Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Correlates of Immune Response in Trichinella spiralis Infection

ABSTRACT Trichinella spiralis infection induces Trichinella-specific IgG antibody and high level of blood eosinophil. However, the kinetics induced by different parasite burdens during infectious periods remains unclear. In this study, rats were infected with 100, 1000, or 3000 larvae of T. spiralis (100 TS, 1000 TS, or 3000 TS). Correlates of eosinophils, antibody responses, and Regulated on Activation, Normal T Cell Expressed and Secreted (RANTES) with worm burdens were evaluated at 1 week, 2 weeks, 1 month, and 2 months postinfection. Heavy infections (1000 TS and 3000 TS) showed significantly higher levels of eosinophil, IgG, and IgG1 antibody responses at 2 weeks postinfection compared to light infection (100 TS). The highest RANTES mRNA expression was also found in the heavy infection group (3000 TS). The results indicate, at early stage of infection (week 2), heavy infection induced higher levels of IgG, IgG1, eosinophil, and RANTES responses. However, at late stage of infection (month 2), there were no correlates of immunity with parasite burdens. Higher levels of IgG and IgG1 antibody responses are critical in heavy T. spiralis infection. These results provide important information in evaluating immune responses by T. spiralis infective stage during the T. spiralis infection.
Genetic diagnosis strategy of hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer.

AIM To study the characteristics of mismatch repair gene mutation of Chinese hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC) and hMLH1 gene promoter methylation, and to improve the screening strategy and explore the pertinent test methods. METHODS A systematic analysis of 30 probands from HNPCC families in the north of China was performed by immunohistochemistry, microsatellite instability (MSI), gene mutation and methylation detection. RESULTS High frequency microsatellite instability occurred in 25 probands (83.3%) of HNPCC family. Loss of hMLH1 and hMSH2 protein expression accounted for 88% of all microsatellite instability. Pathogenic mutation occurred in 14 samples and 3 novel mutational sites were discovered. Deletion of exons 1-6, 1-7 and 8 of hMSH2 was detected in 3 samples and no large fragment deletion was found in hMLH1. Of the 30 probands, hMLH1 gene promoter methylation occurred in 3 probands. The rate of gene micromutation detection combined with large fragment deletion detection was 46.7%-56.7%. The rate of the two methods in combination with methylation detection was 63.3%. CONCLUSION Scientific and rational detection strategy can improve the detection rate of HNPCC. Based on traditional molecular genetics and combined with epigenetics, multiple detection methods can accurately diagnose HNPCC.
An investigation of the relationship between Corporate Governance and firm performance: the market emergence of the Autocratic firm

We investigate whether Corporate Governance (CG) is associated with firm performance in the market and with certain key GAAP financial measures. CG is measured by the index developed by Gompers et al. (2003). Based upon a longitudinal panel-sample of traded firms for the years 2000, 2002 and 2004, we formed three CG portfolios: Autocratic, Democratic, and a Middle group. Our findings show a reversal from the initial work of Gompers et al., and suggest a new operating profile: Autocratic forms of governance better serve the firm in the market but still make stockholders wary.
The coherence of critical event narratives and adolescents' psychological functioning

The present study examined the coherence of low- and high-point life-event narratives among adolescents (aged between 12 and 21 years) and their psychological functioning in terms of well-being and prosocial behaviour. The results showed robust age-related increases in narrative coherence. Age and gender significantly moderated the associations between narrative coherence and psychological functioning. Specifically, higher levels of coherence were significantly associated with prosocial behaviour only for older adolescents. Higher levels of narrative coherence were also associated with lower levels of well-being among adolescent boys, but not among adolescent girls. Results are discussed in terms of why coherent life-event narratives may not be linked to benefits for younger adolescents and for boys, and how low- and high-point life events both contribute to identity construction.
Commuting Patterns and Firm Decentralization

