Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Roles of Intrarenal 20-Hydroxyeicosatetraenoic and Epoxyeicosatrienoic Acids in the Regulation of Renal Function in Hypertensive Ren-2 Transgenic Rats

Background: The present study was performed in hypertensive Ren-2 transgenic rats (TGR) and in normotensive Hannover Sprague-Dawley (HanSD) rats. First, the intrarenal protein expression of CYP4A, the enzyme catalyzing the formation of 20-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (20-HETE), and of CYP2C23, the enzyme responsible for epoxyeicosatrienoic acid (EET) production, was evaluated. Second, the renal functional responses to inhibition of the intrarenal formation of 20-HETE and EETs were investigated. Methods: Renal hemodynamics and electrolyte excretion were evaluated in response to the administration of inhibitors of 20-HETE and EET formation into the renal artery. In renal cortical tissue, CYP4A and CYP2C23 protein expression was assessed by Western blot analysis. Urinary concentrations of 20-HETE and EETs were measured using a fluorescent HPLC assay. Results: TGR have higher kidney CYP4A protein expression and urinary 20-HETE excretion but significantly lower CYP2C23 protein expression and urinary EET excretion than HanSD. Intrarenal inhibition of 20-HETE and EET formation decreased sodium excretion in HanSD, whereas inhibition of 20-HETE increased urinary excretion of sodium in TGR without altering renal hemodynamics. Conclusions: Our data suggest that in TGR, deficient intrarenal synthesis of EETs combined with increased synthesis of 20-HETE with its stimulation of tubular sodium absorption may contribute to the development of hypertension in TGR.
Corporate Boards, Audit Committees, and Earnings Management: Pre- and Post-SOX Evidence

Primarily motivated by the claims that the recent regulatory initiatives empowering boards and audit committees restrain earnings management, we examine whether board characteristics (composition, size, and structure) and audit committee characteristics (composition, size, activity, expertise, ownership, and tenure) are associated with earnings management before and after Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX). Using absolute performance-adjusted discretionary accruals, special items, and deferred tax expense as alternative constructs for earnings management, we find that earnings management does not vary with board composition and structure, or with audit committee composition, expertise, and ownership. In contrast, board size and audit committee size, activity, and tenure are associated with earnings management. More important, the strength of this association is considerably weaker for the post-SOX years compared to the pre-SOX years. Finally, we find no evidence to suggest that the overall level of earnings management declined following SOX.
The Problems of Developing Wellness Tourism in China: From Supply Perspective

China offers many advantages for the wellness tourism sector. The country's natural resources and local culture are significant drivers of development in the sector, which is gaining increasing attention from investors and visitors. However, the development process needs to be configured well to overcome the structural and operational challenges it faces. Hence, the study reported here examined the possible challenges faced by the wellness tourism sector in China and gathered potential solutions from wellness tourism experts, including professionals working in the tourism, health, and education industries. The results indicate that a lack of trained personnel, insufficient cooperation between key players, and a lack of facilities and attractions are the major obstacles to sectorial development. The experts surveyed proposed that these obstacles could be overcome by government support, promotional activities, and personnel training. The implications of these findings and directions for future research are discussed.
Isoquercitrin isolated from Hyptis fasciculata reduces glioblastoma cell proliferation and changes β-catenin cellular localization

Isoquercitrin isolated from the aerial parts of Hyptis fasciculata was evaluated according to its capacity to interfere with glioblastoma (Gbm) cell growth. Gbm cells were incubated with isoquercitrin, quercetin, or rutin at concentrations of 25, 50, and 100 μmol/l for 24, 48, and 72 h. Quercetin and rutin affected Gbm cell proliferation after treatment times of longer than 24 h. However, increasing concentrations of isoquercitrin inhibited 50% of Gbm cell proliferation at 24 h and further reached nearly 90% inhibition at 72 h. This effect did not affect cell morphology, cell viability, or cleaved capase-3 levels, indicating that isoquercitrin did not induce Gbm cell death. A marked reduction in cyclin D1 levels and an increase in p27 levels were observed when 100 μmol/l of isoquercitrin was added to Gbm cells. Interestingly, nuclear &bgr;-catenin staining observed in a subpopulation of untreated Gbm cells was found in the cytoplasm after 100-μmol/l isoquercitrin treatment. Collectively, these data show that isoquercitrin reduces Gbm cell growth without inducing apoptosis, possibly by modulating the control of the cell cycle. Our data also suggest that &bgr;-catenin-mediated signaling may be involved on the antiproliferative activity of isoquercitrin.
The role of muscle cells in regulating cartilage matrix production

