Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The BRIC States and Outward Foreign Direct Investment

This book examines the relatively recent and under-explored phenomenon of outward foreign direct investment (FDI) from the large emerging market countries, focusing on the four BRIC states (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) and on the services sector meaning primarily telecommunications, finance, and transport. It considers the international legal framework governing FDI, discussing the nature and extent of the bilateral and regional investment treaty commitments undertaken by each of the BRIC states, including their commitments under the WTO General Agreement on Trade in Services, as well as their obligations as members of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. Drawing on trends observed in the regulatory approach of these countries to FDI in services, including the observed flow of FDI both to and now from the developing world, the book proposes a multilateral investment treaty aimed at the liberalization and protection of FDI in services. The treaty will capture the emerging equilibrium in global FDI patterns signifying a unified approach to the regulation of foreign investment in the growing services economy by developing and developed economies alike. The treaty will strengthen the legitimacy of investor-state dispute settlement and recognize public interest norms such as environmental protection and human rights as well as allow signatories to retain sovereignty over matters relating to national security and economic stability.
MHC Class II Protein Turnover In vivo and Its Relevance for Autoimmunity in Non-Obese Diabetic Mice

Major histocompatibility complex class II (MHCII) proteins are loaded with endosomal peptides and reside at the surface of antigen-presenting cells (APCs) for a time before being degraded. In vitro, MHCII protein levels and turnover are affected by peptide loading and by rates of ubiquitin-dependent internalization from the cell surface, which is in turn affected by APC type and activation state. Prior work suggested that fast turnover of disease-associated MHCII alleles may contribute to autoimmunity. We recently developed novel stable isotope tracer techniques to test this hypothesis in vivo. In non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice, a model of type 1 diabetes (T1D), MHCII turnover was affected by APC type, but unaffected by disease-associated structural polymorphism. Differences in MHCII turnover were observed between NOD colonies with high and low T1D incidence, but fast turnover was dispensable for autoimmunity. Moreover, NOD mice with gene knockouts of peptide loading cofactors do not develop T1D. Thus, fast turnover does not appear pathogenic, and conventional antigen presentation is critical for autoimmunity in NOD mice. However, shared environmental factors may underpin colony differences in MHCII protein turnover, immune regulation, and pathogenesis.
Oxidative stress gradient in a medium during human corneal organ culture

Purpose Lipid peroxidation content was measured in an organ culture medium after one-week storage of human donor corneas. Moreover, the effects of the medium on oxidative stress, antioxidant capacity, and the proliferation of cultured human corneal cells were studied. Methods The medium was sampled from the upper and lower halves of storage vials and from controls (n=42). Malondialdehyde (MDA) was measured by high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). Cultured human corneal epithelium (CRL-11515) was exposed to different medium samples and monitored for changes in MDA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay [ELISA]), total antioxidant capacity (antioxidant assay kit), and proliferation (Ki-67). Results A significant increase in MDA was observed in the organ culture medium in the lower level of storage vials. The addition of this fraction to cultured cells increased MDA significantly after 3 days, and the medium from both levels significantly increased MDA after 7 days. The medium from both levels significantly decreased the total antioxidant capacity of the cells but did not affect proliferative activity. Conclusions An oxidative gradient with an evident biologic effect is established in the medium in vials during organ culture of human donor corneas. Donor tissue stored at the bottom or in lower levels of such vials is exposed to a significant amount of oxidative stress.
The Origin of the Intrinsic Scatter in the Relation Between Black Hole Mass and Bulge Luminosity for Nearby Active Galaxies

