Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Household Finance and the Value of Life

We analyze life-cycle saving strategies with a recursive model that is designed to provide reasonable positive values for the value of a statistical life. With a positive value of life, risk aversion amplifies the impact of uncertain survival on the discount rate, and thus reduces savings. Our model also predicts that risk aversion lowers stock market participation and leads to choose more conservative portfolios.
The base: a case of infrastructural governance of labour outmigration in China

Abstract Since the early 1990s, the Chinese government replaced strict control over outmigration with measures of ‘infrastructural governance’. Instead of dictating who can and who cannot leave, the state manages migration by influencing the sociotechnical conditions of mobility, for instance by defining what responsibilities commercial intermediaries should shoulder and what training a migrant should receive before departure. This article unpacks infrastructural governance by examining the working of ‘base’, or jidi in Chinese. A base is a tight cluster of public and private institutions in a labour source place, designated by the government as an important player in the recruitment of migrant workers. The base manages migration by conditioning the activities that lead to migration, such as how people choose destinations, make payments, and deal with uncertainties in preparing for migration. The base also works on migrants’ relations with family members, village cadres and fellow migrants in order to shape their mobilities. The ethnographic research on the base shows that, infrastructural governance regulates migration effectively, but makes migration more complicated and more costly for the migrants. Infrastructural governance empowers commercial intermediaries and local government, and as such affects broader social relations in the community.
Exenatide therapy and the risk of pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer in a privately insured population.

BACKGROUND Postmarketing reports have linked exenatide use with acute pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer, but a definitive relationship has yet to be established. SUBJECTS AND METHODS We conducted a retrospective cohort analysis of patients with type 2 diabetes with employer-provided health insurance from 2007 to 2009. Multivariate models estimated the association between exenatide use and acute pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer. We required at least 1 year of exenatide exposure in the pancreatic cancer analysis. Sensitivity analyses were conducted that quasirandomized exenatide use based on patient out-of-pocket costs. RESULTS Among 268,561 patients included in the acute pancreatitis analysis, only 2.6% used exenatide. Hospitalization for acute pancreatitis was rare (0.247% of patients). In unadjusted and adjusted analyses, patients who did not use exenatide were more likely to be hospitalized for acute pancreatitis (0.249% vs. 0.196% in unadjusted analysis), but the difference was not statistically significant in either analysis (P = 0.22 and P = 0.70, respectively). Among 209,306 patients in the pancreatic cancer analysis, 0.070% were diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and 0.88% had at least 1 year of continuous exenatide exposure prior to the diagnosis. Those with exenatide exposure had higher rates of pancreatic cancer compared with those without (0.081% vs. 0.070% in unadjusted analysis). In both unadjusted and adjusted analyses, the difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.80 and P = 0.46, respectively). In sensitivity analyses, results were similar. CONCLUSIONS We found no association between exenatide use and either hospitalization for acute pancreatitis or pancreatic cancer in a large sample of privately insured U.S. patients.
An exploratory study on the impact of pro-market reforms on the Indian corporate sector

Pro-market reforms were expected to increase competition, improve efficiency and reduce agency costs by improving the institutional environment in emerging markets. In an attempt to establish the macro–micro linkages of these goals, this paper aims to analyse the impact of reforms on the performance of firms belonging to different ownership categories. We find that while state owned enterprises have shown signs of convergence, the performance of other domestic firms has stagnated. Meanwhile multinational subsidiaries have shown consistently better performance, raising questions on the motive and direction of reforms. We end by discussing the policy implications and avenues for future research.
Heterogeneity of α1‐adrenoceptor subtypes involved in adrenergic contractions of dog blood vessels

1 We determined the α1‐adrenoceptor subtypes involved in adrenergic contractions of eight different blood vessels isolated from the dog. 2 Noradrenaline produced concentration‐dependent contractions in all the blood vessels tested, which were competitively inhibited by prazosin, WB4101, HV723 and 5‐methylurapidil. However, there was considerable difference between the vessels with regard to the pKB values for all the antagonists. The α1‐adrenoceptors of dog vertebral and carotid arteries had high affinity for prazosin (pKB > 9.0) but low affinity for WB4101 (< 8.5), 5‐methylurapidil (< 7.5) and HV723 (≤ 8.5). By contrast, HV723 had higher affinity (> 9.0) than prazosin (< 8.3), WB4101 (< 8.7) and 5‐methylurapidil (< 8.2) in the portal vein, mesenteric artery and vein, and renal artery. In the femoral artery and vein, however, the four antagonists showed pKB values in the range 8.0–8.7. 3 Chloroethylclonidine (10 μm) produced a remarkable reduction of the contractile responses to noradrenaline in the vertebral and carotid arteries as compared with those in the other vessels. Nifedipine inhibited the responses to noradrenaline in all the tissues tested, and had marked effects in the portal vein. 4 Sympathetic adrenergic contractions induced by transmural electrical stimulation were also inhibited by prazosin and HV723 at different potencies among tissues. The relative potencies of both the antagonists paralleled the relationship in inhibiting the responses to exogenous noradrenaline in each vessel. 5 According to recent α1‐adrenoceptor subclassification, the present results suggest that the contractions of blood vessels induced by endogenous and exogenous noradrenaline are mediated through different α1‐adrenoceptor subtypes heterogeneously distributed in each vessel; presumably, the α1B subtype in the carotid and vertebral arteries, the α1N subtype in the visceral region and the α1L subtype in the femoral region. Regionally different expression of α1‐adrenoceptor subtypes may be in part associated with the regional heterogeneity of sympathetic responses in the blood vessels.
Voluntary information disclosure and sell-side analyst coverage intensity

