Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Collective investments for pension savings: Lessons from Singapore's Central Provident Fund scheme

Singapore's mandatory national defined contribution pension system permits participants to invest their retirement savings in a wide range of investment instruments if they wish, rather than leaving their savings in Central Provident Fund (CPF) accounts to earn interest rates by default. This article asks whether workers seeking to earn higher returns can expect to do better than the CPF-managed default, by moving their money into professionally managed unit trusts. We use historical data to investigate whether fund managers possess superior stock picking and market timing skills, as well as whether they exhibit persistence in performance and offer diversification benefits to participants. The evidence is mixed, which could explain why so few participants opt out of the CPF-run default fund.
The art and science of negotiation

Prologue Part I: Overview 1. Some Organizing Questions 2. Research Perspectives Part II: Two Parties, One Issue 3. Elmtree House 4. Analytical Models and Empirical Results 5. Settling Out of Court 6. The Role of Time 7. Acquisitions and Mergers 8. Third-Party Intervention 9. Advice for Negotiators Part III: Two Parties, Many Issues 10. AMPO versus City 11. Tradeoffs and Concessions 12. The Panama Canal Negotiations 13. Risk Sharing and Insecure Contracts 14. The Camp David Negotiations 15. Mediation of Conflicts 16. Arbitration of Disputes Part IV: Many Parties, Many Issues 17. Coalition Analysis 18. The Law of the Sea 19. Fair Division 20. Willingness to Pay for a Public Good 21. Environmental Conflict Resolution 22. The Mariner Space Probes 23. Voting Part V: General Concerns 24. Getting People to Communicate 25. Ethical and Moral Issues Epilogue Bibliography Index
Exogenous estrogen protects mice from the consequences of obesity and alcohol

ObjectiveBreast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death among American women. Risk factors for breast cancer include obesity, alcohol consumption, and estrogen therapy. In the present studies, we determine the simultaneous effects of these three risk factors on wingless int (Wnt)-1 mammary tumor growth. MethodsOvariectomized female mice were fed diets to induce different body weights (calorie restricted, low fat, high fat), provided water or 20% alcohol, implanted with placebo or estrogen pellets and injected with Wnt-1 mouse mammary cancer cells. ResultsOur results show that obesity promoted the growth of Wnt-1 tumors and induced fatty liver. Tumors tended to be larger in alcohol-consuming mice and alcohol exacerbated fatty liver in obese mice. Estrogen treatment promoted weight loss in obese mice, which was associated with the suppression of tumor growth and fatty liver. ConclusionsIn summary, we show that estrogen protects against obesity, which is associated with the inhibition of fatty liver and tumor growth.
Severe Traumatic Brain Injury: Some Effects on Family Caregivers

This study assesses the effects of severe traumatic brain injuries on family members and functioning—a topic of interest for those working with survivors and their families. This issue is receiving increased attention as recent findings suggest that family adjustment influences outcome for brain-injured persons. The Family Environment Scale and the Profile of Mood States were completed by 25 individuals who had a family member with a severe traumatic brain injury. These scales were also completed by a comparison group of 32 individuals who had no brain-injured family member. In terms of family functioning, the findings suggest that, when a family member suffers a severe traumatic brain injury, depression may be elevated, along with a decreased ability to express feelings, decreased time and energy for social and recreational activities, and increased control in comparison to families without a brain-injured member. While this might contribute to family isolation which could last for many years, the overall finding of the present study was that caregiver families were coping adequately.
What is the Effect of Performance Measurement on Perceived Accountability Effectiveness in State and Local Government Contracts?

