Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Global Gains from Trade Liberalization

What has been the overall global welfare impact of the accession to the World Trade Organization of a large country like China, or the global welfare impact of the completion of the Uruguay round of GATT negotiations? Can we come up with a simple user-friendly formula to calculate the global welfare impact of the simultaneous trade liberalization of a number of countries? How sensitive is the answer to the assumption of the trade model? We find a striking answer to these questions. We find that, for a very broad class of models and settings, the global welfare impact of trade liberalization in a country, or a simultaneous liberalization of a number of countries, is given by the same simple formula. We find that the global welfare impact of the simultaneous trade liberalization of different countries only depends on two sets of statistics: (i) the ratio of the value of bilateral trade between each and every pair of trading partners and global income; and (ii) the change in exporting cost for each and every pair of trading partners. Most interestingly, the formula applies to a very broad class of models and settings, which include the general Ricardian model (including, for example, Anderson, 1979, and Eaton and Kortum, 2002), the models of Krugman (1980), Melitz (2003) and its extensions, and the extensions of these models to the multi-sectoral case, multi-factor production technology, multi-stage production, the existence of tradable intermediate goods and the existence of a large outside good sector in each country. We find that global welfare would have been 0.05% lower in the year 2008 if China had not gained accession to the WTO in 2001.
The impact of RNA stabilization on minimal residual disease assessment in chronic myeloid leukemia.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Accurate quantification of BCR-ABL mRNA is of critical importance for managing patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) who are receiving imatinib therapy. RNA degradation thus constitutes a potential problem for laboratories quantifying minimal residual disease (MRD). Patients' samples that take a long time to be transported from the hospital to the analyzing laboratory may be subject to RNA degradation with a corresponding loss in sensitivity and possible generation of false negative results. Recently, RNA preservation systems have been developed in order to improve RNA stability. The aim of the present study was to investigate such a system. DESIGN AND METHODS We evaluated the performance of the PAXgene Blood RNA Kit in follow-up CML peripheral blood samples and compared the results to those from unstabilized parallel Trizol extracted samples. The different sample processing methods were evaluated by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis. RESULTS RNA isolated with the PAXgene system gave a superior yield per milliliter of blood than did the routine Trizol extraction method. However, although of comparable quality, the RNA did not PCR-amplify as efficiently as equal amounts of RNA from routinely processed samples. Therefore, RNA processed with the PAXgene system showed decreased sensitivity for MRD detection, resulting in false negative results. The sensitivity was comparable to that of samples processed routinely 20-30 hours after phlebotomy. INTERPRETATION AND CONCLUSIONS We conclude that routinely processed, i.e. unstabilized, peripheral blood that reaches the laboratory and is processed within 30 hours is preferable for MRD detection. Optimal results were achieved with fresh samples processed within 5 hours with the Trizol method. However, RNA stabilization may be useful if sample transit is expected to exceed 30 hours.
Blood pressure in late adolescence and early incidence of coronary heart disease and stroke in the Swedish 1969 conscription cohort

Objectives The association between blood pressure measured in late adolescence and early incidence of coronary heart disease and stroke was investigated in Swedish men. We used measures of systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, mean arterial pressure, and pulse pressure. Method Information on blood pressure at age 18–20 was obtained from a cohort of 49 321 men born in 1949–1951 examined at conscription in 1969/1970. Information on coronary heart disease, acute myocardial infarction, and stroke during 1971–2004 was obtained from national hospital discharge and cause of death registers. Associations between blood pressure and outcomes were estimated with Cox regression as hazard ratios per standard deviation in blood pressure increase in mmHg. Results Blood pressure at age 18–20 was found to be associated with coronary heart disease and stroke before 55 years of age. Adjustment for childhood socio-economic position and adolescent smoking, body mass index, and cognitive ability attenuated the associations. Systolic blood pressure was associated with coronary heart disease [hazard ratio (95% confidence interval) 1.09 (1.04, 1.15)] and acute myocardial infarction [1.09 (1.02, 1.17)]. Diastolic blood pressure was associated with coronary heart disease [1.06 (1.00, 1.11)], acute myocardial infarction [1.08 (1.01, 1.15)], and stroke [1.12 (1.04, 1.21)]. Blood pressure measured as mean arterial pressure was significantly associated with coronary heart disease and almost significantly associated with stroke. Pulse pressure had the weakest associations with all outcomes. Conclusion Measures of blood pressure in late adolescence were found to be associated with early incidence of coronary heart disease and stroke. Prediction of outcomes differed between measures.
Mechanism of a Hair Cell Bioinspired Sensor with Ultrasensitivity to Weak and Low Frequency Vibration Signals

