Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Social stratification in a Punjabi village of Pakistan : the dynamics between caste, gender, and violence

This thesis looks at the system of social stratification in Punjabi villages of Pakistan using caste as a theoretical tool and develops an analysis of the dynamics between caste, gender, and violence. The focus of the research is the hierarchical arrangement of two major caste based status groups in Punjabi villages i.e. landowning castes, Zamindars, and service providing castes, Kammis, their asymmetrical social interactions in the village setting, and its changing patterns. The study draws on the theory of intersectionality to explore the social relations of dominance and resistance in the paradigm of caste and gender as an interconnected system of social oppression and structural violence. It is a case study comparative research and is conducted in two villages of Punjab province in Pakistan, each village as a unit of analysis; one in the arid and other in the irrigated agricultural zone. Since the ownership of land, the nature of agricultural activity, and the agrarian economy form the basis of traditional caste system in rural Pakistan, this research compares the dynamics between caste, gender, and violence in two different agricultural contexts. The literature has mostly dealt with the caste in Muslim Pakistan as a horizontal category with no real attempts to explore the caste relations in rural Pakistan in terms of power, difference, and inequality. This research contrasts with much of the existing literature on the area of caste in Pakistan and argues that the caste system in rural Pakistan exists in the form of the indigenous categories of Quom and Zat, which divide the Zamindar Quoms and Kammi Quoms in distinct and rigid birth-ascribed status groups on the basis of their parentage occupations. Looking at the changing dynamics of caste in contemporary Punjabi villages, this research argues that the caste system still plays a significant role in organizing the village structures. The villager's rights to participate in the social, political, and economic affairs of the village are determined by their caste and memberships in kinship groups. The power relations organized around the caste memberships, caste practices, and caste organization of the village influence the gender identities of the villagers, resulting in different shades of masculinities and femininities across Zamindars and Kamrnis.
Two distinct cell populations in the floor plate of the zebrafish are induced by different pathways.

The floor plate is a morphologically distinct structure of epithelial cells situated along the midline of the ventral spinal cord in vertebrates. It is a source of guidance molecules directing the growth of axons along and across the midline of the neural tube. In the zebrafish, the floor plate is about three cells wide and composed of cuboidal cells. Two cell populations can be distinguished by the expression patterns of several marker genes, including sonic hedgehog (shh) and the fork head-domain gene fkd4: a single row of medial floor plate (MFP) cells, expressing both shh and fkd4, is flanked by rows of lateral floor plate (LFP) cells that express fkd4 but not shh. Systematic mutant searches in zebrafish embryos have identified a number of genes, mutations in which visibly reduce the floor plate. In these mutants either the MFP or the LFP cells are absent, as revealed by the analysis of the shh and fkd4 expression patterns. MFP cells are absent, but LFP cells are present, in mutants of cyclops, one-eyed pinhead, and schmalspur, whose development of midline structures is affected. LFP cells are absent, but MFP cells are present, in mutants of four genes, sonic you, you, you-too, and chameleon, collectively called the you-type genes. This group of mutants also shows defects in patterning of the paraxial mesoderm, causing U- instead of V-shaped somites. One of the you-type genes, sonic you, was recently shown to encode the zebrafish Shh protein, suggesting that the you-type genes encode components of the Shh signaling pathway. It has been shown previously that in the zebrafish shh is required for the induction of LFP cells, but not for the development of MFP cells. This conclusion is supported by the finding that injection of shh RNA causes an increase in the number of LFP, but not MFP cells. Embryos mutant for iguana, detour, and umleitung share the lack of LFP cells with you-type mutants while somite patterning is not severely affected. In mutants that fail to develop a notochord, MFP cells may be present, but are always surrounded by LFP cells. These data indicate that shh, expressed in the notochord and/or the MFP cells, induces the formation of LFP cells. In embryos doubly mutant for cyclops (cyc) and sonic you (syu) both LFP and MFP cells are deleted. The number of primary motor neurons is strongly reduced in cyc;syu double mutants, while almost normal in single mutants, suggesting that the two different pathways have overlapping functions in the induction of primary motor neurons.
Association of hospital and surgeon procedure volume with patient-centered outcomes of total knee replacement in a population-based cohort of patients age 65 years and older.

