Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Communist Party Membership and Regime Dynamics in China

This article uses event history analyses to examine how the criteria of political screening and educational credentials evolve in the attainment of Chinese Communist Party membership during the period between 1949 and 1993 and how party membership, in turn, influences individual mobility into elite political and managerial positions. We argue that political screening is a persistent feature and a survival strategy of all Communist parties and that the mechanisms of ensuring political screening are affected by the regime's agendas in different historical periods. Using data from surveys conducted in Shanghai and Tianjin in 1993, we found that measures of political screening were persistently significant predictors of party membership attainment in all post-1949 periods and that party membership is positively associated with mobility into positions of political and managerial authority during the post-1978 reform era. Education emerged to be a significant predictor of Communist party membership in the post-1978 period. These findings indicate that China has made historical shifts to recruit among the educated to create a technocratic elite that is both occupationally competent and politically screened.
Patient education program to enhance decision autonomy in multiple sclerosis relapse management: a randomized-controlled trial

Background Contrary to strong recommendations for high-dose intravenous corticosteroid treatment for relapses in multiple sclerosis (MS), uncertainty remains about most aspects of relapse management. Oral corticosteroids administered by physicians or patients themselves or no corticosteroids also appear justifiable. Objective To evaluate an education program that aims to involve patients with MS in decisions on relapse management. Methods In three German MS centers, 150 patients with relapsing MS were randomly assigned to a single, 4-h group session or a standard information leaflet. The primary outcome measure was the proportion of relapses with oral or no corticosteroid therapy as an indicator of patient autonomy in treatment decision making. Other outcomes included perceived decision autonomy, quality of life, and disability status. Results In the intervention group (IG), 108/139 (78%) relapses were treated with oral or no corticosteroids compared with 101/179 (56%) in the control group; P < 0.0001. Patients’ perceived autonomy of treatment decision making was significantly higher in the IG; P < 0.0001. Quality of life, disability status, and adverse events of corticosteroid therapies were comparable. Conclusion The patient education program led to more autonomous decision making in patients with relapsing MS. Relevant changes in relapse management were observed.
Direct health care costs of diabetic patients in Spain.

OBJECTIVE The goal of this study was to estimate the health care resources spent by type 1 and type 2 diabetic patients in Spain during the year 2002. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS This is a cost-of-illness study focusing on direct health care costs estimated from primary and secondary sources of information. A prevalence of diabetes ranging from 5 to 6% of the adult population was determined. Total cost is composed of six items: insulin and oral hypoglycemic agents, other drugs, disposable and consumable goods (glucose test strips, needles, and syringes), hospitalization, primary care visits, and visits to endocrinologists and dialysis. RESULTS The estimated direct cost of diabetes in 2002 ranges from 2.4 to 2.67 billion euro. Hospital costs were the most (933 million euro), followed by noninsulin, nonhypoglycemic agent drugs (777-932 million euro). Much lower are the costs of insulin and oral hypoglycemic agents (311 million euro), primary care visits (181-272 million euro), specialized visits (127-145 million euro), and disposable elements (70-81 million euro). Expenditures for all drugs and consumable goods ranged between 1.16 and 1.3 billion euro, representing 48-49% of total cost, which is 15% higher than hospital costs. CONCLUSIONS The direct health care costs of diabetic patients are high (6.3-7.4% of total National Health System expenditure). Their average annual cost is 1,290-1,476 euro. For individuals without diabetes, the average annual cost is 865 euro.
I just look it up: Undergraduate student perception of social media use in their academic success

College students are increasingly using social media. This case study explores how traditionally aged college students perceive social media use contributes to their academic success. We used survey data collected at a college student union to understand the social media students use in their academic pursuits and to inform a focus group discussion. Findings indicate that students do not differentiate between technology and social media, and that they rely heavily on social media to facilitate their academic success. This case study indicates that while using social media extensively may create minor issues for students, proper use can support academic endeavors.
EFFECT OF CHRONIC HYPERPROLACTINEMIA ON DAILY CHANGES OF GLUTAMATE AND ASPARTATE CONCENTRATIONS IN THE MEDIAN EMINENCE AND DIFFERENT HYPOTHALAMIC AREAS OF MALE RATS

