Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cerebral tumor‐like American trypanosomiasis in acquired immunodeficiency syndrome

Cerebral tumor‐like American trypanosomiasis (CTLAT) is an uncommon complication of Chagas' disease, observed only in immunosuppressed patients. We assessed 10 human immunodeficiency virus–positive patients with Chagas' disease who presented with CTLAT. All patients had neurological involvement and 6 developed intracranial hypertension. Neuroimaging studies showed supratentorial lesions in 9 patients, being single in 8. One case had infratentorial and supratentorial lesions. Low CD4+ cell counts were observed in all the cases and in 6 of them CTLAT was the first manifestation of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. Serological tests for Chagas' disease were positive in 6 of 8 patients. Trypanosoma cruzi was identified in all brain specimens and in three cerebrospinal fluid samples. CTLAT should be considered in the differential diagnosis of intracranial mass lesions in human immunodeficiency virus–positive patients and should be added to the list of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome–defining illnesses. Ann Neurol 1999;45:403–406
Cyclic peptide *CRRETAWAC* attenuates fibronectin‐induced cytokine secretion of human airway smooth muscle cells by inhibiting FAK and p38 MAPK

α5β1 integrin is highly expressed in airway smooth muscle cells and mediate the adhesion of airway smooth muscle cells to fibronectin to regulate airway remodelling in asthma. This study aimed to investigate the effects of synthetic cyclic peptide *CRRETAWAC* on fibronectin‐induced cytokine secretion of airway smooth muscle cells and the underlying mechanism. Human airway smooth muscle cells were isolated and treated with fibronectin, IL‐13, *CRRETAWAC* peptide, α5β1 integrin‐blocking antibody, FAK inhibitor or p38 MAPK inhibitor. The transcription and secretion of eotaxin‐1 and RANTES were detected by real‐time PCR and ELISA, respectively. The phosphorylation of FAK and MAPKs including p38, ERK1/2 and JNK1/2 was detected by Western blot analysis. The transcription and secretion of eotaxin‐1 and RANTES increased in airway smooth muscle cells cultured in fibronectin‐coated plates. However, α5β1 integrin‐blocking antibody, *CRRETAWAC* peptide, FAK inhibitor or p38 MAPK inhibitor significantly reduced mRNA levels and the secretion of eotaxin‐1 and RANTES in airway smooth muscle cells cultured in fibronectin‐coated plates. In addition, the phosphorylation of FAK and p38 MAPK was significantly increased in airway smooth muscle cells cultured in fibronectin‐coated plates compared to the cells cultured in uncoated plates and was significantly reduced in airway smooth muscle cells treated with *CRRETAWAC* peptide. Fibronectin induces cytokine synthesis and secretion of airway smooth muscle cells. Peptide *CRRETAWAC* antagonizes fibronectin‐induced cytokine synthesis and secretion of airway smooth muscle cells via the inhibition of FAK and p38 MAPK, and is a potential agent for the therapy of asthma.
Managing Earnings Surprises in Japan: Perspectives from Main Bank Relationships and Institutional Ownership

In this study, we examine the impact of main bank relationships and institutional ownership on management's incentives to meet or beat analysts' expectations in Japan. We hypothesize that close main bank relationships reduce managers' incentives to meet or beat analysts' expectations since investors place less weight on the need to achieve capital market-based performance benchmarks. Consistent with our prediction, we find that firms with close main bank relationships are less likely to meet or beat analysts' expectations. In contrast, we find that the incidence of meeting or beating analysts' consensus forecasts is greater for firms with institutional shareholders, suggesting that such investors place greater importance on achieving capital market-based performance benchmarks. Overall, our findings support the notion that banks and institutional investors play a significant role in firms' financial reporting behavior. Copyright (c) 2009 The Authors Journal compilation (c) 2009 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
What Are the Effects of Welfare Sanction Policies? Or, Using Propensity Scores as a Subgroup Indicator to Learn More From Social Experiments

