Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A 48‐Hour Vegan Diet Challenge in Healthy Women and Men Induces a BRANCH‐Chain Amino Acid Related, Health Associated, Metabolic Signature

SCOPE Research is limited on diet challenges to improve health. A short-term, vegan protein diet regimen nutritionally balanced in macronutrient composition compared to an omnivorous diet is hypothesized to improve metabolic measurements of blood sugar regulation, blood lipids, and amino acid metabolism. METHODS AND RESULTS This randomized, cross-over, controlled vegan versus animal diet challenge is conducted on 21 (11 female,10 male) healthy participants. Fasting plasma is measured during a 3 d diet intervention for clinical biochemistry and metabonomics. Intervention diet plans meet individual caloric needs. Meals are provided and supervised. Diet compliance is monitored. CONCLUSIONS The vegan diet lowers triglycerides, insulin and homeostatic model assessment (HOMA-IR), bile acids, elevated magnesium levels, and changed branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) metabolism (p < 0.05), potentiating insulin and blood sugar control after 48 h. Cholesterol control improves significantly in the vegan versus omnivorous diets. Plasma amino acid and magnesium concentrations positively correlate with dietary amino acids. Polyunsaturated fatty acids and dietary fiber inversely correlate with insulin, HOMA-IR, and triglycerides. Nutritional biochemistries, BCAAs, insulin, and HOMA-IR are impacted by sexual dimorphism. A health-promoting, BCAA-associated metabolic signature is produced from a short-term, healthy, controlled, vegan diet challenge when compared with a healthy, controlled, omnivorous diet.
An exploratory study on the perceptions of previously educationally disadvantaged first year learners of law regarding university education

This article presents an exploratory study and focuses on the high failure rate amongst first year learners at South African universities. A trend that is significantly higher at HBU's (historically black universities). A cause for this problem can probably be found in the inadequate school education of these learners. Some of the findings of the study are that learner preparation had a non-significant influence whilst presentation of lectures had a significant influence on the perceptions regarding university studies. For the success of outcomes-based education and the successful shifting of focus from teaching to learning, a culture of learning needs to be cultivated. Lecturers should make learners aware that they must adopt a different approach to learning at university level. Learners have a greater responsibility to work on their own. South African Journal of Higher Education Vol.16(2) 2002: 177-182
Rethinking International Trade

Over the past decade, a small group of economists has challenged traditional wisdom about international trade. "Rethinking International Trade provides a coherent account of this research program and traces the key steps in an exciting new trade theory that offers, among other possibilities, new arguments against free trade. Krugman's introduction is a valuable guide to research that has delved anew into the causes of international trade and reopened basic questions about the international pattern of specialization, the effects of protectionism, and what constitutes an optimal trade policy In the four sections that follow, he takes a revisionary look at the causes of international trade, and discusses growth and the role of history, technological change and trade, and strategic trade policy. Essays in part I review and challenge the theories of Ricardo and his successors, rethinking a 160-year tradition of looking at international trade. Models are presented in which trade frequently arises because of opportunities to exploit increasing returns through exports rather than from comparative advantage. In part II, Krugman traces the resulting pattern of trade specialization not only to the influence of comparative advantage but also to more arbitrary factors such as historical events, the rachet effect of cumulative processes, technological changes, and temporary economic shocks. Part III expands on the theme of technological change as a key factor in determining the pattern of specialization in international trade and addresses questions about the effects of innovation, or lack of it, on a country's international trade position. The concluding essays examine the issue of protectionismalong with other elements of trade policy, showing how protectionist policies, used as an export enhancement device by some national governments, may shift world specialization to the advantage of the protectionist nations. Paul R. Krugman is Professor of Economics at MIT.
Spatial genome organization: contrasting views from chromosome conformation capture and fluorescence in situ hybridization

Williamson et al. investigate the murine HoxD locus with 5C and FISH in different developmental and activity states and in the presence or absence of epigenetic regulators. They identify situations in which the two data sets are concordant but find other conditions under which chromatin topographies extrapolated from 5C or FISH data are not compatible. Products captured by 3C do not always reflect spatial proximity, with ligation occurring between sequences located hundreds of nanometers apart, influenced by nuclear environment and chromatin composition.
High Prevalence of Human Parechovirus (HPeV) Genotypes in the Amsterdam Region and Identification of Specific HPeV Variants by Direct Genotyping of Stool Samples

