Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparison of insulin-like growth factor I serum binding proteins in sheep and cattle: species differences in size and endogenous binding capacities.

Binding proteins (BP) for insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) were characterized in sheep and beef cattle serum for molecular weight (Mr) and binding characteristics. Serum was incubated with [125I] IGF-I at 37 degrees C before chromatography over a 1.6-cm X 94.0-cm column of Sephacryl S-300 (pH 7.4, 4 degrees C). Beef serum exhibited a 145 k Mr (mol. wt X 1,000) and a 35 to 39 k Mr BP. Sheep serum possessed a 170 to 190 k and a 35 to 38 k Mr protein. Binding of [125I] IGF-I was inhibited in the presence of excess unlabeled ovine somatomedin, demonstrating specific binding for each BP of both species. The high Mr component was pituitary-dependent in sheep, as evidenced by binding patterns from serum of hypophysectomized sheep. Direct binding studies of the Sephacryl-separated BP demonstrated that the native BP of high molecular weight of both species bound only minor amounts of [125I] IGF-I in a manner unrelated to BP concentration. The BP of low molecular weight of beef cows displayed a bell-shaped dose-response binding curve with maximum binding at 250 micrograms/ml BP, whereas binding to sheep BP of low molecular weight was independent of BP concentration. After chromatography on Sephadex G50 at pH 2.8, both BP from both species exhibited concentration-dependent binding that plateaued at 250 to 500 micrograms/ml of BP of low molecular weight but was curvilinear for the BP of high molecular weight. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Rates of serious gastrointestinal events from low dose use of acetylsalicylic acid, acetaminophen, and ibuprofen in patients with osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVE The frequency of serious gastrointestinal (GI) complications has been quantitated with chronic high doses of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAID), but risk at lower dosages remains unknown. We examined the prevalence of serious GI events in patients taking aspirin (ASA), acetaminophen (APAP), or ibuprofen (IBU), focusing on low or intermittent use. METHODS We studied 5692 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and 3124 patients with osteoarthritis (OA) from 12 databank centers, with 36,262 patient-years of observation, who had taken one of 3 study analgesics, and examined the frequency of serious GI events requiring hospitalization. RESULTS Treatment groups were of similar ages and severity. As lower doses of study analgesics were taken, serious GI events tended to be less prevalent. In patients taking a study drug alone, without other analgesics or corticosteroids, only one event occurred in over 900 patient-years of exposure, roughly equivalent to background. Rates of GI events while taking APAP with other concurrent therapy or corticosteroids were higher (p < 0.05) than for the other 2 analgesics. In over-the-counter (OTC) doses, there were no significant differences in GI toxicity among analgesics. RA patients tended to have higher rates than OA patients. The rate of GI events was highly dependent on concurrent therapy, increasing 2 to 6-fold in patients taking other analgesics or corticosteroids. Propensity scores for serious GI events were similar across drugs. CONCLUSION OTC use of ASA, IBU, or APAP carries little risk of serious GI toxicity for most persons. Most serious problems encountered were in higher-risk patients. Given the low rates of events, at low or intermittent dosage without concurrent treatment, these 3 analgesics cannot be distinguished from each other or from background rates of serious GI toxicity.
Fraud and corruption : measurement, strategies and policing

The ten-refereed papers underlying this thesis primarily focus on the measurement of fraud and corruption, counter fraud and corruption strategies and the policing of fraud and corruption. The refereed papers deal with these issues in different contexts e.g. health care, sport, the FTSE 100 etc and illustrate that while different sectors there are common themes and strategies needed to prevent and reduce fraud and corruption. All of the publications in this thesis therefore make suggestions – some implicit and some explicit – on how to tackle fraud and corruption and are thus not only an academic contribution to knowledge, but also have practical relevance too. This contribution is based on actual research, rather than literature based work, and therefore includes a variety of research methods and the publication of primary research. Furthermore, many of these publications are international in their approach drawing on literature from around the world. Therefore, to ‘set the scene’ the contemporary relevance and importance of the research is explained with a focus on the contribution to knowledge these papers produced. This is followed by the contribution these papers have made in exposing the limitations of present policing of fraud and corruption strategies. This is then supported by the usefulness of fraud risk measurement exercises, and then the development of an anti-fraud culture, which is a common theme in the majority of these papers. In the conclusion all the core elements of these papers are combined to illustrate the contribution this research has made to current academic debate regarding fraud and corruption.
Fighting fiscal dominance. The case of Spain, 1874–1998

