Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Rab Family Proteins Regulate the Endosomal Trafficking and Function of RGS4*

Background: Intracellular trafficking of RGS proteins determines their function as G-protein inhibitors. Results: The function and trafficking of RGS4 through intracellular endosomal pools are highly regulated by different Rab proteins. Conclusion: Rab5 and Rab11 regulate the intracellular trafficking and function of RGS4. Significance: Identifying novel mechanisms whereby RGS4 localization and function may be regulated might lead to new strategies for the selective regulation of G-protein signaling. RGS4, a heterotrimeric G-protein inhibitor, localizes to plasma membrane (PM) and endosomal compartments. Here, we examined Rab-mediated control of RGS4 internalization and recycling. Wild type and constitutively active Rab5 decreased RGS4 PM levels while increasing its endosomal targeting. Rab5, however, did not appreciably affect the PM localization or function of the M1 muscarinic receptor (M1R)/Gq signaling cascade. RGS4-containing endosomes co-localized with subsets of Rab5-, transferrin receptor-, and Lamp1/Lysotracker-marked compartments suggesting RGS4 traffics through PM recycling or acidified endosome pathways. Rab7 activity promoted TGN association, whereas Rab7(dominant negative) trapped RGS4 in late endosomes. Furthermore, RGS4 was found to co-localize with an endosomal pool marked by Rab11, the protein that mediates recycling/sorting of proteins to the PM. The Cys-12 residue in RGS4 appeared important for its Rab11-mediated trafficking to the PM. Rab11(dominant negative) decreased RGS4 PM levels and increased the number of RGS4-containing endosomes. Inhibition of Rab11 activity decreased RGS4 function as an inhibitor of M1R activity without affecting localization and function of the M1R/Gq signaling complex. Thus, both Rab5 activation and Rab11 inhibition decreased RGS4 function in a manner that is independent from their effects on the localization and function of the M1R/Gq signaling complex. This is the first study to implicate Rab GTPases in the intracellular trafficking of an RGS protein. Thus, Rab GTPases may be novel molecular targets for the selective regulation of M1R-mediated signaling via their specific effects on RGS4 trafficking and function.
Inflation and the Redistribution of Wealth

The significance of inflation to any economic system results largely from the redistributive consequences induced by unanticipated, or imperfectly anticipated, price rises. Indeed if all economic agents possessed perfect foresight and all prices were perfectly flexible upwards then inflation would have no redistributive consequences and the accounting system could easily incorporate inflation into its measurement procedures. This would then solve the basic problem associated with the measurement of profit which arises because of the difficulty of estimating the future income earning potential of a particular asset. The implications for measurement procedures of a situation where perfect foresight exists was in fact considered by Professor Lerner as long ago as 1951 who concluded that “It would be somewhat more trouble and involve more complicated book‐keeping, but it is quite feasible.
Are There Arbitrage Opportunities in the Market for American Depository Receipts

We examine the market prices of American Depository Receipts and the foreign stocks (8 from Australia, 7 from England, and 8 from Japan) upon which they are based. There are no significant differences between the prices of these two identifical types of claims, and thus no obvious arbitrage opportunities exist between the international capital markets encompassed by this study. We find this evidence to be supportive of the law of one price. However, the return correlations between the two identical types of claims, display some interesting patterns. The two returns are not near to being perfectly correlated. This result can be explained, in part, by overlapping time periods for the return calculations. Researchers should be aware of these timing differences that can lead to spurious return-correlation results.
Continuity and Change on the United States Courts of Appeals

While many fine works of scholarship examine the role of the Supreme Court in American politics, there has been a dearth of scholarly books that focus on the Courts of Appeals. "Continuity and Change on the United States Courts of Appeals "is unique both in its focus on this level of the judiciary and its approach that examines major trends over the twentieth century. Since the Supreme Court has the discretion to refuse to hear almost all cases appealed to it, the Courts of Appeals are usually the final option for litigants in the federal system. Unless overturned by the Supreme Court or, in cases decided on the basis of statute, by Congressional action, the rulings can have a significant impact on government policy.The authors present the first comprehensive examination of the shifting role of the Courts of Appeals, investigating changes over time and presenting the first systematic analyses of those changes. Their work is the first book to utilize the database of the U.S. Courts of Appeals, analyzing over 15,000 cases to examine trends between 1925 and 1988. The book answers questions such as who are the judges? What are their decisional tendencies? What has been the role of region and partisan politics? Who are the litigants? And who has won and who has lost throughout the twentieth century? It is the only current, up-to-date book on the Courts of Appeals and an essential read for all scholars and students interested in American politics and judicial behavior.Donald R. Songer is Professor of Political Science, University of South Carolina. Reginald S. Sheehan is Associate Professor of Political Science and Director of the Program for Law and Juridical Politics, Michigan State University. Susan B. Haire is Assistant Professor of Political Science, University of Georgia
Rooftop Revolution? The Comparative Effectiveness of State Policy Incentives for Solar Photovoltaic Adoption in the Residential Sector