ABSTRACT Human parechoviruses (HPeV) are widespread pathogens belonging to the Picornavirus family. Six genotypes, which have predominantly been isolated from children, are known. Data on prevalence of HPeV genotypes are generally based on cell culture, which may underestimate the prevalence of certain HPeV strains that are difficult to grow. We studied 1,824 stool samples from 1,379 children (<5 years old) sent to the Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, between 2004 and 2006. Samples were screened using specific human enterovirus (HEV) and HPeV real-time PCRs based on the 5′ untranslated region. A high percentage of HPeV infections (16.3%), comparable to the percentage of HEV infections (18.4%), were found by PCR in stool samples. HPeV-positive stool samples were directly genotyped based on the VP1 region for the first time to avoid a culture bias. HPeV1 was found to be the most prevalent type. The majority of the HPeV1 strains clustered separately from the prototype strain, Harris, which has not been reported to circulate lately. However, we could identify three strains as HPeV1 Harris. HPeV3 was identified as the second most predominant type during 2004 and 2006 but was not found in 2005. HPeV4 to -6 were found in smaller numbers. One strain could not be associated with a known HPeV type (VP1 gene nucleotide similarity: 71%), possibly indicating a new genotype. Also, we report the first identification of three HPeV5 strains and one HPeV1 strain with a different motif at the C-terminal end of VP1, where the arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD) motif is normally located.
Underestimation of 24-hour Hypotensive Efficacy of Nifedipine GITS versus Enalapril: Ambulatory Recording as an Adjunct to Clinical Blood Pressure Measurement

Aims: Short-acting calcium entry blockers should be used primarily in slow-release form. Furthermore, studies of the antihypertensive efficacy of drugs can be negatively influenced by between 15% and 30% of the enrolled patients not being hypertensive according to ambulatory blood pressure (BP) measurement. Thus, a randomized double-blind multicenter parallel-group study was conducted to compare the effect of nifedipine GITS (gastrointestinal therapeutic system) with enalapril. Methods and results
Empirical research on entrepreneurial orientation: An assessment and suggestions for future research

Entrepreneurial orientation (EO) is one of the most widely accepted firm-level constructs in the literature. The present study provides a comprehensive qualitative review and evaluation of the empirical EO literature. It finds that EO research has made considerable strides in recent years and is accelerating and broadening, although notable biases and inconsistencies in variable choice and model specification remain. The article sheds light on the popularity of Miller’s unidimensional conceptualization of EO, as well as the rise in multidimensional explorations of the phenomenon. It concludes with a discussion of the implications of the study’s findings for EO-related research and practice.
An investigation of entrepreneurial orientation and organisational strategies in Chinese SMEs

This paper attempts to enhance our understanding of entrepreneurship in China by addressing two research questions: 1) Can entrepreneurship in China be understood through the constructs (e.g., entrepreneurial orientation) developed in Western cultures? ; 2) Do entrepreneurial firms in China employ the same strategies as their Western peers do? We conducted two studies to examine the validity of Miller's original scale of entrepreneurial orientation (EO) in the Chinese context and to investigate the relationships between EO and organisational strategies. Results indicate that the EO measure is psychometrically valid when applied in China. Further, innovation strategy is commonly adopted to compete in the market place, while cost-saving is not a significant strategic option.
Intellectual capital as competitive advantage in emerging clusters in Latin America

Purpose – Emerging clusters, formed by small to medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) of slow growth and embryonic management systems present a different competitive advantage scheme. The purpose of this paper is to analyze relationships among components of intellectual capital within a model of competitive advantages in emerging clusters in a region of Latin America.Design/methodology/approach – An intellectual capital model in a competitive advantage scheme is defined. A sequential method based in PLS technique is suggested to select the model and estimate the parameters. A sample of 113 wood manufacturing SMEs in a region of Argentina was selected.Findings – The competitive advantage scheme in emerging clusters of SMEs proposes that resources affect organizational capabilities; territory and organizational capabilities affect strategic factors which improve performance. In this scheme, human capital affects structural capital and structural capital generates relational capital. SMEs organize tangible resourc.
Keynes and Sustainable Development

Since the beginning of the 1970s, questions related to ecology have reached the forefront of policy discourse and progressively led to the adoption of the concept of sustainable development, which now appears to be a new worldwide objective. We argue that numerous writings of Keynes contain the premises of such a sustainable development. Indeed, Keynes's positions on uncertainty, money, the place of economics, arts, philosophy, etc. are consistent with a strong sustainability based approach. Finally, we try to offer some insights for an indispensable twenty-first-century post Keynesian sustainable development program.
Job Precariousness and Political Orientations: The Case of Italy

This paper explores the role played by job precariousness in political orientations, and examines the extent to which job precariousness could represent a new political division in Italian society. We have investigated the explanatory role of job precariousness for political orientations and analysed its interaction with the declining traditional cleavages (territory, class, religion). Based on a national sample of 15,000 workers, our results provide some evidence that job precariousness is a social variable exerting a significant impact on political orientations. Furthermore, we found that different conditions of job precariousness, such as temporary work and unemployment, affect political attitudes in different ways. Finally, our evidence suggests that the relationship between job precariousness and political orientations is significantly influenced by territory and class.
Do Limited Liability Companies Explain Declining State Corporate Tax Revenues?

