Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Paradoxical adverse events of anti-tumour necrosis factor therapy for spondyloarthropathies: a retrospective study.

OBJECTIVES Several paradoxical adverse events (PAEs), e.g. IBDs, acute anterior uveitis (AAU) and psoriasis, have been described in patients taking anti-TNF drugs. This retrospective study aimed to describe the different PAEs that have occurred in a population of SpA patients treated with anti-TNF drugs, and to determine whether they are drug specific. METHODS Since 2000, we have followed 296 patients with SpA [198 AS, 21 SpA associated with IBD (9 ulcerative colitis, 12 Crohn's disease) and 77 psoriatic arthritis] treated with at least one anti-TNF drug (infliximab, etanercept or adalimumab), and 112 SpA patients treated only with conventional DMARDs who served as controls. Considering the cumulative time of exposure to each anti-TNF agent, the frequencies of new-onset PAEs in exposed patients were calculated. RESULTS Respective cumulative exposure times were 287, 290 and 62 patient-years for infliximab, etanercept and adalimumab. We observed the following PAEs: five psoriasis (three under infliximab and one with etanercept or adalimumab), three AAU (1/100 patient-years, all under etanercept) and four IBD (three under etanercept and one under infliximab). There was no significant association among any of these PAEs and a specific anti-TNF agent; nor significant difference in the overall PAEs among patients receiving anti-TNF drugs or controls (P = 0.303), the latter experiencing two psoriasis and three AAU. CONCLUSIONS Undesirable side effects--IBD, AAU and psoriasis--may appear with anti-TNF drugs. Even if they are, a priori, paradoxical, no evidence supports any PAEs to be anti-TNF agent-specific in SpA.
Embracing electronic media but suppressing civil society: Authoritarian consolidation in Singapore

In contrast with some other parts of Southeast Asia, challenges to media controls in Singapore have been limited and ineffectual. Lately the government has been refining legislation to try and keep it that way. But this strategy is not principally based on the unrealistic objective of direct information control. Rather, preventing the emergence of organized social and political forces that could lead to a genuine civil society lies at the heart of the strategy. One of the factors that serves to reinforce the government's agenda here is the high degree of direct and indirect dependence on the state by Singaporeans for social and economic resources. This translates into vulnerability to political persecution and caution by social and political actors. Meanwhile, the promotion of Singapore as an 'infocommunication hub' has met with a positive response from global media organizations. New electronic media businesses appear just as capable of being reconciled with the authoritarian regime as more established media have proven to be.
Leverage Changes and Growth Options in Mergers and Acquisitions

We develop and empirically test a trade-off model for the analysis of leverage changes in mergers and acquisitions. Our study extends prior findings of a post-merger increase in leverage for the acquiring firm, by linking this leverage increase to merging firms that are less correlated, create significantly larger growth options, and have lower bankruptcy costs and lower volatility. Specifically, we show that acquiring firms are more likely to finance diversifying acquisitions with debt as equity holders exploit the increased debt capacity with higher leverage resulting in total merger gains that are positively associated with financial synergies. We also provide evidence of a U-shaped relationship between growth options and leverage changes theoretically and empirically in the context of mergers.
Formation of Secondary Organic Aerosols Through Photooxidation of Isoprene

Detailed organic analysis of natural aerosols from the Amazonian rain forest showed considerable quantities of previously unobserved polar organic compounds, which were identified as a mixture of two diastereoisomeric 2-methyltetrols: 2-methylthreitol and 2-methylerythritol. These polyols, which have the isoprene skeleton, can be explained by OH radical–initiated photooxidation of isoprene. They have low vapor pressure, allowing them to condense onto preexisting particles. It is estimated that photooxidation of isoprene results in an annual global production of about 2 teragrams of the polyols, a substantial fraction of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimate of between 8 and 40 teragrams per year of secondary organic aerosol from biogenic sources.
Neurohormone melatonin prevents cell damage: effect on gene expression for antioxidant enzymes

