Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Climate change and accommodation of water availability in transboundary rivers: lessons learned from the Guadiana basin

Historically, states have found it useful to regulate their relationship over their shared water resources via treaties. While treaties provide some element of predictability and certainty with regard to the future supplies of water to the riparian states, they also need to incorporate mechanisms that allow flexibility to respond to changes in the quantity of water available for allocation amongst the parties. This requirement is especially relevant when global climate change is causing freshwater resources to shrink. The legal regime of the Guadiana, as an example of a modern legal regime of a transboundary river, includes some provisions that permit the riparian states to accommodate the variability of the Guadiana9s streamflow in response to climate change within the water allocation arrangements. The lessons learned from these provisions, which include periodical update of the historical mean precipitation values, updating the flow regime of the rivers and cancelling minimum flow requirements under special circumstances, may contribute to climate-proofing international transboundary agreements within the catchments where climate-change induced water scarcity poses a major threat.
Consistent Modeling of Discrete Cash Dividends

Both basic Black–Scholes and plain vanilla binomial models price options on non-dividend-paying stocks. But most stocks pay discrete dividends, and pricing models—especially for American options—must account for that fact, which is not that easy to do without upsetting the price dynamics of the original model. In principle, the value of a stock is the expected present value of its cash payouts out to the infinite future. In this article, the authors develop an approach that greatly simplifies the problem. The future stream of dividends is separated into two parts: those that occur in the immediate future and can be predicted out to some maximum forecasting horizon and the present value of all dividends to be received after that date. The latter is assumed to follow a specified stochastic process. This structure allows available information about near-term dividends to be fully incorporated while maintaining flexibility to use a wide range of processes for the total value due to long-term dividend flow.
ClpB and HtpG facilitate de novo protein folding in stressed Escherichia coli cells

DnaK–DnaJ–GrpE and GroEL–GroES are the best‐characterized molecular chaperone systems in the cytoplasm of Escherichia coli. A number of additional proteins, including ClpA, ClpB, HtpG and IbpA/B, act as molecular chaperones in vitro, but their function in cellular protein folding remains unclear. Here, we examine how these chaperones influence the folding of newly synthesized recombinant proteins under heat‐shock conditions. We show that the absence of either ClpB or HtpG at 42°C leads to increased aggregation of preS2‐β‐galactosidase, a fusion protein whose folding depends on DnaK–DnaJ–GrpE, but not GroEL–GroES. However, only the ΔclpB mutation is deleterious to the folding of homodimeric Rubisco and cMBP, two proteins requiring the GroEL–GroES chaperonins to reach a proper conformation. Null mutations in clpA or the ibpAB operon do not affect the folding of these model substrates. Overexpression of ClpB, HtpG, IbpA/B or ClpA does not suppress inclusion body formation by the aggregation‐prone protein preS2‐S′‐β‐galactosidase in wild‐type cells or alleviate recombinant protein misfolding in dnaJ259, grpE280 or groES30 mutants. By contrast, higher levels of DnaK–DnaJ, but not GroEL–GroES, restore efficient folding in ΔclpB cells. These results indicate that ClpB, and to a lesser extent HtpG, participate in de novo protein folding in mildly stressed E. coli cells, presumably by expanding the ability of the DnaK–DnaJ–GrpE team to interact with newly synthesized polypeptides.
Comparison of Terminal and Implied Open-Circuit Voltage Measurements

Illumination intensity dependent open-circuit voltage measurements, commonly known as Suns-<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$V_{{\rm{oc}}}$</tex-math></inline-formula>, are often used to measure the current–voltage characteristic of a solar cell without the impact of series resistance. Deviations at high illumination levels between Suns-<inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$V_{{\rm{oc}}}$</tex-math></inline-formula> measurements and contactless measurements, such as injection-dependent photoluminescence, have previously been reported. These deviations are analyzed in detail in this paper and shown to cause significant errors when converting Suns-<inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$V_{{\rm{oc}}}$</tex-math></inline-formula> data to injection-dependent minority carrier lifetimes. Numerical modeling is used to identify shading and contact recombination as main causes of these deviations. Experimental data are used to demonstrate the magnitude of this effect for a range of different cell types.
Reviewing the Online Tourism Value Chain

