Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Task-induced Changes in Idiopathic Infantile Nystagmus Vary with Gaze.

PURPOSE Investigations of infantile nystagmus syndrome (INS) at center or at the null position have reported that INS worsens when visual demand is combined with internal states, e.g. stress. Visual function and INS parameters such as foveation time, frequency, amplitude, and intensity can also be influenced by gaze position. We hypothesized that increases from baseline in visual demand and mental load would affect INS parameters at the null position differently than at other gaze positions. METHODS Eleven participants with idiopathic INS were asked to determine the direction of Tumbling-E targets, whose visual demand was varied through changes in size and contrast, using a staircase procedure. Targets appeared between ±25° in 5° steps. The task was repeated with both mental arithmetic and time restriction to impose higher mental load, confirmed through subjective ratings and concurrent physiological measurements. RESULTS Within-subject comparisons were limited to the null and 15° away from it. No significant main effects of task on any INS parameters were found. At both locations, high mental load worsened task performance metrics, i.e. lowest contrast (P = .001) and smallest optotype size reached (P = .012). There was a significant interaction between mental load and gaze position for foveation time (P = .02) and for the smallest optotype reached (P = .028). The increase in threshold optotype size from the low to high mental load was greater at the null than away from it. During high visual demand, foveation time significantly decreased from baseline at the null as compared to away from it (mean difference ± SE: 14.19 ± 0.7 msec; P = .010). CONCLUSIONS Under high visual demand, the effects of increased mental load on foveation time and visual task performance differed at the null as compared to 15° away from it. Assessment of these effects could be valuable when evaluating INS clinically and when considering its impact on patients' daily activities.
Cerebellar Amyloid-β Plaques: How Frequent Are They, and Do They Influence 18F-Florbetaben SUV Ratios?

SUV ratios (SUVRs) are used for relative quantification of 18F-florbetaben scans. The cerebellar cortex can be used as a reference region for quantification. However, cerebellar amyloid-β (Aβ) plaques may be present in Alzheimer disease (AD). The aim of this study was to assess the influence of Aβ pathology, including neuritic plaques, diffuse plaques, and vascular deposits, in 18F-florbetaben SUVR when cerebellum is used as the reference. Methods: Using immunohistochemistry to demonstrate Aβ plaques and vascular deposits, and using the Bielschowsky method to demonstrate neuritic plaques, we performed a neuropathologic assessment of the frontal, occipital, anterior cingulate, and posterior cingulate cerebral cortices and the cerebellar cortex of 87 end-of-life patients (64 with AD, 14 with other types of dementia, and 9 nondemented aged volunteers; mean age ± SD, 80.4 ± 10.2 y) who had undergone 18F-florbetaben PET before death. The lesions were rated as absent (none or sparse) or present (moderate or frequent). Mean cortical SUVRs were compared among cases with different cerebellar Aβ loads. Results: None of the 83 evaluable cerebellar samples showed frequent diffuse Aβ or neuritic plaques; 8 samples showed frequent vascular Aβ deposits. Diffuse Aβ plaques were rated as absent in 78 samples (94%) and present in 5 samples (6%). Vascular Aβ was rated as absent in 62 samples (74.7%) and present in 21 samples (25.3%). No significant differences in cerebellar SUVs were found among cases with different amounts or types of Aβ deposits in the cerebral cortex. Both diffuse and neuritic plaques were found in the cerebral cortex of 26–44 cases. No significant SUVR differences were found between these brains with different cerebellar Aβ loads. Conclusion: The effect of cerebellar plaques on cortical 18F-florbetaben SUVRs appears to be negligible even in advanced stages of AD with a higher cerebellar Aβ load.
Hepatitis C virus and autophagy

Abstract Autophagy is a catabolic process by which cells remove protein aggregates and damaged organelles for recycling. It can also be used by cells to remove intracellular microbial pathogens, including viruses, in a process known as xenophagy. However, many viruses have developed mechanisms to subvert this intracellular antiviral response and even use this pathway to support their own replications. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is one such virus and is an important human pathogen that can cause severe liver diseases. Recent studies indicated that HCV could activate the autophagic pathway to support its replication. This review summarizes the current knowledge on the interplay between HCV and autophagy and how this interplay affects HCV replication and host innate immune responses.
Re-Analyses of the Effects of No-Fault Auto Insurance on Fatal Crashes

The effect of no-fault automobile insurance laws on fatal motor vehicles crashes was analyzed using data for states in the U.S. from 1976 to 1980. This investigation was prompted by an earlier claim that no-fault laws resulted in increased fatal crashes in the 16 states that adopted them. The present examination of the fatal crash data using multiple regression analysis provided no evidence in support of the claim that no-fault insurance laws restricting general liability have lead to increased fatal crashes in the United States.
Assessing vertex relevance based on community detection

