Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Specific oral tolerance induction in food allergic children: is oral desensitisation more effective than allergen avoidance?

Objective To determine whether specific oral tolerance induction (SOTI) is more effective than avoidance in inducing tolerance in children aged 0–18 years who have immunoglobulin E (IgE)–mediated food allergy. Data sources MEDLINE (1950 to July 2009), EMBASE (1980 to July 2009) and all EBM Reviews: Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, ACP Journal Club, Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects, Cochrane Methodology Register, Health Technology Assessment and NHS Economic Evaluation Database (from start date to November 2008). The online table of contents (November 2003 to July 2009) of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Pediatric Allergy and Immunology and Allergy were also searched, and reference lists of retrieved articles were scrutinised for relevant studies. Study selection Randomised controlled trials (RCT) were included providing they enrolled children with IgE-mediated food allergy diagnosed using the criterion standard tool (double-blind placebo-controlled food challenge) before randomisation and also compared posttreatment tolerance between groups using the criterion standard measures. Results Three studies met the inclusion criteria, and two proved a statistically significant reduction in endpoint allergy (determined by oral food challenge) after SOTI compared with the control. The meta-analysis of the included studies found a lower RR of allergy after SOTI, but this did not meet statistical significance (0.606783; 95% CI 0.317733 to 1.158791). Conclusions SOTI cannot yet be recommended in routine practice as a means to induce tolerance in children with IgE-mediated food allergy. Further research is needed using large, high-quality RCT that investigate a variety of food allergens and assesses the long-term efficacy, safety and cost-effectiveness of SOTI.
The Effect of Antitrust Investigations on Discretionary Accruals: A Refined Test of the Political-Cost Hypothesis

SYNOPSIS AND INTRODUCTION: The antitrust laws of the United States prohibit monopolies or attempts to create a monopoly in any unregulated line of business. In the past, the two agencies that enforce these laws, the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission, have relied on accounting profits in prosecuting such antitrust violations. The agencies argued that high accounting rates of return were "excessive" and indicative of monopolistic power on the part of the firm. Thus, to reduce the possibility of an unfavorable ruling and the costs associated with it, managers in firms investigated for monopoly-related violations would have incentive to use accounting procedures (e.g., accounting methods, accruals) that produce abnormally low levels of income. Because the incentive to reduce income will increase as the threat of an unfavorable ruling becomes more imminent, it is expected that managers will take additional steps to lower income while being actively investigated, compared with periods of noninvestigation. The differences in political costs caused by the antitrust investigation are used to provide a refined test of the political-cost hypothesis. In particular, the study examines, on a longitudinal basis, whether managers respond to these investigations by adjusting their discretionary accruals. The discretionary accruals for 48 firms that were investigated for monopoly-related violations were estimated over a 15-year period by using the residuals of a fixed effects covariance model that regressed total accruals on the change in sales, the fixed asset balance, and dummy variables
Phylogenetic revision of Minyomerus Horn, 1876 sec. Jansen & Franz, 2015 (Coleoptera, Curculionidae) using taxonomic concept annotations and alignments

Abstract This contribution adopts the taxonomic concept annotation and alignment approach. Accordingly, and where indicated, previous and newly inferred meanings of taxonomic names are individuated according to one specific source. Articulations among these concepts and pairwise, logically consistent alignments of original and revisionary classifications are also provided, in addition to conventional nomenclatural provenance information. A phylogenetic revision of the broad-nosed weevil genera Minyomerus Horn, 1876 sec. O’Brien & Wibmer (1982), and Piscatopus Sleeper, 1960 sec. O’Brien & Wibmer (1982) (Curculionidae [non-focal]: Entiminae [non-focal]: Tanymecini [non-focal]) is presented. Prior to this study, Minyomerus sec. O’Brien & Wibmer (1982) contained seven species, whereas the monotypic Piscatopus sec. O’Brien & Wibmer (1982) was comprised solely of Piscatopus griseus Sleeper, 1960 sec. O’Brien & Wibmer (1982). We thoroughly redescribe these recognized species-level entities and furthermore describe ten species as new to science: Minyomerus bulbifrons sec. Jansen & Franz (2015) (henceforth: [JF2015]), sp. n. , Minyomerus aeriballux [JF2015], sp. n. , Minyomerus cracens [JF2015], sp. n. , Minyomerus gravivultus [JF2015], sp. n. , Minyomerus imberbus [JF2015], sp. n. , Minyomerus reburrus [JF2015], sp. n. , Minyomerus politus [JF2015], sp. n. , Minyomerus puticulatus [JF2015], sp. n. , Minyomerus rutellirostris [JF2015], sp. n. , and Minyomerus trisetosus [JF2015], sp. n. A cladistic analysis using 46 morphological characters of 22 terminal taxa (5/17 outgroup/ingroup) yielded a single most-parsimonious cladogram (L = 82, CI = 65, RI = 82). The analysis strongly supports the monophyly of Minyomerus [JF2015] with eight unreversed synapomorphies, and places Piscatopus griseus sec. O’Brien & Wibmer (1982) within the genus as sister to Minyomerus rutellirostris [JF2015]. Accordingly, Piscatopus sec. Sleeper (1960), syn. n. is changed to junior synonymy of Minyomerus [JF2015], and its sole member Piscatopus griseus sec. Sleeper (1960) is moved to Minyomerus [JF2015] as Minyomerus griseus [JF2015], comb. n. In addition, the formerly designated type Minyomerus innocuus Horn, 1876 sec. Pierce (1913), syn. n. is changed to junior synonymy of Minyomerus microps (Say, 1831) [JF2015] which has priority. The genus is widespread throughout western North America, ranging from Canada to Mexico and Baja California. Apparent patterns of interspecific diversity of exterior and genitalic morphology, varying host plant ranges, overlapping and widely extending species distributions, suggest an early origin for Minyomerus [JF2015], with a diversification that likely followed the development of North American desert biomes. Three species in the genus – i.e., Minyomerus languidus Horn, 1876 [JF2015], Minyomerus microps [JF2015], and Minyomerus trisetosus [JF2015] – are putatively considered parthenogenetic.
Expression of inhibin/activin subunits and follistatin messenger ribonucleic acids and proteins in ovarian follicles and the corpus luteum during the human menstrual cycle.

