Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Urinary nitrate excretion is increased in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and reduced by prednisolone.

OBJECTIVES--To determine daily production of nitric oxide (NO) measured as urinary nitrate excretion, and the effect of prednisolone in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS--Twenty four hour urinary nitrate was measured by gas chromatography in 10 patients with RA, before and two to four weeks after commencement of prednisolone 0.5 mg/kg body weight, and in 18 healthy controls. RESULTS--Before the start of prednisolone treatment the urinary nitrate excretion in patients with RA was 2.7-fold greater (p < 0.001) than that in healthy volunteers. After prednisolone it decreased significantly, by 28%, at which time inflammatory activity (as indicated by C reactive protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, joint count, and early morning stiffness) was also reduced considerably. Despite this decrease, the urinary nitrate excretion in patients with RA remained twice that in the control group (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS--Our data suggest that the endogenous production of NO is enhanced in patients with RA. Furthermore, the results indicate that, in parallel with suppression of inflammation, this increased NO synthesis could be reduced by prednisolone treatment.
Unlocking Pathways to Women's Empowerment and Gender Equality: The Good, The Bad, and the Sticky

This paper brings together the concepts of social norms and innovation diffusion to assess two community development projects with gender targets. The projects failed to meet their objectives although they embodied leading global ‘good practices’ for community-based participatory approaches. In order to succeed, the projects needed to reach and empower poor women; however, they were located in contexts with significant gender inequalities and weak governance in one case, and with political conflict in the other. In such contexts, participatory projects with gender objectives likely require more strategic and longer term interventions than current community development models are allowing.
Effects of Budget Deficit on Trade Balance in Nigeria: A Simulation Exercise

This article uses a macroeconomic model to investigate the effects of budget deficit on trade balance in Nigeria. Evidence from policy simulations shows that budget deficit arising from increased government spending adversely affects the balance of trade irrespective of whether it is money-financed or by external borrowing. This suggests that, in part, demand management policies can be explored to achieve external balance in Nigeria. Le present article part d’un modele macroeconomique pour analyser les effets du deficit budgetaire sur la balance commerciale au Nigeria. D’apres les resultats des simulations de l’action des pouvoirs publics, il ressort que le deficit budgetaire cause par l’augmentation des depenses publiques a des incidences negatives sur la balance commerciale, quel qu’en soit le mode de financement: le recours a la planche a billet ou l’emprunt exterieur. Ce qui donne a penser qu’en partie, il est possible d’etudier les politiques de gestion de la demande pour resoudre le probleme de la balance exterieure au Nigeria.
Concentration in the Labor Market for Public School Teachers

Recent studies that have investigated the relationship between the monopsony power of school districts and teachers' salaries have reached conflicting conclusions. The authors of this paper argue that the discrepancies among previous studies may be due to the arbitrary demarcation of the boundaries of teacher labor markets and the use of faulty measures of monopsony. Using a new procedure for defining teacher labor market boundaries and several alternative indices of concentration, this study finds evidence of monopsonistic activity in local teacher labor markets in Pennsylvania. The monopsony wage effects are small, however, and are present mainly at the mid-to-upper ranges of the bachelor's degree salary scale.
Growth, Beta and Agency Costs as Determinants of Dividend Payout Ratios

A model of optimal dividend payout is presented in which increased dividends lower agency costs but raise the transactions cost of external financing. The optimal dividend payout ratio minimizes the sum of these two costs. A cross-sectional test of the model relates dividend payout to the fraction of equity held by insiders, the past and expected future revenue growth of the firm, the firm's beta coefficient, and the number of common stockholders. The coefficients of all variables are significant in the predicted directions. The results indicate that investment policy influences dividend policy.
The effects of service quality, tourism impact, and tourist satisfaction on tourist choice of leisure farming types

