Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Pleiotropic anti-myeloma activity of ITF2357: inhibition of interleukin-6 receptor signaling and repression of miR-19a and miR-19b

Background The histone deacetylase inhibitor ITF2357 has potent cytotoxic activity in multiple myeloma in vitro and has entered clinical trials for this disease. Design and Methods In order to gain an overall view of the activity of ITF2357 and identify specific pathways that may be modulated by the drug, we performed gene expression profiling of the KMS18 multiple myeloma cell line treated with the drug. The modulation of several genes and their biological consequence were verified in a panel of multiple myeloma cell lines and cells freshly isolated from patients by using polymerase chain reaction analysis and western blotting. Results Out of 38,500 human genes, we identified 140 and 574 up-regulated genes and 102 and 556 down-modulated genes at 2 and 6 h, respectively, with a significant presence of genes related to transcription regulation at 2 h and to cell cycling and apoptosis at 6 h. Several of the identified genes are particularly relevant to the biology of multiple myeloma and it was confirmed that ITF2357 also modulated their encoded proteins in different multiple myeloma cell lines. In particular, ITF2357 down-modulated the interleukin-6 receptor α (CD126) transcript and protein in both cell lines and freshly isolated patients’ cells, whereas it did not significantly modify interleukin-6 receptor β (CD130) expression. The decrease in CD126 expression was accompanied by decreased signaling by interleukin-6 receptor, as measured by STAT3 phosphorylation in the presence and absence of inter-leukin-6. Finally, the drug significantly down-modulated the MIRHG1 transcript and its associated microRNA, miR-19a and miR-19b, known to have oncogenic activity in multiple myeloma. Conclusions ITF2357 inhibits several signaling pathways involved in myeloma cell growth and survival.
Ultimate ownership, institutionality, and capital structure: Empirical analyses of Chinese data

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to illustrate and examine the effects of ultimate ownership, institutionality and their interactions on capital structure in a unified framework, based on evidence from China. Design/methodology/approach – Using six years of panel data of Chinese non-financial listed firms between 2004 and 2009, this paper estimates with correlation analysis and multiple regression analysis. Findings – This paper finds that debt financing facilitates the ultimate owner's expropriation behavior. The separation of control rights and cash flow rights is positively related to capital structure, while cash flow rights negatively affect it. Compared with private ultimate owners, state ultimate owners have less incentive to reap the benefits of expropriation, implying that the separation of control rights and cash flow rights has a smaller effect on the capital structure of state-owned firms. The improvement of institutionality can restrain ultimate owners' expropriation behavior, and regio.
Carcass Quality and Genetic Selection in the Beef Industry

A lack of high-quality beef has been cited as one of the primary factors for the 50% decline in beef demand from the mid-1970s to the last 1990s. Cattle producers argue that appropriate price premiums are not sufficient to encourage the production of high-quality cattle. Although some improvement in carcass quality can be made by the cattle feeding and processing sectors, substantial improvements in quality must include genetic progress. A hedonic analysis of four major U.S. beef seedstock producers indicates that bull purchasers place relatively high values on a bullâ€™s ability to produce progeny with improved carcass-quality traits.
Reexamining the Empirical Relation between Loan Risk and Collateral: The Roles of Collateral Characteristics and Types

This paper offers a possible explanation for the conflicting empirical results in the literature concerning the relation between loan risk and collateral. Specifically, we posit that different economic characteristics or types of collateral pledges may be associated with the empirical dominance of the four different risk-collateral channels implied by economic theory. For our sample, collateral overall is associated with lower loan risk premiums and a higher probability of ex post loan nonperformance (delinquency or default). This finding suggests that the dominant reason collateral is pledged is that banks require collateral from observably riskier borrowers ("lender selection" effect), while lower risk premiums arise because secured loans carry lower losses given default ("loss mitigation" effect). We also find that the risk-collateral channels depend on the economic characteristics and types of collateral. The lender selection effect appears to be especially important for outside collateral, the "risk-shifting" or "loss mitigation" effects for liquid collateral, and the "borrower selection" effect for nondivertible collateral. Among collateral types, we find that the lender selection effect is particularly strong for residential real estate collateral and that the risk shifting effect is important for pledged deposits and bank guarantees. Our results suggest that the conflicting results in the extant risk-collateral literature may be because different samples may be dominated by collateralized loans with different economic characteristics or different types of collateral.
Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance

Twelve subjects responded to target letters "H" or "S" by squeezing dynamometers with the left or right hand. Targets could be surrounded by compatible (e.g., HHHHH) or incompatible noise (SSHSS) letters. Measures of the P300 component of the eventrelated brain potential and of correct and incorrect electromyographic and squeeze activity were used to study stimulus evaluation and response-related processes. When incorrect squeeze activity was present, execution of the correct response was prolonged, indicating a process of response competition. This process occurred more often under incompatible noise conditions, which were also associated with a delayed P300. Thus, the noise/compatibility manipulation influenced both stimulus evaluation and response competition processes. In contrast, a warning tone that preceded array presentation on half the trials, increased response speed without influencing evaluation time. The data suggest that the latency and accuracy of overt behavioral responses are a function of (a) a response activation process controlled by an evaluation process that accumulates evidence gradually, (b) a response priming process that is independent of stimulus evaluation, and (c) a response competition process.
Dynamics of the triple contact line on a non-isothermal heater at partial wetting

The dynamics of the triple gas-liquid-solid contact line is analysed for the case where the gas is the saturated vapour corresponding to the liquid, like in the vapour bubble in boiling. It is shown that even small superheating (with respect to the saturation temperature) causes evaporation of the adsorption liquid film and the true triple contact is established. It is shown that the hydrodynamic contact line singularity cannot be relaxed with the Navier slip condition under such circumstances. Augmented with the second derivative slip condition is proposed to be applied. For the partial wetting conditions, a non-stationary contact line problem where the contact line motion is caused by evaporation or condensation is treated in the lubrication approximation in the vicinity of the contact line. High heat fluxes in this region require the transient heat conduction inside the heater to be accounted for. Two 2D problems, those of drop retraction with no phase change and of drop evaporation are solved and analysed as illustrations of the proposed approach.
Geodesic Monte Carlo on Embedded Manifolds

Markov chain Monte Carlo methods explicitly defined on the manifold of probability distributions have recently been established. These methods are constructed from diffusions across the manifold and the solution of the equations describing geodesic flows in the Hamilton–Jacobi representation. This paper takes the differential geometric basis of Markov chain Monte Carlo further by considering methods to simulate from probability distributions that themselves are defined on a manifold, with common examples being classes of distributions describing directional statistics. Proposal mechanisms are developed based on the geodesic flows over the manifolds of support for the distributions, and illustrative examples are provided for the hypersphere and Stiefel manifold of orthonormal matrices.
Information technology innovation diffusion: an information requirements paradigm

Abstract. Information technology (IT) innovation research examines the organizational and technological factors that determine IT adoption and diffusion, including firm size and scope, technological competency and expected benefits. We extend the literature by focusing on information requirements as a driver of IT innovation adoption and diffusion. Our framework of IT innovation diffusion incorporates three industry‐level sources of information requirements: process complexity, clock speed and supply chain complexity. We apply the framework to US manufacturing industries using aggregate data of internet‐based innovations and qualitative analysis of two industries: wood products and beverage manufacturing. Results show systematic patterns supporting the basic thesis of the information processing paradigm: higher IT innovation diffusion in industries with higher information processing requirements; the salience of downstream industry structure in the adoption of interorganizational systems; and the role of the location of information intensity in the supply chain in determining IT adoption and diffusion. Our study provides a new explanation for why certain industries were early and deep adopters of internet‐based innovations while others were not: variation in information processing requirements.
Metabolic Alkalosis in Adults with Stable Cystic Fibrosis

