Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Influence of Sex Differences in Subcutaneous Fat Mass on Serum Leptin Concentrations

(3-5)—that is potentially applicable in heterogeneous groups of patients (6), has facilitated its extended application. The recent availability of insulin lispro interested us in evaluating the effects of this new insulin on HRQOL in a Spanish population of patients with diabetes. There were 284 patients (138 males and 146 females; 241 type 1 diabetic and 43 type 2 diabetic patients) age 14-66 years, with a mean ± SD of 32.7 ± 13.2 years and treated with at least two insulin injections for >6 months who were invited to participate. At the time of a routine clinical appointment, patients were asked to first answer the DQOL questionnaire whenever insulin lispro treatment was recommended. Those data were considered the patients quality-of-life baseline. A second DQOL questionnaire was answered after a 8to 16-week period of insulin lispro treatment. A preliminary analysis of the responses to the questionnaire showed a slight global quality-of-life improvement after insulin lispro treatment compared with patient baselines (72.2 ± 10.1 vs. 70.1 ± 10.1, P = 0.012) on a transformed scale where 0 represents the lowest possible quality of life and 100 represents the highest possible quality of life (7). In addition, a statistically significant improvement was shown on the satisfaction subscale (69.4 ± 12.7 vs. 65.7 ±13.3, P = 0.001). Interestingly, question 4 of the DQOL questionnaire (How satisfied are you with your current treatment? ) showed a statistically significant 8.6-point mean increase (P < 0.001) after insulin lispro treatment period over the patient baselines. Insulin lispro has demonstrated hypoglycemia risk reduction (8-10) and clearly leads to better postprandial glucose control in type 1 and type 2 diabetic patients (8,9). These benefits result from improved pharmacokinetics characterized by a faster and shorter duration of action, which, in addition, allows for close-to-mealtime injections, which may simplify a patients daily life, thereby positively impacting their perception of their own quality of life. Even though the observed differences are slight, this prospective naturalistic analysis supports the results published by Kotsanos et al. (1). Although additional HRQOL evaluation is necessary on the effects of new therapeutic agents, such as insulin lispro, these data suggest that the unique characteristics of insulin lispro shown in clinical trials may readily be translated into clinical practice, making a patients daily life easier in the real world.
Occupational self-selection: a human capital approach to sex differences in occupational structure.

A rich and diverse literature exists concerning the distribution of labor incomes. One approach namely that of human capital concentrates on lifetime accumulation paths of "earnings capacity units" (human capital). Individual variations in human capital imply differences in earnings power thereby yielding strong implications concerning earnings distribution within a population. Despite its explanatory power the human capital model has been widely criticized. One criticism centers on its inability to obtain inferences concerning occupational distribution. The purpose of this paper is to alleviate at least some such criticism by applying the hedonic price approach so as to embed occupational choice into the human capital framework. The significance is that neoclassical economic theory can be used to obtain implications concerning the determinants of occupational structure. (excerpt)
Management of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia with a high risk of adverse outcome: the Mayo Clinic approach

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL) is usually an incidental diagnosis in patients with early–intermediate stage disease. However, most patients with a diagnosis of CLL will subsequently have significant morbidity and die from their disease and its complications. For these patients, CLL is not the ‘good leukemia’ with a predictably ‘benign’ outcome. Indeed, we can now identify a cohort of patients with high-risk CLL at diagnosis who will have rapid disease progression, poor response to treatment, and poor survival based on prognostic methods developed from an improved understanding of the biology of CLL. The concomitant development of improved treatments has led to risk-adjusted management approaches that could improve outcomes. We discuss the clinical and laboratory components of comprehensive risk evaluation of patients with CLL and our approach to the management of patients with a high to very high risk of disease progression and poor outcome. In addition, we review the challenges and prospects for improving prognostic precision and the development of new drugs to improve the treatment of patients with CLL with a high risk of adverse outcome.
Fueling Our Fears: Stereotyping, Media Coverage, and Public Opinion of Muslim Americans