The physiological role of intraovarian activin (beta/beta) and inhibin (alpha/beta) dimers in humans in unclear. The identification of follistatin as a beta-subunit-specific high affinity binding protein has added complexities for the interpretation of in vitro studies concerning the functionalities of these ovarian peptides. We, therefore, have attempted to define in vivo compartmental distributions of gene expression and protein localization for inhibin and activin subunits (alpha, beta A, and beta B) concurrent with follistatin in ovarian follicles and corpus lutea obtained from a large number of human ovaries. In situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry were used for detecting the expression of genes encoding inhibin/activin subunits and follistatin and their gene products, the proteins. Granulosa cells of small antral follicles (1-8 mm) were found to express mRNA for alpha-, beta A-, and beta B-subunits as well as follistatin, and the strongest signals were localized in the cumulus granulosa cells. In the thecal cell layer, only alpha-subunit mRNA was detected. Proteins were localized in cellular compartments corresponding to their mRNA, but in addition, proteins for beta A-subunit and follistatin were detected in the thecal cell layers in the absence of gene expression, an observation compatible with a paracrine action. Thus, granulosa cells of the small antral follicle have the potential to form all dimers of inhibin and activin, and their autocrine and paracrine actions may be modulated by follistatin in both granulosa cell and thecal cell layers. With the development of a dominant follicle, remarkable switches in subunit gene expressions occurred; beta B-subunit mRNA was no longer detectable in any cell type, and beta A-subunit expression emerged in the thecal cells along with continued abundant expression of beta A-subunit and follistatin in the granulosa cells. Proteins were found only in granulosa cells corresponding to their mRNAs. In the corpus luteum, the inhibin/activin alpha- and beta A-subunits and follistatin mRNA and proteins were expressed exclusively in the luteinized granulosa cells. Luteinized thecal cells were devoid of detectable mRNA message or proteins. Thus, the inhibin-activin-follistatin system in the corpus luteum appears to function in an autocrine fashion. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Multiparametric MRI of prostate cancer: An update on state‐of‐the‐art techniques and their performance in detecting and localizing prostate cancer

Magnetic resonance (MR) examinations of men with prostate cancer are most commonly performed for detecting, characterizing, and staging the extent of disease to best determine diagnostic or treatment strategies, which range from biopsy guidance to active surveillance to radical prostatectomy. Given both the exam's importance to individual treatment plans and the time constraints present for its operation at most institutions, it is essential to perform the study effectively and efficiently. This article reviews the most commonly employed modern techniques for prostate cancer MR examinations, exploring the relevant signal characteristics from the different methods discussed and relating them to intrinsic prostate tissue properties. Also, a review of recent articles using these methods to enhance clinical interpretation and assess clinical performance is provided. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2013;37:1035–1054. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Short‐term natural history of high‐risk human papillomavirus infection in mid‐adult women sampled monthly

