Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Role of endogenous nitric oxide in the nucleus tratus solitarii on baroreflex control of heart rate in spontaneously hypertensive rats

Objective Toinvestigate the modulatory effect of endogenous nitric oxide (NO) in the nucleus tractus solitarii (NTS) on the baroreceptor reflex control of heart rate in conscious spontaneously hypertensive (SHR) and normotensive (WKY) rats. Design and methods Male age- and weight-matched SHR and WKY chronically instrumented with cannulas in the NTS, artery and vein were used. Basal pressure (AP), heart rate (HR) and reflex HR responses during loading/unloading of baroreceptors (phenylephrine/ sodium nitroprusside, iv) were recorded during vehicle (3 nl/min) NG-monomethyl-L-arginine (L-NMMA) and L-arginine (L-Arg) infusions into the NTS. Constitutive NO synthase (NOS) activity was inferred by 3H-citrulline formation in the dorsal brain stem of other SHR and WKY groups. Results In SHR a small dose of L-NMMA (30 ng/kg/min) restricted to the NTS did not change AP and HR (185 ± 4 mmHg, 373 ± 12 beats/min, respectively), but decreased the HR range (57 ± 7 beats/min, a 34% reduction, P < 0.05) without changing further the impaired gain of baroreceptor reflex control of HR. In the WKY group similar results (significant 32% reduction in HR range, gain unchanged) were only attained with a dose 10 times higher (L-NMMANTS = 300 ng/kg/min), no effect being observed with the small dose (HR range = 163 ± 12 beats/min). In SHR, L-ArgNTS (900 ng/kg/min) did not improve baroreflex control of HR, but restored the depression of HR range when given after L-NMMANTS. Basal NOS activity in the dorsal brain stem was reduced in SHR (P < 0.05) when compared to WKY group. Conclusions NO modulates, at the NTS level, the baroreceptor reflex control of HR in both SHR and WKY not by altering the gain, but by increasing HR range during afferent stimulation. In SHR the depressed NO modulation is in accordance with the smaller NOS activity in the dorsal brain stem.
Midline carcinoma of children and young adults with NUT rearrangement.

PURPOSE A balanced chromosomal translocation, t(15;19), resulting in the BRD4-NUT oncogene, has been identified in a lethal carcinoma of young people, a disease described primarily in case reports. We sought to amass a more definitive series of tumors with NUT and/or BRD4 gene rearrangements and to determine distinct clinicopathologic features. PATIENTS AND METHODS Carcinomas (N = 98) in young individuals (median age, 32.5 years) were screened for NUT and BRD4 rearrangements using dual-color fluorescence in situ hybridization. Four published carcinomas with BRD4 and NUT rearrangements were also evaluated. Immunophenotypic analyses were performed. RESULTS Eleven tumors had NUT gene rearrangements, including eight with BRD4-NUT fusions and three with novel rearrangements, which were designated as NUT variant. All NUT-rearranged carcinomas (NRCs) arose from midline epithelial structures, including the first example arising below the diaphragm. Patients were young (median age, 17.6 years). Squamous differentiation (seen in 82% of NRCs) was particularly striking in NUT-variant cases. In this first description of NUT-variant carcinomas, the average survival (96 weeks, n = 3) was longer than for BRD4-NUT carcinomas (28 weeks, n = 8). Strong CD34 expression was found in six of 11 NRCs but in zero of 45 NUT wild-type carcinomas. CONCLUSION NRCs arise from midline structures in young people, and NRCs with BRD4-NUT are highly lethal, despite intensive therapies. NUT-variant carcinomas might have a less fulminant clinical course than those with BRD4-NUT fusions. CD34 expression is characteristic in NRCs and, therefore, holds promise as a diagnostic test for this distinctive clinicopathologic entity.
Reporting on intellectual capital