Purpose - This paper aims to investigate whether a high level of voluntary disclosure attracts sell-side analysts. In other words, the authors check whether the number of analysts following a given firm increases with the extent of voluntary information that corporate managers provide in annual reports. Design/methodology/approach - The paper relies on regression analyses to study the relationship between the level of coverage by sell-side analysts and the extent of voluntary disclosure for a sample of 155 non-financial firms listed on the Euronext Paris stock exchange and members of the SBF 250 index. Findings - The empirical results show that the number of analysts following a given firm increases with the extent of voluntary disclosure. Consequently, the authors conclude that analysts are interested in the volume of information provided voluntarily by corporate managers. Their interest varies across the voluntary-information categories (strategic, financial, non-financial and governance) disclosed in annual reports. Originality/value - This study extends previous research by investigating sell-side analysts’ preferences in terms of voluntary-information categories in annual reports. A better understanding of the effects of sub-categories of voluntary information is useful to corporate managers wishing to meet market expectations and attract sell-side analysts. In fact, the authors verify how each category of disclosed information (strategic, financial, non-financial and governance) affects the analyst coverage intensity. In addition, the authors apply our study in the rather interesting empirical setting that is France, which is characterized by a low investor protection and a large number of active analysts.
The emergence of proteinase‐activated receptor‐2 as a novel target for the treatment of inflammation‐related CNS disorders

The signalling molecules that are involved in inflammatory pathways are now thought to play a part in many disorders of the central nervous system (CNS). In common with peripheral chronic inflammatory diseases such a rheumatoid arthritis and ulcerative colitis, evidence now exists for the involvement of inflammatory cytokines, for example tumour necrosis factor (TNF) and interleukins (IL), in neurological disorders. A common factor observed with the up‐regulation of these cytokines in peripheral inflammatory diseases, is the increased expression of the proteinase‐activated receptor (PAR) subtype PAR‐2. Indeed, recent evidence suggests that targeting PAR‐2 helps reduce joint swelling observed in animal models of arthritis. So could targeting this receptor prove to be useful in treating those CNS disorders where inflammatory processes are thought to play an intrinsic role? The aim of this review is to summarize the emerging data regarding the role of PAR‐2 in neuroinflammation and ischaemic injury and discuss its potential as an exciting new target for the prevention and/or treatment of CNS disorders.
Acute myocardial infarction in dogs with experimental diabetes.

OBJECTIVE The aim was to examine whether diabetes interferes with the development of myocardial injury in a canine ischaemia-reperfusion model. METHODS Non-insulin-requiring diabetes was induced in dogs by the streptozotocin-alloxan method. After 75 d, the dogs were anaesthetised and myocardial infarction was provoked by occluding the left anterior descending coronary artery for 2 h followed by 6 h reperfusion. RESULTS Diabetic dogs had higher blood glucose [9.4(SEM 1) mmol.litre-1], fructosamine [417(57) mumol.litre-1], and glycated haemoglobin [3.3(0.7)%], than control dogs [5.5(0.6), p = 0.04, 243(15), p = 0.01, and 0.7(0.2), p = 0.003, respectively], and they also had higher serum lipids (p = 0.001) and platelet aggregation (p = 0.03). Area at risk was similar in diabetic and control dogs but in contrast to controls (r = 0.78, p = 0.007), area at risk and infarct size were not correlated in diabetics (r = 0.08). In both groups, collateral flow was the major determinant of infarct size: r = -0.73 in controls (p = 0.02) and -0.97 in diabetics (p = 0.001). In spite of higher subendocardial collateral flow in diabetics [representing 21.6(6)% of the flow in the corresponding non-ischaemic zone] than in controls [11.2(6)%], infarct size was similar in both groups. However, the mean observed infarct size in the diabetic group [7.5(2.8)% of the left ventricle] was significantly (p < 0.03) larger than the mean predicted infarct size [5.2(2)%]. Multivariate analysis confirmed that diabetes, as well as collateral flow, is an independent (p = 0.03) predictor of infarct size. CONCLUSIONS For a given collateral flow, diabetic dogs develop larger infarcts than controls. Further studies are required to investigate the biochemical mechanism(s) underlying this deleterious effect. However, this may partly explain the poor prognosis of myocardial infarction in diabetic persons.
Growing, Shrinking, and Long Run Economic Performance: Historical Perspectives on Economic Development

