Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Neighbourhood effects and social behaviour: the case of irrigated and rainfed farmeres in Bohol, the Philippines

Artefactual field experiments, spatial econometrics, and household survey are blended in a single study to investigate how the experience of collective irrigation management in the real world facilitates the spillover of social behaviour among neighbours. The dictator and public goods games are conducted among irrigated and non-irrigated rice farmers in the Philippines. The spillover effect is found only among irrigated farmers. In the public goods game, punishment through social disapproval reduces free-riding more effectively among irrigated farmers. These indicate that strengthened ties among neighbours are likely to induce the spillover of social norms together with an effective punishment mechanism.
The Business Case for Women′s Equality

Outlines women′s continuing pay and employment disadvantage in Britain. Discusses limitations of the legal compliance approach to equal opportunity. Examines critically the business case for EO (that it serves organizational competitiveness). Argues there is not a business case but a series of business rationales which are contingent. Organizational and managerial receptiveness to them is uneven, and they lead to only selective action. Argues that the business case “carrot” shares a similar weakness to the legal compliance “stick”. Calls for action beyond the individual organization in a multi‐pronged approach requiring state action, in which equality legislation and business case rationales each have a part to play.
The Relation between Total Employment and Cooperative Employment: A Convergence and Causality Analysis

Abstract The article analyses the evolution of the employment created by cooperative societies and its relationship with total employment in Spain during 1994–2007. We focus, first, on the comparison of the convergence processes of cooperative and total employments and second, on their relationship, in the Granger sense. For this, we use the institutional approach, which assumes the existence of a different degree of relationship between the cooperative societies and their environment according to the number of these societies in a region. Results show that the evolutions of cooperative and total employment are opposite and that total employment influences cooperative employment at the aggregate level.
Gene expression and viral prodution in latently infected, resting CD4+ T cells in viremic versus aviremic HIV-infected individuals

The presence of HIV-1 in latently infected, resting CD4+ T cells has been clearly demonstrated in infected individuals; however, the extent of viral expression and the underlying mechanisms of the persistence of HIV-1 in this viral reservoir have not been fully delineated. Here, we show that resting CD4+ T cells from the majority of viremic patients are capable of producing cell-free HIV-1 spontaneously ex vivo. The levels of HIV-1 released by resting CD4+ T cells were not significantly reduced in the presence of inhibitors of cellular proliferation and viral replication. However, resting CD4+ T cells from the majority of aviremic patients failed to produce virions, despite levels of HIV-1 proviral DNA and cell-associated HIV-1 RNA comparable to viremic patients. The DNA microarray analysis demonstrated that a number of genes involving transcription regulation, RNA processing and modification, and protein trafficking and vesicle transport were significantly upregulated in resting CD4+ T cells of viremic patients compared to those of aviremic patients. These results suggest that active viral replication has a significant impact on the physiologic state of resting CD4+ T cells in infected viremic patients and, in turn, allows release of HIV-1 without exogenous activation stimuli. In addition, given that no quantifiable virions were produced by the latent viral reservoir in the majority of aviremic patients despite the presence of cell-associated HIV-1 RNA, evidence for transcription of HIV-1 RNA in resting CD4+ T cells of aviremic patients should not necessarily be taken as direct evidence for ongoing viral replication during effective therapy.
Does Financing Spur Small Business Productivity? Evidence from a Natural Experiment

We analyze how increased access to financing affects firm total factor productivity (TFP) by exploiting a natural experiment following interstate banking deregulations which increased access to bank financing. We find that firms' TFP increases after their states implement these deregulations. Using a regression discontinuity approach based on Small Business Administration's funding eligibility criteria, we show that TFP increases following the deregulations are significantly greater for financially constrained firms. Our results suggest that greater access to financing allows financially constrained firms to invest in productive projects that may otherwise not be taken up.
Social and developmental influences on urinary androgen levels in young male white‐faced marmosets (Callithrix geoffroyi)

