Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Flexible Employment, Risk and the Welfare State

markdownabstract__Abstract__ In most developed countries, the welfare state provides some form of protection for its citizens. The provision of social arrangements differs substantially between countries but, on the basis of institutional characteristics such as the level of spending on welfare programmes, entitlements and labour market participation, countries can be clustered into several ideal-typical welfare state regimes (Esping-Andersen, 1990; 1999); social democratic, corporatist and liberal. This typology is based on differences in how responsibilities are distributed between the state, market and the family. The social security system is central to public welfare, covering social risks such as unemployment, sickness, disability or old age. The social security system depends on public support in society. Public support is important for the legitimacy of social security systems and, in this way, is an important factor in the expansion or decline of the welfare state (Brooks and Manza, 2007; 2006; Hobolt and Klemmemsen, 2005; Burstein, 1998; Page and Shapiro, 1983). Of course, one must not overlook the relevance of all kinds of macro level factors, such as the globalization of financial markets, the costs associated with welfare reform (such as the ‘sunk costs’ in existing public arrangements), sudden shocks from outside the political system and the influence of the media, all of which may also affect the development of the welfare state (see, for example, John, 2006; Pierson, 1998; Pierson, 1994; Pfau-Effinger, 2005), but electoral pressure means that how people perceive social security practices is a very significant factor for social policy. In accordance with democratic theory (cf. Manza and Cook, 2002), it is commonly accepted that social policy preferences impact on levels of social protection, while power relations between social actors (such as the strength of left-wing political parties) may moderate social policy preferences in shaping actual policy outputs (see, for example, Korpi, 2006; Korpi and Palme, 2003).
Joint Approaches to Social Policy: Rationality and Practice

Biographical notes Preface Acknowledgements 1. Rationality - the history of an idea 2. Investigating policy coordination: issues and hypotheses 3. Policy coordination for children under five and for elderly people 4. Whatever happened to JASP? 5. Policy coordination: a view of Whitehall 6. Coordination at local level: introducing methods and localities 7. Coordination at local level: state of play 8. Barriers and opportunities 9. Costs, benefits and incentives 10. Understanding coordination 11. Towards a new model of social planning Index.
Adeno-Associated Virus Rep Represses the Human Integration Site Promoter by Two Pathways That Are Similar to Those Required for the Regulation of the Viral p5 Promoter

ABSTRACT Adeno-associated virus serotype 2 (AAV2) can efficiently replicate in cells that have been infected with helper viruses, such as adenovirus or herpesvirus. However, in the absence of helper virus infection, AAV2 establishes latency by integrating its genome site specifically into PPP1R12C, a gene located on chromosome 19. This integration target site falls into one of the most gene-dense regions of the human genome, thus inviting the question as to whether the virus has evolved mechanisms to control this complex transcriptional environment in order to facilitate integration, maintain an apparently innocuous latency, and/or establish conditions that are conducive to the rescue of the integrated viral genome. The viral replication (Rep) proteins control and direct every known aspect of the viral life cycle and have been shown to tightly control all AAV2 promoters. In addition, a number of heterologous promoters are repressed by the AAV2 Rep proteins. Here, we demonstrate that Rep proteins efficiently repress expression from the target site PPP1R12C promoter. We find evidence that this repression employs mechanisms similar to those described for Rep-mediated AAV2 p5 promoter regulation. Furthermore, we show that the repression of the cellular target site promoter is based on two distinct mechanisms, one relying on the presence of a functional Rep binding motif within the 5′ untranslated region (UTR) of PPP1R12C, whereas the second pathway requires only an intact nucleoside triphosphate (NTP) binding site within the Rep proteins, indicating the possible reliance of this pathway on interactions of the Rep proteins with cellular proteins that mediate or regulate cellular transcription. IMPORTANCE The observation that repression of transcription from the adeno-associated virus serotype 2 (AAV2) p5 and integration target site promoters is mediated by shared mechanisms highlights the possible coevolution of virus and host and could lead to the identification of host factors that the virus exploits to navigate its life cycle.
A novel GUCY2D mutation in a Chinese family with dominant cone dystrophy

