Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Inequality across cohorts of households: evidence from Italy

In this paper we examine the evolution of household equivalent income for "cohorts of households" defined by the age of the household's head, using Italian data from the Survey of Household Income and Wealth (SHIW), for the period between 1989 and 2004. The descriptive and econometric analysis reveals a deterioration of the economic conditions and prospects of young cohorts of households in comparison with older cohorts. This phenomenon is due to the joint occurrence of various events, like the institutional changes of the labour market, the poor economic performance of the economy and its adverse effects on white and blue collars, the new rules introduced for the pension system, and an exceptional increase in house prices and rents. Decreasing returns to education, the reduction in household size and the increase in the number of income recipients - due to both rising female participation and children living longer with their parents - are also found to have significant effects on the differences between cohorts at the same age.
Size, Leverage, Concentration, and R&D Investment in Generating Growth Opportunities

We show that a firm's ability to reap growth opportunities from R&D investments depends on its size, leverage, and the industry concentration. While the direct effects of these factors are significant, the size-leverage interaction reveals further important insights. Large firms' advantages over small firms disappear as their leverage increases. Specifically, small firms with high leverage reap the greatest growth opportunities. Our results provide explanations for inconsistent findings observed when size and leverage are considered independently in existing studies on value and stock return relevance of R&D investment. We also highlight firm-specific factors that guide investors' valuation of R&D.
Estimating the Effect of Satellite Orbital Error Using Wavelet-Based Robust Regression Applied to InSAR Deformation Data

Interferometric synthetic aperture radar data are often obtained on the basis of repeated satellite acquisitions. Errors in the satellite orbit determination, however, propagate to the data analysis and may even entirely obscure the interpretation. Many approaches have been developed to correct the effect of orbital error, which sometimes may even distort the signal. Phase contributions due to other sources, such as surface deformation, atmospheric delay, digital elevation model error, and noise, may reduce the accuracy of the orbital error estimation. Therefore, a more sophisticated approach for estimating the effect of orbital errors is required. In this paper, wavelet multiresolution analysis is employed to distinguish between the effects of orbital errors and other components (e.g., deformation signal). Next, a robust regression approach is applied to estimate the effect of orbit errors as a ramp. After describing the concept of this approach, we present a validation test using a synthetic data set. As in a real case study, the method is applied to an interferogram that was formed over the Tehran area in northern Iran. The validation test demonstrates that the orbital ramp can be estimated with a precision of 3 mm. Thus, a similar precision may be obtained in real cases such as the examined data set from over the Tehran area.
Achievement of Therapeutic Concentrations of Cefuroxime in Early Preterm Gestations With Premature Rupture of the Membranes

Objective: To determine whether therapeutic cefuroxime concentrations can be achieved in maternal plasma, amniotic fluid (AF), neonatal plasma, placenta, and membranes in women with premature rupture of the membranes (PROM) at 27-33 weeks' gestation Methods: In an open nonrandomized, dose-response study, nine patients with PROM at 27-33 weeks' gestation received 1.5 g of cefuroxime intravenously three times daily. Maternal plasma and AF specimens were collected during pregnancy, and umbilical cord plasma, placenta, and membrane specimens were collected after delivery to assay cefuroxime concentrations using high-performance liquid chromatography Results: A high rate of placental transfer of cefuroxime was found. Bactericidal concentrations could be demonstrated in maternal plasma and in AF leaking from the vagina. A concentration-time curve in AF could be detected, with a peak concentration 3–4 hours after infusion. Therapeutically active levels were present in the newborns. The resorption of cefuroxime by the fetal membranes was high. Conclusions: Therapeutic concentrations of cefuroxime were found in all body fluids and tissues studied. Further study to establish the clinical utility of cefuroxime prophylaxis in PROM seems appropriate. (Obstet Gynecol 1993; 81:255-60)
Efficacy of Porcine Gonadotropins for Repeated Stimulation of Ovarian Activity for Oocyte Retrieval and In Vitro Embryo Production and Cryopreservation in Siberian Tigers (Panthera tigris altaica)1

Abstract A comparison of the amino acid sequences demonstrated that Siberian tiger gonadotropins are more homologous with those of porcine than any other commercially available preparation. The present study measured the efficacy of repeated ovarian stimulation with purified porcine gonadotropins on the follicular, hormonal, and immunogenic responses in Siberian tigers as well as on the ability of oocytes retrieved by laparoscopic follicular aspiration to fertilize and cleave in vitro. Controlled rate and vitrification cryopreservation methods were also compared for their ability to support ongoing cleavage following thawing of presumptive 2- to 4-cell tiger embryos generated in vitro. Vitrification supported continued embryonic cleavage in vitro while controlled rate freezing did not. Stereological microscopy indicated an excellent ovarian response with the recovery of quality cumulus-oocyte complexes that apparently fertilized and cleaved in vitro. However, ultrastructural and physiological examination revealed abnormal and unnatural responses such as the failure of some cumulus-oocyte complexes to reach maturity and progestagen levels to approach normalcy. At the same time, analyses of blood for antibodies failed to detect an immune reaction to these foreign gonadotropins in an assay that tested positive for the chorionic gonadotropin-stimulated domestic cat. Together, these observations suggest that porcine gonadotropins may be effective for the ovarian stimulation of tigers but that some modifications to administration protocols are needed to produce a more natural response.
Varieties of new public management? The reform of public service employment relations in the UK and USA