This article uses propensity scores to identify subgroups of individuals most likely to experience a reduction in cash benefits because of sanctions in some of the programs that make up the National Evaluation of Welfare-to-Work Strategies. It extends program evaluation methodology by using propensity scoring to identify the subgroups of sanctioned and nonsanctioned welfare recipients. Specifically, the propensity score is used to identify the sample subset most likely to experience program sanction. In this application, the propensity score helps deal with an omitted variable problem, that of not knowing what the sanction status is in the control group (because they were not subject to the policies being tested). Findings reveal that being high sanction risk induces greater work levels and therefore higher earnings, but it also results in receiving less cash assistance so that sanctioned recipients have roughly the same net incomes as nonsanctioned ones.
FDI Spillovers at the National and Subnational Level: The Impact on Product Innovation by Chinese Firms

Abstract We investigate the degree to which the presence of inward foreign direct investments (FDI) influences product innovation by emerging market firms. We begin with FDI spillover effects at the national level, the common approach in the literature. We further examine spillover effects at the subnational level because knowledge spillovers have been found to be localized. We study both intra-industry and inter-industry FDI spillovers in a subnational location, based on the distinction in the cluster literature between Marshall–Arrow–Romer specialization externalities and Jacobian diversification externalities. Using information from more than 346,000 Chinese manufacturing firms from 2000 to 2006, we find that Chinese firms improve product innovation when they are located in cities with concentrated foreign innovative activities in the same industry. These intra-industry spillover benefits decrease quickly, however, as foreign presence increases and, at high levels of foreign concentration, are dominated by the crowding-out effect. We also find evidence of inter-industry spillover benefits in a city; diversity of industries with a foreign presence contributes to product innovation by Chinese firms.
Child behavior and quality of life before and after tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy.

OBJECTIVE To determine the relationship between child behavior and quality of life before and after tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy by means of a standardized assessment of child behavior, the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), and a validated quality-of-life survey of pediatric obstructive sleep apnea, the OSA-18. DESIGN Before-after study. SETTING Hospital-based pediatric otolaryngology practice in a metropolitan area. PARTICIPANTS Sixty-four children (mean [SD] age, 5.8 [3.1] years; 36 boys, 28 girls) who underwent tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy for treatment of sleep-disordered breathing or recurrent tonsillitis. INTERVENTION Parents or caretakers completed the OSA-18 and the CBCL for ages 2 to 3 years or 4 to 18 years before surgery and 3 months postoperatively. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The OSA-18 mean survey scores and change scores, and the CBCL total problem T scores and change in total problem T scores. RESULTS The mean (SD) preoperative OSA-18 score was 3.9 (1.5) and change score was 2.3 (95% confidence interval, 1.9-2.7). The mean total problem score was 7.3 points lower after surgery (95% confidence interval, 4.9-9.7), indicating a significant decrease (P<.001, matched t test). The preoperative CBCL total problem score was consistent with abnormal behavior for 16 children (25%), but only 5 children (8%) scored in the abnormal range postoperatively (P =.03, log-likelihood ratio test). The OSA-18 preoperative mean survey score had fair to good correlation with the preoperative CBCL total problem T score (r = 0.50, P<.001, Pearson correlation), and the OSA-18 change score had fair to good correlation with the change in CBCL total problem T score (r = 0.54, P<.001, Pearson correlation). CONCLUSIONS Behavioral and emotional difficulties are found in children with sleep-disordered breathing before treatment and improve after intervention. Scores on a standardized measure of assessment of behavior demonstrate significant correlation with scores on a validated quality-of-life instrument.
PRAS40 acts as a nodal regulator of high glucose‐induced TORC1 activation in glomerular mesangial cell hypertrophy