OBJECTIVE To study the association between procedure volume and patient-centered outcomes such as functional status. METHODS We performed an observational study of a stratified random sample of Medicare beneficiaries who underwent primary total knee replacement (TKR) in 2000. Low-volume surgeons were defined as surgeons performing < or =6 TKRs per year in the Medicare population, and low-volume centers were defined as those in which < or =25 TKRs per year were performed. The primary outcome was the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) functional status score (0-100 scale; 100 = best) 2 years after TKR. We defined a WOMAC functional status score of <60 as a poor functional outcome. Analyses were adjusted for sociodemographic factors, preoperative functional status, and comorbidities. RESULTS Fifty-eight percent of 1,597 eligible patients agreed to participate. Twelve percent of participating patients had a WOMAC score <60 2 years following TKR. Patients operated upon by low-volume surgeons in low-volume hospitals were twice as likely to have a poor WOMAC functional status score as patients operated upon by higher volume surgeons and in higher volume hospitals (odds ratio 2.1, 95% confidence interval 1.1-4.2). CONCLUSION Patients operated upon in low-volume hospitals by low-volume surgeons had worse functional outcomes 2 years after TKR. These findings add a new and important dimension to the discussion of whether to promote selective referral of procedures such as TKR to high-volume centers.
Impact of clozapine on completed suicide.

OBJECTIVE Clozapine has been found to be superior to typical neuroleptics in ameliorating the symptoms of refractory schizophrenia. This study evaluated clozapine's effect on the rate of death due to suicide. METHOD All patients over a 4-year period who initiated treatment with clozapine while hospitalized within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) system (N=1,415) were matched with a schizophrenic control group (N=2,830) by propensity scoring-a widely accepted statistical method that has been used relatively little in psychiatric research. Centralized VA databases and a national death registry were used to identify all deaths within the two groups, along with listed causes, for the 3 years after discharge. RESULTS Veterans exposed to clozapine while inpatients were significantly less likely to die during the follow-up period than those in the control group, but this was entirely attributable to the much lower rate of death due to respiratory disorders in the clozapine group. There were no significant differences in rates of suicide or accidental death. CONCLUSIONS These results fail to support the hypothesis that clozapine treatment is associated with significantly fewer deaths due to suicide.
Post-DDAVP Thrombocytopenia in Type 2B von Willebrand Disease Is not Associated with Platelet Consumption: Failure to Demonstrate Glycocalicin Increase or Platelet Activation

Summary Thrombocytopenia is frequently reported in type 2B von Willebrand disease (vWD), and thought to be related to the abnormally high affinity of 2B von Willebrand factor (vWF) for platelet GPIb-IX. To gain an insight into the nature of this thrombocytopenia, we measured plasma glycocalicin (GC) levels (as a marker of platelet turnover), and platelet surface expression of the alpha granule protein P-selectin (as a marker of platelet activation) in 9 patients with type 2B vWD before, and in 4 patients also following the infusion of 1-desamino-8-d-arginine vasopressin (DDAVP). Three patients presented a persistent decrease of platelet counts in the resting condition. GC levels were within the normal range, regardless of the platelet counts, in all but one patient who presented, on the other hand, a normal platelet count. Moreover, platelets expressed normal amounts of P-selectin on their surface, regardless of platelet counts. These findings suggest that the thrombocytopenia observed in type 2B vWD is not due to platelet activation and subsequent consumption in circulation. Despite a significant, albeit transient, decrease in platelet count, DDAVP did not induce an increase in plasma GC levels, nor enhance P-selectin expression. These observations indicate that the acute post-DDAVP thrombocytopenia in type 2B vWD is not related to platelet activation and consumption. We advance that the post-DDAVP 2B vWF is hemostatically more active, and able to induce agglutination but not aggregation of circulating platelets. This would explain both the prompt recovery of basal platelet counts after the post-DDAVP decrease, and the lack of reported thrombotic complications in this disorder. Therefore, even though 2B vWF is characterized by an enhanced affinity for the platelet surface, its binding to platelet GPIb-IX in the soluble phase is not able to induce true platelet aggregation; vWF thus appears to be mainly an adhesive protein, rather than an aggregating agent.
Mangrovemicroniches determine the structural and functional diversityof enriched petroleumhydrocarbon-degrading consortia

