Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The interactive effects of human capital and quality of life on economic growth

ABSTRACT To bridge the gap in the quality of life (QOL) and economic growth literature and understand the reinforcing effects of QOL and human capital on economic development, we examine the interactive effects of these two factors on wage growth from 2000 to 2007 at the county level across the United States. First, a Rosen–Roback model is employed to estimate implicit values of amenities including climate, clean air and other natural attributes, which are used to generate QOL indices. Second, QOL, human capital represented by the share of college graduates, and their interaction serve as key variables in the wage growth model. An instrumental variable approach and location fixed effects are used to address endogeneity of human capital and control for location-specific unobservable characteristics. Results suggest that human capital and QOL significantly contribute to economic growth and the growth effects are even larger in nonmetropolitan counties. Importantly, we find that the effect of human capital on growth is larger in high-QOL counties and QOL enhances the effect of human capital on growth. Our results provide empirical support for community development strategies through providing utility-enhancing amenities that improve QOL and retain human capital.
Deletion of Pten expands lung epithelial progenitor pools and confers resistance to airway injury.

RATIONALE Pten is a tumor-suppressor gene involved in stem cell homeostasis and tumorigenesis. In mouse, Pten expression is ubiquitous and begins as early as 7 days of gestation. Pten(-/-) mouse embryos die early during gestation indicating a critical role for Pten in embryonic development. OBJECTIVES To test the role of Pten in lung development and injury. METHODS We conditionally deleted Pten throughout the lung epithelium by crossing Pten(flox/flox) with Nkx2.1-cre driver mice. The resulting Pten(Nkx2.1-cre) mutants were analyzed for lung defects and response to injury. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS Pten(Nkx2.1-cre) embryonic lungs showed airway epithelial hyperplasia with no branching abnormalities. In adult mice, Pten(Nkx2.1-cre) lungs exhibit increased progenitor cell pools composed of basal cells in the trachea, CGRP/CC10 double-positive neuroendocrine cells in the bronchi, and CC10/SPC double-positive cells at the bronchioalveolar duct junctions. Pten deletion affected differentiation of various lung epithelial cell lineages, with a decreased number of terminally differentiated cells. Over time, Pten(Nxk2.1-cre) epithelial cells residing in the bronchioalveolar duct junctions underwent proliferation and formed uniform masses, supporting the concept that the cells residing in this distal niche may also be the source of procarcinogenic stem cells. Finally, increased progenitor cells in all the lung compartments conferred an overall selective advantage to naphthalene injury compared with wild-type control mice. CONCLUSIONS Pten has a pivotal role in lung stem cell homeostasis, cell differentiation, and consequently resistance to lung injury.
Project BART: Effectiveness of a Behavioral Intervention to Reduce HIV Risk in Adolescents

Purpose To examine the effectiveness of Project BART (Becoming a Responsible Teen, [St. Lawrence, 1998]), a behavioral-based curriculum for adolescents at risk for developing HIV. The purpose of BART was to help adolescents acquire the skills needed to reduce risks, thus encouraging them to make safe, healthy choices concerning sexual behaviors. Methods This was a one-group, pre-and post-test intervention study with 105 adolescents (ages 12 to 18) of culturally diverse backgrounds. Results Results of the main effects varied. Significant differences were found between pre-and posttest means of the scores on the HIV Attitudes (P = 0.018) and between the means of the AIDS Risk Knowledge Test (P = 0.001), but no significant difference was found between the pre-and posttest means of two other questionnaires: the Condom Attitude Scale (CAS) and Risk Behavior Survey. Process evaluation of the program indicated positive reactions toward the content and presentation methods of the program. Clinical Implications The need for programs to which adolescents’ have positive reactions is vital to community-based participation by teens. Nurses can implement this comprehensive, theory-based program in community settings. Implementation should include a modification of the instruments for better clarity and more one-on-one instruction/attention during data collection. More research with clarified instruments and facilitated data collection is needed to further substantiate the effectiveness of Project BART with adolescents.
Social Cognitive Predictors of Sun Protection Intention and Behavior