Diabetic nephropathy manifests aberrant activation of TORC1, which senses key signals to modulate protein synthesis and renal hypertrophy. PRAS40 has recently been identified as a raptor‐interacting protein and is a component and a constitutive inhibitor of TORC1. The mechanism by which high glucose stimulates TORC1 activity is not known. PRAS40 was identified in the mesangial cells in renal glomeruli and in tubulointerstitium of rat kidney. Streptozotocin‐induced diabetic renal hypertrophy was associated with phosphorylation of PRAS40 in the cortex and glomeruli. In vitro, high glucose concentration increased PRAS40 phosphorylation in a PI 3 kinase‐ and Akt‐dependent manner, resulting in dissociation of raptor–PRAS40 complex in mesangial cells. High glucose augmented the inactivating and activating phosphorylation of 4EBP‐1 and S6 kinase, respectively, with concomitant induction of protein synthesis and hypertrophy. Expression of TORC1‐nonphosphorylatable mutant of 4EBP‐1 and dominant‐negative S6 kinase significantly inhibited high glucose‐induced protein synthesis and hypertrophy. PRAS40 knockdown mimicked the effect of high glucose on phosphorylation of 4EBP‐1 and S6 kinase, protein synthesis, and hypertrophy. To elucidate the role of PRAS40 phosphorylation, we used phosphorylation‐deficient mutant of PRAS40, which in contrast to PRAS40 knockdown inhibited phosphorylation of 4EBP‐1 and S6 kinase, leading to reduced mesangial cell hypertrophy. Thus, our data identify high glucose‐induced phosphorylation and inactivation of PRAS40 as a central node for mesangial cell hypertrophy in diabetic nephropathy. J. Cell. Physiol. 225: 27–41, 2010. � 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
How do U.S. and Canadian consumers value credence attributes associated with beef labels after the North American BSE crisis of 2003

A consumer survey conducted in 2006 (n = 419), and therefore after the first confirmed bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) cases in North America in 2003, employs attribute-based choice experiments for a cross-country comparison of consumers' valuation of credence attributes associated with beef steak labels; specifically a guarantee that beef was tested for BSE, a guarantee that the steaks were produced without genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and a guarantee that beef steaks were produced without growth hormones and antibiotics. Considering consumers' socio-economic characteristics, the results suggest that consumers in Montana (U.S.) and Alberta (Canada) are significantly heterogeneous in their valuation of the above attributes, although consumers' relative valuation of these process attributes does not appear to have changed since the 2003 BSE crisis in each region. Alberta consumers place a significant valuation on beef tested for BSE, which is striking because Canada's current legal environment does not permit testing and labelling of such beef by private industry participants. Montana consumers' valuation was found highest for a guarantee that the steaks were produced without GMO. Effective supply-chain responses to consumers' valuation of credence attributes, for example, in the form of labelling, should therefore take consumers' heterogeneity into account.
Major Changes of a Higher Education System in a Transition Country. Romania as a Case Study

In the present study, the authors seek to define major types of change in the higher education system, having as a starting point a case study of a country whose transition has been too long and non-linear: Romania. These changes cover the spatial structure, higher education quality and the interaction of the education institutions with their environment. The spatial configuration of the education system has undergone significant changes: a) under the pressure of demand, in the period following 1989, the number of state universities has multiplied and the number of private universities has exploded; b) the provisional approval process in conjunction with the measures taken by the Ministry of Education has diminished the number of private institutions and the number of study programs of the public institutions; c) the accreditation of an exaggerated number of private higher education institutions has decreased their social responsibility.
GENETIC ANALYSIS AND HYBRID VIGOR STUDY OF GRAIN YIELD AND OTHER QUANTITATIVE TRAITS IN AUTOTETRAPLOID RICE

