Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Does Trade Cause Growth

Examining the correlation between trade and income cannot identify the direction of causation between the two. Countries' geographic characteristics, however, have important effects on trade and are plausibly uncorrelated with other determinants of income. This paper, therefore, constructs measures of the geographic component of countries' trade and uses those measures to obtain instrumental variables estimates of the effect of trade on income. The results provide no evidence that ordinary least-squares estimates overstate the effects of trade. Further, they suggest that trade has a quantitatively large and robust, though only moderately statistically significant, positive effect on income.
Vascular risk factors in patients with peripheral vestibular disorders.

OBJECTIVES The present observational retrospective study investigates whether there are differences in vascular risk factors between patients with spontaneous benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) and those with Ménière's disease (MD). PATIENTS AND METHODS Out of a series of 1617 consecutive admitted patients, 36 presented isolated recurrent vertiginous events. Twenty patients with BPPV and 16 with MD were compared. In addition to extensive audiovestibular investigations, all patients had a complete cardio-vascular work-up. A computed tomography (CT) and a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain were performed in all patients. The vascular risk factors and the CT/MRI findings were compared between the patients with BPPV and MD. RESULTS Small old cerebral infarcts were observed in 25% of the BPPV and 31.2% of the MD patients, although none of them had a prior history of stroke. All other vascular risk factors tended to be more frequent in the former group although only a statistically significant difference was found for coronary artery disease (P = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS In this pilot study BPPV does not appear to be such a benign condition but can indicate progression of general atherosclerotic disease.
Environmental signatures associated with cholera epidemics

The causative agent of cholera, Vibrio cholerae, has been shown to be autochthonous to riverine, estuarine, and coastal waters along with its host, the copepod, a significant member of the zooplankton community. Temperature, salinity, rainfall and plankton have proven to be important factors in the ecology of V. cholerae, influencing the transmission of the disease in those regions of the world where the human population relies on untreated water as a source of drinking water. In this study, the pattern of cholera outbreaks during 1998–2006 in Kolkata, India, and Matlab, Bangladesh, and the earth observation data were analyzed with the objective of developing a prediction model for cholera. Satellite sensors were used to measure chlorophyll a concentration (CHL) and sea surface temperature (SST). In addition, rainfall data were obtained from both satellite and in situ gauge measurements. From the analyses, a statistically significant relationship between the time series for cholera in Kolkata, India, and CHL and rainfall anomalies was determined. A statistically significant one month lag was observed between CHL anomaly and number of cholera cases in Matlab, Bangladesh. From the results of the study, it is concluded that ocean and climate patterns are useful predictors of cholera epidemics, with the dynamics of endemic cholera being related to climate and/or changes in the aquatic ecosystem. When the ecology of V. cholerae is considered in predictive models, a robust early warning system for cholera in endemic regions of the world can be developed for public health planning and decision making.
The effects of informed strategy vs. mapping strategy training on reading comprehension performance in learning disabled and average students

The comparative effects of Informed Strategies for Learning (ISL) and semantic mapping strategies training on reading comprehension in learning disabled (LD) and average students were investigated in this study. Subjects were 74 public school students in grades 4 and 5. Of these, 35 were LD and the remaining were average students. Both types of strategies focussed on reading for meaning, attending to important text elements, linking information in the text to information outside the text (i.e. pictures, prior knowledge), and recognizing different types of discourse structures. Students in both training groups also were provided with a rationale for using the strategies and instructed about when and where to apply them. The study included pretests, 10 instructional sessions, and posttests. Both standardized and criterion referenced measures of reading comprehension were administered. As well, students completed measures of strategy use, an error detection task, and an interview. Of interest were differences between training and ability groups in terms of strategy use, reading comprehension, strategy awareness, and strategy value. The results indicated that students used the strategies they were *" taught, and students in the ISL group used their strategies more. All students increased their awareness of strategy use from pretest to posttest. However, students in the ISL group increased their awareness more than students in the mapping group. LD students increased their awareness of strategies as much as average students. Small increases in value of strategies also were observed for all students, with average students valuing strategies more than LD students. All students, except average students in the mapping condition, increased their scores on comprehension questions, and all students increased their scores on the free recall exercises from pretest to posttest. Scores on the Gates MacGinitie and the error detection task remained unchanged. Students in the ISL group recognized more discourse structures than students in the mapping group during training. However this superiority was not maintained at posttest. Average students scored higher on recognizing discourse structures than LD students at pretest and posttest.
Oral Vaccination of BALB/c Mice with Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium Expressing Pseudomonas aeruginosa O Antigen Promotes Increased Survival in an Acute Fatal Pneumonia Model