Although significant progresses have been made in sensor technology, it is still a challenging task to develop ultrasensitive sensors to monitor very weak and low frequency vibration signal for early warning of natural disasters and efficient structural health monitoring of infrastructures. It has been reported from previous experiments that some fishes have acute sensitivities to extremely low frequency linear acceleration due to the otolith organs of the inner ear. In this paper, based on the experimental results and qualitative mechanism of the infrasound sensitivity of some fishes conducted by other researchers, a bioinspired gating spring model with negative stiffness is established to simulate the mechanical-electricity transduction of the hair cell in fish ear. Then, numerical analyses of the mechanical model subject to static and dynamic loading are conducted, respectively. It is shown that the gating model has adaptive amplification capability to weak and low frequency excitation compared with the corresponding linear model. This mechanism can be used for the design of bioinspired ultrasensitive sensors for monitoring weak and low frequency vibration signal.
Catabolite control of the elevation of PGK mRNA levels by heat shock in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Heat shock enhances the very high level of transcription of the phosphoglycerate kinase (PGK) gene in fermentative cultures of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This response of PGK mRNA levels was not found on gluconeogenic carbon sources, and could be switched on or off subject to availability of fermentable carbon source. The addition of glucose to yeast growing on glycerol resulted in acquisition, within 30–60 min, of the ability to elevate PGK mRNA levels after heat shock. In addition, in aerobic cultures growing on glucose the exhaustion of the medium glucose coincided with a loss of the heat‐shock effect on PGK mRNA and a switch‐over to slower growth by aerobic respiration. Levels of hsp26 mRNA were analysed during these experiments.
Glaucoma detection with matrix and standard achromatic perimetry

Background: Matrix perimetry is a new iteration of frequency-doubling technology (FDT) which uses a smaller target size in the standard achromatic perimetry presentation pattern. Aim: To compare the performance of matrix and Swedish interactive thresholding algorithm (SITA) perimetry in detecting glaucoma diagnosed by structural assessment. Design: Prospective cross-sectional study. Methods: 76 eyes from 15 healthy subjects and 61 consecutive glaucoma suspects and patients with glaucoma were included. All patients underwent optic nerve head (ONH) photography, SITA and matrix perimetries, and optical coherence tomography (OCT) within a 6-month period. Glaucoma diagnosis was established by either glaucomatous optic neuropathy or OCT by assessing retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) thickness. Mean deviation (MD), pattern standard deviation (PSD), glaucoma hemifield test and cluster of abnormal testing locations were recorded from matrix and SITA perimetries. Results: Similar correlations were observed with matrix and SITA perimetry MD and PSD with either cup-to-disc ratio or OCT mean RNFL. The area under the receiver operating characteristic (AROC) curves of MD and PSD for discriminating between healthy and glaucomatous eyes ranged from 0.69 to 0.81 for matrix perimetry and from 0.75 to 0.77 for SITA perimetry. There were no significant differences among any corresponding matrix and SITA perimetry AROCs. Conclusions: Matrix and SITA perimetries had similar capabilities for distinguishing between healthy and glaucomatous eyes regardless of whether the diagnosis was established by ONH or OCT–RNFL assessment.
The Thebesian valve: Gatekeeper to the coronary sinus