Callitrichine primates (marmosets and tamarins) often remain in their natal groups beyond the time of sexual maturity. Although studies have characterized the development of female reproductive function in callitrichine offspring, less is known about the male reproductive development. To document reproductive development in male marmosets, we monitored urinary androgen (uA) excretion in males housed in a captive colony of white‐faced marmosets (Callithrix geoffroyi). Young male marmosets showed relatively low and stable rates of uA excretion early in life, with elevated production at the end of the juvenile period (9–10 months) and again at the onset of adulthood (16 months). uA levels of adult breeding males were also measured to compare to adult‐aged sons. Although breeding males did have higher uA levels than their adult‐aged sons, these differences did not reach conventional levels of significance. Evidence from some other reports has suggested that androgen levels of males in other species are influenced by social factors, such as the presence of a sexually receptive female or of dependent offspring. In this study, however, uA levels did not vary, based on their mothers' pregnancy status or the presence of younger siblings in the natal group. Patterns of androgen excretion in the white‐faced marmoset roughly reflect those of other callitrichine species. Furthermore, unlike callitrichine daughters, gonadal activity in sons does not seem to be sensitive to within‐group social cues. Am. J. Primatol. 73:378–385, 2011. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Oil Price Volatility, the Global Financial Crisis, and the Day-of-the-Week Effect

In this study the author investigated the day-of-the-week effect in the UK Brent crude oil market using the GARCH (1, 5) and GJR-GARCH (1, 5) models. The backdrop of the study is the Asian and global financial crises of 1997 and 2008, respectively. Daily data were used over the period of January 2, 1997, to May 27, 2009. Results show the presence of the day-of-the-week effect in both return and volatility in the oil market. More specifically, there are significant positive Thursday and Friday effects in return and significant Thursday effects in volatility.
Effects of cytokinin on ethylene production and nodulation in pea (Pisum sativum) cv. Sparkle.

In this study, we were interested in learning if cytokinins play a role in the developmental process that leads to nodulation in the pea cv. Sparkle. We demonstrate that the application of the synthetic cytokinin BAP (6-benzyl-amino-purine) results in a number of nodulation-related changes. BAP stimulates the production of ethylene, a known inhibitor of nodulation. At low levels (up to 1 &mgr;M), BAP also stimulates nodulation but as its concentration is increased (up to 25 &mgr;M), nodule number decreases. In BAP-treated roots, the infection threads are abnormal; they are twisted, very knotty, and generally grow in a direction parallel to the root surface. In addition, the centers of cell division in the inner cortex are very few. Thus, BAP-treated Sparkle appears to phenocopy the low-nodulating pea mutant R50 [Guinel FC, Sloetjes LL (2000) Ethylene is involved in the nodulation phenotype of Pisum sativum R50 (sym 16), a pleiotropic mutant that nodulates poorly and has pale green leaves. J Exp Bot 51: 885-894]. However, it appears doubtful that there is a direct correlation between the actions of cytokinin and ethylene in causing a reduction in nodule organogenesis because nodulation is not restored by treating BAP-treated Sparkle with ethylene inhibitors.
Financial Participation in Europe-Determinants and Outcomes

This article's objective is to analyse determinants and outcomes of financial participation in Europe. It starts off with a definition of the instruments, a review of the literature in the field of financial participation and a discussion on the relevance of financial participation in selected European countries. Choosing a rather inductive approach, the authors develop a model for financial participation. Based on the Cranfield data, the significance of the variables used in the model is tested. Union density, number of employees, public limited company status, geographical market and policy regarding pay and benefits came out as significant determinants for financial participation at company level. The environment, however, also bears influence. Organizations in Germany, France, Great Britain and Sweden show significantly different practices. Employee share ownership and profit sharing cannot only increase financial performance but also allow for efficient human resource management. Profit sharing increases profits and decreases absenteeism as well as staff turnover. The findings for employee share ownership are not that straightforward.
Modulatory Effects of Curcumin and Tyrphostins (AG494 and AG1478) on Growth Regulation and Viability of LN229 Human Brain Cancer Cells