It is well known that porphyrins cause a toxic light‐mediated effect due to their capability to generate free radicals. Several reports have proved that melatonin is a potent free radical scavenger. The aim of this work has been to study the ability of melatonin to prevent the cell damage caused by porphyrins in the Harderian gland of female Syrian hamsters. Cell injury was evaluated estimating the percentage of damaged cells found in the gland and analyzing the degree of this damage at ultrastructural level. To explain the mechanism by which this hormone could prevent the cell damage caused by porphyrins, its capability to both decrease porphyrin synthesis and increase the mRNA levels for antioxidant enzymes was evaluated. Our results demonstrate that melatonin administration decreases the percentage of damaged cells, porphyrin synthesis, and aminolevulinate synthase (ALA‐S) mRNA levels and increases the mRNA levels for manganese superoxide‐dismutase and copper‐zinc superoxide dismutase. When observed under an electron microscope, the lesions in the clear cells of the treated females were much less severe than in the corresponding cells of the control animals. Melatonin exerts a cytoprotective effect by inhibiting the ALA‐S gene expression (and so porphyrin synthesis) and by raising the mRNA levels for several antioxidant enzymes. —Antolín, I. , Rodríguez, C. , Sáinz, R. M. , Mayo, J. C. , Uría, H. , Kotler, M. L. , Rodríguez‐Col‐ unga, M. J., Tolivia, D. , Menéndez‐Peláez, A. Neurohormone melatonin prevents cell damage: effect on gene expression for antioxidant enzymes. FASEB J. 10, 882‐890 (1996)
Selective membrane exclusion in phagocytic and macropinocytic cups

Specialized eukaryotic cells can ingest large particles and sequester them within membrane-delimited phagosomes. Many studies have described the delivery of lysosomal proteins to the phagosome, but little is known about membrane sorting during the early stages of phagosome formation. Here we used Dictyostelium discoideum amoebae to analyze the membrane composition of newly formed phagosomes. The membrane delimiting the closing phagocytic cup was essentially derived from the plasma membrane, but a subgroup of proteins was specifically excluded. Interestingly the same phenomenon was observed during the formation of macropinosomes, suggesting that the same sorting mechanisms are at play during phagocytosis and macropinocytosis. Analysis of mutant strains revealed that clathrin-associated adaptor complexes AP-1, -2 and -3 were not necessary for this selective exclusion and, accordingly, ultrastructural analysis revealed no evidence for vesicular transport around phagocytic cups. Our results suggest the existence of a new, as yet uncharacterized, sorting mechanism in phagocytic and macropinocytic cups.
Widespread Dissemination in The Netherlands of the Epidemic Berlin Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Clone with Low-Level Resistance to Oxacillin

ABSTRACT Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is an important human pathogen and represents a growing public health burden due to the emergence and spread of epidemic strains, particularly within the hospital environment. An epidemic MRSA clone, with characteristic low-level resistance to oxacillin, emerged in the year 2000 and became endemic in the Netherlands. Multilocus sequence typing characterized the strain as sequence type 45, which was previously designated the Berlin epidemic MRSA clone. In 2 years, this strain has become the predominant MRSA clone in the Netherlands.
Species Introduction in a Tropical Lake

Probably in early 1967, a piscivore from South America, Cichla ocellaris, was introduced to Gatun Lake in the Panama Canal Zone. As this predator population spread through the lake, the initial effect was dramatic reductions in almost all secondary consumers. These species reductions produced, in turn, second- and third-order changes at other trophic levels of the ecosystem. The resulting changes in the lake community can be seen best by examining the general Gatun Lake food web. The decrease in numbers of the important planktivore Melaniris has resulted in changes within the zooplankton community, as illustrated by the cladoceran Ceriodaphnia. The tertiary-consumer populations, such as tarpon, black terns, kingfishers, and herons, formerly dependent on small fishes for food, appear less frequently in the Cichla areas of the lake. There has also been, possibly, a resurgence of the local mosquito populations (which are malaria vectors), caused by the reduction in the populations of insect-eating fishes. Even the primary producers may be affected by this introduction. Although at present the Gatun Lake ecosystem is undergoing rapid changes, we anticipate an eventual return to some form of equilibrium. However, it will be some time before we can evaluate the permanence or transience of the many changes produced in the trophic levels by the introduction of a single, top-level predator to this lake system.
Identifying, Enabling and Managing Dynamic Capabilities in the Public Sector

