Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ethnicity Greatly Influences Cytokine Gene Polymorphism Distribution

Polymorphisms in the regulatory regions of cytokine genes are associated with high and low cytokine production and may modulate the magnitude of alloimmune responses following transplantation. Ethnicity influences allograft half‐life and the incidence of acute and chronic rejection. We have questioned whether ethnic‐based differences in renal allograft survival could be due in part to inheritance of cytokine polymorphisms. To address that question, we studied the inheritance patterns for polymorphisms in several cytokine genes (IL‐2, IL‐6, IL‐10, TNF‐α, TGF‐β, and IFN‐γ) within an ethnically diverse study population comprised of 216 Whites, 58 Blacks, 25 Hispanics, and 31 Asians. Polymorphisms were determined by allele‐specific polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length analysis. We found striking differences in the distribution of cytokine polymorphisms among ethnic populations. Specifically, significant differences existed between Blacks and both Whites and Asians in the distribution of the polymorphic alleles for IL‐2. Blacks, Hispanics and Asians demonstrated marked differences in the inheritance of IL‐6 alleles and IL‐10 genotypes that result in high expression when compared with Whites. Those of Asian descent exhibited an increase in IFN‐γ genotypes that result in low expression as compared to Whites. In contrast, we did not find significant ethnic‐based differences in the inheritance of polymorphic alleles for TNF‐α. Our results show that the inheritance of certain cytokine gene polymorphisms is strongly associated with ethnicity. These differences may contribute to the apparent influence of ethnicity on allograft outcome.
Minimum Wages, On-the-Job Training, and Wage Growth

Using data from the Employment Opportunities Pilot Project, we examine the relationships between minimum wages, wage growth, and on-the-job training. We find that minimum wage jobs exhibit less wage growth than other jobs, particularly for men. We find no evidence, however, of a unique minimum wage effect on training opportunities. We conclude that indirect methods of proxying training with wage growth can be misleading as they fail to distinguish whether the reduced wage growth of workers on minimum wage jobs results from their receiving less training than other workers or whether it is strictly a result of the wage determination process.
Spatial planning and territorial governance: managing urban development in a rapid growth context

This article examines the policy and practice of spatial planning in the Dublin city region over the period from 1990 to 2006. This period has been characterized by rapid demographic and economic expansion and increased dispersal of urban and peri-urban development across a spatially extensive functional urban region. Spatial planning policy and practice at local, regional and national scales has sought to steer the spatial distribution of urban development in accordance with broad policy principles of sustainable development and balanced regional development. This article critically examines the governance capacity of regional-scale spatial planning strategies to manage urban expansion in a dynamic market-led development context and finds in this case a significant absence of conformance between strategic objectives and spatial development outcomes.
Preparation and pharmacokinetics study on gastro-floating sustained-release tablets of troxipide

Abstract The purpose of this research aimed at preparing gastro-floating sustained-release tablets of troxipide and a further study on in vitro release and in vivo bioavailability. Under the circumstances of direct powder compression, the floating tablets were successfully prepared with HPMC as main matrix material, Carbopol as assistant matrix material, octadecanol as floating agent and sodium bicarbonate as foaming agent to float by gas-forming. The floating time and accumulative release amount as evaluation indexes were utilized to perform pre-experiment screening and single-factor test, respectively, while central composite design response surface method was applied for formulation optimization, followed by in vivo pharmacokinetic study in beagles after oral administration for floating tablets and commercial tablets used as the control. The results indicated that the floating sustained-release tablets held a better capability for floating and drug release and more satisfactory pharmacokinetic parameters, such as a lower Cmax, a prolonged Tmax, but an equivalent bioavailability calculated by AUC0–24 compared to commercial tablets. So a conclusion was finally drawn that the floating sustained-release tablets possessing a good release property could be suitable for demands of design.
ENERGY DEPENDENCE OF DOSE AND DOSE-RATE EFFECTIVENESS FACTOR FOR LOW-LET RADIATIONS: POTENTIAL IMPORTANCE TO ESTIMATION OF CANCER RISKS AND RELATIONSHIP TO BIOLOGICAL EFFECTIVENESS

