Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cytotoxic Ribonucleases and RNA Interference (RNAi)

Several cytotoxic ribonucleases (CRs), homologs of the pancreatic RNase A, have been isolated from amphibian oocytes or embryos. Of them, onconase (Onc), the CR that shows antitumor properties and is in phase III clinical trials, was the most extensively researched. Degradation of tRNA by Onc internalized into cells that leads to inhibition of protein synthesis is considered the mechanism of its cytotoxicity. Several findings, however, cannot not be explained by nonspecific decline in protein synthesis alone and suggest additional or alternative mechanism(s). We postulate therefore that miRNAs and/or RNA interference (RNAi) may also be targets of CRs. The following arguments support this postulate: (A) miRNAs and siRNAs appear to be unprotected by proteins and therefore, as tRNA, accessible and degradable by CRs; (B) Onc has preferred cleavage sites on tRNAs: their cleavage may generate segments of dsRNA that interfere with translation. Analogous to Dicer, thus, small RNAs with interfering properties may be generated by CRs within the cell; (c) CRs are abundant in oocytes and during embryonic development; their role there is unknown. Since cells undergo perpetual differentiation during embryogenesis it is likely that the function of CRs is to provide additional level of regulation of gene expression via the mechanisms listed in (A) and/or (B).
Preoperative diagnostics in differentiated thyroid carcinoma

Summary Aim: The preoperative diagnosis of differentiated thyroid carcinomas (DTC) is particularly challenging in view of the high prevalence of thyroid nodules in the general population. Incidental diagnosis of DTC, on the other hand, can lead to reoperations and increased risk of morbidity. This study aimed to assess the prediction value of preoperative DTC dignity assessment and it’s impact on surgical approaches. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 107 cases of DTC and subdivided them in three groups based on the preoperative dignity assessment: suspected malignancy (SM), unclear dignity (UD), and incidental findings (IF). The group differences were investigated in terms of diagnostic methods, findings, and impact on the subsequent surgical approach. Results: The patient groups consisted of n = 51 (SM), n = 32 (UD), and n = 24 (IF). The tumor size, T staging, and ultrasound (US) assessment had the largest impact on the dignity classification (each p < 0.001). Scintigraphy was performed in 80 % of the patients, fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) in 28 %. Hypofunction at scintigraphy (p < 0.001) and cytology results (p < 0.01) were identified as significant predictors for group assignment. Other significant factors were the frequency of the US documentation of nodule characteristics (p < 0.001) and malignancy criteria (p < 0.01) as well as reduced thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels (p < 0.01). Frozen section (p < 0.001) and total thyroidectomy (p < 0.01) at initial surgery were performed significantly more often in the MV group. Reoperations were significantly more frequent in the IF group (p < 0.001). Conclusions: A relevant number of DTC cases was diagnosed incidentally, leading to significantly more frequent reoperations. A more systematic diagnostic approach with complete documentation of the findings according to current guidelines should be pursued.
Is There a Place for Sexuality in the Holistic Care of Patients in the Palliative Care Phase of Life?

Being diagnosed with a life-limiting condition is a traumatic event. The journey to the moment of death is usually only done once—so it is a time of fears and uncertainty. Sexuality is particularly vulnerable at this time. It may be difficult for both patient and partner to deal with the changes in sexuality without professional assistance. It is “sexuality” rather than “sex” that defines the meaningful relationships people have with themselves and significant others. When sexuality is lost or changed, important benefits may be lost. Studies show that many patients do value sexuality and want assistance in making the best of their sexual potential during the palliative care phase. Health professionals regularly acknowledge the importance of sexuality for their patients but have difficulties acting on their beliefs. Sexuality, within the patient's functional ability and desire for it, must be acknowledged and included in holistic management. It is the health professional's responsibility to raise this issue.
Auditor Conservatism, Abnormal Accruals, and Going Concern Opinions