Mangrovemicroniches determine the structural and functional diversityof enriched petroleumhydrocarbon-degrading consortia Newton C.M. Gomes, Cecilia G. Flocco, Rodrigo Costa, Howard Junca, Ramiro Vilchez, Dietmar H. Pieper, Ellen Krögerrecklenfort, Rodolfo Paranhos, Leda C.S. Mendonça-Hagler & Kornelia Smalla CESAM and Department of Biology, University of Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, Aveiro, Portugal; Julius Kühn-Institut, Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants, Braunschweig, Germany; Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientı́ficas y Tecnológicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina; Microbial Ecology and Evolution Research Group, Centre of Marine Sciences (CCMar), University of Algarve, Faro, Portugal; AG Biodegradation, Department of Microbial Pathogenesis, Helmholtz-Zentrum für Infektionsforschung, Braunschweig, Germany; National Research Network of Genomics and Bioinformatics of Extreme Environments – GeBiX, Microbial Ecology Research Group, Molecular Genetics & Biotechnology, CorpoGen Corporation, Bogotá DC, Colombia; Laboratory of Hydrobiology, Institute of Biology, CCS, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; and Laboratory of Taxonomy and Ecology of Microorganisms, Institute of Microbiology, CCS, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Linkage between Foreign Direct Investment, Domestic Investment and Economic Growth: Evidence from Nigeria

Foreign direct investment (FDI) in the words of Rutherford (1992) spurs economic growth in less developed countries; which is in alignment with the modernization theory. However, the dependency theorist contends that dependence on foreign investment is expected to affect growth and income distribution negatively. It on this premise, that this study is conducted base on this argument to empirically analyze the linkage between FDI, domestic investment (DI) and economic growth for the case of Nigeria. To this end, annual time series data for the period of 1980-2015 was employed. The study employs Johansen multivariate cointegration test and vector error correction model (VECM) as estimation techniques. The Johansen cointegration result of the study reveals that, FDI DI and economic growth have a long-run equilibrium relationship. According to the VECM result and the speed of adjustment of the variables towards their long-run equilibrium path was 52.55%. Furthermore, Granger causality test reveals a uni-directional causality running from FDI to economic growth that is, FDI is an important predictor of economic growth. This goes to validate the FDI lead growth hypothesis for Nigeria.
How Disaggregated Forecasts Influence Investor Response to Subsequent Earnings Announcements

Firms often issue disaggregated earnings forecasts, and prior research reveals benefits to doing so. However, we hypothesize and experimentally find that the benefits of disaggregated forecasts do not necessarily carry over to the time of actual earnings announcements. Rather, disaggregated forecasts create multiple points of possible comparison between the forecast and the subsequent earnings announcement. Thus, when firms disaggregate forecasts and subsequently release disaggregated actual earnings numbers, investors reward firms that beat those multiple benchmarks, but punish firms that miss those multiple benchmarks. Thus, we show that issuing a disaggregated earnings forecast to achieve the associated benefits can backfire after the announcement of actual earnings. Our results have implications for researchers and firm managers. Data Availability: Contact the authors.
NMR Studies in Demyelinating and Non-Demyelinating Experimental Allergic Encephalomyelitis