Chapter 1 Preface Chapter 2 1 Muslim Americans in the News before and after 9/11 Chapter 3 2 The First 9/11 Anniversary and Beyond Chapter 4 3 The Visual Portrayal of Arabs and Muslims Chapter 5 4 How Americans View Islam and Muslims at Home and Abroad Chapter 6 5 Torture: When the Enemy Fits Prevalent Stereotypes Chapter 7 6 American Muslims' Sentiments in the Post-9/11 Years Chapter 8 Epilogue: Covering American Muslims and Islam Chapter 9 Appendix Chapter 10 Selected Bibliography
Adaptive Portfolio Allocation with Options

We conducted a laboratory experiment of repeated portfolio allocation choice between a bond, a stock, and a put option on the stock. The study involves two conditions: a full hedging possibility and a partial hedging possibility. Surprisingly, participants were able to converge to the mean-variance frontier in the environment with partial hedging possibilities, but were unable to do so in the full hedging condition. This suggests that subjects may not be cognizant of the mean-variance frontier. If subjects begin away from the frontier and have to adjust toward it, incentives off the frontier are critical. Simulations of adaptive dynamic models confirm this assertion. The study provides insight into the adaptive behavior of investors in the presence of hedging possibilities and implications for efficient investment strategies.
Advanced Surface Ablation With a New Software for the Reduction of Ablation Irregularities.

PURPOSE To compare visual outcomes and postoperative aberrations after surface ablation performed with a 750-Hz versus a 1,050-Hz excimer laser coupled with an ablation software designed to reduce corneal surface irregularity. METHODS Retrospective comparative trial of myopic eyes that had refractive surgery consecutively treated with transepithelial advanced surface ablation with a 750-Hz excimer laser (750 group) versus a 1,050-Hz excimer laser coupled with the Smart Pulse Technology ablation software (SPT group). The SPT algorithm is a laser pulse technology software aimed at reducing surface irregularity of the stromal bed at the end of treatment. The authors evaluated the effect of this smoothing on final visual acuity. Patients were observed for 6 months. RESULTS A total of 139 eyes in the 750 group and 40 eyes in the SPT group were evaluated. Epidemiological and preoperative refractive data of the two groups were comparable. Uncorrected distance visual acuity improved with time and was significantly better in the SPT group (-0.04 ± 0.61 logMAR for the SPT group vs 0.02 ± 0.78 logMAR for the 750 group) (P < .001). At 6 months, 55% versus 21% achieved 20/16 or better (P = .005) and 90% versus 65% achieved 20/20 or better (P = .019) visual acuity in the SPT and 750 groups, respectively. Corrected distance visual acuity improved with time and appeared to be influenced by group (P = .054), with better results in the SPT group. Coma and trefoil improved significantly with time in a similar manner in both groups. CONCLUSIONS Surface ablation with the 1,050-Hz excimer laser and SPT software, aimed at reducing the final superficial stromal irregularity, led to improvement of 6-month uncorrected visual acuity. [J Refract Surg. 2017;33(2):89-95. ].
Foreign Direct Investment and Exchange Rate in India

The present article attempts to identify the causal nexus among real exchange rate (RER), its volatility and foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows in India using quarterly data from 1990:II to 2008:I. Generalized Auto Regressive Conditional Heteroscedasticity (GARCH) model is employed to obtain conditional variance of RER data series. Besides, Johansen’s cointegration technique followed by the vector error correction model (VECM) is employed to examine the objective. The analysis reveals a long run relationship among FDI, RER and the GARCH measure of exchange rate volatility, and also a short run causality flow from RER and its volatility to FDI. However, we find no discernible link from FDI to RER and its volatility in the short run. Thus, the study concludes that depreciation in exchange rate level leads to increase in inflow of FDI, and an increase in FDI is due to decreases in exchange rate uncertainty in the short run.
Compensation and Board Structure: Evidence from the Insurance Industry

