Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Nonparametric estimation of triangular simultaneous equations models under weak identification

This paper analyzes the problem of weak instruments on identification, estimation, and inference in a simple nonparametric model of a triangular system. The paper derives a necessary and sufficient rank condition for identification, based on which weak identification is established. Then nonparametric weak instruments are defined as a sequence of reduced‐form functions where the associated rank shrinks to zero. The problem of weak instruments is characterized as concurvity, which motivates the introduction of a regularization scheme. The paper proposes a penalized series estimation method to alleviate the effects of weak instruments and shows that it achieves desirable asymptotic properties. A data‐driven procedure is proposed for the choice of the penalization parameter. The findings of this paper provide useful implications for empirical work. To illustrate them, Monte Carlo results are presented and an empirical example is given in which the effect of class size on test scores is estimated nonparametrically.
The Perception of Ageism, Generativity, and the Attainment of Developmental Tasks of Elderly Widowers and Widows in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia

In every stage of human lives as well as later adulthood (elderly), there are developmental tasks to be attained and demand the elderly to adapt to various changes both from the internal and external environment. The aim of this research was to analyze the influence of ageism and generativity on the developmental task of elderly widower and widow. The cross-sectional study was used as the design of this research. The research was conducted in Empang Village, South Bogor Sub-District and West Cilendek Village, West Bogor Sub-District, Bogor City. As many as 60 persons were involved as research sample, consisted of 30 elderly widowers and 30 elderly widows which were chosen by snow-ball techniques. The result showed that there was no significant difference in developmental task of elderly widower and widow. The category of ageism was low while generativity and developmental task were moderate. There were significant positive correlations and influences of the length of education and generativity on developmental tasks of elderly widower and widow.
Dysregulated TGF-β Production Underlies the Age-Related Vulnerability to Chikungunya Virus

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is a re-emerging global pathogen with pandemic potential, which causes fever, rash and debilitating arthralgia. Older adults over 65 years are particularly susceptible to severe and chronic CHIKV disease (CHIKVD), accounting for >90% of all CHIKV-related deaths. There are currently no approved vaccines or antiviral treatments available to limit chronic CHIKVD. Here we show that in old mice excessive, dysregulated TGFβ production during acute infection leads to a reduced immune response and subsequent chronic disease. Humans suffering from CHIKV infection also exhibited high TGFβ levels and a pronounced age-related defect in neutralizing anti-CHIKV antibody production. In vivo reduction of TGFβ levels minimized acute joint swelling, restored neutralizing antibody production and diminished chronic joint pathology in old mice. This study identifies increased and dysregulated TGFβ secretion as one key mechanism contributing to the age-related loss of protective anti-CHIKV-immunity leading to chronic CHIKVD.
The effect of a pediatric heat and moisture exchanger on dead space in healthy pediatric anesthesia

Background Heat and moisture exchangers (HME) are often used to maintain humidity of breathing circuits during anesthesia. It is also known to increase dead space ventilation in respiratory distress syndromes. However, the effect of a pediatric HME in healthy pediatric patients has not yet been clarified. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of a pediatric HME on dead space in healthy pediatric patients during anesthesia. Methods 20 ASA physical class I pediatric patients, without respiratory impairment, who underwent elective surgery for inguinal hernia or hydrocele with general anesthesia were enrolled. Fifteen minutes after ventilation with and without pediatric HME (internal volume of 22 ml), hemodynamic variables, end tidal CO2, minute volume and airway pressure were measured, and arterial blood sampling was conducted simultaneously. Results The removal of pediatric HME decreased PaCO2 significantly from 46.1 ± 6.9 mmHg to 37.9 ± 4.3 mmHg (P < 0.001) and increased the pH from 7.32 to 7.37 (P < 0.001). The differences between PaCO2 with and without HME (Δ PaCO2) were significantly correlated with weight (P < 0.001, β1 = -0.749) and age (P = 0.002, β1 = -0.623). Conclusions The use of a pediatric HME significantly increased PaCO2 in healthy pediatric patients that was inversely proportional to weight and age. The use of pediatric HME should be carefully considered in small pediatric patients.
Production Externalities and Urban Configuration