Designing and implementing performance measurement systems in public contracts is not easy. Little evidence is available on what measures work better in producing managerial benefits. This study evaluates the effect of different performance measurement practices on accountability effectiveness in government contracts. The findings suggest that performance measurement has a positive impact on government's ability to effectively manage contracts. More specifically, measuring costs, client impact, service timeliness, and disruptions, as well as specifying detailed processes for service delivery, are associated with higher perceived accountability effectiveness. At the same time, evaluating quality and client satisfaction, and using informal monitoring techniques have a negative impact on accountability effectiveness. The results of this study provide motivation for contract managers to optimize performance monitoring and reduce transaction costs by relying on measures that are more likely to improve contract implementation.
Party Control and Partisan Bias in 1980s Congressional Redistricting

We estimate bias and responsiveness in 1980 and 1982 congressional elections for the nation as a whole and for states grouped according to control of the governorship and state legislature and according to legislative versus court control of the redistricting process. We find that in states where one party controlled the redistricting process, partisan bias moved in a direction favoring the party controlling the redistricting, but the effect was large only for states under unified party control. However, at the national level, redistricting was almost a wash, with a slight pro-Democratic bias in 1982 which was lower than that in 1980. These findings contradict views widely expressed in the national press about a strong pro-Democratic national gerry-mander, and also contradict the findings of Abramowitz (1983) that partisan bias in 1980s congressional redistricting was important only in Democratic-controlled states. We show that Abramowitz's conclusions rest on an improper method of estimating bias, one that confounds bias and responsiveness (swing).
3-Amino-1-methylpyrazin-1-ium iodide

In the cation of the title compound, C5H8N3 +·I−, the C—N(H2) bond distance [1.338 (8) Å] is at the lower end of the range for aryl amines. In the crystal structure, cations and anions are linked via N—H⋯I hydrogen bonds, forming centrosymmetric four-component clusters.
Wage policy models: what implications for vulnerable employees?

Purpose - – The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of the employer’s wage policy on the wage dynamics of vulnerable groups of employees at large firms, including younger employees, employees on fixed-term contracts, and employees who take parental leave. Design/methodology/approach - – The first step of the analysis identifies the wage policy models adopted by a sample of large Italian companies by means of a cluster analysis based on firm-level variables that describe the wage level, wage structure, and wage dynamics. The second step estimates the impact of the employer’s wage policy on the wage growth path of matched employees, paying particular attention to groups of vulnerable workers. Findings - – The cluster analysis identifies four clusters whose characteristics reflect ideal types suggested by the literature. The 2SLS wage regressions that examine the impact of the employer’s wage policy model on a matched employee’s wage five years later confirm that the initial employer’s wage policy is a significant determinant of wage dynamics. However, the observed patterns significantly differ between the whole sample and the examined groups of vulnerable employees. Originality/value - – Despite consistent evidence of negative labour market outcomes for vulnerable employees, the impact of firm characteristics on segregation into disadvantaged groups is still under-researched. This paper provides new evidence of how the employer’s wage policy impacts the wage growth path of disadvantaged employees and highlights critical dimensions to reduce the risk of segregation into less favourable segments of the labour market.
Identification of households' barriers to energy saving solutions

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify households' barriers to energy saving solutions. Six types of barriers are introduced. The question to be answered is: what is the strength and relevance of the various barriers for changing consumer energy behaviour? Design/methodology/approach – The method is focus group interviews. Focus groups do not aim at giving a representative picture of the population at large, but aim at recording and documenting a wide range of typical responses and reactions. The focus groups were recruited among a group of people who were actively looking for new dwellings and a reference group of environmentally conscious participants.Findings – Three barriers out of the six proposed were found to be relevant in this study: Cultural‐normative, economic and information.Research limitations/implications – Energy saving solutions are technically and socially complex matters, so it is important to advice and guide consumers to make changes that contribute substantially, rather th.
‘Making a wish’: Children and the local landscape

