Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The roles of K+ conductance in expiratory pattern generation in anaesthetized cats.

1. The potassium current blockers caesium and tetraethylammonium were injected intracellularly by ionophoretic current into brainstem expiratory neurones of the ventral group. Neurones were identified by their spontaneous activity and by antidromic excitation from the spinal cord at the C2‐C3 level. 2. The duration of action potentials increased and the early and late after‐hyperpolarizations were completely suppressed. These effects on action potentials were reversible, recovered with an exponential time course within 3 min, and could be reproduced when blockers were applied repetitively into the same neurone. They were ascribed to blockade of potassium channels in the somatic membrane region. 3. Potassium channel blockers modified postsynaptic potentials: early‐inspiratory hyperpolarizations were reversibly depressed while postinspiratory and expiratory depolarizations were irreversibly enhanced. The former effect was associated with a decrease of the neuronal input conductance. The latter effect was cumulative upon repetitive ionophoretic applications of potassium blockers. 4. The results demonstrate that potassium currents exert two different roles in expiratory pattern generation. Together with chloride currents, they contribute to the phasic early‐inspiratory inhibition. They seem to be calcium‐dependent and GABAB receptor‐controlled currents which predominate near to the cell body. 5. Potassium currents also operate throughout the postinspiratory and late‐expiratory periods. They seem to include persistent potassium currents which modulate the excitatory respiratory drive provided by the respiratory rhythm generator. We assume that these currents, widely distributed over the somatodendritic membrane area, are a target for neuromodulation by transmitters and intracellular second messengers.
Alternatives to in vivo tests to detect endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in fish and amphibians – screening for estrogen, androgen and thyroid hormone disruption

Endocrine disruption is considered a highly relevant hazard for environmental risk assessment of chemicals, plant protection products, biocides and pharmaceuticals. Therefore, screening tests with a focus on interference with estrogen, androgen, and thyroid hormone pathways in fish and amphibians have been developed. However, they use a large number of animals and short-term alternatives to animal tests would be advantageous. Therefore, the status of alternative assays for endocrine disruption in fish and frogs was assessed by a detailed literature analysis. The aim was to (i) determine the strengths and limitations of alternative assays and (ii) present conclusions regarding chemical specificity, sensitivity, and correlation with in vivo data. Data from 1995 to present were collected related to the detection/testing of estrogen-, androgen-, and thyroid-active chemicals in the following test systems: cell lines, primary cells, fish/frog embryos, yeast and cell-free systems. The review shows that the majority of alternative assays measure effects directly mediated by receptor binding or resulting from interference with hormone synthesis. Other mechanisms were rarely analysed. A database was established and used for a quantitative and comparative analysis. For example, a high correlation was observed between cell-free ligand binding and cell-based reporter cell assays, between fish and frog estrogenic data and between fish embryo tests and in vivo reproductive effects. It was concluded that there is a need for a more systematic study of the predictive capacity of alternative tests and ways to reduce inter- and intra-assay variability.
Different Flavor, Same Price: The Puzzle of Uniform Pricing for Differentiated Products

Retailers typically sell many different products from the same manufacturer at the same price. I consider managerial menu costs as an explanation for this uniform pricing puzzle, using a structural model to estimate the counterfactual profits that would be lost by a retailer switching from a non-uniform to a uniform pricing regime in the carbonated soft drink category. The results suggest that when a retail store faces even a relatively small cost to determine optimal non-uniform prices, it may be optimal to charge the same price for many products.
Asymmetry in the Relationship between Enterprises and Financial Institutions

Asymetria informacji jest zjawiskiem dotyczącym dzialalności wielu podmiotow. Jest rowniez waznym elementem relacji pomiedzy przedsiebiorstwem i instytucją finansową. Celem autora jest zwrocenie uwagi na asymetryczne relacje podmiotow, w kontekście relacji, ktorej obie strony w nie mają rownych szans i mocy. Powstająca nierownośc jest wynikiem braku rownowagi pomiedzy dwoma stronami umowy lub transakcji, tworząc podstawe do osiągniecia przewagi jednej ze stron, a w konsekwencji mozliwośc wygenerowania pozytywnego rezultatu tylko po jednej stronie.
FGFR‐4, a novel acidic fibroblast growth factor receptor with a distinct expression pattern.

