Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Guanidine Hydrochloride Inhibits the Generation of Prion “Seeds” but Not Prion Protein Aggregation in Yeast

ABSTRACT [PSI +] strains of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae replicate and transmit the prion form of the Sup35p protein but can be permanently cured of this property when grown in millimolar concentrations of guanidine hydrochloride (GdnHCl). GdnHCl treatment leads to the inhibition of the replication of the [PSI +] seeds necessary for continued [PSI +] propagation. Here we demonstrate that the rate of incorporation of newly synthesized Sup35p into the high-molecular-weight aggregates, diagnostic of [PSI +] strains, is proportional to the number of seeds in the cell, with seed number declining (and the levels of soluble Sup35p increasing) in the presence of GdnHCl. GdnHCl does not cause breakdown of preexisting Sup35p aggregates in [PSI +] cells. Transfer of GdnHCl-treated cells to GdnHCl-free medium reverses GdnHCl inhibition of [PSI +] seed replication and allows new prion seeds to be generated exponentially in the absence of ongoing protein synthesis. Following such release the [PSI +] seed numbers double every 20 to 22 min. Recent evidence (P. C. Ferreira, F. Ness, S. R. Edwards, B. S. Cox, and M. F. Tuite, Mol. Microbiol. 40:1357-1369, 2001; G. Jung and D. C. Masison, Curr. Microbiol. 43:7-10, 2001), together with data presented here, suggests that curing yeast prions by GdnHCl is a consequence of GdnHCl inhibition of the activity of molecular chaperone Hsp104, which in turn is essential for [PSI +] propagation. The kinetics of elimination of [PSI +] by coexpression of a dominant, ATPase-negative allele of HSP104 were similar to those observed for GdnHCl-induced elimination. Based on these and other data, we propose a two-cycle model for “prionization” of Sup35p in [PSI +] cells: cycle A is the GdnHCl-sensitive (Hsp104-dependent) replication of the prion seeds, while cycle B is a GdnHCl-insensitive (Hsp104-independent) process that converts these seeds to pelletable aggregates.
Seasonal Variation in Mating Behavior in Cats after Desensitization of Glans Penls

The glans penis in 14 sexually experienced cats was desensitized by section of the nerves dorsalis penis. These males mounted the estrous female readily but they were so disoriented that they could not achieve intromission. Reduced sensory feedback resulting from the operation and from lack of intromissions caused a decided drop in sexual activity in the fall with recovery in early winter. A latent sexual cycle in male cats is revealed, which corresponds in time to the established female cycle.
A Theory of Conflicts of Interest in Banking Relationships

Abstract This paper highlights a dark side of banking relationships by elucidating the conditions under which a pre-existing relationship between a lending bank and a borrower can be detrimental to positive valuation effects of loan announcements. The effect of a pre-existing relationship is more likely to be negative when the pre-existing loans are large and firms' screening costs are low. A theoretical model shows that loan announcement's positive effect on borrowers' value due to the standard information advantage can be more than offset by the bank's conflict of interest when the bank's asset quality reputation is poor, i.e. when the probability of the bank holding a bad loan is large.
Are Chinese stock markets efficient? A cointegration and causality analysis

Established in December 1990 and July 1991 respectively, the Shanghai and Shenzhen Stock Exchanges are the only two official stock markets in China. This paper aims to test for randomness in each stock exchange share price index, and to examine the relationship between the two share price indexes. Statistical evidence shows that both the Shanghai and Shenzhen indexes can be best characterized as random walk processes and therefore the markets are efficient individually. However, the Engle-Granger two-stage cointegration analysis and the Johansen procedure suggest a long-run equilibrium relationship between the two stock prices, while the Granger causality test indicates a feedback relationship between the returns of the Shenzhen and Shanghai shares. These results imply that the stock markets are collectively inefficient.
Executive Compensation and the Role for Corporate Governance Regulation

This article establishes a role for corporate governance regulation. An externality operating through executive compensation motivates regulation. Governance lowers agency costs, allowing firms to grant less incentive pay. When a firm increases governance and lowers incentive pay, other firms can also lower executive compensation. Because firms do not internalize the full benefit of governance, regulation can improve investor welfare. When regulation is enforced, large firms increase in value, small firms decrease in value, and all firms lower incentive pay. Distinct cross-sectional and cross-country predictions for the number of voluntary governance firms are provided. The Author 2012. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Society for Financial Studies. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com. , Oxford University Press.
BACKGROUND TO THE PROBLEM OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN NORTHERN GHANA

