Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparative Statics of Contests and Rent-Seeking Games

This paper develops the comparative statics properties of a contest encountered in patent races and rent-seeking games. The author shows that symmetric equilibrium expenditure and profit per player decrease with the number of competitors and the discount rate but increase with the value of the prize. A fundamental lemma established in the paper shows that a stability condition usually imposed on the model is automatically satisfied. The author identifies a class of likelihood or hazard rate functions for which aggregate expenditure increases with the number of competitors and total profits converge to zero. Copyright 1997 by Economics Department of the University of Pennsylvania and the Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association.
The Structure of Foreign Policy Attitudes among American Leaders

The recent renaissance of interest in public opinion and foreign policy has generated a vigorous debate about the dimensions that characterize foreign policy attitudes. This paper assesses a scheme that emerged from Wittkopf's analyses of the Chicago Council on Foreign Policy surveys. Two dimensions (militant internationalism and cooperative internationalism) are crossed to create four types: hard-liners (support MI, oppose CI), internationalists (support both MI and CI), isolationists (oppose both MI and CI), and accommodationists (oppose MI, support CI). After developing scales for MI and CI, the scheme is tested with data from nationwide surveys of opinion leaders undertaken in 1976 (N = 2,282), 1980 (N = 2,502), and 1984 (N = 2,515). The MI/CI scheme is tested--and strongly supported--by examining the pattern of responses by hard-liners, internationalists, isolationists, and accommodationists to a broad range of questions from the three surveys of opinion leaders. The background attributes and other political attitudes associated with the four types are then examined. Correlations are strong for ideology and party; moderate for occupation; and weak for gender, age, education, travel, and military service. The conclusion raises some questions about the isolationist category and speculates about the broader implications of the findings.
Carbohydrate metabolism of the perfused rat liver.

1. The rates of gluconeogenesis from most substrates tested in the perfused livers of well-fed rats were about half of those obtained in the livers of starved rats. There was no difference for glycerol. 2. A diet low in carbohydrate increased the rates of gluconeogenesis from some substrates but not from all. In general the effects of a low-carbohydrate diet on rat liver are less marked than those on rat kidney cortex. 3. Glycogen was deposited in the livers of starved rats when the perfusion medium contained about 10mm-glucose. The shedding of glucose from the glycogen stores by the well-fed liver was greatly diminished by 10mm-glucose and stopped by 13.3mm-glucose. Livers of well-fed rats that were depleted of their glycogen stores by treatment with phlorrhizin and glucagon synthesized glycogen from glucose. 4. When two gluconeogenic substrates were added to the perfusion medium additive effects occurred only when glycerol was one of the substrates. Lactate and glycerol gave more than additive effects owing to an increased rate of glucose formation from glycerol. 5. Pyruvate also accelerated the conversion of glycerol into glucose, and the accelerating effect of lactate can be attributed to a rapid formation of pyruvate from lactate. 6. Butyrate and oleate at 2mm, which alone are not gluconeogenic, increased the rate of gluconeogenesis from lactate. 7. The acceleration of gluconeogenesis from lactate by glucagon was also found when gluconeogenesis from lactate was stimulated by butyrate and oleate. This finding is not compatible with the view that the primary action of glucagon in promoting gluconeogenesis is an acceleration of lipolysis. 8. The rate of gluconeogenesis from pyruvate at 10mm was only 70% of that at 5mm. This ;inhibition' was abolished by oleate or glucagon.
The Effects of Electroacupuncture on Th1/Th2 Cytokine mRNA Expression and Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Signaling Pathways in the Splenic T Cells of Traumatized Rats