A dose and dose-rate effectiveness factor (DDREF) for low-linear energy transfer (LET) radiations (photons and electrons) is used in cancer risk assessments to represent an assumption that risks at low doses and low dose rates may be less than estimates that are based mainly on linear extrapolations of observed risks at higher acute doses. DDREF generally is assumed to be independent of energy. However, a variety of radiobiological data reviewed in this paper suggest that DDREF may decrease with decreasing energy. This effect, which parallels increases in biological effectiveness with decreasing energy of photons and electrons that have been observed in many radiobiological studies, has received little attention. The importance of an overestimation of DDREF at low energies of photons and electrons is that cancer risks at low doses and low dose rates could be underestimated. This paper also discusses (1) the link between DDREF and the usual assumption of a linear-quadratic dose-response relationship for low-LET radiations and (2) concerns about the validity of estimates of DDREF and biological effectiveness used in cancer risk assessments that are raised by results of recent studies that cast doubt on whether the underlying radiobiological data can be represented by a simple linear-quadratic model. Health Phys. 93(1):17–27; 2007
Magneto‐ionic polarization and GPS signal propagation through the ionosphere

Recent progress in high‐precision GPS measurements research and applications leads to the study of higher‐order ionosphere effects on GPS signal propagation. This paper focuses on second‐order ionospheric effects, which are influenced by the presence of the Earth's magnetic field. Due to the presence of Earth's magnetic field, GPS signals may propagate through the ionosphere in two distinct modes: the ordinary mode and the extraordinary mode. These two modes correspond to different refractive indices, and the difference between these refractive indices affects the computation of the second‐order error introduced by the ionosphere to GPS code and carrier phase approximations. The first objective of this paper is to clarify a misconception about the different modes of GPS signal propagation through the ionosphere: although the GPS signal is predominantly right‐hand circularly polarized, it may propagate through the ionosphere in either the ordinary or the extraordinary mode. The second objective of this paper is to analyze the impact of the different modes of propagation on GPS solutions at different geographical locations.
MK-801-induced deficits in social recognition in rats: reversal by aripiprazole, but not olanzapine, risperidone, or cannabidiol

Deficiencies in social activities are hallmarks of numerous brain disorders. With respect to schizophrenia, social withdrawal belongs to the category of negative symptoms and is associated with deficits in the cognitive domain. Here, we used the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist dizocilpine (MK-801) for induction of social withdrawal in rats and assessed the efficacy of several atypical antipsychotics with different pharmacological profiles as putative treatment. In addition, we reasoned that the marijuana constituent cannabidiol (CBD) may provide benefit or could be proposed as an adjunct treatment in combination with antipsychotics. Hooded Lister rats were tested in the three-chamber version for social interaction, with an initial novelty phase, followed after 3 min by a short-term recognition memory phase. No drug treatment affected sociability. However, distinct effects on social recognition were revealed. MK-801 reduced social recognition memory at all doses (>0.03 mg/kg). Predosing with aripiprazole dose-dependently (2 or 10 mg/kg) prevented the memory decline, but doses of 0.1 mg/kg risperidone or 1 mg/kg olanzapine did not. Intriguingly, CBD impaired social recognition memory (12 and 30 mg/kg) but did not rescue the MK-801-induced deficits. When CBD was combined with protective doses of aripiprazole (CBD–aripiprazole at 12 : 1 or 5 : 2 mg/kg) the benefit of the antipsychotic was lost. At the same time, activity-related changes in behaviour were excluded as underlying reasons for these pharmacological effects. Collectively, the combined activity of aripiprazole on dopamine D2 and serotonin 5HT1A receptors appears to provide a significant advantage over risperidone and olanzapine with respect to the rescue of cognitive deficits reminiscent of schizophrenia. The differential pharmacological properties of CBD, which are seemingly beneficial in human patients, did not back-translate and rescue the MK-801-induced social memory deficit.
Assessing the Impact of Fair-Value Accounting on Financial Statement Analysis: A Data Envelopment Analysis Approach