Clinical cardiac procedures such as electrophysiology studies, catheter ablation of arrhythmias, retrograde cardioplegia delivery, cardiac resynchronization therapy and, more recently, percutaneous mitral annuloplasty, involve cannulation of the coronary sinus (CS). The presence of a membrane closing the orifice of the CS may cause difficulties during these interventions. Thus, detailed knowledge of the variations and anomalies of the valve of the CS, or the Thebesian valve, now has practical significance. To improve our understanding of this structure, classic anatomical dissection of 50 hearts from dissection room cadavers was performed. A Thebesian valve was present in the overwhelming majority (88%) of cases. Its morphology varied widely, from a few small strands of tissue, to a membrane covering more than half the CS ostium. A significant number (20%) of valves occluded >65% of the ostium, making them “potential complicating factors” in cannulation of the CS. An understanding of these anatomical variations may help in identifying and overcoming potential difficulties during clinical cardiac interventions. Clin. Anat. 25:379–385, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Prospective Evaluation of Agreement and Accuracy in the Diagnosis of Meniscal Tears: MR Arthrography a Short Time After Injection Versus CT Arthrography After a Moderate Delay.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to compare the performance of direct CT arthrography performed after a moderate injection delay with that of MR arthrography performed soon after injection in the diagnosis of meniscal tears. SUBJECTS AND METHODS Twenty-five patients underwent direct MR arthrography followed by same-day CT arthrography of the knee. Two blinded musculoskeletal radiologists independently reviewed the MR and CT arthrographic images for the presence of medial or lateral meniscal tears in the anterior horn, body, and posterior horn. Their readings were compared with a reference standard reading, which was based on post-MRI arthroscopic findings (n = 11) or the consensus opinion of two other musculoskeletal radiologists who simultaneously reviewed the paired CT and MR arthrographic examinations using all available clinical, surgical, and imaging information. The individual and combined radiologist agreements with the reference standard were calculated for each modality. RESULTS Interreader agreement was 91% for MR arthrography and 85% for CT arthrography. The overall combined radiologist agreement with the reference standard was 91% for MR arthrography and 86% for CT arthrography (p = 0.03). For the two readers, the overall accuracy rates for diagnosing a meniscal tear were 82% and 88% with MR arthrography and 74% and 76% with CT arthrography. Only 50% (3/6) of surgically proven tears imbibed gadolinium. CONCLUSION Although MR arthrography performed soon after the contrast injection had higher interreader agreement and greater accuracy, CT arthrography performed after a mean postinjection delay of 100 minutes was moderately accurate in the diagnosis of meniscal tears and can be used as an alternative procedure when MR arthrography cannot be completed.
The relationship between collective climate, organisational commitment and intention to stay

A need was identified for a proactive strategy for reducing voluntary turnover levels within the mining industry. From the onset it was established that a multi-dimensional approach would be the most appropriate. Organisational commitment and organizational climate were identified as variables that were likely to influence intentions to stay. Moreover, it was hypothesised that organisational climate would directly influence organisational commitment levels. Both organisational climate and organisational commitment have been subjected to considerable controversy with respect to conceptual and methodological issues. This has resulted in the diverse array of approaches currently found in the literature and has threatened the usefulness of both constructs. An overview of existing literature indicated that little is known regarding the relationship between organisational climate, organisational commitment and intention to stay within the specific industry. The current study therefore investigated the existing relationship between collective climate, organisational climate and intent to stay within the mining industry. Research objectives were achieved by means of hierarchical cluster analysis, canonical correlational analysis and standard multiple regressions. All measures were subjected to confirmatory factor analysis. The results indicated that multiple collective climates existed in the various departments. A positive relationship was found between collective climate and organisational commitment, as well as between collective climate and intent to stay. Stellenbosch University http://scholar.sun.ac.za
Safety Without Suspensions