Genetic analysis and genotype-by-environment interaction for important traits of autotetraploid rice were evaluated by additive, dominance and additive × additive model. It was shown that genetic effects had more influence on grain yield and other quantitative traits of autotetraploid rice than genotypic environment interaction. Plant height, panicle length, seed set, grain yield, dry matter production and 1000-grain weight were mainly regulated by dominance variance. Additive and additive × additive gene action constructed the main proportion of genetic variance for heading date (flowering), number of panicles, grains per panicle, grain length, however grain width was supposed to be affected by additive × additive and dominance variance. Flag leaf length and width, fresh weight, peduncle length, unfilled grains and awn length were greatly influenced by genotypic environment interaction. Heading date produced highly negative heterosis over mid parent (Hpm) and better parent (Hpb), whereas Hpm and Hpb were detected to be highly positive and significant for grain yield, seed set, peduncle length, filled grains and 1000-grain weight in F1 and F2 generations. The results indicated that autotetraploid hybrids 96025 × Jackson (indica/japonica), 96025 × Linglun (indica/indica) and Linglun × Jackson (indica/japonica) showed highly significant hybrid vigor with improved seed set percentage and grain yield. These results suggest that intraspecific autotetraploid rice hybrids have more hybrid vigor as compared to intra-subspecific autotetraploid rice hybrids and autotetraploid rice has the potential to be used for further studies and commercial application.
Split Bond Ratings and Information Opacity Premiums

This paper examines the relationship between split bond ratings and bond yields at the notch level for newly issued corporate bonds. We find that split rated bonds average a 7-basis-point yield premium over non-split rated bonds of similar credit risk. The yield premium increases from 5 basis points for one-notch splits to 15 (20) basis points for two-notch (three-notch) splits. These findings indicate that investors demand higher yields for split rated bonds to compensate for the information opacity of such bonds. In addition, the yield premium for split rated bonds is higher during economic recessions indicating investors are more risk averse during economic downturns. Consequently, split ratings impose higher borrowing costs for firms, especially during economic downturns.
Charting the Future of Family Business Research

The authors provide insights concerning the current state of family business research through a survey that included input from more than 80 family business scholars. Findings suggest two general conclusions: first, a collective sense that significant progress has been made; second, a widespread conviction there is still much work to be done. The authors conclude with several recommendations for the field’s continued evolution, which include greater use of family sciences research, the development of innovative measures, the adoption of rich longitudinal methodologies, and inclusion of more diverse subjects and samples.
Heat fractionation and thermotolerance: a review.

A rational approach to the design of clinical protocols combining fractionated hyperthermia plus X-irradiation or hyperthermia plus chemotherapy requires an understanding of the biology of fractionated heat alone. Mammalian cells growing in vitro can dramatically increase their tolerance to thermal damage (i.e., reduce the cellular inactivation rate) after prior heat conditioning. Although the mechanism(s) for this cellular thermotolerance is still unknown, it is apparent that the thermal history, the heat fractionation interval, and the recovery conditions all modify significantly the degree of thermotolerance subsequently exhibited. At the tissue level, the role of cellular thermotolerance is further complicated by host physiological mechanisms. Few data are available on heat fractionation in vivo, and the relative importance of physiological versus cellular effects remains to be defined.
Tracing the beginning of the Kuznets curve: western Europe during the early modern period

In some respects comparative research into the inequality of income and wealth in western Europe during the early modern period is virgin territory. There are a large number of studies on the assessment lists of several kinds of taxes on (components of) wealth, such as land, merchant capital, and houses, that give an impression of the degree of inequality in this period. ' But the analysis is virtually always confined to the construction of a benchmark estimate of the inequality of wealth or of the social structure in a specific region or city. Only a few studies attempt to present a longterm view on the development of inequality based upon a comparison of data from a number of towns and villages. Nevertheless, they have not ventured beyond the observation that the late medieval sources show a large measure of inequality and that this pattern persisted in the cities of the early modern period.2 Research into the inequality in early modern western Europe is in need of a theoretical framework that allows for a consistent interpretation of the results of the various case studies. The historiography of the development of income inequality in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries has gained a measure of conceptual unity by means of the Kuznets curve, a hypothesis dating from I955.3 During the first phase of 'modern economic growth' Kuznets found an increase in income inequality. After i900 or I920 this trend ended and a process of continuous levelling of incomes began, which persevered until the 1970S as can presently be established. On the strength of these findings Kuznets argued that the relation between modern economic growth and the inequality of income displayed an inverse U-shaped curve. During the I970S this hypothesis was revived by the work of Lindert and Williamson on inequality in the United States and Great Britain.4 Despite their research, the 'upswing' of inequality in Great Britain in the first half of the nineteenth century remains controversial. In a scathing review Feinstein has sharply criticized Williamson's conclusions.5 In a recent survey
Equity Short Selling and Bond Rating Downgrades