Jacobs (1969) argues that uncompensated knowledge spillovers have played a crucial role in population agglomeration and thus in the generation of cities. We explore this idea formally by extending the Romer (1986) model of (inter-firm) externalities in production to an explicit spatial context. We postulate that knowledge spillovers between firms decrease with the distance between the firms. A general equilibrium model with households and firms residing in a linear or long, narrow city is constructed. The allocation of goods and factors, the locational choice of firm sites and household residences, as well as factor prices and land rents are all endogenously determined. The equilibrium urban configuration may be concentrated (with monocentric firm locations), dispersed (with completely mixed firm and household locations) or a combination (with incompletely mixed firm and household location), depending on the population of firms as the transportation and firm-interaction parameters. Due to the distance-dependent production externalities, firms will be clustered together in any equilibrium. As a consequence, the duo-centric or any multi-centric urban configuration is never an equilibrium configuration. Moreover, except for a set of parameters of measure zero, the equilibrium urban configuration is unique.
Predicting Academic Misconduct Intentions and Behavior Using the Theory of Planned Behavior and Personality

The efficacy of Azjen's (1985, 1991) Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) for the prediction of cheating intentions and behaviors was examined in a sample of 241 business undergraduates. Mediated structural equation models of the TPB, with personality constructs, adjustment, and prudence, as antecedents were examined. The TPB model explained 21% of the variance in cheating intentions and 36% of cheating behavior. Results support both the TPB model and a partially mediated model in which prudence, but not adjustment, is significantly related to model components, attitudes, norms, control, and behavior but not intention to cheat. These results suggest that the TPB model may parsimoniously integrate and advance academic misconduct research. Further TPB research and practical implications are discussed.
Divergence in Endothelin-1- and Bradykinin-Activated Store-Operated Calcium Entry in Afferent Sensory Neurons

Endothelin-1 (ET-1) and bradykinin (BK) are endogenous peptides that signal through Gαq/11-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) to produce nociceptor sensitization and pain. Both peptides activate phospholipase C to stimulate Ca2+ accumulation, diacylglycerol production, and protein kinase C activation and are rapidly desensitized via a G-protein receptor kinase 2-dependent mechanism. However, ET-1 produces a greater response and longer lasting nocifensive behavior than BK in multiple models, indicating a potentially divergent signaling mechanism in primary afferent sensory neurons. Using cultured sensory neurons, we demonstrate significant differences in both Ca2+ influx and Ca2+ release from intracellular stores following ET-1 and BK treatments. As intracellular store depletion may contribute to the regulation of other signaling cascades downstream of GPCRs, we concentrated our investigation on store-operated Ca2+ channels. Using pharmacological approaches, we identified transient receptor potential canonical channel 3 (TRPC3) as a dominant contributor to Ca2+ influx subsequent to ET-1 treatment. On the other hand, BK treatment stimulated Orai1 activation, with only minor input from TRPC3. Taken together, data presented here suggest that ET-1 signaling targets TRPC3, generating a prolonged Ca2+ signal that perpetuates nocifensive responses. In contrast, Orai1 dominates as the downstream target of BK receptor activation and results in transient intracellular Ca2+ increases and abridged nocifensive responses.
Evaluation of Local Enforcement of Energy Efficiency Standards and Labeling Program in China

Evaluation of Local Enforcement of Energy Efficiency Standards and Labeling Program in China Nina Zheng, Nan Zhou, Cecilia Fino-Chen and David Fridley China Energy Group Environmental Energy Technologies Division Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Preprint version of paper for Proceedings of 2012 International Energy Program Evaluation Conference, Rome, Italy, June 11-14, 2012 June 2012 This work was supported by the China Sustainable Energy Program of the Energy Foundation and Collaborative Labeling and Appliance Standards Program through the U.S. Department of Energy under Contract No. DE-AC02-05CH11231 .
Metformin Prevents the Development of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinomas from Carcinogen-Induced Premalignant Lesions