ROOFTOP REVOLUTION? THE COMPARATIVE EFFECTIVENESS OF STATE POLICY INCENTIVES FOR SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAIC ADOPTION IN THE RESIDENTIAL SECTOR Virgil Ian Stanford, Ph.D. George Mason University, 2014 Dissertation Director: Todd LaPorte Against the backdrop of increasingly vigorous debates in state legislatures over climate change mitigation strategies, this dissertation examines the effectiveness of policy incentives designed to encourage the adoption of solar photovoltaic systems in the residential sector. Utilizing panel data from all 50 states and the District of Columbia from 2007 to 2012, this study controls for critical non-policy covariates including economic, environmental, and socio-demographic factors as well as an array of solar market factors including marketing effort, the number of solar installers within a state, and the support of utilities for renewable energy. Moreover, instrumental variables are used to address possible endogeneity. The results indicate that although financial incentives generally have a statistically significant, positive effect on solar PV installation rates, high electricity prices and the falling retail price of solar PV equipment have a stronger influence on solar technology diffusion at the
Do Accountants Make Better Chief Financial Officers?

We examine whether chief financial officers (CFOs) with accounting backgrounds (accountant CFOs) are associated with more conservative corporate outcomes. We find that, in high-growth industries, firms with accountant CFOs invest less in research and development and capital expenditures and are less likely to engage in external financing. In low-growth industries, we find that firms with accountant CFOs exhibit greater cost efficiency. Our results are consistent with risk aversion on the part of accountant CFOs. We further document that accountant CFOs are negatively associated with firm value in high-growth industries and positively associated with firm value in low-growth industries.
Mother's Nutrition Knowledge and Children's Dietary Intakes

This article uses U.S. food consumption data to examine the effect of maternal nutrition knowledge on the dietary intakes of children between two and seventeen years of age. Results show that maternal knowledge influences children's diets and that such influence decreases as children grow older. Nutrition knowledge acts as a pathway through which maternal education influences children's diets. This finding supports the hypothesis that education affects health-related choices by raising the allocative efficiency of health input use. The results suggest that nutrition education may be more effective if targeted both toward mothers with young children and directly toward school-age children. Copyright 1999, Oxford University Press.
Two's Company: Composition, Structure and Performance of Entrepreneurial Pairs

We explore the effects of diverse team composition on the survival and growth of new ventures using the Danish Linked Employer‐Employee database. To get cleaner measures of diverse team composition, we focus on entrepreneurial dyads, and also investigate the asymmetric hierarchical effects of team composition by distinguishing between the ‘primary’ and the ‘secondary’ member. We complement existing work by showing that heterogeneity in team composition is moderated by the asymmetric hierarchical structure within the team, and that a unidimensional diversity indicator (which is usually applied) fails to capture a number of performance effects of heterogeneous team composition. Pairs of younger individuals have lower survival chances but higher employment growth. Pairs led by a male tend toward ‘jobless growth’ in the sense that they have higher growth of profits and sales but not employment. Family firms have lower employment growth, especially when formed with one's mother.
High-Tech and High Capability in a Growth Model

A growth model is developed to substantiate the conventional wisdom that regards high-tech high-capability firms as an engine of sustained technological progress. High-tech industries are characterized by abounding technological opportunities, which promote endogenous high capability firms due to a competitive escalation mechanism. While high-tech high-capability firms capitalize on and discharge the existing innovation potentials, they also contribute to recharge (due to knowledge spillovers). They are a source of growth and high wage rate. An inquiry into the reasons why the high-tech/high-capability growth mechanism is not widely adoptable across countries points to the role of the underlying corporate governance systems.
Changing Food Prices and Rural Welfare: A Nonparametric Examination of the Côte d'Ivoire

Changes in and absolute levels of agricultural pricing and food production may affect consumer food prices producer incentives income distribution and government revenue. The nature of these relationships and effects are of especial policy concern in developing countries. Nonparametric estimation techniques are applied to 1985 Living Standards household survey data of the Cote dIvoire to estimate the impact of a food price change on income distribution. This study examines how food prices are related to agricultural income across rural income in the country. In examining a different country considering a wider variety of crops estimating Engel curves and applying confidence bands the analysis extends work of A.S. Deaton. Analysis indicates that while food grown for home consumption is important net food sales and a percentage of total expenditure seem inconsequential at any level of welfare. Agricultural households grow crops to meet their consumption needs and sell the surplus only when harvests are especially bountiful. Income elasticities with respect to prices are therefore small. These findings suggest that no simple set of small price changes will significantly increase the marketed surplus of food and that structural adjustment policies may be pursued without concern for devastating poor households. Research is needed into ways of increasing food production through methods other than price changes. Results also indicate that price increases do not necessarily benefit only large well-off farms and that a wide range of issues may be considered with nonparametric estimation techniques.
Connexin43 in LA-25 Cells with Active v-src Is Phosphorylated on Y247, Y265, S262, S279/282, and S368 via Multiple Signaling Pathways