We investigate the origin of the intrinsic scatter in the correlation between black hole mass (MBH) and bulge luminosity (Lbul) in a sample of 45 massive, local (z≲ 0.35) type 1 active galactic nuclei (AGNs). We derive MBH from published optical spectra assuming a spherical broad-line region, and Lbul from detailed two-dimensional decomposition of archival optical Hubble Space Telescope images. AGNs follow the MBH − Lbul relation of inactive galaxies, but the zero point is shifted by an average of Δ log MBH ≈ − 0.3 dex. We show that the magnitude of the zero point offset, which is responsible for the intrinsic scatter in the MBH − Lbul relation, is correlated with several AGN and host galaxy properties, all of which are ultimately related to, or directly impact, the BH mass accretion rate. At a given bulge luminosity, sources with higher Eddington ratios have lower MBH. The zero point offset can be explained by a change in the normalization of the virial product used to estimate MBH, in conjunction with modest BH growth (~10%-40%) during the AGN phase. Galaxy mergers and tidal interactions appear to play an important role in regulating AGN fueling in low-redshift AGNs.
The Returns to the Federal Tax Credits for Higher Education

Three tax credits benefit households who pay tuition and fees for higher education. The credits have been justified as an investment by generating more educated people and thus more earnings and externalities associated with education. The credits have also been justified purely as tax cuts to benefit the middle class. In 2009, the generosity of and eligibility for the tax credits expanded enormously so that their 2011 cost was $25 billion. Using selected, de-identified data from the population of potential filers, we show how the credits are distributed across households with different incomes. We estimate the causal effects of the federal tax credits using two empirical strategies (regression kink and simulated instruments), which we show to be strong and very credibly valid for this application. The latter strategy exploits the massive expansion of the credits in 2009. We present causal estimates of the credits’ effects on postsecondary attendance, the type of college attended, the resources experienced in college, tuition paid, and financial aid received. We discuss the implications of our findings for society’s return on investment and for the tax credits’ budget neutrality over the long term (whether higher lifetime earnings generate sufficient taxes to recoup the tax expenditures). We assess several explanations as to why the credits appear to have negligible causal effects.
Blood Pressure in Relation to Concentrations of PCB Congeners and Chlorinated Pesticides

Background Residents of Anniston, Alabama, live near a Monsanto plant that manufactured polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from 1929 to 1971 and are relatively heavily exposed. Objectives The goal of this study was to determine the relationship, if any, between blood pressure and levels of total serum PCBs, several PCB groups with common actions or structure, 35 individual PCB congeners, and nine chlorinated pesticides. Methods Linear regression analysis was used to determine the relationships between blood pressure and serum levels of the various contaminants after adjustment for age, body mass index, sex, race, smoking, and exercise in 394 Anniston residents who were not taking antihypertensive medication. Results Other than age, total serum PCB concentration was the strongest determinant of blood pressure of the covariates studied. We found the strongest associations for those PCB congeners that had multiple ortho chlorines. We found the associations over the full range of blood pressure as well as in those subjects whose blood pressure was in the normal range. The chlorinated pesticides showed no consistent relationship to blood pressure. Conclusions In this cross-sectional study, serum concentrations of PCBs, especially those congeners with multiple ortho chlorines, were strongly associated with both systolic and diastolic blood pressure.
Sequence Analysis of the Capsid Gene during a Genotype II.4 Dominated Norovirus Season in One University Hospital: Identification of Possible Transmission Routes

Norovirus (NoV) is a leading cause of gastroenteritis and genotype II.4 (GII.4) is responsible for the majority of nosocomial NoV infections. Our objective was to examine whether sequencing of the capsid gene might be a useful tool for the hospital outbreak investigation to define possible transmission routes. All NoV positive samples submitted from one university hospital during the 2007/8 season were selected. Genotyping of selected samples by partial polymerase gene sequencing had shown that the majority belonged to the GII.4 variant Den Haag 2006b and had identical polymerase sequences. Sequences of the capsid gene (1412 nucleotides) were obtained from the first available sample from 55 patients. From six immunocompromised patients with persistent infections a second sample was also included. As a control for a point-source outbreak, five samples from a foodborne outbreak caused by the same GII.4 variant were analyzed. Forty-seven of the inpatients (85%) were infected with the GII.4 variant Den Haag 2006b. Phylogenetic analysis of the Den Haag 2006b sequences identified four distinct outbreaks in different departments and a fifth outbreak with possible inter-department spread. In addition, a more heterogeneous cluster with evidence of repeated introductions from the community, but also possible inter-department spread was observed. In all six patients with paired sequences, evidence for in vivo evolution of the virus was found. Capsid gene sequencing showed substantial sequence variation among NoV GII.4 variant Den Haag 2006b strains from one single institution during a nine months’ period. This method proved useful to understand the local epidemiology and, when used promptly, has the potential to make infection control measures more targeted.
Automatic Calibration Tool for Hydrologic Simulation Program-FORTRAN Using a Shuffled Complex Evolution Algorithm