This article analyses developments in public service employment relations in the UK and USA over the last two decades that are associated with the implementation of new public management (NPM) style reforms. We examine developments in performance management, patterns of wage determination and trade union responses to these reforms. Although there are some similarities in the reform agenda, there are marked variations in the interpretation and implementation of NPM reforms, which reflect differing administrative traditions and the malleability of NPM reforms.
Coexistence of Hepatitis B Virus Quasispecies Enhances Viral Replication and the Ability To Induce Host Antibody and Cellular Immune Responses

ABSTRACT Hepatitis B virus (HBV) quasispecies contain a large number of variants that serve as a reservoir for viral selection under antiviral treatment and the immune response, leading to the acute exacerbation and subsequent development of liver failure. However, there is no clear experimental evidence for a significant role of HBV quasispecies in viral pathogenesis. In the present study, HBV sequences were amplified from a patient with severe liver disease and used for construction of HBV replication-competent plasmids. Western blotting, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and immunofluorescence staining were performed to analyze the expression, secretion, and subcellular localization of viral proteins in vitro. Viral replication intermediates were detected by Southern blotting. HBV gene expression and replication and the induction of specific immune responses in an HBV hydrodynamic injection (HI) mouse model were investigated. The results demonstrated that two naturally occurring HBV variants, SH and SH-DPS, were identified. The variant SH-DPS expressed only a nonexportable hepatitis B virus surface antigen (HBsAg) with abnormal intracellular accumulation. The coexistence of the HBV variants at a ratio of 1 to 4 (SH to SH-DPS) increased HBV replication. Significantly stronger intrahepatic cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) responses and antibody responses specific to HBsAg were induced in mice by the HBV variants when coapplied by HI. These findings uncovered an unexpected aspect of HBV quasispecies: the coexistence of different variants can significantly modulate specific host immune responses, representing a novel mechanism for the immunopathogenesis of HBV infection. IMPORTANCE Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is an important human pathogen. HBV quasispecies with genetically heterogenous variants are thought to play a role in the progression of HBV-associated liver diseases. So far, direct evidence is available in only a few cases to confirm the proposed role of HBV variants in the pathogenesis. We report here that the coexistence of two naturally occurring HBV variants at a ratio of 1 to 4 increased HBV replication and induced significantly stronger intrahepatic cytotoxic T lymphocyte responses and antibody responses specific to HBV surface antigen (HBsAg) in mice. Our discovery uncovered an unexpected aspect of HBV quasispecies: the coexistence of different variants can significantly modulate specific host immune responses and may enhance immune-mediated liver damage under some circumstances, representing a novel mechanism for the immunopathogenesis of HBV infection.
Gender mainstreaming in education : case studies of Islamic primary schools in South Sulawesi, Indonesia 2000 - 2006

This thesis examined the extent and the manner of the gender mainstreaming policy implementation in three Islamic primary schools in South Sulawesi, Indonesia. It investigated the commitment, gender ideology and practices of policy makers, school principals, teachers, and the school committees. Furthermore, the thesis analyzed gender roles depiction in the primary school textbooks as well as investigated the students‘ perception of gender roles.
A RACIAL ANALYSIS OF THE PACIFIC SARDINE (SARDINOPS CAERULBA) BASED ON STUDIES OF ERYTHROCYTE ANTIGENS