Monitoring by outside board members and incentive compensation provisions in executive pay packages are alternative mechanisms for controlling incentive problems between owners and managers. The control hypothesis suggests that if incentive conflicts vary materially, those firms with more outside directors also should implement a higher degree of pay-for-performance sensitivity. Our evidence is consistent with this control hypothesis. We document a relation between board structure and the extent to which executive compensation is tied to performance in mutuals: compensation changes are significantly more sensitive to changes in return on assets when the fraction of outsiders on the board is high.
Summaries of plenary, symposia, and oral sessions at the XXII World Congress of Psychiatric Genetics, Copenhagen, Denmark, 12–16 October 2014

The XXII World Congress of Psychiatric Genetics, sponsored by the International Society of Psychiatric Genetics, took place in Copenhagen, Denmark, on 12–16 October 2014. A total of 883 participants gathered to discuss the latest findings in the field. The following report was written by student and postdoctoral attendees. Each was assigned one or more sessions as a rapporteur. This manuscript represents topics covered in most, but not all of the oral presentations during the conference, and contains some of the major notable new findings reported.
Did viruses play a part in the origin of the adaptive immune system?

As every high-school graduate knows, animals are classified into two large groups ñ those that have vertebrae and those that do not. What every high-school graduate should also know (but probably doesnít) is that the vertebrates are further divided into jawless (Agnatha) and jawed (Gnathostomata). The jawed vertebrates are distinguished not only by the possession of jaws, but also by a suite of other characters, including an immune system based on the use of the ìholy trinityî or three sets of molecules ñ the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules, the T-cell receptors (TCRs), and the B-cell receptors or immunoglobulins (BCRs or Igs; see Klein et al., 2000). The system is referred to as adaptive or acquired, but both designations are misleading and inaccurate; a term like anticipatory immune system (Klein, 1989) would have, perhaps, been more appropriate, but it did not take. Fortunately, the acronyms for all three names are the same ñ AIS. Immunologists originally believed that the AIS is present in both vertebrates and nonvertebrates (Cooper, 1976), but I have argued for some time (Klein, 1989, 1997) that the system is restricted to vertebrates and possibly to jawed vertebrates only. The first part of this proposition is now generally accepted; the second part is still debated, but this debate, too, is close to resolution. If we accept the holy trinity as the defining feature of the AIS, mounting evidence indicates that the agnathans lack the system, for the trinity appears to be present in all gnathostomes, but absent in jawless vertebrates. The most compelling evidence for the absence of the trinity in jawless vertebrates has been provided by recent studies in which cells resembling mammalian lymphocytes have been purified from lamprey organs and cDNAs obtained from the gene transcripts present in these cells have been sequenced (Mayer et al., 2002a; Uinuk-Ool et al., 2003 and unpublished data). By this approach, some 30,000 lamprey cDNA sequences have been collected and through them numerous genes expressed in the lymphocyte-like cells have been identified. However, no members of the trinity could be found in the collection. Although definitive evidence for the absence of the trinity will have to await the completion of the entire lamprey genome sequence, the cDNA sequences suggest strongly that MHC, TCR, and BCR genes as we know them from gnathostomes are absent in the lamprey and probably also in the hagfish. Assuming this to be the case, an inquiry into the nature of the agnathan immune system can be expected to yield valuable information about the transition from non-AIS to AIS at the time of divergence of jawless and jawed vertebrates.
Ownership structure and R&D spending: evidence from China's listed firms

Purpose – This paper seeks to examine the effect of ownership concentration, inside ownership and state ownership on the R&D spending practices for China's listed firms. The paper argues that corporate ownership structures including ownership concentration, inside ownership and state ownership are important for corporate expenditures on R&D in China, whose firms present a high ownership concentration and a high level of state ownership.Design/methodology/approach – The paper takes the form of an empirical study using a sample of 780 listed Chinese firms for six years from 2000 to 2005.Findings – It is found that firms with concentrated share ownership have lower R&D spending, and firms with inside ownership have lower R&D spending. However, firms with a higher level of state ownership spend more on R&D.Research limitations/implications – Given that corporate ownership structure and tax policy have changed dramatically in China in recent years, future studies should be conducted to explore the association .
Comparison of the Efficacy and Safety of Irbesartan and Olmesartan in Patients With Hypertension (EARTH Study)