The authors investigated sunbathing behavior and intention prospectively using the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). Before summer, 85 young adults who intended to sunbathe completed a TPB questionnaire. After summer, 46 of them completed a second questionnaire about their summertime sunbathing behavior. The proposed model was successful in predicting both behavior and intention to use sun protection, with 45% of the variance of self-reported sunscreen use and 32% of the variance in intention explained by the TPB. Items designed to measure self-efficacy and perceived control loaded onto different factors and demonstrated discriminant validity. Self-efficacy predicted both intention and behavior (after controlling for all other TPB variables), but perceived behavioral control did not. The authors discuss the implications of the findings for potential interventions to improve sun protection behavior.
High quality preconditioning of a general symmetric positive definite matrix based on its UTU + UTR + RTU-decomposition

A new matrix decomposition of the formA = UTU + UTR + RTU is proposed and investigated, where U is an upper triangular matrix (an approximation to the exact Cholesky factor U0), andR is a strictly upper triangular error matrix (with small elements and the fill-in limited by that of U0). For an arbitrary symmetric positive matrixA such a decomposition always exists and can be efficiently constructed; however it is not unique, and is determined by the choice of an involved truncation rule. An analysis of both spectral and Kcondition numbers is given for the preconditioned matrix M = U−TAU−1 and a comparison is made with the RIC preconditioning proposed by Ajiz and Jennings. A concept of approximation order of an incomplete factorization is introduced and it is shown that RIC is the first order method, whereas the proposed method is of second order. The idea underlying the proposed method is also applicable to the analysis of CGNE-type methods for general non-singular matrices and approximate LU factorizations of non-symmetric positive definite matrices. Practical use of the preconditioning techniques developed is discussed and illustrated by an extensive set of numerical examples. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics Online

Finance is a subfield of economics distinguished by both its focus and its methodology. The primary focus of finance is the workings of the capital markets and the supply and the pricing of capital assets. The methodology of finance is the use of close substitutes to price financial contracts and instruments. This methodology is applied to value instruments whose characteristics extend across time and whose payoffs depend upon the resolution of uncertainty. Finance is not terribly concerned with the problems that arise in a barter economy or, for that matter, in a static and certain world. But, once the element of time is introduced, transactions develop a dual side to them. When a loan is made, the amount and the terms are recorded to insure that repayment can be enforced. The piece of paper or the computer entry that describes and legally binds the borrower to repay the loan can now trade on its own as a ‘bearer’ instrument. It is at the point when debts were first traded that capital markets and the subject of finance began. The study of finance is enriched by having a large body of evolving data and market lore and some powerful and, at times, competing intuitions. These intuitions are used to structure our understanding of the data and the markets which generate it. The modern tradition in finance began with the development of well-articulated models and theories to explore these intuitions and render them susceptible to empirical testing. While the subject of finance is anything but complete, it is now possible to recognize the broad outlines of what might be called the neoclassical theory. In the discussion which follows we will group the subjects under four main headings corresponding with four basic intuitions. The first topic is efficient markets, which was also the first area of finance that matured into a science. Next come the twinned subjects of return and risk. This leads naturally into option pricing theory and the central intuition of pricing close substitutes by the absence of arbitrage. The principle of no arbitrage is used to tie together the major subfields of finance. The fourth section looks at corporate finance from its well-developed form as a consequence of no arbitrage to its current probings. A short conclusion ends the entry.
Plasma and synovial fluid endothelin-1 and nitric oxide concentrations in horses with and without joint disease.