In today’s knowledge-based economy intellectual capital (IC) is becoming a major part of companies’ value. Being able to manage and control IC requires that companies can identify, measure and report internally on IC. As financial accounting rules ban full disclosure of IC in the annual report the external stakeholders lack information about companies’ value, which may have as a consequence that stakeholders make wrong or bad decisions. To remedy this situation, new tools must be developed which enable managers to identify and measure a company’s IC and to report on it within a consistent framework. The theory on IC is still in its infancy. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the development of a reporting model on IC. The paper analyses the various reporting models recently being developed and used in practice. Moreover, the existing reporting models have been discussed in-depth with the management of three Dutch companies with a high degree of IC and with four financial analysts as external users of the information. The paper describes the findings of the discussions with the practitioners. Based on both the theoretical evaluation of the reporting models and the evaluation in practice the building blocks of an IC reporting model are described.
Impact of Assurance and Assurer's Professional Affiliation on Financial Analysts' Assessment of Credibility of Corporate Social Responsibility Information

SUMMARY: This study reports the results of a behavioral experiment examining whether financial analysts from Australia, the United States, and the United Kingdom perceive a difference in the credibility of stand-alone corporate social responsibility (CSR) reports depending on whether they are assured, and the type of assurance provider (professional accountants versus sustainability consultants). We further examine whether the perceived credibility differs for financial analysts from the different countries and whether results hold for companies from different industries. The overall results show the credibility of a CSR report is greater when it is assured and when the assurer is a professional accountant. While assurance increases the credibility of the information in each of the three countries included, the relative impact is context-specific. Information is perceived to be more credible when a company is from an industry where assurance is more commonplace, and by financial analysts from the United S.
An empirical study on effect of bonus announcement on share price volatility and liquidity and its impact on market wealth creation of informed investors in Bangalore with special reference to CNX NIFTY stocks of NSE

This paper investigates the market reaction to bonus issue announcement news, using a event study methodology for Nifty stocks from 1995 to 2011. There are several theories that have been advanced to explain why companies go for stock dividends. In previous studies, it is evident that stock returns are significantly affected negatively or positively around bonus issue announcement dates. Informed investors market wealth is affected to a greater extent around this event. The purpose of this study is to test whether the investor can gain or lose an above normal return by relying on public information impounded in a bonus issue announcement. Using risk adjusted event study methodology, this study tests where there is excessive abnormal return exists during event window of announcement. Bonus announcement sample observations S&P Nifty INDEX were analyzed using standard risk adjusted event study methodology. The event study methodology was employed in the determination of the effects of the bonus. Abnormal returns were calculated by use of the market model and t-tests are conducted to test the significance. We find the existence of significant positive abnormal returns on AD 0, but under a short run of AD+3 abnormal returns do not persist and dilutes to its normal return. The study found out that the Indian market reacts positively to bonus issues. Also shown a increase in volumes of shares traded around the bonus issues date. There is also an increase in trading activity after the bonus announcement as compared to that before the announcement.
An Evaluation of Financial Analysts' Earnings Forecasts for Hong Kong Firms

This study evaluates the accuracy and potential bias of analyst forecasts for Hong Kong firms published in the Estimate Directory and compares analyst forecasts to model forecasts. It also examines the association of forecast accuracy with various firm characteristics. The findings of the study show that on an overall basis analyst forecasts for Hong Kong firms are more accurate than model forecasts. Analyst forecasts for Earnings Per Share (EPS) are generally biased towards overstatement. The analysis of the association between forecast accuracy and company characteristics suggests that analyst forecasts for larger firms are comparatively more accurate than for smaller firms. As expected, the results also show that analyst forecasts with shorter time horizons are more accurate than forecasts with longer time horizons. The variability in firms' earnings, beta (market risk) or industry classification have no significant impact on the accuracy of analyst forecasts.
It Takes a Black Candidate