BACKGROUND: Surgical trauma contributes to postoperative immune suppression, which is associated with an increased susceptibility to subsequent infections. Electroacupuncture (EA) can alleviate pain and exert immunoregulatory effects. However, the mechanism underlying the immnuomodulation effects of EA is not fully elucidated. Therefore, we investigated the effects of EA on T helper (Th)1/Th2 cytokine production and mRNA expression and evaluated the signaling regulatory mechanism of EA effects. METHODS: Rats were divided into four groups (n = 24 each): control, trauma, trauma (T) + sham EA, and T + EA. EA was applied to Zusanli (ST36) and Lanwei (Extra37) acupoints at 20 min after surgery for 30 min, and then performed once a day on postoperative days 1–5. Splenic T cells were isolated and the production and mRNA expression of interleukin (IL)-2, interferon-&ggr;, IL-4, and IL-10 were assayed. The activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase and the DNA binding activity of nuclear factor (NF)-&kgr;B and activator protein (AP)-1 were examined. RESULTS: Paw withdrawal threshold and paw withdrawal latency were significantly increased in the T + EA group compared with the trauma group from postoperative day 1 (paw withdrawal threshold: 5.8 ± 0.7 vs 3.0 ± 0.7 g; paw withdrawal latency: 7.0 ± 0.8 vs 4.5 ± 0.5 s; P < 0.001) to day 5 (9.0 ± 0.6 vs 5.5 ± 0.6 g; 12.0 ± 1.3 vs 7.0 ± 0.8 s; P < 0.001). Th1 cytokine (IL-2 and interferon-&ggr;) production and mRNA expression in splenic T cells of traumatized rats were significantly decreased on postoperative day 3 (P < 0.001, trauma group versus control group), whereas Th2 cytokine (IL-4 and IL-10) production and mRNA expression were increased (P < 0.001). This was accompanied with a significant depression in the activity of extracellular-regulated protein kinase (ERK)1/2, p38, NF-&kgr;B, and AP-1 (P < 0.001, trauma group versus control group). EA administration increased Th1 cytokine protein and mRNA expression, suppressed Th2 cytokine protein and mRNA expression (P < 0.05, T + EA group versus trauma group), and increased the activity of ERK1/2, p38, NF-&kgr;B, and AP-1 (P < 0.001, T + EA group versus trauma group). CONCLUSIONS: EA regulates a balance between Th1 and Th2 cytokines at protein and mRNA levels in splenic T cells, and, at least in part, involves the signaling pathways of ERK1/2, p38, NF-&kgr;B, and AP-1. The findings suggest that EA may improve immune suppression after surgical trauma.
[In-hospital stroke: clinical profile and expectations for treatment].

INTRODUCTION In-hospital strokes have been poorly reported. They provide an opportunity to shorten intervals for thrombolysis. Our proposals were: a) to describe their clinical features and neurological assessment, and b) regarding thrombolysis, to analyze potential candidates and exclusions at a general tertiary hospital, just before its approval/implementation at the center. METHODS Cases were retrospectively recruited between May 2001-May 2004. They were identified from discharching diagnosis (ICD-9: 430-439; GRD: 14, 15, 16, 17, 532, 810) and from consultations required to the neurology service. Data collected were: a) admitting diagnosis and service; b) mechanism of stroke (Trial of Org 10172 in Acute Stroke Treatment, TOAST) and clinical syndrome (Oxfordshire Community Stroke Project, OCSP); c) vascular risk factors and previous symptomatic artherioesclerotic disease (PSAD), and d) prognosis, functional status at discharge (mRankin scale, mRS) and timing for neurological assessment. Every case was considered regarding thrombolytic treatment according to Safe Implementation of Trombolysis in Stroke-Monitoring Study (SIST-MOST) criteria. Potential criteria for exclusion were registered. RESULTS 183 cases were included (26 transient ischemic accident, 149 ischemic strokes, 5 haemorrhages). Mean age: 74.5 years, 25.5%, above 80 years. Main sources of patients were cardiology plus related services (31.8%) and internal medicine (18%). Dominant mechanism was cardioembolism (40%). 18 cases (11.77%) were yatrogenic. 55.8% had had PSAD (stroke: 41; ischemic cardiopathy: 31). Mortality reached 33%. 36% were discharged pointing 3 or above in the mRS. Expert neurological assessment was requested in 89%, but just for 25% it was considered an emergency. From 149 ischemic strokes, 5 cases (3.2%) were potential candidates for thrombolysis. Mayor surgery, ageing (>80 years), severe acute disorders or combinations of them precluded thrombolysis. CONCLUSIONS In-hospital strokes are particularly prevalent in patients with PSAD. Prognosis is poor. In 3.2% thrombolysis could be administered. To make this possible, a right perception of the timing and emergency should be encouraged among hospital staff.
Basal ganglia organization in amphibians: Afferent connections to the striatum and the nucleus accumbens