We investigate the Japanese Big 4 auditors' conservatism. Recent increasing litigation risks and scrutiny from the public are likely to make the Japanese Big 4 auditors conservative. Our results indicate that the Big 4 are effective in deterring income-decreasing earnings management by clients. Their motive for doing so may be to avoid scrutiny by the authorities, since financial and tax accounting are strongly aligned in Japan. Furthermore, we show that among firms receiving going concern opinions, those audited by the Big 4 report less negative abnormal accruals than those audited by non-Big 4 This implies that they provoke accrual reversals to the firms whose financial condition is less distressed, when they issue going concern opinions.
In vitro H+ -K+ ATPase inhibitory potential of methanolic extract of Cissus quadrangularis Linn.

Objective: This study was undertaken to study in vitro H+ -K+ ATPase inhibitory potential of methanolic extract of Cissus quadrangularis Linn. Materials and Mathods: Total phenolic and flavonoid contents from extract was quantified and H+ -K+ ATPase inhibition assay was performed in presence of different concentrations of standard (omeprazole) and methanol extract. Results: Extract showed significant (*P < 0.05) proton pump inhibitory activity in the goat gastric mucosal homogenate which was comparable to standard. Conclusions: These findings showed that methanolic extract of C. quadrangularis Linn. is potent inhibitor of proton pump.
Internal Asset Transfers and Risk Taking in Financial Conglomerates

This paper studies the effect of securitization in ﬁnancial conglomerates on their risk choice, and compares it with the choice of standalone banks. Loan sales in conglomerates avoid information asymmetry, which enables conglomerate banks to shift worse loan risk to the deposit insurance by selling their best loans to the affilates. However, such a value transfer induces a better asset monitoring by conglomerates enhancing their asset value. Under low capital requirements, conglomerate banks may be safer than standalone banks due to higher monitoring incentives. The model speaks to Vickers proposal of the UK structural reform showing that higher bank capital requirements alone may not offet conglomerate banks’ risk shifting incentives.
Are There Any Contagion Effects from Greek Bonds?

Since the onset of the global financial crisis, the sovereign risk premium differential and associated government bond yields have been widening so much as to cause the Eurozone crisis. The stylized facts of the 10-year Greek government bond yield attract much interest since there are deepened fears of this spreading to the government bonds of other European countries. Moreover, the impact of the Greek bond market on other European countries during the crisis period has not been examined adequately in the international literature. By employing a set of wellestablished econometric methods, in which we take into account the presence of heteroskedasticity, we do not find any evidence for the existence of contagious effects stemming from the Greek 10-year government bonds to the government bond markets of other European countries.
Role of AMPA receptors in homocysteine‐NMDA receptor‐induced crosstalk between ERK and p38 MAPK