Hydrologic Simulation Program-Fortran (HSPF) model calibration is typically done manually due to the lack of an automated calibration tool as well as the difficulty of balancing objective functions to be considered. This paper discusses the development and demonstration of an automated calibration tool for HSPF (HSPF-SCE). HSPF-SCE was developed using the open source software “R”. The tool employs the Shuffled Complex Evolution optimization algorithm (SCE-UA) to produce a pool of qualified calibration parameter sets from which the modeler chooses a single set of calibrated parameters. Six calibration criteria specified in the Expert System for the Calibration of HSPF (HSPEXP) decision support tool were combined to develop a single, composite objective function for HSPF-SCE. The HSPF-SCE tool was demonstrated, and automated and manually calibrated model performance were compared using three Virginia watersheds, where HSPF models had been previously prepared for bacteria total daily maximum load (TMDL) development. The example applications demonstrate that HSPF-SCE can be an effective tool for calibrating HSPF.
Essays on banking and corporate finance

The first essay provides evidence that banks are liquidity constrained and hold private information about borrowers that hinders substitution of financing sources. Using loan level data from a public credit bureau and exploiting an exogenous shock to bank liquidity, I show that adverse selection prevents full arbitrage of profitable opportunities by competing lenders and thus liquidity constraints propagate to bank-dependent borrowers. The second essay evaluates a government program that targeted credit to small firms through existing financial intermediaries. Using the program eligibility rule to identify the effect on target firms, I find that target firms' total bank debt increased by 8 cents for every dollar of program financing provided to the banks. This effect is larger when the intermediary bank is more likely to lend to smaller firms according to observable bank characteristics. The third essay evaluates empirically the effect of credit history disclosure on the financial position of a sample of manufacturing firms in Argentina. Results indicate that credit history disclosure has a negative impact in the ability of firms to raise external finance when firms are exposed to a high liquidity risk. Thesis Supervisors: Esther Duflo Castle Irob Associate Professor of Economics Abhijit Banerjee Professor of Economics Antoinette Schoar Michael M. Koerner Associate Professor of Entrepreneurial Finance
MEXICA: A computer model of a cognitive account of creative writing

MEXICA is a computer model that produces frameworks for short stories based on the engagement-reflection cognitive account of writing. During engagement MEXICA generates material guided by content and rhetorical constraints, avoiding the use of explicit goals or story-structure information. During reflection the system breaks impasses, evaluates the novelty and interestingness of the story in progress and verifies that coherence requirements are satisfied. In this way, MEXICA complements and extends those models of computerised story-telling based on traditional problem-solving techniques where explicit goals drive the generation of stories. This paper describes the engagement-reflection account of writing, the general characteristics of MEXICA and reports an evaluation of the program.
Buying time: a rationale for examining the use of circadian rhythm and sleep interventions to delay progression of mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer’s disease