Since most employed individuals must travel between home and work on a daily basis, work place commuting has provided the point of departure for the monocentric model of residential location (Alonso 1964; Mills 1972; Muth 1969). One of the major behavioral assumptions of the monocentric model is that consumers prefer less commuting to more, all else equal. Hence, the model predicts that workers will take advantage of any opportunity to reduce their commutes. In the monocentric situation, in which all employment is located at the central business district (CBD), no such opportunity arises. However, decentralized' firm location enables workers to shorten their commutes as firms have left the CBD to move into the residential area. The monocentric model thus predicts that, if firms have decentralized, workers should have very short commutes in longrun equilibrium. However, significant commuting persists in the face of large-scale firm decentralization. Such commuting leads to the belief that frictions, with respect to residential and job mobility, exist which prevent workers from achieving the long-run equilibrium solution predicted by the monocentric model. In this paper, I hypothesize that individuals with greater job and residential mobility will have shorter commutes, given decentralized firm location. Residential and job mobility are further hypothesized to be functions of socio-economic and employment characteristics. The results show sex, income, race, household responsibilities, and job mobility to be important in determining commuting behavior. The monocentric model is based on a separation of the house and work place. Theoretically, this separation can be measured either in terms of commuting time or distance, however, most tests of the monocentric model have used commuting distance (Hamilton 1982; Blackley and Follain 1987). The time vs. distance issue is explicitly addressed in this paper by using both measures in the estimations. The results
Use of the thyroid imaging, reporting, and data system (TI‐RADS) scoring system for the evaluation of subcentimeter thyroid nodules

The American Thyroid Association (ATA) recommends fine‐needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy of nodules measuring >1.5 cm with low‐suspicion sonographic patterns or >1.0 cm with high/intermediate‐suspicion features. Routine biopsy of nodules <1 cm is not recommended. However, despite these recommendations, subcentimeter nodules are often referred for FNA biopsy.
Biphasic zinc compartmentalisation in a human fungal pathogen

Nutritional immunity describes the host-driven manipulation of essential micronutrients, including iron, zinc and manganese. To withstand nutritional immunity and proliferate within their hosts, pathogenic microbes must express efficient micronutrient uptake and homeostatic systems. Here we have elucidated the pathway of cellular zinc assimilation in the major human fungal pathogen Candida albicans. Bioinformatics analysis identified nine putative zinc transporters: four cytoplasmic-import Zip proteins (Zrt1, Zrt2, Zrt3 and orf19.5428) and five cytoplasmic-export ZnT proteins (orf19.1536/Zrc1, orf19.3874, orf19.3769, orf19.3132 and orf19.52). Only Zrt1 and Zrt2 are predicted to localise to the plasma membrane and here we demonstrate that Zrt2 is essential for C. albicans zinc uptake and growth at acidic pH. In contrast, ZRT1 expression was found to be highly pH-dependent and could support growth of the ZRT2-null strain at pH 7 and above. This regulatory paradigm is analogous to the distantly related pathogenic mould, Aspergillus fumigatus, suggesting that pH-adaptation of zinc transport may be conserved in fungi and we propose that environmental pH has shaped the evolution of zinc import systems in fungi. Deletion of C. albicans ZRT2 reduced kidney fungal burden in wild type, but not in mice lacking the zinc-chelating antimicrobial protein calprotectin. Inhibition of zrt2Δ growth by neutrophil extracellular traps was calprotectin-dependent. This suggests that, within the kidney, C. albicans growth is determined by pathogen-Zrt2 and host-calprotectin. As well as serving as an essential micronutrient, zinc can also be highly toxic and we show that C. albicans deals with this potential threat by rapidly compartmentalising zinc within vesicular stores called zincosomes. In order to understand mechanistically how this process occurs, we created deletion mutants of all five ZnT-type transporters in C. albicans. Here we show that, unlike in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, C. albicans Zrc1 mediates zinc tolerance via zincosomal zinc compartmentalisation. This novel transporter was also essential for virulence and liver colonisation in vivo. In summary, we show that zinc homeostasis in a major human fungal pathogen is a multi-stage process initiated by Zrt1/Zrt2-cellular import, followed by Zrc1-dependent intracellular compartmentalisation.
Use of maternal–child health services and contraception in Guatemala and Panama

