Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The 1987 Norwegian Local Elections: A Protest Election with a Swing to the Right

In one way. Norway's local elections would seem to he a deviant case a protest election with a landslide victory to a recently established neo-liberalistic party, greater volatility among the voters, and an unusually low turnout. However, the election survey and other electoral statistics reveal a continuation and reinforcement of social and regional trends in voting patterns, trends which have emerged during recent elections.
Determinants of Capital Structure and Adjustment to Long Run Target: Evidence From UK Company Panel Data

This paper examines the empirical determinants of borrowing decisions of firms and the role of adjustment process. A partial adjustment model is estimated by GMM estimation procedure using data for an unbalanced panel of 390 UK firms over the period of 1984-1996. Our results suggest that firms have long-term target borrowing ratios and they adjust to their target ratios relatively fast, which might suggest that the costs of being away from their target ratios are significant. The results also provide support for positive impact of size, and negative effects of growth opportunities, liquidity, profitability of firms and non-debt tax shields on the borrowing decisions of companies. Copyright Blackwell Publishers Ltd 2001.
Short-term outcomes of seniors aged 80 years and older with acute illness: hospitalist care by geriatricians and other internists compared.

BACKGROUND Although acute geriatric units have improved the outcomes of hospitalized seniors, it is uncertain as to whether hospitalist care by geriatricians outside of these units confers similar benefit. OBJECTIVE To determine whether hospitalist care by geriatricians reduces short-term mortality and readmission, and length of stay (LOS) for seniors aged 80 years and older with acute medical illnesses compared with care by other internists. DESIGN Retrospective cohort study using administrative and chart review data on demographic, admission-related, and clinical information of hospital episodes. SETTING General internal medicine department of an acute-care hospital in Singapore from 2005 to 2008. PATIENTS Seniors aged 80 years and older with specific focus on 2 subgroups with premorbid functional impairment and acute geriatric syndromes. INTERVENTION Hospitalist care by geriatricians compared with care by other internists. MEASURES Hospital mortality, 30-day mortality or readmission, and LOS. RESULTS For 1944 hospital episodes (intervention: 968, control: 976), there was a nonsignificant trend toward lower hospital mortality (15.5% vs 16.9%) but not 30-day mortality or readmission, or LOS for care by geriatricians compared with care by other internists. A marginally stronger trend toward lower hospital mortality for care by geriatricians among those with acute geriatric syndromes (20.2% vs 23.1%) was observed. Similar treatment effects were found after adjustment for demographic, admission-related, and clinical factors. CONCLUSIONS For seniors aged 80 years and over with acute medical illness, hospitalist care by geriatricians did not significantly reduce short-term mortality, readmission, or LOS, compared with care by other internists.
Stage‐specific effects of host plasma factors on the early sporogony of autologous Plasmodium falciparum isolates within Anopheles gambiae

Quantitatively assessing the impact of naturally occurring transmission‐blocking (TB) immunity on malaria parasite sporogonic development may provide a useful interpretation of the underlying mechanisms. Here, we compare the effects of plasma derived from 23 naturally infected gametocyte carriers (OWN) with plasma from donors without previous malaria exposure (AB) on the early sporogonic development of Plasmodium falciparum in Anopheles gambiae. Reduced parasite development efficiency was associated with mosquitoes taking a blood meal mixed with the gametocyte carriers’ own plasma, whereas replacing autologous plasma with non‐immune resulted in the highest level of parasite survival. Seven days after an infective blood meal, 39.1% of the gametocyte carriers’ plasma tested showed TB activity as only a few macrogametocytes ingested along with immune plasma ended up as ookinetes but subsequent development was blocked in the presence of immune plasma. In other experiments (60.9%), the effective number of parasites declined dramatically from one developmental stage to the next, and resulted in an infection rate that was two‐fold lower in OWN than in AB infection group. These findings are in agreement with those in other reports and go further by quantitatively examining at which transition stages TB immunity exerts its action. The transitions from macrogametocytes to gamete/zygote and from gamete/zygote to ookinete were identified as main targets. However, the net contribution of host plasma factors to these interstage parasite reductions was low (5–20%), suggesting that irrespective of the host plasma factors, mosquito factors might also lower the survival level of parasites during the early sporogonic development.
Principles for Microwave Moisture and Density Measurement in Grain and Seed

