Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
WHEN DOES MONETARY MEASUREMENT MATTER (MOST)?

It has repeatedly been shown that properly constructed monetary aggregates based on index number theory (such as Divisia money) vastly outperform traditional measures of money (i.e. simple sum money) in empirical models. However, opponents of Divisia frequently claim that Divisia is “too complex” for little gain. And indeed, at first glance it looks as if simple sum and Divisia sum exhibit similar dynamics. In this paper, we want to build deeper understanding of how and when Divisia and simple sum differ empirically using monthly US data from 1990M1 to 2007M12. In particular, we look at how they respond differently to monetary policy shocks, which seems to be the most essential aspect of those differences from the perspective of the policy maker. We use a very rich, fairly agnostic setup that allows us to identify many potential nonlinearities, building on a smoothed local projections approach with automatic selection of the relevant interaction terms. We find, that—while the direction of change is often similar—the precise dynamics differ sharply. In particular in times of economic uncertainty, when the proper assessment of monetary policy is most relevant, those existing differences are drastically augmented.
Association of luteinizing hormone chorionic gonadotropin receptor gene polymorphism (rs2293275) with polycystic ovarian syndrome.

BACKGROUND Polycystic ovaries and irregular menstruation/anovulation are important diagnostic criteria along with hyperandrogenism as per the Androgen Excess Society-2006 criteria for polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). In the etiopathogenesis of PCOS, one of the candidate genes causing ovarian failure is the luteinizing hormone (LH) chorionic gonadotropin hormone receptor (LHCGR). Our aim was to study the association of LHCGR polymorphism (rs2293275) with PCOS in our study population. MATERIALS AND METHODS Genetic case-control study from multiple gynecological centers from Hyderabad, a cosmopolitan city in South India. The study involved 204 women with PCOS and 204 healthy, sex-, and age-matched controls. Anthropometric and biochemical profiles were taken in a well-designed pro forma. Isolation of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and genotype analysis were done for the entire study population using the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism method followed by 12% polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. RESULTS In this study, we have demonstrated an association between LHCGR (rs2293275) polymorphism and PCOS. The frequency of the G allele was 0.60 in PCOS and 0.49 in controls (odds ratio [OR] 1.531, confidence interval [CI] 1.16-2.01, and p-value=0.0026), which indicates that the G allele is associated with PCOS in our population. The GG genotype conferred a significant risk of developing PCOS (OR 3.36, CI 1.96-5.75, and p-value<0.0001). We found a significant association of the GG allele with body-mass index, waist to hip ratio, insulin resistance, LH, and LH/follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) ratio in PCOS when compared with controls. The AA allele showed high basal FSH levels. CONCLUSIONS This study suggests that LHCGR (rs2293275) polymorphism is associated with PCOS and could be used as a relevant molecular marker to identify women with the risk of developing PCOS in our population and may provide an understanding about the etiology of PCOS.
The pricing behavior comparison of Canada and Australia exporter in wheat international market using Pricing to Market (PTM) and Residual Demand Elasticity (RDE)

This paper try to identify and examined the degree of market power on wheat international market by 2 major exporting countries comprising Canada and Australia by using the Pricing to Market (PTM) method and Residual Demand Elasticity (RDE) method. The PTM method found that Canada impose noncompetitive strategy by applying price discrimination and apply market power to their importing. Different results come from Australian exporter as they are not using their market power to the importing. Conflicting result arise from estimation using RDE and PTM method suggest that the need to extend the theoretical model of both model by expand its economic and econometric model to have consistent expected result theoretically and empirically.
Cytotoxic effects of oxysterols produced during ozonolysis of cholesterol in murine GT1-7 hypothalamic neurons