Abstract The links between children's rights and their participation in environmental decision-making is a growing field of interest. This paper describes findings from a six-month in-depth pilot study with a small group of children aged 6–10 years located in a village in the northeast of England. The focus of this paper is on the relationship of these children with their local landscape and how they felt about involvement in decision-making that might affect that environment. The methodology was child-centred responding to the ‘languages’ of children. Two main findings are discussed in this paper: (a) issues of boundary were particularly important in physical and emotional terms for both children and parents and this had little to do with the rurality of the location; (b) children believe they have special knowledge about the environment, which they may express using a range of communication methods. The author reflects on what implications this might have for the design and layout of local environments generally.
Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2 Attenuates Bleomycin-Induced Lung Fibrosis in Mice

Background: Local renin-angiotensin system (RAS) activation has been shown to play an important role in the pathogenesis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). It has been reported that angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) could inhibit RAS-mediated epithelial injury and fibrogenesis and that ACE2 deficiency could aggravate acute and chronic lung injury. Through research, it could be deduced that ACE2 could protect against pulmonary fibrosis as a therapeutic target. Methods: Time-course analysis of the pathological characteristics of bleomycin-induced lung fibrosis was undertaken in a mouse model, and the effect of exogenous ACE2 on lung fibrosis was studied. Immunohistchemistry (IHC) staining and western blot (WB) testing for AGT and ACE2 were performed to evaluate the regulation of local RAS. TUNEL staining was used to observe epithelial apoptosis. Leukocyte common antigen (LCA) and pulmonary surfactant-associated protein A (SP-A) IHC staining and WB testing were performed to assess the inflammatory response and epithelial regeneration. Masson's staining and a hydroxyproline assay were performed to examine collagen deposition. IHC staining and WB testing for TGF-β1 and α-SMA were performed to investigate the regulation of pro-fibrotic cytokines and the activation of fibroblasts. Results: Exogenous ACE2 attenuated bleomycin-induced lung fibrosis by reversing the reduction of local ACE2 and by suppressing the elevation of AGT. ACE2 decreased the apoptosis index and LCA levels and ameliorated the dynamic change in SP-A level, thus protecting against epithelial injury. Reductions of TGF-β1 and α-SMA were also found in ACE2-treated mice, indicating the inhibition of fibrogenesis. Conclusion: ACE2 attenuated bleomycin-induced lung fibrosis as an anti-inflammatory anti-apoptotic and anti-fibrotic agent, and it might be a promising therapeutic target for IPF.
The U.K.'s Rocky Road to Stability

This paper provides an overview, using extensive documentary material, of developments in U.K. macroeconomic policy in the last half-century. Rather than focusing on well-known recent changes in policy arrangements (such as the introduction of inflation targeting in 1992 or central bank independence in 1997), we instead take a longer perspective, which characterizes the favorable economic performance in the 1990s and 2000s as the culmination of an overhaul of macroeconomic policy since the late 1970s. We stress that policymaking in recent decades has discarded various misconceptions about the macroeconomy and the monetary transmission mechanism that officials held in earlier periods. The misconceptions included: an underestimation of the importance of monetary policy in demand management until 1970; a failure to distinguish real and nominal interest rates until the late 1960s; the deployment until the mid-1980s of ineffective monetary control devices that did not alter the monetary base; and the adherence by policymakers in the 1960s and 1970s to nonmonetary views of the inflation process. We also consider developments in fiscal policy in light of changes in the doctrines underlying U.K. macroeconomic decisions.
The predictive power of peritraumatic dissociation and acute stress symptoms for posttraumatic stress symptoms: a three-month prospective study.

OBJECTIVE The authors prospectively examined the power of peritraumatic dissociation and acute stress symptoms in predicting posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. METHOD Thirty-five assault victims were assessed with the Peritraumatic Dissociative Experiences Questionnaire within 24 hours of the assault. Participants were reassessed 2 weeks after the trauma with the Stanford Acute Stress Reaction Questionnaire and 3 months after the trauma with the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale and the Impact of Event Scale. Correlational analyses and a hierarchical multiple regression were conducted. RESULTS Peritraumatic dissociation and acute stress symptoms were correlated with later PTSD symptoms and diagnosis. Together, peritraumatic dissociation and acute stress symptoms accounted for 33% of the variance in PTSD symptoms. CONCLUSIONS These results support earlier findings that peritraumatic dissociative experiences and acute stress are robust predictors of PTSD. Such symptoms may be of use for identifying at an early stage individuals at highest risk of remaining symptomatic. Future studies should investigate the predictive power of specific peritraumatic and acute stress disorder symptom clusters.
Simultaneous expression of lymphoid and myeloid phenotypes in acute leukemia arising from myelodysplastic syndrome