Homocysteine, a metabolite of the methionine cycle has been reported to play a role in neurotoxicity through activation of N‐methyl‐d‐aspartate receptors (NMDAR)‐mediated signaling pathway. The proposed mechanisms associated with homocysteine‐NMDAR‐induced neurotoxicity involve a unique signaling pathway that triggers a crosstalk between extracellular signal‐regulated kinase (ERK) and p38 MAPKs, where activation of p38 MAPK is downstream of and dependent on ERK MAPK. However, the molecular basis of the ERK MAPK‐mediated p38 MAPK activation is not understood. This study investigates whether α‐Amino‐3‐hydroxy‐5‐methyl‐4‐isoxazolepropionic acid receptors (AMPARs) play a role in facilitating the ERK MAPK‐mediated p38 MAPK activation. Using surface biotinylation and immunoblotting approaches we show that treatment with homocysteine leads to a decrease in surface expression of GluA2‐AMPAR subunit in neurons, but have no effect on the surface expression of GluA1‐AMPAR subunit. Inhibition of NMDAR activation with D‐AP5 or ERK MAPK phosphorylation with PD98059 attenuates homocysteine‐induced decrease in surface expression of GluA2‐AMPAR subunit. The decrease in surface expression of GluA2‐AMPAR subunit is associated with p38 MAPK phosphorylation, which is inhibited by 1‐napthyl acetyl spermine trihydrochloride (NASPM), a selective antagonist of GluA2‐lacking Ca2+‐permeable AMPARs. These results suggest that homocysteine‐NMDAR‐mediated ERK MAPK phosphorylation leads to a decrease in surface expression of GluA2‐AMPAR subunit resulting in Ca2+ influx through the GluA2‐lacking Ca2+‐permeable AMPARs and p38 MAPK phosphorylation. Cell death assays further show that inhibition of AMPAR activity with 2,3‐dioxo‐6‐nitro‐1,2,3,4,tetrahydrobenzoquinoxaline‐7‐sulfonamide (NBQX)/6‐cyano‐7‐nitroquinoxaline‐2,3, ‐dione (CNQX) or GluA2‐lacking Ca2+‐permeable AMPAR activity with NASPM attenuates homocysteine‐induced neurotoxicity. We have identified an important mechanism involved in homocysteine‐induced neurotoxicity that highlights the intermediary role of GluA2‐lacking Ca2+‐permeable AMPARs in the crosstalk between ERK and p38 MAPKs.
PENGARUH RASIO KEUANGAN, PERTUMBUHAN PENJUALAN DAN DIVIDEN TERHADAP HARGA SAHAM

Investor’s need some information to help making appropriate investment decision. This research is aimed to know the influence of financial performance to management decision in paying dividend to the stock holder. The ratio is used for research liquidity, profitability, sales growth and dividend the implication on the stock price. The research showed the company fundamental; its financial aspect became consideration and implication at stock prices. This research use regression linier methods to analyze the influence of profitability, likuidity, sales growth and dividend on stock price in Indonesia Stock Exchange during 4 years continuously start at the year 2004 until 2008. The results show that profitability has affected stock return. While, liquidity, growth and dividen have no affected the stock price.
School recess, social connectedness and health: a Canadian perspective

Children need opportunities to establish positive social connections at school, yet many school playgrounds are challenged by social conflict that can undermine these connections. When children's social needs go unmet, the resultant feelings of loneliness, isolation and self-doubt can cumulatively lead to mental and physical illness. Because recess is typically the only time during the school day that children are free to socialize and play, we propose a more thoughtful way of thinking about it: from the lens of belongingness. Schools are, historically, designed for instruction. We argue, however, that we need to attend to children's social needs at school. We highlight current research from social neuroscience, belonging and social connectedness in order to delineate the pathways between daily school recess and developmental health trajectories. We then consolidate an array of research on play, social interaction and school change to suggest four areas that could benefit from consideration in research, practice and policy: (i) the culture of recess, (ii) the importance of healthy role models on the playground, (iii) the necessity of activities, options and variety during recess and (iv) the significance of space and spatial layout (indoor and outdoor). We bridge our discussion with the conception of health as described in the Ottawa Charter and emphasize the need to build alliances across sectors to assist schools in their efforts to support children's overall health needs.
Bank Regulation and Supervision Around the World: A Crisis Update

This paper presents the latest update of the World Bank Bank Regulation and Supervision Survey, and explores two questions. First, were there significant differences in regulation and supervision between crisis and non-crisis countries? Second, what aspects of regulation and supervision changed significantly during the crisis period? The paper finds significant differences between crisis and non-crisis countries in several aspects of regulation and supervision. In particular, crisis countries (a) had less stringent definitions of capital and lower actual capital ratios, (b) faced fewer restrictions on non-bank activities, (c) were less strict in the regulatory treatment of bad loans and loan losses, and (d) had weaker incentives for the private sector to monitor banks' risks. Survey results also suggest that the overall regulatory response to the crisis has been slow, and there is room to improve regulation and supervision, as well as private incentives to monitor risk-taking. Specifically, comparing regulatory and supervisory practices before and after the global crisis, the paper finds relatively few changes: capital ratios increased (primarily among non-crisis countries), deposit insurance schemes became more generous, and some reforms were introduced in the area of bank governance and bank resolution.
Managerial Opportunism, Cost of Debt Financing and Regulation Changes: Evidence from the Sarbanes-Oxley Act Adoption