The recent financial crisis has placed the concept of fiscal dominance at the center of current debates on macro-prudential policies. However, empirical evidence of fiscal dominance, understood as fiscal policy driving monetary policy, has been mixed, especially for low inflation countries. The literature hypothesizes that institutional constraints are the reason for the failure to connect deficits to money and prices in these countries. This paper, focusing on Spain 1874–1998, illustrates their constraining role in two steps. First, a recursive estimation of the link from budget to money shows how the degree of fiscal dominance varied over time. Second, we are able to establish a connection between these changes in the intensity of fiscal dominance and changes in the intensity of the institutional (exchange rate and central bank independence) constraints.
Inward investment, transaction linkages and productivity spillovers

Abstract.The article examines the extent to which foreign manufacturing firms in the UK promote productivity growth in the domestically owned manufacturing sector through their buying and supplying relationships. Evidence for intra- and inter-regional externalities from the presence of foreign manufacturing, and intra- and inter-industry effects is brought to light. Externalities in the domestic sector are most noticeable where foreign manufacturing sells to domestic manufacturing. These externalities are, however, not wholly robust to different specifications of spatial dependence. The findings are positioned in a debate, which has tended to view backward (as opposed to forward) linkages from multinationals to domestically owned supply bases as a critical driver of indirect economic benefits.
Toward Understanding Phage:Host Interactions in the Rumen; Complete Genome Sequences of Lytic Phages Infecting Rumen Bacteria

The rumen is known to harbor dense populations of bacteriophages (phages) predicted to be capable of infecting a diverse range of rumen bacteria. While bacterial genome sequencing projects are revealing the presence of phages which can integrate their DNA into the genome of their host to form stable, lysogenic associations, little is known of the genetics of phages which utilize lytic replication. These phages infect and replicate within the host, culminating in host lysis, and the release of progeny phage particles. While lytic phages for rumen bacteria have been previously isolated, their genomes have remained largely uncharacterized. Here we report the first complete genome sequences of lytic phage isolates specifically infecting three genera of rumen bacteria: Bacteroides, Ruminococcus, and Streptococcus. All phages were classified within the viral order Caudovirales and include two phage morphotypes, representative of the Siphoviridae and Podoviridae families. The phage genomes displayed modular organization and conserved viral genes were identified which enabled further classification and determination of closest phage relatives. Co-examination of bacterial host genomes led to the identification of several genes responsible for modulating phage:host interactions, including CRISPR/Cas elements and restriction-modification phage defense systems. These findings provide new genetic information and insights into how lytic phages may interact with bacteria of the rumen microbiome.
Women With Breast Cancer in the Veterans Health Administration: Demographics, Breast Cancer Characteristics, and Trends

An increasing number of women are being cared for within the Veterans Health Administration (VA). However, the demographics and trends of women with breast cancer at the VA has not been documented. We describe the demographics and breast cancer characteristics of the 4445 women enrolled in the VA and reported to the Department of Veterans Affairs Central Cancer Registry diagnosed with breast cancer from 1995 to 2012. The cases of breast cancer per year increased over time to 365 in 2012. Black women represented only 16% of women diagnosed with breast cancer in the VA in 1995–1999 but increased to 25% by 2010–2012 (P<0.001). The median age at diagnosis in 1995–1999 was 58.4 and decreased to 56.8 by 2010–2012 (P<0.02). The fraction of breast cancers that were node negative was 45% in 1995–1999 and increased to 64% in 2010–2012; correspondingly, women presented at an earlier stage in more recent years (P<0.001). Urban women with breast cancer cared for within the VA are more likely to be younger (P=0.04) and nonwhite (P<0.001) compared with rural women, but the breast tumor characteristics appear similar. Oncology physicians at the VA must be prepared to care for breast cancer among women as the number of cases is growing. With only 365 women diagnosed with breast cancer at the VA as per year 2012 and nearly 150 treating VA facilities, the number of breast cancer patients seen by a particular physician could be quite low, and this fact suggests a need for an evaluation of the quality and outcomes of breast cancer care at the VA.
Sexually dimorphic expression of Dax‐1 in the adrenal cortex

Background: The DAX‐1 (also known as AHC) gene encodes an unusual member of the nuclear receptor superfamily, and the gene product plays a pivotal role during gonadal and adrenal differentiation. Mutations of the human DAX‐1 gene cause X‐linked adrenal hypoplasia congenita associated with hypogonadotropic hypogonadism. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the transcriptional regulation of the gene are not well understood.
Measuring the Effects of Consensus-building Processes with Methods of Intervention Research

In recent years, both environmental policy and research have emphasized the importance of involving the public in decision-making. This push for more participation is driven by considerable optimism about its ability to improve the quality of decisions and developments. There is, however, a lack of empirical research to support this assumption. The few studies that have attempted to measure the effect of public participation are of limited validity, as they were based on ex-post data mainly gained from expert assessments or document analysis. This paper reports on a recent study to measure and compare the effect of two consensus-building processes in a systematic and reliable way. This involved developing a new evaluation method based on the methodology of intervention research in environmental psychology. It was tested and applied in this study with two similarly designed consensus-building processes conducted in two neighbouring valleys of the Eastern Swiss Alps. These evaluation experiments showed that (a) the new evaluation method can measure and compare the effects of consensus-building processes in a differentiated and reliable way; and (b) consensus-building processes have systematic and partly statistically significant effects (at least in the short term) on several aspects of regional consensus. The initial results suggest that this new evaluation method is a promising way of obtaining reliable evidence about the societal effects of participatory processes.
Critical appraisal: longevity of resin bonds to dentin.