Northern Ghana is Ghana's problem region. It is a large area accounting for about half the total land surface of Ghana, yet it is the least developed part of the country. It would be futile to seek to explain the lack of economic development in the region mainly with reference to the problems of the savanna environment, which indeed are no more serious than in many other parts of West Africa where there has been greater economic development. The reason must be sought primarily in the strategy adopted for economic development, which at first failed to identify the fundamental problems of low productivity in food farming and high transport costs. Later, the solution of the transport problem was made conditional upon the success of the measures adopted for increasing agricultural productivity; yet these measures proved to be partially unrealistic since they ignored long-established local values and preferences.
Associations Between Internet-Based Professional Social Networking and Emotional Distress

Professional social networking websites are commonly used among young professionals. In light of emerging concerns regarding social networking use and emotional distress, the purpose of this study was to investigate the association between frequency of use of LinkedIn, the most commonly used professional social networking website, and depression and anxiety among young adults. In October 2014, we assessed a nationally representative sample of 1,780 U.S. young adults between the ages of 19-32 regarding frequency of LinkedIn use, depression and anxiety, and sociodemographic covariates. We measured depression and anxiety using validated Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System measures. We used bivariable and multivariable logistic regression to assess the association between LinkedIn use and depression and anxiety, while controlling for age, sex, race, relationship status, living situation, household income, education level, and overall social media use. In weighted analyses, 72% of participants did not report use of LinkedIn, 16% reported at least some use, but less than once each week, and 12% reported use at least once per week. In multivariable analyses controlling for all covariates, compared with those who did not use LinkedIn, participants using LinkedIn at least once per week had significantly greater odds of increased depression (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 2.10, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.31-3.38) and increased anxiety (AOR = 2.79, 95% CI = 1.72-4.53). LinkedIn use was significantly related to both outcomes in a dose-response manner. Future research should investigate directionality of this association and possible reasons for it.
Structure and function of resistance arteries of hypertensive patients treated with a p-blocker or a calcium channel antagonist

Objective To investigate the effects on resistance artery structure and function of monotherapy with the β-blocker atenolol or the calcium channel antagonist nifedipine in its once a day form or gastrointestinal therapeutic system (GITS). Subjects Twenty well-controlled essential hypertensive patients matched for age, body mass index, duration and severity of hypertension. Normotensive subjects and untreated hypertensives served as the reference groups. Methods Resistance-size small arteries (standardized lumen diameter 247 ± 8µ m) were dissected from a gluteal subcutaneous biopsy, and studied both on a wire myograph and as pressurized vessels. Results The media width:lumen diameter ratio of arteries was 5.37 ± 0.09% in normotensive subjects, 5.38 ± 0.18% in patients treated with nifedipine GITS, 6.81 ± 0.18% in patients treated with atenolol and 7.08 ± 0.12% in untreated hypertensives (for each of the latter two groups P<0.001, versus each of the two former groups). The media stress developed in response to noradrenaline and the endothelium- dependent relaxation induced by acetylcholine were significantly smaller in small arteries from untreated or atenolol-treated patients than they were in those from normotensive subjects or nifedipine GITS-treated patients. Conclusion Hypertensive patients with well-controlled blood pressures under treatment for more than 1 year with the once-a-day calcium channel antagonist nifedipine GITS exhibit normal structure and function of gluteal subcutaneous small arteries, whereas similar patients with blood pressure equally well controlled by the β-blocker atenolol present thicker small arteries with abnormal endothelium- dependent relaxation and altered contractility. Whether this finding applies also to other vascular beds, and whether it is associated with a better outcome in relation to morbidity and mortality resulting from elevated blood pressure, remain to be established.
Modulation by nitric oxide of acetylcholine release in the ileum of wild type and nitric oxide synthase gene knockout mice

Nitric oxide (NO) inhibits the release of acetylcholine and cholinergic contractions in the small intestine of several species, but no information is available about the mouse ileum. This study examines the effects of NO on the electrically-evoked release of [H]acetylcholine and smooth muscle contraction in myenteric plexus-longitudinal muscle preparations of wildtype mice, and of neuronal NOS (nNOS) and endothelial NOS (eNOS) knockout mice. The NOS inhibitor, L-N-nitroarginine, and the guanylyl cyclase inhibitor, ODQ, concentrationdependently increased the evoked [H]acetylcholine release and cholinergic contractions in preparations from wild-type mice and from eNOS knockout mice. The effects of L-Nnitroarginine were specifically antagonized by L-arginine. In contrast, L-N-nitroarginine and ODQ did not modify the release and contractions in preparations from nNOS knockout mice. The NO donor, SNAP, inhibited the electrically-evoked release of [H]acetylcholine and longitudinal muscle contractions in a quantitatively similar manner in wild-type preparations as well as in nNOS and eNOS knockout preparations. It is concluded that endogenous NO released by electrical field stimulation tonically inhibits the release of acetylcholine. Furthermore, the data suggest that nNOS and not eNOS is the enzymatic source of NO mediating inhibition of cholinergic neurotransmission in the mouse ileum.
An Investigation into the Causality among Firms' Dividend, Investment, and Financing Decisions