ABSTRACT Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a leading cause of nosocomial pneumonia. We compared the efficacies of oral and intraperitoneal (i.p.) vaccinations of BALB/c mice with attenuated Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium SL3261 expressing P. aeruginosa serogroup O11 O antigen to protect against P. aeruginosa infection in an acute fatal pneumonia model. Oral and i.p. vaccines elicited O11-specific serum immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies, but IgA was observed only after oral immunization. Challenge of orally vaccinated mice with an O11 strain (9882-80) at 6 and 12 times the 50% lethal dose showed increased survival in mice that received the vaccine compared to phosphate-buffered saline (PBS)- and vector-treated controls; no difference in survival was seen with a heterologous strain, 6294 (serogroup O6). In addition, significant protection against 9882-80 was not observed in i.p. vaccinated animals. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid taken from immunized mice harbored O11-specific IgA and IgG in orally immunized mice but only modest levels of IgG in i.p. vaccinated mice. To correlate protection, opsonophagocytosis assays were performed with pooled sera from orally immunized animals. Efficient killing of five O11 clinical isolates was observed, while no killing was noted with 6294, indicating that the recombinant SL3261 oral vaccine induces an O11-specific reaction. We next determined the ability of orally vaccinated animals to clear bacteria from their lungs. Following P. aeruginosa challenge, the numbers of viable bacteria were significantly fewer in orally vaccinated animals than in PBS- and vector-treated controls. Our results suggest that oral immunization with recombinant SL3261 is efficacious in protection against pneumonia caused by P. aeruginosa.
Developmental Perspectives of Adolescence - Adjustment for maternal depressive symptoms

Article history: Received 19 August 2009 Received in revised form 6 October 2011 Accepted 6 October 2011 Available online 28 October 2011 Background: Maternal depression is known to be a risk for abnormal child development. Girls and boys have been found to respond differently to maternal depression. Although prenatal and postnatal depression has been widely studied, longitudinal studies of adolescent outcome are still rare. Methods: The original sample of 349 mothers in this longitudinal study was collected in 1989– 1990 in Tampere, Finland. At the latest stage, of the 327 contacted in 2006, 191 mothers and 192 adolescents aged 16 to 17 years participated in the study. Maternal depressive symptoms were screened using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) prenatally, postnatally and at the latest stage. Adolescent outcome was examined using the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and the Youth Self Report (YSR). Results: Maternal concurrent depressive symptoms were associated with adolescent behavioral and emotional problems in both genders.Maternal prenatal depressive symptomswere associated with Externalizing Problems in the YSR and boys' lower Social Competence in both the CBCL and YSR. Maternal postnatal depressive symptoms were associated with boys' lower Social Competence both in the CBCL and YSR and Externalizing Problems in the YSR. Limitations: Being a longitudinal normal population sample, the number of symptomatic mothers and adolescents is relatively small and the number of drop-outs is relatively high. Clinical evaluation of mothers and adolescents is also lacking. Conclusions: Maternal prenatal and postnatal depressive symptoms are a risk to adolescent boys' wellbeing and concurrent depressive symptoms a risk for both girls' and boys' well-being. This long-term influence should be noted when treating women with depressive symptoms throughout motherhood. © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Scrambled eggs: A highly sensitive molecular diagnostic workflow for Fasciola species specific detection from faecal samples