The booking purchase process in B2C tourism online from the perspective of the quality-satisfaction-loyalty value chain has scarcely been investigated. The measurement models of the variables are not unified and essential variables, as transaction costs, need more research in order to achieve a comprehensive model of the digital tourist purchase process. This research is aimed at solving this gap through the proposal of a theoretical structural model, which is tested for the Spanish context. The results show that the measurement of website-perceived quality must include utilitarian and hedonic aspects, which can provide a competitive advantage to acquire and retain customers. Perceived quality and transaction costs determine customer’s satisfaction and, ultimately, repurchase intentions or brand loyalty. Prices are found as mediator variables fostering the effect of quality on satisfaction, and non-monetary costs act as a cause of satisfaction. The online B2C tourism business must implement efficient internal and external processes to justify perceived costs.
Pregnancy- and lactation-related folate deficiency in South Africa--a case for folate food fortification.

OBJECTIVE Characterisation of patients presenting with megaloblastic anaemia according to clinical, sociological, haematological and aetiological aspects of their disease, and use of these findings to increase awareness among clinicians and to make recommendations regarding changes in national health policy. METHODS This study included 104 patients presenting with megaloblastic anaemia to a large referral hospital over a 1-year period. Data were collected and analysed in terms of age, gender, parity, gravidity, duration of lactation, socio-economic status, geographical origins, diet, previous haematinic treatment, clinical presentation and haematological measurements. RESULTS The most common cause of megaloblastic anaemia was pernicious anaemia or probable pernicious anaemia (50%), followed by pregnancy- and lactation-related folate deficiency (32%); of these patients, the majority (28) presented postpartum while lactating; 5 patients were in the immediate puerperal period of 6 weeks, and a further 16 were seen during the first year and 7 during the second year following delivery. Only 4 patients were pregnant, and it is noteworthy that 2 of these were still lactating at 34 weeks' gestation. CONCLUSION Pregnancy- and lactation-related folate deficiency up to 2 years after delivery remains a common cause of megaloblastic anaemia in South Africa. Certain communities in rural South Africa have recently been shown to have high incidences of both neural tube defects and folate deficiency. The fortification of a staple food (e.g. maize or flour) with folic acid is feasible, inexpensive, safe and likely to be beneficial. This practice should reduce the prevalences of megaloblastic anaemia in fertile women, neural tube defects, other congenital abnormalities, intra-uterine growth retardation, prematurity and possibly cardiovascular disease. There is urgent need for a national policy in this regard.
Sustainable Growth Rate and Optimal Capital Structure

ABSTRACT Sustainable growth rate (SGR) is the maximum sales growth rate, measured from a base sales level, which a company can support without any additional external equity financing while maintaining a target Debt-Equity (D/E) ratio, given the retention ratio, b. SGR formulations available in literature do not consider variable liability as an internal source of financing, and thus, these formulations underestimate SGR. The present study proposes a new formula to correctly calculate SGR which includes variable liability as an internal source of financing, to examine the impact of D/E ratio on SGR, to construct SGR–D/E Ratio Continuum, and, thereby, to determine optimal D/E ratio of a company based on its forecasted level of sales growth rate. That is, the study proposes that SGR formulation is an alternative tool to determine the optimum D/E ratio for a given level of forecasted sales growth rate of a company. The study finds that as D/E ratio increases, SGR also increases and at one level of D/E ratio, SGR reaches its maximum. After that level of D/E ratio, SGR becomes negative. This relationship between SGR and D/E ratio is true if a company is not already in financial distress. The present study finds that based on the forecasted level of sales growth rate of a company the optimum level of D/E ratio or optimum capital structure can be determined from the proposed SGR–D/E Ratio Continuum. This is a new approach to determine optimum D/E ratio in financial management. Empirical test supports the findings of this study.
Impact of postprandial lipaemia on low‐density lipoprotein (LDL) size and oxidized LDL in patients with coronary artery disease

Background Remnant lipoprotein particles (RLPs) and oxidative stress are components of postprandial state. We investigated the concentrations of triglyceride‐rich lipoproteins (TRLs), RLPs, low‐density lipoprotein (LDL) size, and oxidized LDL (oxLDL) during alimentary lipaemia, and evaluated whether changes among these variables could be associated with the severity and extent of coronary artery disease (CAD).
Ewing's sarcoma of the pelvis: Combined surgery and radiotherapy treatment