In this paper we posit that information asymmetries and the resultant signaling implications make a firm's investment decision dependent on its dividend and financing decisions. By applying the vector autoregressive modeling technique to 100 firms randomly selected from ten four-digit SIC industries, we find evidence of interdependencies among the three decisions. The success of the model in predicting each of the three decision variables also suggests that these decisions should be analyzed in a simultaneous equation framework.
The impact of budget emphasis, participation and task difficulty on managerial performance: A cross-cultural study of the financial services sector

This study examines whether the three-way interaction between budget emphasis, budgetary participation and task difficulty affecting managerial performance, found in the manufacturing sector (Brownell and Dunk, AOS, 1991) can be generalized to the financial services sector. It also extends this research area across national culture within the theoretical framework suggested by Harrison (AOS, 1992) using a sample of 189 Australian and Singaporean financial services sector managers. The financial services sector was studied as little research attention has been directed to this sector. Additionally, since financial services sector mangers are routinely involved with financial and accounting matters, their better understanding of accounting may lead to a greater acceptance of accounting controls than nonfinancial sectors managers. Consequently, their reactions to accounting based evaluative styles and budgetary participation are expected to be more favorable than those of nonfinancial sector managers. The results indicate that budget emphasis has a significant and positive main effect on performance for financial services sector managers, whilst budgetary participation interacts significantly with task difficulty to affect performance. No cultural effects on the relationship between evaluative styles and performance were found.
Conversion from mitosis to meiosis: Morphology and expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and Dmc1 during newt spermatogenesis

The conversion from mitosis to meiosis is a phenomenon specific to the cellular progenitors of gametes; however, the mechanism or mechanisms responsible for this conversion are poorly understood. To this end, some morphological and molecular changes that occur during the initiation of meiosis in newt spermatogenesis are reported in the present paper. In situ morphologic studies revealed that spermatogonial stages comprise two phases: early mitotic generations (G1–G4) and late mitotic generations (G5–G8). Morphologic conversion from secondary spermatogonia to primary spermatocytes occurred during the intermediate stage of premeiotic DNA replication. The expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), a DNA polymerase‐delta auxiliary protein, in spermatogonia was weak in G1, highest during DNA synthesis (S), decreased in G2 and was not detectable in dividing cells. Complementary DNA for newt homologs of DMC1 (disrupted meiotic cDNA), which is an Escherichia coli RecA‐like protein specifically active during meiosis, were isolated. The newt Dmc1 mRNA was first expressed significantly during the preleptotene stage and this continued into the spermatid stage. These observations present a basis for investigating the mechanism(s) controlling the conversion of newt spermatogonial cells from mitosis to meiosis.
Compensation for Regulatory Takings in the Virtual Absence of Constitutional Provision: The Case of Korea

Abstract Although there is a large literature on when compensations are justified for regulatory takings, empirical studies are hard to find. This paper presents an empirical analysis of the behavior of regulators concerning compensation in the absence of constitutional requirements using the examples of land use regulations in Korea. We found that compensation is more likely to be offered if those affected by the regulation effectively protest the regulator, if the regulation involves compliance efforts that are difficult to monitor, and if the regime in power is democratic rather than authoritarian.
Establishment of two distinct human hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines from a single nodule showing clonal dedifferentiation of cancer cells

Hepatocellular carcinomas often contain tumor cells of more than one histological grade. The clonal relationship and biological behavior of hepatocellular carcinoma cells in histologically heterogeneous areas have not been fully explored. We established two distinct human hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines (HAK‐1A and 1B) from a single nodule showing a three‐layered structure with a different histological grade in each layer. Morphologically, HAK‐1A and 1B resembled well‐differentiated hepatocellular carcinoma cells in the outer layer of the original tumor and poorly differentiated ones in the inner layer, respectively. HAK‐1B appeared less differentiated morphologically and more aggressive biologically than HAK‐1A; HAK‐1B had a shorter doubling time, higher tumorigenicity and an aneuploid DNA index. Chromosome analysis revealed many different abnormalities in the two cell lines, in which, however, two identical structural abnormalities (2q+ and 17p+) were identified. Moreover, sequence analysis of the p53 gene showed identical mutations at codon 242 in both cell lines. These findings suggest that the two cell lines are of clonal origin and that hepatocellular carcinomas consisting of cancerous tissues of more than one histological grade may reflect clonal dedifferentiation in the tumor. Furthermore, we predict that a clonal, morphologically less differentiated subpopulation such as HAK‐1B is more aggressive in proliferation and may be closely related to subsequent tumor progression in hepatocellular carcinoma. (HEPATOLOGY 1993;18:320–327).
Real Wage Cyclicality in the Panel Study of Income Dynamics