The 24h changes of glutamate (GLU) and aspartate (ASP) werestudied in the median eminence (ME) and hypothalamic areas. It was analyzedwhether prolactin may change their daily patterns. The hypothalamic concentrationof these amino acids was measured by high-performance liquid chromatography(HPLC) with fluorometric detection. Plasma prolactin levels increased overthe 24h light-dark cycle after pituitary grafting compared to controls, andits circadian rhythm was disrupted. In controls, aspartate and glutamate inthe hypothalamic areas studied followed a specific daily variation or showedno rhythmicity. In the median eminence, hyperprolactinemia seem to phase advancethe aspartate or glutamate peaks from 16:00 to 12:00. In the mediobasal hypothalamus,hyperprolactinemia altered daily changes of aspartate and significantly decreasedits concentration. Also, it seems to delay the nocturnal glutamate peak comparedto controls. In the posterior hypothalamus, hyperprolactinemia did not changeaspartate and glutamate concentrations and their daily changes, although itincreased the glutamine concentration. These data show the existence of 24hchanges of amino acid concentration in three of the hypothalamic regions studied.Increased plasma prolactin levels differentially affected these patterns dependingon the hypothalamic area analyzed. (ChronobiologyInternational, 17(5), 631–643, 2000)
RNA interference in the light brown apple moth, Epiphyas postvittana (Walker) induced by double‐stranded RNA feeding

RNA interference (RNAi) or gene silencing is typically induced in insects by the injection of double‐stranded RNAs (dsRNAs), short interfering RNAs, or through the use of hairpin constructs in transgenic insects. Here we demonstrate in the horticultural pest, Epiphyas postvittana (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), that RNAi can be triggered by oral delivery of dsRNA to larvae. Transcript levels of a larval gut carboxylesterase gene (EposCXE1) were reduced to less than half that of controls within 2 days of being fed EposCXE1 dsRNA. Transcript levels of the pheromone binding protein gene (EposPBP1) were reduced in adult antennae by feeding larvae EposPBP1 dsRNA. Knockdown of EposPBP1 transcripts was observed for the first 2 days after adult eclosion but recovered to wild‐type levels at 4 days posteclosion. The potential mechanisms involved in the initiation, movement and amplification of the silencing signal are discussed.
The γTuRC components Grip75 and Grip128 have an essential microtubule-anchoring function in the Drosophila germline

The γ-tubulin ring complex (γTuRC) forms an essential template for microtubule nucleation in animal cells. The molecular composition of theγ TuRC has been described; however, the functions of the subunits proposed to form the cap structure remain to be characterized in vivo. In Drosophila, the core components of the γTuRC are essential for mitosis, whereas the cap component Grip75 is not required for viability but functions in bicoid RNA localization during oogenesis. The other cap components have not been analyzed in vivo. We report the functional characterization of the cap components Grip128 and Grip75. Animals with mutations in Dgrip128 or Dgrip75 are viable, but both males and females are sterile. Both proteins are required for the formation of distinct sets of microtubules, which facilitate bicoid RNA localization during oogenesis, the formation of the central microtubule aster connecting the meiosis II spindles in oocytes and cytokinesis in male meiosis. Grip75 and Grip128 anchor the axoneme at the nucleus during sperm elongation. We propose that Grip75 and Grip128 are required to tether microtubules at specific microtubule-organizing centers, instead of being required for general microtubule nucleation. The γTuRC cap structure may be essential only for non-centrosome-based microtubule functions.
Inhibitory effects of visible 650‐nm and infrared 808‐nm laser irradiation on somatosensory and compound muscle action potentials in rat sciatic nerve: implications for laser‐induced analgesia