Ozone present in the photochemical smog or generated at the inflammatory sites is known to oxidize cholesterol and its 3-acyl esters. The oxidation results in the formation of multiple “ozone-specific” oxysterols, some of which are known to cause abnormalities in the metabolism of cholesterol and exert cytotoxicity. The ozone-specific oxysterols have been shown to favor the formation of atherosclerotic plaques and amyloid fibrils involving pro-oxidant processes. In the present communication, cultured murine GT1-7 hypothalamic neurons were studied in the context of cholesterol metabolism, formation of reactive oxygen species, intracellular Ca2 + levels and cytotoxicity using two most commonly occurring cholesterol ozonolysis products, 3β- hydroxy-5-oxo-5,6-secocholestan-6-al (ChSeco) and 5β, 6β-epoxy-cholesterol (ChEpo). It was found that ChSeco elicited cytotoxicity at lower concentration (IC50 = 21 ± 2.4 μM) than did ChEpo (IC50 = 43 ± 3.7 μM). When tested at their IC50 concentrations in GT1-7 cells, both ChSeco and ChEpo resulted in the generation of ROS, the magnitude of which was comparable. N-acetyl-l-cysteine and Trolox attenuated the cytotoxic effects of ChSeco and ChEpo. The intracellular Ca2 + levels were not altered by either ChSeco or ChEpo. Methyl-β-cyclodextrins, which cause depletion of cellular cholesterol, prevented ChSeco- but not ChEpo-induced cytotoxicity. The cell death caused by ChEpo, but not ChSeco, was prevented by exogenous cholesterol. Although oxidative stress plays a significant role, the results of the present study indicate differences in the pathways of cell death induced by ChSeco and ChEpo in murine GT1-7 hypothalamic neurons.
Heterodyne and optically implemented dual-filter FSK systems: comparison based on a rigorous theory

The performance of heterodyne and optically implemented dual-filter FSK systems are compared based on a new rigorous theory that accounts for noise correlation (due to nonorthogonal signaling), laser phase noise, receiver noise, and amplifier spontaneous emission noise. Ideally, the two implementations have the same sensitivity with and without polarization control. The results emphasize the practical tradeoff between the heterodyne implementation (where receiver noise means that a low modulation index gives the best sensitivity) and the optical one (where the difficulty in making high-quality narrowband optical filters means that a larger modulation index gives the best sensitivity). <<ETX>>
North-South R & D Spillovers

The authors examine the extent to which developing countries that do little, if any, research and development themselves benefit from R&D that is performed in the industrial countries. By trading with an industrial country that has a large 'stock of knowledge' from its cumulative R&D activities, a developing country can boost its productivity by importing a larger variety of intermediate products and capital equipment embodying foreign knowledge, and by acquiring useful information that would otherwise be costly to obtain. The authors' results, based on data for seventy-seven developing countries, suggest that R&D spillovers from twenty-two industrial countries over 1971-90 are substantial. Copyright 1997 by Royal Economic Society.
Turning off the Diarrhea: The Role of Food and ORS

Ninety-three boys aged 5 years or less who had diarrhea due to Vibrio cholerae were randomly assigned to treatment with glucose oral rehydration salt (ORS) or rice-based ORS. For the first 24 h, ORS only was given to all the patients. During the next 24 h, ORS and normal food were given. The efficacy of the two types of ORS was compared in terms of ORS intake, stool output, change in hematocrit reading, serum specific gravity, and increase in body weight. At the end of the first 24 h of treatment, a 50% reduction in ORS intake and stool output was observed in the 47 patients randomly assigned to receive rice ORS as compared with the 46 patients who received glucose ORS. During the second 24 h of treatment, a significant reduction in the stool output was noticed in the glucose ORS group, making the efficacy of glucose ORS equal to that of rice ORS. The study suggests that normal food can impart some of the superiority of “super” ORS to standard glucose ORS with regard to reduction of stool volume.
Deficiencies of Myeloid Differentiation Factor 88, Toll-Like Receptor 2 (TLR2), or TLR4 Produce Specific Defects in Macrophage Cytokine Secretion Induced by Helicobacter pylori

