Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Assessment of lower urinary tract functional deficit in rats with contusive spinal cord injury.

Traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) produces lower urinary tract (LUT) dysfunction that has been studied in surgical transection models. Our aim was to assess LUT functional deficit in a clinically relevant model of incomplete SCI to investigate how partial preservation of supraspinal connections might affect LUT dysfunction. Standardized weight-drop contusion (10 g x 2.5 cm) or complete transection, was produced at T8 in female Sprague-Dawley rats. Behavioral tests were used to assess hind limb sensorimotor function at Day 1 after surgery and weekly thereafter. The urometric experiments were conducted on groups (n = 7) of uninjured rats and on injured rats during Weeks 1 and 2 after SCI (before and after spontaneous voiding was established) as well as Week 2 after a complete transection (n = 3). Under anesthesia, the bladder was continuously perfused with saline. Changes in bladder pressure and external urethral sphincter (EUS) electrical activity were monitored. The bladder was then dissected and weighed and both the bladder and spinal cord were fixed for pathoanatomical analyses. Our results indicate that several aspects of LUT dysfunction after contusive SCI were similar to transection, e.g., reduction of voiding efficiency (approximately 5% of normal value), decrease in inter-contraction interval (47%), increase in bladder capacity (8-fold), and weight (4.6-fold). One aspect appeared different from transection--partial recovery from acute bladder/sphincter dyssynergia. Because the coordination of bladder and EUS function is mediated by brainstem pathways, partial recovery of synergy after SCI was likely due to sparing of some relevant bulbospinal projections as was confirmed by retrograde transneuronal viral tracing.
Intermediate Phosphorylation Reactions in the Mechanism of ATP Utilization by the Copper ATPase (CopA) of Thermotoga maritima

Recombinant and purified Thermotoga maritima CopA sustains ATPase velocity of 1.78–2.73 μmol/mg/min in the presence of Cu+ (pH 6, 60 °C) and 0.03–0.08 μmol/mg/min in the absence of Cu+. High levels of enzyme phosphorylation are obtained by utilization of [γ-32P]ATP in the absence of Cu+. This phosphoenzyme decays at a much slower rate than observed with Cu·E1 ∼ P. In fact, the phosphoenzyme is reduced to much lower steady state levels upon addition of Cu+, due to rapid hydrolytic cleavage. Negligible ATPase turnover is sustained by CopA following deletion of its N-metal binding domain (ΔNMBD) or mutation of NMBD cysteines (CXXC). Nevertheless, high levels of phosphoenzyme are obtained by utilization of [γ-32P]ATP by the ΔNMBD and CXXC mutants, with no effect of Cu+ either on its formation or hydrolytic cleavage. Phosphoenzyme formation (E2P) can also be obtained by utilization of Pi, and this reaction is inhibited by Cu+ (E2 to E1 transition) even in the ΔNMBD mutant, evidently due to Cu+ binding at a (transport) site other than the NMBD. E2P undergoes hydrolytic cleavage faster in ΔNMBD and slower in CXXC mutant. We propose that Cu+ binding to the NMBD is required to produce an “active” conformation of CopA, whereby additional Cu+ bound to an alternate (transmembrane transport) site initiates faster cycles including formation of Cu·E1 ∼ P, followed by the E1 ∼ P to E2-P conformational transition and hydrolytic cleavage of phosphate. An H479Q mutation (analogous to one found in Wilson disease) renders CopA unable to utilize ATP, whereas phosphorylation by Pi is retained.
A Global Alliance against Forced Labour? Unfree Labour, Neo‐Liberal Globalization and the International Labour Organization

