Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An Equilibrium Theory of Determinate Nominal Exchange Rates, Current Accounts and Asset Flows

In standard open economy macro-models, where monetary policy in each country works through setting nominal interest rates, only the expected change but not the level of the nominal exchange rates is determinate. In contrast to this standard result (Kareken+Wallace (1981), in this paper I show determinacy of the level in a large class of heterogenous agents incomplete markets models with aggregate risk. I then characterize the determinants of the nominal exchange rate: assets held by a country, the net foreign asset position, the nominal interest rate and productivity. I also show whether a change in one of the determinants leads to a depreciation or an appreciation. The incompleteness of markets implies that temporary shocks affect the long-run world distribution of assets and exchange rates with interesting feedback effects on the current exchange rate. The determinacy result also enables the researcher to answer many question in open economy macroeconomics within a coherent equilibrium model. I discuss some of these questions, such as how international asset flows affect exchange rates, how a country can divorce itself from these flows and how a country can manage its exchange rate. The model also implies that a country with an exchange rate peg and free asset mobility faces a tetralemma and not a trilemma as it not only loses monetary but also fiscal policy independence. This suggest a new way to think about fiscal coordination in a monetary union as a response to within union asset flows. I also provide some empirical evidence consistent with the theoretical predictions.
Loans for Higher Education: Does the Dream Come True?

This paper analyzes the impact of student loans for higher education on enrollment, dropout decisions, and earnings. We investigate the massive State Guaranteed Loan (SGL) program implemented in Chile in 2006. Our empirical analysis is based on the estimation of a sequential schooling decision model with unobserved heterogeneity. We supplement this model with labor market outcomes. The model is estimated using rich longitudinal data generated from administrative records. Our findings show that the SGL program increased the probability of enrollment and reduced the probability of dropping out from tertiary education: SGL reduced the first year dropout rate by 6.8% for students enrolled in five-year colleges and by 64.3% for those enrolled in institutions offering two- or four-year degrees. Moreover, we document that the SGL program has been more effective in reducing the probability of dropping out for low-skilled individuals from low-income families. When analyzing labor market outcomes, we find that SGL beneficiaries have lower wages (up to 6.4% less) than those who did not "benefit'' from the program. We attribute this negative result to the design of the SGL program, which has incentivized higher education institutions to retain students at the expense of not securing the quality of education
Intracerebral Abscess Caused by Nocardia otitidiscaviarum in a Renal Transplant Patient – Cured by Evacuation plus Antibiotic Therapy

We present a 50-year-old female who experienced generalized convulsion 3 months after a successful cadaveric renal transplantation. The first cerebral CT scan indicated cerebral frontal infarction. Repeat CT some days later revealed progressive lesions, and a highly malignant tumor or abscess was suspected. Antifungal and broad-spectrum antibacterial therapy was initiated. Cerebral MRI could not differentiate between these conditions, but a neutrophil granulocyte scan strongly suggested an infectious process. A stereotactic puncture of the frontal lobe was followed by temporary improvement. A severe progressive left-sided hemiparalysis gave indication for a craniotomy with evacuation of the abscess 9 days later. Culture of aspirated pus yielded growth of a gram-positive, rod-shaped bacterium, later identified as Nocardia otitidiscaviarum by sequencing the 16S rRNA. The patient was treated with meropenem plus rifampicin intravenously for 6 weeks followed by oral ciprofloxacin and rifampicin for 2 months. Due to pharmacokinetic interaction with rifampicin, the prednisolone dose was doubled, and the dose of tacrolimus had to be tripled for maintenance of adequate trough concentrations. Five months following cessation of antibiotic treatment, the patient has regained normal strength and function in her left-sided extremities and has a serum creatinine level of about 160 µmol/l (1.8 mg/dl).
FOREIGN INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES: A DYNAMIC PANEL DATA MODEL OF POLITICAL RISK IMPACTS