Summary This paper presents data from two recent maternal–child health (MCH) and family planning surveys in Guatemala and Panama and examines the extent to which the use of contraception is influenced by the use of MCH services as compared with the influence of an increase in parity. The findings suggest that utilization of MCH services and parity independently are associated with a woman's decision to use contraception. The study also found two groups that appear to be particularly in need of both MCH and family planning services: high parity women and Indians. In both Guatemala and Panama, improved health care services for these two groups should be a priority.
Exploring the Causes of Accounting Restatements by Family Firms

Prior research shows that family firms have better earnings quality than non-family firms in common-law countries and highly developed markets. In contrast, we do not find a significant difference in the financial reporting quality between family and non-family firms in the context of a civil-law system and less developed market. We show that the financial reporting quality of family firms is conditioned on (1) the divergence between the controlling shareholders’ voting rights and their cash flow rights, and (2) the firm’s reputation for integrity, while these two conditions do not explain the restatement likelihood for non-family firms. Moreover, when accounting irregularities are detected in the case of family firms, they are associated with more serious accounting restatements. Together, these results imply that the severity of the conflict between ultimate and minority shareholders, and a lack of integrity, explain the propensity for making financial restatements among family firms in a regime characterized as having weak investor protection and concentrated ownership structures.
Attitudes to English as a language for international development in rural Bangladesh

The high status of English within a global economy of languages has meant that English-language education is increasingly being promoted in international development initiatives. This is despite the fact that it may seem more valuable for the estimated 1.4 billion people living in poverty in the world to focus development initiatives on the lowering of infant mortality rates, clean water supply, access to electricity, and the provision of basic education, for example. A reason for the promotion of English-language education in development contexts is in part a response to a growing conviction that English-language education can play an important role in helping people gain the resources to lift themselves out of poverty and increase their ability to participate in the world economic systems from which they have previously been excluded. Despite the strong associations often made between the English language and development, there is, however, only limited evidence showing a relationship between the two. A first step in understanding this impact is an understanding of perceptions and expectations of English learning for personal and national development, and this research project investigates these in two rural communities in Bangladesh. Through the use of an ethnographic survey of two rural areas, it studies the needs and aspirations of the local community in order to better understand perceptions of whether and if so how English-language education could productively contribute to development as part of a wider programme of social and economic support.
Europe's Last Dictatorship: The Roots and Perspectives of Authoritarianism in ‘White Russia’

THE REPUBLIC OF BELARUS REMAINS one of the lesser known of the former Soviet republics' and is perceived increasingly as an anomaly among European states: a throwback to Soviet times run by a president who has amended the constitution in three state-engineered referendums (1995, 1996 and 2004) that have ostensibly guaranteed him a lifetime presidency.2 He is shunned by the world's democratic powers; indeed, a former US ambassador referred to the country as 'the Cuba of Europe'3 and to President Alyaksander Lukashenka as a 'dictator'. US president George W. Bush included Belarus as an integral part of the so-called 'Axis of Evil'. On 18 January 2005, at hearings in Washington, the newly appointed Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice named Cuba, Myanmar, Belarus and Zimbabwe as 'outposts of tyranny' that needed to be watched closely by the United States.4 In 2004, at a conference sponsored by the Foreign Ministry of Latvia in Riga, Senator John McCain, head of a US delegation, declared that Lukashenka was a 'tyrant' who should be removed from power and President Bush made similar comments during a visit to Latvia in May 2005.5 There are few world leaders who can attract such
Characterizing and Modeling Conductor-backed CPW Periodic Band Stop Filter with Miniaturized Size

A novel band stop filter with mutually coupled dual spiral configuration on conductor-backed coplanar waveguide (CBCPW) is proposed and investigated. A circuit model is introduced to investigate the characteristics of proposed circuits. The model-based results, full-wave EM simulation results and the experiment results are matched well. The periodic band stop filters are designed and fabricated by using thin-film technology. The size of filter is only 2.3 mmtimes1.0 mm.
Comprehensive geriatric assessment prediction of postoperative complications in gastrointestinal cancer patients: a meta-analysis