Local therapy of pelvic Ewing's sarcoma remains a challenge because of the complex anatomy and large tumor volumes. Wide resections often end up contaminated with marginal margins in one part of the specimen. Pelvic tumor surgery causes considerable disability, because of the loss of hip function. This may cause a low quality of life for tumor survivors. The aim of the study was to evaluate the oncologic results of combined surgery and radiotherapy of pelvic Ewing's sarcoma. Functional and psychosocial outcome of the tumor survivors was assessed.
Hepatocytes release ceramide-enriched pro-inflammatory extracellular vesicles in an IRE1α-dependent manner[S]

Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is a lipotoxic disease wherein activation of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress response and macrophage-mediated hepatic inflammation are key pathogenic features. However, the lipid mediators linking these two observations remain elusive. We postulated that ER stress-regulated release of pro-inflammatory extracellular vesicles (EVs) from lipotoxic hepatocytes may be this link. EVs were isolated from cell culture supernatants of hepatocytes treated with palmitate (PA) to induce lipotoxic ER stress, characterized by immunofluorescence, Western blotting, electron microscopy, and nanoparticle tracking analysis. Sphingolipids were measured by tandem mass spectrometry. EVs were employed in macrophage chemotaxis assays. PA induced significant EV release. Because PA activates ER stress, we used KO hepatocytes to demonstrate that PA-induced EV release was mediated by inositol requiring enzyme 1α (IRE1α)/X-box binding protein-1. PA-induced EVs were enriched in C16:0 ceramide in an IRE1α-dependent manner, and activated macrophage chemotaxis via formation of sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) from C16:0 ceramide. This chemotaxis was blocked by sphingosine kinase inhibitors and S1P receptor inhibitors. Lastly, elevated circulating EVs in experimental and human NASH demonstrated increased C16:0 ceramide. PA induces C16:0 ceramide-enriched EV release in an IRE1α-dependent manner. The ceramide metabolite, S1P, activates macrophage chemotaxis, a potential mechanism for the recruitment of macrophages to the liver under lipotoxic conditions.
Development of bladder dysfunction in a rat model of dopaminergic brain lesion

Parkinson's disease (PD) is one of the most common neurological disorders causing lower urinary tract dysfunction. We evaluated the temporal development of bladder dysfunction in rat PD model where urodynamic changes were induced by unilateral injection of 6‐hydroxydopamine (6‐OHDA) into the medial forebrain bundle (MFB).
Recommendations for a standard research assessment of insomnia.

STUDY OBJECTIVES To present expert consensus recommendations for a standard set of research assessments in insomnia, reporting standards for these assessments, and recommendations for future research. PARTICIPANTS N/A. INTERVENTIONS N/A. METHODS AND RESULTS An expert panel of 25 researchers reviewed the available literature on insomnia research assessments. Preliminary recommendations were reviewed and discussed at a meeting on March 10-11, 2005. These recommendations were further refined during writing of the current paper. The resulting key recommendations for standard research assessment of insomnia disorders include definitions/diagnosis of insomnia and comorbid conditions; measures of sleep and insomnia, including qualitative insomnia measures, diary, polysomnography, and actigraphy; and measures of the waking correlates and consequences of insomnia disorders, such as fatigue, sleepiness, mood, performance, and quality of life. CONCLUSIONS Adoption of a standard research assessment of insomnia disorders will facilitate comparisons among different studies and advance the state of knowledge. These recommendations are not intended to be static but must be periodically revised to accommodate further developments and evidence in the field.
Cell electrical potentials during enhanced sodium extrusion in guinea‐pig kidney cortex slices.

