Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cultural and Institutional Determinants of Bilateral Trade Flows

This paper studies the intangible costs of international trade by extending the basic gravity equation with measures of cultural and institutional distance, and institutional quality. Analyzing a sample of bilateral trade flows between 92 countries in 1999, we find that institutional distance has a negative effect on bilateral trade, presumably because the transaction costs of trade between partners from dissimilar institutional settings are high. In contrast, we find that cultural distance has a positive effect on bilateral trade. A potential explanation for this finding is that firms prefer trade to host-country production in culturally distant countries. Finally, we find that the institutional quality of both the importer and exporter increases the amount of bilateral trade.
Enthesopathy of rheumatoid and ankylosing spondylitis.

The invitation to speak before the Heberden Society on this annual occasion is a great honour. For me it was also a stimulus to assemble some thoughts and observations on spondylitis-a subject in which my colleagues and I have been interested for some time. It has always seemed to me very odd that whilst rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and ankylosing spondylitis (AS) can be distinguished on clinical, epidemiological, genetic, immunological, and even therapeutic grounds, an acceptable pathological differentiation has yet to emerge. Indeed, histological studies often emphasize the similarities rather than explain the differences. The synovial reaction appears to be the same in both (Julkunen, 1966); and Cruickshank (1951) has said that one can match all stages in diarthrodial joints in RA and AS, which is to an extent true but nevertheless does not help us to understand, for instance, the obvious difference in the behaviour of the diarthrodial sacroiliac joints. We have also been repeatedly told (Guntz, 1933; Freund, 1942; Geiler, 1969) that spinal apophyseal arthritis is common to both; but the mechanisms responsible for the differential susceptibility of these joints to ankylosis remains obscure. And if, as Engfeldt, Romanus, and Yden (1954) and Bywaters (1967, 1969) have indicated, ossification of intervertebral discs in AS is inflammatory in origin, we may ask why similar lesions do not occur in rheumatoid spondylitis (RS). Thus, we seem to lack a clear morphological explanation for the obvious differences in the evolution of the two main forms of spondylitis: RS is characterized by instability, AS by progressive ossification. In an attempt to gain some insight into this problem of the differential pathology, I shall first discuss the nature of RS and then consider the morphogenesis of progressive ossification in AS. What I have to say is largely based on a personal study of post-mortem material, and a small but important group of biopsy specimens in AS. Table I shows the total number of necropsies in RA and AS and the number of cases in each group in which various parts of the axial skeleton have been examined; and secondly the origin and number of biopsy specimens in AS.
Rational Speculators and Exchange Rate Volatility

This paper suggests a structural connection between rational speculative activity and exchange rate volatility. We note that, when Friedman originally claimed that rational speculators must smooth exchange rate, he excluded interest rate differentials form his interpretation of speculator behavior. If interest rates matter, rational speculators could sometimes violate Friedman's description, and buy a currency whose value is relatively high or sell a currency whose value is low.
Tax Incidence in Differentiated Product Oligopoly

Abstract We analyze the incidence of ad valorem and unit excise taxes in an oligopolistic industry with differentiated products and price-setting (Bertrand) firms. Both taxes may be passed on to consumers by more than 100 percent, and an increase in the tax rate can increase short run firm profits (and hence the long run number of firms). We provide summary conditions for these effects to arise. The conditions depend on demand curvatures and are written in elasticity form. Surprisingly, the analysis largely corroborates Cournot results with homogeneous demand.
Public Capital and Economic Growth: Issues of Quantity, Finance, and Efficiency