Background: The frequency of metabolic alkalosis among adults with stable severe CF-lung disease is unknown. Methods: Retrospective chart review. Results: Fourteen CF and 6 COPD (controls) patients were included. FEV1 was similar between the two groups. PaO2 was significantly higher in the COPD (mean ± 2 SD is 72.0 ± 6.8 mmHg,) than in the CF group (56.1 ± 4.1 mmHg). The frequency of metabolic alkalosis in CF patients (12/14, 86%) was significantly greater (p=0.04) than in the COPD group (2/6, 33%). Mixed respiratory acidosis and metabolic alkalosis was evident in 4 CF and 1 COPD patients. Primary metabolic alkalosis was observed in 8 CF and none of the COPD patients. One COPD patient had respiratory and metabolic alkalosis. Conclusions: Metabolic alkalosis is more frequent in stable patients with CF lung disease than in COPD patients. This might be due to defective CFTR function with abnormal electrolyte transport within the kidney and/ or gastrointestinal tract.
The Ferrier Lecture 1998 The molecular biology of consciousness investigated with genetically modified mice

The question is raised of the relevance of experimental work with the mouse and some of its genetically modified individuals in the study of consciousness. Even if this species does not go far beyond the level of ‘minimal consciousness’, it may be a useful animal model to examine the elementary building blocks of consciousness using the methods of molecular biology jointly with investigations at the physiological and behavioural levels. These building blocks which are anticipated to be universally shared by higher organisms (from birds to humans) may include: (i) the access to multiple states of vigilance, like wakefulness, sleep, general anaesthesia, etc.; (ii) the capacity for global integration of several sensory and cognitive functions, together with behavioural flexibility resulting in what is referred to as exploratory behaviour, and possibly a minimal form of intentionality. In addition, the contribution of defined neuronal nicotinic receptors species to some of these processes is demonstrated and the data discussed within the framework of recent neurocomputational models for access to consciousness.
An analysis of constant modulus receivers

This paper investigates connections between (non-blind) Wiener receivers and blind receivers designed by minimizing the constant modulus (CM) cost. Applicable to both T-spaced and fractionally spaced FIR equalization, the main results include (1) a test for the existence of CM local minima near Wiener receivers; (2) an analytical description of CM receivers in the neighborhood of Wiener receivers; (3) mean square error (MSE) bounds for CM receivers. When the channel matrix is invertible, we also show that the CM receiver is approximately colinear with the Wiener receiver and provide a quantitative measure of the size of neighborhoods that contain the CM receivers and the accuracy of the MSE bounds.
Costationarity of Locally Stationary Time Series Using costat.

This article describes the R package costat. This package enables a user to (i) perform a test for time series stationarity; (ii) compute and plot time-localized autocovariances, and (iii) to determine and explore any costationary relationship between two locally stationary time series. Two locally stationary time series are said to be costationary if there exists two time-varying combination functions such that the linear combination of the two series with the functions produces another time series which is stationary. Costationarity existing between two time series indicates a relationship between the series that might be usefully exploited in a number of ways. Sometimes the relationship itself is of interest, sometimes the derived stationary series is of interest and useful as a substitute for either of the original stationary series in some applications.
Social Protection, Efficiency and Growth