OBJECTIVE To compare plasma and synovial fluid endothelin-1 (ET-1) and nitric oxide (NO) concentrations in clinically normal horses and horses with joint disease. ANIMALS 36 horses with joint disease, and 15 horses without joint disease. PROCEDURE Horses with joint disease were assigned to 1 of the 3 groups (ie, synovitis, degenerative joint disease [DJD], or joint sepsis groups) on the basis of findings on clinical and radiographic examination and synovial fluid analysis. Endothelin-1 and NO concentrations were measured in plasma from blood samples, collected from the jugular vein and ipsilateral cephalic or saphenous vein of the limb with an affected or unaffected joint, as well as in synovial fluid samples obtained via arthrocentesis from the involved joint. RESULTS Plasma ET-1 concentrations between affected and unaffected groups were not significantly different. Median concentration and concentration range of ET-1 in synovial fluid obtained from the joint sepsis group (35.830 pg/mL, 7926 to 86.614 pg/mL; n = 7) were significantly greater than values from the synovitis (17.531 pg/mL, 0.01 to 46.908 pg/mL; 18), DJD (22.858 pg/mL, 0.01 to 49.990 pg/mL; 10), and unaffected (10.547 pg/mL, 0.01 to 35.927 pg/mL; 10) groups. Plasma and synovial fluid NO concentrations between affected and unaffected groups were not significantly different. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Endothelin-1 is locally synthesized in the joints of horses with various types of joint disease. Synovial fluid concentrations of ET-1 varied among horses with joint disease, with concentrations significantly higher in the synovial fluid of horses with joint sepsis. These results indicate that ET-1 may play a role in the pathophysiologic mechanism of joint disease in horses.
System-Wide Volatility Connectedness and Carry Trades

I empirically examine the system-wide volatility connectedness risk of currencies as an explanation for the risk premium of carry trade returns. Carry trade strategies exploit the forward premium puzzle by borrowing in low interest rate currencies and investing in high interest currencies without losing the generated gain to a corresponding change in exchange rates. I find that system-wide volatility connectedness risk carries a significant and negative risk premium. That is, low interest rate currencies are positively related to system-wide volatility connectedness risk, while high interest rate currencies display a negative correlation. Low interest rate currencies thus serve as a hedge during unexpectedly high system-wide volatility connectedness episodes, indicating bad states of the world. In contrast, high interest rate currencies perform particularly poorly during these periods.
NK T Cell Precursors Exhibit Differential Cytokine Regulation and Require Itk for Efficient Maturation1

NK T cells are a lymphocyte lineage that is selected by CD1d and is characterized by the ability to rapidly secrete large amounts of both IFN-γ and IL-4 after TCR stimulation. Using reactivity to CD1d tetramers to define presumptive NK T cells, several NK T cell progenitor populations were characterized based upon NK marker expression and CD4 vs CD8 expression. The earliest populations were found to be negative for NK markers and could proliferate to IL-7, while mature NK T cells did not. The NK1.1− NK T cell progenitors were capable of up-regulating NK1.1 when transferred in vivo. Upon stimulation, the NK1.1− populations secrete IL-4, but little IFN-γ. As the cells mature and up-regulate NK1.1, they acquire the ability to secrete IFN-γ. Finally, the Tec family tyrosine kinase Itk is necessary for optimal NK1.1 up-regulation and hence final maturation of NK T cells. The itk−/− mice also display a progressive decrease in NK T cells in older animals, suggesting a further role in peripheral maintenance.
Family financial and household support exchange between generations: a survey of Chinese rural elderly.

This study examines the pattern of social support exchange between Chinese elderly and their adult children, based on a 1989 rural Chinese household survey. Following social exchange theory, we found reciprocity in household support but not in financial support. Elderly with greater resource capacities (i.e., health, income, education, and social network) were more likely to provide than receive assistance, whereas those with fewer resources had the opposite patterns. The exchange of support was more likely to be related to affective and nonfinancial instrumental support than financial instrumental support. Because only 42% of elderly with one or two children were living with their children, a formal pension and elderly care system is needed to complement the informal support system.
Living with unemployment and underemployment: poor, isolated and struggling to change

