Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Specific immunoglobulin E antibodies to saprophytic yeasts in sera of atopic patients allergic to house dust mites.

BACKGROUND Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a complex disease caused by genetic and environmental interactions. AD impairs skin barrier function, enabling microorganisms to penetrate and interact with the immune system. OBJECTIVES This study aimed to investigate the presence of specific immunoglobulin (Ig) E antibodies to the yeast species Candida pelliculosa, Candida guilliermondii, Candida famata, and Rhodotorula rubra in the sera of AD patients and to evaluate possible cross-reactivity between yeasts and allergens of Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (D1) and Dermatophagoides farinae (D2). METHODS We analyzed serum samples from 14 healthy individuals and 34 AD patients: 19 were positive to D1 and D2 (Immulite) and 15 were negative. Determinations were made using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), competitive ELISA, and the Immulite inhibition assay. RESULTS The results of ELISA showed that all house dust mite-positive sera had specific IgE antibodies to the yeast species tested: 42% of these sera reacted with all 4 yeast species. The inhibition study demonstrated partial cross-reactivity between IgE class antibodies with the yeast species. This finding indicates that different Candida species and R rubra have species-specific and cross-reactive antigens with partially overlapping epitopes, thus suggesting cross-reactivity with mite allergens. C pelliculosa protein extract inhibited IgE binding to D1 (63.4%) and D2 (71%) allergens. The inhibition value for D1 showed a significant correlation with the inhibition value for D2 (r = 0.669, P = .03; Spearman rank correlation). CONCLUSION The results of the present study suggest that C pelliculosa and house dust mites share common antigens.
Somatic ATP1A1, ATP2B3, and KCNJ5 Mutations in Aldosterone-Producing Adenomas

Aldosterone-producing adenomas (APAs) cause a sporadic form of primary aldosteronism and somatic mutations in the KCNJ5 gene, which encodes the G-protein–activated inward rectifier K+ channel 4, GIRK4, account for ≈40% of APAs. Additional somatic APA mutations were identified recently in 2 other genes, ATP1A1 and ATP2B3, encoding Na+/K+-ATPase 1 and Ca2+-ATPase 3, respectively, at a combined prevalence of 6.8%. We have screened 112 APAs for mutations in known hotspots for genetic alterations associated with primary aldosteronism. Somatic mutations in ATP1A1, ATP2B3, and KCNJ5 were present in 6.3%, 0.9%, and 39.3% of APAs, respectively, and included 2 novel mutations (Na+/K+-ATPase p.Gly99Arg and GIRK4 p.Trp126Arg). CYP11B2 gene expression was higher in APAs harboring ATP1A1 and ATP2B3 mutations compared with those without these or KCNJ5 mutations. Overexpression of Na+/K+-ATPase p.Gly99Arg and GIRK4 p.Trp126Arg in HAC15 adrenal cells resulted in upregulation of CYP11B2 gene expression and its transcriptional regulator NR4A2. Structural modeling of the Na+/K+-ATPase showed that the Gly99Arg substitution most likely interferes with the gateway to the ion binding pocket. In vitro functional assays demonstrated that Gly99Arg displays severely impaired ATPase activity, a reduced apparent affinity for Na+ activation of phosphorylation and K+ inhibition of phosphorylation that indicate decreased Na+ and K+ binding, respectively. Moreover, whole cell patch-clamp studies established that overexpression of Na+/K+-ATPase Gly99Arg causes membrane voltage depolarization. In conclusion, somatic mutations are common in APAs that result in an increase in CYP11B2 gene expression and may account for the dysregulated aldosterone production in a subset of patients with sporadic primary aldosteronism.
Examining cumulative capabilities in a developing economy

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to test the cumulative capabilities theory of manufacturing strategy against the capabilities tradeoffs theory in a less‐developed economy. It also aims to test whether the sequential development of capabilities follows the same order prescribed in the sand cone model.Design/methodology/approach – Specific hypotheses on the relationships among the four manufacturing strategy components of cost, delivery, flexibility, and quality were stated. Data were collected from 126 manufacturing firms in Ghana. Statistical analyses included correlation, factor analysis, and multiple regression analysis.Findings – As with previous studies, the evidence here supports the cumulative capabilities theory. However, tradeoffs between the capabilities of quality, cost, delivery, and flexibility were not found. In addition, the sequence of capability development was found to be different from that in developed economies, with cost being second in importance after quality. This is postula.
Saving and the National Economy

