Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Nonlinear Mechanism of the Exchange Rate Pass-Through: Does Business Cycle Matter?

This paper examines the presence of nonlinear mechanism in the exchange rate pass-through (ERPT) to CPI inflation for 12 euro area (EA) countries. Using logistic smooth transition models, we explore the existence of nonlinearity with respect to economic activity along the business cycle. Our results provide a strong evidence of nonlinearity in 6 out of 12 EA countries with significant differences in the degree of ERPT between the periods of expansion and recession. However, we find no clear direction in this regime-dependence of pass-through to business cycle. In some countries, ERPT is higher during expansions than in recessions; however, in other countries, this result is reversed. These cross-country differences in the nonlinear mechanism of pass-through would have important implications for the design of monetary policy and the control of inflation in the EA context.
Granger Causality and Jensen–Shannon Divergence to Determine Dominant Atrial Area in Atrial Fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is already the most commonly occurring arrhythmia. Catheter pulmonary vein ablation has emerged as a treatment that is able to make the arrhythmia disappear; nevertheless, recurrence to arrhythmia is very frequent. In this study, it is proposed to perform an analysis of the electrical signals recorded from bipolar catheters at three locations, pulmonary veins and the right and left atria, before to and during the ablation procedure. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was applied to reduce data dimension and Granger causality and divergence techniques were applied to analyse connectivity along the atria, in three main regions: pulmonary veins, left atrium (LA) and right atrium (RA). The results showed that, before the procedure, patients with recurrence in the arrhythmia had greater connectivity between atrial areas. Moreover, during the ablation procedure, in patients with recurrence in the arrhythmial both atria were more connected than in patients that maintained sinus rhythms. These results can be helpful for procedures designing to end AF.
Determinants of job satisfaction for novice nurse managers employed in hospitals.

BACKGROUND Numbering close to 300,000 nurse managers represent the largest segment of the health care management workforce. Their effectiveness is, in part, influenced by their job satisfaction. PURPOSE We examined factors associated with job satisfaction of novice frontline nurse managers. METHODOLOGY/APPROACH We used a cross-sectional, correlational survey design. The sample consisted of responders to the fifth wave of a multiyear study of new nurses in 2013 (N = 1,392; response rate of 69%) who reported working as managers (n = 209). The parent study sample consisted of registered nurses who were licensed for the first time by exam 6-18 months prior in 1 of 51 selected metropolitan statistical areas and 9 rural areas across 34 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. We examined bivariate correlations between job satisfaction and 31 personal and structural variables. All variables significantly related to job satisfaction in bivariate analysis were included in a multivariate linear regression model. In addition, we tested the interaction effects of procedural justice and negative affectivity, autonomy, and organizational constraints on job satisfaction. The Cronbach's alphas for all multi-item scales ranged from . 74 to . 96. FINDINGS In the multivariate analysis, negative affectivity (β = -.169; p = .006) and procedural justice (β = .210; p = .016) were significantly correlated with job satisfaction. The combination of predictors in the model accounted for half of the variability in job satisfaction ratings (R = .51, adjusted R = .47; p <. 001). PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS Health care executives who want to cultivate an effective novice frontline nurse manager workforce can best ensure their satisfaction by creating an organization with strong procedural justice. This could be achieved by involving managers in decision-making processes and ensuring transparency about how decisions that affect nursing are made.
Stabilizing a chain of integrators using multiple delays

This note addresses the output feedback stabilization problem of a chain of integrators using multiple delays. We shall prove that either n distinct delays or a proportional+delay compensator with n-1 distinct delays are sufficient to stabilize a chain including n integrators. We present two different approaches. Both are constructive and rely on frequency-domain techniques: on a derivative feedback approximation idea, and a pole placement idea, respectively. An illustrative example (triple integrator) is presented.
Laminar shear stress promotes mitochondrial homeostasis in endothelial cells