1. Experiments were performed on outermost slices of the guinea‐pig kidney which are mainly made up of proximal tubular cells. 2. Kidney cells loaded with Na+ by chilling at 0.6 degrees C for 2.5 hr, when subsequently rewarmed to 25 degrees C in a medium containing 16 mM‐K+ extrude Na+ at enhanced speed for about 10 min. This Na+ movement is accompanied by efflux of Cl and influx of K+. 3. Measurements of cell potential during enhanced Na+ extrusion show that cells hyperpolarize to values about 30 mV more negative than the K+ equilibrium potential. 4. This hyperpolarization is only partly inhibited by 1 mM ouabain or by 2 mM ethacrynic acid but both agents added together suppress it completely. 5. With 16 mM‐Rb instead of 16 mM‐K the hyperpolarization is smaller. 6. A diminished extracellular K+ concentration outside of the cells, within the slice, can account for only a small part of the hyperpolarization. 7. The hyperpolarization is proportional to the rate of Na+ pumping. 8. Cl‐ seems to shunt the hyperpolarization to a greater extent than K+. 9. It is concluded that Na+ extrusion is capable of transferring electric charge across the membrane.
Dorsolateral cervical spinal injury differentially affects forelimb and hindlimb action in rats

In experimental spinal injury studies, damage to the dorsal half of the spinal cord is common but the behavioural effects of damage to specific pathways in the dorsal cord have been less well investigated. We performed bilateral transection of the dorsolateral spinal funiculus (DLF) on 12 Long–Evans rats at the third cervical spinal segment. We quantified overground locomotion by measuring ground reaction forces, step timing and step distances as animals moved unrestrained. We also assessed skilled locomotion by measuring footslip errors made while the animals crossed horizontal ladders, and examined paw usage in a cylinder exploration task and during a skilled reaching task. Ground reaction forces revealed that rats with bilateral DLF lesions moved with a symmetrical gait, characterized mainly by altered forces exerted by the hindlimbs, delayed onset of hindlimb stance, and understepping of the hindlimbs relative to the forelimbs. These alterations in overground locomotion were subtle but were nevertheless consistent between animals and persisted throughout the 6‐week recovery period. During ladder crossing, rats with DLF lesions made more footslip errors with the hindlimbs after surgery than before. Spontaneous forelimb usage during exploration was not affected by DLF axotomy but lesioned animals were less successful during skilled reaching. This is the first study which describes preferentially altered hindlimb use during overground locomotion after cervical DLF transections. We discuss these findings in relation to previous work and to the possible contributions of different ascending and descending pathways in the DLF to locomotion and skilled movements in rats.
Effects of phenobarbital on cerebral blood flow velocity after endotracheal suctioning in premature neonates.

OBJECTIVE To examine the effect of phenobarbital administration on anterior cerebral artery blood flow velocity before and after endotracheal suctioning in premature neonates. DESIGN Transcutaneous PO(2) (TcPO(2)), heart rate, mean arterial blood pressure (MABP), and Doppler velocimeter blood flow of the left anterior cerebral artery were measured before and immediately after 3 consecutive endotracheal suctioning procedures in premature neonates. Intravenous phenobarbital (20 mg/kg) was administered immediately after the first procedure. SETTING Neonatal intensive care unit. PATIENTS Nine neonates with a mean birth weight of 807 g (range, 620-1060 g) and a mean gestational age of 27 weeks (range, 25-30 weeks) were studied at age 8 to 12 hours. RESULTS Transcutaneous PO(2) decreased in response to endotracheal suctioning at each of the suctioning procedures before and after phenobarbital was given (P<.001). Changes in heart rate were not observed. There were increases in MABP and area under the velocity curve (AUVC) per minute in response to endotracheal suctioning before but not after phenobarbital administration (P=.046). Use of phenobarbital lowered the overall peak systolic blood flow velocity in response to endotracheal suctioning (P =.02, analysis of variance, interactions for the effect of phenobarbital therapy on the response to suctioning). Changes in end-diastolic blood flow velocity were not observed. There were decreases in the differences before and after endotracheal suctioning for MABP at 2 and 4 hours and for AUVC and peak systolic blood flow velocity 4 hours after phenobarbital was given (P =.04). CONCLUSIONS In very low-birth-weight neonates, endotracheal suctioning is associated with decreases in TcPO(2) and increases in MABP and AUVC. Treatment with phenobarbital attenuates the increases in MABP and AUVC but not the decreases in TcPO(2) after endotracheal suctioning.
Polymorphisms at cholesterol 7alpha-hydroxylase, apolipoproteins B and E and low density lipoprotein receptor genes in patients with gallbladder stone disease.