Purpose To describe the clinical and genetic findings in a Chinese family with autosomal dominant cone dystrophy (adCOD). Methods One family was examined clinically, and genomic DNA was extracted from venous blood of all participants. Genotyping and haplotyping analysis was performed on the known genetic loci for adCOD and autosomal dominant cone-rod dystrophies (adCORD) with a panel of polymorphic markers in this family. All coding exons of the AIPL1, PTTPNM3, and GUCY2D gene were directly sequenced. Allele-specific PCR was used to validate a substitution in all available family members and 100 normal controls. Bioinformatics analysis was done using the Garnier-Osguthorpe-Robson method to predict the effect of the variants detected on the secondary structure of the GUCY2D protein. Results Clinical examination and pedigree analysis revealed a three-generation family with four members diagnosed with adCOD. Through genotyping, the disease-causing genes were mapped to chromosomes 17p13.1–2 (AIPL1, PITPNM3, and GUCY2D gene). A novel A->G transition at position 2545 (p.T849A) of the cDNA sequence was identified in the GUCY2D gene. No mutation was detected in the AIPL1 and PITPNM3 genes. This missense mutation co-segregated with the disease phenotype of the family but was not found in the 100 normal controls. Conclusions A novel missense mutation of the GUCY2D gene was identified in this study. Our results further confirm that the dimerization zone of RetGC-1 is the mutational hot region for COD and CORD.
Animal Models of C-Reactive Protein

As the main theme of this special issue, CRP not only is an inflammatory marker but also has diverse biological functions associated with different diseases. To investigate CRP's physiologies and their relationship with human pathological significance, it is essential to use appropriate animal models for translational research. The most popular models for the study of CRP are transgenic mice. However, researchers should be careful when extrapolating the findings derived from these animal models. This review will discuss the current concerns on CRP transgenic mice and rabbits.
Factors Related to Long-Term Post-Stroke Cognitive Impairment in Young Adult Ischemic Stroke

Background Post-stroke cognitive impairment is common and a decisive prognostic factor. However, few studies have reported on post-stroke cognition in young adults, especially long-term cognition. This study was designed to investigate the influence of baseline factors, treatments, and functional outcome on the long-term cognitive outcome in young adults with ischemic stroke. Material/Methods Consecutive patients aged 18–45 years between January 1, 2006 and December 31, 2010, with a first-ever ischemic stroke, were recruited for cognitive assessment by telephone from December 10 to December 31, 2013 using modified versions of “Telephone Instrument for Cognitive Status” (TICS-m) scale. The relationship of cognitive impairment with baseline factors, treatments, and functional outcome were evaluated. Results A total of 350 patients with an average age of 41.0±6.8 years (69.7% males and 30.3% females) were reviewed. The average follow-up period was 5.8±3.2 years, and cognitive impairment existed in 39.4% of patients at follow-up. Stroke severity on admission, functional outcome (modified Rankin Scale, mRS >2) at discharge, left anterior circulation syndrome, and stroke recurrence were markedly associated with post-stroke cognitive impairment (all P<0.01). Post-stroke cognition was also significantly related to mRS at follow-up (r=−0.563, P<0.001). Conclusions Post-stroke cognition was related to functional outcome: hence, treatment directed toward reducing functional disability might also reduce cognitive impairment.
Closed-loop stimulation of a delayed neural fields model of parkinsonian STN-GPe network: a theoretical and computational study