In this study we employed curcumin as a potent adjuvant agent in the treatment of human brain cancer involving selective EGFR kinase inhibitors: tyrphostins AG494 and AG1478. Aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of tested compounds on autocrine growth, cell cycle, and viability of LN229 cells, as well as to assess their proapoptotic and genotoxic properties. Our results showed that all tested compounds significantly inhibited autocrine growth of the investigated cell line in a dose dependent manner. However they are characterized by different kinetics of cell growth inhibition. Suppression of growth by the tyrphostins was completely or partially reversible in contrast to curcumin. Curcumin increased the cytostatic and/or cytotoxic potential of AG494 and AG1478. Tyrphostins did not have genotoxic properties regardless of concentration used, whereas curcumin cytotoxic and genotoxic properties were directly proportional to the concentration. Curcumin significantly increased tyrphostins cytotoxicity. The most promising of the obtained results may be the use of curcumin and tyrphostin AG494 in the treatment of cancer cells. Anticancer effect of the mixture was confirmed by increase of cytotoxic effect, decrease of viability, stimulation of apoptotic procesess, irreversible DNA damage, and decrease of the ROS in the culture of glioblastoma cells.
Theory and Methodology of Best Practice Research: A Critical Review of the Current State

The article deals with the theoretical and methodological underpinnings of best practice research (BPR). First, the basic components of BPR are formulated and analyzed. Then two different approaches to BPR are reviewed and their pros and cons discussed. Then the general problems of BPR are considered along with the possible ways of getting over them. The article shows that currently there is nothing like a “best practice of best practice research” and argues that much has to be done in the development of BPR theory and methodology. It concludes with several recommendations for improvement (mixed research design, clear definition of purpose, focus upon mechanisms etc.)
Immunofluorescence Assay for Detection of Human Metapneumovirus-Specific Antibodies by Use of Baculovirus-Expressed Fusion Protein

ABSTRACT Human metapneumovirus (hMPV) has recently been identified as an etiological agent of acute respiratory infections. The hMPV fusion (F) protein has been indicated to be a major antigenic determinant that mediates effective neutralization and protection against hMPV infection. We developed a new immunofluorescence assay (IFA) using Trichoplusia ni (Tn5) insect cells infected with a recombinant baculovirus-expressing hMPV F protein (Bac-F IFA). A total of 200 serum samples from Japanese people 1 month to 41 years old were tested for immunoglobulin G antibodies to hMPV F protein by Bac-F IFA. The results were compared with those of the conventional IFA based on hMPV-infected LLC-MK2 cells (hMPV IFA). The titers obtained by the two IFAs correlated well (correlation coefficient of 0.88), and the concordance of seroreactivities between the two IFAs was 91% (κ = 0.76). For 192 of the 200 serum samples, the titers obtained by the Bac-F IFA were equal to or higher than those obtained by the hMPV IFA. These results indicated that the Bac-F IFA was more sensitive than the hMPV IFA and that the majority of the antibodies detected by the hMPV IFA reacted with the hMPV F protein. The Bac-F IFA is a more reliable, sensitive, and specific method for the detection of hMPV antibodies than is the hMPV IFA.
An ARDL Analysis Of The Exchange Rates Principal Determinants: ASEAN-5 Aligned with The Yen

This study examines an empirical analysis of long-run and short-run forcing variables of purchasing power parity (PPP) for ASEAN-5 currencies: Malaysian Ringgit, Indonesian Rupiah, the Philippines Peso, Thailand Bath, and Singapore Dollar, against the Japanese Yen, i.e., their real exchange rate (RER). This study uses a recently developed autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) approach to co-integration (Pesaran et al., 2001) over the period 1991:Q1 – 2006:Q2. Our empirical results point out that the domestic money supply (M1) is the significant long run forcing variable of PPP for ASEAN-5 RER’s for the study periods. However, in the short- run the impact of variables have different impact during the sub-periods and full period for ASEAN-5 countries, the results suggest that the domestic money supply (M1) for Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines ,and Singapore respectively, , have the highest significant short run forcing variable of PPP for countries RER’s. However, foreign interest rates followed by domestic money supply are the short-run forcing variables for Thailand’s RER. This may be due to the peculiarity of Thailand government’s management of the Asian Financial Crisis (AFC).
Banco Central de Chile