Vascular endothelial cells (ECs) are constantly subjected to flow‐induced shear stress that is crucial for endothelial functions. Laminar shear stress (LSS) exerts atheroprotection to ECs. Mitochondrial homeostasis is essential for cellular survival. However, the effects of LSS on mitochondrial homeostasis in ECs remain unclear. Mitochondrial homeostasis in ECs exposed to LSS was examined. Cultured human umbilical vein ECs were subjected to LSS (12 dynes/cm2) generated by a parallel‐plate flow chamber system. ECs subjected to LSS demonstrated an increment of mitochondria in tubular form coupled with the increase of fusion proteins (Mfn2, OPA1) and the decrease of fission protein (Fis1). An increase of both long‐ and short‐ OPA1 along with a higher protease YME1L level were observed. LSS triggered a rapid phosphorylation on S637 but a decrease on S616 of fission‐controlled protein Drp1. Consistently, Drp1 translocation to mitochondria was decreased in sheared ECs, suggesting that LSS promotes mitochondrial fusion. Enhanced mitochondrial biogenesis in sheared ECs was shown by the increase of mitochondrial mass and its regulatory proeins (PGC1α, TFAM, Nrf1). LSS enhances the expression of mitochondrial antioxidant enzymes and improves mitochondrial functions indicated by the increase of mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm) and ATP generation. TNFα treatment decreased mitochondrial tubular network and its functions in ECs. LSS mitigated TNFα‐induced mitochondrial impairments in ECs. Our results clearly indicate that LSS promotes mitochondrial homeostasis and attenuates inflammation‐induced mitochondrial impairments in ECs. Our results provide novel insights into the manner of mitochondrial dynamics and functions modulated by LSS that contribute to endothelial integrity.
Comments on vacuous subject movement

L'A. s'interesse dans cet article au phenomene syntaxique connu sous le nom de mouvement inutile du sujet (Vacuous Subject Movement, VSM), plus particulierement dans le cas de l'anglais. Il examine ce phenomene au sein de la theorie generative notamment (mais pas exclusivement), en exposant le probleme pose par l'hypothese du mouvement inutile (Chomsky, 1986, Vacuous Movement Hypothesis, VMH), i.e. l'idee que les mouvements wh- visibles ne fonctionnent pas avec les sujets wh-. Il examine le VSM tant au niveau des propositions wh- que des propositions principales. Dans le premier cas, les sujets wh- occupent une position syntaxique precise, dans tous les types de propositions wh- dependantes, position qui est differente des sujets non-wh-. Dans le second cas, il n'y a pas de certitudes, cependant que l'A. considere que l'analyse VSM est plus efficace que l'approche VMH.
Topography and refractometry of sperm cells using spatial light interference microscopy

Abstract. Characterization of spermatozoon viability is a common test in treating infertility. Recently, it has been shown that label-free, phase-sensitive imaging can provide a valuable alternative for this type of assay. We employ spatial light interference microscopy (SLIM) to perform high-accuracy single-cell phase imaging and decouple the average thickness and refractive index information for the population. This procedure was enabled by quantitative-phase imaging cells on media of two different refractive indices and using a numerical tool to remove the curvature from the cell tails. This way, we achieved ensemble averaging of topography and refractometry of 100 cells in each of the two groups. The results show that the thickness profile of the cell tail goes down to 150 nm and the refractive index can reach values of 1.6 close to the head.
Atmospheric Blocking and Mean Biases in Climate Models

Models often underestimate blocking in the Atlantic and Pacific basins and this can lead to errors in both weather and climate predictions. Horizontal resolution is often cited as the main culprit for blocking errors due to poorly resolved small-scale variability, the upscale effects of which help to maintain blocks. Although these processes are important for blocking, the authors show that much of the blocking error diagnosed using common methods of analysis and current climate models is directly attributable to the climatological bias of the model. This explains a large proportion of diagnosed blocking error in models used in the recent Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change report. Furthermore, greatly improved statistics are obtained by diagnosing blocking using climate model data corrected to account for mean model biases. To the extent that mean biases may be corrected in low-resolution models, this suggests that such models may be able to generate greatly improved levels of atmospheric blocking.
Compost Addition Enhanced Hyphal Growth and Sporulation of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi without Affecting Their Community Composition in the Soil

Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi form symbiotic associations with most crop plant species in agricultural ecosystems, and are conspicuously influenced by various agricultural practices. To understand the impact of compost addition on AM fungi, we examined effect of four compost rates (0, 11.25, 22.5, and 45 Mg/ha) on the abundance and community composition of AM fungi in seedling, flowering, and mature stage of soybean in a 1-year compost addition experiment system in Northeast China. Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merrill] was used as test plant. Moderate (22.5 Mg/ha) and high (45 Mg/ha) levels of compost addition significantly increased AM root colonization and extraradical hyphal (ERH) density compared with control, whereas low (11.5 Mg/ha) level of compost addition did not cause significant increase in AM root colonization and ERH density. AM fungal spore density was significantly enhanced by all the compost rates compared with control. The temporal variations analysis revealed that, AM root colonization in seedling stage was significantly lower than in flowering and mature stage. Although AM fungal operational taxonomic unit richness and community composition was unaffected by compost addition, some abundant AM fungal species showed significantly different response to compost addition. In mature stage, Rhizophagus fasciculatum showed increasing trend along with compost addition gradient, whereas the opposite was observed with Paraglomus sp. In addition, AM fungal community composition exhibited significant temporal variation during growing season. Further analysis indicated that the temporal variation in AM fungal community only occurred in control treatment, but not in low, moderate, and high level of compost addition treatments. Our findings highlighted the significant effects of compost addition on AM growth and sporulation, and emphasized that growth stage is a stronger determinant than 1-year compost addition in shaping AM fungal community in black soil of Northeast China.
Why Are Children in Urban Neighborhoods at Increased Risk for Psychotic Symptoms? Findings From a UK Longitudinal Cohort Study