ABSTRACT Helicobacter pylori is a gram-negative microaerophilic bacterium that colonizes the gastric mucosa, leading to disease conditions ranging from gastritis to cancer. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) play a central role in innate immunity by their recognition of conserved molecular patterns on bacteria, fungi, and viruses. Upon recognition of microbial components, these TLRs associate with several adaptor molecules, including myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88). To investigate the contribution of the innate immune system to H. pylori infection, bone marrow-derived macrophages from mice deficient in TLR2, TLR4, TLR9, and MyD88 were infected with H. pylori SS1 and SD4 for 24 or 48 h. We demonstrate that MyD88 was essential for H. pylori induction of all cytokines investigated except alpha interferon (IFN-α). The secretion of IFN-α was substantially increased from cells deficient in MyD88. H. pylori induced interleukin-12 (IL-12) and IL-10 through TLR4/MyD88 signaling. In addition, H. pylori induced less IL-6 and IL-1β in TLR2-deleted macrophages, suggesting that the MyD88 pathway activated by TLR2 stimulation is responsible for H. pylori induction of the host proinflammatory response (IL-6 and IL-1β). These observations are important in light of a recent report on IL-6 and IL-1β playing a role in the development of H. pylori-related gastric cancer. In conclusion, our study demonstrates that H. pylori activates TLR2 and TLR4, leading to the secretion of distinct cytokines by macrophages.
Phonological Working Memory Deficits in ADHD Revisited: The Role of Lower Level Information-Processing Deficits in Impaired Working Memory Performance

Objective: The current study dissociates lower level information-processing abilities (visual registration/encoding, visual-to-phonological conversion, and response output) and examines their contribution to ADHD-related phonological working memory (PHWM) deficits. Method: Twenty children with ADHD and 15 typically developing (TD) children completed tasks assessing PHWM, visual registration/encoding, visual-to-phonological conversion, and response output. Results: Relative to TD children, children with ADHD exhibited deficient visual registration/encoding (d = 0.60), visual-to-phonological conversion (d = 0.56), and PHWM (d = 0.72) but faster response output (d = −0.66). Bias-corrected, bootstrapped mediation analyses revealed that visual registration/encoding, but not visual-to-phonological conversion, partially mediated ADHD-related PHWM impairments. In contrast, faster response output in children with ADHD served as a suppressor variable, such that greater PHWM deficits were observed in children with ADHD after controlling for their faster response output (d = 0.72 vs. 0.85). Conclusion: Results implicate both lower level (visual registration/encoding) and higher order (PHWM) impairments in ADHD. Implications for designing educationally relevant cognitive interventions are discussed.
Are strong empathizers better mentalizers? Evidence for independence and interaction between the routes of social cognition.

Although the processes that underlie sharing others' emotions (empathy) and understanding others' mental states (mentalizing, Theory of Mind) have received increasing attention, it is yet unclear how they relate to each other. For instance, are people who strongly empathize with others also more proficient in mentalizing? And (how) do the neural networks supporting empathy and mentalizing interact? Assessing both functions simultaneously in a large sample (N = 178), we show that people's capacities to empathize and mentalize are independent, both on a behavioral and neural level. Thus, strong empathizers are not necessarily proficient mentalizers, arguing against a general capacity of social understanding. Second, we applied dynamic causal modeling to investigate how the neural networks underlying empathy and mentalizing are orchestrated in naturalistic social settings. Results reveal that in highly emotional situations, empathic sharing can inhibit mentalizing-related activity and thereby harm mentalizing performance. Taken together, our findings speak against a unitary construct of social understanding and suggest flexible interplay of distinct social functions.
Relating individual differences in internalizing symptoms to emotional attention set-shifting in children

A growing body of evidence points to links between internalizing symptoms and various executive functioning deficits, and especially to inhibition and set-shifting difficulties. However, there is limited developmental research regarding the impact of internalizing symptoms on the shifting function, particularly during middle childhood. The current study investigated attention shifting in a sample of 108 early school age children (7–11 years) using a task-switching paradigm which required participants to alternate between emotional and nonemotional judgments. Results indicated that higher levels of internalizing symptoms (anxiety and depression) had a detrimental effect on performance efficiency (measured by response times) but not on response accuracy. This effect was only observed on emotional (and not on nonemotional) repetition trials and did not affect switching trials; moreover, it was only present when feedback was presented to participants. The findings partially support the predictions of the Attentional Control Theory in a developmental sample and suggest that individual differences in internalizing symptoms play a role in children's ability to flexibly alternate between emotional judgments.
Primary thrombocythaemia: diagnostic criteria and a simple scoring system for positive diagnosis