Background Fasciolosis, due to Fasciola hepatica and Fasciola gigantica, is a re-emerging zoonotic parasitic disease of worldwide importance. Human and animal infections are commonly diagnosed by the traditional sedimentation and faecal egg-counting technique. However, this technique is time-consuming and prone to sensitivity errors when a large number of samples must be processed or if the operator lacks sufficient experience. Additionally, diagnosis can only be made once the 12-week pre-patent period has passed. Recently, a commercially available coprological antigen ELISA has enabled detection of F. hepatica prior to the completion of the pre-patent period, providing earlier diagnosis and increased throughput, although species differentiation is not possible in areas of parasite sympatry. Real-time PCR offers the combined benefits of highly sensitive species differentiation for medium to large sample sizes. However, no molecular diagnostic workflow currently exists for the identification of Fasciola spp. in faecal samples. Methodology/Principal findings A new molecular diagnostic workflow for the highly-sensitive detection and quantification of Fasciola spp. in faecal samples was developed. The technique involves sedimenting and pelleting the samples prior to DNA isolation in order to concentrate the eggs, followed by disruption by bead-beating in a benchtop homogeniser to ensure access to DNA. Although both the new molecular workflow and the traditional sedimentation technique were sensitive and specific, the new molecular workflow enabled faster sample throughput in medium to large epidemiological studies, and provided the additional benefit of speciation. Further, good correlation (R2 = 0.74–0.76) was observed between the real-time PCR values and the faecal egg count (FEC) using the new molecular workflow for all herds and sampling periods. Finally, no effect of storage in 70% ethanol was detected on sedimentation and DNA isolation outcomes; enabling transport of samples from endemic to non-endemic countries without the requirement of a complete cold chain. The commercially-available ELISA displayed poorer sensitivity, even after adjustment of the positive threshold (65–88%), compared to the sensitivity (91–100%) of the new molecular diagnostic workflow. Conclusions/Significance Species-specific assays for sensitive detection of Fasciola spp. enable ante-mortem diagnosis in both human and animal settings. This includes Southeast Asia where there are potentially many undocumented human cases and where post-mortem examination of production animals can be difficult. The new molecular workflow provides a sensitive and quantitative diagnostic approach for the rapid testing of medium to large sample sizes, potentially superseding the traditional sedimentation and FEC technique and enabling surveillance programs in locations where animal and human health funding is limited.
Protective effect of Spirulina platensis against cell damage and apoptosis in hepatic tissue caused by high fat diet

Spirulina platensis is a microalga that may be a source of antioxidants that can reduce body fat deposition. Consumption of a high fat diet produces elevated blood lipid levels, inflammation and apoptosis. We investigated the possible effects of S. platensis on the blood lipid profile, and liver inflammation and apoptosis in rats fed a high fat diet. Sixty-four young male rats were divided into eight equal groups. The control group was fed a basic diet. The experimental groups were fed a diet for 60 days that was prepared by mixing variable amounts of 43% vegetable oil and 10% cholesterol with or without 3% S. platensis mixed with the basal diet. Blood and liver tissue samples were collected from each animal. Serum samples were used to analyze lipid parameters, total antioxidant status and total oxidant status. iNOS and eNOS were determined by immunohistochemistry. TUNEL staining was used to detect apoptosis to investigate a possible connection between inflammation and apoptosis in the liver tissue. The relations between fat deposition and liver degeneration were assessed by Sirius red staining and alpha-smooth muscle actin immunostaining. S. platensis reduced serum HDL-C, LDL-C and triglyceride, increased HDL-C levels in rats fed a high fat diet to near control levels, and reduced iNOS levels and increased eNOS levels in the liver tissue compared to vegetable oil and cholesterol treated groups. The apoptotic index was reduced in the groups that were fed a high fat or a basic diet when supplemented with S. platensis.
Quantiles as Optimal Point Predictors

