Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The expression of HIV‐1 tat and nef genes induces cell‐specific changes in growth properties and morphology of different types of rat cells

Abstract. Among the viral regulatory genes the tat and nef genes of HIV‐1 encode the proteins playing a central role in viral replication and exerting pleiotropic effects on the survival and growth of the cells. These effects differ in various cell types, possibly due to the use of genes from different HIV‐1 isolates. In this work, we studied the effects of the tat and nef genes on three types of cultured rat cells: primary embryo fibroblasts, pseudonormal Rat‐2, and pheochromocytoma PC12. Both genes affected growth properties and morphology of cells, the effects being cell‐specific. The proliferative activity of both Rat‐2 and PC12 cells was considerably increased after transfection with the tat gene. In primary rat embryo fibroblasts the tat gene induced multilayered foci. More importantly, it was shown that the efficiency of transformation was higher in cells coexpressing tat and nef. The nef gene caused considerable suppression of Rat‐2 cell proliferation, but no changes in their morphology. The nef gene transfection of PC12 cells also led to suppression of their proliferative activity. In addition, cellular agglomerates which were morphologically similar to multinuclear syncytial cells were detected in these cells for the first time.
R&D Intensity and the Value of Analysts’ Recommendations

This study examines the relationship between the value of financial analysts’ recommendations and the intensity of firms’ research and development (R&D) expenditures. We conduct univariate, portfolio and regression analyses using a sample of 8,620 public firms for the period 1993-2004. The empirical results reveal that the value of analysts’ recommendations is significantly greater for firms that are more heavily invested in R&D. In addition, we investigate factors that contribute to the value of analysts’ recommendations. We find that analysts with advanced degrees (e.g., Ph.D., M.D.), more firm-specific experience and greater industry expertise issue more valuable recommendations particularly for R&D-intensive firms. Our findings shed light on the important issue of how informed market participants’ activities expedite the price discovery process of R&D firms. Prior research (Lev and Sougiannis 1996) shows that, despite the absence of mandatory financial reporting on R&D, investors incorporate information on the value and productivity of R&D investments into share prices. Our study suggests that analyst recommendations serve as an important channel through which information on the value and productivity of R&D projects becomes impounded into security prices.
Quality of Life and Affective Distress in Women Seeking Immediate versus Delayed Breast Reconstruction after Mastectomy for Breast Cancer

Background: This study compared the presurgical psychosocial and functional status of 238 women seeking breast reconstruction, either at the time of their mastectomy (immediate) (n = 151) or after prior mastectomy (delayed) (n = 87). Delayed subjects were further categorized in groups of time-since-mastectomy to examine the effects of time on postmastectomy psychosocial adjustment. Methods: Presurgical measures of quality of life, psychological distress, and somatic anxiety were obtained. Results: The results revealed relative impairment of quality of life and psychosocial functioning for immediate compared with delayed subjects. Immediate subjects reported greater disturbance in general mental health functioning, more severe impairment in emotional well being related to their cancer diagnosis, and higher levels of anxiety. Immediate subjects also reported a trend toward greater disturbance in work and daily activities, more frequent interference in social activities, and less vitality. Similarly, it was noted that the immediate group reported greater impairment in physical and functional well being related to their cancer adjustment. On psychological assessment, immediate subjects were more likely to report higher levels of affective distress, depressive symptoms, and obsessive-compulsive traits. For the delayed group, no statistically significant differences in the dependent measures were obtained when comparing subjects at 1 year, 2 years, and more than 2 years after mastectomy. Conclusions: Women seeking immediate reconstruction at the time of mastectomy show a relatively higher incidence of psychosocial impairment and functional disability. Women who undergo mastectomy demonstrate early restoration of psychosocial health within the first year after surgery. Patient preoperative psychosocial distress may have important implications for clinical decision-making and surgical outcome for women seeking combined mastectomy and breast reconstruction.
The Opportunities and Challenges ofDistance Education in Secondary Family & Consumer Sciences Programs

This study analyzed the opportunities and challenges ofdistance education for secondary family and consumer sciences programs. Comparisons are made between traditional face-to-face classrooms and asynchronous online educational experiences through an expanded literature review. Implications for both the learner and the instructor are examined with advantages and disadvantages highlighted. Based upon the research, it appears that on-line classes can be effective for some coursework, Online learning has been embraced as an avenue for personalizing the learning experience of students, but it should not be entered into without attention to the standards for best practices outlined by professional organizations.
Does the Minimum Wage Bite into Fast-Food Prices?