Over the past decade, a large body of theoretical and empirical research has considered the importance of the quantity of public capital for economic growth. For the most part, the empirical results point to a positive role for public capital in determining steady state levels of output per capita and transitional growth rates. At the same time, other work has pointed out the importance of the means of financing government spending for economic growth, with the empirical results indicating a negative influence of higher government spending (proxying for a higher rate of taxation of private sector economic activities) on economic growth. Finally, there is a budding literature on the importance of the effectiveness, or efficiency, of public capital to the growth process; the limited results in the literature suggest that the effectiveness of use of the public capital stock has a meaningful positive influence on growth. This paper develops a common framework to investigate the importance of all three of these aspects of the provision of public capital for growth in output per worker. The paper includes a simple extension of the neoclassical growth model of Solow (1956) and Swan (1956), and a consideration of the relative importance of the three aspects of public capital: "how much you have," "how you pay for it," and how you use it. " (This abstract was borrowed from another version of this item.)
The Publication Decisions of Judges on the County Court of Victoria

This study examines the determinants of whether judges of the County Court of Victoria publish their judgements. Methodologically, it improves on existing US studies because it uses data on all published judgements over a decade and it exploits the panel properties of the data. The results suggest that there is a nonlinear relationship between ageing and the number of judgements published with productivity peaking at age 61; and judges who are adjunct professors, judges who manage more lists and judges who hear cases in the work cover list publish more judgements.
Rad50 Zinc Hook Is Important for the Mre11 Complex to Bind Chromosomal DNA Double-stranded Breaks and Initiate Various DNA Damage Responses*

Background: The Mre11 complex plays an important role in DNA DSB repair. Results: The Rad50 zinc hook domain is critical for the recruitment of the Mre11 complex to chromosomal DSBs. Conclusion: The Rad50 zinc hook domain is important for initiating DNA damage responses and mediating DSB repair. Significance: These studies help to understand how the Mre11 complex functions to repair DNA lesions and to maintain genome stability in mammalian cells. The Mre11-Rad50-Nbs1 (MRN) complex plays critical roles in checkpoint activation and double-stranded break (DSB) repair. The Rad50 zinc hook domain mediates zinc-dependent intercomplex associations of MRN, which is important for DNA tethering. Studies in yeast suggest that the Rad50 zinc hook domain is essential for MRN functions, but its role in mammalian cells is not clear. We demonstrated that the human Rad50 hook mutants are severely defective in various DNA damage responses including ATM (Ataxia telangiectasia mutated) activation, homologous recombination, sensitivity to IR, and activation of the ATR pathway. By using live cell imaging, we observed that the Rad50 hook mutants fail to be recruited to chromosomal DSBs, suggesting a novel mechanism underlying the severe defects observed for the Rad50 hook mutants. In vitro analysis showed that Zn2+ promotes wild type but not the hook mutant of MR to bind double-stranded DNA. In vivo, the Rad50 hook mutants are defective in being recruited to chromosomal DSBs in both H2AX-proficient and -deficient cells, suggesting that the Rad50 hook mutants are impaired in direct binding to chromosomal DSB ends. We propose that the Rad50 zinc hook domain is important for the initial binding of MRN to DSBs, leading to ATM activation to phosphorylate H2AX, which recruits more MRN to the DSB-flanking chromosomal regions. Our studies reveal a critical role for the Rad50 zinc hook domain in establishing and maintaining MRN recruitment to chromosomal DSBs and suggest an important mechanism of how the Rad50 zinc hook domain contributes to DNA repair and checkpoint activation.
Survey of Listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat foods.