The loss function plays a central role in the theory and practice of forecasting. If the loss is quadratic, the mean of the predictive distribution is the unique optimal point predictor. If the loss is linear, any median is an optimal point forecast. The title of the paper refers to the simple, possibly surprising fact that quantiles arise as optimal point predictors under a general class of economically relevant loss functions, to which we refer as generalized piecewise linear (GPL). The level of the quantile depends on a generic asymmetry parameter that reflects the possibly distinct costs of underprediction and overprediction. A loss function for which quantiles are optimal point predictors is necessarily GPL, similarly to the classical fact that a loss function for which the mean is optimal is necessarily of the Bregman type. We prove general versions of these results that apply on any decision-observation domain and rest on weak assumptions. The empirical relevance of the choices in the transition from the predictive distribution to the point forecast is illustrated on the Bank of England’s density forecasts of United Kingdom inflation rates, and probabilistic predictions of wind energy resources in the Pacific Northwest.
Metabolic Adaptation, a Specialized Leaf Organ Structure and Vascular Responses to Diurnal N2 Fixation by Nostoc azollae Sustain the Astonishing Productivity of Azolla Ferns without Nitrogen Fertilizer

Sustainable agriculture demands reduced input of man-made nitrogen (N) fertilizer, yet N2 fixation limits the productivity of crops with heterotrophic diazotrophic bacterial symbionts. We investigated floating ferns from the genus Azolla that host phototrophic diazotrophic Nostoc azollae in leaf pockets and belong to the fastest growing plants. Experimental production reported here demonstrated N-fertilizer independent production of nitrogen-rich biomass with an annual yield potential per ha of 1200 kg−1 N fixed and 35 t dry biomass. 15N2 fixation peaked at noon, reaching 0.4 mg N g−1 dry weight h−1. Azolla ferns therefore merit consideration as protein crops in spite of the fact that little is known about the fern’s physiology to enable domestication. To gain an understanding of their nitrogen physiology, analyses of fern diel transcript profiles under differing nitrogen fertilizer regimes were combined with microscopic observations. Results established that the ferns adapted to the phototrophic N2-fixing symbionts N. azollae by (1) adjusting metabolically to nightly absence of N supply using responses ancestral to ferns and seed plants; (2) developing a specialized xylem-rich vasculature surrounding the leaf-pocket organ; (3) responding to N-supply by controlling transcripts of genes mediating nutrient transport, allocation and vasculature development. Unlike other non-seed plants, the Azolla fern clock is shown to contain both the morning and evening loops; the evening loop is known to control rhythmic gene expression in the vasculature of seed plants and therefore may have evolved along with the vasculature in the ancestor of ferns and seed plants.
Applicability of Next Generation Sequencing Technology in Microsatellite Instability Testing

Microsatellite instability (MSI) is a useful marker for risk assessment, prediction of chemotherapy responsiveness and prognosis in patients with colorectal cancer. Here, we describe a next generation sequencing approach for MSI testing using the MiSeq platform. Different from other MSI capturing strategies that are based on targeted gene capture, we utilize “deep resequencing”, where we focus the sequencing on only the microsatellite regions of interest. We sequenced a series of 44 colorectal tumours with normal controls for five MSI loci (BAT25, BAT26, BAT34c4, D18S55, D5S346) and a second series of six colorectal tumours (no control) with two mononucleotide loci (BAT25, BAT26). In the first series, we were able to determine 17 MSI-High, 1 MSI-Low and 26 microsatellite stable (MSS) tumours. In the second series, there were three MSI-High and three MSS tumours. Although there was some variation within individual markers, this NGS method produced the same overall MSI status for each tumour, as obtained with the traditional multiplex PCR-based method.
Amygdala Perfusion Is Predicted by Its Functional Connectivity with the Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex and Negative Affect