The historical-cost and prudence principles have guided accounting for financial investments and tangible fixed assets in many jurisdictions around the globe. This situation might change as a consequence of the increasing number of countries adopting International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), which, to some extent, permit accounting on a fair-value basis. It is unclear how such a change would affect the analysis of financial statements and to what extent it could modify analysts' perceptions of companies' condition and performance. This paper attempts to shed some light on this issue by restating the financial investments and tangible fixed assets of a sample of 85 Spanish insurance companies, applying fair value instead of historical-cost-based valuations and by simulating analyst perception of these companies' efficiency and profitability for both sets of data using data envelopment analysis (DEA). We find that the numbers on the face of the financial statements change considerably and observe that the magnitude of these changes varies between companies and classes of assets. However, only in a few cases does a change in the valuation basis lead to a relevant change in DEA scores; within our sample, the overall assessment of companies with regard to efficiency and profitability remains largely the same under both valuation bases. These findings seem to indicate that a change from historical-cost to fair-value accounting could alter analyst perceptions of a limited number of companies but likely will not have a major impact on the appraisal of the majority of them.
Investigating the effect of an education plan based on the health belief model on the physical activity of women who are at risk for hypertension

Background: Hypertension is the main risk factor of many diseases and the main reason of death all over the world. Because the signs of hypertension are not clear, people do not feel its dangers and do not believe they are at risk. This problem makes preventing hypertension a great challenge for the health system. One factor that is related to lifestyle and is effective in preventing hypertension is increasing exercise. The aim of this study is investigate the effect of an education plan based on the health belief model on the physical activity of women who are at risk for hypertension. Materials and Methods: This is a field experimental study. Field of study was two health care centers in Isfahan, which were selected through simple random sampling. Ninety-two females who were at risk for hypertension were the subjects of study. Subjects were selected through systematic sampling. Beck questionnaire was used to evaluate the physical activity of both experimental and control group subjects before and 2 months after the intervention. The intervention plan was three education sections that were conducted in 4 weeks. The data were analyzed by descriptive statistical tests and inferential tests of repetitive variance analysis and t-test through SPSS. Results: The results showed that the average of physical activity increased significantly in the intervention group 2 months after education (P = 0.03). Conclusions: The findings of the study confirm the efficiency of education plan based on the health belief model on the physical activity of women who are at risk for hypertension.
A Batch Noise Contrastive Estimation Approach for Training Large Vocabulary Language Models

Training large vocabulary Neural Network Language Models (NNLMs) is a difficult task due to the explicit requirement of the output layer normalization, which typically involves the evaluation of the full softmax function over the complete vocabulary. This paper proposes a Batch Noise Contrastive Estimation (B-NCE) approach to alleviate this problem. This is achieved by reducing the vocabulary, at each time step, to the target words in the batch and then replacing the softmax by the noise contrastive estimation approach, where these words play the role of targets and noise samples at the same time. In doing so, the proposed approach can be fully formulated and implemented using optimal dense matrix operations. Applying B-NCE to train different NNLMs on the Large Text Compression Benchmark (LTCB) and the One Billion Word Benchmark (OBWB) shows a significant reduction of the training time with no noticeable degradation of the models performance. This paper also presents a new baseline comparative study of different standard NNLMs on the large OBWB on a single Titan-X GPU.
E-government Implementation Benefits, Risks, and Barriers in Developing Countries： Evidence From Nigeria

This paper reviews the literature on the benefits, risks, and challenges of e-government implementation, as e-government is becoming a global concept for transforming government business. The researchers adopted interpretive approach using qualitative analysis since it is inductive and would allow for better understanding of deeper structure of phenomenon within cultural and contextual situations. Case study research approach was adopted with questionnaires and face-to-face interview survey carried out in public service organisations in Nigeria. From the analysis and findings, the researchers were able to describe the state of e-government in developing country—Nigeria and to make recommendations for its successful implementation.
Performance Evaluation of Optimized Portfolio Insurance Strategies