The purpose of this study was to develop data on the risk of listeriosis to support a science-based strategy for addressing Listeria monocytogenes in foods in the United States. Eight categories of ready-to-eat foods were collected over 14 to 23 months from retail markets at Maryland and northern California FoodNet sites. The product categories included luncheon meats, deli salads, fresh soft "Hispanic-style" cheeses, bagged salads, blue-veined and soft mold-ripened cheeses, smoked seafood, and seafood salads. The presence and levels of L. monocytogenes in the samples were determined by rapid DNA-based assays in combination with culture methods. Of 31,705 samples tested, 577 were positive. The overall prevalence was 1.82%. with prevalences ranging from 0.17 to 4.7% among the product categories. L. monocytogenes levels in the positive samples varied from <0.3 MPN (most probable number) per g to 1.5 x 10(5) CFU/g, with 402 samples having levels of <0.3 MPN/g, 21 samples having levels of >10(2) CFU/g, and the rest of the samples having intermediate levels. No obvious trends with respect to seasonality were observed. Significant differences (P < 0.05) between the sampling sites were found, with higher prevalences for threes categories in northern California and for two categories in Maryland. Significantly (P < 0.001) higher prevalences were found for in-store-packaged samples than for manufacturer-packaged samples of luncheon meats, deli salads, and seafood salads, while 16 of the 21 samples with higher counts were manufacturer packaged. The data collected in this study help to fill gaps in the knowledge about the occurrence of L. monocytogenes in foods, and this new information should be useful in the assessment of the risk posed by L. monocytogenes to consumers.
Implementing Europe

This article shows that member state governments' ability rather than their willingness to implement directives drives uneven implementation of European Union labor policy. Analysis of 186 labor policy infringement cases against 15 member states between 1978 and 2000 shows that administrative oversight mechanisms that concentrate authority in the hands of government and exclude interest group participation enhance governments' ability to resolve conflicts with the Commission over implementation. Mechanisms that depend on cooperation with interest groups inhibit the resolution of these conflicts. This finding undermines the common prescription that increasing interest group involvement should improve member state governments' implementation of EU laws.
Households, Reurbanisation and the Rise of Living Alone in the Principal French Cities, 1975-90

The past two decades have seen profound changes in European patterns of demographic behaviour, family formation and household structure. One aspect of the 'second demographic transition' is the appearance of new and more varied household forms, especially in the large cities. Data are analysed here for France's 10 largest cities for the period 1975-90, with particular reference to their central areas. While some continue to experience population decline through out-migration, for most the 1980s saw a reversal of their demographic fortunes, thus adding further evidence to the hypothesis of reurbanisation observed elsewhere. Analysis of household change shows large increases in numbers in most cities, even where overall population is declining. Households are becoming smaller, with up to 75 per cent of households in central cities consisting of 1 or 2 persons. The increase in 1-person households, to which particular attention is paid in this paper, has been rapid. The paper also demonstrates the decline in 'traditional families' in the cities. The rise of living alone is linked to age, gender, social status and ethnicity, with young professionals, especially women, at the cutting edge of household change.
Evidence on the interjurisdictional competition for polluted industries within China

ABSTRACT This study examines, with a focus on regional environmental states in China, whether regional latecomers suffer the domestically created ‘pollution haven’ effect through the interjurisdictional competition for polluted industries within China, or enjoy the spillover effect of nationwide progress in environmental management and technology, using the analytical framework of the environmental Kuznets curve. The study found that the regional latecomer's advantage was verified in the case of wastewater, while its disadvantage was identified in waste gas and solid waste. We speculate that the contrasting result on regional latecomer's effects between wastewater, waste gas, and solid waste comes from the difference in policy performances: the well-designed water pollution control may have regional latecomer's enjoy the spillover effect of nationwide progress, while the ineffective control of air and solid waste pollution may cause a ‘pollution haven’ effect through the interjurisdictional competition for polluted industries on regional latecomers.
The Volatility Behavior and Dependence Structure of Commodity Futures and Stocks

This paper finds substantial risk diversification potential between certain commodity groups and stocks by exploring the dependence between their patterns of regime switching. None of the commodity groups share a common volatility regime with stocks, nor are the regime switching patterns of grains, industrials, metals, or softs, dependent on that of stocks. Simultaneous volatile regimes of commodity futures and stocks tend to be infrequent and short-lived. In addition, in spite of financial contagion, animal products, grains, and softs typically demonstrate very low correlations with stocks even in simultaneous volatile regimes.
The ADP-Ribosylating Toxin, AexT, from Aeromonas salmonicida subsp. salmonicida Is Translocated via a Type III Secretion Pathway