Modulation of gap junction structures and gap junctional communication is important in maintaining tissue homeostasis and can be controlled via phosphorylation of connexin43 (Cx43) through several different signaling pathways. Transformation of cells by v-src has been shown to down-regulate gap junction communication coincident with an increase in tyrosine phosphorylation on Cx43. Activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and protein kinase C (PKC) also lead to down-regulation via phosphorylation on specific serine residues. Using phosphospecific anti-Cx43 antibodies generated by the authors' laboratory to specific tyrosines (src substrates) and serine residues (MAPK and PKC substrates) to probe LA-25 cells (which express temperature-sensitive v-src), the authors show that distinct tyrosine and serines residues are phosphorylated in response to v-src activity. They show that tyrosine phosphorylation appears to occur predominantly in gap junction plaques when src is active. In addition, src activation led to increased phosphorylation of apparent MAPK and PKC sites in Cx43. These results indicate all three signaling pathways could contribute to gap junction down-regulation during src transformation in LA-25 cells.
Utilization of monoclonal antibodies to evaluate the involvement of Campylobacter jejuni in proliferative ileitis in Syrian hamsters (Mesocricetis auratus)

The role of Campylobacter jejuni in the pathogenesis of proliferative ileitis in Syrian hamsters was evaluated with monoclonal antibodies of different specificities. Monoclonal antibodies were produced with two different specificities: one for all members of the genus Campylobacter tested (antibody 8322-2E6) and one for C. jejuni and Campylobacter coli (antibodies 841-2A11, 841-4C6, and 841-5B1). Heal sections from healthy hamsters, from hamsters with naturally occurring proliferative ileitis, and from hamsters with experimentally induced proliferative ileitis were examined by using fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled, Campylobacter sp. -specific 8322-2E6 and tetramethylrhodamine isothiocyanate-labeled C. jejuni-C. coli-specific 841-2A11 for direct dual-labeling immunofluorescence. Organisms which stained with the C. jejuni-C. coli-specific monoclonal antibody were observed in the ileal lumens and along the distal tips of the villi of hamsters with either experimentally induced or naturally occurring proliferative ileitis. In contrast, organisms identified by the Campylobacter sp. -specific monoclonal antibody were present deep within the villus lumens and crypts and intracellularly within the apical portions of the epithelial cells. No organisms stained with the C. jejuni-C. coli-specific monoclonal antibody were observed in ileal sections from control hamsters; an occasional intracellular organism stained with the Campylobacter sp. -specific monoclonal antibody was observed in 2 of 10 control hamsters. Thus, at least two immunologically distinct patterns were identified in ileal sections from hamsters with proliferative ileitis. On the basis of these results, we conclude that the organism seen intracellularly in ileal sections from hamsters with proliferative ileitis is a member of the genus Campylobacter but that it probably is not C. jejuni or C. coli.
Effect of scalp infiltration on postoperative pain relief in elective supratentorial craniotomy with 0.5% bupivacaine with adrenaline 1:400,000.

OBJECTIVE Determine the effect of scalp infiltration on postoperative craniotomy pain with 0.5% bupivacaine with adrenaline 1:400,000. MATERIAL AND METHOD A prospective randomized double blind control trial was conducted on 50 patients (18-65 years), who were ASA physical status I to III, and scheduled for elective intracranial surgery at Maharaj Nakorn Chiang Mai Hospital, Thailand between October 2006 and December 2007. The patients received wound infiltration before skin closure by either 0.5% bupivacaine with adrenaline 1. :400,000 (group B), or normal saline with adrenaline 1:400,000 (group S). RESULTS The median pain score in the first 12 hours trended to be lower in the bupivacaine group than in the control, but the differences were not statistically significant apart from the score in the first hour (median pain score = 2, IQR = 3; p = 0.031). There were more pain-free patients in the bupivacaine group than in the control group at all time intervals during the first 12 hours. However, the difference was significant in the first hour (7 vs. 1; p = 0.034). Although the median (range) time interval between the end of surgery and first administration of tramadol was longer in the bupivacaine group, when compared to the control group, it was not statistically significant. CONCLUSION Surgical wound infiltration, before skin closure, with 0.5% bupivacaine with adrenaline decreased the incidence and severity of postoperative pain in patients undergoing supratentorial craniotomy, but only for the first hour after surgery.
Diversity and intensity of information and communication technologies use and product innovation: evidence from Chilean micro-data