Disruptive behavior consistently tops the list of teachers' and parents' concerns about education. In an effort to address this concern, many U.S. schools began adopting zero-tolerance policies in the 1990s, which led to substantial increases in out-of-school suspensions and expulsions (Wald & Losen, 2003). These policies have sparked controversy because of racial disparities in suspension and expulsion rates as well as incidents in which students have been suspended or expelled for seemingly trivial infractions, such as making a paper gun (American Psychological Association, 2006). In today's climate, principals seem to face a tough choice between keeping their school safe and ensuring that all students have continued educational opportunity. September 2008
Relationship of physical symptoms and physical functioning to depression in patients with heart failure.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to determine the relative contribution of physical symptoms and physical functioning to depression in adult patients with heart failure during hospitalization and the early postdischarge period. DESIGN An exploratory, correlational longitudinal design was used. PATIENTS The sample included 170 subjects with heart failure. RESULTS Subjects' mean scores on the depression scale indicated that subjects were not depressed on average; however, 30% of the sample (n = 52) had scores indicative of clinical depression. Both physical symptoms (r = 0.48) and physical functioning (r = -0.32) were moderately correlated with depression. Physical symptoms contributed 13% uniquely to the variance in depression while physical functioning contributed only 2% uniquely to the variance in depression. Multiple regression analyses indicated that physical symptomatology is more closely related to depression than is physical functioning in adults with heart failure. CONCLUSIONS This study showed the patients with heart failure who had increased physical symptoms and poorer physical functioning reported increased symptoms of depression. Physical symptoms explained a greater portion of the variance in depression than did physical functioning. Thus, it appears that patients with heart failure are affected emotionally by both their physical symptoms and their limitations in their physical functioning, but depression is more strongly related to having more physical symptoms than having greater limitations in physical functioning.
Subclass‐specific formation of perineuronal nets around parvalbumin‐expressing GABAergic neurons in Ammon's horn of the mouse hippocampus

Perineuronal nets (PNNs) are closely associated with parvalbumin‐positive (PV+) neurons, and play a major role in controlling developmental neural plasticity. Considering the recent advances in classification of PV+ neurons, here we aimed to clarify whether PNNs might be associated with specific subclasses of PV+ neurons in the hippocampus. In this study, we labeled PNNs by Wisteria floribunda agglutinin (WFA), and classified PV+ neurons based on the combination of cellular location, molecular expression (neuropeptide Y [NPY], somatostatin [SOM], special AT‐rich sequence‐binding protein‐1 [SATB1]), and retrograde tracing through stereotaxic injection of Fluoro‐Gold (FG) into the medial septum. The criteria of each subclass can be summarized as follows: axo‐axonic cells, PV+/SATB1–/NPY– cells in the stratum pyramidale; basket cells, PV+/SATB1+/NPY– cells in the stratum pyramidale; bistratified cells, PV+/SATB1+/NPY+ cells in the stratum pyramidale; oriens‐lacunosum‐moleculare (O‐LM) cells, PV+/SOM+/FG– cells in the stratum oriens; hippocampo‐septal projection (H‐S) cells, and PV+/SOM+/FG+ cells in the stratum oriens. The ratios of formation of WFA+ PNNs around each subclass of PV+ neurons were estimated according to the optical disector principle. The vast majority (over 90%) of putative PV+ basket cells were surrounded by PNNs, while only a minor population (less than 10%) of putative PV+ axo‐axonic, O‐LM, and H‐S cells were enwrapped with PNNs. The ratios of formation of PNNs around putative PV+ bistratified cells were intermediate (25–50%). These findings indicate that PNNs may be specifically associated with PV+ basket cells, and also provide a key to understand the functional significance of PNNs and PV+ neurons in the hippocampus. J. Comp. Neurol. 523:790–804, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Spillovers geográficos y sectoriales de la industria

El objetivo del presente trabajo es analizar la concentracion geografica de la industria espanola para determinar el alcance de los spillovers entre empresas que podrian estar detras de dichos procesos de aglomeracion. Para la realizacion de este estudio hemos utilizado la metodologia propuesta por Maurel y Sedillot (1999), metodologia que esta fuertemente vinculada con la planteada con anterioridad por Ellison y Glaeser (1997). El estudio se contra en dos cuestiones: a) analizar si los spillovers trascienden el nivel provincial y b) examinar si dichas externalidades alcanzan unicamente a las empresas integradas dentro de un sector o si, por el contrario, afectan a otros sectores relacionados.
Effect of BPV1 E2-mediated inhibition of E6/E7 expression in HPV16-positive cervical carcinoma cells.