As part of a research program to determine if the organization of basal ganglia (BG) of amphibians is homologous to that of amniotes, the afferent connections of the BG in the anurans Xenopus laevis and Rana perezi and the urodele Pleurodeles waltl were investigated with sensitive tract‐tracing techniques. Hodological evidence is presented that supports a division of the amphibian BG into a nucleus accumbens and a striatum. Both structures have inputs in common from the olfactory bulb, medial pallium, striatopallial transition area, preoptic area, ventral thalamus, ventral hypothalamic nucleus, posterior tubercle, several mesencephalic and rhombencephalic reticular nuclei, locus coeruleus, raphe, and the nucleus of the solitary tract. Several nuclei that project to both subdivisions of the BG, however, show a clear preference for either the striatum (lateral amygdala, parabrachial nucleus) or the nucleus accumbens (medial amygdala, ventral midbrain tegmentum). In addition, the anterior entopeduncular nucleus, central thalamic nucleus, anterior and posteroventral divisions of the lateral thalamic nucleus, and torus semicircularis project exclusively to the striatum, whereas the anterior thalamic nucleus, anteroventral, and anterodorsal tegmental nuclei provide inputs solely to the nucleus accumbens. Apart from this subdivision of the basal forebrain, the results of the present study have revealed more elaborate patterns of afferent projections to the BG of amphibians than previously thought. Moreover, regional differences within the striatum and the nucleus accumbens were demonstrated, suggesting the existence of functional subdivisions. The present study has revealed that the organization of the afferent connections to the BG in amphibians is basically similar to that of amniotes. According to their afferent connections, the striatum and the nucleus accumbens of amphibians may play a key role in processing olfactory, visual, auditory, lateral line, and visceral information. However, contrary to the situation in amniotes, only a minor involvement of pallial structures on the BG functions is present in amphibians. J. Comp. Neurol. 378:16–49, 1997. © 1997 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Foreign Exchange Risk Management — The Paradox

Two principal forms of cash flow exposure to real exchange rate changes have been identified in the literature, namely transaction exposure and economic exposure. A number of surveys carried out over the last two decades have reported that managers attach more importance to managing transaction exposure than to managing economic exposure. The theoretical literature, on the rare occasions when the issue has been addressed, indicates that while both forms of exposure are linked, economic exposure should be a more significant exposure than transaction exposure for corporations. This paper examines the available evidence from empirical surveys of foreign exchange risk and its management in order to confirm or reject theoretical predictions and the truth of this paradox, and in case of the confirmation of the paradox to suggest a rationale for its existence. In the event the evidence reviewed in this paper confirms the paradox and suggests alternative explanations for its existence.
Retirement adequacy goals for South African households

Despite the importance of retirement adequacy goals to public policy, retirement fund design and personal financial planning, there has been little formal research on the estimation of retirement adequacy goals for South African households. This research derived estimated retirement adequacy goals for employed one- and two-adult households. A consumption-smoothing model with a minimum-income underpin was developed to estimate wealth-earnings ratio goals using data from the Income and Expenditure Survey 2005-2006. Household wealth-earnings ratio goals were estimated to be between 10,5 and 18,2 times annual salary depending on retirement age, household composition, income, location, age, education, household income distribution, home ownership and salary support. Considering current retirement savings rates, retirement before age 67 is unlikely to be affordable for most households.
Eikonal Analysis of the Boundaryless Beam Propagation Method

The boundaryless beam propagation method has been reported to suffer from reflections due to frequency aliasing. We propose an alternate explanation of reflection in the method, based on eikonal analysis of the wave equation in the mapped space, and show that reflection starts much before aliasing happens. We theoretically predict the reflection coefficient profile in a simulation and introduce an internal absorbing boundary condition (ABC), where reflection becomes appreciable. The a priori knowledge of the window size of the ABC does away with the arbitrariness in the design of such boundaries. Finally, we use the boundaryless scheme with the ABC to successfully model a dielectric bend.
Dramatic increase in HIV prevalence after scale-up of antiretroviral treatment