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a major public health concern. The recent identification of the mTOR complex 1 (mTORC1) signaling pathway as a highly prevalent molecular signature underlying HNSCC pathogenesis has provided the foundation to search for novel therapeutic approaches to prevent and treat HNSCC. Here, we asked whether metformin, the most widely used medication for the treatment of type II diabetes, which acts in part by stimulating the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) signaling pathway thereby reducing mTORC1 activity, may lower the risk of HNSCC development. Indeed, we show that metformin reduces the growth of HNSCC cells and diminishes their mTORC1 activity by both AMPK-dependent and -independent mechanisms. We also optimized an oral-specific carcinogenesis mouse model that results in the accumulation of multiple oral premalignant lesions at the end of the carcinogen exposure, some of which then spontaneously progress into HNSCC. Using this mouse model, we observed that metformin specifically inhibits mTORC1 in the basal proliferating epithelial layer of oral premalignant lesions. Remarkably, metformin prevented the development of HNSCC by reducing significantly the size and number of carcinogen-induced oral tumoral lesions and by preventing their spontaneous conversion to squamous cell carcinomas. Collectively, our data underscore the potential clinical benefits of using metformin as a targeted chemopreventive agent in the control of HNSCC development and progression. Cancer Prev Res; 5(4); 562–73. ©2012 AACR.
Coordinate Expression of Fimbriae in Uropathogenic Escherichia coli

ABSTRACT Uropathogenic Escherichia coli is the most common etiological agent of urinary tract infections. Bacteria can often express multiple adhesins during infection in order to favor attachment to specific niches within the urinary tract. We have recently demonstrated that type 1 fimbria, a phase-variable virulence factor involved in adherence, was the most highly expressed adhesin during urinary tract infection. Here, we examine whether the expression of type 1 fimbriae can affect the expression of other adhesins. Type 1 fimbrial phase-locked mutants of E. coli strain CFT073, which harbors genes for numerous adhesins, were employed in this study. CFT073-specific DNA microarray analysis of these strains demonstrates that the expression of type 1 fimbriae coordinately affects the expression of P fimbriae in an inverse manner. This represents evidence for direct communication between genes relating to pathogenesis, perhaps to aid the sequential occupation of different urinary tract tissues. While the role of type 1 fimbriae during infection has been clear, the role of P fimbriae must be further defined to assert the relevance of coordinated regulation in vivo. Therefore, we examined the ability of P fimbrial isogenic mutants, constructed in a type 1 fimbrial-negative background, to compete in the murine urinary tract over a period of 168 h. No differences in the colonization of these mutants were observed. However, comparison of these results with previous studies suggests that inversely coordinated expression of adhesin gene clusters does occur in vivo. Interestingly, the mutant that was incapable of expressing either type 1 or P fimbriae compensated by synthesizing F1C fimbriae.
Comparing Online and Face-to-Face Student Counselling: What Therapeutic Goals Are Identified and What Are the Implications for Educational Providers?

Online counselling is increasingly being used as an alternative to face-to-face student counselling. Using an exploratory mixed methods design, this project investigated the practice by examining the types of therapeutic goals that 11- to 25-year-olds identify online in routine practice. These goals were then compared to goals identified in equivalent school and community-based counselling services; 1,137 online goals (expressed by 504 young people) and 221 face-to-face goals (expressed by 220 young people) were analysed for key themes using grounded theory techniques. This analysis identified three core categories: (1) Intrapersonal Goals, (2) Interpersonal Goals, and (3) Intrapersonal Goals Directly Related to Others. Further statistical analysis of these themes indicated that online and face-to-face services appear to be used in different ways by students. These differences are discussed alongside the implications for professionals working in educational settings.
Side population in human glioblastoma is non-tumorigenic and characterizes brain endothelial cells