The community structure of a network conveys information about the network as a whole, but it can also provide insightful information about the individual vertices. Identifying the most relevant vertices in a network can prove to be useful, especially in large networks. In this paper, we explore different alternatives for assessing the relevance of a vertex based on the community structure of the network. We distinguish between two relevant vertex properties - commitment and importance - and propose a new measure for quantifying commitment, Relative Commitment. We also propose a strategy for estimating the importance of a vertex, based on observing the disruption caused by removing it from the network. Ultimately, we propose a vertex classification strategy based on commitment and importance, and discuss the aspects covered by each of the two properties in capturing the relevance of a vertex.
Staged Financing with a Variable Return

This paper explores the hold-up problem between two parties (an entrepreneur and an investor) when one of the parties (the entrepreneur) is unable to commit not to repudiate the initial contract. To mitigate hold-up we allow the parties to stage investments over time and derive the optimal investment path in a model that places no restrictions on the growth of collateral. Our model predicts that neither positive wealth of the entrepreneur nor the lack of discounting ensures that all profitable projects proceed. We also derive necessary and sufficient conditions for the project to be financeable when there are no costs of delay.
A field-level examination of the adoption of sustainable procurement in the social housing sector

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to report on a field-level examination of the adoption of sustainable procurement in social housing. It explores the role of regulation and procurement consortia in sustainable procurement. Design/methodology/approach – The study employs a case study of the UK social housing sector and uses an online survey (n=116) of UK Housing Associations. Factor analysis identifies three parsimonious dimensions of sustainable procurement. Attitudinal data are analysed to explore the field-level adoption of sustainable procurement and the role of consortia. Findings – The results delineate sustainable procurement activities into three factors; direction setting, supplier-centric assurance and local socially oriented supply. High yet sup-optimal levels of sustainable procurement activity are revealed. Prevailing attitudes identify positive commitments to sustainable procurement at individual, organisational and sector levels. The value of network collaboration is identified. Tenant.
Evaluating and monitoring CEO performance: evidence from US compensation committee reports

Purpose – Concerns for improving governance have focused attention on the role of boards of directors in evaluating the performance of the CEOs. There have been numerous discussions about how performance and strategic management systems aid in the evaluation and implementation of strategy and improve corporate performance. However, the value of those systems to boards of directors has not been extensively discussed. The purpose of this article is to describe the use of non‐financial metrics for CEO performance evaluations and offer specific guidance as to how boards of directors can design a performance measurement system that provides a sound basis for evaluating CEO performance.Design/methodology/approach – The sample for this study was drawn from Fortune magazine's America's Most Admired Companies industry list. Compensation committee reports found in 59 proxy statements were examined.Findings – Although there are a growing number of companies using non‐financial metrics, results confirm that CEOs are .
Trading rules and stock returns: some further short run evidence from the Hang Seng 1997–2008

This article re-examines the work of Coutts and Cheung (2000), who investigated the applicability and validity of trading rules in the Hang Seng Index (HSI) on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKSE) for the period January 1985 through June 1997, and for two subsamples of equal length, partitioned from the whole sample. They concluded that the moving average oscillator and the trading range break-out rules, appeared to be present, to varying extents, for all three data samples, although the Trading Range Break-out rule was by far the strongest. However, their striking conclusion was that these rules were statistically significant over much shorter data periods than used in previous studies. They also suggested that because there is a tendency for potentially ‘profitable’ trading rules, once documented to cease existing, and consequently further research concerning the HSI was required in years hence. It is in this spirit that we replicate the work of Coutts and Cheung, and conclude that these once potentially short-term ‘profitable’ trading rules, are now defunct, which leads us to suggest the validity of ‘profitable’ trading rules, released to the ‘public information set’ via academic journals.
Assessing the Dimensionality of Business Success: The Perspectives of Malaysian SME Owner-Managers

Realizing that the measurement of success in the context of small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) is somewhat disparaging, this study aims to validate the business success construct based on the perspectives of SME founder-managers in the Malaysian context. Following a data collection of a sample of 212 SME founder-managers, a confirmatory factor analysis was performed to examine the factorial validity of the success measure and to assess its goodness of fit. The result indicates that business success is a four-factor structure, reflecting in (a) satisfaction with financial performance, (b) satisfaction with non-financial performance, (c) performance relative to competitors, and (d) business growth.
Dose-dependent cytotoxic effects of menthol on human malignant melanoma A-375 cells: correlation with TRPM8 transcript expression.