Low‐level laser therapy (LLLT) has been shown in clinical trials to relieve chronic pain and the World Health Organization has added LLLT to their guidelines for treatment of chronic neck pain. The mechanisms for the pain‐relieving effects of LLLT are however poorly understood. We therefore assessed the effects of laser irradiation (LI) on somatosensory‐evoked potentials (SSEPs) and compound muscle action potentials (CMAPs) in a series of experiments using visible (λ = 650 nm) or infrared (λ = 808 nm) LI applied transcutaneously to points on the hind limbs of rats overlying the course of the sciatic nerve. This approximates the clinical application of LLLT. The 650‐nm LI decreased SSEP amplitudes and increased latency after 20 min. CMAP proximal amplitudes and hip/ankle (H/A) ratios decreased at 10 and 20 min with increases in proximal latencies approaching significance. The 808‐nm LI decreased SSEP amplitudes and increased latencies at 10 and 20 min. CMAP proximal amplitudes and H/A ratios decreased at 10 and 20 min. Latencies were not significantly increased. All LI changes for both wavelengths returned to baseline by 48 h. These results strengthen the hypothesis that a neural mechanism underlies the clinical effectiveness of LLLT for painful conditions.
MARTINGALE APPROACH TO PRICING PERPETUAL

The method of Esscher transforms is a tool for valuing options on a stock, if the logarithm of the stock price is governed by a stochastic process with stationary and independent increments. The price of a derivative security is calculated as the expectation, with respect to the risk-neutral Esscher measure, of the discounted payoffs. Applying the optional sampling theorem we derive a simple, yet general formula for the price of a perpetual American put option on a stock whose downward movements are skip-free. Similarly, we obtain a formula for the price of a perpetual American call option on a stock whose upward movements are skip-free. Under the classical assumption, that the stock price is a geometric Brownian motion, the general perpetual American contingent claim is analysed, and formulas for the perpetual down-and-out call option and Russian option are obtained. The martingale approach avoids the use of differential equations and provides additional insight. We also explain the relationship between Samuelson's high contact condition and the first order condition for optimality.
Did Public Transfers Crowd Out Private Transfers in Korea During the Financial Crisis?

Abstract How effective are public transfers in protecting households facing financial crisis-induced negative shocks? Existing studies have not yet carefully considered the inter-relationship between public transfers and the existing private transfer network. In the context of the financial crisis in Korea, this paper investigates the possible crowding-out effect of public transfers on private transfers by explicitly considering the endogenous responses of private transfers against public transfers. By using two Korean household-level panel data sets for the periods of 1995–1998 and 1998–2003, we found a post-crisis, but not pre-crisis crowding-out effect of public transfers; more importantly, a crowding-in effect is observed during the crisis. The results suggest that private transfer networks were strengthened under the initial phase of the financial crisis, which possibly complemented public transfers due to the lack of effective formal safety nets, while public transfers became effective after the crisis, thereby replacing private transfers. Our results suggest that particularly at the initial stage of the crisis, the government could have played an important role in assisting households to weather the negative impacts of the crisis.
Slow to Hire, Quick to Fire: Employment Dynamics with Asymmetric Responses to News

Concave hiring rules imply that firms respond more to bad shocks than to good shocks. They provide a unified explanation for several seemingly unrelated facts about employment growth in macro- and microdata. In particular, they generate countercyclical movement in both aggregate conditional “macro” volatility and cross-sectional “micro” volatility, as well as negative skewness in the cross section and in the time series at different levels of aggregation. Concave establishment-level responses of employment growth to total factor productivity shocks estimated from census data induce significant skewness, movements in volatility, and amplification of bad aggregate shocks.
The Cognitive Representation of Self-Stereotyping

The present work looks at the self-stereotyping process and reveals its underlying cognitive structure. When this process occurs, it is necessarily the result of an overlap between the representation of the ingroup and that of the self. Two studies measured this overlap and showed that it was higher on stereotype-relevant than on stereotype-irrelevant traits, it involved both positive and negative stereotypical traits, and it implied a deduction-to-the-self process of ingroup stereotypical dimensions. Moreover, the status of one’s social group was found to be a key variable in this process, showing that self-stereotyping is limited to low-status group members. Indeed, results of Study 2 showed that the overlap between the self and the ingroup for high-status group members was the result of an induction-to-the-ingroup process of personal characteristics. Implications for research on people’s self-construal are discussed.
Enfuvirtide, an HIV-1 fusion inhibitor, for drug-resistant HIV infection in North and South America.