Using annual data from the thirteenth century to the present, we show that improved long run economic performance has occurred primarily through a decline in the rate and frequency of shrinking, rather than through an increase in the rate of growing. Indeed, as economic performance has improved over time, the short run rate of growing has typically declined rather than increased. Most analysis of the process of economic development has hitherto focused on increasing the rate of growing. Here, we focus on understanding the forces making for a reduction in the rate of shrinking, drawing a distinction between proximate and ultimate factors. The main proximate factors considered are (1) structural change (2) technological change (3) demographic change and (4) the changing incidence of warfare. We conclude with a consideration of institutional change as the key ultimate factor behind the reduction in shrinking.
Understanding global climate change scenarios through bioclimate stratification

Despite progress in impact modelling, communicating and understanding the implications of climatic change projections is challenging due to inherent complexity and a cascade of uncertainty. In this letter, we present an alternative representation of global climate change projections based on shifts in 125 multivariate strata characterized by relatively homogeneous climate. These strata form climate analogues that help in the interpretation of climate change impacts. A Random Forests classifier was calculated and applied to 63 Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 climate scenarios at 5 arcmin resolution. Results demonstrate how shifting bioclimate strata can summarize future environmental changes and form a middle ground, conveniently integrating current knowledge of climate change impact with the interpretation advantages of categorical data but with a level of detail that resembles a continuous surface at global and regional scales. Both the agreement in major change and differences between climate change projections are visually combined, facilitating the interpretation of complex uncertainty. By making the data and the classifier available we provide a climate service that helps facilitate communication and provide new insight into the consequences of climate change.
The serological BHV1 status of dams determines the precolostral status of their calves

Summary Precolostral calves and their dams were serologically investigated for the presence of antibodies against Bovine Herpesvirus 1 in diagnostic tests with a very high sensitivity and specificity. Although the syndesmo‐chorial type of placenta of ruminants does not transfer gamma globulins, a large number of calves had antibodies, in most cases in a very low concentration. Significant correlations were found between the serological status of the dam, the status of the calf, and the titre of antibodies. Oral intake of maternal blood by the calf at birth or transmission or leakage of maternal antibodies during pregnancy might be possible causes of precolostrally positive calves. From the results it is concluded that to reduce the risk of obtaining BHV1‐positive calves, BHV1‐negative dams should be selected for breeding purposes.
Effects of enzastaurin, alone or in combination, on signaling pathway controlling growth and survival of B-cell lymphoma cell lines

Immunochemotherapies have improved outcomes in indolent lymphoma. However, response durations progressively shorten following each treatment, and the majority of patients eventually die from the disease. Thus, new, less toxic, and more active treatments are needed. Protein kinase C (PKC), which has been repeatedly implicated in B-cell lymphoma progression, may be a new target for lymphoma cell growth inhibition. Enzastaurin, a PKC-β inhibitor, has toxic effects on a variety of cancer cells. The purpose of the present study was to assess the antitumor activity of enzastaurin on B-cell lymphoma cell lines and to investigate the underlying antitumor mechanisms. Enzastaurin induced apoptosis and inhibited phosphorylation of PKC, RSK, AKT, and downstream proteins. Moreover, our results reveal a new mechanism for enzastaurin-induced apoptosis via BAD activation. Finally, enzastaurin synergizes in its effects with chlorambucil and fludarabine, respectively. Taken together, our results strongly support clinical evaluation of enzastaurin in patients with B-cell lymphoma.
Assessing vegetation change in coastal landscapes of the northern Gulf of Mexico