Much contemporary esthetic and restorative dentistry relies on bonding of resin-based materials to tooth structure. Adhesion of resin materials to enamel has proved to be extremely strong and reliable since the concept was first introduced by Buonocore in 1955 and widely accepted by clinicians 20–25 years later. Enamel bonding is a simple and predictable process, because enamel presents a relatively homogeneous and largely inorganic substrate. Dentin, in contrast, is a heterogeneous tissue containing a large proportion of organic material and fluid, and is a difficult and variable substrate for bonding. Although clinically effective dentin adhesives have been available now for over 15 years, questions remain about the long-term durability of resin bonds to dentin. This Critical Appraisal reviews some of the relevant literature on this topic.
Review Article: The City Resurgent

The Evolution of Great World Cities: Urban Wealth and Economic Growth Christopher Kennedy, 2011 Toronto: University of Toronto Press 224 pp. Cdn$55.00 hardback; Cdn$24.95 paperback ISBN 978 1 4426 4273 7 hardback; 978 1 4426 1152 8 paperback The Wealth and Poverty of Regions: Why Cities Matter Mario Polèse, 2010 Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press 288 pp. US$29.00 hardback; US$22.50 paperback ISBN 978
Validity of preoperative volumetric analysis of congestion volume in living donor liver transplantation using three‐dimensional computed tomography

Reconstruction of middle hepatic vein (MHV) tributaries is controversial in right‐lobe living donor liver transplantation (LDLT). This study aimed to evaluate the appropriateness of reconstructing MHV tributaries by volumetry using 3‐dimensional computed tomography (3D‐CT). Between November 2003 and January 2005, 42 donor livers (right‐lobe graft, n = 25; left‐lobe graft, n = 17) were evaluated using this software. The total congestion volume (CV) associated with the MHV tributaries and the inferior right hepatic vein (IRHV), and graft volume (GV) were calculated. In recipients with right‐lobe grafts, CV/(right liver volume [RLV]) and (GV − CV)/(standard liver volume [SLV]) were compared between 2 groups: with reconstruction (n = 16) and without reconstruction (n = 9). To evaluate the influence of CV on the remnant right lobe in donors, total bilirubin was compared between 2 groups: high CV (CV > 20%, n = 13) or low CV (CV ≤ 20%, n = 4). The mean CV/RLV ratio was 32.3 ± 17.1% (V5, 15.2 ± 9.9%; V8, 9.2 ± 4.1%; and IRHV, 8.5 ± 11.4%) and the maximum ratio was as high as 80.8%. The mean (GV − CV)/SLV ratio before reconstruction in patients with or without reconstruction resulted in 33.5 ± 12.8% and 55.4 ± 12.9%, respectively (P < 0.01). In donors, total bilirubin was significantly high in the high CV group on postoperative day 1 compared with the low CV group (P < 0.05). In conclusion, calculation of CV using 3D‐CT software proved to be very useful. We concluded that this evaluation should be an integral part of procedure planning, especially for right‐lobe LDLT. (Liver Transpl 2005;11:1556–1562.)
Technological Specialization Courses in Higher Education: Reflecting on Students' Motivations and Expectations

In order to attract new students to higher education giving them a professional qualification, Portuguese Government created Technological Specialization Courses (TSC). TSC are postsecondary courses that aim prepare students for entry into the labour market, or to continue studies in higher education. This paper describes part of an ongoing study on nontraditional students in higher education in Portugal. Its purpose is to present the first results on TSC students at the University of Algarve. As it is a recent learning context in HE we want to deeply understand student’s situation at all levels (considering students, staff and management), in order to improve the existing programmes and identify key-areas to develop new proposals.
Residential Perceptions and Housing Mobility in Scotland: An Analysis of the Longitudinal Scottish House Condition Survey 1991-96