The ILO is presently attempting to spearhead a ‘global alliance against forced labour’. This article surveys the ILO approach to forced labour, recent theoretical debates regarding forced labour and recent empirical work on bonded labour in India. It argues that the ILO ‘ghettoizes’ forced labour, and that existing theories do not provide an alternative to this, as they focus on high-level ahistorical models. There is a need to develop specific analyses of the processes underlying both free and unfree labour relations in the present context, and their relation to neo-liberal globalization as well as country-specific conditions. The review of Indian case studies and of aspects of neo-liberal globalization points towards such an analytical approach.
Chasing the rainbow: how seeking status through strategy misses the point for the personnel function

Personnel functions are increasing their involvement in human resource strategy and decreasing their involvement in operational personnel issues. This is generally seen as being fundamental to the achievement of any of the visions of HRM as a change from personnel management and the consequent increase in the status and influence of the personnel function. The paper, based on ESRC‐funded research in 214 British businesses, questions the assumption that relying on strategic involvement, while “giving away” operational and technical personnel activities, will increase the influence of the personnel function.
Characterising the Business Cycle for Accession Countries

We analyse the evolution of the business cycle in the accession countries, after a careful examination of the seasonal properties of the available series and the required modification of the cycle dating procedures. We then focus on the degree of cyclical concordance within the group of accession countries, which turns out to be in general lower than that between the existing EU countries (the Baltic countries constitute an exception). With respect to the Eurozone, the indications of synchronization are also generally low and lower relative to the position obtaining for countries taking part in previous enlargements (with the exceptions of Poland, Slovenia and Hungary). In the light of the optimal currency area literature, these results cast doubts on the usefulness of adopting the euro in the near future for most accession countries, though other criteria such as the extent of trade and the gains in credibility may point in a different direction.
Government Spending Cyclicality: Evidence from Rainfall Shocks as an Instrument for Cyclical Income

This research revisits the cyclicality of fiscal policies. To identify and estimate more precisely the magnitude of a causal effect of cyclical income on government spending, we employ annual rainfall data as an instrument for national income in the context of sub-Saharan countries. Our results confirm procyclical behavior of government spending and of tax revenues; debt and deficit are found to be countercyclical. Specifically, government spending is procyclical during upturns and acyclical during downturns. We also find that its procyclicality is correlated with corruption, especially among democracies.
European Union Regional Productivity Dynamics: A Distributional Approach*

Working within the "distributional approach," this research offers evidence of past and future polarization in aggregate regional labor productivity in EU-15. This finding is robust to alternative definitions of the spatial units used and does not appear to be the result of regional structural change. Spatial effects are found but are of rather localized nature. Turning to separate sectoral analyses suggests that past and future polarization in labor productivity across European regions may be associated with regional productivity differences in the services sectors. Copyright (c) Blackwell Publishing, Inc. 2008
p16/Ki-67 Dual Stain Cytology for Detection of Cervical Precancer in HPV-Positive Women.

BACKGROUND Human papillomavirus (HPV)-based cervical cancer screening requires triage markers to decide who should be referred to colposcopy. p16/Ki-67 dual stain cytology has been proposed as a biomarker for cervical precancers. We evaluated the dual stain in a large population of HPV-positive women. METHODS One thousand five hundred and nine HPV-positive women screened with HPV/cytology cotesting at Kaiser Permanente California were enrolled into a prospective observational study in 2012. Dual stain cytology was performed on residual Surepath material, and slides were evaluated for dual stain-positive cells. Disease endpoints were ascertained from the clinical database at KPNC. We evaluated the clinical performance of the assay among all HPV-positive women and among HPV-positive, cytology-negative women. We used internal benchmarks for clinical management to evaluate the clinical relevance of the dual stain assay. We evaluated sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of the dual stain compared with Pap cytology. All statistical tests were two-sided. RESULTS The dual stain had lower positivity (45.9%) compared with cytology at an ASC-US threshold (53.4%). For detection of CIN2+, the dual stain had similar sensitivity (83.4% vs 76.6%, P = .1), and statistically higher specificity (58.9% vs 49.6%, P < .001), PPV (21.0% vs 16.6%, P < .001), and NPV (96.4% vs 94.2%, P = .01) compared with cytology. Similar patterns were observed for CIN3+. Women with a positive test had high enough risk for referral to colposcopy, while the risk for women with negative tests was below a one-year return threshold based on current US management guidelines. CONCLUSION Dual stain cytology showed good risk stratification for all HPV-positive women and for HPV-positive women with normal cytology. Additional follow-up is needed to determine how long dual stain negative women remain at low risk of precancer.
The effects of absorptive capacity, knowledge sourcing strategy, and alliance forms on firm performance