BACKGROUND Transient receptor potential melastatin 8 (TRPM8), a principle membrane receptor involved in calcium ion influx and cell signal transduction, has been found to be up-regulated in some cancer types, including melanomas. Efficiency of menthol, an agonist of TRPM8, in killing melanoma cancer cells has been reported previously, but the mechanisms remain unclear. We here determined whether in vitro cytotoxic effects of menthol on A-375 human malignant melanoma cells might be related to TRPM8 transcript expression. MATERIALS AND METHODS The PrestoBlue® cell viability assay was used to assess the in vitro cytotoxic effect of menthol after 24h of treatment. RT-PCR was used to quantify TRPM8 transcript expression levels in normal and menthol- treated cells. Cell morphology was observed under inverted phase contrast light microscopy. RESULTS TRPM8 transcript expression was found at low levels in A-375 cells and down-regulated in a potentially dose-dependent manner by menthol. Menthol exerted in vitro cytotoxic effects on A-375 cells with an IC50 value of 11.8 μM, which was at least as effective as 5-fluorouracil (IC50=120 μM), a commonly applied chemotherapeutic drug. Menthol showed no dose-dependent cytotoxicity on HeLa cells, a TRPM8 non-expressing cell line. CONCLUSIONS The cytotoxic effects on A-375 cells caused by menthol might be related to reduction of the TRPM8 transcript level. This suggests that menthol might activate TRPM8 to increase cytosolic Ca2+ levels, which leads to cytosolic Ca2+ imbalance and triggers cell death.
Mutations in the nef and vif genes associated with progression to AIDS in elite controller and slow‐progressor Patients

Progression towards AIDS can vary from 5 to 10 years from the establishment of the primary infection by HIV‐1 to more than 10 years in the complete absence of antiretroviral therapy. Several factors can contribute to the outcome of HIV infection, including host genetic and viral replicating characteristics. Historically, nef‐deleted viral genomes have been associated with disease progression. Therefore, the lentiviral Nef protein is regarded as a progression factor. The objective of this work was to characterize the nef gene from a group of treatment naive patients infected with HIV‐1 for more than 10 years. These patients were classified as long‐term non‐progressors, elite controller, and slow‐progressors according to clinical and laboratorial data. A premature stop codon within the nef gene leading to the expression of a truncated peptide was observed on samples from the elite controller patient. For the slow‐progressor patients, several degrees of deletions at the C‐terminal of Nef were observed predicting a loss of function of this protein. The vif gene was characterized for these patients and a rare mutation that predicts a miss localization of the Vif protein to the nucleus of infected cells that could prevent its function as an APOBEC neutralization factor was also observed. These data indicate the importance of the HIV accessory proteins as factors that contribute to the outcome of AIDS. J. Med. Virol. 85:563–574, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Index Option Returns from an Anchoring Perspective

Using leverage adjusted index option data, a novel prediction of the anchoring adjusted option pricing model is tested. The anchoring model is based on the idea that the risk of the underlying stock is used as a starting point that gets adjusted upwards to estimate call option risk. The anchoring heuristic implies that such adjustments are insufficient leading to underestimation of option risk. The prediction of the anchoring model is strongly supported in the data spanning nearly 26 years. Furthermore, the anchoring model is shown to be consistent with the key features observed in the data.
Mechanical Behavior of Articular Cartilage after Osteochondral Autograft Transfer in an Ovine Model

Background Grafting of autologous hyaline cartilage and bone for articular cartilage repair is a well-accepted technique. Although encouraging midterm clinical results have been reported, no information on the mechanical competence of the transplanted joint surface is available. Hypothesis The mechanical competence of osteochondral autografts is maintained after transplantation. Study Design Controlled laboratory study. Methods Osteochondral defects were filled with autografts (7.45 mm in diameter) in one femoral condyle in 12 mature sheep. The ipsilateral femoral condyle served as the donor site, and the resulting defect (8.3 mm in diameter) was left empty. The repair response was examined after 3 and 6 months with mechanical and histologic assessment and histomorphometric techniques. Results Good surface congruity and plug placement was achieved. The Young modulus of the grafted cartilage significantly dropped to 57.5% of healthy tissue after 3 months (P < .05) but then recovered to 82.2% after 6 months. The aggregate and dynamic moduli behaved similarly. The graft edges showed fibrillation and, in some cases (4 of 6), hypercellularity and chondrocyte clustering. Subchondral bone sclerosis was observed in 8 of 12 cases, and the amount of mineralized bone in the graft area increased from 40% to 61%. Conclusions The mechanical quality of transplanted cartilage varies considerably over a short period of time, potentially reflecting both degenerative and regenerative processes, while histologically signs of both cartilage and bone degeneration occur. Clinical Relevance Both the mechanically degenerative and restorative processes illustrate the complex progression of regeneration after osteochondral transplantation. The histologic evidence raises doubts as to the long-term durability of the osteochondral repair.
Estrutura de capital, dividendos e juros sobre o capital próprio: testes no Brasil