ABSTRACT AexT is an extracellular ADP ribosyltransferase produced by the fish pathogen Aeromonas salmonicida subsp. salmonicida. The protein is secreted by the bacterium via a recently identified type III secretion system. In this study, we have identified a further 12 open reading frames that possess high homology to genes encoding both structural and regulatory components of the Yersinia type III secretion apparatus. Using marker replacement mutagenesis of aopB, the A. salmonicida subsp. salmonicida homologue of yopB in Yersinia, we demonstrate that the bacterium translocates the AexT toxin directly into the cytosol of cultured fish cells via this type III secretion pathway. An acrV mutant of A. salmonicida subsp. salmonicida displays a calcium-blind phenotype, expressing and secreting significant amounts of AexT even in the presence of CaCl2 concentrations as high as 10 mM. This acrV mutant is also unable to translocate AexT into the cytosol of fish cells, indicating AcrV is involved in the translocation process. Inactivation of either the aopB or acrV gene in A. salmonicida subsp. salmonicida (resulting in an inability to translocate AexT) is accompanied by a loss of cytotoxicity that can be restored by trans complementation. Finally, we present data indicating that preincubation of the wild-type bacteria with antibodies directed against recombinant AcrV-His protein provides fish cells protection against the toxic effects of the bacterium.
Immunopathogenic events in acute infection of rhesus monkeys with simian immunodeficiency virus of macaques

Infection of the rhesus monkey with simian immunodeficiency virus of macaques (SIVmax) was employed to explore the early immune events associated with the initial containment of an acute AIDS virus infection. In nine rhesus monkeys infected intravenously with uncloned SIVmac strain 251, high-level p27 plasma antigenemia was usually detected transiently from approximately day 7 through day 21 following virus inoculation. SIVmac replication in lymph nodes measured by in situ RNA hybridization closely paralleled the time course and magnitude of viremia. The containment of SIVmac spread by 3 to 4 weeks following infection suggests an efficient, early immune control of this virus infection. Anti-SIVmac antibodies were first detected in the blood at approximately day 14. At the time antigenemia was decreased or cleared, SIVmac neutralizing antibodies were present. A rise in circulating and lymph node CD8+ T cells also occurred coincident with the clearance of antigenemia and persisted thereafter. These CD8+ lymphocytes in lymph nodes had increased expression of both major histocompatibility complex class II and the adhesion molecule LFA-1; they also demonstrated decreased expression of the naive T-cell-associated CD45RA molecule. SIVmac-specific cytotoxic T-lymphocyte precursors were detected in both blood and lymph node by 7 days post-virus inoculation. These studies indicate that both virus-specific humoral and cellular immune mechanisms in blood and lymph node are associated with the clearance of viremia that occurs within the first month of infection of rhesus monkeys with SIVmac.
Control of NKT Cell Differentiation by Tissue-Specific Microenvironments 1

CD1d-restricted Vα14 NKT cells play an important role in both Th1- and Th2-type immune responses. To determine whether NKT cells develop two functionally distinct subsets that provoke different types of responses, we examined the phenotypes and cellular functions of NK1.1+ and DX5+ T cells. We found that both NK1.1+ and DX5+ T cells are CD1d-restricted Vα14 T cells with identical Ag specificities, phenotypes, tissue locations, and functions. Similar to the NK1.1 marker, the DX5 marker (CD49b) is expressed on mature NKT cells in both NK1.1 allele-positive and allele-negative strains. However, when NK1.1+ and DX5+ NKT cells isolated from different tissues were compared, we found that thymic and splenic NKT cells differed not only in their cytokine profiles, but also in their phenotype and requirements for costimulatory signals. Thymic NKT cells displayed the phenotype of activated T cells and could be fully activated by TCR ligation. In contrast, splenic NKT cells displayed the phenotype of memory T cells and required a costimulatory signal for activation. Furthermore, the function and phenotype of thymic and splenic NKT cells were modulated by APCs from various tissues that expressed different levels of costimulatory molecules. Modulation of NKT cell function and differentiation may be mediated by synergic effects of costimulatory molecules on the surface of APCs. The results of the present study suggest that the costimulatory signals of tissue-specific APCs are key factors for NKT cell differentiation, and these signals cannot be replaced by anti-CD28 or anti-CD40 ligand Abs.
Ethnic Differences in the Relationship Between Albuminuria and Calcified Atherosclerotic Plaque