In the highly-competitive leisure service industry, improving service quality to gain competitive advantages is the only key to sustainable management of leisure agriculture. However, developing leisure farming may cause positive and negative impact on local economy, social culture, and environment. Therefore, how to identify the factors affecting tourist choice of leisure farming types is an important issue which is worth studying. Leisure farming tourists living in Taiwan were selected as research subjects. The sampling survey is executed by questionnaires. The collected data are also analyzed by using statistical methods. The research results show: (1) there are positive relationships among service quality, positive tourism impact, and total tourist satisfaction; (2) some demographic variables may lead to significant difference in perception of service quality, tourism impact, and total tourist satisfaction; (3) tangibles and assurance of service quality, positive economy and positive social culture of tourism impact significantly influence tourist choice of leisure farming types; (4) there are significantly positive and direct effects between service quality and positive tourism impact, and positive tourism impact and total tourist satisfaction, but significantly negative and direct effects between service quality and negative tourism impact, and negative tourism impact and total tourist satisfaction through Amos analysis. Key words: Leisure farming, service quality, positive/negative tourism impact, total tourist satisfaction.
Spatial Planning and High-Speed Broadband: Australia's National Broadband Network and Metropolitan Planning

Abstract The Australian government is constructing a National Broadband Network (NBN), which at an estimated cost of $43 billion will be Australia's largest ever infrastructure project. The NBN, if its full benefits are to be realized, raises a number of important, but largely unexplored, questions for planning. This paper investigates the implications of the NBN for Australian metropolitan planning focusing on the question of how these plans will exploit the NBN to improve urban outcomes. The paper examines the Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane metropolitan areas and analyses the strategies shaping the future of these regions during the rollout and implementation of the NBN. This comparative analysis reveals similarities across these three metropolitan areas in their weak stance towards the NBN. Some key findings include: (1) a segregation of infrastructure planning and metropolitan planning; (2) a lack of consistency between different policies within each metropolitan area and (3) policy gaps regarding the role of telecommunications at the metropolitan level. Considering the number of governments worldwide that are making large investments in high-speed broadband, this paper addresses policy issues that will impact upon metropolitan planning well beyond the borders of Australia.
The Evolution of a Financial Crisis: Collapse of the Asset-Backed Commercial Paper Market

This paper documents “runs” on asset-backed commercial paper (ABCP) programs using a novel dataset of all transactions in the U.S. market during its severe contraction in 2007. We find that one-third of programs were run within weeks of the onset of the ABCP crisis and that runs, as well as yields and maturities for new issues, were related to program-level and macro-financial risks. The findings are consistent with the asymmetric information framework used to explain banking panics, have implications for the degree of risk-intolerance of commercial paper investors, and inform upon empirical predictions of recent papers on dynamic coordination failures.
Does the Quality of Corporate Governance Affect Firm Valuation and Risk? Evidence from a Corporate Governance Scorecard in Hong Kong

Using Hong Kong firm data, we construct an index of corporate governance during 2002–2005, which scores the corporate governance practices of listed companies from the public shareholders' perspective based on the Organization for Economic Corporation and Development Principles of Corporate Governance. The findings show that family firms and firms with concentrated ownership structures are associated with bad corporate governance. The evidence also shows that these firms improve their corporate governance practices slower than their peers. Overall, the quality of corporate governance is very significant in explaining future company stock returns and risk. Good corporate governance is associated with both higher stock returns and with lower risk. Improvements in corporate governance are associated with significantly higher stock returns and lower company risk.
Is there an audience for public sector annual reports: Australian evidence?