Economics focuses on choices that people make and the factors that influence them. Most of these choices are micro-economic in character- decisions to purchase one good rather than another good. But there are two choices which have clear and direct implications for the whole economy. The first is the choice between work and leisure and the second is the choice between consumption and saving. The choice between work and leisure is a proximate determinant of the level of economic activity. In a small open economy, such as the UK, the amount of capital employed per worker is determined internationally by rates of return in capital markets; thus, for any given level of overall productivity it is fair to say that the work/leisure choices normally determines output. By contrast the consumption/saving choice has little influence on output in the short term, if the economy is not suffering from recessionary unemployment. But in the longer term it determines how much of the domestic capital stock is owned by domestic residents rather than by foreigners. If the capital stock is owned by foreigners property income has to be paid to them out of domestic output, so that national income is lower than domestic output. Conversely if domestic saving runs ahead of the need to finance the domestic capital stock the country will be a net recipient of income from abroad and income will exceed output. In either case it is fair to say that, while saving has no impact on output it does determine future national income and thus consumption opportunities.the last twenty-five years policy-makers' attention has been focused on policies designed to alter the balance between work and leisure; indeed the government has an explicit aim of delivering high labour force participation from people of working age. By contrast it has no explicit policy with reference to overall saving in the economy although policy has referred to some specific forms of saving by households (such as pension saving) and the government's macro-economic framework established clear target rules for government saving, i.e. the surplus or deficit on the government's current account. For the government to adopt overall saving as a formal policy goal would mean that it would have to settle on an appropriate definition of saving. As this paper shows, there are several possible definitions of saving. However, for a government taking a long-term view of the nation's affairs, this report argues that of some of the possible definitions are unsuitable, facilitating the choices which might be made for a policy goal. This report begins by discussing different measures of saving and, in particular the way in which they treat capital gains. The UK's saving record is then put in an international context and more detailed sectoral and historical data are discussed. The concept of savings adequacy is then explored. Finally conclusions are drawn.
A Theory of Full International Cooperation

This paper develops a coherent theory of international cooperation relying on the twin assumptions of individual and collective rationality. Using a linear version of the N-player prisoner's dilemma game, I provide a formal proof of Olson's conjecture that only a `small' number of countries can sustain full cooperation by means of a self-enforcing agreement. Moreover, I find that this number is not fixed but depends on the nature of the cooperation problem; for some problems, three countries will be `too many', while for others even 200 countries will be a `small' number. In addition, I find that the international system is only able to sustain global cooperation - that is, cooperation involving 200 or so countries - by a self-enforcing treaty when the gains to cooperation are `small'. Finally, I find that the ability of the international system to sustain cooperation does not hinge on whether the compliance norm of customary international law has been internalized by states or whether compliance must instead be enforced by the use of treaty-based sanctions. The constraint on international cooperation is free-rider deterrence, not compliance enforcement.
Plant senescence cues entry into diapause in the gall fly Eurosta solidaginis: resulting metabolic depression is critical for water conservation

SUMMARY Mechanisms and possible cues for seasonal increases in desiccation resistance in larvae of the goldenrod gall fly Eurosta solidaginis, were examined before and after natural and premature plant senescence, or after being removed from their gall and placed in either 100, 95 or 75% relative humidity (RH). Rates of water loss were 8.6-fold lower, averaging 0.7±0.2 μg mm–2 h–1, in larvae from senescent gall tissue and after all RH treatments than in control larvae from pre-senescent plants. Enhanced desiccation resistance occurred quickly, within 3 days of removal from their gall. Contrary to most previous reports, a large majority of the increased desiccation resistance (∼85%) was due to reduced respiratory transpiration with the remainder being the result of a lowered cuticular permeability. Rates of cuticular water loss were reduced by the presence of a vapor pressure gradient between the larval hemolymph and environmental water vapor and were probably due to increases in cuticular lipids and/or production of the cryoprotectant glycerol. Metabolic rate was reduced by over fourfold, averaging 0.07±0.01 μl CO2 g–1 h–1, in larvae from senescent gall tissue and all RH treatments compared to larvae from pre-senescent plants. The magnitude of the reduction in metabolic rates indicated that these larvae had entered diapause. In addition, larvae entered diapause in response to removal from, or degeneration of, the gall tissue they feed, on rather than seasonal changes in temperature or photoperiod. The low metabolic rates of the diapausing larvae probably allowed them to dramatically reduce their respiratory transpiration and total rate of water loss compared with non-diapausing controls. Thus, diapause, with its associated lowered metabolic rate, may be essential for conserving water in overwintering temperate insects, which may be dormant for six or more months of the year.
Further Evidence on the Validity of CAPM: the Istanbul Stock Exchange Application