A 57‐year‐old female developed myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) that terminated as a biphenotypic leukemia after exposure to chemoradiotherapy. Double staining of blast cells, using monoclonal antibodies specific for myeloid and lymphoid lineage, demonstrated that one‐third of the leukemic cells simultaneously expressed the E rosette‐associated antigen (OKT11) and myeloid‐associated antigen (MY7). This finding suggests the possibility that some cases of MDS are clonal disorders that arise in a pluripotent stem cell that can also differentiate to T cell lineage.
Mapping of motor units in experimentally reinnervated rat muscle

The distribution of fibres in the motor units of reinnervated muscle is demonstrated. As shown in some experimental models, the histochemical and atrophic fibre patterns in neurogenic lesions are determined by the morphology of the specific motor units involved. This also helps to explain the alterations of motor unit action currents in neurogenic lesions.
The effect of mental models on creating organizational alignment around a change vision

The Effect of Mental Models On Creating Organizational Alignment Around A Change Vision by William A. Brantley M.B.A., Jones International University, 2002 M.A., George Washington University, 1996 B.A., Eastern Kentucky University, 1990 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Public Policy and Management Walden University August 2009
Molecular cloning and characterization of five opsin genes from the marine flatfish Atlantic halibut (Hippoglossus hippoglossus)

Most molecular studies on the visual system in fish have been performed on freshwater teleosts such as goldfish and zebrafish where cones and rods appear simultaneously. Many marine fishes have long larval phase in the upper pelagic zone before transformation into a juvenile and a benthic life style. The retina at the larval stages consists of only single cone cells; later during metamorphosis double cones and rods develop. The flatfish Atlantic halibut (Hippoglossus hippoglossus) is a typical example of a marine species with such a two-step retina development. In this study, we have cloned five different opsins from Atlantic halibut larvae and juvenile retinas. Sequence comparisons with other opsins and phylogenetic analysis show that the five genes belong to the opsins of long-wavelength sensitive (L); middle-wavelength sensitive, MCone and MRod; and short-wavelength sensitive, SBlue and SUltraviolet, respectively. In situ hybridization analysis reveals expression in double cone (L and MCone), single cone (SBlue and SUltraviolet), and rod (MRod) types of photoreceptor cells in juvenile halibut retina. The visual system in Atlantic halibut seems therefore to have all four types of cone photoreceptors in addition to rod photoreceptors. This work shows for the first time molecular isolation of a complete set of retinal visual pigment genes from a marine teleost and describes the first cloning of an ultraviolet-sensitive opsin type from a marine teleost.
The extent and nature of protein degradation in the tissues during development.

Protein turnover, defined as the degradation and replacement of proteins, appears to vary between most adult species in the same way as metabolic rate, i.e. as W0.75, although it may be a little lower in man. During development in the rat it also varies as metabolic rate. Thus P Total = 14.7 W0.53kg per day. Most of this turnover occurs in nonmuscle tissues (P = 11.3 W0.50kg per day) with protein turnover in muscle described by P = 3.53 W0.69kg per day. Mechanisms for protein degradation in liver and muscle involve lysosomes although the morphology of the lysosomal system in muscle is different from that in liver. However, heterogeneous turnover is a feature of proteins in both issues including the principal myofibrillar proteins. While the reaction order of protein synthesis can reasonably be described as zero order--a fixed rate per unit of DNA--there is less certainty about degradation. It is postulated that structural and functional characteristics of the cytoplasm of cells determine the accessibility of cellular protein to the degrading system. As a result, a first order rate for a particular cell type is fixed, and this determines the magnitude of the protein-DNA ratio or the functional-cell size. The first order degradation rate of the cytoplasmic protein also determines the specific activity of the degrading enzymes.
Multiple disadvantage and wage growth: the effect of merit pay on pay gaps