As of 2010, the worldwide economic impact of dementia was estimated at $604 billion USD; and without discovery of a cure or effective interventions to delay disease progression, dementia’s annual global economic impact is expected to surpass $1 trillion USD as early as 2030. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the leading cause of dementia accounting for over 75% of all cases. Toxic accumulation of amyloid beta (Aβ), either by overproduction or some clearance failure, is thought to be an underlying mechanism of the neuronal cell death characteristic of AD—though this amyloid hypothesis has been increasingly challenged in recent years. A compelling alternative hypothesis points to chronic neuroinflammation as a common root in late-life degenerative diseases including AD. Apolipoprotein-E (APOE) genotype is the strongest genetic risk factor for AD: APOE-ε4 is proinflammatory and individuals with this genotype accumulate more Aβ, are at high risk of developing AD, and almost half of all AD patients have at least one ε4 allele. Recent studies suggest a bidirectional relationship exists between sleep and AD pathology. Sleep may play an important role in Aβ clearance, and getting good quality sleep vs. poor quality sleep might reduce the AD risk associated with neuroinflammation and the ε4 allele. Taken together, these findings are particularly important given the sleep disruptions commonly associated with AD and the increased burden disrupted sleep poses for AD caregivers. The current review aims to: (1) identify individuals at high risk for dementia who may benefit most from sleep interventions; (2) explore the role poor sleep quality plays in exacerbating AD type dementia; (3) examine the science of sleep interventions to date; and (4) provide a road map in pursuit of comprehensive sleep interventions, specifically targeted to promote cognitive function and delay progression of dementia.
Expression of the strA-strB streptomycin resistance genes in Pseudomonas syringae and Xanthomonas campestris and characterization of IS6100 in X. campestris

Expression of the strA-strB streptomycin resistance (SMr) genes was examined in Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae and Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria. The strA-strB genes in P. syringae and X. campestris were encoded on elements closely related to Tn5393 from Erwinia amylovora and designated Tn5393a and Tn5393b, respectively. The putative recombination site (res) and resolvase-repressor (tnpR) genes of Tn5393 from E. amylovora, P syringae, and X. campestris were identical; however, IS6100 mapped within tnpR in X. campestris, and IS1133 was previously located downstream of tnpR in E. amylovora (C.-S Chiou and A. L. Jones, J. Bacteriol. 175:732-740, 1993). Transcriptional fusions (strA-strB::uidA) indicated that a strong promoter sequence was located within res in Tn5393a. Expression from this promoter sequence was reduced when the tnpR gene was present in cis position relative to the promoter. In X. campestris pv. vesicatoria, analysis of promoter activity with transcriptional fusions indicated that IS6100 increased the expression of strA-strB. Analysis of codon usage patterns and percent G+C in the third codon position indicated that IS6100 could have originated in a gram-negative bacterium. The data obtained in the present study help explain differences observed in the levels of SMr expressed by three genera which share common genes for resistance. Furthermore, the widespread dissemination of Tn5393 and derivatives in phytopathogenic prokaryotes confirms the importance of these bacteria as reservoirs of antibiotic resistance in the environment.
Brain structure and cognition in a community sample of elderly Latinos

BackgroundPrevious studies have found that hippocampal atrophy and white matter hyperintensities (WMH) on MRI are linked to cognitive impairment and dementia. The authors measured these variables in a population-based cohort of older Mexican Americans with a wide spectrum of cognitive ability, ranging from normal cognition to dementia. ObjectiveTo investigate whether these structural brain changes were seen in individuals prior to the development of dementia and how these changes were related to the presence of dementia. MethodsA sample of 122 subjects was selected from the Sacramento Area Latino Study on Aging, and subjects were categorized into four groups of increasing levels of cognitive impairment: normal, memory impaired (MI), cognitively impaired but not demented (CIND), and demented. Hippocampal volume was quantified using a region of interest approach. WMH was rated on a semiquantitative scale as the percent of total volume of white matter. ResultsHippocampal volume was significantly reduced in CIND and demented individuals, and WMH were significantly increased in demented subjects. MI subjects did not have any significant changes in hippocampal volume or WMH. The risk for developing dementia was significantly and comparably increased in subjects with either hippocampal atrophy or high WMH. However, the risk for dementia increased dramatically in subjects with both hippocampal atrophy and a high degree of WMH. ConclusionReductions in hippocampal volume may be present before dementia but not until cognitive impairment is relatively severe. Because there is a synergistic effect between high WMH and hippocampal atrophy, interactions between vascular and degenerative processes may be important determinants of dementia.
Activation of the Parieto-Premotor Network Is Associated with Vivid Motor Imagery—A Parametric fMRI Study