Foreign direct investment (FDI) is inhibited by political risk. Developing countries tend to experience higher levels of such risk, yet need foreign capital to generate growth. Moreover, foreign direct investment in infrastructure (FDII) – fundamental to economic growth – is particularly sensitive to political risk; characterized by high capital investment, longer investment periods, while especially exposed to mercurial shifts in government policy. Yet, no comprehensive study has been undertaken that measures the impact of political risk on FDII in developing countries. This paper addresses this lack. Twelve political risk indicators, drawn from the International Country Risk Guide Index, are used to quantify the political risk inherent to 90 developing countries, over the period 2006 to 2015. An Arellano-Bond GMM estimator is developed which measures the dollar value impact of risk on both FDI and FDII. A comparison of results confirms that FDII is generally more sensitive to risk than is FDI, however the influence of risk categories is found to vary significantly. The findings can be expected to inform infrastructure policy-makers and foreign investors alike on the dollar-impact of determinable risk levels on foreign-funded projects, and in so doing better facilitate corrective risk mitigation strategies.
Contribution of Melanocortin Receptor Exoloops to Agouti-related Protein Binding*

Agouti-related protein (AGRP) is an endogenous antagonist of melanocortin action that functions in the hypothalamic control of feeding behavior. Although previous studies have shown that AGRP binds three of the five known subtypes of melanocortin receptor, the receptor domains participating in binding and the molecular interactions involved are presently unknown. The present studies were designed to examine the contribution of extracytoplasmic domains of the melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R) to AGRP binding by making chimerical receptor constructs of the human melanocortin-1 receptor (MC1R; a receptor that is not inhibited by AGRP) and the human MC4R (a receptor that is potently inhibited by AGRP). Substitutions of the extracytoplasmic NH2 terminus and the first extracytoplasmic loop (exoloop) of the MC4R with homologous domains of the MC1R had no effect on AGRP (87–132) binding affinity or inhibitory activity (the ability to inhibit melanocortin-stimulated cAMP generation). In contrast, cassette substitutions of exoloops 2 and 3 of the MC4R with the homologous exoloops of the MC1R resulted in a substantial loss of AGRP binding affinity and inhibitory activity. Conversely, the exchange of exoloops 2 and 3 of the MC1R with the homologous exoloops of the MC4R was found to confer AGRP binding and inhibitory activity to the basic structure of the MC1R. Importantly, these substitutions did not affect the ability of the α-melanocyte stimulating hormone analogue [Nle4,d-Phe7] melanocyte stimulating hormone to bind or activate the chimeric receptors. These data indicate that exoloops 2 and 3 of the melanocortin receptors are important for AGRP binding.
Secondary chromosome changes in mantle cell lymphoma.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE Mantle cell lymphomas (MCLs) comprise a rare but distinct clinicopathological entity usually associated with t(11;14). This translocation is regarded as a primary event, but it has been suggested that other as yet unidentified genetic alterations are required for development and progression of MCL. DESIGN AND METHODS In order to identify recurrent secondary changes that might point towards specific chromosomal regions contributing to the pathogenesis of MCL we studied 43 MCL cases in which clonal chromosomal abnormalities have been found during cytogenetic analysis. RESULTS In this series 83% of cases were characterized by t(11;14) and in the majority of them the t(11;14) was associated with multiple other chromosomal aberrations. Recurrent secondary changes were found in which imbalances of genetic material prevailed, losses being more common than gains. The former involved thirteen chromosomes, especially 13, 6q, 9q, 11q, 8/8p, 10/10p, and 14, whereas recurrent gains affected 3/3q. Non-randomly occurring breakpoints were relatively infrequent. The identified anomalies were also involved in aberrations observed in the group of MCL not associated with t(11;14). Some of them are shared with other B-cell proliferations. INTERPRETATION AND CONCLUSIONS The data presented here indicate that MCL is characterized by consistently occurring secondary chromosome changes. Their significance for the development and/or progression of MCL needs to be elucidated and confirmed by further investigations.
Cancer-Related Information Seeking: Hints from the 2003 Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS)