In this paper, we examine how a public sector organization developed a new strategic approach based on the identification and use of an internal dynamic capability (learning through experimenting). In response to the need for continual performance improvement in spite of reduced financial resources, this organization engaged in three overlapping phases as they shifted to this strategic approach. First, managers identified appropriate latent dynamic capabilities. Next, they used their leadership skills and built on established levels of trust to enable the use of these dynamic capabilities. Finally, they managed the tension between unrestricted development of local initiatives and organizational needs for guidance and control.
Multidisciplinary approach to evaluating welfare of veal calves in commercial facilities

Abstract Due to pending legislation and public concerns, a multidisciplinary approach was designed to investigate the welfare of special-fed veal calves in commercial veal facilities. Concerns included housing conditions, dietary regimens, management practices, and behavioral aspects imposed on special-fed calves. Four categories of parameters including environment and housing, nutrition, health and stress, and behavior provided a broad base of evaluating veal systems. Observations and samples were collected on 550 Holstein bull calves located in 10 commercial veal facilities. Each facility was visited to collect data during wk 0 (week of arrival of the calves), 2, 4, 8, 12, and 16. Nine facilities used individual stalls 48 to 55 cm in width with tethers attached to the front of the stalls. One facility housed 30 calves in group pens after obtaining calves at 8 wk of age. Ammonia, carbon monoxide, and hydrogen sulfide gas did not exceed the permissible limit for humans in any facility. All facilities exceeded the 2-foot-candle recommendation for lighting. The average daily gain of calves was . 85 kg during wk 0 to 8 and 1.18 kg during wk 8 to 16. Dietary iron levels decreased from 209 ppm at wk 0 to 32 ppm at wk 16. At 16 wk, 25% of calves were marginally anemic and 10% clinically anemic. Overall mortality was 4.2%. Stress indices such as plasma Cortisol concentrations or neutrophil to lymphocyte ratios declined as calves approached market weight. In either pens or stalls, calves spent approximately 25 and 75% of time in standing and lying positions, respectively. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
A Scalable Power-Line-Signaling-Based Scheme for Islanding Detection of Distributed Generators

Power-line-signaling-based schemes are regarded as promising solutions to the problem of islanding detection of distributed generators (DGs). These schemes broadcast dedicated signals from the distribution substation to the downstream DGs and, therefore, transform the detection of islanded DGs into the determination of the signal presence at the DG sites. This paper presents an improvement to a published power-line-signaling method. With this improvement, the signaling device can be located anywhere between the substation and the DG sites, creating the opportunity for designing customized islanding detection arrangements for various DG interconnection scenarios. Simulations and laboratory tests show that the improved scheme can work reliably.
Stochastic models with random parameters for financial markets