BACKGROUND The T-20 vs. Optimized Regimen Only Study 1 (TORO 1) was a randomized, open-label, phase 3 study of enfuvirtide (T-20), a human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) fusion inhibitor. METHODS Patients from 48 sites in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Brazil with at least six months of previous treatment with agents in three classes of antiretroviral drugs, resistance to drugs in these classes, or both, and with at least 5000 copies of HIV-1 RNA per milliliter of plasma were randomly assigned in a 2:1 ratio to receive enfuvirtide plus an optimized background regimen of three to five antiretroviral drugs or such a regimen alone (control group). The primary efficacy end point was the change in the plasma HIV-1 RNA level from base line to week 24. RESULTS A total of 501 patients underwent randomization, and 491 received at least one dose of study drug and had at least one measurement of plasma HIV-1 RNA after treatment began. The two groups were balanced in terms of the median base-line HIV-1 RNA level (5.2 log10 copies per milliliter in both groups), median CD4+ cell count (75.5 cells per cubic millimeter in the enfuvirtide group, and 87.0 cells per cubic millimeter in the control group), demographic characteristics, and previous antiretroviral therapy. At 24 weeks, the least-squares mean change from base line in the viral load (intention-to-treat, last observation carried forward) was a decrease of 1.696 log10 copies per milliliter in the enfuvirtide group, and a decrease of 0.764 log10 copies per milliliter in the control group (P<0.001). The mean increases in CD4+ cell count were 76 cells per cubic millimeter and 32 cells per cubic millimeter, respectively (P<0.001). Reactions at the site of the injections were reported by 98 percent of patients receiving enfuvirtide. There were more cases of pneumonia in the enfuvirtide group than in the control group. CONCLUSIONS The addition of enfuvirtide to an optimized antiretroviral regimen provided significant antiretroviral and immunologic benefit through 24 weeks in patients who had previously received multiple antiretroviral drugs and had multidrug-resistant HIV-1 infection.
Rescuing the Peace in Southern Sudan

The next 12 months will be critical for the future of Sudan. As the country marks the fifth anniversary of the signing of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement that ended a devastating civil war, southern Sudan has seen a major upsurge in violence. In 2009, some 2,500 people were killed and 350,000 fled their homes. With landmark elections and a referendum on the horizon, the peace deal is fragile and the violence likely to escalate even further unless there is urgent international engagement. Southern Sudan is one of the least-developed regions in the world. Its poverty, combined with limited government and aid agency capacity to respond to emergencies and deliver development, exacerbates the potential for renewed conflict. The people of southern Sudan have shown extraordinary resilience to emerge from decades of war. If they are to have hope for the future, they urgently need development and protection from violence. Sudan faces many interlocking challenges, but if the international community acts now, they are surmountable.
Have Efforts to Reduce Smoking Really Contributed to the Obesity Epidemic?