This report concerns studies of the erythrocyte antigens of over 2000 Pacific sardines collected off central and southern California and Baja California, Mexico. The objective of this work was to elucidate the relationships between blood factors and the use of these relationships in characterizing reproductively isolated groups of the sardine. Two blood systems, called B and C, are postulated. Increasing attention has been given recently to the study of the erythrocyte antigens of a variety of teleost species (Suyehiro, 1949), as well as to their use in distinguishing reproductively isolated populations within a single species (Cushing, 1952; Cushing and Sprague, 1952, 1953; Ridgway, 1957; Ridgway and Klontz, 1960). For example, Ridgway, Cushing, and Durall (1958) reported that groups of sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) from various breeding grounds could be distinguished. Similarly, Sindermann and Mairs (1959) clearly established the presence of a t least two reproductively isolated populations of Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus). Hildemann (1956) showed that the inheritance pattern of erythrocyte antigens of the goldfish (Carassius auratus) was similar in form to the patterns of other more extensively studied vertebrates such as man, cattle, and chickens (Wiener and Wexler, 1952; Stormont el at., 1951; Briles el aZ., 1950; Stormont, 1955, 1958). A review of the literature and an attempt a t a synthesis of the biological data on the California sardine is that of Marr (in press). The very detailed analysis of the distribution of eggs and larvae for the years 1939-1941 and 1950-1959 by Ahlstrom (1954, 1959) is also especially pertinent to our study. According to Ahlstrom, the temporal and spatial distribution of spawning is such that reproductive isolation between a t least two groups of sardines could easily occur.
University of Huddersfield Repository carrier for effective treatment of mild and moderate acne vulgaris: A randomized, double-blind, prospective trial Spironolactone loaded nanostructured lipid carrier gel for effective treatment of mild and moderate acne vulgaris: a randomized, double-blind, prosp

gels to treat acne Abstract Spironolactone (SP) known as an anti-androgen drug, has been proven to be effective in treatment of acne. The quest to minimize the unnecessary systemic side effects associated with the oral drug administration of spironolactone, has led to a growing interest of loading SP on lipid nanoparticles to deliver the drug in a topical formulation. The aim of the current investigation was to performance of SP loaded nanostructured lipid carrier (SP-NLC) and SP alcoholic gels (SP-ALC) on two groups of respective patient populations, group A and group B in the treatment of mild to moderate acne vulgaris. The results showed that SP-NLCs were spherical in shape with an average diameter of ~240 nm. The polydispersity index (PI) and zeta potential of these nanoparticles were 0.286 and -21.4 respectively. The gels showed non-Newtonian independent pseudoplastic and shear thinning behavior. The SP-NLCs was not toxic to fibroblast cell strains at the 24 and 48 h periods. Results showed that the mean number of total lesions (37.66 ± 9.27) and non-inflammatory lesions (29.26 ± 7.99) in group A significantly decreased to 20.31 ± 6.58 (p<0.05) and to 13.95 ± 5.22 (p<0.05) respectively. A similar pattern was observed for group B where the mean number of total lesions and non-inflammatory lesions reduced from 33.73 ± 9.40 to 19.13 ± 5.53 (p<0.05) and from 25.65±8.12 to 13.45 ± 4.48 (p<0.05) respectively. The total lesion count (TLC) was significantly decreased from 37.16 ± 9.28 to 19.63 ± 6.36 (for group A; p<0.071) and 32.60 ± 9.32 to 18.33 ± 5.55 (for group B; p<0.05) respectively. After treatment with SP-NLC for 8 weeks, the water content of the skin significantly (p<0.05) increased from 37.44 ± 8.85 to 45.69 ± 19.34 instrumental units. Therefore, the SP-NLC gel may help in controlling acne vulgaris with skin care benefits.
Purchasing Power Parity in South East Asian Countries Economies: A Cointegration Approach

This paper presents findings from a study of the long-run purchasing power parity (PPP) conditions in five Asian economies. The cointegration tests using exchange rates and price indices from end-of-quarter observations over the last twenty years reject the PPP proposition for all countries. The absolute version of the PPP hypothesis is tested next by using lower frequency, that is, semi-annual and annual, data. In general these tests also failed to support the long-run PPP hypothesis. Further analysis using the Johansen-Juselius (1990) multivariate approach also failed to support the hypothesis.
Protective roles of hepatic gamma‐aminobutyric acid signaling in acute ethanol exposure‐induced liver injury

Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) is a consequence of heavy and prolonged alcohol consumptions. We previously demonstrated a hepatic gamma‐aminobutyric acid (GABA) signaling system that protects the liver from toxic injury. The present study was designed to investigate the role of the hepatic GABA signaling system in the process of acute ethanol exposure‐induced liver injury. Our results showed that the expression of GABA synthesizing enzyme glutamic acid decarboxylase and type A GABA receptor (GABAAR) subunits was upregulated in ethanol‐treated mice compared with saline‐treated controls. Remarkably, pretreatment of mice with GABA (1.5 mg kg−1 body weight, intraperitoneal injection [i.p.]) or with the GABAAR agonist muscimol (1.2 mg kg−1 body weight, i.p.) protected the liver against ethanol toxicity and improved liver function, whereas pretreatment of mice with the GABAAR antagonist bicuculline (2.0 mg kg−1 body weight, i.p.) worsened the liver function. Further analyses suggest that GABAAR‐mediated signaling protects the liver from ethanol injury by, at least partially, inhibiting the IRE1α‐ASK1‐JNK pro‐apoptotic pathway in hepatocytes in the process of ethanol‐induced endoplasmic reticulum stress response.
Nomifensine alters sex differences in striatal dopaminergic function