Capital structure and dividends have been frequently studied in corporate finance. In 2002, Fama and French simultaneously analyzed these two subjects in the context of tradeoff and pecking order theories. The simultaneous analysis means acknowledging that dividend influences capital structure and vice versa, leading to an endogeneity problem. Extending and adapting Fama and French's study to the Brazilian environment and including yet another dependent variable, i.e. interest on equity, this article aims to analyze the relationship among capital structure, dividends and interest on equity in the context of Brazilian companies. The analysis comprises the period from 1995 to 2004. Results corroborate many of the predictions of tradeoff and pecking order theories, despite the fact that dividend payout in Brazil is low when compared to the United States. Profitability was the most significant variable in explaining dividend and leverage.
Cross-Listing Waves

Using a 57-year global panel of listings on foreign stock exchanges, we identify waves in foreign listing activity at the host market, home market, and industry levels. We observe that the waves in the host market are often due to cross-listing waves in home markets or industries that share a particular affiliation with the respective host market. We then find that cross-listing waves in a given host country or from a given home country largely coincide with the outperformance of that country’s economy and financial markets relative to other competing markets. We also show that firms that list their shares during waves are associated with a temporary value premium. Our results provide novel evidence of non-monotonic market development across countries and over time.
Devolution of power in Zimbabwe's new constitutional order : opportunities and potential constraints

Many countries in sub-Saharan Africa have adopted constitutions which legislate different forms of decentralisation for their governance structures and systems. This currency and desirability for decentralisation is built on a consensus of African governments, international development agencies and civil society organisations that see it as a democratic system of government which advances citizen participation in human development. This consensus further sees decentralisation as a key for local democratisation in Africa since it brings a locally responsive government closer to the people and makes government more accountable to local people. Although there are four main forms of decentralisation, namely, administrative, political, fiscal and market, many African governments have chosen to implement political decentralisation (devolution) and administrative decentralisation (deconcentration) with those running devolved systems of government being seen and acclaimed as more democratic. These are the democratic credentials usually showered on Kenya and Uganda which run devolved governments, as well as South Africa which uses a unique decentralisation model based on a three tier co-operative government structure. Of late, Zimbabwe has joined this group of African countries with constitutions that legislate a devolved governance system. Zimbabwe's new Constitution adopted in May 2013 states that governmental powers and responsibilities must be devolved between the national government, provincial and metropolitan councils and local authorities which are expected to ensure good governance by being effective, transparent, accountable and responsive to the needs of local people. This introduction of devolution of power as a new governance model in Zimbabwe replaces deconcentration on the premise that devolution is a more democratic, citizen centred, participatory, more transparent, accountable and locally relevant development focussed governance system. This article examines the opportunities and potential constraints associated with this transition from deconcentration to a three tier devolved system of governance. It does this through answering the following questions: To what extent will this reconfiguration of the State from centralisation to devolution give citizens more power to elect representatives who understand and champion their local development needs? Will local needs, aspirations, influence and drive the development agenda as opposed to the current top-down deconcentration model of development? Which consequentialist and deontological benefits will be derived from devolution of power? Is devolution going to influence equitable and fair exploitation of local resources for the benefit of all communities including "marginalised" provinces, such as, Matabeleland, Midlands and Manicaland? Does an anti-devolutionist ZANU-PF dominated government have the political will to fully implement devolution? Or maybe devolution of power will remain a symbolic constitutional provision while the deconcentration status quo remains?
Introduction: The Chinese Legal System Since 1995: Steady Development and Striking Continuities

In March 1995, The China Quarterly published a special issue devoted to developments in the Chinese legal system. That issue canvassed a wide range of subjects: the legislative process, the implementation of legislation via the interpretive practices of courts and administrative agencies as well as through the enforcement of civil judgements, the personnel staffing the system in the role of legal advisers, criminal law and human rights, the key area of foreign trade and investment law, and finally China's place and role in the international legal order.
The underpricing of US REIT IPOs: 1996–2010

This study examines the underpricing cost of 123 US REIT IPOs over the period 1996 until June 2010, including the period of the global financial crisis. The study uses OLS multivariate regression to determine some potential factors behind underpricing. The underpricing cost of raising REIT external equity averaged 3.18% using an equal weighting for each of the 123 REIT IPOs. The study finds offer size is positively related to underpricing. A value weighted approach finds that underpricing averages 4.67% and suggests larger offer size is an important determinant for leaving more money on the table. Higher reputation underwriters, the industry differentiated auditor and post offer ownership structure negatively influence underpricing. The study documents declining underpricing over time with the period of 2007–2010 experiencing negative underpricing (overpricing) during the global financial crisis (GFC). Offers during the hot periods of 1997 and 2004 and the office/industrial property type were more highly underpriced. The 10-year treasury interest rate is identified as another significant positive determinant of underpricing.