As one of the most important models in the finance literature, the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) assumes the existence of a positive and linear relationship between the systematic risk and required rates of return on stocks. The model is extensively researched in the academia and frequently used in business world since its development half a century ago. Its popularity comes from the simplification it provides for the complex process of asset pricing by making the assumption that only one single factor affects stock returns. But, as this is an unrealistic assumption, the validity of the model in its standard (unconditional) form is repeatedly rejected by empirical tests. Pettengill et al. (1995) developed an alternative conditional CAPM approach where the standard model is improved by taking bull and bear market conditions into consideration. According to this model, there is a positive (negative) risk-return relationship during up (down) market periods. Using this reasoning, Pettengill et al. (1995) tested up and down market periods separately and reached highly significant results that support CAPM. In this study, both the unconditional and conditional versions of CAPM are tested in the Istanbul Stock Exchange (ISE) for the period of nine years from 2003 to 2011. The test period is divided into four sub-periods. The unconditional CAPM is rejected for the sample period. A result of the conditional test shows that there is a statistically significant conditional relationship during some sub-periods. However, since the risk-return relationship in up and down markets is not symmetric, this conditional relationship does not indicate a positive risk-return tradeoff. Thus, CAPM may not be a useful asset pricing model for the ISE. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.5755/j01.ee. 25.1. 1847
Associations Between Key Language-Related Measures in Typically Developing School-Age Children

Three measures have been found to be predictive of developmental language impairment: nonword repetition, the production of English past tense, and categorical speech perception. Despite this, direct comparisons of these tasks have been limited. The present study explored the associations between these measures and other language and cognitive skills in an unselected group of 100 children aged 6 to 11 years. The children completed standardized tests of nonverbal ability, receptive language, and reading, as well as nonword repetition, past tense production, and categorical speech perception tasks. Nonword repetition and past tense were highly correlated. Variance in nonword repetition was explained additionally by digit recall, whereas receptive language, age, and digit recall accounted for significant portions of variance in past tense production. Categorical speech perception was not associated with any of the measures in the study. The extent to which common and distinct factors underlie the key languag.
US macroeconomic news spillover effects on Vietnamese stock market

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to investigate the spillover effect of the US macroeconomic news on the first two moments of the Vietnamese stock market returns. Design/methodology/approach - The author collected market expectation and actual announcements data for 12 key US macroeconomic announcements for the period from August 2000 to September 2009 from Bloomberg. The dataset consists of monthly Non-farm payroll (NFPM), Unemployment level (UNEMP), Gross Domestic Product percentage level (GDP), Housing statistics (HOMEST), Industrial production (INDP), Leading Indicator (LEAD), Retail Sales (SALES), Consumer Price Index (CPI), Producer Index (PPI), Current Account (CA, quarterly), Trade Balance (BOT), and the Federal Reserve's target rates (FOMC, 8 times a year and Findings - In general, the US real economic news has the strongest effect on the first two moments of the Vietnamese stock returns. This can be interpreted as evidence that Vietnamese market participants believe that the USA is targeting real economic activities other than other variables. It is also shown that even though the US stock market (proxied by S&P500 index) significantly affects the Vietnamese stock market returns, the spillover effect of the US macroeconomic news is still significant. Research limitations/implications - The author does not explore further on the transmission channels of the spillover effects of the US news on the Vietnamese stock market, reserving this task for future research. Originality/value - The paper contributes to the extant literature in several ways. First, to the author's knowledge, the current literature lacks empirical evidence for the impact of the US macroeconomic news on the first two moments of the Vietnamese stock markets. Given the growing integration between the two economies, evidenced by the fact that the USA is Vietnam's largest foreign direct investor and importer, the US macroeconomic news is very important, not only for Vietnamese policy makers but also for market participants. Furthermore, the choice of a small and open market with increasing exposure to the world economy and vulnerable to the US news (i.e. Vietnam) would help in reducing the problem of endogeneity bias in previous studies employing large economy pairs, as the US news might affect the Vietnamese stock market but not the reverse. Finally, previous studies tend to investigate the impact of macro news only on conditional returns. In this study, both conditional returns and the conditional variance of returns are modelled simultaneously in a time-varying framework (MA-GARCH) to better capture the impact of macroeconomic news on stock returns and stock market volatility.
Determinants of Demand on Family Takaful in Malaysia

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify the driving forces that influence family Takaful demand in Malaysia. The paper examines various identified and available economics and socio‐demographic variables.Design/methodology/approach – Using ordinary least square (OLS) and generalised method of moments (GMM) techniques, the paper investigates the significance of the identified economic and socio‐demographic factors in determining the consumption of family Takaful. The paper first examines a full model that combines all variables; second, a model that controls for product market factors; and finally, a model that controls for socio‐demographic factors. Following Anderson and Nevin, Haberman, Lenten and Rulli and Josa the paper further separates all models into linear and log‐linear demand functions.Findings – The paper demonstrates that income, Islamic banking development, education, dependency ratio and Muslim population factors are positively related to Takaful demand. On the other hand, inflatio.
Conjugation of carcinogens by 9 class glutathione S-transferases: mechanisms and relevance to variations in human risk