Background Gastrointestinal cancer is an age-associated disease, and geriatric patients are mostly likely to suffer from postoperative complications. Some studies indicated that comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) could predict postoperative complications in gastrointestinal cancer patients. However, the evidence is mixed. Objective This study aimed to conduct a meta-analysis to identify the effectiveness of CGA for predicting postoperative complications in gastrointestinal cancer patients. Methods The Joanna Briggs Institute Library, Cochrane Library, PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, CINAHL Complete and four Chinese databases were searched for studies published up to March 2017. Two reviewers independently screened literature, extracted data and assessed the quality of included studies. RevMan5.3 was used for meta-analysis or only descriptive analysis. Results Six studies were included, with 1,037 participants in total. In all, 13 components of CGA were identified, among which comorbidity (Charlson Comorbidity Index [CCI] ≥3; odds ratio [OR]=1.31, 95% CI [1.06, 1.63], P=0.01), polypharmacy (≥5 drugs/day; OR=1.30, 95% CI [1.04, 1.61], P=0.02) and activities of daily living (ADL) dependency (OR=1.69, 95% CI [1.20, 2.38], P=0.003) were proven relevant to the prediction of postoperative complications. No conclusive relationship was established between instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) dependency (OR=1.18, 95% CI [0.73, 1.91], P=0.51), Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE; OR=1.13, 95% CI [0.91, 1.41], P=0.27), potential malnutrition (OR=1.07, 95% CI [0.87, 1.31], P=0.54), malnutrition (OR=1.26, 95% CI [0.80, 1.99], P=0.32), Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS; OR=1.18, 95% CI [0.90, 1.55], P=0.24) and postoperative complications. Conclusion Comorbidity (CCI ≥3), polypharmacy (≥5 drugs/day) and ADL dependency were predictive factors for postoperative complications in gastrointestinal cancer patients; the results of other geriatric instruments were not conclusive, pointing to insufficient studies and requirement of more original investigations.
Evaluation of Tannins and Anthocyanins in Marquette, Frontenac, and St. Croix Cold-Hardy Grape Cultivars

Cold-hardy grape cultivars have become popular in northern regions. Wines from these cultivars are low in tannins and lighter in color compared to Vitis vinifera. The northern regions are striving to enhance desired ″full body″ and red color qualities in the wine produced from cold-hardy grapes. The objective of this study was to compare tannin and pigment content in skins and seeds of three cold-hardy red grape cultivars, at two time points, from two locations, using the Adams-Harbertson (A-H) assay. The A-H assay is based on protein precipitation and spectrophotometry. Total tannin concentrations detected in Frontenac, Marquette, and St. Croix berries, ranged from 0.29 to 0.66 mg/berry catechin equivalents (CE). Bitter seed tannins were most abundant in Marquette berries (0.54 ± 0.66 mg/berry CE). Softer skin tannins were most abundant in St. Croix berries (0.24 ± 0.19 mg/berry CE). Monomeric anthocyanins contributed to over 60% of the total color at pH 4.9 and were highest in St. Croix skins (74.21% of the total color at pH 4.9). Varying amounts of short polymeric pigments and long polymeric pigments were present in grape skins, indicating that pigmented tannins had already formed by harvest. This is the first evaluation of tannins and pigments in Frontenac, Marquette, and St. Croix berries.
What does the SEC Choose to Investigate?