Social protection can play an important role in poverty reduction and making growth inclusive of the poor. At times, it is also argued that social proection can directly contribute to growth and economic efficiency. The paper revisits the evidence on the cost of social protection to reduce poverty, and its contribution to efficiencey and growth. As social protection may overcome market failures in credit and insurance, the paper also considers the role of alternatives, such as micro-credit and micro-insurance. The evidence on social transfers (in cash or in kind, conditional or not) suggests that while they have substantial poverty and euity impacts, their efficiency and growth impact is unlikely to be high-not dissimilar to the limited growth impacts of microcredit. The implication is that the main motivation for the social trabsfers must lie in their equity or poverty impacts. The evidence on contigent transfers, made in response to shocks such as illness, drought or unemployment, as in social insurance, is that their contribution to resolving market failures may be higher, leading to potentially more substantial gains, especially where children are targeted. Given the problems with developing market-based solutions via micro-insurance, there is a strong case for social protection initiatives in this area from an efficiency point of view, to complemnet contributions-based social insurance and micro-insurance inititaives. Conditions in conditional cash transfers can also be used to enhance efficiencey gains, for example if conditions target activities or investments with clear soical externalities. the paper ends with three areas where tyhere could be potentiall high growth impacts: social protecion focusing on children, especially before the age of five; social protection meausres to make migration smoother and cities more attractive places to live for low skilled workers, possibly via urban workforce schemes focusing on urban community asset building; and social protection targeted at adolescents and young adults, including transfers conditional on training focused on urban labour market transitions. in all these cases standard cash transfers may be too blunt to have high impacts, suggesting the need for more context-specific 'smarter' social protection schemes.
Production of Magnetic Turbulence by Cosmic Rays Drifting Upstream of Supernova Remnant Shocks

We present results of two- and three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations of magnetic turbulence production by isotropic cosmic-ray ions drifting upstream of supernova remnant shocks. The studies aim at testing recent predictions of a strong amplification of short-wavelength magnetic field and at studying the subsequent evolution of the magnetic turbulence and its back-reaction on cosmic-ray trajectories. For our parameters an oblique filamentary mode grows more rapidly than nonresonant parallel modes analytically found in the limit ω ≪ Ωi, and the growth rate is slower than is estimated for the parallel plane wave mode. The evolved oblique filamentary mode was also observed in MHD simulations to dominate in the nonlinear phase, when the structures are already isotropic. We thus confirm the generation of the turbulent magnetic field due to the drift of cosmic-ray ions in the upstream plasma, but as our main result find that the amplitude of the turbulence saturates at about δB/B ∼ 1. The back-reaction of the magnetic turbulence on the particles leads to an alignment of the bulk flow velocities of the cosmic rays and the background medium, which accounts for the saturation of the instability at moderate amplitudes of the magnetic field. Previously published MHD simulations have assumed a constant cosmic-ray current and no energy or momentum flux in the cosmic rays, which excludes a back-reaction of the generated magnetic field on cosmic rays, and thus the saturation of the field amplitude is artificially suppressed. This may explain the continued growth of the magnetic field in the MHD simulations. A strong magnetic field amplification to amplitudes δB ≫ B0 has not been demonstrated yet.
Low revision rate after total hip arthroplasty in patients with pediatric hip diseases

Background The results of primary total hip arthroplasties (THAs) after pediatric hip diseases such as developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH), slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE), or Perthes’ disease have been reported to be inferior to the results after primary osteoarthritis of the hip (OA). Materials and methods We compared the survival of primary THAs performed during the period 1995–2009 due to previous DDH, SCFE, Perthes’ disease, or primary OA, using merged individual-based data from the Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish arthroplasty registers, called the Nordic Arthroplasty Register Association (NARA). Cox multiple regression, with adjustment for age, sex, and type of fixation of the prosthesis was used to calculate the survival of the prostheses and the relative revision risks. Results 370,630 primary THAs were reported to these national registers for 1995–2009. Of these, 14,403 THAs (3.9%) were operated due to pediatric hip diseases (3.1% for Denmark, 8.8% for Norway, and 1.9% for Sweden) and 288,435 THAs (77.8%) were operated due to OA. Unadjusted 10-year Kaplan-Meier survival of THAs after pediatric hip diseases (94.7% survival) was inferior to that after OA (96.6% survival). Consequently, an increased risk of revision for hips with a previous pediatric hip disease was seen (risk ratio (RR) 1.4, 95% CI: 1.3–1.5). However, after adjustment for differences in sex and age of the patients, and in fixation of the prostheses, no difference in survival was found (93.6% after pediatric hip diseases and 93.8% after OA) (RR 1.0, CI: 1.0–1.1). Nevertheless, during the first 6 postoperative months more revisions were reported for THAs secondary to pediatric hip diseases (RR 1.2, CI: 1.0–1.5), mainly due to there being more revisions for dislocations (RR 1.8, CI: 1.4–2.3). Comparison between the different diagnosis groups showed that the overall risk of revision after DDH was higher than after OA (RR 1.1, CI: 1.0–1.2), whereas the combined group Perthes’ disease/SCFE did not have a significantly different risk of revision to that of OA (RR 0.9, CI: 0.7–1.0), but had a lower risk than after DDH (RR 0.8, CI: 0.7–1.0). Interpretation After adjustment for differences in age, sex, and type of fixation of the prosthesis, no difference in risk of revision was found for primary THAs performed due to pediatric hip diseases and those performed due to primary OA.
Indicators of job strain at midlife and cognitive functioning in advanced old age.