The importance of cereal grain moisture content in determining time of harvest and in preserving grain quality is described. Techniques for moisture measurement, including electronic moisture meters, are also discussed briefly, and the need for better moisture sensing techniques for modern agricultural on-line moisture monitoring is described. Principles of microwave free-space measurements involving attenuation and phase-shift determination are explained, and density-independent functions of the grain permittivity are presented that permit reliable moisture sensing applicable to moving grain in which bulk density variation occurs. Three different approaches are discussed for determining moisture content and bulk density of grain from microwave measurement of the dielectric properties. A new moisture calibration function, based on complex-plane plots of dielectric constant and loss factor, each divided by bulk density, is described, which promises a universal calibration for different types of grain and seed. This important advantage should encourage commercial development for practical use.
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: Discourse, Policy Controversies and the Role of Science in the Politics of Shrimp Farming Development

This article revisits through a policy analysis the ongoing debate on shrimp farming aquaculture. It describes the changes in policy orientations that have taken place in recent years, and tries to relate them to the advocacy strategies developed by different networks and policy communities. The analysis reveals in particular the crucial contribution of the 'power of expertise' and shows how it has been instrumentalised by certain advocacy networks to depoliticise the debate. While this has allowed a number of key stakeholders to refocus the debate on technical solutions, it has prevented other groups concerned with more intractable social and political issues from engaging successfully in the policy process, thus leaving the long-term sustainability of aquaculture still a contentious issue. Copyright Overseas Development Institute, 2005.
In Vivo Evidence that Lithium Inactivates Gi Modulation of Adenylate Cyclase in Brain

In vivo microdialysis of cyclic AMP from prefron‐tal cortex complemented by ex vivo measures was used to investigate the possibility that lithium produces functional changes in G proteins that could account for its effects on adenylate cyclase activity. Four weeks of lithium administration (serum lithium concentration of 0.85 ±0.05 mM; n= 11) significantly increased the basal cyclic AMP content in dialysate from prefrontal cortex of anesthetized rats. Forskolin infused through the probe increased dialysate cyclic AMP, but the magnitude of this increase was unaffected by chronic lithium administration. Inactivation of the inhibitory guanine nucleotide binding protein Gi with pertussis toxin increased dialysate cyclic AMP in control rats, as did stimulation with cholera toxin (which activates the stimulatory guanine nucleotide binding protein Gs). The effect of pertussis toxin was abolished following chronic lithium, whereas the increase in cyclic AMP after cholera toxin was enhanced. In vitro pertussis toxin‐catalyzed ADP ribosyla‐tion of αi (and αo) was increased by 20% in prefrontal cortex from lithium‐treated rats, but the αi and αs contents (as determined by immunoblot) as well as the cholera toxin‐catalyzed ADP ribosylation of αs were unchanged. Taken together, these results suggest that chronic lithium administration may interfere with the dissociation of Gi into its active components and thereby remove a tonic inhibitory influence on adenylate cyclase, with resultant enhanced basal and cholera toxin‐stimulated adenylate cyclase activity.
Do Government Subsidies To Nonprofits Crowd Out Donations or Donors?

The traditional test of the public-goods crowding-out effect may mask important impacts of government subsidies on private giving because it confounds the effects of subsidies on average donation size versus their effects on the number of donors. Using panel data on the U.S. nonprofit sector, the author shows that, although increased public funding has a neutral effect on total donations, it is associated with decreased average donations but a larger pool of donors.
How Severe is the Time Inconsistency Problem in Monetary Policy?

We analyze two monetary economies - a cash-credit good model and a limited participation model. In our models, monetary policy is made by a benevolent policymaker who cannot commit to future policies. We define and analyze Markov equilibrium in these economies. We show that there is no time inconsistency problem for a wide range of parameter values.
Compressive Myelopathy in Congenital Kyphosis of the Upper Thoracic Spine: A Retrospective Study of 6 Cases.

STUDY DESIGN A retrospective study. OBJECTIVE The goal of this retrospective study was to describe the uncommon presentation of neurological deficits in patients with congenital kyphosis of the upper thoracic spine (T1-T4). SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA Congenital kyphosis is an uncommon deformity but can potentially lead to spinal cord compression and paraplegia, particularly in type I (failure of formation) deformities. Few reports have described compressive myelopathy associated with congenital kyphosis of the upper thoracic spine. METHODS Six patients with congenital kyphosis of the upper thoracic spine, including 2 adults and 4 pediatric patients, developed progressive or sudden onset of paraplegia. Angles of kyphosis ranged from 75 to 120 degrees. Magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated spinal cord thinning and compression at the kyphotic apex in all patients. All patients underwent decompressive and correctional surgery by single-stage posterior vertebral column resection or 2-stage anterior corpectomy fusion and posterior fixation. Neurological status was evaluated using the ASIA impairment classification and the motor score. RESULTS Postoperatively, all patients had 25%-80% correction of kyphosis. All patients improved neurologically between 0 and 2 ASIA scales after surgery. Among them, an adolescent patient presenting as acute ASIA A improved to ASIA E within 1 year after surgery. Another adolescent patient deteriorated from preoperative ASIA C to ASIA A in the immediate postoperative period but improved to ASIA D within 1 year after surgery. CONCLUSIONS Congenital kyphosis of the upper thoracic spine has a high incidence of compressive myelopathy. Duration from onset of paraplegia to surgical intervention and severity of preoperative paraplegia are 2 key factors in determining neurological prognosis after surgery.
WEED CONTROL DECISION RULES UNDER UNCERTAINTY