Previous studies of real wage cyclicality have made only sparing use of the micro-data detail that is available in the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID). The present paper brings to bear this additional detail to investigate the robustness of the previous results and to examine whether there are important cross-sectional and demographic differences in wage cyclicality. Although real wages were procyclical across the entire distribution of workers from 1967 to 1991, the wages of lower-income, younger, and less-educated workers exhibited greater procyclicality. However, workers' straight-time hourly pay rates have been acyclical, suggesting that more variable pay margins such as bonuses, overtime, late shift premia, and commissions have played a substantial if not primary role in generating procyclicality.
Investment Planning Costs and the Effects of Fiscal and Monetary Policy

We show that simple "New Keynesian" models with capital but without investment frictions have counterfactual predictions regarding the short-run effects of fiscal policy shocks: fiscal expansions lower output, employment, and the real interest rate in these models. We modify the model by assuming that investment projects are costly to start or stop, which is consistent with micro evidence. Adding investment planning costs restores the aggregate expenditure logic of the Keynesian Cross, and eliminates the counterfactual predictions regarding fiscal shocks. The modified model is also better able to match stylized facts on (i) the delayed effects of monetary policy shocks on output, (ii) the size of the liquidity effect, and (iii) the fact that monetary shocks change real interest rates for a significantly shorter time than they change real output. We show that convex capital adjustment costs, as in the neoclassical interpretation of Tobin's Q, cannot substitute for investment planning costs in all of these respects.
Leadership and followers' work goals: a comparison between Japan and the UK

This paper examines to what extent Japanese and British followers differ with respect to their leadership preferences and work goals, within the frameworks of Bass and Avolio's Full-Range Leadership Model and House's Path-Goal Leadership Theory. The study also identifies the link between these two concepts (leadership preferences and work goals) and compares the patterns of relationships between the Japanese and British samples. A survey was conducted by self-completion e-mail questionnaires collected from 266 Japanese and 125 British subjects. The results indicate that Japanese and British followers show significant differences with respect to their leadership preferences for both Bass and Avolio's eight leadership styles and House's four styles, as well as for eight work goals. Also, the research identifies that the relationships between followers' leadership preferences and their desired work goals significantly differ between the two countries. The study therefore offers guidance for leaders who deal with Japanese and British followers by showing which leadership styles can be effective for those followers who demonstrate particular work goals, and the patterns identified in this research provide insights for future investigations by suggesting some new relationships to be tested.
New Employees' Turnover Intentions and Organizational Commitment in the Hong Kong Hotel Industry

New employee turnover has long been a concern of those who investigate human resources issues. According to Hong Kong hotel statistics, the average annual turnover rate of employees with less than 1 year of service was between 44% and 66% for the period between 1985 and 1999. Excessive employee turnover is costly. It also dampens employee morale and affects the service quality for hotel guests. The objectives of this study are to investigate the impact of job and social factors on new employees'organizational commitment and intentions to leave. The authors collected 249 self-administered questionnaires, the results of which showed that subjective norm and training are related to turnover intention, whereas subjective norm, mentorship, and the job itself are related to organizational commitment. Training, family-gathering functions, selection of quality mentors, and job enrichment are possible solutions to retain committed newcomers and reduce turnover rates.
A 0.76W/mm2 on-chip fully-integrated buck converter with negatively-coupled, stacked-LC filter in 65nm CMOS

A high-power-density buck converter of which active and passive components are fully integrated on a single CMOS chip is presented. To minimize the silicon area per inductance, a two-phase interleaving architecture with negatively-coupled inductors is adopted. Also, on-chip capacitors placed underneath the inductors further improves the power density by 20% without incurring the eddy current loss by routing the capacitor wires in the directions perpendicular to the inductor spiral. A prototype 550-MHz buck converter IC fully integrated with two 1.54-nH inductors and a 1.8-nF capacitor was designed and fabricated in a 65nm CMOS technology and demonstrates the peak power efficiency of 76% and power density of 0.76W/mm2.
The Choice Revolution: Privatization of Swedish Welfare Services in the 1990s

During the 1990s, the Swedish welfare state was declared by some to be in a “crisis”, due to both financial strain and loss of political support. Others have argued that the spending cuts and reforms undertaken during this period did slow down the previous increase in social spending, but left the system basically intact. The main argument put forward in this article is that the Swedish welfare state has been and is still undergoing a transforming process whereby it risks losing one of its main characteristics, namely the belief in and institutional support for social egalitarianism. During the 1990s, the public welfare service sector opened up to competing private actors. As a result, the share of private provision grew, both within the health-care and primary education systems as well as within social service provision. This resulted in a socially segregating dynamic, prompted by the introduction of “consumer choice”. As will be shown in the article, the gradual privatization and market-orientation of the welfare services undermine previous Swedish notions of a “people's home”, where uniform, high-quality services are provided by the state to all citizens, regardless of income, social background or cultural orientation.