This paper investigates the impact of managers’ opportunism on the cost of debt financing. Using managerial entrenchment and earnings management activities to proxy for managers’ opportunism, we find that firms with less entrenched managers enjoy lower corporate bond costs and higher credit ratings. In addition, our results suggest that bondholders generally require higher bond costs, while rating agencies assign lower credit ratings to firms that inflate their earnings (i.e. income-increasing earnings management). We further investigate the role of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act adoption on the perceptions of these two debt market actors. We find strong evidence that the dramatic changes required by this Act have enhanced the “monitoring” role of the debt market since we document that the above results are generally observed only for the post-SOX period.
A Critical Success Factors Model for ERP Implementation

An effective IT infrastructure can support a business vision and strategy; a poor, decentralized one can break a company. More and more companies are turning to off-the-shelf ERP (enterprise resource planning) solutions for IT planning and legacy systems management. The authors have developed a framework to help managers successfully plan and implement an ERP project.
Assessing response to therapy in idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension: a consensus survey of Canadian pulmonary hypertension physicians.

BACKGROUND Many treatment options are now available for patients with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH). Data regarding the optimal combination of therapies are lacking, as is consensus on how to assess response to therapy and when to change therapeutic regimens. OBJECTIVES To gather the opinions of Canadian pulmonary hypertension (PH) experts regarding standard practice in the care of IPAH patients after therapy is initiated. METHODS Canadian PH physicians were surveyed using short questionnaires to assess their opinions and practices in the care of IPAH patients. A Delphi forecasting approach was used to gain consensus among Canadian physicians on the most important clinical parameters to consider when assessing patients after the initiation of therapy. RESULTS Twenty-six of 37 Canadian PH experts who were invited to participate completed the study. All endorsed the use of combination therapy for IPAH patients despite the lack of universal provincial coverage for this approach. By consensus, WHO functional class, 6 min walk distance and hospitalization for right heart failure were the most important clinical parameters. The most highly rated physical examination parameters were jugular venous pressure, peripheral edema, the presence of ascites and body weight. CONCLUSIONS The overall approach to care of IPAH patients is similar across PH centres in Canada. A limited number of clinical and physical examination parameters were considered to be most important to reassess patients after therapy is initiated. These parameters, along with definition of threshold values, will facilitate the development of standard practice guidelines for IPAH patients in Canada.
Cardiovascular Fat, Menopause, and Sex Hormones in Women: The SWAN Cardiovascular Fat Ancillary Study.

CONTEXT Cardiovascular risk increases in women after menopause. Mounting evidence demonstrates a role of cardiovascular fat (CF) in the pathogenesis of coronary heart disease, but no research has examined CF in relation to sex hormones or menopausal status in women. OBJECTIVE The objective was to determine the relationship between CF depots, menopausal status, and endogenous sex hormones. DESIGN Cross-sectional and longitudinal study designs were used. SETTING The setting included the Study of Women's Health Across the Nation (SWAN) Heart and Cardiovascular Fat Ancillary Study. PARTICIPANTS A total of 456 women (mean age, 50.75 y); 62% premenopausal/early perimenopausal, and 38% late peri-/postmenopausal. INTERVENTION Menopausal status, endogenous sex hormones measured simultaneously with CF volumes, and circulating estradiol available 4.80 years (median) before CF measures. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Volumes of CF (epicardial adipose tissue [EAT], paracardial adipose tissue [PAT], total heart adipose tissue [TAT = EAT + PAT], and aortic perivascular adipose tissue [PVAT]). RESULTS In final models, late peri-/postmenopausal women had 9.88% more EAT, 20.72% more PAT, and 11.69% more TAT volumes than pre-/early perimenopausal women (P < .05). PVAT was not associated with menopausal status. In final models, lower estradiol concentrations were associated with greater volumes of PAT and TAT (P < .05). Women with the greatest reduction in estradiol since baseline had greater volumes of PAT compared to women with the least reduction (P = .02). CONCLUSIONS Late peri-/postmenopausal women have greater volumes of heart fat compared with pre-/early perimenopausal women independent of age, obesity, and other covariates. Endogenous sex hormones are associated with CF. Perhaps CF plays a role in the higher risk of coronary heart disease reported in women after menopause.
The competitive implications of the deployment of unique resources