We use S&P 500 index return data for the time period 1985–2013 to evaluate the performance of portfolio insurance strategies. We shed light on the question if the performance of a constant proportion portfolio insurance (CPPI) strategy can be improved by means of a time-varying multiplier which depends on the estimated future volatility. Neglecting any inter-temporal hedging demand, the theoretical foundation of the strategies is given by maximizing the expected utility of a HARA investor in a diffusion model setup. If the risk premium is assumed to be proportional to the variance, the optimal strategy is a CPPI strategy. Otherwise, the multiple is time-varying (PPI). It turns out that even time-varying multiple strategies based on a rolling window of historical volatility estimates give a significant improvement of CPPI strategies. The out-performance is robust w.r. t. alternative performance measures and is also true for proportional transaction costs and adequate trigger trading.
Implications of Transaction Costs for the Post-Earnings-Announcement Drift

ABSTRACT This paper examines the effect of transaction costs on the post-earnings announcement drift (PEAD). Using standard market microstructure features we show that transaction costs constrain the informed trades that are necessary to incorporate earnings information into price. This implies weaker return responses at the time of the earnings announcement and higher subsequent returns drift for firms with higher transaction costs. Consistent with this prediction, we find that earnings response coefficients are lower for firms with higher transaction costs. Using portfolio analyses, we find that the profits of implementing the PEAD trading strategy are significantly reduced by transaction costs. In addition, we show, using a combination of portfolio and regression analyses, that firms with higher transaction costs are the ones that provide the higher abnormal returns for the PEAD strategy. Our results indicate that transaction costs can provide an explanation not only for the persistence but also for the existence of PEAD. Copyright (c)University of Chicago on behalf of the Institute of Professional Accounting, 2008.
Who is at risk of nondetection of mental health problems in primary care?

AbstractOBJECTIVE: To determine patient and provider characteristics associated with increased risk of nondetection of mental health problems by primary care physicians. DESIGN: Cross-sectional patient and physician surveys conducted as part of the Medical Outcomes Study. PARTICIPANTS: We studied 19,309 patients and 349 internists and family physicians. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: We counted “detection” of a mental health problem whenever physicians reported, in a postvisit survey, that they thought the patient had a mental health problem or that they had counseled or referred the patient for mental health. Key independent variables included patient self-reported demographic characteristics, health-related quality of life (HRQOL), depression diagnoses according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, and physician demographics and proclivity to provide counseling for depression. Logistic regression analysis, adjusted for HRQOL, revealed physicians were less likely to detect mental health problems in African Americans (odds ratio [OR], 0.63; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.46 to 0.86), men (OR, 0.64; 95% CI, 0.54 to 0.75), and patients younger than 35 years (OR, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.44 to 0.84), and more likely to detect them in patients with diabetes (OR, 1.4; 95% CI, 1.0 to 1.8) or hypertension (OR, 1.3; 95% CI, 1.1 to 1.6). In a model that included DSM-III diagnoses, odds of detection remained reduced for African Americans as well as for Hispanics (OR, 0.29; 95% CI, 0.11 to 0.71), and patients with more-severe DSM-III diagnoses were more likely to be detected. Physician proclivity toward providing counseling for depression influenced the likelihood of detection. CONCLUSIONS: Patients’ race, gender, and coexisting medical conditions affected physician awareness of mental health problems. Strategies to improve detection of mental health problems among African Americans, Hispanics, and men should be explored and evaluated.
Enhancing responsiveness and consistency: Comparing the collective use of discretion and discretionary room at inspectorates in England and the Netherlands