We have previously identified two novel members of the fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) gene family expressed in K562 erythroleukemia cells. Here we report cDNA cloning and analysis of one of these genes, named FGFR‐4. The deduced amino acid sequence of FGFR‐4 is 55% identical with both previously characterized FGFRs, flg and bek, and has the structural characteristics of a FGFR family member including three immunoglobulin‐like domains in its extracellular part. Antibodies raised against the carboxy terminus of FGFR‐4 detected 95 and 110 kd glycoproteins with a protein backbone of 88 kd in COS cells transfected with a FGFR‐4 cDNA expression vector. The FGFR‐4 protein expressed in COS cells could also be affinity‐labeled with radioiodinated acidic FGF. Furthermore, ligand binding experiments demonstrated that FGFR‐4 binds acidic FGF with high affinity but does not bind basic FGF. FGFR‐4 is expressed as a 3.0 kb mRNA in the adrenal, lung, kidney, liver, pancreas, intestine, striated muscle and spleen tissues of human fetuses. The expression pattern of FGFR‐4 is distinct from that of flg and bek and the yet additional member of the same gene family, FGFR‐3, which we have also cloned from the K562 leukemia cells. Our results suggest that FGFR‐4 along with other fibroblast growth factor receptors performs cell lineage and tissue‐specific functions.
Liquidity and stock returns in order driven markets : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Business Studies in Finance at Massey University

This thesis examines the relationship between liquidity and stock returns in the New Zealand and Australian stock markets, for the periods of 1993 to I 998 and 1994 to 1998 respectively. There is evidence to suggest that investors are compensated for holding less liquid stocks with higher returns. However, this is the first study (that the author is aware of) to test the return-liquidity relationship in pure order driven stock exchanges. The combined use of bid-ask spread, turnover rate, and amortised spread as proxies for liquidity, also makes this study unique. Previous studies have investigated the returnliquidity relationship using only one or two of these proxies. In addition to liqu idity, other factors that have been fo und by previou · researchers to influence stock returns, such as beta, size, and book-to-market equ ity are also considered. Seemingly Unrelated Regressions (SUR) and a variant of the Genera l Pooled Cross-Sectional Time-Series Model, known as the Cross Sectionally Correlated Timewise Autoregressive (CSCTA) Model, form the methodo logica l bas is for this research. A small liquidity premium is found in both markets. This premium persists for the ent ire year in the Austra lian market, while in the New Zealand market the premium is only evident in the month of January. There is strong evidence of a negative s ize effect in Austra lia. In New Zealand, there is weak evidence of a negative s ize effect in the month of January. The returns of high bookto-market equity (value) firms are found to be larger than those of the ir low book-tomarket equity (growth) firm counterpatts in New Zealand.
Orchestrating secure workflows for cloud and grid services

The modern design of business and scientific IT landscapes is based upon service-oriented architectures. In doing so, small functional units are encapsulated as services accessible via standardized interfaces. Grid and Cloud computing both employ such services: Grid computing provides access to mostly scientifically used compute resources and data. Cloud computing is a commercially-driven, recently emerging technology that offers services to access compute power, platforms, and software solutions. Nowadays, workflows are the preferred means for the combination of services into added value service chains representing functional business processes or complex scientific experiments. However, the advantages of integrating services from all three domains (business, science, and Cloud computing) into one workflow is not exploited sufficiently. The integration of external services within workflows raises various challenges. This thesis presents a novel architecture for a workflow engine that is capable of integrating services from all three domains. It starts with an analysis of workflow life cycles and infers requirements from these. Additionally, it considers the idea of providing a Cloud service for workflow orchestration. This service offers effective means to deploy and execute workflows completely on external resources. Simultaneously, it allows elasticity and fair billing models in the context of Cloud computing. The resulting architecture is based on standards without creating a new proprietary workflow description language dialect in order to increase acceptance and sustainability. It especially targets security and communication barriers, which originate from the diversity of service providers as well as handling stateful services with default WS-BPEL activities. The architecture is evaluated with respect to its requirements and in two exemplary reallife business scenarios. Furthermore, the thesis illustrates the general applicability, with some limitations, to scientific workflows with the help of example workflows for typical scientific tasks. Finally, it analyses the performance of the new components.
Endogenous Strategic Managerial Incentive Contracts