"Two of the most notable trends in public health over the past 30 yr are the reductions in smoking rates and the rapid rise in obesity rates. Several studies have investigated the relationship between these trends but have drawn different conclusions. In this article, we revisit this issue, attempting to clarify the prior discrepant results. Overall, we find no support for the claim that rising cigarette taxes have significantly contributed to rising obesity rates. Instead, we find only a moderately sized effect among former smokers". ("JEL "I12) Copyright (c) 2008 Western Economic Association International.
Does Financial Development Cause Economic Growth? A Panel Data Dynamic Analysis for the Asian Developing Countries

Abstract This paper examines the causal relationship between financial development and economic growth of the Asian developing countries from a panel data perspective and uses the system GMM technique developed by Arellano & Bover (1995) and Blundell & Bond (1998) and conducts causality testing analysis. The panel data sets involve 13 Asian developing countries: Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, South Korea, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippine, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Thailand for the period 1990–1998. The result of our study is in agreement with other causality studies by Calderon & Liu (2003), Fase & Abma (2003), and Christopoulos & Tsionas (2004) that financial development promotes growth, thus supporting the old Schumpeterian hypothesis and Patrick's ‘supply-leading’ hypothesis.
Trapped Cash and the Profitability of Foreign Acquisitions

Current U.S. reporting and tax laws create an incentive for some U.S. firms to avoid the repatriation of foreign earnings, as the U.S. government charges additional corporate taxes on these transfers. Prior research suggests that the combined effect of these incentives leads some U.S. multinational corporations to hold a significant amount of cash overseas. In this study, we investigate the effect of cash trapped overseas on U.S. multinational corporations' foreign acquisitions. Consistent with expectations, we observe firms with high levels of trapped cash make less profitable acquisitions of foreign target firms using cash consideration (lower announcement window returns, lower buy and hold returns, decreased ROA). The American Jobs Creation Act of 2004 (AJCA) reduced this effect by allowing firms to repatriate foreign earnings held as cash abroad at a much lower tax cost. Our study has implications for current proposals to change the tax laws related to foreign earnings.
Spatializing Quality: Regional Protection and the Alternative Geography of Food

The globalization of trade in foodstuffs is now a firmly established feature on the landscape of economic geography, although its impacts and desirability remain the source of controversy. Yet, while the liberalization of trade in food continues apace we are simultaneously witnessing a reassertion of foods with local and regional identities. This ‘counter-trend’ has led some economic and agricultural geographers to propose that an ‘alternative geography of food’ may be coming into view. If this contention is correct, it would seem to be implicated in new forms of food governance, notably European legislation that has provided legal protection to designated regional foods, through the ‘PDO’ and ‘PGI’ labels. In this paper we explore the background to the development of these protective devices, which, we argue, illustrates profound differences between ‘northern’ and ‘southern’ food cultures and agricultural systems within Europe. In stylized terms, we argue that the former places great emphasis on ‘efficient’ production of commodities while the latter retains strong affiliations to ‘terroir’, tradition and artisanal production. Analysis of the spatial distribution of registered regional foodstuffs reflects this north-south divide, with more than 75 percent of the products registered in five southern EU states (France, Italy, Greece, Portugal and Spain). Our analysis, which compares the two ‘cultures of food’ using conventions theory, shows that spatial differentiation also exists at a regional level and that a similar proportion of PDO products originates from Less Favoured Areas (LFAs). This implies that the new geography of ‘alternative’ foods is becoming increasingly complex. We explore the obstacles and opportunities, arising within the two distinct food cultures of ‘north’ and ‘south’.
Organizational Structure and the Limits of Knowledge Exploitation : Evidence from Consumer Automobile Leasing

This paper explores the impact of vertical integration on knowledge exploitation and coordination. Vertically integrating one activity with another improves the capacity to transfer between them knowledge that is important for solving complex problems. This improved information transfer is facilitated by governance and incentives that focus on corporate profit considerations. The imposition of these broader incentives, however, does not fully eliminate agency problems, as subunits may still attend to parochial interests in ways that negate the benefits of greater information transfer. I study these competing mechanisms in consumer car leasing, where lessors attempt to solve the complex problem of predicting vehicle depreciation. Using a dataset of nearly 200,000 lease contracts, I find evidence that the residual value subsidization and signaling considerations of manufacturers overwhelm most knowledge-based benefits for their captive lessor subsidiaries, and that agency problems may further limit the captive lessor’s ability to predict vehicle depreciation.