Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of simulated digests of Biota orientalis and a dietary nutraceutical on interleukin-1- induced inflammatory responses in cartilage explants.

OBJECTIVE To test the hypothesis that simulated digests of Biota orientalis (BO) and a dietary nutraceutical (DN; composed of mussel, shark cartilage, abalone, and BO seed lipid extract) inhibit prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), nitric oxide (NO), and glycosaminoglycan (GAG) production in interleukin (IL)-1-stimulated cartilage explants. SAMPLE POPULATION Cartilage tissue from 12 pigs. PROCEDURES Articular cartilage explants were conditioned with a simulated digest of BO (BOsim) or DN (DNsim) at concentrations of 0, 0.06, or 0.18 mg/mL or indomethacin (INDOsim; 0 or 0.02 mg/mL) for 72 hours. Control explants received digest vehicle only. Explants were or were not stimulated with recombinant human-IL-1beta (10 or 0 ng/mL) during the final 48 hours of culture. Concentrations of PGE2, GAG, and NO in media samples (mPGE2,mGAG, and mNO concentrations, respectively) were analyzed, and explant tissue was stained fluorochromatically to determine chondrocyte viability. Treatment effects during the final 48-hour culture period were analyzed. RESULTS IL-1 increased mPGE2, mGAG, and mNO concentrations in control explants without adversely affecting cell viability. Treatment with INDOsim blocked PGE2 production and increased mNO concentration in IL-1-stimulated and unstimulated explants and increased mGAG concentration in unstimulated explants. Treatment with DNsim (0.06 and 0.18 mg/mL) reduced mPGE2 concentration in IL-1-stimulated and unstimulated explants, reduced mNO concentration in IL-1-stimulated explants, and increased mNO concentration in unstimulated explants. Treatment with 0.18 mg of DNsim/mL increased cell viability in the presence of IL-1. In IL-1-stimulated explants, BOsim (0.06 and 0.18 mg/mL) reduced mPGE2 concentration, but 0.18 mg of BOsim/mL increased cell viability. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Effects of IL-1 on cartilage explants in vitro were modulated by DNsim and BOsim.
From student to entrepreneur: towards a model of graduate entrepreneurial career‐making

This paper examines the process of transition from student to graduate entrepreneur. The aim is to develop a typological framework that captures the key person–environment dimensions involved in this transitional journey. This paper draws upon interview data from 15 graduates, all of whom had established their own business within five years of graduation. The paper engages with two dimensions that, we argue, usefully capture an important dynamic of the student‐to‐entrepreneurship transition: (1) the entrepreneurial maturity of the individual; and (2) the complexity of the business idea. The paper maps qualitative data from the graduates onto a framework based on these dimensions. This offers the basis for an enhanced understanding of the graduate entrepreneurship process. The paper concludes with a discussion of implications for theory and practice and, importantly, further research.
Somatosensory Evoked Potentials in Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy

Summary: We analyzed the somatosensory evoked potentials (SEP) of 35 patients with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME), 26 patients with idiopathic generalized epilepsy (IGE), and a control group consisting of 24 healthy people. The N19‐P25 interval was significantly prolonged in the IGE group both as compared with the JME and control groups. This finding may be related to antiepileptic drug (AED) treatment, principally phenytoin (PHT). No differences were noted in N 19 amplitude in any group. The P25 and N33 amplitudes were significantly higher in the JME group. In 5 patients of the JME group (14%) “giant SEP” were observed, but no differences were evident in the electroclinical characteristics with respect to the other JME patients. JME is one of the causes of giant SEP.
Propofol and Thiopental Do Not Interfere with Regional Cerebral Blood Flow Response at Sedative Concentrations

Background: Anesthetics may affect the regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) response associated with increased brain activity in humans. rCBF was measured as auditory stimulus rate was increased during propofol and thiopental administration. Methods: After informed consent, 10 right-handed male volunteer participants (aged 33.5 ± 10.4 yr, weighing 74.5 ± 8.4 kg) received thiopental (n = 4) or propofol (n = 6) intravenously at stepwise target concentrations of propofol 1.2 and 2.5–3, or thiopental 4 and 7–9 &mgr;g/ml, representing sedative and hypnotic drug concentrations. The latter made volunteers unresponsive to voice or mild stimulation. Quantitative positron emission tomographic brain images were obtained at 0, 20, and 40 auditory words per minute at each drug concentration. Using SPM99 analysis, 10-mm spherical regions of interest were identified by peak covariation of word rate with rCBF across all conditions and drug concentrations. Individual mean rCBF responses in these and primary auditory cortex (Heschl’s gyri) were obtained. Results: Significant increases in rCBF with auditory word rate occurred in temporal lobes bilaterally at baseline (significance, T = 4.95). There was no change in this response during sedation (T = 5.60). During unresponsiveness seven of 10 participants had a diminished response in the left temporal lobe (T = 3.18). Global CBF, corrected for changes in Pco2 (3% ·mmHg Pco2−1), was reduced 15% by sedation and 27% during unresponsiveness. Conclusion: The presence of propofol or thiopental does not affect the rCBF response to increasing stimulus rate during consciousness. Thus, changes in rCBF activation patterns with sedative concentrations of these drugs represent effects on brain activity itself. The neuroanatomical targets of drug effect on memory and attention may be revealed by changes in rCBF patterns associated with these cognitive activities.
Desegregation and Black Dropout Rates