Objectives:To investigate HIV prevalence trends in a rural South African community after the scale-up of antiretroviral treatment (ART) in 2004. Methods:We estimated adult HIV prevalence (ages 15–49 years) using data from a large, longitudinal, population-based HIV surveillance in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, over the period from 2004 (the year when the public-sector ART scale-up started) to 2011. We control for selection effects due to surveillance nonparticipation using multiple imputation. We further linked the surveillance data to patient records from the local HIV treatment program to estimate ART coverage. Results:ART coverage of all HIV-infected people in this community increased from 0% in 2004 to 31% in 2011. Over the same observation period adult HIV prevalence increased steadily from 21 to 29%. The change in overall HIV prevalence is nearly completely explained by an increase of HIV-infected people receiving ART, and it is largely driven by increases in HIV prevalence in women and men older than 24 years. Conclusion:The observed dramatic increase in adult HIV prevalence can most likely be explained by increased survival of HIV-infected people due to ART. Future studies should decompose HIV prevalence trends into HIV incidence and HIV-specific mortality changes to further improve the causal attribution of prevalence increases to treatment success rather than prevention failure.
Institutional Investment Horizons and the Cost of Equity Capital

We examine the influence of institutional investors’ investment horizons on a firm’s cost of equity. We argue that the cost of equity will decrease in the presence of institutional investors with longer-term investment horizons due to improved monitoring and information quality. Our empirical results demonstrate that the cost of equity declines in the presence of institutional investors with long-term investment horizons, all else remaining equal. Our results indicate also that the monitoring role of long-term institutional investors is more pronounced for firms with higher agency problems (poorly governed firms). Overall, our evidence suggests that when considering the influence of institutional investors, it is critical to account for institutional heterogeneity, which gives rise to new directions for future research.
Transcriptional mapping of varicella-zoster virus regulatory proteins

Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) expresses four proteins that influence viral transcriptional events and that also are homologous to herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) immediate-early proteins. However, their transcription and the mechanisms by which it is regulated are not yet resolved. To identify the promoter regions, a precise knowledge of the initiation and termination of the encoded RNAs is first required. In this report, we summarize the complete and precise mapping of the RNA transcripts of two of these genes-those from open reading frames 4 and 63. In addition, several elements of their promoter regulatory regions have been identified and predicted. Structural and functional studies of the regulatory sequences suggest that these two VZV genes may be regulated in a fashion different from that of their HSV-1 counterparts. NEUROLOGY 1995;45(Suppl 8): S33-S35)
Reduced risk of prostate cancer in men who are childless as compared to those who have fathered a child: A population based case‐control study

Androgens are believed to play a major role in the etiology of prostate cancer, but studies of sex‐hormone exposure in relation to risk for prostate cancer have been inconclusive. Male fertility may be an indicator of long‐term androgen status. To study the role of testicular function in prostate cancer development, we have assessed number of biological children in relation to risk for this malignancy. We carried out a population‐based case‐control study with retrospective ascertainment of cases occurring in Sweden between 1958–98. In total, 48,850 cases of prostate cancer were identified through the nation‐wide Cancer Registry. For each case, one control, matched by year of birth, was randomly selected from the Swedish population. Information on offspring was obtained from the Swedish Multi‐Generation Registry. We estimated odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the association between number of offspring and risk for subsequent prostate cancer. Being childless or having fathered one child only were associated with reduced risks for prostate cancer compared to having fathered 2 or more children (OR = 0.83; 95% CI = 0.81–0.86 and OR = 0.93; 95% CI = 0.90–0.96, respectively). There was no further change in risk associated with fathering of more than 2 children. The risk for prostate cancer is reduced among childless men. A dysfunctioning reproductive apparatus fueling to a lesser extent prostatic growth, could be a plausible mechanism of this association. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The Impact of Managerial Environmental Perceptions on Corporate Entrepreneurship: Towards Understanding Discretionary Slack's Pivotal Role