This paper explores the relationship between absorptive capacity, knowledge sourcing strategy, alliance forms, and firm performance. Based on the literature, the concept of a knowledge sourcing strategy in alliance contexts is proposed, which can be categorised into two types: a knowledge internalisation strategy and a knowledge access strategy. From an organisational learning perspective, it is argued that a firm's absorptive capacity has a positive influence on a knowledge internalisation strategy, and accordingly a firm's choices of alliance forms are also influenced. R&D performance is also included in the theoretical model in order to generate further managerial implications. Instead of using conventional regression methods, structural equation modelling (SEM) is adopted to conduct path analysis, as SEM is well suited in verifying multiple-dependent models. The arguments advanced are supported by empirical analysis of a sample of 148 alliances.
Penalizing the Party

Many political pundits characterized the 2010 election as a referendum on President Obama’s health care reform law. The political science literature on issue voting, however, does not consistently demonstrate that these types of policy evaluations are central to citizens’ vote choices. Moreover, existing theories suggest different predictions about how the health care reform issue would affect elections across different levels of government. Studying data from the 2010 Cooperative Congressional Election Study (CCES), the analysis indicates that those opposed to health care reform were less likely to vote for Democratic candidates in the U.S. House, the U.S. Senate, state gubernatorial, and state attorneys general contests, controlling for partisan affiliation, political ideology, perceptions of the economy, and evaluations of other salient policy issues. These findings suggest that, across the board, Democrats were penalized for their support of health care reform, and more generally provide evidence of the role of noneconomic issue voting in U.S. elections.
The sld Genetic Defect

Background: Autosomal recessive mutation, sld, attenuates Muc19 expression. Results: Intronic insertion of two CA repeats within the Muc19 coding region enhances retention of its downstream intron and degradation of resultant aberrant transcripts. Conclusion: Effects of the intronic mutation explains decreased Muc19 mRNA stability in sld mice. Significance: The novel splicing regulated by CA repeats is significant given this is a frequent genomic repeat motif. The autosomal recessive mutation, sld, attenuates mucous cell expression in murine sublingual glands with corresponding effects on mucin 19 (Muc19). We conducted a systematic study including genetic mapping, sequencing, and functional analyses to elucidate a mutation to explain the sld phenotype in neonatal mice. Genetic mapping and gene expression analyses localized the sld mutation within the gene Muc19/Smgc, specifically attenuating Muc19 transcripts, and Muc19 knock-out mice mimic the sld phenotype in neonates. Muc19 transcription is unaffected in sld mice, whereas mRNA stability is markedly decreased. Decreased mRNA stability is not due to a defect in 3′-end processing nor to sequence differences in Muc19 transcripts. Comparative sequencing of the Muc19/Smgc gene identified four candidate intronic mutations within the Muc19 coding region. Minigene splicing assays revealed a novel splicing event in which insertion of two additional repeats within a CA repeat region of intron 53 of the sld genome enhances retention of intron 54, decreasing the levels of correctly spliced transcripts. Moreover, pateamine A, an inhibitor of nonsense-mediated mRNA decay, inhibits degradation of aberrant Muc19 transcripts. The mutation in intron 53 thus enhances aberrant splicing leading to degradation of aberrant transcripts and decreased Muc19 message stability, consistent with the sld phenotype. We propose a working model of the unique splicing event enhanced by the mutation, as well as putative explanations for the gradual but limited increase in Muc19 glycoprotein expression and its restricted localization to subpopulations of mucous cells in sld mice during postnatal gland development.
Learning and Asymmetric Business Cycles