In 1954 the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that separate schools for black and white children were 'inherently unequal. ' This paper studies whether the desegregation plans of the next 30 years in fact benefited the black students for whom the plans were designed. Analysis of data from the 1970 and 1980 censuses suggests that desegregation plans of the 1970's reduced the high school dropout rates of blacks by one to three percentage points during this decade. Desegregation plans can account for about half of the decline in dropout rates of blacks between 1970 and 1980. A similar analysis suggests that desegregation plans had no effect on the dropout rates of whites. The results are robust to controls for time-varying region and family income effects, as well as to tests for selective migration, though mean reversion may account for some portion of the larger estimated effects. Further investigation of conditions in segregated schools in 1970 suggests that peer effects explain at least some of the decline in the dropout rates of blacks due to desegregation plans.
Convertible Arbitrage Price Pressure and Short-Sale Constraints

Using a sample of 4,148 convertibles issued over 1990–2009 by companies listed in 35 countries, the authors exploited worldwide differences in short-sale constraints to examine whether short selling by convertible arbitrageurs creates downward pressure on convertible issuers’ stock prices. They found that short-sale constraints have a positive effect on issue-date abnormal stock returns, which suggests that a substantial part of the stock price effect of convertible issues is attributable to convertible arbitrageurs. Convertible bonds are securities that can be converted, at the option of the holder, into a fixed number of the issuer’s ordinary shares. Convertible arbitrage hedge funds have played an important role in the convertible bond market, especially since the beginning of the 21st century. These hedge funds combine long positions in convertibles with short positions in the underlying stock. We exploited worldwide differences in short-sale constraints to examine whether convertible arbitrage short selling creates downward pressure on convertible issuers’ stock prices. Because arbitrage hedge funds are unable to execute their hedging strategy in markets that are short-sale constrained, we used the existence of short-sale constraints as a proxy for the presence of convertible arbitrage hedge funds in a market. We hypothesized that convertibles issued by companies listed in countries where short selling is legally restricted are associated with more favorable issue-date stock price effects than are convertibles issued in countries where short selling is allowed and practiced. We tested this hypothesis with a sample of 4,148 convertible bonds issued over 1990–2009 by companies listed in 35 countries. In line with our hypothesis, we found that short-sale constraints have a positive effect on issue-date abnormal stock returns. We further found that this effect is stronger in years with higher hedge fund involvement and for offerings expected to induce more arbitrage short selling. In addition, our study maps the global convertible bond market as completely as permitted by publicly available data sources and offers new insights into the determinants of the negative stock price reaction associated with convertible bond offerings. Previous papers have attributed this negative reaction to the signaling content of convertible bond issues. Our approach allowed us to estimate the magnitude of downward price pressure around convertible bond offerings that is attributable to the actions of convertible arbitrageurs rather than to the negative signal inferred from the convertible bond announcement. Our findings suggest that both academics and practitioners who analyze post-2000 convertible bond announcement effects are likely to overstate the negative announcement effects when they fail to control for the short-sale pressure of convertible bond arbitrageurs. On a more general level, our study suggests that stock price behavior around corporate financing events can be substantially affected by short-selling regulations.
Determinants of agricultural water saving technology adoption: an empirical study of 10 provinces of China

In recent years, China has been faced by an increasingly severe water shortage due to the continual growth of demand on water resources. Although the Chinese government has been actively promoting the agricul- tural water-saving technology adoption, it is ill-informed of the adoption degree of the current agricultural water- saving technologies as well as the function of the governmental policies. Therefore, this paper analyzes the aforesaid problems based on investigative data of 10 provinces in China. The results demonstrate that although there is a rapid increase of adopted agricultural water-saving technologies, the actual adoption area is rather limited. Moreover, the governmental policies and scarcity of water resources are the determinants of agricultural water-saving technology adoption. Ultimately, the paper proposes some policy suggestions.
Dietary factors and kidney stone formation.