A model of weed control, which took into account the stochastic nature of crop price, yield, and weed density, was developed to assist farmers in determining weed densities that justify herbicide application and the optimal rate of application. In an application of cocklebur control in soybeans, it was found that the value of following the "if-then-else" treatment strategy versus a fixed application rate regardless of weed density was approximately $25 per acre at low weed numbers. Profits of the marginal treatment strategy are higher than the "if-then-else" strategy, but may not be sufficient to cover the additional informational costs. Under both strategies, the total amount of herbicide applied decreases with increases in uncertainty under the assumption of risk neutrality. The result is due to the convex relationship between weed density and yield loss. Under the assumption of maximizing expected utility, there are instances in which herbicide use increases with risk aversion as per conventional wisdom.
The Politics of Economic Restructuring in Vietnam: The Case of State-owned Enterprise "Reform"

State-owned enterprise (SOE) reform is a key element in the Vietnamese Government's programme of doi moi, under which marketization and integration into the global economy are occurring. However, party policy prescribes a continuing strategic economic role for SOEs. "Equitization" is confined mainly to smaller or loss-making enterprises, while the state sector is undergoing various forms of "commercialization". Many observers, particularly advocates of privatization, note the slow implementation and apparent incoherence of restructuring policies since 1987, and point to "reform failure" and a "weak state". On the contrary, the state is successfully managing a complex domestic political process in which state business interests defend their commercial privileges against unwelcome restructuring proposals. At the same time, central state actors are deflecting demands from international donors for more rapid reform, while using aid and technical assistance to strengthen state control. In the process, a considerable degree of commercial restructuring seems to be taking place. Apparent gaps in hierarchical control and policy incoherence mask a situation in which a variety of state and party actors with conflicting interests find mutual accommodation within a broad framework of party-sanctioned policy settings.
The origin and evolution of fragrance in rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Fragrance in the grain is one of the most highly valued grain quality traits in rice, yet the origin and evolution of the betaine aldehyde dehydrogenase gene (BADH2) underlying this trait remains unclear. In this study, we identify eight putatively nonfunctional alleles of the BADH2 gene and show that these alleles have distinct geographic and genetic origins. Despite multiple origins of the fragrance trait, a single allele, badh2.1, is the predominant allele in virtually all fragrant rice varieties today, including the widely recognized Basmati and Jasmine types. Haplotype analysis allowed us to establish a single origin of the badh2.1 allele within the Japonica varietal group and demonstrate the introgression of this allele from Japonica to Indica. Basmati-like accessions were nearly identical to the ancestral Japonica haplotype across a 5.3-Mb region flanking BADH2 regardless of their fragrance phenotype, demonstrating a close evolutionary relationship between Basmati varieties and the Japonica gene pool. These results clarify the relationships among fragrant rice varieties and challenge the traditional assumption that the fragrance trait arose in the Indica varietal group.
Returns to Scale in the Life Insurance Industry

In this paper the long-run cost curve for the Canadian life insurance industry is estimated with an output measure consisting of a weighted sum of activities. It is shown that previous studies of returns to scale in life insurance used biased proxies for output which led to exaggerated estimates of the degree of returns to scale. Statistically significant (but not economically significant) returns to scale appear to exist in the Canadian industry, but the evidence is not conclusive.
The integrin alphav beta 3 increases cellular stiffness and cytoskeletal remodeling dynamics to facilitate cancer cell invasion