Purpose – The purpose of this research is to investigate the role and importance of the annual report as a source of information about public sector entities.Design/methodology/approach – This research uses a survey methodology to access users of public sector annual reports and is innovative because it has directly studied actual users across the entire public sector.Findings – The findings of this research indicate that the annual report is an important source of information about public sector entities but it is not the most important source of information. This study also found that the annual report is not regarded as equally important across all public sector entity types. Differences in the importance attached to the annual report by different stakeholder groups were also noted.Research implications/limitations – These findings have important implications for policy makers with respect to the information content of public sector annual reports. In particular the blanket approach to legislative requ.
Exploring the Role of the Learning Strategist at a Canadian College and University: The Tale of Two Professionals

In this article, we synthesize literature related to the experiences of students with learning disabilities in postsecondary settings, including support service initiatives. We also synthesize the role of the learning strategists in context of working with these students. We then explore the daily experiences of two senior learning strategists situated in a college and university. We highlight changes in role enactment over the last decade and explore their perceptions of the factors that facilitate or hinder their role enactment as well as the resulting tensions. Finally, we highlight the differences in role enactment across the two participants and discuss the associated implications for students with learning disabilities and other service providers.
Role of Interferon-Stimulated Gene Factor 3γ and Beta Interferon in HLA Class I Enhancement in Synovial Fibroblasts upon Infection with Chlamydia trachomatis

ABSTRACT Chlamydia trachomatis infection can cause reactive arthritis that is associated with the persistence of chlamydial organisms in the joint. Fibroblasts of the synovial membrane represent host cells for Chlamydia during articular infection. In this study we investigated the expression of HLA class I molecules in synovial fibroblasts following infection with C. trachomatis D. The expression of HLA class I heavy chain (HLA-I) was up-regulated in infected cultures as shown by reverse transcription-PCR and immunoblotting. The increase in cell surface expression of HLA-I and β2 microglobulin on infected fibroblasts was demonstrated by flow cytometric analysis. Suppression of enhanced production of interferon-stimulated gene factor 3γ (ISGF3γ) in infected cell cultures by antisense oligonucleotide treatment reduced the level of HLA-I. Blocking antibodies to beta interferon (IFN-β) inhibited the Chlamydia-induced enhancement of both ISGF3γ and HLA-I. These findings show that the up-regulation of HLA-I in synovial fibroblasts infected with C. trachomatis is caused by the induction of IFN-β, which in turn stimulates the synthesis of ISGF3γ, a transcription factor participating in the regulation of the HLA-I gene. The IFN-β-mediated expression of HLA-I on Chlamydia-infected cells may be a regulatory factor in the immune response in chlamydial infections.
School Perspectives on Collaborative Inquiry: Lessons Learned From New York City, 2009-2010

The New York City Department of Education has supported collaborative inquiry as a potentially powerful process for helping administrators and teachers use student data to improve instruction and raise student achievement. Beginning with a pilot project in 2006, teams of teachers have learned to work together to diagnose the needs of students who have not been successful in their classrooms and to develop strategies to improve their learning. Collaborative inquiry sits at the heart of the Department's larger Children First initiative and aims to help educators close the achievement gap in their schools. Each year New York City schools have engaged higher proportions of faculty in the inquiry work. The goal is at least 90% participation in collaborative inquiry. The purpose of this research report is to share lessons learned about the conditions, structures, relationships, and leadership practice that support teacher participation in inquiry. The report also presents perceived benefits of collaborative inquiry as reported by school leaders and teachers. Data come from site visits to 13 schools actively engaged in collaborative inquiry. The research team conducted 213 interviews with principals, assistant principals, instructional support staffs, and teachers participating in inquiry and 37 observations of inquiry team meetings.
AGGREGATE AND DISTRIBUTIONAL EFFECTS OF TAX POLICY WITH INTERDEPENDENT PREFERENCES: THE ROLE OF “CATCHING UP WITH THE JONESES”

This paper analyzes the aggregate growth and distributional effects of tax policy using an endogenous growth model with heterogeneous agents having “catching up with the Joneses” (CUJ) types of preferences. We characterize the aggregate equilibrium of this economy, as well as its distributional properties, and show that the consumption externality present with CUJ preferences produces greater income inequality than is obtained with conventional time-separable preferences. The consumption externality substantially alters the effects of tax policy, mostly quantitatively, but in some cases qualitatively as well. Extensive numerical simulations are conducted and used to compare the consequences of different modes of taxation, highlighting the tradeoffs involved.
Safety of low-dose spironolactone administration in chronic haemodialysis patients.

