs inflows in these countries. The Cultural Distance did not show notable negative impacts on the Japanese FDIs levels in these countries. Contrary to previous research findings, host country experience did not show any significance in the increase of JFDIs inflows over time contradicting the Japanese experiential learning argument in these two regions (unlike in developed markets). Confirming previous research findings, control variables such as the natural resource endowment of the host country did not show empirical support nor did the geographic distance or the openness of a country to FDIs.
Case Report on Introducing a Production Management System in Small and Medium Enterprises: JIS Bolt Production

In small and medium enterprises that have not fully introduced production management systems, business achievements may depend on the knowledge, skills, or habits of a specific individual. When business data and other documents are prepared in longhand or when data is decentralized, it takes time to accumulate such records. For such organizational operations of small and medium enterprises, it is clear that a production management system should be introduced for purposes of efficiency because there are many reports. On the other hand, there can be several accompanying problems: deficient knowledge on the part of the software engineer, the difficulty of using a system, and a mismatch between the business and a system. The purpose of this research is to provide useful information for small and medium enterprises that are considering production management systems. Concretely, this article describes a production management system that was jointly developed with a JIS (Japanese industrial standards) hex-head bolt manufacturer. The process is described from development to use, and the improvement in operating efficiency after its introduction is quantitatively detailed.
Characterizing differences in mortality at the low end of the fitness spectrum.

PURPOSE A graded nonlinear relationship exists between fitness and mortality with the most remarkable difference in mortality rates observed between the least-fit (first, Q1) and the next-least-fit (second, Q2) quintile of fitness. The purpose of this study was to compare clinical characteristics, exercise test responses, and physical activity patterns in Q1 versus Q2 in apparently healthy individuals. METHODS A total of 4384 subjects referred for clinical treadmill testing from 1986 to 2006 were followed for a mean +/- SD period of 8.7 +/- 5.3 yr. All subjects had normal exercise ECG responses and no history of cardiovascular disease. Subjects were classified into quintiles of exercise capacity measured in METs. Clinical characteristics, physical activity patterns, and treadmill test results were compared between the first two quintiles (Q1: METs <5.9 (n = 693); Q2: METs 6.0-7.9 (n = 842)). RESULTS Small differences in age (64 +/- 11 vs 60 +/- 10 yr, P < 0.001), use of antihypertensive medications, prevalence of diabetes (21% vs 16%, P = 0.02), and dyslipidemia (43% vs 49%, P = 0.04) were observed between Q1 and Q2. When the Cox proportional hazards model was adjusted for age and other clinical characteristics, the relative risk of mortality remained almost two times greater in Q1 versus Q2 (cardiovascular mortality: HR: 4.01 vs 2.01, P < 0.001; reference group: fittest subjects (Q5)). In a subset of 802 subjects, recent recreational physical activity was significantly lower in Q1 versus Q2. CONCLUSIONS Reduced physical activity patterns rather than differences in clinical characteristics contribute to the striking difference in mortality rates between the least-fit and the next-least-fit quintile of fitness in healthy individuals.