The present study examined the neural basis of vivid motor imagery with parametrical functional magnetic resonance imaging. 22 participants performed motor imagery (MI) of six different right-hand movements that differed in terms of pointing accuracy needs and object involvement, i.e., either none, two big or two small squares had to be pointed at in alternation either with or without an object grasped with the fingers. After each imagery trial, they rated the perceived vividness of motor imagery on a 7-point scale. Results showed that increased perceived imagery vividness was parametrically associated with increasing neural activation within the left putamen, the left premotor cortex (PMC), the posterior parietal cortex of the left hemisphere, the left primary motor cortex, the left somatosensory cortex, and the left cerebellum. Within the right hemisphere, activation was found within the right cerebellum, the right putamen, and the right PMC. It is concluded that the perceived vividness of MI is parametrically associated with neural activity within sensorimotor areas. The results corroborate the hypothesis that MI is an outcome of neural computations based on movement representations located within motor areas.
mafa 64 _ 407 Mp _ 1024 File # 07 TQ

Using a resiliency framework, we examined familial and extrafamilial factors associated with adolescent well-being in intact, blended, and divorced single-parent families. Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted using a large sample of 7th-, 9th-, and 11th-grade adolescents (N 5 2,011) to test the moderating effect of peer support, school attachment, and neighbor support when parental support and monitoring were low. Significant twoand three-way interactions were probed. Findings indicate that divorced and blended families have some of the same forms of resiliency as intact families. For adolescents in a divorced single-parent family, peer support moderated the effect of low parental support on internalizing symptoms. We discuss the merits of examining divorce from a resiliency perspective.
Human Herpesvirus 6A Partially Suppresses Functional Properties of DC without Viral Replication

Human herpesvirus 6A (HHV-6A) is a common virus with a worldwide distribution that has been associated with multiple sclerosis. Whether HHV-6A can replicate in dendritic cells (DC) and how the infection might modulate the functional properties of the cell are currently not well known and need further investigations. Here, we show that a non-productive infection of HHV-6A in DC leads to the up-regulation of HLA-ABC, via autocrine IFN-α signaling, as well as the up-regulation of HLA-DR and CD86. However, HHV-6A exposure reduces IL-8 secretion by DC and their capacity to stimulate allogenic T cell proliferation. The ability to suppress DC functions important for activation of innate and adaptive immune responses might be one successful strategy by which HHV-6A avoids the induction of appropriate host defense mechanisms, and thus facilitating persistent infection.
Quantitative Electromyographic Analysis of Reaction Time to External Auditory Stimuli in Drug-Naïve Parkinson's Disease

Evaluation of motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease (PD) is still based on clinical rating scales by clinicians. Reaction time (RT) is the time interval between a specific stimulus and the start of muscle response. The aim of this study was to identify the characteristics of RT responses in PD patients using electromyography (EMG) and to elucidate the relationship between RT and clinical features of PD. The EMG activity of 31 PD patients was recorded during isometric muscle contraction. RT was defined as the time latency between an auditory beep and responsive EMG activity. PD patients demonstrated significant delays in both initiation and termination of muscle contraction compared with controls. Cardinal motor symptoms of PD were closely correlated with RT. RT was longer in more-affected side and in more-advanced PD stages. Frontal cognitive function, which is indicative of motor programming and movement regulation and perseveration, was also closely related with RT. In conclusion, greater RT is the characteristic motor features of PD and it could be used as a sensitive tool for motor function assessment in PD patients. Further investigations are required to clarify the clinical impact of the RT on the activity of daily living of patients with PD.