OBJECTIVES We used data from SWEOLD, a Swedish nationally representative study of individuals aged 77 years or older, to examine midlife indicators of job strain in relation to cognitive performance and impairment. METHODS In all, 827 participants completed an abridged 11-point version of the Mini-Mental State Examination in-person in 1992 and/or 2002 and had self-reported and/or occupation-based scores for job control and demands from data collected in 1968. Seventeen percent scored below the cutoff for cognitive impairment. RESULTS Controlling for age, sex, education, self-rated health, and year of cognitive screening, low self-reported and occupation-based job control at midlife was associated with poorer cognitive performance later (ps < .001). For the occupation-based measure, low job control was also associated with greater likelihood of impairment, whereas having an active job (high job control/high job demands) was associated with better cognitive performance and lower likelihood of impairment (ps < .01). Childhood environment, midlife depressive symptoms, and social activity had limited influence, whereas the influence of both adulthood socioeconomic position and work complexity on these results was more pronounced. DISCUSSION Job control at midlife, by itself and in combination with job demands, may influence cognitive functioning later above and beyond demographic variables and other occupational characteristics.
Severe obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea mimicking REM sleep behavior disorder.

OBJECTIVE To describe the clinical and video-polysomnographic (VPSG) features of a group of subjects with severe obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea (OSAH) mimicking the symptoms of REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD). DESIGN Evaluation of clinical and VPSG data. SETTING University hospital sleep laboratory unit. PARTICIPANTS Sixteen patients that were identified during routine first evaluation visits. Patients' PSG measures were compared with those of 20 healthy controls and 16 subjects with idiopathic RBD of similar age and sex distribution and apnea/hypopnea index lower than 10. INTERVENTIONS NA. RESULTS Sixteen subjects were identified presenting with dream-enacting behaviors and unpleasant dreams suggesting the diagnosis of RBD, in addition to snoring and excessive daytime sleepiness. VPSG excluded RBD showing REM sleep with atonia and without increased phasic EMG activity, and was diagnostic of severe OSAH with a mean apnea-hypopnea index of 67.5 +/- 18.7 (range, 41-105) demonstrating that the reported abnormal sleep behaviors occurred only during apnea-induced arousals. Continuous positive airway pressure therapy eliminated the abnormal behaviors, unpleasant dreams, snoring and daytime hypersomnolence. CONCLUSIONS Our study shows that severe OSAH may mimick the symptoms of RBD and that VPSG is mandatory to establish the diagnosis of RBD, and identify or exclude other causes of dream-enacting behaviors.
The National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme in Birbhum.

textabstractThis study of the functioning of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme between February 2006 and July 2009 in Birbhum district, West Bengal reveals that in order to serve as an effective “employer of last resort”, the programme should provide proportionately more job-days during the agricultural lean season and wages should be paid in a timely manner.