The ‘resource-based’ view focuses on unique resources as the fundamental sources of competitive advantage and superior profits. We use a game-theoretic model to analyze the impact of the deployment of unique resources on product market competition, and the impact of unique resources and sustainable competitive advantages on profits when the competitive implications of resource deployment are taken into account. We find that some of the core propositions of the resource-based view do not necessarily hold when the impact of resource deployment on product market competition is explicitly considered. Specifically, the accumulation and deployment of unique resources does not necessarily increase the firm's profit and the difference between its profit and competitors' profits. Furthermore, achieving a sustainable competitive advantage does not necessarily lead to higher profits. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Determinants of Intra-Day Stock Price Change and Asymmetric Information

Trade sign and trade size are two variables used in the literature to capture informed trading. This paper presents a synthesized model of asymmetric information. Our empirical analysis of more than 1,400 NYSE common stocks shows that trade direction is more important than volume in reflecting the asymmetry. Despite its relative importance, existing models that use the trade sign only to capture information asymmetry has an upward bias in the estimation of adverse selection costs. This bias is economically significant. There is also evidence to suggest that signed duration reflects informed trading activity. This paper emphasizes that insiders are not the only source of information asymmetry. If insiders were the only source, then it would suggest that illegal insider trading is quite rampant in the U.S markets. Following Harris (2003), we adopt the view that a trader is asymmetrically better informed if she can arrive at reliable conclusions about the fair values. Even public news can create information asymmetry because traders have different interpretations. The motivation for this broader interpretation of informed trading is to better understand the conflicting results in the literature. A measure of asymmetric information arises naturally from the synthesized model. This model relies on four variables (lagged trade sign, signed volume, signed duration and duration) that are generally considered to reflect information asymmetry in the literature. They jointly explain the innovations in the efficient price. After controlling for firm size and book-to-market ratio, the analysis demonstrates that our asymmetric information measure is negatively related to the number of analysts following a firm and whether there is an exchange-traded equity option written on the firm’s stock. An implication of our findings is that firms can reduce information asymmetry by attracting more analysts and option writers.
Benchmarking the State of Corporate Governace in Bangladesh

Now-a-days corporate governance (CG) is considered to be one of the most vital factors for improving the overall business practices in the globalized world and in maximizing value of the shareholders and stakeholders. Bangladesh should not be lagging behind in recognizing the importance of having good governance mechanism. Accordingly, this study aimed at benchmarking the status of corporate governance in Bangladesh, as future policy direction should start with assessment of the present standing. Both primary and secondary survey instruments are applied to attain the aforementioned objective. The results of the study revealed that, core elements for ensuring good governance, such as: regulations, auditing, stakeholder engagement etc. needs development and enforcement. Also some institutional set up should be established to train and educate stakeholders to get familiarized with the corporate governance concepts and practices.
Understanding U.S. Treasury Futures

U.S. Treasury bonds and notes represent a loan to the U.S. government. Bondholders are creditors rather than equityor shareholders. The U.S. government agrees to repay the face or principal or par amount of the security at maturity, plus coupon interest at semi-annual intervals. Treasury securities are often considered “riskless” investments given that the “full faith and credit” of the U.S. government backs these securities.