This study seeks to further delineate how a firm's competitive environment influences the firm's pursuit of entrepreneurial activities. To do so, we develop and test a parsimonious model that establishes the role of discretionary slack as a salient mediating mechanism through which managerial environmental perceptions influence corporate entrepreneurship. In addition, we examine two contingencies that further explain discretionary slack's impact on corporate entrepreneurship, including managements' market sensing capacity and use of outcome-based incentives. Using single- and multi-source survey data from 495 small- to medium-sized firms, we find support for our model and its associated hypotheses. Specifically, we find that discretionary slack is significantly influenced by managerial perceptions of environmental munificence and dynamism and, in turn, mediates the impact of these perceptions on corporate entrepreneurship. In addition, we find that discretionary slack's impact on corporate entrepreneurship is significantly enhanced by managements' market sensing capacity but, interestingly, not by outcome-based incentives.
Physiological response to anaerobicity of glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, in which one or both of the genes encoding the two isoforms of NAD-dependent glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase had been deleted, were studied in aerobic batch cultures and in aerobic-anaerobic step change experiments. The respirofermentative growth rates under aerobic conditions with semisynthetic medium (20 g of glucose per liter) of two single mutants, gpd1 delta and gpd2 delta, and the parental strain (mu = 0.5 h-1) were almost identical, whereas the growth rate of a double mutant, gpd1 delta gpd2 delta, was approximately half that of the parental strain. Upon a step change from aerobic to anaerobic conditions in the exponential growth phase, the specific carbon dioxide evolution rates (CER) of the wild-type strain and the gpd1 delta strain were almost unchanged. The gpd2 delta mutant showed an immediate, large (> 50%) decrease in CER upon a change to anaerobic conditions. However, after about 45 min the CER increased again, although not to the same level as under aerobic conditions. The gpd1 delta gpd2 delta mutant showed a drastic fermentation rate decrease upon a transition to anaerobic conditions. However, the CER values increased to and even exceeded the aerobic levels after the addition of acetoin. High-pressure liquid chromatographic analyses demonstrated that the added acetoin served as an acceptor of reducing equivalents by being reduced to butanediol. The results clearly show the necessity of glycerol formation as a redox sink for S. cerevisiae under anaerobic conditions.
Development of enhancer trap lines for functional analysis of the rice genome.

Enhancer trapping has provided a powerful strategy for identifying novel genes and regulatory elements. In this study, we adopted an enhancer trap system, consisting of the GAL4/VP16-UAS elements with GUS as the reporter, to generate a trapping population of rice. Currently, 31 443 independent transformants were obtained from two cultivars using Agrobacterium-mediated T-DNA insertion. PCR tests and DNA blot hybridization showed that about 94% of the transformants contained T-DNA insertions. The transformants carried, on average, two copies of the T-DNA, and 42% of the transformants had single-copy insertions. Histochemical assays of approximately 1000 T0 plants revealed various patterns of the reporter gene expression, including expression in only one tissue, and simultaneously in two or more tissues. The expression pattern of the reporter gene in T1 families corresponded well with the T0 plants and segregated in a 3 : 1 Mendelian ratio in majority of the T1 families tested. The frequency of reporter gene expression in the enhancer trap lines was much higher than that in gene trap lines reported previously. Analysis of flanking sequences of T-DNA insertion sites from about 200 transformants showed that almost all the sequences had homology with the sequences in the rice genome databases. Morphologically conspicuous mutations were observed in about 7.5% of the 2679 T1 families that were field-tested, and segregation in more than one-third of the families fit the 3 : 1 ratio. It was concluded that GAL4/VP16-UAS elements provided a useful system for enhancer trap in rice.
Word count : 4273 Number of tables : 3 Number of figures : 1 Number of supplementary files : 4 Conflict

Affiliations: 1 Norwegian National Advisory Unit on Women’s Health, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway. 2 Cancer Registry of Norway, Institute of Population-based Cancer Research, Oslo, Norway. 3 Section for Reproductive Medicine, Department of Gynecology, Oslo University Hospital, Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway. 4 IVF-klinikken Oslo, Sørkedalsveien 10A, 0369 Oslo, Norway 5 Division of Cancer Epidemiology & Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, U.S.A. 6 Department of Pharmacoepidemiology, Division of Mental and Physical Health; Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway.