Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Social responsibility and commercial broadcast television: An assessment of public affairs programming

Within the United States, it long has been recognized that the mass media industries have an ethical obligation to make positive contributions in terms of public service and the democratic process (Allen 1995; Commission on Freedom of the Press 1947; Siebert, Peterson, & Schramm 1963; Entman 1989; Lichtenberg 1990). Within the context of broadcasting, this public service dimension of mass media industries has been taken a step further, with broadcasters operating under a government-imposed mandate to serve the 'public interest, convenience, or necessity' (Communications Act of 1934). As a result, policymakers have established a variety of public interest obligations that broadcasters must fulfill in order to retain their broadcast licenses (see Federal Communications Commission 1999b; National Telecommunications and Information Administration 1997).
Compact Novel Floating Gate Offset Compensation Scheme with Low Sensitivity to Charge Injection, Clock Feedthrough and Leakage

A compact novel input offset compensation scheme with reduced sensitivity to charge injection and leakage is introduced. It stores an amplified version of the offset that is applied during normal operation on the input side through a capacitive divider. Offset compensation takes place in a voltage additive manner in a separate path from the input signal. Experimental results of a MOSIS test chip fabricated in 0.5 mum AMI CMOS technology are shown that validate the proposed scheme.
Regulation of Human CD4 1 ab T-Cell-Receptor-Positive (TCR 1 ) and gd TCR 1 T-Cell Responses to Mycobacterium tuberculosis by Interleukin-10 and Transforming Growth Factor b

Mycobacterium tuberculosis is the etiologic agent of human tuberculosis and is estimated to infect one-third of the world’s population. Control of M. tuberculosis requires T cells and macrophages. T-cell function is modulated by the cytokine environment, which in mycobacterial infection is a balance of proinflammatory (interleukin-1 [IL-1], IL-6, IL-8, IL-12, and tumor necrosis factor alpha) and inhibitory (IL-10 and transforming growth factor b [TGF-b]) cytokines. IL-10 and TGF-b are produced by M. tuberculosis-infected macrophages. The effect of IL-10 and TGF-b on M. tuberculosis-reactive human CD4 1 and gd T cells, the two major human T-cell subsets activated by M. tuberculosis, was investigated. Both IL-10 and TGF-b inhibited proliferation and gamma interferon production by CD4 1 and gd T cells. IL-10 was a more potent inhibitor than TGF-b for both T-cell subsets. Combinations of IL-10 and TGF-b did not result in additive or synergistic inhibition. IL-10 inhibited gd and CD4 1 T cells directly and inhibited monocyte antigen-presenting cell (APC) function for CD4 1 T cells and, to a lesser extent, for gd T cells. TGF-b inhibited both CD4 1 and gd T cells directly and had little effect on APC function for gd and CD4 1 T cells. IL-10 down-regulated major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I, MHC class II, CD40, B7-1, and B7-2 expression on M. tuberculosisinfected monocytes to a greater extent than TGF-b. Neither cytokine affected the uptake of M. tuberculosis by monocytes. Thus, IL-10 and TGF-b both inhibited CD4 1 and gd T cells but differed in the mechanism used to inhibit T-cell responses to M. tuberculosis. Mycobacterium tuberculosis remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, infecting approximately onethird of the world’s population (50). Cellular immune responses control M. tuberculosis infection in most healthy individuals, resulting in fewer than 10% of infected persons developing active tuberculosis (13). T cells and mononuclear phagocytes are required for successful control of M. tubercu
The effect of marketing focus, innovation and learning organization on the building of competitive advantages: empirical evidence from ISO 9000 certified companies

The purpose of this research was to study the opinion level of marketing focus, innovation, learning organization and competitive advantages, including the study of direct and indirect effect factors toward competitive advantages of ISO 9000 certified companies. The sampling group was 168 ISO certified companies. It was survey research with a questionnaire as the research tool using descriptive statistics to locate frequency, mean, standard deviation and inferential statistics with a structural equation model of PLS Graph technique. The research outcomes revealed that the majority of respondents were male in gender, with an average age of 31–40 years, an undergraduate educational level, business in Amnardcharoen province, with business experiences of 7–10 years, and with services business. Respondents valued innovation the most, followed by marketing focus, a learning organization and competitive advantages. The marketing focus factor had direct effect and total effect toward the innovation factor as the most important factor, followed by the learning organization, which had a direct effect toward the competitive advantages.
Amlodipine Increases Endothelial Nitric Oxide by Dual Mechanisms

Several experimental and clinical studies have demonstrated the antiatherogenic profile of the long-acting calcium antagonist amlodipine. Given the pivotal role of endothelial (dys)function during atherogenesis, we investigated the influence of amlodipine on endothelial nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability. Acute addition of amlodipine to segments of porcine coronary arteries resulted in a significant increase in NO release which could be blocked by the NO synthase inhibitor L-NMMA (N-monomethylarginine). This effect was mirrored by a rise in intracellular cGMP levels in porcine endothelial cell cultures. Long-term (24 h) treatment of porcine endothelial cell cultures with amlodipine (0.1–10 µmol/l) significantly enhanced the basal NO formation in a concentration-dependent manner which was abrogated in the presence of L-NMMA (0.1 mmol/l). In EA.hy 926 endothelial cells, amlodipine treatment for 24 h significantly increased the endothelial NO synthase protein expression. To evaluate whether the observed increase in NO was additionally due to an antioxidative protection of NO, we examined the influence of amlodipine in different in vitro models. In a cell-free system, amlodipine quenched superoxide anions (hypoxanthine/xanthine oxidase assay) at high concentrations (150 µmol/l). Addition of artificial membrane preparations (dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine) to mimic a physiological environment significantly enhanced this antioxidative effect. In a more physiological model of hyperglycemia (30 mmol/l, 20 min) induced formation of reactive oxygen species from native endothelial cells of porcine coronary arteries, amlodipine concentration dependently attenuated the reactive oxygen species release (>60%; 10 µmol/l). We conclude, that amlodipine increases the endothelial NO bioavailability, firstly via enhanced NO formation and secondly by prolonging the half-life of NO through antioxidative properties. This may result in an improved endothelial function.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the lumbar spine in people without back pain

Background: The relation between abnormalities in the lumbar spine and low back pain is controversial ,incidental findings might lead to additional testing & the potential for unnecessary intervention.Objective: We examined the prevalence of abnormal findings on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of the lumbar spine in people without back pain.Patients& Methods : We performed MRI examinations on 200 asymptomatic people (130 females &70 males), ages range 20 -60 yers. We used the following standardized terms to classify the five intervertebral disks in the lumbosacral spine: normal, bulge, protrusion, and extrusion.Results: Thirty two percent of the 200 asymptomatic subjects had normal disks at all levels. Forty eight percent of the subjects had a bulge at least one level, 23 percent had a protrusion, and 2 percent had an extrusion. Forty percent had an abnormality of more than one intervertebral disk. The prevalence of bulges & protrusions increased with age. Conclusions: On MRI examination of the lumbar spine, many people without back pain have disk bulges or protrusions but not extrusions. Clinical correlation is essential to determine the importance of disk abnormalities on magnetic resonance images.
A study on the ISO 14000 certification and organizational performance of Indian manufacturing firms

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify the critical factors (CFs) of ISO 14000; to determine if ISO 14000 certification results in improved organizational performance; and to analyze the levels of and changes in these CFs and levels of and changes in the indicators of organizational performance (IOPs) in relation to firm attributes considered in the present study.Design/methodology/approach – The study employs questionnaire‐survey approach to obtain the practitioners' perceptions of ISO 14000 certification, levels of presence of CFs and changes in CFs due to certification, levels of presence of IOPs and changes in IOPs due to certification. The data collected have been analyzed by using statistical techniques.Findings – The firms regard the preparation for emergencies as an integral part of environmental management system (EMS), and they seem to initially struggle to identify environmental issues that are to be given higher importance. Further, the certified firms find it difficult to continuo.
Dérivés et comptabilité de couverture en IFRS : vers une (mé)connaissance des risques ?

Face a la sophistication de la gestion des societes dans un monde plus globalise, la connaissance de l’exposition reelle des risques qu’elles encourent est devenue cruciale, tant pour la gestion des societes elles-memes que pour les acteurs en relation avec elles (agences de notation, analystes financiers, actionnaires, creanciers, salaries.). Parallelement, la technicite des instruments derives et leur volume croissant dans le bilan des entreprises, a necessite une evolution des normes comptables internationales qui s’inscrit dans un souci de transparence. Leur objectif est que les comptes offrent une image fidele de la solidite bilantielle de chaque societe ; afin non seulement de les inciter a mieux gerer leurs risques, mais aussi d’apporter toute la connaissance exigee par les utilisateurs des etats financiers. Dans une premiere partie, nous analysons le traitement comptable des derives par l’IAS 39. Nous montrons que les solutions proposees par les IFRS (y compris la comptabilite de couverture) vont a l’encontre de leurs objectifs d’image fidele et de meilleure gestion des risques, compte tenu de la volatilite excessive qu’elles engendrent dans le compte de resultat. Qui plus est, cette volatilite est totalement deconnectee de l’exposition reelle de l’entreprise. Dans une seconde partie, notre analyse de l’impact des choix comptables retenus par le normalisateur international quant a la comptabilisation des couvertures, sur la perception des risques a travers les etats financiers et les consequences en termes de comportements de gestion financiere, est etayee en nous appuyant sur les travaux de la litterature academique theorique et empirique. Nous montrons ainsi que la volatilite comptable sur le compte de resultat (meme si elle ne represente en aucun cas, la volatilite economique et donc l’exposition reelle des societes) modifie la perception du risque par les marches financiers. Cette augmentation artificielle des risques est source de modification des comportements des entreprises. Les impacts sur la gestion financiere ne sont ni optimaux d’un point de vue financier, ni en adequation avec les objectifs des IFRS.
The Role of the Institutional Environment in Marketing Channels

Set within the political economy framework, marketing channels literature predominantly has used an efficiency-based task environment perspective and largely overlooked a legitimacy-based institutional environment approach in studying channel attitudes, behaviors, processes, and structures. The purpose of this article is to highlight the importance of the institutional environment and develop a comprehensive conceptual framework that incorporates the institutional environment into current marketing channels research. The institutional environment perspective relies on the primacy of (1) regulatory institutions (e.g., laws), (2) normative institutions (e.g., professions), and (3) cognitive institutions (e.g., habitual actions) in influencing the legitimacy of channel members. Using institutional theory, the authors augment the current task environment approach by developing three institutional processes and their underlying mechanisms and elaborating on how these institutions might influence channel relationships. The article ends by laying out a research agenda and highlighting managerial implications.
Individual pitch control of wind turbine based on loads estimation

The use of wind energy for generating electricity has been constantly and rapidly increasing over last few decades and this growth is expected to continue. In order to enable even greater role of wind energy in power production wind turbinespsila sizes and rated powers must increase. As wind turbines grow in size they are subjected to extreme loads and fatigue caused by uniform turbulent winds. This prevents further growth of wind turbines. Therefore control methods that assure loads reduction become a necessity. In this paper methods for wind turbine loads reduction based on individual pitch control are explored. To overcome problems related to needed measurements of blade loads a method for their estimation based on loads measured on the fixed parts of the structure is proposed.
Elliptic curve coding technique application for digital signature