Background: Urban upbringing is associated with a 2-fold adulthood psychosis risk, and this association replicates for childhood psychotic symptoms. No study has investigated whether specific features of urban neighborhoods increase children’s risk for psychotic symptoms, despite these early psychotic phenomena elevating risk for schizophrenia and other psychiatric disorders in adulthood. Methods: Analyses were conducted on over 2000 children from the Environmental Risk (E-Risk) Longitudinal Twin Study, a nationally-representative cohort of UK-born twins. Neighborhood-level characteristics were assessed for each family via: a geodemographic discriminator indexing neighborhood-level deprivation, postal surveys of over 5000 residents living alongside the children, and in-home interviews with the children’s mothers. Children were interviewed about psychotic symptoms at age 12. Analyses were adjusted for important family-level confounders including socioeconomic status (SES), psychiatric history, and maternal psychosis. Results: Urban residency at age-5 (OR = 1.80, 95% CI = 1.16–2.77) and age-12 (OR = 1.76, 95% CI = 1.15–2.69) were both significantly associated with childhood psychotic symptoms, but not with age-12 anxiety, depression, or antisocial behavior. The association was not attributable to family SES, family psychiatric history, or maternal psychosis, each implicated in childhood mental health. Low social cohesion, together with crime victimization in the neighborhood explained nearly a quarter of the association between urbanicity and childhood psychotic symptoms after considering family-level confounders. Conclusions: Low social cohesion and crime victimization in the neighborhood partly explain why children in cities have an elevated risk of developing psychotic symptoms. Greater understanding of the mechanisms leading from neighborhood-level exposures to psychotic symptoms could help target interventions for emerging childhood psychotic symptoms.
The prognostic value of HPV combined p16 status in patients with anal squamous cell carcinoma: a meta-analysis

Human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA and p16 expression have been identified to be related to the progression of anal squamous cell carcinoma (ASCC). However, the prognostic relevance of combined detection, particularly HPV-/p16+ and HPV+/p16- signatures, is unknown. A meta-analysis of epidemiologic studies was therefore conducted to address this issue. Data were collected from studies comparing overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) / disease-specific survival (DSS) / relapse-free survival (RFS) / progression-free survival (PFS) in ASCC patients with HPV and p16 status. The electronic databases of MEDLINE and EMBASE were searched from their inception till 31 May 2017. Study-specific risk estimates were pooled using a fixed-effects model for OS and DFS/DSS/RFS/PFS. Four studies involving a total of 398 ASCC cases were included in this meta-analysis. The pooled results showed that HPV+/p16+ cancers were significantly associated with improved OS (HR = 0.30, 95% CI: 0.17–0.51) and DFS/DSS/RFS/PFS (HR = 0.23, 95% CI: 0.14–0.36). However, patients with HPV-/p16+ or HPV+/p16- do not have a comparably good prognosis compared with HPV+/p16+ patients. The meta-analysis indicated that concomitant detection of HPV-DNA and p16 expression may be of prognostic or therapeutic utility in the evaluation of factors contributing to ASCC. Testing tumor specimens for HPV-DNA and p16 expression might indirectly affect treatment decisions.
Healthcare contacts among patients lost to follow-up in HIV care: review of a large regional cohort utilizing electronic health records

In the United States 40% of HIV patients are lost to follow-up (LTFU) following linkage to HIV care and an estimated 30–61% of new HIV transmissions are attributed to this group. To characterize those LTFU and healthcare contacts they make, we retrospectively analyzed a large regional HIV cohort in Calgary, Canada, utilizing a province-wide electronic health record. Adults engaged in HIV care between January 2010 and August 2014 who had >12 months without HIV clinic contact were identified as LTFU. Of 1928 individuals engaged in care, 176 became LTFU with 64% having no healthcare contacts, 20% receiving HIV care elsewhere, and 16% making non-HIV healthcare contacts. Those LTFU making non-HIV healthcare contacts did so a median of six times (interquartile range 2–8), 76% attending emergency departments (ED). Compared to those retained in care, LTFU patients were younger (median age 43 versus 47 years), had lower CD4+ cell counts (median 420 versus 500 × 106/l) and more commonly resided outside of the centralized HIV clinic’s city (odds ratio 4.58) (all p < 0.01). Our finding that a majority of those LTFU did not make healthcare contacts suggests that community and HIV clinic-based relinkage programs are needed. For those LTFU who make healthcare contacts enhanced ED-based relinkage programs could engage a majority.
Strength and Ductility of Embedded Steel Composite Coupling Beams