We examine whether short sellers identify firms that have significant changes in default likelihoods and credit rating downgrades. In the month before a rating downgrade, equity short interest is 40% higher than one year prior. Short sellers predict changes in default probabilities that lead to downgrades by focusing on firms with inaccurate or biased ratings. This strategy is profitable for short sellers primarily since downgrades are associated with significantly negative equity returns. Short sellers also facilitate price discovery by reducing abnormal stock returns following downgrades and by leading bond yield spreads.
International Technology Transfer for Climate Policy

While the developed world is starting to limit emissions of greenhouse gases, emissions from the developing world are increasing as a result of economic growth. Reducing these emissions while still enabling developing countries to grow requires the use of new technologies. In most cases, these technologies are first created in high-income countries. Thus, the challenge for climate policy is to encourage the transfer of these climate-friendly technologies to the developing world. This policy brief reviews the economic literature on environmental technology transfer. It then discusses the implications of this literature for climate policy, focuing on the Clean Developmenht Mechanism (CDM) ofthe Kyoto Protocol. It concludes by asking whether the current structure of the CDM provides sufficient incentives for technology transfer. Are CDM projects providing real emissions reductions, or are developed countries simply receiving credit for reductions that developing countries could have achieved on their own? What lessons can we learn from recent experience that may guide the development of the CDM (or other similar policy tools) during the next round of international climate policy negotiations?
Pengaruh Cadangan Devisa, PDB dan Kurs Dollar Amerika Serikat Terhadap Impor Bahan Baku Industri di Indonesia

Most of the industries in Indonesia using raw materials imported from another countries. The development imports of industrial raw materials in Indonesia always increase higher than the imports of consumer goods and capital goods to domestic demand. The purpose of this study to determine the impact of foreign exchange reserves, gross domestic product and US dollar exchange rate toward import of industrial raw materials in Indonesia. The data research used is secondary data for period 1994-2013. The data analysis technique used is double linear regression with Eviews application program.The analysis result shows that simultaneously for foreign exchange reserves, gross domestic product and the US dollar exchange rate had a significant impact on industrial raw material imports. Partial test results in gross domestic product is the significant positive effect but foreign exchange reserves no significant effect on the import of industrial raw materials due to foreign exchange reserves are used for foreign debt payments and the level of imports is strongly influenced by the economic conditions in Indonesia, while the US dollar exchange rate significant negative effect on industrial raw material imports. Gross domestic product is the dominant independent variable effect on industrial raw material imports in Indonesia from analysis of standardized coefficient beta.
Polysensitization and increased susceptibility in contact allergy: a review

Genetic factors presumably play a role in contact allergy (CA). There is, however, a lack of conclusive evidence from clinical studies. This may be on account of the strongly competing or modifying impact of exogenous factors, namely the potency of allergens and the intensity of exposure, and the fact that – in principle – everybody can be sensitized. Regarding phenotype, in contrast, polysensitization (PS) seems to indicate a subset of individuals at greater risk. In human sensitization experiments with dinitrochlorobenzene, induction was facilitated in PS, and elicitation enhanced. Recent clinical epidemiological data, taking confounders for PS, such as age, sex, and other skin diseases into account, demonstrated the following: (i) PS was the greatest risk factor to be sensitized to a number of (even weak) index allergens, indicating higher susceptibility on the level of induction; (ii) patch test reactions in PS patients were generally stronger indicating higher susceptibility on the level of elicitation. These findings are complemented by reports on polymorphisms of TNF‐α and IL‐16 in PS patients. Future studies on the genetics of CA should be performed in subgroups with PS, focussing on polymorphisms relevant for CA‐specific and nonspecific (inflammatory) processes.