The effective state corporate tax rate fell significantly during the past fifteen years despite the very robust growth in corporate book profits. This article examines the causes of the decline with a focus on the effects of the relatively new option of forming limited liability companies (LLCs), state tax policy, and changes in the federal base. The effects are estimated using a simultaneous equation model and a twelve-year panel for U.S. states. The results confirm that the advent and growth of LLCs have been important causes of the decline in corporate tax revenues. In addition, changes in the federal corporate tax base, the propensity of states to grant tax incentives, and the failure of states to require combined reporting have been significant factors in falling corporate tax revenues.
Findings of the Mars special regions science analysis group.

Current planetary protection (PP) protection policy designates a categorization IVc for spacecraft potentially entering into a “special region” of Mars that requires specific constraints on spacecraft development and operations. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) requested that Mars Exploration Program Analysis Group (MEPAG) charter a Special Regions–Science Analysis Group (SR-SAG) to develop a quantitative clarification of the definition of “special region” that can be used to distinguish between regions that are “special” and “non-special” and a preliminary analysis of specific environments that should be considered “special” and “non-special. ” The SR-SAG used the following general approach: Clarify the terms in the existing Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) definition; establish temporal and spatial boundary conditions for the analysis; identify applicable threshold conditions for propagation; evaluate the distribution of the identified threshold conditions on Mars; analyze on a case-by-case basis those purported geological environments on Mars that could potentially exceed the biological threshold conditions; and, furthermore, describe conceptually the possibility for spacecraft-induced conditions that could exceed the threshold levels for propagation. The following represent the results of the SRSAG study in which “special regions” are more practically defined, including a comprehensive distillation of our current understanding of the limits of terrestrial life and their relationship to relevant martian conditions. An analytical ap-
Novel microemulsion-based gel formulation of tazarotene for therapy of acne

Abstract The objective of this study was to develop and evaluate a novel microemulsion based gel formulation containing tazarotene for targeted topical therapy of acne. Psudoternary phase diagrams were constructed to obtain the concentration range of oil, surfactant, and co-surfactant for microemulsion formation. The optimized microemulsion formulation containing 0.05% tazarotene was formulated by spontaneous microemulsification method consisting of 10% Labrafac CC, mixed emulsifiers 15% Labrasol–Cremophor–RH 40 (1:1), 15% Capmul MCM, and 60% distilled water (w/w) as an external phase. All plain and tazarotene-loaded microemulsions were clear and showed physicochemical parameters for desired topical delivery and stability. The permeation profiles of tazarotene through rat skin from optimized microemulsion formulation followed the Higuchi model for controlled permeation. Microemulsion-based gel was prepared by incorporating Carbopol®971P NF in optimized microemulsion formulation having suitable skin permeation rate and skin uptake. Microemulsion-based gel showed desired physicochemical parameters and demonstrated advantage over marketed formulation in improving the skin tolerability of tazarotene indicating its potential in improving its topical delivery. The developed microemulsion-based gel may be a potential drug delivery vehicle for targeted topical delivery of tazarotene in the treatment of acne.
Risk factors for incident dementia in England and Wales: The Medical Research Council Cognitive Function and Ageing Study. A population-based nested case-control study.