BACKGROUND Prevention of cardiovascular diseases is essential in chronic haemodialysis patients. Recently, low-dose spironolactone has been shown to decrease cardiovascular mortality in patients with severe heart failure. However, since haemodialysis patients are prone to hyperkalaemia, a known side effect of spironolactone, this treatment is not used in this population. We performed a study to assess whether low-dose spironolactone (3 x 25 mg/week) could be administered without inducing hyperkalaemia in haemodialysis patients. METHODS The study design included a 2-week baseline period, followed by a 4-week treatment period in which doses of spironolactone were started at 12.5 mg three times/week for 2 weeks, then increased to 25 mg three times/week, and followed by a 2-week wash-out period. Fourteen patients receiving low-dose spironolactone after each dialysis were compared with 21 haemodialysis patients (control group). RESULTS Low-dose spironolactone did not change mean serum potassium (4.9 +/- 0.7 vs 4.9 +/- 0.3 mmol/l: control). The mean plasma canrenone level induced by administration of spironolactone 25 mg three times/week in the 14 treated patients was 13 +/- 5.3 ng/ml. Serum aldosterone was not significantly modified by the administration of spironolactone in these patients [before, median 0.35; interquartile range (IQR) 0.11-2.83 nmol/l vs after, median 0.22; IQR 0.12-0.60 nmol/l, NS]. Dietary potassium intake and the use of ion-exchange resin, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and beta-blockers were similar for the two groups throughout the study. CONCLUSION This non-randomized and non-blinded study shows that administration of 25 mg spironolactone thrice weekly is not associated with an increased frequency of hyperkalaemia in haemodialysis patients when they are carefully monitored. More studies are required, however, before concluding that spironolactone administration is safe in the chronic haemodialysis population.
Incidence of vestibular schwannoma and incidental findings on the magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography scans of patients from a direct referral audiology clinic

Abstract Objective: To identify the incidence of vestibular schwannoma amongst patients referred from a direct referral audiology clinic, and also the number of incidental findings, as seen on magnetic resonance imaging or computed tomography scans. Method: Prospective data collection for patients referred from a direct referral audiology clinic due to audiological evidence of asymmetrical hearing loss. The audiograms, magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography scans of patients with diagnosed vestibular schwannoma were subsequently reviewed. Results: A total of 4100 patients were seen during the study period, with 396 scans performed. Six (1.5 per cent) patients had vestibular schwannoma, while 12 (3 per cent) had significant incidental findings. Conclusion: Patients referred from the direct referral audiology clinic had a low incidence of vestibular schwannoma detection. Their detection rate for significant incidental findings was similar to previous reports. If the current protocol had not been in place, over 300 patients would have been needlessly added to the ENT clinic list. Thus, general practitioner referral to direct referral audiology clinics provides a cost-effective way of managing asymmetrical sensorineural hearing loss in older patients. The number of such clinics could be expanded.
Sizing Reserves within a Landscape: The Roles of Villagers’ Reactions and the Ecological-Socioeconomic Setting

Traditionally, siting and sizing decisions for parks and reserves reflected ecological characteristics but typically failed to consider ecological costs created from displaced resource collection, welfare costs on nearby rural people, and enforcement costs. Using a spatial game-theoretic model that incorporates the interaction of socioeconomic and ecological settings, we show how incorporating more recent mandates that include rural welfare and surrounding landscapes can result in very different optimal sizing decisions. The model informs our discussion of recent forest management in Tanzania, reserve sizing and siting decisions, estimating reserve effectiveness, and determining patterns of avoided forest degradation in Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation programs. (JEL Q23)
THE RELATIVE INFORMATION-CONTENT OF ACCRUALS AND CASH FLOWS - COMBINED EVIDENCE AT THE EARNINGS ANNOUNCEMENT AND ANNUAL-REPORT RELEASE DATE