Few nationally representative surveys have assessed the cancer-related information seeking behavior of the American public. Data for our analysis were from the 2003 Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS). The goals of our analysis were to characterize cancer information seekers (3,011) and nonseekers (3,348) in terms of sociodemographic, health care access, and health status variables, and to describe the nature of the cancer-related information being sought by information seekers. Significant and independent associations with seeking status were identified for gender, age, race, income, education, personal and family history of cancer, and having a usual source of health care. Information seekers were less likely to be male (OR = .51); aged 65 or older (OR = .40); Hispanic (OR = .60); to have a usual source of health care (OR = .70); and more likely to have incomes greater than $50,000 (OR = 1.50), some college (OR = 1.87) or a college degree (OR = 2.95), a prior cancer diagnosis (OR = 3.57), or a family history of cancer (OR = 2.17). Among cancer information seekers, the most frequently searched topic was cancer site-specific information (50.2%). Individuals who reported searching for cancer site-specific information were most frequently looking for information about breast cancer (23.8%), prostate cancer (11.5%), and skin cancer (11.3%). The HINTS survey provides a unique opportunity to explore the characteristics of information seekers and nonseekers and the content of information being sought by the public in a nationally representative sample; understanding gained from this effort provides generalizable and policy-relevant information about the American public's information needs.
Acute and chronic toxicity of aluminum to a unionid mussel (Lampsilis siliquoidea) and an amphipod (Hyalella azteca) in water‐only exposures

The US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) is reviewing the protectiveness of the national ambient water quality criteria (WQC) for aluminum (Al) and compiling a toxicity data set to update the WQC. Freshwater mussels are one of the most imperiled groups of animals in the world, but little is known about their sensitivity to Al. The objective of the present study was to evaluate acute 96‐h and chronic 28‐d toxicity of Al to a unionid mussel (Lampsilis siliquoidea) and a commonly tested amphipod (Hyalella azteca) at a pH of 6 and water hardness of 100 mg/L as CaCO3. The acute 50% effect concentration (EC50) for survival of both species was >6200 μg total Al/L. The EC50 was greater than all acute values in the USEPA acute Al data set for freshwater species at a pH range of 5.0 to <6.5 and hardness normalized to 100 mg/L, indicating that the mussel and amphipod were insensitive to Al in acute exposures. The chronic 20% effect concentration (EC20) based on dry weight was 163 μg total Al/L for the mussel and 409 μg total Al/L for the amphipod. Addition of the EC20s to the USEPA chronic Al data set for pH 5.0 to <6.5 would rank the mussel (L. siliquoidea) as the fourth most sensitive species and the amphipod (H. azteca) as the fifth most sensitive species, indicating the 2 species were sensitive to Al in chronic exposures. The USEPA‐proposed acute and chronic WQC for Al would adequately protect the mussel and amphipod tested; however, inclusion of the chronic data from the present study and recalculation of the chronic criterion would likely lower the proposed chronic criterion. Environ Toxicol Chem 2018;37:61–69. Published 2017 Wiley Periodicals Inc. on behalf of SETAC. This article is a US government work and, as such, is in the public domain in the United States of America.
Chromosome cohesion – rings, knots, orcs and fellowship

Sister-chromatid cohesion is essential for accurate chromosome segregation. A key discovery towards our understanding of sister-chromatid cohesion was made 10 years ago with the identification of cohesins. Since then, cohesins have been shown to be involved in cohesion in numerous organisms, from yeast to mammals. Studies of the composition, regulation and structure of the cohesin complex led to a model in which cohesin loading during S-phase establishes cohesion, and cohesin cleavage at the onset of anaphase allows sister-chromatid separation. However, recent studies have revealed activities that provide cohesion in the absence of cohesin. Here we review these advances and propose an integrative model in which chromatid cohesion is a result of the combined activities of multiple cohesion mechanisms.
Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase from Leuconostoc mesenteroides. Isolation and sequence of a peptide containing an essential lysine.