The spinal cords of rats, involved as part of two distinct and reproducible experimental allergic encephalomyelitis animal models, presenting inflammatory white matter lesions with and without demyelination, were studied in vitro by NMR, before and after a dehydration procedure, in order to characterize demyelination. All the parameters of the T1 and T2 relaxation times were determined, as well as the initial proportion of the very quickly decaying component of the free induction decay, and the magnetization transfer ratio. The relaxation decays were fitted with the discrete and Contin methods. Magnetization transfer ratio measurements permitted first to evaluate the magnetization transfer at the apex, and secondly to decompose the post-irradiation curves into two components: a gaussian and a lorentzian line, with their relative proportions and widths. The results presented in this study clearly demonstrate that it is not possible to evidence demyelination in fresh spinal cord preparations by NMR. Hovewer, the dehydration procedure, which was introduced with the aim of reducing the amount of free water in our samples, seems sufficient to enable the detection of demyelination from the T2 relaxation spectra and magnetization transfer data. As a conclusion, we think that the NMR properties of water protons allow to achieve tissue characterization on condition that the parameters concerning free water and its exchanges are eliminated.
Mosaic maternal uniparental disomy of chromosome 15 in Prader–Willi syndrome: Utility of genome‐wide SNP array

Prader–Willi syndrome is caused by the loss of paternal gene expression on 15q11.2–q13.2, and one of the mechanisms resulting in Prader–Willi syndrome phenotype is maternal uniparental disomy of chromosome 15. Various mechanisms including trisomy rescue, monosomy rescue, and post fertilization errors can lead to uniparental disomy, and its mechanism can be inferred from the pattern of uniparental hetero and isodisomy. Detection of a mosaic cell line provides a unique opportunity to understand the mechanism of uniparental disomy; however, mosaic uniparental disomy is a rare finding in patients with Prader–Willi syndrome. We report on two infants with Prader–Willi syndrome caused by mosaic maternal uniparental disomy 15. Patient 1 has mosaic uniparental isodisomy of the entire chromosome 15, and Patient 2 has mosaic uniparental mixed iso/heterodisomy 15. Genome‐wide single‐nucleotide polymorphism array was able to demonstrate the presence of chromosomally normal cell line in the Patient 1 and trisomic cell line in Patient 2, and provide the evidence that post‐fertilization error and trisomy rescue as a mechanism of uniparental disomy in each case, respectively. Given its ability of detecting small percent mosaicism as well as its capability of identifying the loss of heterozygosity of chromosomal regions, genome‐wide single‐nucleotide polymorphism array should be utilized as an adjunct to the standard methylation analysis in the evaluation of Prader–Willi syndrome. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Possible Involvement of Pertussis Toxin Substrates (Gi, Go) in Desipramine‐Induced Refractoriness of Adenylate Cyclase in Cerebral Cortices of Rats

To evaluate the efficiency of coupling between β‐receptor and adenylate cyclase catalyst via a GTP‐binding protein, Gs, in the brain membrane two parameters were employed: a β‐agonist‐induced increase in the membrane GTP‐dependent adenylate cyclase activity and a β‐agonist‐induced shortening of the lag time preceding the onset of the steady‐state activation by guanyl‐5′‐yl‐β‐γ‐imidodiphosphate [Gpp(NH)p] of the membrane cyclase. Both parameters showed lower values in membranes from desipramine‐treated rats compared with untreated rats. Thus, coupling of β‐adrenergic receptors to adenylate cyclase in the brain membrane was impaired by the desipramine treatment. Rats once injected intraventricularly with isletactivating protein (IAP), pertussis toxin, were subjected to desipramine treatment, for the purpose of studying effects of another kind of the GTP‐binding protein (Gi), which loses its function as a signal transducer on being ADP‐ribosylated selectively by the toxin. IAP treatment did not impair the β‐receptor coupling by itself, since neither of the above two parameters for the coupling were reduced by IAP treatment. Moreover, the first parameter was normalized. though the second one was not, by superimposition of the IAP treatment upon the desipramine‐treated rats. It seems likely, therefore, that Gi interacts with a Gs‐adenylate cyclase coupling in an inhibitory fashion in brain membranes. The desensitization might be overcome when the inhibitory interaction of Gi on the subsequent process is attenuated by IAP treatment.
An exploration of patient-reported symptoms in systemic lupus erythematosus and the relationship to health-related quality of life