Characterizing short‐term HPV detection patterns and viral load may inform HPV natural history in mid‐adult women. From 2011–2012, we recruited women aged 30–50 years. Women submitted monthly self‐collected vaginal samples for high‐risk HPV DNA testing for 6 months. Positive samples were tested for type‐specific HPV DNA load by real‐time PCR. HPV type‐adjusted linear and Poisson regression assessed factors associated with (i) viral load at initial HPV detection and (ii) repeat type‐specific HPV detection. One‐hundred thirty‐nine women (36% of 387 women with ≥4 samples) contributed 243 type‐specific HR HPV infections during the study; 54% of infections were prevalent and 46% were incident. Incident (vs. prevalent) detection and past pregnancy were associated with lower viral load, whereas current smoking was associated with higher viral load. In multivariate analysis, current smoking was associated with a 40% (95% CI: 5–87%) increase in the proportion of samples that were repeatedly positive for the same HPV type, whereas incident (vs. prevalent) detection status and past pregnancy were each associated with a reduction in the proportion of samples repeatedly positive (55%, 95% CI: 38–67% and 26%, 95% CI: 10–39%, respectively). In a separate multivariate model, each log10 increase in viral load was associated with a 10% (95% CI: 4–16%) increase in the proportion of samples repeatedly positive. Factors associated with repeat HPV detection were similar to those observed in longer‐term studies, suggesting that short‐term repeat detection may relate to long‐term persistence. The negative associations between incident HPV detection and both viral load and repeat detection suggest that reactivation or intermittent persistence was more common than new acquisition.
Article Commentary: Further Research Needed to Support a Policy of Antiretroviral Therapy as An HIV Prevention Initiative

The results from the HPTN 052 trial have increased the focus on use of antiretroviral therapy (ART) for prevention of HIV transmission; however, condom use also effectively prevents HIV transmission. Studies in heterosexual serodiscordant couples with viral suppression have so far only reported follow-up data for 330 couple-years when condoms were not being used. Data are even more limited for anal sex in men who have sex with men. Additional data on the effectiveness of ART as prevention when practicing condom-less sex is urgently needed.
Planning Gain: Providing Infrastructure and Affordable Housing

Winner of the Royal Town Planning Institute award for research excellence This critical examination of the development and implementation of planning gain is timely given recent changes to the economic and policy environment. The book looks both at the British context as well as experience in other developed economies and takes stock of how the policy has evolved. It examines the rationale for planning gain, how it has delivered substantial funds for infrastructure and affordable housing and, in the light of this, how it might continue to play a role in the funding of these. It also draws on overseas experience, for example on impact fees and public sector land assembly. It looks at lessons from the past for future policy, both for Britain and for countries overseas.
The Effects of CEO Pay Transparency in France: Benchmarking, 'Catching-Up', and Outsider Scrutiny

The study investigates the evolution of CEO pay after the implementation of new disclosure rules in France. It opposes a managerial labor market view in which firms compete for CEO talent, and a governance institutions view that embraces managerial power, outrage constraint, and agency issues. The findings first show that closely-monitored and below-average CEOs make the most of benchmarking to catch up to their peers. The catch-up effect is partly driven by competition for talent but also by imitation and perceived fairness. Second, public disclosure places CEO pay under outsider scrutiny, producing two distinct effects: most powerful and above-average CEOs receive lower pay rises, and minority shareholders pressure firms into rising bonuses for all CEOs. Overall, transparency yields a convergence of pay levels and higher ratios of bonuses.
Rho1‐GEFs Rgf1 and Rgf2 are involved in formation of cell wall and septum, while Rgf3 is involved in cytokinesis in fission yeast