It is known that a variety of economic time series exhibit asymmetry in the sense that the arrival of a recession is prompt, while the recovery from a recession appears protracted. This paper provides an explanation for the asymmetric movement of economic time series over business cycles by considering learning and information aggregation, given risk aversion on the part of economic agents. A model is constructed in which the underlying state of nature changes according to a symmetric first-order Markov process. Risk-averse agents make capital utilization choices which partially reveal their private information on the underlying state of nature. Risk aversion prevents them from acting promptly on receiving good news, while it encourages them to act quickly on receiving bad news. When this cautious response at the individual level is combined with aggregate noise, an economy-wide asymmetric time series is generated. A numerical simulation is carried out to derive the empirical distribution of movements of such a time series. (Copyright: Elsevier)
Glenoid Deformity Secondary to Brachial Plexus Birth Palsy*

The association between internal rotation contracture secondary to brachial plexus birth palsy and deformity and posterior dislocation of the glenohumeral joint has been known for a long time. The precise nature of these deformities and their pathogenesis, however, remain unclear. Twenty-five children, ranging in age from 1.5 to 13.5 years, had an operation to release an internal rotation contracture secondary to brachial plexus birth palsy; eleven had a latissimus dorsi transfer to augment external rotation power as well. Arthrograms were made intraoperatively in order to clarify the pathological changes that occur in the glenohumeral joint during growth in patients who have this condition. Seven children had a concentric glenohumeral joint (the humeral head was well centered in the glenoid fossa). The remaining eighteen children (72 per cent) had a deformity of the posterior aspect of the glenoid. Five of these children had flattening of the posterior aspect of the glenoid, seven had a biconcave glenoid with the humeral head articulating with the posterior of the two concavities, and six had a so-called pseudoglenoid (the most severe deformity, in which the humeral head articulated with a distinct, retroverted, posterior articular surface). Internal rotation contracture secondary to brachial plexus birth palsy may lead to glenoid deformity that is severely advanced by the time that the child is two years old. In patients who have such a contracture, we recommend early imaging of the shoulder with arthrography or some other modality to allow visualization of the skeletally immature glenohumeral joint.
On the Relative Performance of Linear vs. Piecewise-Linear-Threshold Intertemporal Incentives

This paper employs numerical simulations to compare the relative performance of linear contracts with piecewise-linear-threshold contracts in the case where the agent chooses actions over time. These contracts are restricted to be functions of the ending value of aggregate output. We find strong evidence that only linear contracts need be considered in comparison with piecewise-linear-threshold contracts in the situation where cumulative output is only updated periodically and the agent's utility function is exponential. This finding holds even when there are only two periods and hence one change of action by the agent. However, we find that the best piecewise-linear-threshold contract is significantly superior to the best linear contract when the agent has a power utility function. These numerical simulations also call into question the use of a cap when the agent's compensation is based on the ending value of aggregate output and the agent's effort takes place over time.
Export and Hedging Decisions Under Correlated Revenue and Exchange Rate Risk

type="main"> This paper examines the behaviour of a competitive exporting firm under joint revenue and exchange rate risk. The firm can trade unbiased currency futures contracts for hedging purposes. We show that neither the separation theorem nor the full-hedging theorem holds when the revenue shock prevails. If the correlation between the revenue shock and the random spot exchange rate is non-positive, the firm optimally produces less than the benchmark level when the revenue shock is absent. If, in addition, the firm is prudent, the optimal futures position is an under-hedge. Finally, we derive sufficient conditions under which the firm's optimal output level is higher in the presence than in the absence of the revenue shock. Operational hedging and financial hedging as such interact in a complicated way to better cope with the multiple sources of uncertainty faced by the firm.
Still a ‘Male Business’? Explaining Women’s Presence in Executive Office