Background Previous studies have shown that the activity of the amygdala is elevated in people experiencing clinical and subclinical levels of anxiety and depression (negative affect). It has been proposed that a reduction in inhibitory input to the amygdala from the prefrontal cortex and resultant over-activity of the amygdala underlies this association. Prior studies have found relationships between negative affect and 1) amygdala over-activity and 2) reduced amygdala-prefrontal connectivity. However, it is not known whether elevated amygdala activity is associated with decreased amygdala-prefrontal connectivity during negative affect states. Methods Here we used resting-state arterial spin labeling (ASL) and blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in combination to test this model, measuring the activity (regional cerebral blood flow, rCBF) and functional connectivity (correlated fluctuations in the BOLD signal) of one subregion of the amygdala with strong connections with the prefrontal cortex, the basolateral nucleus (BLA), and subsyndromal anxiety levels in 38 healthy subjects. Results BLA rCBF was strongly correlated with anxiety levels. Moreover, both BLA rCBF and anxiety were inversely correlated with the strength of the functional coupling of the BLA with the caudal ventromedial prefrontal cortex. Lastly, BLA perfusion was found to be a mediator of the relationship between BLA-prefrontal connectivity and anxiety. Conclusions These results show that both perfusion of the BLA and a measure of its functional coupling with the prefrontal cortex directly index anxiety levels in healthy subjects, and that low BLA-prefrontal connectivity may lead to increased BLA activity and resulting anxiety. Thus, these data provide key evidence for an often-cited circuitry model of negative affect, using a novel, multi-modal imaging approach.
Women in management : current research issues

Women in Management - Ronald J Burke and Marilyn J Davidson Current Research Issues PART ONE: NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE An Introductory Overview of Women in Corporate Management - Barbara Parker and Ellen A Fagenson Gender Cultures - Su Maddock and Di Parkin How They Affect Men and Women at Work Managerial Sex Typing - Virginia E Schein A Persistent and Pervasive Barrier to Women's Opportunities PART TWO: ISSUES IN CAREER DEVELOPMENT Turnover of Female Managers - Jeanne M Brett and Linda K Stroh Career Development among Managerial and Professional Women - Ronald J Burke and Carol A McKeen Career Development in Male and Female Managers - Rob Goffee and Nigel Nicholson Convergence or Collapse? Gender Bias in the Selection and Assessment of Women in Management - Beverly Alimo-Metcalfe Women as Managerial Leaders - Margaret Ferrario PART THREE: GENDER AND RELATIONSHIPS AT WORK The Social Construction of Relationships among Professional Women at Work - Robin J Ely Gender Differences in Communication and Behaviour in Organizations - Susan Schick Case Women and Sexual Harassment - Jeanette N Cleveland Work and Well-Being in US Organizations Changing Men and Changing Managements - Jeff Hearn Social Change, Social Research and Social Action PART FOUR: HOME-WORK CONFLICTS Work-Family Conflict, Social Support and Well-Being - Jeffrey H Greenhaus and Saroj Parasuraman Role Tensions and Dual-Career Couples - Suzan Lewis Variations in Career and Family Involvement over Time - Mary Dean Lee Truth and Consequences PART FIVE: EQUAL OPPORTUNITY AND AFFIRMATIVE ACTION PROGRAMMES Organizational Initiatives in the USA for Advancing Managerial Women - Mary C Mattis Affirmative Action in Australian Organizations - Robin Kramar Implementing Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Programmes in Belgium, France and The Netherlands - Monique Chalude, Attie de Jong and Jacqueline Laufer Opportunity 2000 - Valerie Hammond Good Practice in UK Organizations
Mental health challenges among adolescents living with HIV

Introduction: Mental health is a critical and neglected global health challenge for adolescents infected with HIV. The prevalence of mental and behavioural health issues among HIV‐infected adolescents may not be well understood or addressed as the world scales up HIV prevention and treatment for adolescents. The objective of this narrative review is to assess the current literature related to mental health challenges faced by adolescents living with HIV, including access to mental health services, the role of mental health challenges during transition from paediatric to adult care services and responsibilities, and the impact of mental health interventions.