Using a broad sample of merger announcements, I find unusual option volume right before these announcements, an abnormality which provides new information about the pre-merger stock price runup beyond what is incorporated in the stock market. I also find that there exists abnormal option pricing in that the implied volatility spread of target stock options accumulates before merger announcements and leads stock pricing. Moreover, the simultaneity between the volume and pricing effects suggests informed trading about the merger announcements most likely drives both. I further show that trading options immediately before merger announcements is highly profitable. Using a unique sample of merger announcements that have illegal insider trading as released by the SEC, I find that the cumulative abnormal option volume and the profitability of pre-merger option trading are strongly associated with illegal insider trading. Overall, this paper has important implications for the SEC's regulatory efforts to curb illegal insider trading before material corporate information events.
The organizational performance of housing developers in Peninsular Malaysia

Purpose – In Malaysia, the rapid urbanization that has been taking place since 1970s has made the housing development sector a key factor in the growth of Malaysia's economic prosperity. This paper aims to shed light on the performance of housing developers in Peninsular Malaysia by looking into the financial and non‐financial measures.Design/methodology/approach – The organizational performance of 57 housing developers was studied by measuring their financial and non‐financial performance in the period 2006‐2008 using the Business Performance Composite Index.Findings – The results of the study revealed that the performance of housing developers in the period 2006‐2008 has been growing in terms of profit margin, financial growth, and number of employees. Small and big housing developers were better than medium‐sized housing developers in terms of profitability.Originality/value – This paper is unique because it looks into the financial ratios of return on investment, return on assets, and return on sales,.
Topographical evaluation of the major apical foramen in permanent human teeth.

AIM To determine the distance from the anatomical root apex to the major apical foramen and the position of the major foramen on the root apex. METHODOLOGY Crowns of 926 human teeth were sectioned at the cementum-enamel junction. Specimens were mounted on microscope slides for measurement parallel to the long axis of the teeth. The major foramen was identified as the largest-diameter opening at the root apex. A total of 1331 root specimens were evaluated using an optical stereomicroscope to an accuracy of 0.01 mm at 40 x (+/-10) magnification. The distance from the anatomical apex to the most apical point of the major foramen was measured, and its location (central, buccal, lingual, mesial and distal) was recorded. RESULTS The mean distance between the major foramen and the anatomical root apex was 0.69 mm; the mean distance was larger in posterior teeth (0.82 mm) and smaller in anterior teeth (0.39 mm). A wide range of anatomical apex to major foramen distances were observed in all tooth groups: the greatest distance was in maxillary molars (0.95 mm) followed by mandibular pre-molars (0.87 mm) and mandibular molars (0.80 mm). The major foramen was at the tip of the root in 40% of teeth. The most frequent deviations of the foramen were to the buccal (20%) and distal (14%). CONCLUSION In this sample of teeth without apical resorption the distance between the major foramen and the anatomical root apex was always <1 mm. Deviation of the major foramen from the anatomic apex varied widely amongst tooth groups.
Overseas Business Costs and Firm Export Performance

The recent microeconomic literature on international trade has highlighted the importance of firm characteristics and trade costs for exports. This study provides evidence on one type of those costs, the costs of doing business overseas, from a theoretical and empirical perspective. Controlling for firm- and industry-level covariates, we find that improvements in the business environment of foreign countries lead to an increase in the export intensity of exporters in the UK manufacturing sector and additional export market entry. Further investigation suggests that important determinants of foreign business costs include factors relating to legal structure, property rights, and business regulation.
Comparison of aerosol lidar retrieval methods for boundary layer height detection using ceilometer aerosol backscatter data

Three algorithms for estimating the boundary layer heights are assessed: an aerosol gradient method, a cluster analysis method, and a Haar wavelet method. Over 40 daytime radiosonde profiles are used to compare aerosol backscatter boundary layer heights retrieved by a Vaisala CL31 ceilometer. Overall good agreement between radiosonde and aerosol derived boundary layer heights was found for all methods. The cluster method was found to be particularly sensitive to noise in ceilometer signals and lofted aerosol layers (48.8% of comparisons), while the gradient method showed limitations in 5 low aerosol backscatter conditions. The Haar Wavelet method demonstrating to be the most robust only showing limitations (22.5% of all observations) due to the basic assumptions used to derive BLH from aerosol backscatter concentrations rather than errors with the algorithm itself. Disagreement between thermodynamically and aerosol derived boundary layer heights and the methodology used to estimate these heights was seen with all methods.