AIM To investigate the relationship between gallbladder stone disease (GSD) and single nucleotide polymorphisms of cholesterol 7alpha-hydroxylase (CYP7A) gene promoter, apolipoprotein (APO) B gene exon 26, APOE gene exon 4 or microsatellite polymorphism of low density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) gene exon 18. METHODS Genotypes of CYP7A, APOB, APOE and LDLR genes were determined in 105 patients with GSD diagnosed by B-mode ultrasonography and 274 control subjects. Serum lipids were analyzed with HITACHI 7060 automatic biochemical analyzer. RESULTS Body mass index (BMI) was significantly higher in patients with GSD (24.47+/-3.09) than in controls (23.50+/-2.16). Plasma total cholesterol was lower in patients with GSD (4.66+/-0.92 mmol/L) than in controls (4.91+/-0.96 mmol/L), P<0.01 after adjusted for age, sex and BMI. The significantly higher frequency of A allele of CYP7A gene polymorphism and X+ allele of APOB gene polymorphism was seen in GSD patients. Percentages of A allele in patients and controls were 62.86% and 54.38% (P<0.05) and those of X+ allele 8.57% and 4.01% (P<0.01). Subjects with A allele had significantly lower plasma total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol than subjects with CC homozygote. In a multiple variable logistic regression model, the BMI (OR=1.13, 95% CI: 1.05-1.22), A allele (OR=1.48, 95% CI: 1.05-2.09) and X+ allele (OR=2.28, 95% CI: 1.14-4.59) were positively associated with GSD (P<0.05). Plasma total cholesterol (OR=0.69, 95% CI: 0.64-0.74) was negatively related to GSD (P<0.05). CONCLUSION With an association analysis, it was determined that A allele of CYP7A gene and X+ allele of APOB gene might be considered as risk genes for GSD. These alleles are related with differences of serum lipids among subjects. Multiple-variable logistic regression model analysis showed that besides BMI, GSD was affected by polygenetic factors. But the mechanism for these two alleles responsible for GSD requires further investigations.
Sex, Drugs, and Bitcoin: How Much Illegal Activity Is Financed Through Cryptocurrencies?

Cryptocurrencies are among the largest unregulated markets in the world. We find that approximately one-quarter of bitcoin users are involved in illegal activity. We estimate that around $\$$76 billion of illegal activity per year involve bitcoin (46% of bitcoin transactions), which is close to the scale of the U.S. and European markets for illegal drugs. The illegal share of bitcoin activity declines with mainstream interest in bitcoin and with the emergence of more opaque cryptocurrencies. The techniques developed in this paper have applications in cryptocurrency surveillance. Our findings suggest that cryptocurrencies are transforming the black markets by enabling “black e-commerce. ”Received June 1, 2017; editorial decision December 8, 2018 by Editor Andrew Karolyi. Authors have furnished an Internet Appendix, which is available on the Oxford University Press Web site next to the link to the final published paper online.
Engaging Consumers: The Effect of Demography in Cyberspace

— Shopping online in India was once a luxury but now seems to be a necessity. Shopping at physical retail outlets may have its own charm but commuting is a headache. Physical stores are able to store only a limited number of products and is most preferred by those who need to physically verify the product before purchasing and perhaps engage the retailer in a bargaining process. Online shopping has certain limitations in terms of tangibility but is advantageous is many ways. Time can be saved, shopping can be done round the clock at a convenient time, websites can be accessed globally, tons of information is available for knowledge as well as comparison, there are door-delivery and multiple payment options, etc. However, the moot question is how to attract the customer online and engage the customer for a prospective purchase and future re-purchase. 416 online shoppers were surveyed at Chennai to gauge their perceptions about online engagement and loyalty.
Variable pricing and change in alpine skiing attendance

In this article, we examine two aspects of the relation between variable intra-week pricing and alpine skiing attendance at three ski resorts in Norway. First, we study what affects the probability of increased skiing frequency during the midweek if the price is reduced in this period compared to the regular (weekend) price. Second, we examine the cannibalization effect from a lower midweek price on the weekend skiing activity. Our results show that the probability of increased midweek skiing at a lower price is significantly influenced by age and income. The probability that cannibalization occurs is significantly influenced by skiing interest and family status.