The ongoing underrepresentation of racial and ethnic minorities in most levels of office continues to warrant our attention. However, scholars have only focused on what factors contribute to the electoral success of minorities, without attention to a vital precursor—the supply of minority candidates. Using data from the Local Elections in America Project, this study provides one of the first glimpses into the supply side of minority representation, detailing how demographic, electoral, and political factors affect the likelihood a black candidate is on the ballot, and the subsequent impact on the likelihood of a black candidate winning.
Folk Theorems for Present-Biased Players

The folk theorems for infinitely repeated games with discounting presume that the discount rate between two successive periods is constant. Following the literature on quasi-exponential or hyperbolic discounting, I model the repeated interaction between two or more decision makers in a way that allows present-biased discounting where the discount factor between two successive periods increases with the waiting time until the periods are reached. I generalize Fudenberg and Maskin's (1986) and Abreu, Dutta and Smith's (1994) folk theorems for repeated games with discounting so that they apply when discounting is present-biased. Patience is then represented either by the discount factor between the next and the current period or, alternatively, by the sum of the discount factors for all future periods.
Predictors of driving outcome after traumatic brain injury.

OBJECTIVE To examine predictors of driving status and fitness to drive after traumatic brain injury (TBI). DESIGN Retrospective and prospective follow-up of a cohort ranging from 4 months to 10 years post-TBI. SETTING A Midwestern, urban university-affiliated rehabilitation hospital. PARTICIPANTS Seventy-one pairs of adults who had sustained a TBI and their significant others. INTERVENTIONS Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Driving status (whether the patient resumed driving), driving frequency (estimated miles driven per week), and postinjury driving records compiled by the Department of Motor Vehicles. RESULTS Logistic and hierarchical regression analyses indicated that the significant other's perceptions of the patient's fitness to drive were the strongest predictor of patients' driving status and driving frequency. However, years postinjury, disability at discharge, and current neuropsychologic functioning best predicted postinjury driving safety as measured by actual incidents. The relation between perception of patients' fitness and actual driving incidents, however, was modest. CONCLUSIONS Neuropsychologic and medical information available by traditional methods showed unique value in predictive driving safety. However, caregiver perception of patients' fitness was the overwhelming determinant of whether and how much patients drive. The bases on which caregivers form their opinions affect the safety of patients and the public. The rehabilitation setting is a unique resource for family education regarding abilities essential to safe driving.
From epidemiology to therapeutic trials with anti-inflammatory drugs in Alzheimer's disease: the role of NSAIDs and cyclooxygenase in beta-amyloidosis and clinical dementia.

Epidemiological evidence suggests that non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) may protect against Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, therapeutic studies with NSAIDs, including cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibitors and steroids have not supported such epidemiological evidence. The apparent inconsistency may be due to the fact that the epidemiological evidence is based on studies examining AD before clinical manifestations are apparent, while therapeutic studies have been carried out on people with illnesses severe enough to exceed the clinical detection threshold. Thus, it is conceivable that therapeutic strategies administered during early AD dementia or moderate dementia may not be optimally effective. Alternatively, the influence of inflammatory activity in the brain for cases at high risk to develop AD, e.g., mild cognitive impairment (MCI) cases, as a potential target of anti-inflammatory drugs in clinical studies maybe more suitable to be studied. The primary action of NSAIDs is inhibition of the COX enzymes. COX enzymes exist in an inducible form COX-2, that has been found to be elevated in the AD brain, and a constitutive form COX-1. Both COX-1 and COX-2 are known to be involved in numerous inflammatory activities as well as normal neuronal functions. In vitro, it has been demonstrated that non-selective inhibitors of COX can preferentially decrease the levels of the highly amyloidogenic amyloid-beta (Abeta)(1-42)peptide. Recent studies testing non-selective NSAIDs in murine models of AD neuropathology indicated that the frequency of Abeta plaque deposits in the brains of these animals can be significantly reduced by treatment with the non-selective COX inhibitor ibuprofen. These studies and epidemiological data strongly support a therapeutic potential for NSAIDs in the treatment of AD. Upon this premise, industry and academia are devoting a tremendous amount of resources to the testing of anti-inflammatory drugs for the treatment of AD. However, given the large number of candidate anti-inflammatory drugs and their widely divergent activities, it is essential to optimize drug selection and study design. A better understanding of the influence of inflammatory activity in AD, and identification of the specific mechanisms which play an early role in the disease's progression will greatly improve the likelihood of success in efforts to find an effective anti-inflammatory treatment strategy. We would like to discuss recent developments reinforcing anti-inflammatory drugs as therapeutic in the treatment of AD amyloidosis, and the relevance of understanding the role of COX and other inflammatory mediators in AD neuropathology and the clinical progression of AD dementia. These discussions may provide important criterion for the design of clinical trials of anti-inflammatory drugs in AD.
Total quality management in the construction industry in Hong Kong: A supply chain management perspective