The aim of this thesis is a development of a new class of financial models with random parameters, which are computationally efficient and have the same level of performance as existing ones. In particular, this research is threefold. I have studied the evolution of storable commodity and commodity futures prices in time using a new random parameter model coupled with a Kalman filter. Such a combination allows one to forecast arbitrage-free futures prices and commodity spot prices one step ahead. Another direction of my research is a new volatility model, where the volatility is a random variable. The main advantage of this model is high calibration speed compared to the existing stochastic volatility models such as the Bates model or the Heston model. However, the performance of the new model is comparable to the latter. Comprehensive numerical studies demonstrate that the new model is a very competitive alternative to the Heston or the Bates model in terms of accuracy of matching option prices or computing hedging parameters. Finally, a new futures pricing model for electricity futures prices was developed. The new model has a random volatility parameter in its underlying process. The new model has less parameters, as compared to two-factor models for electricity commodity pricing with and without jumps. Numerical experiments with real data illustrate that it is quite competitive with the existing two-factor models in terms of pricing one step ahead futures prices, while being far simpler to calibrate. Further, a new heuristic for calibrating two-factor models was proposed. The new calibration procedure has two stages, offline and online. The offline stage calibrates parameters under a physical measure, while the online stage is used to calibrate the risk-neutrality parameters on each iteration of the particle filter. A particle filter was used to estimate the values of the underlying stochastic processes and to forecast futures prices one step ahead. The contributory material from two chapters of this thesis have been submitted to peer reviewed journals in terms of two papers: • Chapter 4: “A fast calibrating volatility model” has been submitted to the European Journal of Operational Research. • Chapter 5: “Electricity futures price models : calibration and forecasting” has been submitted to the European Journal of Operational Research.
The impact of discontinuity on firms' business relationship behaviour

Purpose – With a comparative aim, the purpose of this paper is to challenge the general assumption behind relationship longevity. The question under attention is whether firms' relationship of a discontinuous nature is different from continuous relationships and if so what this diversity entails. In the essay, a conceptual view is developed and tested statistically. The ambition is to add new knowledge to the field of business relationships.Design/methodology/approach – The essay's theoretical foundation rests on relationship theory and employs the four relationship behaviour elements of trust, commitment, cooperation and adaptation. Differences/similarities in the effects among these elements are tested for two types of relationships, i.e. those of continuous and discontinuous exchange, using data from 353 Swedish firms.Findings – The results show that a firm's behaviour in continuous relationships rests on incremental change, in the sense that the relationship elements of trust, commitment, cooperation .
Trading Costs on a Limit Order Book Market: Evidence from the Paris Bourse

This paper provides estimates of the trading costs (and its components) for the CAC 40 index stocks traded on the limit order market of the Paris Bourse. An ECN is an electronic limit-order book that anonymously and automatically matches buy/sell orders. The Paris Bourse is a limit order book market and so provide the same structure and the same service than an ECN. Results indicate that a smile effect related to the trade size characterizes the posted spread and the relative posted spread. Moreover the traded spread accounts for about 85% of the posted spread and contains a large order processing component (82%) relative to the adverse selection cost (10.12%) and the inventory component (8.34%). It can be shown that these components are positively related to the trade size. This is particularly true when one considers the marginal cost of trading the largest quantities. The hypothesis that informed traders split their order is empirically checked. Adverse selection component is equal to 10.30% for small-size transactions and 8.86% for medium-size transactions. The traded spread is characterized by a large asymmetric component at the beginning and at the end of the trading day. Inventory holding cost follows an inverse-U shaped pattern: it ranges from 6.73% to 5.40%. Finally the conditional probability of a reversal in the order flow appears constant and equals to 0.26.
An Institutional Perspective on International Financial Reporting Standards Adoption in Developing Countries

A set of accounting standards does not develop in a vacuum. Political, economic, and social aspects of the jurisdiction in which a set of standards operates reciprocally influence these standards. The fact that the International Financial Accounting Standards (IFRS) has become a globalized set of accounting standards, marked by the use of the standards in more than 120 countries, raises an important question. What factors could significantly influence countries' decisions to adopt IFRS? This paper investigates the relationship between the decisions of developing countries to adopt IFRS and those countries' institutional contexts. Using linear regression and logit model to analyze a sample of 46 developing countries` decisions to adopt or not to adopt IFRS and by drawing upon DiMaggio and Powell's (1983) Institutional Isomorphism theory, this paper reveals that IFRS adoption is significantly related to social pressures of isomorphic changes which contradicts the current mainstream belief that adoption is highly associated with its corresponding economic benefits. It hints that the decision of developing countries to adopt IFRS is motivated more by social pressures of legitimacy, than it is by economic reasoning.
Modulation of the PI 3-kinase–Akt signalling pathway by IGF-I and PTEN regulates the differentiation of neural stem/precursor cells