A series of three experiments are presented in which the acute effects of the catecholamine reuptake inhibitor, nomifensine, upon striatal dopaminergic function are compared in female and male mice. In Experiment 1, treatment with nomifensine (5 mg kg−1), at 30 min prior to injection of methamphetamine (40 mg kg−1) significantly decreased the amount of striatal dopamine depletion in male, but not female, mice, thereby abolishing the sex difference in methamphetamine‐induced neurotoxicity (males > females). In Experiment 2, the methamphetamine‐evoked sex differences in dopamine and DOPAC output from superfused striatal tissue (males > females) were abolished in mice treated with nomifensine at 30 min prior to tissue removal. In Experiment 3, the potassium chloride‐evoked sex differences in dopamine and DOPAC output from superfused striatal tissue (females > males) were reversed in mice treated with nomifensine at 30 min prior to tissue removal. Taken together these results demonstrate the critical role played by catecholamine transporters in sex differences of dopaminergic function and suggest that this may involve the dopamine transporter, due to its high concentrations within the striatum. Such findings highlight the need for gender‐specific considerations in use of treatments that target reuptake transporters function. Synapse, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
PSC-IBD: a unique form of inflammatory bowel disease associated with primary sclerosing cholangitis

Background: Inflammatory bowel disease associated with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC-IBD) may have a high prevalence of rectal sparing, backwash ileitis, and colorectal neoplasia. Aims: To describe the clinical features and outcomes of PSC-IBD and compare these to a group of chronic ulcerative colitis (CUC) patients. Methods: The medical records of all patients with PSC-IBD evaluated at the Mayo Clinic Rochester between 1987 and 1992 were abstracted for information on endoscopic and histological features, colorectal neoplasia, surgery, and other clinical outcomes. Patients referred for colorectal neoplasia and those who did not undergo colonoscopy with biopsies were excluded. A control group of CUC patients matched for sex, duration of IBD at first clinic visit, and calendar year of first clinic visit was identified, and similar information was abstracted. Results: Seventy one PSC-IBD patients and 142 CUC patients without PSC were identified. Rectal sparing and backwash ileitis were more common in the PSC-IBD group (52% and 51%, respectively) than in controls (6% and 7%, respectively). Overall, colorectal neoplasia developed in 18 cases and 15 controls, including 11 cancers (seven cases and four controls). An increased risk of colorectal neoplasia or death was not detected in a matched analysis. Although the cumulative incidence of colorectal neoplasia was higher in cases (33%) than in controls (13%) at five years, this was of borderline statistical significance (p = 0.054, unmatched log rank test). Overall survival from first clinic visit was significantly worse among cases (79% v 97%) at five years (p<0.001, unmatched log rank test). Conclusion: PSC-IBD is frequently characterised by rectal sparing and backwash ileitis. Colorectal neoplasia develops in a substantial fraction and overall survival is worse. PSC-IBD may represent a distinct IBD phenotype.
The effects of dynamic compression on the development of cartilage grafts engineered using bone marrow and infrapatellar fat pad derived stem cells

Bioreactors that subject cell seeded scaffolds or hydrogels to biophysical stimulation have been used to improve the functionality of tissue engineered cartilage and to explore how such constructs might respond to the application of joint specific mechanical loading. Whether a particular cell type responds appropriately to physiological levels of biophysical stimulation could be considered a key determinant of its suitability for cartilage tissue engineering applications. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of dynamic compression on chondrogenesis of stem cells isolated from different tissue sources. Porcine bone marrow (BM) and infrapatellar fat pad (FP) derived stem cells were encapsulated in agarose hydrogels and cultured in a chondrogenic medium in free swelling (FS) conditions for 21 d, after which samples were subjected to dynamic compression (DC) of 10% strain (1 Hz, 1 h d−1) for a further 21 d. Both BM derived stem cells (BMSCs) and FP derived stem cells (FPSCs) were capable of generating cartilaginous tissues with near native levels of sulfated glycosaminoglycan (sGAG) content, although the spatial development of the engineered grafts strongly depended on the stem cell source. The mechanical properties of cartilage grafts generated from both stem cell sources also approached that observed in skeletally immature animals. Depending on the stem cell source and the donor, the application of DC either enhanced or had no significant effect on the functional development of cartilaginous grafts engineered using either BMSCs or FPSCs. BMSC seeded constructs subjected to DC stained less intensely for collagen type I. Furthermore, histological and micro-computed tomography analysis showed mineral deposition within BMSC seeded constructs was suppressed by the application of DC. Therefore, while the application of DC in vitro may only lead to modest improvements in the mechanical functionality of cartilaginous grafts, it may play an important role in the development of phenotypically stable constructs.