The Rho GTPase acts as a binary molecular switch by converting between a GDP‐bound inactive and a GTP‐bound active conformational state. The guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs) are critical activators of Rho. Rho1 has been shown to regulate actin cytoskeleton and cell wall synthesis in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe. Here we studied function of fission yeast RhoGEFs, Rgf1, Rgf2, and Rgf3. It was shown that these proteins have similar molecular structures, and function as GEFs for Rho1. Disruption of either rgf1 or rgf2 did not show a serious effect on the cell. On the other hand, disruption of rgf3 caused severe defects in contractile ring formation, F‐actin patch localization, and septation during cytokinesis. Rgf1 and Rgf2 were localized to the cell ends during interphase and the septum. Rgf3 formed a ring at the division site, which was located outside the contractile ring and inside the septum where Rho1 was accumulated. In summary, Rgf1 and Rgf2 show functional redundancy, and roles of these RhoGEFs are likely to be different from that of Rgf3. Rho1 is likely to be activated by Rgf3 at the division site, and involved in contractile ring formation and/or maintenance and septation.
Urban food retailing and food prices in Africa: the case of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Purpose Despite the large interest in urban food markets, there are, however still relatively few good studies that have empirically documented the functioning of retail markets in developing countries, especially in Africa. The purpose of this paper is to look in particular at the case of Addis Ababa, a city of more than four million people and the capital of Ethiopia, one of the most populous countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. To better understand urban food retail, the authors rely on a large primary survey. Design/methodology/approach To better understand urban food retail, the authors rely on a large primary survey. Based on a stratified sampling scheme representative for the city as a whole, 1,226 urban food retail outlets were interviewed in March and April 2012. Findings The authors find increasing differentiation in food retail markets in recent years. Despite the prohibition of foreign direct investment in food retail, a domestic modern private retail sector is quickly emerging. However, its share is still very small and, in contrast to roll-outs of modern retail in other countries, it has not yet entered the cereal sector, which remains in the hands of local flour mills, cereal shops, and cooperative retail outlets. The importance of cooperative retail is growing even more rapidly. It is especially important for those products where supply chains are controlled by the government. On the high-end, domestic private modern retail outlets deliver high-quality products at significantly higher prices, ceteris paribus. At the other side, the authors see cooperative retail that delivers food at significantly lower – and subsidized – prices. However, the latter shops are characterized by typical price control problems, reflected in regular lack of supplies and queuing. Research limitations/implications The study is limited to the city of Addis Ababa and it seems useful if similar studies could be conducted in other cities in Africa. Originality/value Despite the large interest in urban food markets, there are still relatively few good studies that have empirically documented the functioning of retail markets in developing countries, especially in Africa. The paper therefore contributes to fill this lacuna by studying urban food retail markets using new and unique data for Africa.
How Well Do You Know Your Personae Non Gratae?

Imagine that you're building a software system that collects healthcare data and financial information from its users. It might seem obvious that this personal information should be protected from prying eyes through access control mechanisms, audit trails, transaction controls, transmission encryption, and so on--in fact, perhaps so obvious that in many cases people perform only a cursory security analysis and produce rather generic security requirements. But is this the right way to build secure software? Are security requirements so similar across projects that we simply don't need to invest the time to explore product-level needs or to document requirements at an individual level for each project? The Web extra at http://youtu.be/qoocRI-7yRQ is an audio podcast in which author Jane Cleland-Huang discusses the importance of making informed decisions about how much time and effort to invest in analyzing security needs and specifying product-level security requirements.
Evaluation of a Common Variant of the Gene Encoding Clara Cell 10 kd Protein (CC10) as a Candidate Determinant for Asthma Severity and Steroid Responsiveness Among Chinese Children

Objective. The gene (SCGB1A1) encoding Clara cell 10-kDa protein (CC10), a steroid-inducible immune modulator, is a candidate gene for asthma, but the evidence is equivocal. The potential influence of a common variant on asthma severity and serum CC10 levels during acute exacerbation and after corticosteroid treatment in Chinese case–control children and its functional relevance was investigated. Methods. Genotyping of a non-coding variant G+38A was performed in 489 children, of whom 277 had asthma with varying severity, and 212 healthy controls. Associations were tested for asthma, asthma severity, and responsiveness to steroid treatment. The transcriptional activity of this variant was examined in a Clara-like cell line (H358) using transient transfection assays. Results. Significant association was observed for the combined GA and AA genotypes of the CC10 G+38A variant and an increased risk of asthma [odds ratio (OR), 2.62, p < . 001]. This association was correlated with asthma severity (moderate: OR, 2.85, p < .001; near-fatal: OR, 4.81, p < .001). Also, patients with the GA and AA genotypes showed significantly lower serum CC10 (p < .01) and provocation concentration causing a 20% fall (PC20) in forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) (p < .0001) when compared with those with the GG. After glucocorticoid treatment, the CC10 levels were significantly increased in asthmatic patients with GG (p < .0001), but not those with the GA and AA genotypes. Moreover, a lower dexamethasone-induced reporter (luciferase) activity was observed for H358 cells transiently transfected with the G38A risk allele (A) compared with wild-type allele (G). Conclusions. These findings suggest that the CC10 G+38A variant may contribute to the severity of asthma and lower level of steroid responsiveness.
Non-technological innovation activities mediate the impacts of the intra- and extra-organizational contexts on technological innovation outputs

This work was supported by Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia’s grant SFRH/BPD/77611/2011 to Ana Ferreira; PEst-OE/SADG/UI4067/2013-2014 to CESNOVA. The authors thank Manuel Lisboa for general support and Catarina Vieira and Mariana Pinho for technical assistance. Ana Ferreira is the corresponding author. Please address all correspondence to: Centro Interdisciplinar de Ciencias Sociais CICS.NOVA - Faculdade de Ciencias Sociais e Humanas - Universidade Nova de Lisboa (CICS.NOVA.FCSH/UNL), Avenida de Berna, 26 C, 1069-061, Lisboa, Portugal