We study the effect of increases in effective minimum wages on the prices of several fast-food items using quarterly city-level data from 1993–2014, a period during much of which the federal minimum wage declined in real value while state-level legislation flourished. For one product, a burger, we find a robust price elasticity of 9 % with respect to the minimum wage. This estimate indicates substantial cost pass-through when contextualized by the effect of minimum-wage increases on restaurant wage bills. Our estimate for pizza is suggestive of a similarly large pass-through rate but is less precisely estimated, and our estimate for fried chicken is near zero, but estimated even less precisely. Taken as a whole, our estimates point toward sizable cost pass-through of minimum wage increases to consumer prices. These results contribute to a mixed literature on the consumer burden of minimum wage increases.
Informal institutions as mechanisms to address challenges in communal grazing land management in Tigray, Ethiopia

The role of institutions providing rules, norms and regulations, in addressing challenges in communal resources management has been debated for several decades. This article analyses the role of informal institutions for addressing shortage of grazing land, conflicts among users of communal grazing land and resistance among users to shift from free grazing to zero grazing in Tigray, Ethiopia. We used in depth interviews and focus group discussions for data collection. We argue that informal institutions are important mechanisms for addressing the challenges in communal grazing land management. The contributions of informal institutions for addressing challenges in communal grazing lands varied with type of challenge and were influenced by distances from markets and Wereda towns. Although the informal institutions were crucial in reversing the shortage of grazing land by regulating access to communal grazing land and enhancing controlled use of grass, they did not contribute to resolving conflicts that arose from unequal allocation of benefits in the village far from a market and Wereda town. Incorporating zero-grazing practices in informal institutions was hindered by disagreements among users and the top-down approach used by development agents when introducing zero grazing. To enhance effectiveness of informal institutions, the increasing grazing pressure should be addressed using more efficient schemes for harvesting grass. Moreover, creating awareness of the need for fewer but more productive cattle breeds is crucial. Consideration of well-performing informal institutions in policy and development interventions is essential to maximise the benefits of communal grazing lands to improve livelihoods of users.
Are There Long Cycles in Common Stock Returns

An enormous amount of empirical work has been directed toward understanding the nature of stock price movements. Early studies, such as those by Alexander [2; 3], Fama [10], and Fama and Blume [11], support the contention that stock price changes follow a random walk. Thus cycles that appear to exist are simply a statistical artifact. More recent efforts, namely Young [28], Greene and Fielitz [12], Praetz [24], and Renshaw [25], however, provide some evidence against this hypothesis and suggest that stock price changes follow some type of a cyclic time path. ' Explanations for these contradictory findings rely on the way that information is disseminated to, processed by, and acted on by market participants. To date, three basic information-based scenarios have appeared in the literature: (1) not all information is of equal importance, (2) not all participants have the same information, and (3) not all participants are equal in their ability to process information. This latter scenario is the most recent and has been used by Heiner [13] to develop a theory of predictable behavior by constructing a competence-difficulty (C-D) gap construct. Kaen and Rosenman [16] extend Heiner's [13] work to provide an explanation for the presence of nonperiodic cycles in asset prices, especially the prices (and returns) of common stock. They maintain that, according to Heiner's theory, market participants differ in their ability in making the correct buy and sell decisions under uncertainty. In financial markets, the spread between the participants' competence in conjunction with the complexity of the information, i.e., the C-D gap, results in price changes in the same direction. If new contradictory information is of substantial import, directional change occurs. Since the arrival of new information is posited to a random event, the resulting periods of similar price change behavior appear to be nonperiodic cycles. Empirically, Kaen and Rosenman [16] support their contention by citing several studies that have used rescaled
Switching STudy of Kidney TRansplant PAtients with Tremor to LCP‐TacrO (STRATO): an open‐label, multicenter, prospective phase 3b study

Tremor is a common side effect of tacrolimus correlated with peak‐dose drug concentration. LCPT, a novel, once‐daily, extended‐release formulation of tacrolimus, has a reduced Cmax with comparable AUC exposure, requiring a ~30% dose reduction vs. immediate‐release tacrolimus. In this phase 3b study, kidney transplant recipients (KTR) on a stable dose of tacrolimus and with a reported clinically significant tremor were offered a switch to LCPT. Tremor pre‐ and seven d post‐conversion was evaluated by independent, blinded movement disorder neurologists using the Fahn–Tolosa–Marin (FTM) scale and by an accelerometry device; patients completed the QUEST (quality of life in essential tremor) and the Patient Global Impression of Change. There were 38 patients in the mITT population. A statistically and clinically significant improvement in tremor (FTM score, amplitude as measured by the accelerometry device and QOL [p‐values < 0.05]) resulted post‐conversion. Change in QUEST was significantly (p = 0.006) correlated (R = 0.44) with change in FTM; 78.9% of patients reported an improvement after switching to LCPT (p < 0.0005). To our knowledge this is the first trial in KTR that utilizes a sophisticated and reproducible measurement of tremor. Results suggest LCPT is associated with clinically meaningful improvement of hand tremor and may be an alternative management approach in lieu of further dose reduction of immediate‐release tacrolimus for patients experiencing tremor.
The UK National Minimum Wage in Retrospect