This paper studies the endogenous structure of incentive contracts that firms’owners offer to their managers, when these contracts are linear combinations either of own profits and own revenues, or of own profits and competitor’s profits or, finally, of own profits and own market share. In equilibrium, each owner has a dominant strategy to reward his manager with a contract combining own profits and competitor’s profits. Contrary to the received literature, the case where there is no ex-ante commitment over any type of contract that each owner offers to his manager is also examined. In equilibrium, each type of contract is an owner’s best response to the competing owner’s choice. JEL classification: D43; L21
Labour Contracts, Operating Leverage and Asset Pricing

This paper studies the pricing of financial assets in a complete general equilibrium set-up. We begin with an asset pricing model a la Lucas grafted on a standard Real Business Cycles model. We provide a new decentralized interpretation of such a model in which firms make meaningful investment decisions. We then confront qualitatively and quantitatively the implications of this model with financial observations. Drawing lessons from this exercise, we progressively enrich the model by introducing costs of adjusting the stock of capital, corporate debt and risk-sharing labour contracts. We find the latter to be particularly important in reconciling the model’s predictions with observations. We conclude that additional progress towards solving outstanding puzzles may come as much from a richer modelling of the real side of our economies as from further refinements in the description of the financial sector.
Advertising Slogans and the ‘Made-in’ Concept

An important feature of contemporary international advertising is the use of verbal allusion to a product's country of origin as a selling-point. With reference to slogans used in European advertising, this article seeks to identify the main strategies adopted in deployment of the ‘made-in’ concept. The article also considers the reception of such slogans and discusses the likely role of ‘made-in’ advertisements after 1992 in a frontierless European Community.
Interstitial exclusion of albumin in rabbit lung during development of pulmonary oedema

The modifications of the macromolecular sieving properties of the pulmonary extracellular tissue matrix were studied in adult anaesthetized rabbits (n= 10) exposed to increased tissue hydration. Exclusion of albumin from the perivascular pulmonary interstitial space was determined by using the continuous infusion method coupled with direct sampling of interstitial fluid performed through the wick technique. The rabbits underwent an intravenous infusion of saline amounting to 10 (n= 5) or 20 % (n= 5) body weight. Extracellular albumin distribution volume was derived from the steady state tissue concentration of radioactive rabbit serum albumin (125I‐RSA). Pulmonary extracellular and intravascular fluid volumes (Vx and Vv, respectively) were measured as distribution volumes of 51Cr‐EDTA and 131I‐RSA, respectively, and interstitial fluid tracer concentrations were determined in interstitial fluid collected through implanted wicks. At the highest degree of hydration, interstitial fluid volume (Vi=Vx−Vv) and extravascular albumin distribution volume (Va,w) significantly increased by 38.5 and 240.2 %, respectively, compared to control. Albumin‐excluded volume (Ve,a=Vi−Va,w) was 398.9 ± 17 μl (g dry tissue weight)−1; the albumin‐excluded volume fraction (Fe,a=Ve,a/Vi) was 0.23 ± 0.01, 33.2 % of the control value. Data indicate that, at variance with what is observed in tissues like skin and muscle, pulmonary Fe,a is highly sensitive to tissue fluid content.
Sensitivity to, and production of interferon by three variants of Mengo virus.