Multiple factors have caused rapid changes in coastal landscapes in the last half century. Coastal natural areas have been set aside to mitigate some of these changes for habitat preservation, among other goals. However, areas set aside for conservation are not exempt from these rapid changes. A major concern for coastal wetlands is the potential for habitat loss resulting from external land-use changes and sea-level rise, which essentially threaten these natural areas from all sides. In order to quantify these trends, we determined the types and rates of land-use/land-cover conversion in differing coastal sites in the U.S. along the northern Gulf of Mexico from the 1950s to the 1990s using existing National Wetlands Inventory (NWI) habitat data and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). All sites were located in protected areas and contained an intact marsh-to-forest transition. A buffer zone of ∼2000 m around each site was also analyzed. Two sites, Mandalay National Wildlife Refuge (MNWR) and the Barataria Preserve Unit of the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve (JLNHPP), were located on the Mississippi Deltaic Plain in Louisiana, while the other sites, Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (GBNERR) and Weeks Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (WBNERR), were located on the Gulf Coastal Plain in Mississippi and Alabama, respectively. Results showed prevalent marsh loss across all sites in the study, although the rate and type of marsh conversion to other land-cover types varied between the Mississippi Delta sites and the Coastal Plain. In the Delta, marsh was converted to open water along shorelines and in internal patches, but the majority of marsh loss was attributed to scrub-shrub encroachment. In the Coastal Plain, marsh was lost more slowly overall, both along the shoreline and forest-marsh boundary. The main trend in the Coastal Plain was replacement of agricultural areas by forest. The buffers experienced an increase in anthropogenically-modified categories, except for a decrease in agricultural areas. Our study suggests that coastal transitions of the northern Gulf of Mexico have indeed experienced landward and seaward losses and that marsh areas are especially vulnerable. It appears that marshes are not keeping pace with the spatial shifts in the aquatic to terrestrial transition as sea level rises, although results in the Coastal Plain are less conclusive because major land-use changes dominate the trends.
A skeptic's view of unstirred components

In the practice and research on reverberation chambers, the concept of unstirred field components have often been invoked as soon as empirical distributions fail to comply with goodness-of-fit tests applied to data collected at a frequency of operation far beyond the lowest usable frequency. The current explanation for this phenomenon is that under certain conditions, the field samples generated by means of a stirring procedure are not characterized by a zero average-value, but actually present a deterministic offset term that is linked to a line-of-sight contribution. In this paper, we prove that this practice is not sound, as it does not acknowledge the fact that even a very low but non-zero residual correlation between the samples is enough to put in jeopardy the validity of the limits imposed by most hypothesis-test statistics, and hence their ability in properly detecting any constant contribution. An alternative approach is here proposed, based on the analysis of the variability of the line-of-sight contribution estimate, capable of accounting for the residual correlation in a reverberation chamber. Experimental results are presented to support the validity of our approach, exposing the critical use of goodness-of-fit tests as currently applied.
Stabilizing Model Predictive Control of Stochastic Constrained Linear Systems

This paper investigates stochastic stabilization procedures based on quadratic and piecewise linear Lyapunov functions for discrete-time linear systems affected by multiplicative disturbances and subject to linear constraints on inputs and states. A stochastic model predictive control (SMPC) design approach is proposed to optimize closed-loop performance while enforcing constraints. Conditions for stochastic convergence and robust constraints fulfillment of the closed-loop system are enforced by solving linear matrix inequality problems off line. Performance is optimized on line using multistage stochastic optimization based on enumeration of scenarios, that amounts to solving a quadratic program subject to either quadratic or linear constraints. In the latter case, an explicit form is computable to ease the implementation of the proposed SMPC law. The approach can deal with a very general class of stochastic disturbance processes with discrete probability distribution. The effectiveness of the proposed SMPC formulation is shown on a numerical example and compared to traditional MPC schemes.
Distribution and lateral mobility of DC-SIGN on immature dendritic cells–implications for pathogen uptake

The receptor C-type lectin DC-SIGN (CD209) is expressed by immature dendritic cells, functioning as an antigen capture receptor and cell adhesion molecule. Various microbes, including HIV-1, can exploit binding to DC-SIGN to gain entry to dendritic cells. DC-SIGN forms discrete nanoscale clusters on immature dendritic cells that are thought to be important for viral binding. We confirmed that these DC-SIGN clusters also exist both in live dendritic cells and in cell lines that ectopically express DC-SIGN. Moreover, DC-SIGN has an unusual polarized lateral distribution in the plasma membrane of dendritic cells and other cells: the receptor is preferentially localized to the leading edge of the dendritic cell lamellipod and largely excluded from the ventral plasma membrane. Colocalization of DC-SIGN clusters with endocytic activity demonstrated that surface DC-SIGN clusters are enriched near the leading edge, whereas endocytosis of these clusters occurred preferentially at lamellar sites posterior to the leading edge. Therefore, we predicted that DC-SIGN clusters move from the leading edge to zones of internalization. Two modes of lateral mobility were evident from the trajectories of DC-SIGN clusters at the leading edge, directed and non-directed mobility. Clusters with directed mobility moved in a highly linear fashion from the leading edge to rearward locations in the lamella at remarkably high velocity (1420±260 nm/second). Based on these data, we propose that DC-SIGN clusters move from the leading edge–where the dendritic cell is likely to encounter pathogens in tissue–to a medial lamellar site where clusters enter the cell via endocytosis. Immature dendritic cells may acquire and internalize HIV and other pathogens by this process.