This paper provides a retrospective summary of the effects of the UK national minimum wage (NMW) on labour market performance since its introduction in 1999. We use an ‘incremental differences-in-differences’ (IDiD) estimator to look at the effects of the NMW in each year through its differential impact across local labour markets. We find that the NMW is associated with a significant fall in wage inequality in the bottom half of the distribution. This suggests that geographical areas where the NMW ‘bites’ more have experienced larger declines in wage inequality than elsewhere. While the overall effect of the NMW on employment rates averaged over its existence is neutral, we do find small positive employment effects from 2003 onwards. Likewise, the association of the NMW with unemployment has been negative in recent years. NMW effects on hours have been mixed, but overall there is no compelling evidence to indicate that the NMW upratings have had an adverse effect on full-time total hours of work. Notwithstanding the clarity of these results, any causal interpretation of them might be compromised by the presence of concomitant policies that might have been correlated with the ‘bite’ of the NMW.
How systemic innovations require alterations along the entire supply chain: the case of animal-derived functional foods

It has been widely accepted that different types of innovation have different implications for the whole innovation process. However, less is known about how the specific type of innovation may affect the entire supply chain. In order to explore how the character of innovations affects supply chain coordination, this paper compares four cases drawn from the evolving sector of animal-derived functional foods. By paying special attention to the chain and network perspective on autonomous and systemic innovations this paper intends to present an overview of animal-derived functional foods togehter with a classification scheme to better understand how innovations in this field can be successfully managed. Findings of the case studies lead to the hypotheses that supply chain coordination differs according to the specific type of innovation and that the more systemic the innovation is (i.e. the more linkages in the chain it creates) the more centralized supply chain coordination ought to be.
Clinical practice of traditional Chinese medicines for chronic heart failure

Background Chinese medicines have been used for chronic heart failure (CHF) for thousands of years; however, the status of traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) used for CHF has not been reported. This review was carried out in the framework of a joint Sino-Italian Laboratory. Objective To investigate the baseline of clinical practice of TCMs for CHF, and to provide valuable information for research and clinical practice. Methods The authors included articles about the use of TCMs for the treatment of CHF by searching the Chinese Journal Full-text Database (1994 to November 2007). Results In all, 1029 papers were included, with 239 herbs retrieved from these. The most commonly used herbs included Huangqi (Radix Astragali), Fuling (Poria), Danshen (Radix Salviae Miltiorrhiae), Fuzi (Radix Aconiti Lateralis Preparata) and Tinglizi (Semen Lepidii). Modern Chinese patent medicines (produced by pharmaceutical companies) and traditional prescriptions (comprising several herbs) are the application forms of these drugs. Shenmai, Shengmai and Astragalus injections were the most commonly used Chinese patent medicines. Some classic prescriptions (including Zhenwu decoction, Shengmai powder and Lingguizhugan decoction) were also frequently used. The effectiveness and safety of the TCMs were both satisfactory, and the traditional Chinese medicine and western medicine therapy could significantly improve the clinical effectiveness and reduce some of the adverse reactions from western medicines used alone. Conclusion The authors have acquired overall information about the clinical application of TCMs for CHF. Modern pharmacology has provided limited evidence for the rationality of this clinical use. Further research is needed to provide more evidence.
Student Drop-out: A case study in new managerialist policy

Since the incorporation of the further education (FE) sector student drop-out has become an issue for policy makers, and colleges with higher than average rates of non-completion have been penalised. This process, which is consistent with the 'new managerialist' approach described by Randle and Brady (1997) in an earlier volume of this Journal, results in a loss of funding and 'naming and shaming' via inspection reports and performance tables. It is suggested that this policy response to student drop-out represents a mechanistic reaction to the 'standards' agenda and could impede other policy priorities such as widening participation. The paper examines the growing body of research evidence which challenges the view that drop-out is caused by colleges which 'don't care'. Studies of the influence of factors external to colleges, such as financial hardship, feeder schools and the impact of 'habitus' on a student's disposition, illustrate the problem of trying to reduce the complex issue of drop-out to a single, generalisable cause. The paper concludes that the development of a more sophisticated analytical model is necessary if student retention is to be improved.
Elastic State Machine Replication