The identification and significance of cancer stem-like cells in malignant gliomas remains controversial. It has been proposed that cancer stem-like cells display increased drug resistance, through the expression of ATP-binding cassette transporters that detoxify cells by effluxing exogenous compounds. Here, we investigated the ‘side population’ phenotype based on efflux properties of ATP-binding cassette transporters in freshly isolated human glioblastoma samples and intracranial xenografts derived thereof. Using fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis on sorted cells obtained from glioblastoma biopsies, as well as human tumour xenografts developed in immunodeficient enhanced green fluorescence protein-expressing mice that allow an unequivocal tumour-stroma discrimination, we show that side population cells in human glioblastoma are non-neoplastic and exclusively stroma-derived. Tumour cells were consistently devoid of efflux properties regardless of their genetic background, tumour ploidy or stem cell associated marker expression. Using multi-parameter flow cytometry we identified the stromal side population in human glioblastoma to be brain-derived endothelial cells with a minor contribution of astrocytes. In contrast with their foetal counterpart, neural stem/progenitor cells in the adult brain did not display the side population phenotype. Of note, we show that CD133-positive cells often associated with cancer stem-like cells in glioblastoma biopsies, do not represent a homogenous cell population and include CD31-positive endothelial cells. Interestingly, treatment of brain tumours with the anti-angiogenic agent bevacizumab reduced total vessel density, but did not affect the efflux properties of endothelial cells. In conclusion our findings contribute to an unbiased identification of cancer stem-like cells and stromal cells in brain neoplasms, and provide novel insight into the complex issue of drug delivery to the brain. Since efflux properties of endothelial cells are likely to compromise drug availability, transiently targeting ATP-binding cassette transporters may be a valuable therapeutic strategy to improve treatment effects in brain tumours.
On the Rights of Warlords: Legitimate Authority and Basic Protection in War-Torn Societies

This article examines the legitimacy of the use of force by armed nonstate actors resisting the imposition of state rule over territories they control. We focus on the rights of warlords: subnational strongmen who seek autonomy within geographically demarcated territories, but not secession or control of the state itself. We argue that behind the resistance to state-building lies a twofold question of legitimate authority: the authority of states to consolidate power within their own internationally recognized borders and the authority of warlords to resist that expansion, by force if necessary, when it threatens social order and the protection of basic rights. This article draws on just war theory to develop a set of conditions under which such resistance may be justified, explores the argument's practical implications for state-building under the tutelage of third parties (e.g., the United Nations), and demonstrates its empirical relevance through an application to Afghanistan.
Primer on Risk Assessment and the Statistics Used to Evaluate Its Accuracy

The pervasiveness of risk assessment in correctional decision-making necessitates a better understanding of the nature of risk scales and the methods used to assess their accuracy. Risk is a continuous dimension, which means that risk assessment is a prognostic task as opposed to a diagnostic task. Risk scales can also be considered criterion-referenced as opposed to norm-referenced. Predictive accuracy can be divided into discrimination and calibration. Area under the curves (AUCs), Cox regression, Harrell’s C, Cohen’s d, and logistic regression are appropriate for analyses of discrimination. There is no consensus on calibration statistics, but both chi-square tests and the Expected/Observed (E/O) index have been used and show promise. Statistics intended for dichotomous diagnostic decisions (e.g., positive predictive accuracy and negative predictive accuracy, number needed to detain, number needed to discharge) are inappropriate for risk scales because of the prognostic nature of risk scales. In many circumstances, diagnostic statistics provide more information about the base rate of recidivism than about the risk scale.
Cortical mechanisms for tinnitus in humans