Discretion used to be considered a feature of individuals, but growing literature shows that it has collective features as well. To develop an understanding of the individual and cooperative work of inspectors in using discretion and the discretionary room granted to them, we compared two inspectorates: the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in England and the Joint Inspectorate for Youth (JIY) in the Netherlands. Our analysis reveals that inspectors engage with colleagues, managers, and stakeholders to include other perspectives, gain mandate, and broaden their repertoire. At the CQC, inspectors use their discretion collectively; on their own initiative, they involve others in balancing and interpreting rules to reach judgments. At the JIY, teamwork is central and regulatory teams are granted collective discretionary room. We argue that collective work permits both responsiveness and consistency. In studying the judgments of inspectors and other street-level bureaucrats, it is vital to look at collective work and how it combines consistency and responsiveness.
Alz‐50 immunoreactive neuropil differentiates hippocampal complex subfields in Alzheimer's disease

The topographic distribution of Alz‐50 containing profiles was determined within the hippocampal formation and anterior parahippocampal gyrus by using a monoclonal antibody directed against the A68 protein in normal and Alzheimer's diseased (AD) brains. Although there was a paucity of immunoreactive neuropil in the normal hippocampal complex, there were a few Alz‐50 positive neurons that occupied the hippocampal subfield, CA2. In most AD cases, Alz‐50 immunoreactive neuropil was prominent in the outer two‐thirds of the molecular layer of the dentate gyrus, although a few cases exhibited staining in the inner third of the molecular layer. CA2 was characterized by an increased density of neuropil staining within stratum pyramidale. The neuropil in subfield CA1 was stained densely with Alz‐50 in strata oriens, pyramidale, and at the border between strata lacunosum‐moleculare and radiatum. Alz‐50 immunostained neurites occupied primarily the lateral two‐thirds of the subiculum proper, whereas only sparse staining was seen in the adjacent presubiculum. Alz‐50 neuropil and neuronal staining displayed three distinct laminar patterns along the mediolateral extent of the entorhinal cortex, whereas the perirhinal cortex exhibited a bilaminar pattern of immunoreactivity involving heavy staining in layers 1–3 as compared to layer 5. In general, the density of Alz‐50 neurite staining in the neuropil appeared inversely proportional to the distribution of Alz‐50 immunoreactivity within dendritic and somal compartments. Interestingly, the patterns of Alz‐50 staining observed in the hippocampal complex in AD coincides with patterns of well‐characterized afferent fiber pathways to these regions, thus further supporting the suggestion that hippocampal subfield specific pathology effectively disconnects medial temporal structures from adjacent neocortex in AD.
Wicksell, Cassel, and the Idea of Involuntary Unemployment

The paper examines the notions of involuntary unemployment put forward by Knut Wicksell and Gustav Cassel in the early 1900s, and points out their similarities and differences to J.M. Keynes's (1936) concept. Based on unplublished archive material and untranslated Swedish texts, the paper discusses the equilibrium and disequilibrium notions associated to the analysis of the labour market in that period. It also presents evidence of the use of the notion of "normal" rate of unemployment and of the development of the idea of fricctional unemployment as a by-product of the discussion of involuntary unemployment
Optimal Global Dynamic Carbon Taxation

I investigate the design of an optimal global carbon tax on greenhouse gas emissions. Chichilnisky and Heal (1994) and Sandmo (2006) have shown that optimal marginal abatement costs should differ between different countries if no lump-sum transfers between those countries are possible. I extend their static result to a dynamic stock externality, so that it can be applied to climate change. I then use the integrated assessment model FUND to compute optimal carbon emission tax schedules for sixteen world regions for the next century. I find that if lump-sum transfers are not possible, rich countries should mitigate more and poor countries less. Ruling out lump-sum transfers has an ambiguous effect on optimal global emission reductions: under standard assumptions about inequality aversion, optimal emission reductions are lower if lump-sum transfers between countries are ruled out. In a sensitivity analysis, I assume a more inequality-averse decision maker. In this scenario, optimal emission reductions are larger when lump-sum transfers are ruled out.