OBJECTIVE E6 and E7 proteins of high-risk-type human papillomavirus are major etiological agents for cervical carcinomas and are continuously expressed in those cancer cells. They inhibit cell cycle control functions by inactivating p53 and Rb proteins and also immortalize cells through the induction of telomerase activity. Expression of E6 and E7 genes in HeLa, an HPV18-positive cell line, has been shown to be inhibited by the E2 protein of bovine papillomavirus (BPV1), and this resulted in the activation of the p53-mediated growth inhibitory pathway followed by an inhibition of cell proliferation. In this study, the effect of BPV1 E2-mediated inhibition of E6 and E7 expression was examined in HPV16-positive cervical carcinoma cell lines recently established from Korean patients. METHODS BPV1 E2 was expressed in the test cells through acute infection of an SV40-BPV1 recombinant virus. Its effect on cell proliferation was assessed through MTT and DNA synthesis assays, and the status of factors involved in cell cycle control was examined through Western blotting and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS BPV1 E2 expression caused a significant decrease in E6/E7 transcription in all three cell lines. This was accompanied by an increase in the levels of p53 protein and activity and a decrease in the expression of Cdc25A, a Cdk2-activating phosphatase. Concomitantly, E2F1 activity and cellular DNA synthesis capacity were significantly reduced. CONCLUSIONS These results indicate that inhibition of E6/E7 gene expression in the HPV16-positive cervical carcinoma cells induces suppression in cell proliferation by activating the growth inhibitory factors, p53 and Rb, and also by downregulating the cell cycle stimulatory factor, Cdc25A.
Substrate determinants for cleavage in cis and in trans by the hepatitis C virus NS3 proteinase

Processing of the hepatitis C virus polyprotein is accomplished by a series of cotranslational and posttranslational cleavages mediated by host cell signalases and two virally encoded proteinases. Of these the NS3 proteinase is essential for processing at the NS3/4A, NS4A/4B, NS4B/5A, and NS5A/5B junctions. Processing between NS3 and NS4A occurs in cis, implying an intramolecular reaction mechanism, whereas cleavage at the other sites can also be mediated in trans. Sequence analysis of the amino termini of mature cleavage products and comparisons of amino acid residues around the scissile bonds of various hepatitis C virus isolates identified amino acid residues which might contribute to substrate specificity and processing efficiency: an acidic amino acid at the P6 position, a Thr or Cys at the P1 position, and a Ser or Ala at the P1' position. To study the importance of these residues for NS3-mediated cleavage we have undertaken a mutational analysis using an NS3'-5B polyprotein expressed by recombinant vaccinia viruses in mammalian cells. For all NS3-dependent cleavage sites P1 substitutions had the most drastic effects on cleavage efficiency, showing that amino acid residues at this position are the most critical substrate determinants. Since less drastic effects were found for substitutions at the P1' position, these residues appear to be less important for proper cleavage. For all cleavage sites the P6 acidic residue was dispensable, suggesting that it is not essential for substrate recognition and subsequent cleavage. Analysis of a series of mutations at the NS3/4A site revealed great flexibility for substitutions compared with more stringent requirements at the trans cleavage sites. On the basis of these results we propose a model in which processing in cis is determined primarily by polyprotein folding, whereas cleavage in trans is governed not only by the structure of the polyprotein but also by specific interactions between the proteinase and the polyprotein substrate at or around the scissile bond.