Interaction of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase from Leuconostoc mesenteroides with pyridoxal 5'-phosphate and sodium borohydride leads to inactivation and modification of two lysine residues per enzyme dimer that are thought to bind glucose 6-phosphate [Milhausen, M. , & Levy, H.R. (1975) Eur. J. Biochem. 50, 453-461]. The amino acid sequence surrounding this lysine residue is reported. Following tryptic hydrolysis of the modified enzyme, two peptides, each containing one pyridoxyllysine residue, were purified to homogeneity and subjected to automated Edman degradation. The sequences revealed that one of these, a heptapeptide, was derived from the other, containing 11 amino acids. Supporting evidence for the role of the modified lysine is provided in the following paper [Haghighi, B. , & Levy, H.R. (1982) Biochemistry (second paper of three in this issue)]. End-group analysis of the native enzyme revealed that valine is the N-terminal and glycine the C-terminal amino acid and provides support for the identity of the enzyme's two subunits.
HTLV-1 infection is frequent among out-patients with pulmonary tuberculosis in northern Lima, Peru.

SETTING Tuberculosis (TB) and human T-lymphotropic virus 1 (HTLV-1) are frequent in Peru. The prevalence of HTLV-1 among Peruvian TB patients is unknown. OBJECTIVE To determine the prevalence of HTLV-1, HTLV-2 and the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in out-patients with TB and to compare HTLV-1-infected patients with seronegative patients. DESIGN Cross-sectional study including subjects aged 18-65 years diagnosed with smear-positive pulmonary TB at health centres in northern Lima from November 2004 to August 2005. HTLV and HIV screening was performed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; HTLV-1 and HTLV-2 were confirmed using line immunoassay. RESULTS There were 311 participants with a median age of 29 years; 173 (56%) were men. HTLV-1 prevalence was 5.8% (18/311, 95%CI 3.2-8.4) and HIV prevalence was 1.3% (4/304, 95%CI 0.4-3.3). HTLV-2 was not diagnosed. In comparison with HIV- and HTLV-seronegative patients, HTLV-1-infected subjects were older (median age 44 vs. 28, P < 0.001) and were more likely to have been born in the southern Andes (OR 4.4, 95%CI 1.6-11.9). They were also more likely to report a history of TB deaths in the family (OR 5.4, 95%CI 1.7-16.8) and had more sputum smear results graded as 3+ (OR 4.1, 95%CI 1.5-11.2). CONCLUSION HTLV-1 screening among Peruvian TB patients is important. Because 3+ sputum smears are frequent and mortality is high among relatives, families of HTLV-1/TB-positive cases merit special attention.
IMMUNOLOGIC CHARACTERIZATION OF MHC RECOMBINANT SWINE: ROLE OF CLASS I AND II ANTIGENS IN IN VITRO IMMUNE RESPONSES

A recombinant haplotype between the class I and class II major histocompatibility loci of inbred miniature swine has made it possible to study the role of the corresponding antigens in in vitro and in vivo immune responses. Before examining the effects of selective SLA locus matching on allograft survival, it was deemed necessary to determine the corresponding effects on in vitro parameters of immunity. The results presented in this paper indicate that: (1) a difference at the class II loci was required for a maximal proliferative response which depended on the haplotype combination used; (3) in cell‐mediated cytoxicity assays, the class I antigens were found to be the primary targets for lysis. Although optimal CTL generation required the presence of both class I and class II antigen differences, CTL were sometimes generated in the absence of a known class II difference. The weak, intermittent cytotoxicity seen in these cultures of class II difference. The weak, intermittent cytotoxicity seen in these cultures of class II matched cells could be augmented by the addition of third party, class I matched, class II mismatched, stimulator cells. Taken together, these data provide evidence for the conservation of function of antigen class between species. They also provide further evidence for the two‐signal hypothesis of CTL generation. They, also provide further evidence for the two‐signal hypothesis of CTL generation. Thus, MHC recombinant swine provide a model for the study of the effect of antigen class on in vitro and in vivo immunobiology.
Isolation of HTLV‐II from a patient with chronic, progressive neurological disease clinically indistinguishable from HTLV‐I‐associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis

An increasing spectrum of diseases has been shown to be associated with the human T‐cell lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV‐I), most notably a chronic, progressive myelopathy termed HTLV‐I‐associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis and adult T‐cell leukemia. HTLV‐II is a close relative of HTLV‐I and is structurally similar but molecularly distinct. This virus is endemic in Amerindian populations and a high seroprevalence rate has been observed in intravenous drug abusers. Here, for the first time, we have identified a patient with a chronic, progressive neurological disease clinically indistinguishable from HTLV‐I‐associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis from whom we have isolated and characterized HTLV‐II in the absence of any other detectable human retrovirus. Antibodies to HTLV were deteced in both serum and cerebrospinal fluid, with typical HTLV‐II banding patterns on Western blots. HTLV‐II viral sequences were detected in high copy number from peripheral lymphocytes by polymerase chain reaction techniques, and cloning and sequencing of the virus revealed a 99.5% homology with prototype HTLV‐II. These results serve to alert the medical community to the possibility that in addition to HTLV‐I, HTLV‐II may be associated with a neurological disorder.
In vitro evaluation of the efficacy of idarubicin in human tumour cells from patients with low‐grade non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma

Summary. Evaluating the potential benefit of the new anthracycline, idarubicin (Ida), in lymphoma, 58 tumour samples from patients suffering from low‐grade non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma (L‐NHL), were analysed in vitro for their sensitivity to 0·5 µg/ml Ida. This was compared with the sensitivity to other anthracyclines (0·5 µg/ml), using the fluorometric microculture cytotoxicity assay. A total of 132 samples from patients with acute leukaemia and a cell‐line panel representing different resistance mechanisms was included for comparison. The median cell survival of L‐NHL cells did not differ after exposing the cells to Ida or daunorubicin (Dnr), whereas epirubicin, doxorubicin (Dox) and mitoxantrone (Mitox) were significantly less cytotoxic than Ida (P < 0·001). The median cell survival in L‐NHL cells did not differ from that of acute leukaemia cells after exposure to 0·5 µg/ml Ida, Dnr, Dox and Mitox. Cells from previously treated patients with L‐NHL had a higher median survival than cells from untreated patients after exposure to all drugs, except for Ida. In samples from previously untreated patients, Spearman rank correlations were high (Rho = 0·81–0·90) between cell survival after exposure to Ida and the other anthracyclines. The same pattern was observed in the cell‐line panel (Rho = 0·78–0·91) (P < 0·05). In contrast, low correlations (Rho = 0·24–0·42) were observed among samples from previously treated patients. Our results indicate a potential benefit of Ida in previously drug‐treated patients with L‐NHL.
'Lost' smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis cases: where are they and why did we lose them?

SETTING Ntcheu District, rural Malawi. OBJECTIVES 1) To locate smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis patients who were identified during the first 6 months of 2000 but did not start treatment ('lost cases'); 2) to describe these patients' pathways to diagnosis, health status and socio-demographic characteristics; and 3) to explore why these patients did not start treatment. METHODS Lost cases were traced from programme registers and interviewed using the qualitative research critical incidents narrative (CIN) interviews technique. Results were triangulated with responses from health care workers through focus group discussions. RESULTS The laboratory registered 157 new smear-positive patients. Twenty three (15%) of these were 'lost' (did not appear in the treatment register). CIN interviews were conducted with five lost patients and 14 carers of lost patients who had died. Long pathways to diagnosis were the norm. Health system structural barriers were the main factors behind these pathways, including requirement for hospital attendance, delays in symptom recognition and receipt of sputum results, and the misconception that negative smears excluded tuberculosis. CONCLUSION Some smear-positive cases experience very long pathways to diagnosis and are lost from this free public health system. The diagnostic process needs to become more responsive to patients' needs.