Muscle is one of the tissues located in close proximity to cartilage tissue. Although it has been suggested that muscle could influence skeletal development through generating mechanical forces by means of contraction, very little is known regarding whether muscle cells release biochemical signals to regulate cartilage gene expression. We tested the hypothesis that muscle cells directly regulate cartilage matrix production by analyzing chondrocytes cocultured with muscle cells in 2D or 3D conditions. We found that chondrocytes cultured with C2C12 muscle cells exhibited enhanced alcian blue staining and elevated expression of collagen II and collagen IX proteins. Although nonmuscle cells did not promote cartilage matrix production, converting them into muscle cells enhanced their pro‐chondrogenic activity. Furthermore, muscle cell‐conditioned medium led to increased cartilage matrix production, suggesting that muscle cells secrete pro‐chondrogenic factors. Taken together, our study suggests that muscle cells may play an important role in regulating cartilage gene expression. This result may ultimately lead to the discovery of novel factors that regulate cartilage formation and homeostasis, and provide insights into improving the strategies for regenerating cartilage. © 2009 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 28:529–536, 2010
Publish or Perish: What the Competition Is Really Doing

This study provides comprehensive publications performance data over a twenty-five-year period for finance doctorates. These data indicate that publishing one article per year in any finance journal (or finance, accounting, economics, or business journal) over any prolonged period of time is a truly remarkable feat, met by only 5 percent of the graduates. Tenure screens combining various quantity and quality requirements are examined to assess their ability to predict future publication productivity. Faculty and administrators seeking defensible benchmarks for evaluating faculty research productivity in finance will find that these data and results are particularly useful. Copyright 1992 by American Finance Association.
Nutrition: risk factors for osteoarthritis

Questions about the role of diet in the prevention and treatment of their joint disorder may be among the most frequent posed by patients with osteoarthritis (OA). Interestingly, while there are thousands of lay publications recommending various arthritis diets, physicians have little information to offer based on scientific studies.1 Arguably, in no other aspect of rheumatology is public and medical interest so discrepant. Indeed, the traditional medical approach has been to counsel patients that, other than diets promoting weight loss, scientific research has produced no evidence to suggest that any particular nutritional intervention might be helpful for OA.2 In fact, studies do suggest pathways through which nutritional factors might influence the natural history of OA. Overweight people are at considerably increased risk for the development of OA in their knees, and may also be more susceptible to both hip and hand joint involvement.3 As overweight people do not necessarily have increased load across their hand joints, investigators have wondered for decades whether systemic factors, such as dietary factors or other metabolic consequences of obesity, may mediate some of this association. Indeed, early laboratory studies using strains of mice and rats seemed to suggest an interaction between body weight, genetic factors, and diet, although attempts to demonstrate a direct effect of dietary fat intake proved inconclusive.4 5 Irrespective of the mechanism, it seems reasonable to infer that weight reduction, through dietary or other means, may reduce a person’s risk for the development or progression of OA. Observational data from the Framingham OA Study support this notion and suggest that weight loss of approximately 5 kg will reduce a person’s risk for the development of knee OA over the subsequent 10 years by 50%. 6 Unfortunately, dietary intervention for obesity in uncontrolled environments is often costly, unpleasant, and …
Women Migrant Workers in the UK: Social Capital, Well-Being and Integrations

This paper addresses the role of social connections in helping women migrants to settle in the UK. We focus on micro- and macro-social capital with the former including local social networks and organisation (comprising immediate family, other immigrants, neighbours, churches) and the latter including experience with local government supporting institutions. In this context, we present results from a pilot study based on data collected amongst women immigrant workers in the care sector in the UK. A majority of respondents in our sample come from Africa and Asia and 62 per cent arrived without family. Our results indicate that while education decreases the extent to which women in our sample feel settled, contact with the local community as well as living within an immigrant community helped the women to feel settled. Finally, their experience with services like housing and immigration proved very significant. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
EMG power spectrum of respiratory and skeletal muscles during static contraction in healthy man

Changes in EMG power spectrum during isometric voluntary contraction maintained until exhaustion in the range of 20–80% MVC were studied in three skeletal muscles (adductor pollicis or AP, vastus lateralis, and medialis) and two respiratory muscles (diaphragm and rectus abdominis). Quantitative EMG analysis consisted of computation of the median frequency (MF) of power spectra and also the continuous measurement of EMG power in two bands of high (EH) and low (EL) frequencies using bandpass filters. This allowed the calculation of the H/L ratio and its time constant of decay rate (TCHδ /L) throughout the sustained static contraction. The main results were: (1) highly significant, positive correlations between TCδH/L and the maximal MF changes and also the endurance time to fatigue; (2) EMG changes were determined early, within the first 10–20 s of contraction; and (3) EL always increased throughout the fatiguing isometric contraction, but EH changes markedly varied within the five muscle groups studied. These observations are discussed in terms of the differences in muscle fiber composition and also the variations in motor unit recruitment. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
New Labour and the Politics of Depoliticisation

A number of commentators in the 1980s sought to explain the character of the Thatcher administration. By contrast, relatively little work has been produced that seeks to analyse the principles and governing strategies of the Blair government. Focusing primarily on economic management, this article offers a characterisation of statecraft under Blair in terms of the politics of depoliticisation. In summary, it argues that the Blair government has fused aspects of traditional economic management with new initiatives to create a powerful tool of governing organised on the basis of the principle of depoliticisation. Depoliticisation as a governing strategy is the process of placing at one remove the political character of decision-making. State managers retain arm's-length control over crucial economic and social processes whilst simultaneously benefiting from the distancing effects of depoliticisation. As a form of politics it seeks to change market expectations regarding the effectiveness and credibility of policy-making in addition to shielding the government from the consequences of unpopular policies.
Predicting Job Performance from Background Characteristics: More Evidence from the Public Sector

Despite extensive research on employee selection, managers still do not have clear guidance on whether specific background characteristics predict good performance. To help clarify this issue, this study analyzed the relationships between several academic/work background characteristics and performance appraisal scores for entry-level professionals in a public sector agency. Agency managers were also surveyed to determine if they believed that these characteristics predict performance. Although the managers perceived that most of the characteristics studied are linked to performance, only one characteristic, grade point average, was found to be statistically related to appraisal scores. This study's findings support other research which suggests that it may be better to base employee screening/selection decisions on specific job-related knowledge, skills, and abilities, instead of relying primarily on background characteristic “signals. ”
Enhancing Risk‐Controlled Returns on Excess Japanese Yen

This paper examines the zero‐cost risk reversal as a tool for increasing returns to excess yen while limiting risk. With domestic interest rates near zero, firms holding Japanese yen face little opportunity to deposit cash for meaningful gain unless excess funds are invested in an other currency. The conversion strategy is profitable as long as the value of the yen appreciates less than the interest rate differential between the currencies, taking advantage of an apparent empirical regularity frequently referred to as ‘forward exchange bias. ’ A problem arises, however, because dollar‐yen exchange rate fluctuation adds variability to returns stated in yen. This increased risk counters prudent cash management principles such as stability of returns and liquidity. We consider the possi bility that effective use of a zero‐cost currency options collar can substantially limit exchange‐rate risk and improve returns to yen holders. Data from July 1997 through June 2002 show that a one‐year strategy of reinvesting collared monthly Eurodollar returns produced a median annual yen return of 1.76 per cent, more than 8 times the median 0.21 per cent Euroyen return; risk also increases but approximately 98 per cent of returns resulting from this strategy fell between ‐6.05 per cent and +12.58 per cent.
KIT gene in pediatric osteosarcomas: Could it be a new therapeutic target?

In our previous study, a frequent rearrangement at 4q12 has been identified by allelotyping in our large and homogeneous population of pediatric osteosarcomas and it was significantly linked to c‐kit protein overexpression. To confirm and understand the involvement of KIT in this tumor, the next step of the study was designed to detect the potential mutations of KIT gene by sequencing the frequently mutated exons 6, 8, 10, 11, 13, 17 and 21 and, in case of unmutated samples, to confirm the genomic amplifications of the wild‐type receptor by real‐time quantitative PCR (QPCR). A new microsatellite and QPCR targeting PDGFRA was also added to check the accuracy of the 4q11‐12 locus. These techniques were performed in 74 pediatric high‐grade osteosarcomas treated with the OS94 protocol. Surprisingly, no mutations were found, but, only DNA amplification of KIT gene in the entire population. PDGFRA gene QPCR revealed an unexpected result of predominant deletions in the rearranged tumors. All these results confirm the major role of the 4q11‐12 locus and specifically the involvement of c‐kit wild‐type receptor overexpression in pediatric osteosarcomas and leads us to believe that inhibitors targeting this receptor could have a therapeutic effect in a selected group of patients. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Idiosyncratic Volatility Forecasting in the Stock Market of Saudi Arabia

ABSTRACT We test the forecasting ability of two sets of models, one containing historical volatility–based models and the other conditional volatility–based models, on estimates of idiosyncratic risk of individual Saudi Arabian stocks. While the rankings of forecasts are sensitive to the choice of error statistics, historical volatility–based models appear to be superior, unless the model employed to generate the underlying idiosyncratic return series incorporates higher moments. Exponential smoothing models, with a seasonal component in particular, display superior forecasting performance regardless of whether the idiosyncratic volatility estimates are generated at the local (Saudi Arabian) level or the regional (Gulf Cooperation Council [GCC]) level. The results are of particular interest to investors that are not mean variance optimizers.
International Capital Flows and National Creditworthiness: Do the Fundamental Things Apply as Time Goes by?

This paper examines the optimality of international capital flows to a persistent net importer of capital, Australia, during its post-capital-controls period 1984-98. The results suggest that international capital flows were larger than optimal during the 1980s, but in the 1990s such flows have been broadly consistent with those predicted by the consumption-smoothing approach to the determination of the current account. The paper also discusses the main implications arising from measures of optimal capital flows, and compares them with the implications arising from the key concepts used in the determination of national creditworthiness.
Privatizing the airwaves: the impact of globalization on broadcasting in India

Media globalization and the resultant expansion of mainly Western transnational media empires have transformed broadcasting in India. An exponential growth in the number of television channels from one state-controlled channel in 1991 to nearly 70 in 1998 (18 of which are national in reach and in Hindi or English, others are regional), within such a short span of time, has profoundly changed the electronic media landscape, as India adapts its broadcasting industries to the deregulated and privatized media environment of the late 1990s. India’s growing economy, a vast, rapidly expanding middle class (variously estimated to be between 200 and 250 million) with aspirations to a Western lifestyle, and a fast-growing advertising sector have made the Indian media market exceptionally attractive for US-dominated transnational broadcasters. With its huge numbers of potential consumers, India provides transnational media corporations with unrivalled opportunities — it is one of the fastest growing and potentially one of the biggest English language media software markets in the world. An established satellite network provides cheaper and quicker nationwide coverage of broadcasting in a continental-size country, while the diversity of cultures in India means that demand for a wide array of satellite channels, catering to different languages and tastes, is even stronger than in Europe or the USA. The impact of globalization on the Indian media should be considered in the context of the media’s evolution and the role of the press as a fourth estate in the world’s largest democracy, where the past 50 years of multi-party polity have ensured a diverse, vibrant and relatively free press. On the other hand, as in most countries of the South, electronic media in India were, until recently, for the most part, a propaganda tool for the government.
Charcot–Marie–Tooth disease type 1C: Clinical and electrophysiological findings for the c.334G>a (p.Gly112Ser) Litaf/Simple mutation

Charcot–Marie–Tooth disease type 1C (CMT1C) is a rare, dominantly inherited neuropathy caused by mutations in the lipopolysaccharide‐induced tumor necrosis factor (LITAF) or small integral membrane protein of the lysosome/late endosome (SIMPLE) gene.
A robust analysis of the relationship between renewable energy consumption and its main drivers

We provide a comprehensive and robust analysis of the drivers of renewable energy consumption for a panel of 64 countries, using both the static (Pooled OLS, Panel Fixed and Random Effects) and dynamic (difference and system GMM) panel data estimation approaches. We show that the dynamic panel data model provides more efficient estimators than the static ones and that increases in per capita CO2 emissions and per capita trade with foreign partners mainly drive the changes in per capita renewable energy consumption. We also find limited evidence of oil price effects on renewable energy consumption, which reflects the fact that renewable energy is just a complement and not a perfect substitute of crude oil, at least in the short run.
Reflection Symmetry Axes Detection Using Multiple Model Fitting

We propose an energy minimization approach to detect multiple reflection symmetry axes present in a given image representing fronto-parallel view of a scene. We perform local feature matching to detect the pairs of mirror symmetric points, and in order to formulate an energy function, we use the geometric characteristics of the symmetry axis. That is, it passes through the midpoint of line segment joining the two mirror symmetric points and is perpendicular to the vector joining two mirror symmetric points. We propose a novel $k$-symmetry clustering algorithm to minimize this energy function in order to efficiently find all the symmetry axes present in the given image. We evaluate the proposed method on the standard datasets and show that we get comparable and better results than that of the state-of-the-art reflection symmetry detection methods.
Correlates of Board Empowerment in Small Companies

This study seeks to advance the understanding of board empowerment in small companies. Predictions based on agency and resource dependency theories were used to examine how contingency factors correlate with board empowerment, in this study conceptualized as a larger number of board members, a higher representation of outside directors, and separate CEO and board chair positions. Statistical analyses on a sample of 135 small companies gave ample support for the agency–theoretic prediction that board empowerment in small companies is a response to satisfy the demands from owners not directly involved in managing the company. Other factors influencing board empowerment were younger CEOs, high degree of exports, and past poor company performance. The influence of these contingency factors, however, was not as strong and extensive as the presence of outside owners. The article ends with a discussion of the findings and their implications for understanding boards and governance in small companies.