Fifty-four patients were randomly divided into irbesartan and olmesartan groups. Blood pressure (BP) was significantly decreased in all patients at 12 weeks. In particular, BP in patients who initially received irbesartan showed significant reductions. The equality of variance of BP in the irbesartan group was significantly smaller than that in the olmesartan group at 12 weeks. Blood concentrations of adiponectin were significantly increased in the irbesartan group at 12 weeks. Log [pentraxin-3] in the irbesartan group were significantly decreased. In conclusion, the ability of irbesartan to reduce BP is comparable to that of olmesartan with equivalent safety.
Antibody to Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Mucoid Exopolysaccharide and to Sodium Alginate in Cystic Fibrosis Serum

Summary: Antibodies in cystic fibrosis (CF) sera to Pseudomonas aeruginosa mucoid exopolysaccharide and to sodium alginate (a polysaccharide from seaweed chemically similar to mucoid exopolysaccharide) were measured in sera of CF patients to determine if the exopolysaccharide is immunogenic. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to test sera from 26 CF patients (18 colonized with pseudomonas and eight non-colonized) and 26 healthy controls. CF patients colonized with pseudomonas had more antibody to mucoid exopolysaccharide (P = 0.0008) and to sodium alginate (P = 0.0008) than did non-colonized CF patients. Virtually none was found in healthy controls. Duration of colonization was correlated with the level of antibody to sodium alginate (P = 0.003) but not with antibody to mucoid exopolysaccharide. Mucoid exopolysaccharide is immunogenic in patients with CF.
Influencing positive financial behaviors: the social marketing solution

Purpose – Influencing positive financial behaviors is the natural next frontier for social marketers to “get serious about”, as there are clear behaviors that, once adopted by target populations, will improve the quality of life for individuals as well as society. The purpose of this paper is to describe a study conducted on behalf of the Consultive Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP), an independent policy and research center dedicated to advancing financial access for the world's poor.Design/methodology/approach – The seven best practices presented in this paper are based on original research undertaken in 2009‐2010 which examined more than 100 cases around the world where a social marketing approach was used to influence a financial behavior.Findings – Relevant behaviors identified, including those related to establishing a bank account, increasing savings, using credit wisely, avoiding over indebtedness, applying for micro finance loans, adopting new technologies, reducing chances of fraud, choosing the r.
Solving permutation flowshop scheduling problems with a discrete differential evolution algorithm

In this paper a new discrete Differential Evolution algorithm for the Permutation Flowshop Scheduling Problem with the total flowtime and makespan criteria is proposed. The core of the algorithm is the distance-based differential mutation operator defined by means of a new randomized bubble sort algorithm. This mutation scheme allows the Differential Evolution to directly navigate the permutations search space. Experiments were held on a well known benchmarks suite and they show that the proposal reaches very good performances compared to other state-of-the-art algorithms. The results are particularly satisfactory on the total flowtime criterion where also new upper bounds that improve on the state-of-the-art have been found.
Daily Intake of Milk Powder and Risk of Celiac Disease in Early Childhood: A Nested Case-Control Study

Milk powder and gluten are common components in Swedish infants’ diets. Whereas large intakes of gluten early in life increases the risk of celiac disease in genetically at-risk Swedish children, no study has yet evaluated if intake of milk powder by 2 years of age is associated with celiac disease. A 1-to-3 nested case-control study, comprised of 207 celiac disease children and 621 controls matched for sex, birth year, and HLA genotype, was performed on a birth cohort of HLA-DR3-DQ2 and/or DR4-DQ8-positive children. Subjects were screened annually for celiac disease using tissue transglutaminase autoantibodies (tTGA). Three-day food records estimated the mean intake of milk powder at ages 6 months, 9 months, 12 months, 18 months, and 24 months. Conditional logistic regression calculated odds ratios (OR) at last intake prior to seroconversion of tTGA positivity, and for each time-point respectively and adjusted for having a first-degree relative with celiac disease and gluten intake. Intake of milk powder prior to seroconversion of tTGA positivity was not associated with celiac disease (OR = 1.00; 95% CI = 0.99, 1.03; p = 0.763). In conclusion, intake of milk powder in early childhood is not associated with celiac disease in genetically susceptible children.
Absence of both Sos‐1 and Sos‐2 in peripheral CD4+ T cells leads to PI3K pathway activation and defects in migration