This article concerns rates of wage growth among women and minority groups and their impact on pay gaps. Specifically, it focuses on the pay progression of people with more than one disadvantaged identity, and on the impact of merit pay. Recent research indicates that pay gaps for people in more than one disadvantaged identity category are wider than those with a single-disadvantaged identity. It is not known whether these gaps are closing, at what rate, and whether all groups are affected equally; nor is it known whether merit pay alleviates or exacerbates existing pay gaps. In addressing these issues, the analysis draws on longitudinal payroll data from a large UK-based organization. Results show that pay gaps are closing; however, the rate of convergence is slow relative to the size of existing pay disparities, and slowest of all for people with disabilities. When the effect of merit pay is isolated, it is found to have a small positive effect in reducing pay gaps, and this effect is generally larger for dual/multiple-disadvantaged groups. These findings run counter to the well-established critique of merit pay in relation to equality outcomes. The implications of this are discussed, and an agenda for research and practice is set out. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Exercise and Children's Health

IN BRIEF: Regular exercise is an important health maintenance strategy for children and adolescents: It facilitates weight control, helps strengthen bones, and can improve cardiovascular risk factors. Mental health may also benefit. An active childhood may also lay the groundwork for a lifetime of fitness. Physicians are in an important position to assess children's weight status and activity levels during a routine physical exam. And, with some simple recommendations to children and parents, they can play a key role in helping young patients find and maintain activities they enjoy, while keeping the risk of injury to a minimum.
Interaction of carbon monoxide with the apoptosis-inducing cytochrome c-cardiolipin complex.

The interaction of mitochondrial cytochrome (cyt) c with cardiolipin (CL) is involved in the initial stages of apoptosis. This interaction can lead to destabilization of the heme-Met80 bond and peroxidase activity [Basova, L. V. , et al. (2007) Biochemistry 46, 3423-3434]. We show that under these conditions carbon monoxide (CO) binds to cyt c, with very high affinity ( approximately 5 x 10(7) M(-1)), in contrast to the native cyt c protein involved in respiratory electron shuttling that does not bind CO. Binding of CO to the cyt c-CL complex inhibits its peroxidase activity. Photodissociated CO from the cyt c-CL complex shows <20% picosecond geminate rebinding and predominantly bimolecular rebinding, with a second-order rate constant of approximately 10(7) M(-1) s(-1), an order of magnitude higher than in myoglobin. These findings contrast with those of Met80X mutant cyt c, where picosecond geminate recombination dominates due to the rigidity of the protein. Our data imply that CL leads to substantial changes in protein conformation and flexibility, allowing access of ligands to the heme. Together with the findings that (a) approximately 30 CL per cyt c are required for full CO binding and (b) salt-induced dissociation indicates that the two negative headgroup charges interact with approximately 5 positive surface charges of the protein, these results are consistent with a CL anchorage model with an acyl chain impaled in the protein [Kalanxhi, E. , and Wallace, C. J. A. (2007) Biochem. J. 407, 179-187]. The affinity of CO for the complex is high enough to envisage an antiapoptotic effect of nanomolar CO concentrations via inhibition of the cyt c peroxidase activity.
Price Formation and Food Safety in U.S. Meat Demand: A Semi-flexible Normalized Quadratic Inverse Demand System

This paper examines the impact of publicized food safety information on consumer price formation of meat (beef, pork, and poultry) and price flexibilities of the meat types. Preliminary analysis indicates that seasonal impact on meat price and some lagged food safety concerns are significant, while contemporaneous food safety concerns are not.