OBJECTIVE Despite higher rates of nephropathy, calcified atherosclerotic plaque is less prevalent in African Americans with diabetes relative to European Americans. We explored ethnicity-specific relationships between albuminuria and calcified plaque involving the infrarenal aorta, coronary artery, and carotid artery in 835 European American and 393 African American subjects with type 2 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Generalized estimating equations with exchangeable correlation and the sandwich estimator of the variance were used to test for association between the principal component of calcified plaque in the three vascular beds and urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (ACR). RESULTS Mean ± SD ages of African American and European American participants were 56.7 ± 9.6 and 61.7 ± 9.1 years, respectively, with diabetes duration of 10.4 ± 7.4 and 10.0 ± 7.3 years and median urine ACR of 17.5 and 13.4 mg/g. In African American and European American participants, respectively, median calcified plaque mass scores were 53.5 and 291 for coronary artery, 3 and 35.5 for carotid artery, and 761 and 3,237 for aorta. With adjustment for age, sex, glomerular filtration rate, and BMI, albuminuria was significantly associated with calcified plaque in European Americans (P = 3.4 × 10−8) but not in African Americans (P = 0.33), with significant ethnic interaction (P = 0.01). Ethnic differences in this relationship persisted after adjustment for blood pressure, smoking, lipids, and use of ACE inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers. CONCLUSIONS Albuminuria is strongly associated with severity of calcified plaque in European Americans with diabetes but not in African Americans. Disparities in this relationship may contribute to ethnic differences in the rates of cardiovascular disease that are observed in subjects with type 2 diabetes.
The IMF and the mobilisation of foreign aid

Abstract Particularly in the context of the Millennium Development Goals, there has been much discussion of the association between the International Monetary Fund and bilateral aid flows. What role should the Fund be playing in helping to achieve the MDGs? Some observers have suggested that the Fund should seek to reduce its role in poor countries and should be minimising its own lending. They see aid donors taking on a larger role and present the IMF and aid donors as substitutes. Others envisage a much bigger lending role for the Fund. This may hint at complementarities. Although this discussion raises important policy issues there are very few studies that examine the relationship empirically. This paper attempts to help fill this gap. It explores the extent to which the IMF has had a catalytic effect on Official Development Assistance and the potential channels through which catalysis might work. It finds strong evidence of a positive association and suggests that this may have more to do with conditionality than with the provision of IMF resources. But it may not represent catalysis in the conventional sense. There is a synergy between the IMF and bilateral aid that may yet be more fully developed and exploited.
Posttraumatic Growth After Breast Cancer: Patient, Partner, and Couple Perspectives

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate posttraumatic growth among breast cancer patients and their significant others over a 11/2-year time span after diagnosis and to examine cognitive and emotional processes in posttraumatic growth. Methods: One hundred sixty-two women with breast cancer and their partners completed surveys assessing posttraumatic growth, cognitive and emotional processing, and marital satisfaction at 3 time points spaced 9 months apart. Results: Posttraumatic growth increased for both partners during this period. Patient posttraumatic growth was predicted by younger age, contemplating reasons for cancer, and more emotional expression at time 1. Partner posttraumatic growth was predicted by younger age, more intrusive thoughts, and greater use of positive reappraisal and emotional processing at time 1. Conclusion: Posttraumatic growth is reported by patients and by significant others. Cognitive and emotional processes predict growth. Patient growth is associated with the significant other’s cognitive and emotional processing of breast cancer.