An elliptic curve coding technique application is proposed in this study. It is one of the asymmetric coding techniques and so crucial in today's world. The application codes messages between two different console screens by using elliptical curve coding technique. It is created by using C# with the class of Crypto Next Generation CNG which brings into consideration the messaging system as four different security levels. The aim is to use the necessary additional security precautions when using asymmetric techniques. Cryptography techniques are not used for connection, and messaging occurs in security level 1. Security level 2 describes the public channel for the connection between two console screens which is used for sending and receiving key pair; then messaging occurs. Public channel for the connection between two console screens is used for sending and receiving signed key pair and encrypted data; then messaging occurs in security level 3. Security level 4 is the safest one. A private channel for the connection between two console screens is used for sending and receiving a signed key pair and encrypted data, and then messaging occurs. In addition, Advanced Encryption Standard AES technique is used in applications which is one of the symmetric cryptographic techniques for encrypting data. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
IONIC MECHANISMS IN ELECTROGENESIS *

Varieties of excitable cells. Since the classical objects of electrophysiological study have been peripheral nerves and a few kinds of muscles, excitable cells have come to be identified with responsiveness to electrical stimuli. This meaning, which still persists in textbooks (cf. Ruch and Fulton, 1960, p. 37), is wrong, however, since gland and sensory cells, some muscle fibers and electroplaques and, indeed, the receptor portions of nearly every “excitable” cell are electrically inexcitable, although they do respond to various specific stimulating agents (Grundfest, 1957b, 1959a; Grundfest and Bennett, 1961). The excitable cells of the electrophysiologist would be more properly called “electrogenic cells,” for when they are excited to activity by some stimulus they tend to respond with a change in their membrane potentia1.t However, the occurrence of electrically inexcitable electrogenesis is not the only fact that falsifies the common tendency to regard frog and squid axons and vertebrate muscle fibers as the exemplars of electrogenic cells. Recent microelectrophysiological studies on many kinds of cells, carried out with sufficient attention to the details of their electrogenic activities, have also shown that the responses of electrically excitable membrane exhibit many variations. Thus, differences in effects of chemical agents on different tissues indicate distinctive membrane structures, although their electrogenic activities may be fundamentally the same. The kinetics of the different processes involved in electrogenesis may also differ, so that some cells produce brief spikes; in others the spikes are prolonged, while in still other cells the responses are graded rather than all-or-none. Graded responsiveness may be converted to all-ornone activity, and spikes may also be converted to graded responses. The durations and shapes of spikes may be modified by various agents and, in some cells, these changes can occur spontaneously. Spikes may occur in the absence of Na+ by appropriate change of the extracellular or intracellular milieu. Hyperpolarizing responses can be elicited under different conditions in various cells, while other excitable cells do not produce such responses. Accumulating at a rapid rate in recent years, these data have been regarded
Taxation and Red Tape: The Cost to British Business of Complying with the UK Tax System

Successive governments have promised to reduce business red tape, whilst doing nothing about it. In fact, with regard to the tax system, ever-greater numbers of taxes and ever-greater complexity have increased burdens on businesses by turning firms into unpaid tax collectors.Research into the costs of regulation is notoriously difficult. However, this study brings together the best work on the burden of tax compliance and administration and adds important new insights. In particular, this monograph shows the severely regressive nature of the costs of complying with the UK tax system - small firms suffer far more than large firms from the imposition of government bureaucracy related to tax collection.The costs of complying with the tax system are higher in the UK than in many other countries. The authors show that this should not be the case, and propose ways of reducing the burden of tax bureaucracy. These include radical reforms, not just to the administration of the tax system, but also to the nature of the system itself.
Uncut Roux-en-Y reconstruction after distal gastrectomy for gastric cancer