Objective: There is robust epidemiological and clinical evidence of the harmful effects of unemployment on psychological wellbeing, but the mechanisms through which this occurs is still strongly debated. In addition, there is even less evidence on the impact of underemployment on mental health. Utilising longitudinal data collected from a cohort of 20 – 24 year olds, the present study examines a range of employed states and investigates the role of mastery, financial hardship and social support in the relationship between labour status and depression. Method: Responses were from the PATH Through Life Project: A representative, community based survey conducted in Canberra and Queanbeyan (NSW) in Australia, where respondents (n = 2,404) in the early twenties were followed for eight years. Depression was measured using the self-report Goldberg Depression Scale, with the likely presence of depression being indicated by scores 7 or greater. Results: The analyses identified unemployment and underemployment as significant predictors of depression, compared to their employed counterparts. Both unemployment and underemployment remained significantly correlated with depression even after accounting for socio-demographic, economic and psychological variables. Social support, financial hardship and a sense of personal control (mastery) all emerged as important mediators between unemployment and depression. Conclusion: Both unemployment and underemployment were associated with increased risk of depression. The strength of this relationship was attenuated but remained significant after accounting for key variables (mastery, financial hardship and social support) and extensive socio-demographic and health covariates, indicating that no or inadequate employment contributes to poorer mental health over and above these factors.
Older Adults Use Mental Representations That Reduce Cognitive Load: Mental Rotation Utilizes Holistic Representations and Processing

ABSTRACT Thirty-two participants (16 younger adults, mean age of 18, and 16 older adults, mean age of 70) were examined to determine whether older adults adopt mental representations and processes that are less taxing on the cognitive system. Specifically, they were asked to mentally rotate a variety of images with different levels of complexity to examine whether they mentally rotate stimuli holistically or piecemeal; that is, whether they rotate the image as a single undifferentiated unit or as a collection of segments that are connected together to form the image. Using analysis of variance (ANOVA) the authors observed that younger adults found the more complex images harder to rotate, whereas the older adults rotated the complex images with the same effort as the simple images. The data reflected that older adults used holistic representations and processing in visual mental rotation. This information-processing schema reduces the use of cognitive resources as its underpinning because it is less computationally intensive. Furthermore, such a schema is more robust because it is not dependant or affected by the complexity of the image. The younger adults used piecemeal representations and processing. In contrast to the holistic strategy, the piecemeal schema is more volatile because it entails that the demands on the cognitive system vary with different images.
Chronic hepatitis virus infection increases the risk of pancreatic cancer: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND Several reports have inconsistently demonstrated that there is an association between hepatitis B virus (HBV) or hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections and pancreatic cancer (PC). The aim of the present meta-analysis is to assess this possible relationship. DATA SOURCES Studies were identified by searching available database from January 2000 to July 2012. Possible associations between PC risk and hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and its antibody (HBsAb), hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) and its antibody (HBeAb), anti-HBcAg antibody (HBcAb), and HCV antibody (anti-HCV) were evaluated. RESULTS Eight case-control and two cohort studies were included, and their quality scores were assessed by the modified Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale (NOS). We found that HBsAg and anti-HCV seropositivity significantly increased risk of PC (OR=1.28, 95% CI: 1.11-1.48 and OR=1.21, 95% CI: 1.02-1.44). The presence of HBsAb was associated with a statistically significant decrease in the risk of PC (OR=0.40, 95% CI: 0.20-0.79) and HBeAb (OR=0.62, 95% CI: 0.39-0.99). HBsAg-/HBcAb+/HBsAb- or HBsAg-/HBcAb+/HBsAb+ profile was not related to PC risk (OR=1.57, 95% CI: 0.83-2.98 and OR=1.24, 95% CI: 0.72-2.14). CONCLUSIONS HBV/HCV infection increases the risk of PC. HBsAb and HBeAb seropositivity may be the protective factors against PC. It is still uncertain whether serological pattern of past exposure to HBV with or without natural immunity is associated with an enhanced probability of this malignancy.
Detection of intracellular interferon‐γ by light microscopy using an immunoperoxidase technique: correlation with the corresponding mRNA and protein product