This work sought to characterise neurochemical and neurophysiological processes underlying tinnitus in humans. The first study involved invasive brain recordings from a neurosurgical patient, along with experimental manipulation of his tinnitus, to map the cortical system underlying his tinnitus. Widespread tinnitus-linked changes in lowand high-frequency oscillations were observed, along with inter-regional and cross-frequency patterns of communication. The second and third studies compared tinnitus patients to controls matched for age, sex and hearing loss, measuring auditory cortex spontaneous oscillations (with magnetoencephalography) and neurochemical concentrations (with magnetic resonance spectroscopy) respectively. Unlike in previous studies not controlled for hearing loss, there were no group differences in oscillatory activity attributable to tinnitus. However, there was a significant correlation between gamma oscillations (>30Hz) and hearing loss in the tinnitus group, and between delta oscillations (1-4Hz) and perceived tinnitus loudness. In the neurochemical study, tinnitus patients had significantly reduced GABA concentrations compared to matched controls, and within this group there was a positive correlation between choline concentration (potentially linked to acetylcholine and/or neuronal plasticity) and both hearing loss, and subjective tinnitus intensity and distress. In light of present and previous findings, tinnitus may be best explained by a predictive coding model of perception, which was tested in the final experiment. This directly controlled the three main quantities comprising predictive coding models, and found that delta/theta/alpha oscillations (1-12Hz) encoded the precision of predictions, beta oscillations (12-30Hz) encoded changes to predictions, and gamma oscillations represented surprise (unexpectedness of stimuli based on predictions). The work concludes with a predictive coding model of tinnitus that builds upon the present findings and settles unresolved paradoxes in the literature. In this, precursor processes (in varying combinations) synergise to increase the precision associated with spontaneous activity in the auditory pathway to the point where it overrides higher predictions of ‘silence’.
Surprising Ripple Effects

Subtle policy adjustments can induce relatively large “ripple effects. ” We evaluate a College Board initiative that increased the number of free SAT score reports available to low-income students and changed the time horizon for using these score reports. Using a difference-in-differences analytic strategy, we estimate that targeted students were roughly 10 percentage points more likely to send eight or more reports. The policy improved on-time college attendance and 6-year bachelor’s completion by about 2 percentage points. Impacts were realized primarily by students who were competitive candidates for 4-year college admission. The bachelor’s completion impacts are larger than would be expected based on the number of students driven by the policy change to enroll in college and to shift into more selective colleges. The unexplained portion of the completion effects may result from improvements in nonacademic fit between students and the postsecondary institutions in which they enroll.
Anthropometric characteristics of metabolically healthy overweight and obese women

It is very well known that some obese per sons display a favorable metabolic profile de spite having higher body mass and excessive body fat ness. Data on prevalence and characteristics of this type of obesity are very heterogeneous, and the aim of this study was to analyze its prevalence in our population and to identify anthropometric characteristics of metabolically healthy obese persons. Study group consisted of 230 over weight or obese (BMI: 31.35±4.73 kg/m2) aged 51,90±11,45 years. According to values of to tal-, HDL- and LDL-cholesterol, tryglicerides and homeostasis model assessment-estimated insulin resistance, we defined metabolic profile of our subjects and analyzed differences in anthropometric characteristics (body mass, body height, total body fat and parameters of abdominal fat mass size) between metabolically healthy and metabolically obese women. We registered 14.35% metabolically healthy over weight or obese women. Comparing to metabolically obese women they were younger (44.77±14.49 vs. 53.01±10.52y) and higher (165.91±8.08 vs. 161.40±6.61 cm), with significantly higher values of sagittal abdominal diameter (25.10±5.39 vs. 23.01±4.76 cm) and lower values of WHR index (0.839±0.083 vs. 0.870±0.077). At the same time, metabolically healthy subjects had higher hip circumference, but the difference was not statistically significant. Body fat mass didn't differ significantly between these two groups. Our results point to some morphophenotypic differences between obese per sons with favor able and abnormal metabolic profile and confirmed age related in creasing of the metabolic risk. Identification of specific anthropometric profile could be important in understanding of factors that are involved or have protective role in the development of obesity-related complications.