Kidney stone disease is a substantial health problem associated with significant pain and suffering, as well as economic costs. Over $2 billion were spent in 1986 on stone disease, the majority on treatment of existing stones and only a small percentage on prevention. Clearly, efforts to prevent or at least reduce the likelihood of developing a kidney stone would be an important component of the care of patients at risk. In particular, modifiable dietary factors appear to play an important role in the formation of calcium oxalate stones--the type of stone formed in the vast majority of cases. Once secondary causes of stone formation, such as hyperparathyroidism and renal tubular acidosis, are excluded, dietary counselling is a prudent and effective element of the therapeutic regimen and kidney stone prevention program. Specifically, for individuals who have a history of a calcium-containing kidney stone, important dietary recommendations should include the following: Achieve adequate fluid intake to produce at least 2 liters of urine per day. Avoid calcium restriction (except in the rare instances of excessive intake of greater than several grams per day). It is recommended a dietary intake of elemental calcium of at least 800 mg/day (the current RDA for adults) to prevent a negative calcium balance, bone mineral loss, and increased intestinal absorption of oxalate. At present, there is no evidence to support the belief that calcium restriction is beneficial and current data suggest that it may in fact be harmful. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Influence of Quality and Scarcity of Inputs on the Adoption of Modern Irrigation Technologies

This article describes the influence of input quality and scarcity, environmental conditions, human capital, water price, and other variables on adoption rates for modern irrigation technologies in terms of both speed and extent of application. An empirical model is developed to apply these relationships to citrus groves in Israel. Results show that modern irrigation technologies tend to be adopted sooner and to a greater extent (a) on groves located on relatively low quality land, (b) in regions with higher evaporation rates, (c) on groves planted with more sensitive rootstock, and (d) on groves grown under conditions of restricted water allotments and higher water prices. Management, human capital, and scale of operation also affect the level and speed of adoption. It is suggested that water prices and quotas can be used to increase adoption.
Thermal-to-Visible Face Alignment on Edge Map

This paper presents a novel thermal-to-visible face alignment method based on edge map. The alignment procedure is inspired by iterative closest points matching. However, iterative closest point (ICP) sometimes converges to the local minimum for edge face alignment. In this paper, pointwise distance, which refers to the linear combination of positional and edge local pattern, is proposed as it gives good initial estimation of the closest points matching in iteration. Another problem is that numerous spurious corresponding points will occur in the closest pairs. Therefore, the selection criteria for partial closest pairs are designed, according to magnitude and orientation of the displacement, to remove the spurious corresponding points caused by edge faces. The alignment performance is evaluated by the bias of facial fiducial points and heterogeneous face recognition. The experimental results, including intra-class and inter-class, are demonstrated to compare partial closest points with local pattern with ICP, manual labeling, and Gaussian fields criterion. The alignment effect of variable expressions and illumination is also tested. Besides, the wearing glasses problem is well solved by glasses replacement.
Uncertainty, production, choice, and agency

This book demonstrates that the state-contingent approach provides the best way to think about all problems in the economics of uncertainty, including problems of consumer choice, the theory of the firm, and principal agent relationships. The authors demonstrate that dual methods apply under uncertainty and that the dual representations can be developed for stochastic technologies. Moreover, proper exploitation of the properties of alternative primal and dual representations of preferences allows analysts to generalize and extend the results of the existing literature on preferences under uncertainty, thus making expected-utility theory largely superfluous for many decisions. These insights open the way for developments in the basic theory of production under uncertainty, the theory of hedging behavior, the analysis of agency problems and the theory of production insurance.
Evidence on the Non-Linear Relation between Insider Trading Decisions and Future Earnings Information

In this paper, we explore an insiders' decision to trade or not trade on the basis of future earnings information. Consistent with litigation, political, and reputation-related costs shaping insider-trading decisions, we find that relations between insider trading decisions and next year's earnings change are not strictly linear. First, we find that the likelihood of insider purchases is positively related to next year's earnings innovation, yet this relation is attenuated in the case of extreme positive innovations. Second, we find that the likelihood of an insider selling shares and exercising stock options is negatively related to next year's earnings innovation, yet this relation is attenuated in the case of extreme negative innovations. The non-linear relation between insider sales and future negative earnings news is more pronounced than the nonlinearity between insider purchases and future earnings news, suggesting that the expected costs associated with insider selling are economically larger than the costs associated with insider buying. Together, these estimations suggest that insiders trade on the basis of future earnings news, yet there exist regions where the expected costs of trading subsume the expected gains to trading on private information. Finally, we investigate the role of earnings persistence as an alternative explanation for our results. We find that insiders only trade on persistent earnings innovations, and that, after controlling for persistence, insiders still curtail trading when earnings innovations are extreme.
Modeling stock prices by multifractional Brownian motion: an improved estimation of the pointwise regularity

This paper deals with the problem of estimating the pointwise regularity of multifractional Brownian motion, assumed as a model of stock price dynamics. We (a) correct the shifting bias affecting a class of absolute moment-based estimators and (b) build a data-driven algorithm in order to dynamically check the local Gaussianity of the process. The estimation is therefore performed for three stock indices: the Dow Jones Industrial Average, the FTSE 100 and the Nikkei 225. Our findings show that, after the correction, the pointwise regularity fluctuates around 1/2 (the sole value consistent with the absence of arbitrage), but significant deviations are also observed.
Contemporary insights to the dynamic pre-trip information sourcing behaviour

Prior to their trips, leisure travellers search for information, both in the pre- and the post-decision stages. Previous studies on leisure travel decision making have documented how personal characteristics and perceived risk influence pre-trip information sourcing, but not detailed their effects on information sources used before and after a purchase decision is made. This study explores the role of traveller characteristics and the mediating effects of perceived risk on the choice of pre-trip information sources used by Finnish leisure travellers. The findings disclose a dynamic structure of information sources used before and after purchase decision contingent on risk perception. In particular, risk-averse travellers make increased use of television (commercials, news and TV travel shows), radio and family as information sources in a post-decision stage. For practice, these findings imply that tourism and hospitality marketers benefit from effective destination marketing strategies spanning an optimal mix of information channels.
Shyness 3: Randomized Controlled Trial of Guided Versus Unguided Internet-Based CBT for Social Phobia

Objective: In two previous randomized controlled trials Titov et al. demonstrated significant benefit from an Internet- and email-based treatment programme for social phobia. The present study (Shyness 3) explores whether participants are able to complete this programme independently. Method: A total of 98 individuals with social phobia were randomly assigned to a clinician-assisted computerized cognitive behavioural treatment (CaCCBT) group, a self-guided computerized CBT (CCBT) group, or to a waitlist control group. CaCCBT group participants completed the usual Shyness programme consisting of six online lessons, cognitive behavioural homework assignments, email contact with a therapist, and participation in an online discussion forum. CCBT group participants accessed the same resources except for therapist emails. An intention-to-treat model was used for data analyses. Results: A total of 77% of CaCCBT and 33% of CCBT group participants completed all lessons. Significant differences were found after treatment between CaCCBT and control groups (mean between-groups effect size (ES) for the social phobia measures = 1.04), and between the CaCCBT and CCBT groups (mean between-groups ES for the social phobia measures = 0.66). No significant differences were found after treatment between the CCBT and control groups (mean between-groups ES for the social phobia measures = 0.38). CCBT participants, however, who completed the six lessons made good progress (mean within-group ES for the social phobia measures = 0.62). Quantitative and qualitative data indicate that both the CaCCBT and CCBT procedures were acceptable to participants. Conclusions: The reliability of this Internet-based treatment programme for social phobia has been confirmed. The therapist-guided condition was superior to the self-guided condition, but a subgroup of participants still benefited considerably from the latter. These data confirm that self-guided education or treatment programmes for common anxiety disorders can result in significant improvements.
An evaluation of the combinatorial optimisation approach to the creation of synthetic microdata

Population microdata comprise a list of households and individuals each with an associated list of characteristics. Unfortunately for Britain no small-area microdata exist that offers a broad range of demographic and socioeconomic variables contained in the national census. There are a number of approaches to the reconstruction of such spatially detailed microdata including data fusion synthetic reconstruction (chain imputation) and reweighting. One variant of the reweighting approach involves the selection of a combination of households from the 1% household Samples of Anonymized Records that best fits known small-area are constraints (the published census tabulations). In this paper the implementation of this "combinatorial optimization" technique is more thoroughly examined. First the combinatorial optimization process is reviewed. Then a number of methodological innovations designed to improve the accuracy and consistency of resulting outputs are reported. Subsequently the problems of evaluating the outputs are discussed and a new strategy is outlined for assessing the quality of synthetic microdata. The strategy proposed is generally applicable to all such data irrespective of their means of generation. The paper goes on to provide an extensive assessment of the quality of synthetic microdata produced using the combinatorial optimization approach. This represents the first time that such an evaluation has ever been undertaken. The results highlight the degree to which such data may be able to meet specific user needs. The paper concludes by offering an illustration of the "added value" that can be obtained by combining information from public-use microdata with published small-area tabulations. (authors)