Sos‐1 and Sos‐2 are ubiquitously expressed Ras‐guanine exchange factors involved in Erk‐MAP kinase pathway activation. Using mice lacking genes encoding Sos‐1 and Sos‐2, we evaluated the role of these proteins in peripheral T‐cell signaling and function. Our results confirmed that TCR‐mediated Erk activation in peripheral CD4+ T cells does not depend on Sos‐1 and Sos‐2, although IL‐2‐mediated Erk activation does. Unexpectedly, however, we show an increase in AKT phosphorylation in Sos‐1/2dKO CD4+ T cells upon TCR and IL‐2 stimulation. Activation of AKT was likely a consequence of increased recruitment of PI3K to Grb2 upon TCR and/or IL‐2 stimulation in Sos‐1/2dKO CD4+ T cells. The increased activity of the PI3K/AKT pathway led to downregulation of the surface receptor CD62L in Sos‐1/2dKO T cells and a subsequent impairment in T‐cell migration.
Vietnam : Transition to a Market Economy

The paper explores the pattern of transition of the Vietnamese economy, the policies that were applied, and the reasons for the country's success. In particular, it focuses on output performance; state-owned enterprises; foreign direct investment; determinants of inflation; dollarization and problems of economic management; international integration and exchange rate policy; growth and diversification of trade, trade reform, exchange reform, and exchange rate policy.
The Employability Skills of the Overseas Filipino Workers

A university tracks its graduates to determine if its curriculum has prepared students for the job market. The purpose of this study was to ascertain the self-perceived employability skills of sociology and economics graduates of Bukidnon State University, who are working overseas. The OFWs were traced by using the snowball sampling technique. Of the three measures of employability, they scored the highest on personal qualities followed by core skills and process skills. Rated the highest were ‘self-awareness’ and ‘initiative’ skills. By and large, the OFWs may be considered global citizens and lifelong learners if viewed through the lenses of an Australian model of employability. This implies that even if the academic credentials do not directly match with the job description. The graduates were hired on the basis of employability qualities and skills that were perhaps already embedded in the curriculum. The study concludes that the notion that discipline-based knowledge will guarantee a job is no longer applicable. Since knowledge will be outdated but nevertheless, the main component for obtaining a college degree, one of the recommendations is for the curriculum to connect transferable personality and skills development with the process of obtaining and generating knowledge. Further research must be pursued in terms of determining the specific values and attitudes that the employers of these OFWs prefer so that it would be possible for the university to identify the exact qualities and skills preferred by employers as a basis for curriculum development. Keywords – Social Science, employability skills, OFWs, descriptive design, Malaybalay City, Philippines
A NUCLEAR MATRIX PROTEIN RELATED TO INTERMEDIATE FILAMENTS PROTEINS IS A MEMBER OF THE COMPLEX BINDING ALPHOID DNAIN VITRO

A complex of three proteins (of 80, 70, 58kDa—p80, p70, and p58, respectively) with the ability to bind alphoid DNA (α‐satDNA) was revealed by gel mobility shift assay (GMSA) in human nuclear matrix. The probes of the α‐satDNA bound in the GMSA with the greatest specificity, but the complex was capable of binding human satellite 3 fragment. According to ion exchange and affinity chromatography, the complex includes two DNA‐binding proteins, p70 and p80, and a non‐DNA‐binding one, p58, which enhances the specificity of binding to the α‐satDNA. GMSA, SDS‐PAGE and immunoblotting showed that the lamins, as well as constitutive centromeric proteins (CENP‐A, CENP‐B, CENP‐C, CENP‐G), were not incorporated into the complex. It was demonstrated by immunoprecipitation assay that p70 and, probably p58, share a common antigen determinant with the rod domain of intermediate filaments (IF) proteins. The results obtained indicate that the nuclear matrix contains at least one IF‐related protein that is able to bind specifically to α‐satDNA in vitro and that this protein is distinct from the lamins.