This paper analyzes changes in the distribution of college enrollment rates that occurred between 1980 and 2000. It aims not only to explain the 69% increase in the overall college enrollment, but also changes in the profile of college students in terms of their ability and financial status. College attendance increased by 27% less than average among individuals in the lowest quartile of the joint family income and ability distribution. However, it increased by 12% more than average for individuals in the highest quartile of the distribution. The increase in college enrollment was far from uniform and, to explain these changes, I construct a life-cycle heterogeneous agents model of labor supply and human capital formation. The model is calibrated to match schooling patterns and labor market outcomes for the 1979 and 1997 NLSY cohorts. I explicitly model and quantitatively estimate the effect of four potential driving forces to explain the observed changes: The increase in the college wage gap, the change in the allocation of grants and scholarships, the increase in educational costs, and the changes in the ability and family income distribution. Finally, I explore alternative educational policies and their effect on different population groups. Special thanks are due to Yongsung Chang for his advice, encouragement and support. I also thank Jay Hong for helpful discussion and insightful comments, as well as Arpad Abraham, Rachana Bhatt, Mark Bils, Andrew Davis, Evgenia Dechter, Jose Mustre-del Rio, Ronni Pavan, Gustavo Ventura and seminar participants at the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, Central Bank of Chile, Macro-Students Seminar, Macro Workshop and the 2009 Wegmans Conference at the University of Rochester. All errors are my own. Correspondence: Agustinas 1180, Santiago, Chile. e-mail: gcastex@bcentral.cl
Risk, Duration, and Capital Budgeting: New Evidence on Some Old Questions

In a provocative article John Y. Campbell and Jianping Mei (1993) suggest that systematic risk arises not because of correlation between a company's cash flow and the market return but primarily because of common variation in expected returns. If true, the Campbell-Mei hypothesis has important implications for capital budgeting, particularly at high-technology companies that have long duration, idiosyncratic investment projects. This article presents some new evidence related to the Campbell-Mei hypothesis and then evaluates the impact of the hypothesis with a case study of Amgen Corporation. Copyright 1999 by University of Chicago Press.
Daino: A High-Level Framework for Parallel and Efficient AMR on GPUs

Adaptive Mesh Refinement methods reduce computational requirements of problems by increasing resolution for only areas of interest. However, in practice, efficient AMR implementations are difficult considering that the mesh hierarchy management must be optimized for the underlying hardware. Architecture complexity of GPUs can render efficient AMR to be particularity challenging in GPU-accelerated supercomputers. This paper presents a compiler-based high-level framework that can automatically transform serial uniform mesh code annotated by the user into parallel adaptive mesh code optimized for GPU-accelerated supercomputers. We also present a method for empirical analysis of a uniform mesh to project an upper-bound on achievable speedup of a GPU-optimized AMR code. We show experimental results on three production applications. The speedups of code generated by our framework are comparable to hand-written AMR code while achieving good and weak scaling up to 1000 GPUs.
Trends in socioeconomic disparities in oral health in Brazil and Sweden.

OBJECTIVES To describe the dynamics of trends in socioeconomic disparities in oral health in Brazil and Sweden among adults, to assess whether trends follow expected patterns according to the inverse equity hypothesis. METHODS In Sweden, we obtained nationally representative data for the years 1968, 1974, 1981, 1991 and 2000, and in Brazil, for 16 state capitals in 1986 and in 2002. Trends in the prevalence of 'edentulism' and of 'teeth in good conditions' were described in two groups aged 35-44 with lower and higher economic standards, respectively. RESULTS There was an annual decline in disparities in 'edentulism' of 0.4 percentage points (pp) (95% CI = 0.2-0.7) in Brazil and 0.7pp (95% CI = 0.5-0.9) in Sweden, as a result of improvements in both income groups. Concerning 'teeth in good conditions', in Brazil, there was improvement only in the higher income group and absolute disparities have increased (0.5pp annually), while in Sweden, there was a nonsignificant decrease (0.3pp annually) with improvements in both groups. Since 1991 in Sweden and in 2002 in Brazil, our measures of socioeconomic disparities in 'edentulism' were not statistically significant. Trends did not differ by sex or dental visit. CONCLUSIONS Despite improvements in both income groups and a decrease in disparities in 'edentulism', the poorer group in Brazil has seen no improvement in 'teeth in good conditions' and disparities have increased. It appears that Brazil and Sweden reflect different stages of trend for 'teeth in good conditions' and the same stages for 'edentulism', represented by the inverse equity hypothesis.
Neuregulin‐1β and neuregulin‐1α differentially affect the migration and invasion of malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor cells

Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNSTs) are the most common malignancy associated with neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF1). These Schwann cell lineage‐derived sarcomas aggressively invade adjacent nerve and soft tissue, frequently precluding surgical resection. Little is known regarding the mechanisms underlying this invasive behavior. We have shown that MPNSTs express neuregulin‐1 (NRG‐1) β isoforms, which promote Schwann cell migration during development, and NRG‐1α isoforms, whose effects on Schwann cells are poorly understood. Hypothesizing that NRG‐1β and/or NRG‐1α promote MPNST invasion, we found that NRG‐1β promoted MPNST migration in a substrate‐specific manner, markedly enhancing migration on laminin but not on collagen type I or fibronectin. The NRG‐1 receptors erbB3 and erbB4 were present in MPNST invadopodia (processes mediating invasion), partially colocalized with focal adhesion kinase and the laminin receptor β1‐integrin and coimmunoprecipitated with β1‐integrin. NRG‐1β stimulated human and murine MPNST cell migration and invasion in a concentration‐dependent manner in three‐dimensional migration assays, acting as a chemotactic factor. Both baseline and NRG‐1β‐induced migration were erbB‐dependent and required the action of MEK 1/2, SAPK/JNK, PI‐3 kinase, Src family kinases and ROCK‐I/II. In contrast, NRG‐1α had no effect on the migration and invasion of some MPNST lines and inhibited the migration of others. While NRG‐1β potently and persistently activated Erk 1/2, SAPK/JNK, Akt and Src family kinases, NRG‐1α did not activate Akt and activated these other kinases with kinetics distinct from those evident in NRG‐1β‐stimulated cells. These findings suggest that NRG‐1β enhances MPNST migration and that NRG‐1β and NRG‐1α differentially modulate this process. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The effects of fish oil and isoflavones on delayed onset muscle soreness.

INTRODUCTION/PURPOSE Fish oils (FO) have been shown to modulate the inflammatory response through alteration of the eicosanoid pathway. Isoflavones (ISO) appear to reduce the inflammatory pathway through their role as a tyrosine kinase inhibitor. Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) develops after intense exercise and has been associated with an inflammatory response. Therefore, we hypothesized that physical parameters associated with DOMS could be decreased via the modulation of the inflammatory response by supplementing subjects with either FO or ISO. METHODS 22 subjects were recruited and randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups: FO (1.8 g of omega-3 fatty acids x d(-1)), ISO (120 mg soy isolate x d(-1)), or placebo (PL) (Western fat blend and/or wheat flour). All treatment groups received 100-IU vitamin E x d(-1) to minimize lipid peroxidation of more highly unsaturated fatty acids. Subjects were supplemented 30 d before the exercise and during the week of testing and were instructed to refrain from unusual exercise. DOMS was induced by 50 maximal isokinetic eccentric elbow flexion contractions. Strength parameters, pain, arm circumference, and relaxed arm angle (RANG) were measured at 48, 72, and 168 h post exercise. Cortisol, creatine kinase (CK), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor (TNFalpha), malondialdehyde (MDA), and serum iron were measured before supplementation, after supplementation, and post exercise. RESULTS Significant decreases were observed in RANG and strength 48 h postexercise among all groups, and there were significant increases in pain and arm circumference. There were no significant changes among all groups from baseline at 168 h (7 d) post exercise. There were no significant treatment effects between groups for the physical parameters or for cortisol, CK, IL-6, TNFalpha, MDA, or serum iron. CONCLUSION These data indicate FO or ISO, at the doses supplemented, were not effective in ameliorating DOMS with the above-cited protocol.