Several disorders are related to pathological brain oscillations. In the case of Parkinson's disease, sustained low-frequency oscillations (especially in the β-band, 13–30 Hz) correlate with motor symptoms. It is still under debate whether these oscillations are the cause of parkinsonian motor symptoms. The development of techniques enabling selective disruption of these β-oscillations could contribute to the understanding of the underlying mechanisms, and could be exploited for treatments. A particularly appealing technique is Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS). With clinical electrical DBS, electrical currents are delivered at high frequency to a region made of potentially heterogeneous neurons (the subthalamic nucleus (STN) in the case of Parkinson's disease). Even more appealing is DBS with optogenetics, which is until now a preclinical method using both gene transfer and deep brain light delivery and enabling neuromodulation at the scale of one given neural network. In this work, we rely on delayed neural fields models of STN and the external Globus Pallidus (GPe) to develop, theoretically validate and test in silico a closed-loop stimulation strategy to disrupt these sustained oscillations with optogenetics. First, we rely on tools from control theory to provide theoretical conditions under which sustained oscillations can be attenuated by a closed-loop stimulation proportional to the measured activity of STN. Second, based on this theoretical framework, we show numerically that the proposed closed-loop stimulation efficiently attenuates sustained oscillations, even in the case when the photosensitization effectively affects only 50% of STN neurons. We also show through simulations that oscillations disruption can be achieved when the same light source is used for the whole STN population. We finally test the robustness of the proposed strategy to possible acquisition and processing delays, as well as parameters uncertainty.
Effect of pallidotomy on postural control and motor function in Parkinson disease.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the effects of pallidotomy on postural reactions and other motor parkinsonian deficits. DESIGN Comparison of performance by patients before and after pallidotomy on tests of balance and function. SETTING A Parkinson disease Center of Excellence and Center for Human Performance Testing at a university hospital and research center. PARTICIPANTS Twenty-nine patients with Parkinson disease undergoing pallidotomy. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Performance results on the United Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), activities of daily living and motor subscales (parts II and III). and posturography (sensory organization test), which were collected before and 3 and 6 months after surgery with patients in the practically defined off state (medication withheld for at least 12 hours). RESULTS Data were analyzed with a paired Wilcoxon and Spearman correlation. There was a significant improvement in mean +/- SD UPDRS motor subscale score after pallidotomy (before surgery, 52.43+/-13.46; after surgery, 43.93+/-15.15; z= 3.63; P=.003). There were no significant changes in the UPDRS activities of daily living subscale or average stability scores when the group was examined as a whole. However, examination of individual data revealed that 9 (56%) of 16 patients who could stand independently before surgery showed improvement in either the number of falls or the average stability score. No patient who was unable to stand independently before surgery was able to stand independently after it. CONCLUSION Pallidotomy helped improve overall motor function in patients with parkinsonism and, for some patients, also improved postural stability.
Corporate Governance and the Systemic Risk of Financial Institutions

This paper studies the relationship between corporate governance and the systemic risk of financial institutions. Specifically, using a sample of large U.S. financial institutions from 2005 to 2010, we examine whether the strength of corporate governance mechanisms can explain the cross-sectional variation in systemic risk around the recent financial crisis. Our empirical findings indicate that financial institutions with stronger and more shareholder-focused corporate governance structures and boards of directors are associated with higher levels of systemic risk. Thus, our results suggest that good corporate governance may encourage rather than constrain excessive risk-taking in the financial industry.
Currency substitution in Eastern Europe

Monetary instability during the transition process from a command economy to a market economy has induced a considerable increase in currency substitution in Eastern Europe. Currency substitution itself affects monetary stability since it reduces the stability of velocity. This paper investigates currency substitution in Eastern Europe. The consequences for the conduct of monetary policies are stressed as currency substitution of a significant degree has a large impact on monetary equilibrium and public finance. Currency substitution affects the shape of the seignorage Laffer-curve, since it makes its tax base, real money demand, sensitive to exchange rate expectations. With the use of the available data the sensitivity of money demand to currency substitution in the Eastern European countries is assessed.
Sustainable stock indices and long-term portfolio decisions