Identifying individual cytokine‐producing cells may help to acquire insight into immunological processes. This study was designed to adapt a technique for the detection of individual cytokine‐producing cells from an immunofluorescence to an immunoperoxidase staining procedure. The production of interferon‐γ (IFN‐γ) by anti‐CD3‐activated cloned human T cells was used as a model system. After the conditions for the staining procedure were optimized, the immunoperoxidase technique was slightly more sensitive than the immunofluorescence technique. The intracellular staining for IFN‐γ was preceded or paralleled by IFN‐γ mRNA production and followed by accumulation of IFN‐γ in the supernatant. It is concluded that intracellular IFN‐γ can easily be detected using an immunoperoxidase procedure. This procedure is highly sensitive and allows quantification of the production of multiple cytokines by counting the percentage of positively staining cells.
The impact of metabolic syndrome on carotid intima media thickness.

OBJECTIVES Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a cluster of metabolic abnormalities involving several cardiovascular risk factors. Carotid intima media thickness (CIMT) is an important early screening tool to assess subclinical manifestation of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. We aimed to investigate the impact of MetS on CIMT in a large scaled community based study. METHODS The study was conducted on 2102 participants. Carotid intima media thickness was measured in all of the participants. The study sample was divided into 4 groups; Group 1 subjects with a body mass index (BMI) < 25.0 kg/m2 [n = 499 (MetS- = 488, MetS+ = 11)], Group 2 BMI between 25.0 and 29.9 kg/m2 [n = 693 (MetS- = 559, MetS+ = 134)], Group 3 BMI between ≥ 30 kg/m2 and 39.9 kg/m2 [n = 822 (MetS- = 375, MetS+ = 477)], and Group 4 BMI ≥ 40 kg/m2 [n = 88 (MetS- = 27, MetS+ = 61)]. RESULTS Carotid intima media thickness was higher in the individuals with MetS compared to their normal counterparts. Furthermore, the subgroup analysis showed that CIMT values in Group 1 (0.55±0.18 vs 0.82±0.70; p < 0.001), Group 2 (0.59±0.20 vs 0.68±0.18; p < 0.001) and Group 3 (0.61±0.15 vs 0.65±0.18; p < 0.001) were significantly higher in subjects with MetS compared to their normal counterparts, whereas the values were similar in Group 4 (0.62±0.13 vs 0.65±0.17; p = 0.363). CONCLUSIONS Carotid intima media thickness of overweight, obese and normal weight individuals without MetS were lower than their counterparts with MetS. MetS had no impact on CIMT in morbid obese individuals possibly due to established insulin resistance earlier than MetS.
Prevalence and Serovars of Salmonella in the Feces of Free-Ranging White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in Nebraska

To determine the prevalence and serovars of Salmonella in free-ranging deer, we cultured feces from white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) harvested by hunters during a regular firearm season in southeastern Nebraska (USA). We recovered Salmonella from 5 (1%; 95% confidence interval: 0.37–2.20%) of 500 samples and identified four different Salmonella enterica serovars [Litch-field (1), Dessau (1), Infantis (2), and Enteritidis (1)]. Although the prevalence of Salmonella in free-ranging deer appears to be low, the serovars recovered are known to be pathogenic to humans and animals.
HIV Sexual Risk Behavior Among Emerging Adults in Psychiatric Treatment in Brazil

HIV infection among young populations is increasing worldwide. Adolescents in mental health treatment have higher rates of HIV risk behavior than do their peers. This first risk behavior study of youth in psychiatric treatment in Brazil reports findings from a cross-sectional national sample of emerging adult psychiatric patients (18 to 25 years old). The prevalence of lifetime unprotected sex was 65.9%. Multiple logistic regression indicated that being married/in union, sex under the influence of alcohol/drugs, physical violence, earlier sexual debut, and depressive/substance use disorders were associated with unsafe sex. Interventions and services that address these risks during this critical developmental window are urgently needed.