State machine replication (SMR) is a fundamental technique for implementing stateful dependable systems. A key limitation of this technique is that the performance of a service does not scale with the number of replicas hosting it. Some works have shown that such scalability can be achieved by partitioning the state of the service into shards. The few SMR-based systems that support dynamic partitioning implement ad-hoc state transfer protocols and perform scaling operations as background tasks to minimize the performance degradation during reconfigurations. In this work we go one step further and propose a modular partition transfer protocol for creating and destroying such partitions at runtime, thus providing fast elasticity for crash and Byzantine fault tolerant replicated state machines and making them more suitable for cloud systems.
Does migration of hybrids contribute to post-zygotic isolation in flycatchers?

In the face of hybridization, species integrity can only be maintained through post-zygotic isolating barriers (PIBs). PIBs need not only be intrinsic (i.e. hybrid inviability and sterility caused by developmental incompatibilities), but also can be extrinsic due to the hybrid's intermediate phenotype falling between the parental niches. For example, in migratory species, hybrid fitness might be reduced as a result of intermediate migration pathways and reaching suboptimal wintering grounds. Here, we test this idea by comparing the juvenile to adult survival probabilities as well as the wintering grounds of pied flycatchers (Ficedula hypoleuca), collared flycatchers (Ficedula albicollis) and their hybrids using stable isotope ratios of carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) in feathers developed at the wintering site. Our result supports earlier observations of largely segregated wintering grounds of the two parental species. The isotope signature of hybrids clustered with that of pied flycatchers. We argue that this pattern can explain the high annual survival of hybrid flycatchers. Hence, dominant expression of the traits of one of the parental species in hybrids may substantially reduce the ecological costs of hybridization.
Is Mexico City Polycentric? A Trip Attraction Capacity Approach

The article explores whether Mexico City is a polycentric metropolis. Building upon previous methodologies, an alternative criterion is proposed for identifying employment centres, using a jobs to working residents ratio, while taking into account economic informality. Although a small set of minor sub-centres is traced, it is found that most jobs are concentrated in a large central agglomeration, with a moderate percentage of jobs concentrated in corridor-like shapes. Within this central agglomeration, are found inner nodes and corridor-like structures that had been identified in previous research as sub-centres. Additionally, economic specialisation is identified with the use of location quotients and the results are compared with those of previous methodologies. It is concluded that Mexico City has a hybrid, although still predominantly monocentric, urban form.
Banks and monetary transmission in Europe: empirical evidence

The present work examines bank lending behaviour in continental Europe. An empirical analysis is performed using bank-level panel data for fiscal years 1990-1995 to investigate the existence of a bank lending and balance sheet channel in Europe. The results reveal that monetary policy in continental Europe matter most for small banks and for banks with relatively illiquid balance sheets. Most of the findings point to the existence of a bank lending channel in Germany and the Netherlands.
Welfare-Based Evaluation of Real Exchange Rate Stabilization in the Presence of News about the Future - Job Market Paper -

This paper studies the eect of news shocks about the future technology level and performs the welfare-based policy evaluation of real exchange rate stabilization in a two-country open economy model. When prices of consumption goods across countries are sticky in the local currency, the consumption-based real exchange rate moves closely with the nominal exchange rate whose movements re‡ect changes in expectations of future fundamentals caused by news about the future. Consequently, the movement of the real exchange rate correctly informs the monetary policy authority of the impact of news shocks on the economy. In the sticky price economy, we show that the optimal policy rule in the presence of news shocks requires real exchange rate stabilization. When both sticky wages and prices are taken into account, the in‡ation-targeting policy alone ampli…es the response of the economy to news shocks, creating a large welfare loss. In this case, either real exchange rate stabilization or output gap stabilization is needed to prevent the economy from overreacting to news shocks. Under the optimal policy rule, however, the role of real exchange rate stabilization in dampening the impact of news shocks is dominated by output gap stabilization because the movement of the output gap is more informative about the impact of news shocks. Nevertheless, our speci…cation of real exchange rate stabilization implies that it is viewed as a legitimate goal of monetary policy to target news shocks in the economy with sticky wages. In addition, we show that the real exchange rate exhibits hump-shaped dynamics in response to a positive news shock and that both the real exchange rate and the terms-of-trade can either appreciate or depreciate in response to such a news shock, depending on how far into the future the shock will actually be realized.