Objective: The aim of this study was to explore the most distressing symptoms of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and determine how these relate to health-related quality of life (HRQoL), anxiety/depression, patient demographics, and disease characteristics (duration, activity, organ damage). Methods: In a cross-sectional study, patients with SLE (n = 324, age 18–84 years) gave written responses regarding which SLE-related symptoms they experienced as most difficult. Their responses were categorized. Within each category, patients reporting a specific symptom were compared with non-reporters and analysed for patient demographics, disease duration, and results from the following questionnaires: the Medical Outcomes Study 36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), the Systemic Lupus Activity Measure (SLAM), the SLE Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI), and the Systemic Lupus International Collaboration Clinics/American College of Rheumatology (SLICC/ACR) damage index. Results: Twenty-three symptom categories were identified. Fatigue (51%), pain (50%), and musculoskeletal distress (46%) were most frequently reported. Compared with non-reporters, only patients reporting fatigue showed a statistically significant impact on both mental and physical components of HRQoL. Patients with no present symptoms (10%) had higher HRQoL (p < 0.001) and lower levels of depression (p < 0.001), anxiety (p < 0.01), and disease activity (SLAM) (p < 0.001). Conclusion: Fatigue, pain, or musculoskeletal distress dominated the reported symptoms in approximately half of the patients. Only patients reporting fatigue scored lower on both mental and physical aspects of HRQoL. Our results emphasize the need for further support and interventions to ease the symptom load and improve HRQoL in patients with SLE. Our findings further indicate that this need is particularly urgent for patients with symptoms of pain or fatigue.
An integrated approach for measuring copy number variation at the FCGR3 (CD16) locus

Copy number variation (CNV) is an important source of genomic diversity in humans, and influences disease susceptibility. The immunoglobulin‐receptor genes FCGR3A and FCGR3B on chromosome 1q23.3 show CNV, and CNV of the FCGR3B gene is associated with glomerulonephritis in systemic lupus erythematosus and organ‐specific autoimmunity. Large‐scale case‐control association studies of CNV require technologies that are amenable to high‐throughput analysis with low error rates. Here we propose an integrated suite of five assays, four of them duplexed to reduce DNA usage, that assays for CNV at FCGR3A and FCGR3B, and genotype the polymorphic neutrophil antigen HNA1. We show how a maximum‐likelihood (ML) approach to combining the results from these five assays allows estimation of statistical confidence for each individual copy number, and therefore an appropriate significance threshold to be set, controlling the error rate. This approach results in a high‐throughput copy number genotyping system, with demonstrable precision and accuracy, that can be applied to large case‐control cohort studies. We demonstrate Mendelian inheritance of this CNV, variation in frequency between Europeans and East Asians, and a lack of strong association between the CNV and flanking SNP genotypes, with important consequences for genome‐wide association studies. Hum Mutat 0, 1–8, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Modeling Returns, Volatility, Volume, and Trade Durations using High Frequency Data

Market microstructure theory highlights two important empirical predictions about how financial asset prices evolve over time, which are: (1) trades convey information that contributes to security price movements; and (2) intensified trading activity increases price volatility. This thesis provides three essays that develop new empirical models for high frequency returns, volatility, trading volumes and trade durations in order to test these two empirical predictions. Our newly proposed models show strong support for these theoretically implied predictions and provide additional insights into the interdependence amongst returns, volatility, volumes, and trade durations.