Total quality management (TQM) is increasingly being adopted by construction companies as an initiative to solve quality problems in the construction industry and to meet the needs of the final customer. However, TQM should incorporate the integrated quality management activities of members in the supply chain. This supply chain context is especially salient in the quality assurance of construction projects as a general contractor often outsources most of the construction work to other members in the supply chain, i.e. its suppliers and subcontractors. Therefore, this paper aims to delineate the supply chain management issues in total quality for construction projects. Through the use of an in-depth case study on the TQM system of a leading construction company in Hong Kong, the strategy, structure and tasks for managing supplier/subcontractor relationships are examined. The study concludes with identification of some supply chain management issues in the construction industry, as well as future research .
Quality of visitor attractions, satisfaction, benefits and behavioural intentions of visitors: verification of a model

This study is an attempt to verify a model of relations between motivation, quality of product of attraction, benefits, satisfaction and behavioural intentions of visiting people. The data for the analysis were collected from 1770 visitors in four tourist attractions of the Wielkopolska and Kujawy regions. It was noted that the effect of performance of service provider on behavioural intentions takes the route through benefits gained by the visitors. Benefits have a stronger total effect on behavioural intentions than visitors' satisfaction. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Pharmacological treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in adults

With increased awareness that attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can persist beyond childhood, pharmacological treatment options for adults have expanded. Short-acting stimulants continue to be the first-line approach, demonstrating clinical efficacy and few adverse events in well-controlled trials, with long-acting stimulants also showing promise. Atomoxetine has also been reported to improve ADHD symptoms and associated dysfunction, although longer-term, head-to-head studies with stimulants are needed. Several antidepressants (e.g., desipramine and buproprion) appear to be effective in the treatment of adult ADHD, but to a lesser extent than stimulants. Data are limited in evaluating the impact of combining pharmacological treatments for ADHD and comorbid conditions. This paper describes the safety and efficacy of medications for treating the core symptoms, psychosocial features and cognitive dysfunctions associated with adult ADHD.
The Effect of Mandatory Employer-Sponsored Insurance (ESI) on Health Insurance Coverage and Employment in Hawaii: Evidence from the Current Population Survey (CPS) 1994-2003

The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of Hawaii’s mandatory employerprovided health insurance on insurance coverage and employment structure in Hawaii. We hypothesize that mandated employer-sponsored health insurance has three effects on health insurance coverage and the labor market. First, it increases employer-provided health insurance coverage for full-time workers. That is, persons employed more that 20 hours per week. Second, it changes the distribution of equilibrium employment by hours worked as some employees seek and employers offer part-time employment to avoid the mandated benefit. Third, people who are not matched with full-time jobs with employerprovided health insurance will switch to other types of insurance, such as publicly provided health insurance or spousal military benefits, as an optimal response. Our empirical evidence generally supports all three hypotheses. First, private employmentbased insurance coverage for full-time workers is more prevalent in Hawaii than the U.S. overall. Second, there is substantial avoidance of the employer-mandate in Hawaii by skirting the 20 hour rule. Third, switching to other types of insurance is significant compared to the other states and the U.S. overall.
Courses on Forensics and Fraud Examination in the Accounting Curriculum