While there is general agreement that share values are related to future cash flows, there is controversy about the usefulness of the accrual components of earnings for assessing share values. On the one hand, the Financial Accounting Standards Board maintains accruals are useful for assessing share values (FASB [1978]). Indeed, many of the FASB's standards have dealt with accruals they deemed relevant for this purpose, and considerable resources have been expended to develop and implement these standards. On the other hand, some financial analysts (Brealey and Myers [1981], Dun's Business Month [1977], and Treynor [1972]) question the reliability and relevance of earnings because of its accrual components. They argue that it is difficult to compare earnings across firms because of the variety of methods used to calculate accrual items, that managers can manipulate accruals to alter reported earnings, and
Explaining Share Price Disparity with Parameter Uncertainty: Evidence from Chinese A- and H-Shares

The price disparity between the A- and H-share markets for dual-listed firms in China is one of the most intriguing puzzles in the Mainland and Hong Kong financial markets. In this paper, we revisit this price disparity puzzle using the channel of parameter uncertainty. In the presence of information asymmetry and market segmentation, investors have different views on a firm’s asset volatility, and hence different valuations of the same reference firm. We estimate a structural model for equity pricing using a Bayesian approach, in which the uncertainty of investor model parameters is represented by the posterior standard deviation of the firm’s asset volatility. Our regression analysis shows that in addition to other market-based and macro factors, parameter uncertainty explains variations in price disparity.
Mitochondrial DNA analysis: polymorphisms and pathogenicity

The investigation of mtDNA disease can be relatively straightforward if a person has a recognisable phenotype and if it is possible to identify a known pathogenic mtDNA mutation. The difficulties arise when no known mtDNA defect can be found, or when the clinical abnormalities are complex and not easily matched to those of the more common mitochondrial disorders. We will describe here the difficulties that can be encountered during the identification of pathogenic mtDNA mutations and the approaches that can be used to confirm, or eliminate, a likely pathogenic role, in either single gene diseases or in multifactorial disorders.
The Virtual Slide Set - a Curriculum Development System for Digital Microscopy

We describe the development of a Virtual Slide System for creating and viewing clinico-pathologic cases with embedded interactive digital microscopy. The system supports rich text-to-image annotation, including (1) hotlinks of text descriptions that move the student to the correct part of the slide, and (2) annotations such as arrows and circles that appear on the Virtual Slide on request. The interface can be configured by the student to alter the degree of guidance the system provides. The authoring layer provides a graphical user interface to authors for creating new case sets, cases, questions, and annotated virtual slides, which are saved to a database and automatically added to the Virtual Slide homepage. The system has been used in two pilot studies at the University of Pittsburgh.
Phylogeny of the genus Omphalotus based on nuclear ribosomal DNA-sequences

The evolutionary history of the genus Omphalotus was inferred from DNA sequences of the ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 rDNA region. We analyzed 32 collections from different geographical areas: O. olearius (Europe), O. illudens (Europe, North America), O. subilludens (North America), O. olivascens var. olivascens (North America) and var. indigo (Mexico), O. mexicanus (Middle America), O. nidiformis (Australia), and O. japonicus (Japan). Phylogenetic analysis was performed declaring Nothopanus eugrammus as outgroup. Our analyses show that the genus Omphalotus is split into two major clades, the first consisting of O. illudens and O. mexicanus and the second comprising O. olearius, O. olivascens, O. japonicus, O. nidiformis and O. subilludens. Moreover, the often discussed synonymy of O. illudens and O. olearius is rejected. Omphalotus japonicus, a species formerly placed in the genus Lampteromyces Sing. for morphological reasons, clustered as the sister group of O. olearius.