This paper seeks to develop the evidence base for urban, neighbourhood and housing policies, that aim to increase neighbourhood satisfaction and reduce residential instability. Using the longitudinal Scottish House Condition Survey 1991-96, the paper examines whether residential perceptions are generally significant predictors of individual house moving intentions and behaviours, taking into account factors related to life cycle stage, employment, tenure and type of neighbourhood. The effect of specific residential perceptions on overall satisfaction with the home and neighbourhood is traced through moving intentions to actual moves over the 1991-96 period. Using a sample of matching respondents surveyed twice in 1991 and 1996, the paper also examines whether changed residential perceptions affect moving intentions. There is evidence that deteriorating neighbourhood perceptions increase the likelihood that an individual would consider a house move, while greater satisfaction with the home is associated with reduced moving intentions.
Alcohol and Earnings: Does Drinking Yield a Wage Premium

This paper examines the relationship between alcohol consumption and earnings for prime-age males. Wage differentials for nondrinkers, moderate drinkers, and heavy drinkers are estimated using a polychotomous choice model, which accounts for the endogenous relationship between drinking and earnings. The authors find that moderate alcohol consumption leads to increased earnings relative to abstention. However, heavy drinking leads to reduced earnings relative to moderate drinking. Heavy drinkers possess flatter age-earnings profiles and attain lower returns for higher education than nondrinkers and moderate drinkers. These results are in contrast to previous research on substance abuse, which finds no earnings drop-off for heavy users.
Rationale for researching on corporate environmental reporting behaviour in a developing country: the case of Kenya

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the possibility of corporate environmental reporting (CER) in a developing country so as to present the possible factors encouraging as well as those inhibiting the practice. It responds to the observation of prior research that CER research in developing countries is rare and the conjecture that developing countries should concern themselves with 'development issues', not CER. The findings draw from a wide range of secondary contextual material and employ an argumentative approach to the rationale of CER in a developing country. While CER has been associated more with developed countries, developing countries have unique factors encouraging, and others discouraging, the practice. Developing countries must seek ways to attain economic development, but avoid environmental destruction that results from pursuit of an unbalanced growth. Consequently, companies in developing countries must endeavour to assist in the social-environmental-economic agenda and especially report on their respective environmental impacts.
Interest Rate Rules with Heterogeneous Expectations

Recent macroeconomic literature stressed the importance of expectations heterogeneity in the formulation of monetary policy. We use a stylized macro model of Howitt (1992) to investigate the dynamical consequences of alternative interest rate rules when agents have heterogeneous expectations and update their beliefs over time along the lines of Brock and Hommes (1997). We find that the outcome of different monetary policies in terms of stability crucially depends on the ecology of forecasting rules and on the intensity of choice among different predictors. We also show that, when agents have heterogeneous expectations, an interest rate rule that obeys the Taylor principle does not always lead the system to converge to the rational expectations equilibrium but multiple equilibria may persist.
l1-Gain fuzzy control for a class of discrete-time positive fuzzy Markov jump systems

This paper deals with the l1-gain performance analysis and fuzzy state feedback controller design for discrete-time positive fuzzy Markov jump systems (FMJSs). The definitions of the positive FMJSs, stochastic stability and l1-gain performance are firstly provided. Then some sufficient conditions for stochastic stability and l1-gain performance are derived in terms of linear programming (LP) by using a mode-dependent linear co-positive Lyapunov function, respectively. The derived conditions can cover several existing results as special cases and the fuzzy state feedback controller design of the positive FMJSs is converted into a standard and solvable LP problem. A numerical example is provided to illustrate the feasibility of the obtained conditions.
Resource discoveries and FDI bonanzas; An illustration from Mozambique

This paper examines the effect of giant oil and gas discoveries on foreign direct investment in developing economies. Across countries, we document a 58% increase in non-resource extraction FDI in the 2 years following a giant discovery, an event which is unpredictable due to the uncertainty of exploration. This effect is driven by a 30% increase in the number of projects and a 16% increase in targeted sectors. Mozambique's recent FDI boom provides a telling confirmation of this mechanism. Using project-level FDI data combined with multiple waves of household surveys and rm censuses we estimate that each FDI job results in 6.2 additional local jobs, linking the gas-driven FDI bonanza in Mozambique to widespread job creation.
Resource Longevity and the ‘Pull’ of Existing Organizational Paths: Strategic Adjustment and Response by UK Producers to a New International Division of Labour in the Ceramic Tableware Sector

This article presents the findings from a study that explores the implications of a new international division of labour in the ceramic tableware sector for UK producers. Many UK producers have struggled over recent years to adapt to changing competitive and market conditions in the sector. The findings suggest that strategy choice and success for UK producers during the period of interest (1996–2008) has not been exorable and homogenous. Instead, past actions, events and outcomes, as well as the ‘pull’ of existing organizational paths, appear to have influenced past capability selection and accumulation decisions, shaping the historically conditioned, rent-generating competencies upon which case study firms had based their respective responses to changes in competitive and market conditions. This has increasingly conditioned two distinctive focal action patterns within the sample, each, seemingly, presenting its own respective ‘lock in’ effects.