Following the frauds of Enron and MCI and the legislation of Sarbanes-Oxley, critics turned their attention toward universities to determine how accounting programs were preparing students to prevent and detect frauds in the future. The American Accounting Association (AAA) called on educators to develop courses in forensic accounting and fraud examination to enhance curriculum and assist students to pursue careers in these areas. This article reviews the curricula of AACSB Accredited Accounting programs to determine how they responded to these concerns and whether programs of study in the areas of forensic accounting and fraud examination are readily available and accessible.
Hypothalamic Modulation of Nociception and Reproduction in Cluster Headache. I. Therapeutic Trials of Leuprolide

A slow-release gonadotropin-releasing hormone (Gn-RH) analogue was administered to 30 males suffering from chronic cluster headache (CH) in a placebo-controlled study with the aim of enhancing neurotransmission in the pain-suppressing systems of the hypothalamus through a feedback action involving neuroendocrine functions too. A significant improvement in the severity of the pain occurred together with the expected lowering of the libido and serum levels of testosterone and luteinizing hormone. We postulate that the benefit of the Gn-RH analogue relates to an impairment of neuronal modulation in cluster headache.
Repositioning of ETO gene in cells treated with VP‐16, an inhibitor of DNA‐Topoisomerase II

The translocation t(8;21)(q22;q22) affecting AML1 and ETO genes is known to be one of the frequent chromosome translocations in acute myeloid leukemia. But no data have been available up to date concerning mutual positioning of these particular genes in the nucleus of a living cell as well as the mechanism of their rapprochement and realignment. Here we show that there is no proximity between these two genes in the primary nuclei of normal human male fibroblasts and moreover that these genes are located in different nuclear layers. But we further show that treatment of cells with VP‐16 (etoposide), an inhibitor of DNA topoisomerase II widely used in anticancer chemotherapy, causes the ETO gene repositioning which allows AML1 and ETO genes to be localized in the same nuclear layer. Inhibitor studies demonstrate that such an effect is likely to be connected with the formation of stalled cleavable complexes on DNA. Finally, inhibition of ETO gene repositioning by 2,3‐butanedione monoxime (BDM) suggests that this process depends on nuclear myosin. Together, our data corroborate the so called “breakage first” model of the origins of recurrent reciprocal translocation. J. Cell. Biochem. 104: 692–699, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Social consequences of psychiatric disorders, I: Educational attainment.

OBJECTIVE This is the first in a series of investigations of the social consequences of psychiatric disorders based on the National Comorbidity Survey. Data on the relationship between preexisting psychiatric disorders and subsequent educational attainment are presented. METHOD The National Comorbidity Survey is a nationally representative survey of 8,098 respondents in the age range 15-54 years. A subsample of 5,877 respondents completed a structured psychiatric interview and a detailed risk factor battery. Diagnoses of DSM-III-R anxiety disorders, mood disorders, substance use disorders, and conduct disorder were generated, and survival analyses were used to project data on school terminations to the total U.S. population. RESULTS Early-onset psychiatric disorders are present in more than 3.5 million people in the age range of the National Comorbidity Survey who did not complete high school and close to 4.3 million who did not complete college. The most important disorders are conduct disorder among men and anxiety disorders among women. The proportion of school dropouts with psychiatric disorders has increased dramatically in recent cohorts, and persons with psychiatric disorders currently account for 14.2% of high school dropouts and 4.7% of college dropouts. CONCLUSIONS Early-onset psychiatric disorders probably have a variety of adverse consequences. The results presented here show that truncated educational attainment is one of them. Debate concerning whether society can afford universal insurance coverage for the treatment of mental disorders needs to take these consequences into consideration.