The sensitivity to interferon, and interferon-producing capacities of three plaque variants of Mengo virus have been studied. It has been shown that the Mengo variants, which differ greatly in their pathogenicity for mice, induce the production of very little interferon in L cells or primary mouse embryo fibroblasts, and that all are about half as sensitive to inhibition by interferon as is vesicular stomatitis virus. Serum and brain interferon titers closely parallel serum and brain virus titers following the intraperitoneal injection of mice with 106 plaque-forming units (PFU) of each variant, but there is little difference in the amounts of interferon produced in lethal and in non-lethal infections. It is concluded that interferon production in vivo is unlikely to be more than a minor defense mechanism against infection with Mengo virus.
Obstacles to the liberalization of trade in insurance

Part 1 Recent developments in trade in insurance: restrictions on insurance trade regulation of reinsurance trade restrictions on insurance broking definition of discrimination. Part 2 The nature of insurance business: international insurance transactions reinsurance business volume of international trade in insurance. Part 3 Objectives of barriers to trade in insurance: protection of policyholders avoidance of wasteful and destructive competition development of local insurance markets protection for the balance of payments channelling funds to local capital markets national security. Part 4 Types of restriction imposed on insurance trade: direct barriers to cross-frontier insurance indirect barriers to establishment business indirect barriers to establishment business. Part 5 Analysis of the effects of discriminatorymeasures: effects on local consumers of insurance indirect balance-of-payments effects global economic effects. Part 6 Towards greater freedom of trade in insurance: freedom of choice in insurance and reinsurance restriction on cross-frontier insurance insurance supplied through local establishments local registration, shareholders and management differential capital and solvency regulations reinsurance regulations. Part 7 European Community's efforts to liberalize insurance trade: obstacles to liberalization freedom of establishment insurance intermediaries directive "Freedom of Services" for direct insurance trade with Third-country insurers. Part 8 Prospects for freer trade in insurance: discussions within the OECD discussions within the GATT initiative in the GATT Uruguay round negotiations conclusions.
Inhibition by neuromuscular blocking drugs of norepinephrine transporter in cultured bovine adrenal medullary cells.

UNLABELLED Pancuronium stimulates the cardiovascular system, whereas vecuronium, a derivative of pancuronium, has far fewer effects. The inhibition of norepinephrine transporter (NET) in the sympathetic nervous system may partly account for the stimulatory actions of pancuronium. To investigate the mechanism of action of pancuronium on NET, we examined the effects of pancuronium on NET activity by using cultured bovine adrenal medullary cells and compared pancuronium with other neuromuscular blocking drugs. Pancuronium (1-300 microM) inhibited desipramine-sensitive [(3)H]norepinephrine (NE) uptake in a concentration-dependent manner. Vecuronium (100-300 microM) and d-tubocurarine (300 microM) also decreased [(3)H]NE uptake but were less potent than pancuronium at clinical concentrations. Succinylcholine had little effect on [(3)H]NE uptake. Saturation analysis showed that pancuronium and vecuronium reduced an apparent maximum velocity (V(max)) of [(3)H]NE uptake without altering Michaelis-Menten constant, indicating noncompetitive inhibition. Pancuronium did not inhibit the specific binding of [(3)H]desipramine to plasma membranes isolated from bovine adrenal medulla. A protein kinase C inhibitor, GF109203X, did not affect the inhibition of [(3)H]NE uptake by pancuronium. Pancuronium enhanced the inhibition of NET induced by ketamine. These results suggest that pancuronium, with clinically relevant concentrations, inhibits NET activity by interacting with a site distinct from the recognition site for NE and the desipramine binding site on the transporter. IMPLICATIONS In this study, pancuronium inhibited norepinephrine uptake and was the most potent of the neuromuscular blocking drugs we tested, including pancuronium, vecuronium, d-tubocurarine, and succinylcholine. Pancuronium may affect the sympathetic nervous system by inhibiting the activity of the presynaptic norepinephrine transporter at clinically relevant concentrations.
Optimised probabilistic active learning ( OPAL ) For fast , non-myopic , cost-sensitive active classification