What is the long-term behaviour of sustainable stock index returns and the accretive benefits to portfolio diversification? We consider these issues through the prism of a long-term investor by replicating the risk and reward behaviour of sustainable stock indices from 1927 through 2010. We find that these indices exhibit long-term mean, variance and tail-risk characteristics that are commensurate with conventional U.S. stocks. We also reveal that recent performance appears worse than their performance over the long term. On the question of portfolio diversification, we find that only one of the three sustainable stock indices investigated dominates the efficient frontier. Our findings suggest that the stock screening process of these indices has important implications regarding the desirability of these investments for long-term investors.
Social care under state socialism (1945-1989) : ambitions, ambiguities, and mismanagement

This book examines the period of State Socialism in Eastern Europe from 1945 to 1989, when social welfare was exercised on two levels. The dominant level was the system of governmental social policy, because individual and private structures of social help were considered as a dispensable bourgeois tradition. According to this perception, social welfare should include an extensive system of support and social services, although, in reality, special groups of 'asocials' and 'parasites' were excluded. Although, with the exception of Yugoslavia, social work as a profession was nearly completely eliminated, with modulated forms of social care still having to be provided, because certain groups - such as the handicapped, the elderly, or the mentally disabled - were still in need. Therefore, social care was realized on a subordinated level, mostly allocated to proximate vocations or organizations like teachers, nurses, and mass organizations. The coverage includes the following countries: Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, the German Democratic Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, the Soviet Union, and Yugoslavia.
Estimating the Kinetic Luminosity Function of Jets from Galactic X-Ray Binaries

By combining the recently derived X-ray luminosity function for Galactic X-ray binaries (XRBs) by Grimm, Gilfanov, and Sunyaev and the radio-X-ray-mass relation of accreting black holes found by Merloni, Heinze, and Di Matteo, we derive predictions for the radio luminosity function and radio flux distribution (log N/ log S) for XRBs. Based on the interpretation that the radio-X-ray-mass relation is an expression of an underlying relation between jet power and nuclear radio luminosity, we derive the kinetic luminosity function for Galactic black hole jets, up to a normalization constant in jet power. We present estimates for this constant on the basis of known ratios of jet power to core flux for AGN jets and available limits for individual XRBs. We find that, if XRB jets do indeed fall on the same radio flux-kinetic power relation as AGN jets, the estimated mean kinetic luminosity of typical low/hard state jets is of the order of ⟨WXRB⟩ ~ 2 × 1037 ergs s-1, with a total integrated power output of WXRB ~ 5.5 × 1038 ergs s-1. We find that the power carried in transient jets should be of a magnitude comparable to that carried in low/hard state jets. Including neutron star systems increases this estimate to WXRB,tot ~ 9 × 1038 ergs s-1. We estimate the total kinetic energy output from low/hard state jets over the history of the Galaxy to be EXRB ~ 7 × 1056 ergs.
Scaling Limit for the Random Walk on the Largest Connected Component of the Critical Random Graph

In this article, a scaling limit for the simple random walk on the largest connected component of the Erdos-Renyi random graph G(n,p) in the critical window, p = n−1+λn−4/3, is deduced. The limiting diffusion is constructed using resistance form techniques, and is shown to satisfy the same quenched short-time heat kernel asymptotics as the Brownian motion on the continuum random tree.
Benefits of an OODB Representation for Controlled Medical Terminologies