ABSTRACT Introduction: Uncut Roux-en-Y gastrojejunostomy is a modification of the Billroth II procedure with Braun anastomosis, in which a jejunal occlusion is fashioned to avoid the Roux Stasis Syndrome. This review aimed to summarize the current knowledge about the uncut Roux-en-Y anastomosis operation, so that surgeons may be able to make informed decisions about its clinical application. Additionally, we hope that our findings will guide future research on this topic. Areas covered: The original uncut technique was associated with dehiscence or recanalization of the jejunal occlusion, and was therefore not widely applied. However, with recent improvements in the method of jejunal occlusion, the uncut Roux-en-Y reconstruction may be an appropriate alternative for digestive tract reconstruction after distal gastrectomy. This review summarizes the basic research on and clinical applications of uncut Roux-en-Y gastrojejunostomy from the following several aspects: origin of the uncut reconstruction technique, rationale for uncut reconstruction based on data from animal experiments, clinical results of the uncut reconstruction, recanalization and its countermeasures, and so on. Expert commentary: The uncut Roux-en-Y gastrojejunostomy is a controversial yet promising method of gastrointestinal reconstruction after distal gastrectomy. Prospective randomized controlled trials and long-term follow-up outcomes are required to support the modified technique in the future.
Using multimedia and GUI programming in CS 1

This year, the ‘CS 1‘ course at Rose-HuIman Institute of Technology used Microsoft Visual C++ (MSVC) on laptop computers. We chose MSVC to provide as exciting a platform as possible for our students. MSVC is a powerful environment that permits us to do exciting laboratories. At the same time, it permits students (and us) to be sidetracked into issues not directly pertinent to a first course in computer science. We chronicle our use of MSVC, discussing the closed laboratories we developed and our efforts to make them stirring yet not overwhelming. In particular, we discuss how we used multimedia and Windows/GUI (graphical user interface) programming to create dramatic laboratories withcut obscuring
The Earth Is Not Round (p = .00)

Continued discussion and debate regarding the appropriate use of null hypothesis significance testing (NHST) has led to greater reliance on effect size testing (EST) in published literature. This article examines the myth that uncritical replacement of NHST with EST will improve our science. The use of NHST and EST is described along with a summary of the arguments offered in support and against both. After addressing the veracity of these assertions, the article describes the concept of the translation mechanism and compares the success of NHST and EST as mechanisms. Finally, the authors suggest changes that may facilitate translation in future research.
Gellan-Based Scleral Implants of Indomethacin: In Vitro and In Vivo Evaluation

Film-type scleral implants of indomethacin with gellan gum were prepared by solvent casting and evaluated for uniformities of thickness, weight, drug content, and surface pH. The effect of plasticizers like glycerol, propylene glycol (PG), and polyethylene glycol 200, and 400 on the void volume of free gellan films (placebo) was calculated from the water content of the films. The drug release from the prepared implants was determined using a static dissolution set-up developed and optimized in our laboratory. Based on the results of the void volume and initial drug release studies, glycerol and PG were selected as the plasticizers for the gellan-based implants. The morphology of the drug-free films (containing 10% and 40% of PG) and the drug-loaded films (before and after dissolution and crosslinked) was studied using scanning electron microscopy. Further, the effect of plasticizer concentration, gellan concentration, effect of crosslinking technique, and duration of crosslinking using calcium chloride on in vitro drug release characteristics were evaluated. Selected batches of the implants were subjected to pharmacodynamic studies, after scleral placement, in uveitis-induced (intravitreal injection of bovine serum albumin 50 μg/ml) rabbit eyes. The release of indomethacin from the prepared implants followed matrix diffusion kinetics with diffusion co-efficient (n) values ranging between 0.358 to 0.708 and seemed to depend on both gellan and plasticizer concentration. Surface crosslinking with 10% calcium chloride for 8 hr retarded drug release (1.42 times less than noncrosslinked implant) and was optimum. The pharmacodynamic studies showed a marked improvement in the various clinical parameters (congestion, keratitis, flare, clot, aqueous cells, and synechias) in the implanted eye compared with the control eye in the rabbits. The scleral implants survived up to 3 weeks in vivo.