In contrast to ever increasing volumes of automatically generated data, human annotation capacities remain limited. Thus, fast active learning approaches that allow the efficient allocation of annotation efforts gain in importance. Furthermore, cost-sensitive applications such as fraud detection pose the additional challenge of differing misclassification costs between classes. Unfortunately, the few existing cost-sensitive active learning approaches rely on time-consuming steps, such as performing self-labelling or tedious evaluations over samples. We propose a fast, non-myopic, and cost-sensitive probabilistic active learning approach for binary classification. Our approach computes the expected reduction in misclassification loss in a labelling candidate’s neighbourhood. We derive and use a closedform solution for this expectation, which considers the possible values of the true posterior of the positive class at the candidate’s position, its possible label realisations, and the given labelling budget. The resulting myopic algorithm runs in the same linear asymptotic time as uncertainty sampling, while its non-myopic counterpart requires an additional factor of O(m · logm) in the budget size. The experimental evaluation on several synthetic and realworld data sets shows competitive or better classification performance and runtime, compared to several uncertainty samplingand error-reduction-based active learning strategies, both in cost-sensitive and cost-insensitive settings.
Survival prospects of treatment naïve patients with Eisenmenger: a systematic review of the literature and report of own experience

Objectives To investigate survival in patients with Eisenmenger syndrome based on a systematic review of the literature and reanalysis of data. We specifically tested the hypothesis that previous publications have been subject to immortal time bias, confounding survival analyses. Methods A systematic review of the literature was performed to evaluate survival in treatment naïve patients with Eisenmenger syndrome and standardised mortality ratios were calculated. Furthermore, we used a contemporary cohort of 219 treatment naïve patients with Eisenmenger syndrome from the own institution as a comparison group. Results Overall, 12 studies (published 1971–2013) were identified, including a total of 1131 patients. Only one study seemed to deal appropriately with immortal time bias in this setting. All other studies did not account for this effect, thus overestimating survival prospects of patients with Eisenmenger syndrome by up to 20 years. After accounting for this effect we found high standardised mortality ratios, a 10-year mortality rate approaching 30–40% and no evidence of superior survival prospects of current era patients compared with those seen in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. Only, a historical Eisenmenger-cohort from the 1950s/1960s had worse survival. Conclusions The current analysis challenges the traditional view of benign survival prospects of patients with Eisenmenger syndrome. In addition, survival prospects do not seem to have considerably improved over the last decades in untreated patients. These results support a proactive treatment strategy including a more aggressive approach trying to avoid the development of the condition.
Acute hepatitis C virus infection in young adult injection drug users: a prospective study of incident infection, resolution, and reinfection.

BACKGROUND Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, clearance, and reinfection are best studied in injection drug users (IDUs), who have the highest incidence of HCV and are likely to represent most infections. METHODS A prospective cohort of HCV-negative young IDUs was followed up from January 2000 to September 2007, to identify acute and incident HCV and prospectively study infection outcomes. RESULTS Among 1,191 young IDUs screened, 731 (61.4%) were HCV negative, and 520 (71.1%) of the 731 were enrolled into follow-up. Cumulative HCV incidence was 26.7/100 person-years of observation (95% confidence interval [CI], 21.5-31.6). Of 135 acute/incident HCV infections, 95 (70.4%) were followed; 20 (21.1%) of the 95 infections cleared. Women had a significantly higher incidence of viral clearance than did men (age-adjusted hazard ratio, 2.91 [95% CI, 1.68-5.03]) and also showed a faster rate of early HCV viremia decline (P < .01). The estimated reinfection rate was 24.6/100 person-years of observation (95% CI, 11.7-51.6). Among 7 individuals, multiple episodes of HCV reinfection and reclearance were observed. CONCLUSIONS In this large sample of young IDUs, females show demonstrative differences in their rates of viral clearance and kinetics of early viral decline. Recurring reinfection and reclearance suggest possible protection against persistent infection. These results should inform HCV clinical care and vaccine development.