Conjugation of chemicals with glutathione (GSH) can lead to decreased or increased toxicity. A genetic deficiency in the GSH S-transferase μ class gene M1 has been hypothesized to lead to greater risk of lung cancer in smokers. Recently a gene deletion polymorphism involving the human θ enzyme T1 has been described; the enzyme is present in erythrocytes and can be readily assayed. A rat θ class enzyme, 5-5, has structural and catalytic similarity and the protein was expressed in the Salmonella typhimurium tester strain TA1535. Expression of the cDNA vector increased the mutagenicity of ethylene dibromide and several methylene dihalides. Mutations resulting from the known GSH S-transferase substrate 1,2-epoxy-3-(4′nitrophenoxy)propane were decreased in the presence of the transferase. Expression of transferase 5-5 increased mutations when 1,2,3,4-diepoxybutane (butadiene diepoxide), 4-bromo-1,2-epoxybutane, or 1,3-dichloracetone were added. The latter compound is a model for the putative 1,2-dibromo-3-chloropropane oxidation product 1-bromo-3-chloroacetone. These genotoxicity and genotyping assays may be of use in further studies of the roles of GSH S-transferase θ enzymes in bioactivation and detoxication and any changes in risk due to polymorphism.
Decentralisation, democracy and development in a post‐conflict society: commune councils in Cambodia

This article explores explanations for the development of a particular form of decentralisation in the post-conflict state of Cambodia. It looks at the context in which decentralisation has taken place, and analyses critical aspects of the functioning of the main elements of decentralisation: the commune councils. The article demonstrates that decentralisation has faltered due to a lack of fit with Cambodia's socio-cultural and institutional context. This helps to explain why there has been relatively little devolution of decision-making power to commune councils in Cambodia. But this is not the complete answer. A more powerful explanation is one in which an unconducive general environment for decentralisation complements a lack of real political enthusiasm for the idea, and a government agenda that is more consistent with pragmatic short-term political gains (such as the consolidation of political party interests) than it is with the bolder, largely ideologically-driven interests of donors in the post-conflict establishment of strong forms of popular participation and political pluralism. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
How Does Culture Influence Corporate Risk-Taking?

We investigate the role of national culture in corporate risk-taking. We postulate that culture influences corporate risk-taking both through its effect on managerial decision-making and through its effect on a country's formal institutions. Further, we postulate that the influence of culture is conditioned on the extent of managerial discretion as measured by earnings discretion and firm size. Using firm-level data from 35 countries and employing a hierarchical linear modeling approach to isolate the effects of firm-level and country-level variables, we show that individualism has a positive and significant association, whereas uncertainty avoidance and harmony have negative and significant associations, with corporate risk-taking. Greater earnings discretion strengthens and larger firm size weakens the association of culture with corporate risk-taking. We conclude that even in a highly globalized world with sophisticated managers, culture matters.
Large-scale profiling of Rab GTPase trafficking networks: the membrome.

Rab GTPases and SNARE fusion proteins direct cargo trafficking through the exocytic and endocytic pathways of eukaryotic cells. We have used steady state mRNA expression profiling and computational hierarchical clustering methods to generate a global overview of the distribution of Rabs, SNAREs, and coat machinery components, as well as their respective adaptors, effectors, and regulators in 79 human and 61 mouse nonredundant tissues. We now show that this systems biology approach can be used to define building blocks for membrane trafficking based on Rab-centric protein activity hubs. These Rab-regulated hubs provide a framework for an integrated coding system, the membrome network, which regulates the dynamics of the specialized membrane architecture of differentiated cells. The distribution of Rab-regulated hubs illustrates a number of facets that guides the overall organization of subcellular compartments of cells and tissues through the activity of dynamic protein interaction networks. An interactive website for exploring datasets comprising components of the Rab-regulated hubs that define the membrome of different cell and organ systems in both human and mouse is available at http://www.membrome. org/.
Cytomegalovirus Infection and Memory T Cell Inflation

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection in healthy individuals is usually asymptomatic and results in latent infection. CMV reactivation occasionally occurs in healthy individuals according to their immune status over time. T cell responses to CMV are restricted to a limited number of immunodominant epitopes, as compared to responses to other chronic or persistent viruses. This response results in progressive, prolonged expansion of CMV-specific CD8+ T cells, termed 'memory inflation'. The expanded CMV-specific CD8+ T cell population is extraordinarily large and is more prominent in the elderly. CMV-specific CD8+ T cells possess rather similar phenotypic and functional features to those of replicative senescent T cells. In this review, we discuss the general features of CMV-specific inflationary memory T cells and the factors involved in memory inflation.