The stringent requirements on dimensions, ductility, energy absorption, strength and stiffness of coupling beams have resulted in much research on various alternative coupling beam designs, which include the use of diagonal reinforcement, rhombic arrangement of main bars and steel composites. Experimental results showed that each of these designs offered better performance than the conventional type but had its own limitations. A new embedded steel composite coupling beam design is therefore proposed. This paper presents the findings from the experimental tests of a coupling beam fabricated with this proposed design and a conventionally reinforced coupling beam, which serves as the reference. The preliminary test results showed that the embedded steel coupling beam with relatively large span-to-depth ratio (l/h = 2.5) had excellent shear capacity (∼10MPa) and very good energy absorption.
Coupling of Single Molecule, Long Read Sequencing with IMGT/HighV-QUEST Analysis Expedites Identification of SIV gp140-Specific Antibodies from scFv Phage Display Libraries

The simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV)/macaque model of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome pathogenesis is critical for furthering our understanding of the role of antibody responses in the prevention of HIV infection, and will only increase in importance as macaque immunoglobulin (IG) gene databases are expanded. We have previously reported the construction of a phage display library from a SIV-infected rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) using oligonucleotide primers based on human IG gene sequences. Our previous screening relied on Sanger sequencing, which was inefficient and generated only a few dozen sequences. Here, we re-analyzed this library using single molecule, real-time (SMRT) sequencing on the Pacific Biosciences (PacBio) platform to generate thousands of highly accurate circular consensus sequencing (CCS) reads corresponding to full length single chain fragment variable. CCS data were then analyzed through the international ImMunoGeneTics information system® (IMGT®)/HighV-QUEST (www.imgt.org) to identify variable genes and perform statistical analyses. Overall the library was very diverse, with 2,569 different IMGT clonotypes called for the 5,238 IGHV sequences assigned to an IMGT clonotype. Within the library, SIV-specific antibodies represented a relatively limited number of clones, with only 135 different IMGT clonotypes called from 4,594 IGHV-assigned sequences. Our data did confirm that the IGHV4 and IGHV3 gene usage was the most abundant within the rhesus antibodies screened, and that these genes were even more enriched among SIV gp140-specific antibodies. Although a broad range of VH CDR3 amino acid (AA) lengths was observed in the unpanned library, the vast majority of SIV gp140-specific antibodies demonstrated a more uniform VH CDR3 length (20 AA). This uniformity was far less apparent when VH CDR3 were classified according to their clonotype (range: 9–25 AA), which we believe is more relevant for specific antibody identification. Only 174 IGKV and 588 IGLV clonotypes were identified within the VL sequences associated with SIV gp140-specific VH. Together, these data strongly suggest that the combination of SMRT sequencing with the IMGT/HighV-QUEST querying tool will facilitate and expedite our understanding of polyclonal antibody responses during SIV infection and may serve to rapidly expand the known scope of macaque V genes utilized during these responses.
Proteasome inhibition induces selective motor neuron death in organotypic slice cultures

A dysfunctional ubiquitin‐proteasome system recently has been proposed to play a role in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). We have shown previously that spinal motor neurons are more vulnerable to proteasome inhibition‐induced neurotoxicity, using a dissociated culture system. To confirm this toxicity, we used organotypic slice cultures from rat neonatal spinal cords, which conserve the structure of the spinal cord in a horizontal plane, enabling us to identify motor neurons more accurately than in dissociated cultures. Furthermore, such easy identifications make it possible to follow up the course of the degeneration of motor neurons. When a specific proteasome inhibitor, lactacystin (5 μM), was applied to slice cultures, proteasome activity of a whole slice was suppressed below 30% of control. Motor neurons were selectively damaged, especially in neurites, with the increase of phosphorylated neurofilaments. They were eventually lost in a dose‐dependent manner (1 μM, P < 0.05; 5 μM, P < 0.01). The low capacity of Ca2+ buffering is believed to be one of the factors of selectivity for damaged motor neurons in ALS. In our system, negative staining of Ca2+‐binding proteins supported this notion. An intracellular Ca2+ chelator, BAPTA‐AM (10 μM), exerted a significant protective effect when it was applied with lactacystin simultaneously (P < 0.01). We postulate that proteasome inhibition is an excellent model for studying the mechanisms underlying selective motor neuron death and searching for new therapeutic strategies in the treatment of ALS. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.