This article aims to account for cross-national and over-time variation in women’s participation in cabinets. Specifically, it focuses on some key political factors which have not been tested yet, such as the effectiveness of party gender quotas. Previous literature has mainly centred on structural variables, such as the degree of democratisation and economic development. Using an original longitudinal cross-sectional sample of 23 advanced industrial democracies, this article provides new evidence that some important political factors should be considered. It finds that countries with a specialist system have a higher percentage of women in cabinet than generalist systems, left-wing parties in government appoint more women, women are more likely to receive a ministerial post when the governing party has adopted gender quotas, and an increasing number of women in parliament boosts women in cabinet. Furthermore, the article shows that these political variables perform differently through time, and that political factors have become more relevant in recent decades.
Black economic empowerment ownership initiatives: a Johannesburg Stock Exchange perspective

The success of black economic empowerment (BEE) is still not clear. The objective of this paper is to assess the results of BEE equity transfers and contribute to the development of a framework to assess the cost/benefit of transferring equity in this fashion. BEE data from 62 companies listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange were analysed using a qualitative methodology and descriptive analysis. The results indicate that respondent companies have transferred less than 25 per cent equity to BEE partners, that a majority of firms appear to support the social objectives of BEE, that external partners appear to best promote shareholder wealth, and that the primary source of funding for BEE equity transactions is third-party funding or the respondent companies themselves. Finally, the Malaysian experience of affirmative action offers some useful lessons for South Africa's BEE programme, as well as some valuable insights into the economics of wealth redistribution.
Practitioners' perspectives on the UK cost of capital

The aims of this study were to determine how UK finance practitioners derive and review the cost of capital, and to ascertain whether the final figure varied with the choice of method. To investigate behaviour in the real world a survey questionnaire was employed, eliciting responses from the finance directors of 193 UK quoted firms. The results suggest that the cost of capital calculation is subject to wide variation across firms, both with regard to the overall figure and the precise computation of its components. The intuitive appeal of the WACC and CAPM approaches appears to ensure their continued popularity in the real world. However, firms tend not to make all of the adjustments to the overall figure which academics might expect, only making simple adjustments for risk and the tax advantage to debt. The after-tax money cost of capital which is approximately 10%, is influenced by the choice of method, and firms do not appear to revise their overall cost figure rapidly in response to the environment. The cost of capital decision is of such strategic importance for the longer-term maintenance and expansion of firm value that it is nearly always made within the domain of the board of directors.
Role of Transferrin Receptor from a Neisseria meningitidis tbpB Isotype II Strain in Human Transferrin Binding and Virulence

ABSTRACT Neisseria meningitidis acquires iron through the action of the transferrin (Tf) receptor, which is composed of the Tf-binding proteins A and B (TbpA and TbpB). Meningococci can be classified into isotype I and II strains depending on whether they harbor a type I or II form of TbpB. Both types of TbpB have been shown to differ in their genomic, biochemical, and antigenic properties. Here we present a comparative study of isogenic mutants deficient in either or both Tbps from the isotype I strain B16B6 and isotype II strain M982. We show that TbpA is essential in both strains for iron uptake and growth with iron-loaded human Tf as a sole iron source. No growth has also been observed for the TbpB− mutant of strain B16B6, as shown previously, whereas the growth of the analogous mutant in M982 was similar to that in the wild type. This indicates that TbpB in the latter strain plays a facilitating but not essential role in iron uptake, which has been observed previously in similar studies of other bacteria. These data are discussed in relation to the fact that isotype II strains represent more than 80% of serogroup B meningococcal strains. The contribution of both subunits in the bacterial virulence of strain M982 has been assessed in a murine model of bacteremia. Both the TbpB− TbpA− mutant and the TbpA− mutant are shown to be nonvirulent in mice, whereas the virulence of the TbpB− mutant is similar to that of the wild type.