Objective: Controlled medical terminologies (CMTs) have been recognized as important tools in a variety of medical informatics applications ranging from patient-record systems to decision-support systems. CMTs are typically organized in semantic network structures consisting of tens to hundreds of thousands of concepts. This overwhelming size and complexity can be a serious barrier to their maintenance and widespread utilization. In this paper, we propose the use of object-oriented databases (OODBs) to address the problems posed by the extensive scope and high complexity of most CMTs for maintenance personnel and general users alike. Design: We present a methodology that allows an existing CMT, modeled as a semantic network, to be represented as an equivalent OODB. Such a representation is called an Object-Oriented Healthcare Terminology Repository (OOHTR). Results: The major beneet of an OOHTR is its schema which provides an important layer of structural abstraction. Using the high-level view of a CMT aaorded by the schema, one can gain insight into the CMT's overarching organization and begin to better comprehend it. Our methodology is applied to the Medical Entities Dictionary (MED), a large CMT developed at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center. Examples of how the OOHTR schema facilitated updating, correcting, and improving the design of the MED are presented. Conclusion: The OOHTR schema can serve as an important abstraction mechanism for enhancing comprehension of a large CMT, and thus aids in usability.
Inhibition of MiR-199a-5p Reduced Cell Proliferation in Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease through Targeting CDKN1C

Background With a prevalence of about 1:500 to 1:1,000, autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) often causes renal failure, with many serious complications. However, there is no Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved therapy available. Material/Methods MiR-199a-5p level in ADPKD patient samples, rat model, and cell lines were determined with Realtime PCR assay. After miR-199a-5p inhibitor was transfected, we detected the cell proliferation and apoptosis using an MTT assay and an Annexin V-FITC staining kit, respectively. Finally, TargetScan version 5.1 was used to predict the miRNA target and the target gene of miR-199a-5p was proved by a Luciferase assay. Results We identified a dramatically up-regulated microRNA, miR-199a-5p, in ADPKD tissues and cell lines. Our data show that inhibition of miR-199a-5p suppressed cyst cells proliferation and induced cell apoptosis. We found that miR-199a-5p might exert this effect through targeting CDKN1C/p57. Conclusions Up-regulation of miR-199a-5p in ADPKD tissues might promote cell proliferation through suppressing CDKN1C, suggesting miR-199a-5p as a novel target for ADPKD treatment.
Approach/Avoidance Orientations Affect Self-construal and Identification with In-group

Approach and avoidance are two basic motivational orientations. Their activation influences cognitive and perceptive processes: Previous work suggests that an approach orientation instigates a focus on larger units as compared to avoidance. Study 1 confirms this assumption using a paradigm that more directly taps a person's tendency to represent objects as belonging to small or large units than prior studies. It was further predicted that the self should also be represented as belonging to larger units, and hence be more interdependent under approach than under avoidance. Study 2 supports this prediction. As a consequence of this focus on belonging to larger units, it was finally predicted that approach results in a stronger identification with one's in-group than avoidance. Studies 3 and 4 support that prediction.
Periodontitis increases rheumatic factor serum levels and citrullinated proteins in gingival tissues and alter cytokine balance in arthritic rats

This study investigated some immunological features by experimental periodontitis (EP) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) disease interact in destructive processes in arthritic rats. Rats were assigned to the following groups: EP +RA; RA; EP; and Negative Control. RA was induced by immunizations with type-II collagen and a local immunization with Complete Freund’s adjuvant in the paw. Periodontitis was induced by ligating the right first molars. The serum level of rheumatoid factor (RF) and anti-citrullinated protein antibody (ACCPA) were measured before the induction of EP (T1) and at 28 days after (T2) by ELISA assay. ACCPA levels were also measured in the gingival tissue at T2. The specimens were processed for morphometric analysis of bone loss, and the gingival tissue surrounding the first molar was collected for the quantification of interleukin IL-1β, IL-4, IL-6, IL-17 and TNF-α using a Luminex/MAGpix assay. Paw edema was analyzed using a plethysmometer. Periodontitis increased the RF and ACCPA levels in the serum and in the gingival tissue, respectively. Besides, the level of paw swelling was increased by EP and remained in progress until the end of the experiment, when EP was associated with RA. Greater values of IL-17 were observed only when RA was present, in spite of PE. It can be concluded that periodontitis increases rheumatic factor serum levels and citrullinated proteins level in gingival tissues and alter cytokine balance in arthritic rats; at the same time, arthritis increases periodontal destruction, confirming the bidirectional interaction between diseases.