Neural stem cells depend on insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) for differentiation. We analysed how activation and inhibition of the PI 3-kinase–Akt signalling affects the number and differentiation of mouse olfactory bulb stem cells (OBSCs). Stimulation of the pathway with insulin and/or IGF-I, led to an increase in Akt phosphorylated on residues Ser473 and Thr308 (P-AktSer473 and P-AktThr308, respectively) in proliferating OBSCs, and in differentiating cells. Conversely, P-AktSer473 levels decreased by 50% in the OB of embryonic day 16.5-18.5 IGF-I knockout mouse embryos. Overexpression of PTEN, a negative regulator of the PI 3-kinase pathway, caused a reduction in the basal levels of P-AktSer473 and P-AktThr308 and a minor reduction in IGF-I-stimulated P-AktSer473. Although PTEN overexpression decreased the proportion of neurons and astrocytes in the absence of insulin/IGF-I, it did not alter the proliferation or survival of OBSCs. Accordingly, overexpression of a catalytically inactive PTEN mutant promoted OBSCs differentiation. Inhibition of PI 3-kinase by LY294002 produced strong and moderate reductions in IGF-I-stimulated P-AktSer473 and P-AktThr308, respectively. Consequently, LY294002 reduced the proliferation of OBSCs and the number of neurons and astrocytes, and also augmented cell death. These findings indicate that OBSC differentiation is more sensitive to lower basal levels of P-Akt than proliferation or death. By regulating P-Akt levels in opposite ways, IGF-I and PTEN contribute to the fine control of neurogenesis in the olfactory bulb.
THE RELATION BETWEEN MATERNAL CHRONIC PERIODONTAL DISEASES AND PRETERM LOW BIRTH WEIGHT

Objective: To investigate the relationship between maternal chronic periodontal disease and preterm low birth weight. Methods: A case-control study was performed on 103 pregnant or post partum women seen at Prenatal Care Clinic in Prince Hashem Hospital in Zarqa- Jordan. The study group preterm low birth weight cases were defined as a mother with a birth of 2500g and born after 38 weeks. Assessment for the known risk factors for preterm low birth weight, such as age, prenatal care, smoking, etc. was achieved by filling a data questionnaire. Each subject also received a periodontal examination to determine clinical attachment loss, probing pocket depth and gingival bleeding on probing. Results: The study group preterm low birth weight consisted of 54 cases of which 19 were primiparous, while the control group consisted of 49 cases of which 18 were primiparous. A statistically significant relationship was found between preterm low birth weight and clinical attachment loss, bleeding on probing and probing pocket depth for primiparous and all mothers (p < 0.05). Also, in spite of adequate prenatal care, mothers tended to have preterm low birth weight. However, no significant correlation could be drawn with other risk factors. Conclusion: Periodontal disease represents a statistically significant risk factor for preterm low birth weight. However, further studies are required to demonstrate a causal relationship between maternal periodontal disease and preterm low birth weight and to detect whether prevention and treatment of periodontal disease can reduce the incidence of preterm low birth weight.
Banking on flexibility: a comparison of the use of flexible employment strategies in the retail banking sector in Britain and France

This paper examines the flexibility debate with reference to an empirical study conducted in the retail banking sector in Britain and France. The first part of this paper discusses the theoretical context within which this research was conducted and argues that the dichotomous categories formulated in previous debates are too simplistic to explain the diversity of employer rationales for developing flexibility. The second half examines the use of functional flexibility, temporary work, subcontracting and part-time work on the basis of evidence collected from the case studies in each country. The paper concludes that in order to examine employers' strategies and the comparative organization of work a wider perspective is required which not only takes account of business needs and developments, such as product market competition and new technology, but which also looks at the social and regulatory factors which affect the terms in which different labour arrangements can be used by employers in different countries.