OBJECTIVE To investigate a number of prospectively collected factors (sociodemographic, medical and behavioural) and their association with incident dementia in a population-based cohort. DESIGN Nested case-control analysis (at 2 and 6 years) of a population-based cohort study. SETTING Individuals aged 65 years and above from five centres in England and Wales: two rural (Cambridgeshire and Gwynedd) and three urban (Nottingham, Newcastle and Oxford). PARTICIPANTS A total of 4,075 individuals from a detailed assessment group, with risk measured at baseline. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Incident dementia at 2 and 6 years. METHODS Logistic regression was used to calculate crude odds ratios (ORs) for various risk factors and ORs adjusted for age, sex, education and social class. RESULTS Age (90+ versus 65-69 years OR = 25.6, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 11.6-56.9) and sex (women versus men OR = 1.6, 95% CI = 1.1-2.4) were directly associated with dementia, with a trend by years of education (P(trend) = 0.02) but not social class. Poor self-perceived health (versus good) increased the risk for incident dementia (OR = 3.9, 95% CI = 2.2-6.9). Alcohol and smoking (never, past and current) were neither strongly protective nor predictive. Stroke was strongly related to incident dementia (OR = 2.1, 95% CI = 1.1-4.2), as was Parkinson's disease (OR = 3.5, 95% CI = 1.3-9.3), and exposure to general anaesthesia (GA) was inversely associated with dementia development (OR = 0.6, 95% CI = 0.4-0.9, with a trend with increasing GA exposure; P = 0.003). CONCLUSION In this large multicentre and long-term population-based study, some well-known risk factors for dementia, of vascular and Alzheimer's type, are confirmed but not others. The association between self-perceived health-a robust predictor of later health outcomes-and incident dementia, independently of other potential risks, warrants further study.
Intellectual Property, the Immigration Backlog, and a Reverse Brain-Drain: America's New Immigrant Entrepreneurs, Part III

The founders of the United States considered intellectual property worthy of a special place in the Constitution - "To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries. " In today's knowledge-based economy, capturing value from intellectual capital and knowledge-based assets has gained even more importance. Global competition is no longer for the control of raw materials, but for this productive knowledge. This paper is the third in a series of studies focusing on immigrants' contributions to the competitiveness of the U.S. economy. Earlier research revealed a dramatic increase in the contributions of foreign nationals to U.S. intellectual property over an eight-year period. In this paper, we offer a more refined measure of this change and seek to explain this increase with an analysis of the immigrant-visa backlog for skilled workers. The key finding from this research is that the number of skilled workers waiting for visas is significantly larger than the number that can be admitted to the United States. This imbalance creates the potential for a sizeable reverse brain-drain from the United States to the skilled workers' home countries.
Market Entry Mode Selection: The Experience of Small Firms in Hong Kong Investing in China

Selection of an appropriate entry mode is a critical and indispensable component of the strategic decision a firm has to make when investing overseas (Anderson and Gatignon, 1986; Root, 1987, Pan and Tse, 2000; Makino and Neupert, 2000). The entry mode of foreign direct investment (FDI) through a wholly foreign-owned subsidiary or a joint venture, among other factors, determines the success or failure of international operations by the investing firm, as it will affect the costs and managerial control of the venture (Pan and Chi, 1999). In recent years, an eclectic approach has become more popular and is widely applied to explain the entry mode decision of investing firms (Hill et al., 1990). Nevertheless, many studies on the entry mode of multinational corporations (MNCs) still tend to investigate this issue from a single theoretical perspective. Furthermore, most studies on entry mode choices focus on the experience of large MNCs from developed countries (for example, Agarwal and Ramaswami, 1992; Bell et al., 1997; Brouthers et al. 1996; Gatignon and Anderson 1988; Kim and Hwang, 1992). These studies ignored the fact that foreign direct investment made by firms from Asian newly industrializing economies (NIEs) is becoming increasingly important in global economy and contributes significantly to the economic growth of host developing countries (Wang, 1997; Yeung, 1994b). Many researchers argue (for example, Baran et al., 1996; Yeung, 1994a) that the findings based on the studies on giant MNCs of developed countries are not adequate to explain the FDI behaviour of firms from NIEs. By investigating small Hong Kong firms with investment in Mainland China, this research will shed some light on the entry mode choice behaviour of firms from Asian NIEs. Given the importance of direct investment from Hong Kong in Mainland China, the purpose of this research is to investigate ‘what factors influence small Hong Kong manufacturing firms’ choice of investment entry modes into Mainland China’. Specifically, the objectives of this research are: (1) to examine the factors that affect the choice between a wholly foreignowned enterprise (WFOE) and a joint venture (JV) by small Hong Kong manufacturing firms entering China; and (2) to examine the applicability of the eclectic framework developed, based on the experience of large
Greening regions: the effect of social entrepreneurship, co-decision and co-creation on the embrace of good sustainable development practices

Adoption of Local Agenda 21 (LA21) in Europe has been very uneven. However, the embrace (or eager adoption) of LA21-like tools by local governments is usually considered as a requisite to achieve the sustainable development (SD) global aims. This research analyses a successful networking practice in the Basque Country (BC) over an 8-year period in order to identify the main dimensions that explain the embrace of LA21 by Local Governments (LGs). The Basque experience is studied using a qualitative and a quantitative approach. Results show that the factors of entrepreneurial presence (at the regional and local levels), co-decision and co-creation have an effect on local government embrace of the LA21. We also study the motivational mechanisms underlying co-decision and co-creation.