This study uses data from two waves of the Encuesta Longitudinal de Empresas (ELE) to examine the relationship between information and communication technologies (ICT) use and product innovation in Chilean firms. Our findings sustain the hypothesis that ICT act as enablers of innovation. However, the impacts of ICT on product innovation depend on the type of application considered. In particular, we find positive and significant association between production-integrating ICT, i.e. administrative and industry-specific software, and product innovation, while this is not the case for market-oriented ICT such as e-commerce or client relationship manager software. Finally, the results show that not every ICT combination is beneficial for innovation: firms that show a basic use of ICT are not associated with a better likelihood of introducing innovation, while firms with an advanced use of ICT are those with the more likelihood of innovating.
Intergenerational Mobility and the Timing of Parental Income

We extend the standard intergenerational mobility literature by examining the relationship between adult outcomes of children and the timing of parental income during their childhood years, using data from Norway. We find first that, conditional on permanent household income, the child’s human capital is higher in households where income is balanced between the early childhood and late childhood years than in households with a more imbalanced income profile. Second, compared to that in the early and late periods of childhood, income in the middle period has relatively low productivity.
Price Knowledge in Household Demand for Utility Services

A household’s decision to acquire price knowledge is endogenous in the demand for utility services and may affect elasticities and consumption levels. A simultaneous equation model with endogenous switching is developed to evaluate the effects of price knowledge and other sources of heterogeneity. Results indicate informed households were more responsive to average and marginal price signals. Informed households also use less water, but this is due to heterogeneity rather than price knowledge. Controlling for heterogeneity, price knowledge actually increases monthly water usage. The implications of accounting for differences in price knowledge in utility demand modeling and demand management policy are discussed. (JEL Q21, Q41)
Investments, Holdup, and the Form of Market Contracts.

The authors analyze incomplete contracts to induce efficient investment. With exogenous switching costs, fixed-price contracts are efficient, generate some rigidity in prices, are renegotiated intermittently by possibly small amounts, and when inflation is positive, generate asymmetric responses to shocks, all consistent with evidence on prices and wages. With two-sided specific investments, efficiency requires prices to have sufficient escalator clauses to avoid renegotiation, as observed in many long-term contracts. A third case, with one-sided specific investments, can generate 'take or pay' contracts and explain why firms sometimes pay for specific investments that appear to benefit employees directly. Copyright 1993 by American Economic Association.
Agglomeration, Congestion, and U.S. Regional Disparities in Employment Growth

Wide regional disparities exist in U.S. employment growth. To identify the causes of this disparities, we assess the relative contribution of locational characteristics to regional employment growth in the United States from 2001 to 2010 by estimating an employment growth model with the spatial‐lag effect. Results show that, at the margin, congestion effects dominate localized scale externalities in urban counties. A diverse industrial structure and rich human capital are the main factors that contribute to regional disparities in employment growth. Significant spatial‐lag effects indicate that spatial targeting and regional coordination are necessary to maximize the effectiveness of employment growth policies.
Relation of serum total cholesterol and other risk factors to risk of coronary events in middle-aged and elderly Japanese men with hypercholesterolemia: the Kyushu Lipid Intervention Study.

BACKGROUND The role of serum total cholesterol (TC) in the development of coronary heart disease (CHD) may differ in different age groups. METHODS AND RESULTS The relation of serum TC and other risk factors to CHD events was examined in middle-aged (<65 years) and elderly (> or =65 years) men separately in the Kyushu Lipid Intervention Study (KLIS). Subjects were 4,349 men aged 45-74 years with serum TC of 220 mg/dl or greater who had no history of myocardial infarction, coronary angioplasty, or stroke. There were 123 CHD events (ie, myocardial infarction, coronary bypass surgery, coronary angioplasty, cardiac death, and sudden death) in a 5-year follow-up period. The Cox proportional hazards model was used with baseline and follow-up serum TC, baseline high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and other factors as covariates. Serum TC concentration during the follow-up, not at baseline, was associated with an increased risk of CHD events, especially in elderly men. High concentrations of serum HDL cholesterol were associated with a modest, statistically nonsignificant decrease in the risk among middle-aged men. An increased risk of CHD events associated with diabetes mellitus was greater in middle-aged men. Hypertension and smoking were not measurably related to the risk in either middle-aged or elderly men. CONCLUSIONS Both the serum TC concentration during follow-up and diabetes mellitus are important predictors of CHD events in Japanese men with moderately elevated serum TC.