The process of cancer cell invasion through the extracellular matrix (ECM) of connective tissue plays a prominent role in tumor progression and is based fundamentally on biomechanics. Cancer cell invasion usually requires cell adhesion to the ECM through the cell-matrix adhesion receptors integrins. The expression of the αvβ3 integrin is increased in several tumor types and is consistently associated with increased metastasis formation in patients. The hypothesis was that the αvβ3 integrin expression increases the invasiveness of cancer cells through increased cellular stiffness, and increased cytoskeletal remodeling dynamics. Here, the invasion of cancer cells with different αvβ3 integrin expression levels into dense three-dimensional (3D) ECMs has been studied. Using a cell sorter, two subcell lines expressing either high or low amounts of αvβ3 integrins (αvβ3high or αvβ3low cells, respectively) have been isolated from parental MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. αvβ3high cells showed a threefold increased cell invasion compared to αvβ3low cells. Similar results were obtained for A375 melanoma, 786-O kidney and T24 bladder carcinoma cells, and cells in which the β3 integrin subunit was knocked down using specific siRNA. To investigate whether contractile forces are essential for αvβ3 integrin-mediated increased cellular stiffness and subsequently enhanced Content from this work may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercialShareAlike 3.0 licence. Any further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the title of the work, journal citation and DOI. New Journal of Physics 15 (2013) 015003 1367-2630/13/015003+23$33.00 © IOP Publishing Ltd and Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft 2 cancer cell invasion, invasion assays were performed in the presence of myosin light chain kinase inhibitor ML-7 and Rho kinase inhibitor Y27632. Indeed, cancer cell invasiveness was reduced after addition of ML-7 and Y27632 in αvβ3high cells but not in αvβ3low cells. Moreover, after addition of the contractility enhancer calyculin A, an increase in pre-stress in αvβ3low cells was observed, which enhanced cellular invasiveness. In addition, inhibition of the Src kinase, STAT3 or Rac1 strongly reduced the invasiveness of αvβ3high cells, whereas the invasiveness of β3 specific knock-down cells and αvβ3low cells was not altered. In summary, these results suggest that the αvβ3 integrin enhances cancer cell invasion through increased cellular stiffness and enhanced cytoskeletal remodeling dynamics, which enables the cells to generate and transmit contractile forces to overcome the steric hindrance of 3D ECMs. S Online supplementary data available from stacks.iop. org/NJP/15/015003/ mmedia
Time and Space in Event Behaviour: Tracking Visitors by GPS

Abstract Research on tourist mobility in combination with the tourists’ experiences has been rare to date. Previous studies focusing on the activities of tourists in time and space have most often used the method of time–space diaries. However, an important flaw in this method is that these recordings depend on the respondents’ personal observations and notes. This disadvantage is avoided by using Global Positioning Systems (GPS) devices, which record their carriers’ movements directly, thus replacing personal notes. This new method was used to study the time–space movements of visitors during the Biathlon World Championships 2008 in Östersund, Sweden. In addition to the GPS devices, questionnaires were used to study the tourists’ movements and experiences. In trying to combine methods to support the event analysis, the aim of the study is to evaluate the practicability of GPS devices during an outdoor sports event. Movements and experiences in time and space are studied. In order to answer questions regarding the visitors’ movements on a macro-level, these methods were combined with bird's-eye view photographs taken of the race arena every minute. The overall results of this study thereby contribute to our understanding of time–space movements. The questionnaires offer comprehensive background information about the participants and their experiences, although some modifications will have to be made in future studies. The information provided by the photographs substantially complements the itineraries collected by means of GPS.
Stable Isotope Fractionation of Tetrachloroethene during Reductive Dechlorination by Sulfurospirillum multivorans and Desulfitobacterium sp. Strain PCE-S and Abiotic Reactions with Cyanocobalamin

ABSTRACT Carbon stable isotope fractionation of tetrachloroethene (PCE) during reductive dechlorination by whole cells and crude extracts of Sulfurospirillum multivorans and Desulfitobacterium sp. strain PCE-S and the abiotic reaction with cyanocobalamin (vitamin B12) was studied. Fractionation was largest during the reaction with cyanocobalamin with αC = 1.0132. Stable isotope fractionation was lower but still in a similar order of magnitude for Desulfitobacterium sp. PCE-S (αC = 1.0052 to 1.0098). The isotope fractionation of PCE during dehalogenation by S. multivorans was lower by 1 order of magnitude (αC = 1.00042 to 1.0017). Additionally, an increase in isotope fractionation was observed with a decrease in cell integrity for both strains. For Desulfitobacterium sp. strain PCE-S, the carbon stable isotope fractionation factors were 1.0052 and 1.0089 for growing cells and crude extracts, respectively. For S. multivorans, αC values were 1.00042, 1.00097, and 1.0017 for growing cells, crude extracts, and the purified PCE reductive dehalogenase, respectively. For the field application of stable isotope fractionation, care is needed as fractionation may vary by more than an order of magnitude depending on the bacteria present, responsible for degradation.
Cultural districts and the challenge of authenticity: the case of Piedmont, Italy

Despite the globalizing nature of contemporary cultural artefacts, in many cases creativity seems to be still very much grounded in local geographic, social and economic contexts. In particular, many authors have recently highlighted the increasing relevance of local cultural districts. This article tries to investigate how and why certain public policies could be more effective in developing an area into a cultural district. In doing so, we will analyse the case of Piedmont's; music district, particularly focusing on the role of public policies in its development, and interpreting the evidences through the theoretical perspective of authenticity.