Summary Forty new patients with elevated platelet counts (>600 × 1O9/1) and without palpable splenomegaly were assigned to diagnostic groups defined by essentially conventional criteria after 3 months follow up: Proliferative (17), reactive (17) or unclassified (six). Mean platelet volume (MPV), platelet distribution width (PDW). platelet nucleotide ratio (ATP:ADP), unstimulated BFU‐E derived colony formation from peripheral blood. spleen scan and clinical ischaemia were assessed at the outset, with a view to defining diagnostic criteria for distinguishing primary thrombocythaemia from reactive thrombocytosis. All except the first variable were significantly associated with diagnostic group (P< 0.05). A simple scoring system was devised: enlarged spleen on scan, or presence of BFU‐E, each scored 2: elevated PDW (> 2 SD from mean), elevated ATP:ADP (>4 SD from mean) or presence of clinical ischaemia, each scored 1. Score totals ± 3 predicted primary thrombocythaemia, and totals < 3 suggested reactive thrombocytosis (predictive value 89%). The system correctly predicted diagnosis in four out of four (probably six out of six) patients whose diagnosis was not apparent initially, and thus whose results were not used in constructing the scoring system. Exclusion of BFU‐E from the system resulted in only one incorrect prediction in this group.
Spatio-temporal route mining and visualization for busy waterways

Route mining for busy waterways is a challenging task. Complicated shipping routes may be generated due to vessels of different types congesting in a narrow water way, frequently changing navigational direction and weaving through multiple crossing traffic. The traditional way using visual bearing and ship-stationed techniques may mitigate hazards of ship collision but lack macroscopic information for safe and efficient shipping navigation. In this paper, we proposed a spatio-temporal mining method to explore vessels' shipping patterns in Singapore Strait. The frequent shipping routes can be automatically extracted using a local polynomial regression based algorithm. Time series clustering across spatial areas is used to associate spatial pattern with temporal pattern. The aim of this study is to provide support for decision-making process in optimal shipping route planning and maritime traffic management. Mapping the pattern information to a virtual geographical information platform enables users to intuitively acquire the knowledge of vessels' shipping patterns.
Persistence of hepatitis C virus in patients successfully treated for chronic hepatitis C

It is unclear whether the current antiviral treatment for chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection results in complete elimination of the virus, or whether small quantities of virus persist. Our study group comprised 17 patients with chronic HCV who had sustained virological response (SVR) after interferon/ribavirin treatment. Serum and peripheral blood mononuclear cells were collected 2 to 3 times at 3‐ to 6‐month intervals starting 40 to 109 months (mean, 64.2 ± 18.5 months) after the end of therapy. In addition, lymphocyte and macrophage cultures were established at each point. In 11 patients, frozen liver tissue samples were available from follow‐up biopsies performed 41 to 98 months (mean, 63.6 ± 16.7 months) after therapy. Presence of HCV RNA was determined by sensitive reverse‐transcriptase polymerase chain reaction, and concentration of positive and negative strands was determined by a novel quantitative real‐time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. Only 2 of 17 patients remained consistently HCV RNA negative in all analyzed compartments. HCV RNA was detected in macrophages from 11 patients (65%) and in lymphocytes from 7 patients (41%). Viral sequences were also detected in 3 of 11 livers and in sera from 4 patients. Viral replicative forms were found in lymphocytes from 2 and in macrophages from 4 patients. In conclusion, our results suggest that in patients with SVR after therapy, small quantities of HCV RNA may persist in liver or macrophages and lymphocytes for up to 9 years. This continuous viral presence could result in persistence of humoral and cellular immunity for many years after therapy and could present a potential risk for infection reactivation. (HEPATOLOGY 2005;41:106–114.)
Growth, development, and carcass composition in five genotypes of swine.

An experiment with 127 barrows representing five genotypes, 1) H x HD, 2) SYN, 3) HD x L[YD], 4) L x YD, and 5) Y x L (H = Hampshire, D = Duroc, SYN = synthetic terminal sire line, L = Landrace, and Y = Yorkshire), was conducted to evaluate growth and development of swine from 59 to 127 kg live weight. Animals were allowed ad libitum access to a pelleted finishing diet containing 18.5% CP, . 95% lysine, and 10.5% fat, with an energy density of 3,594 kcal of ME/kg. Pigs were serially slaughtered at either 59, 100, 114, or 127 kg live BW. After slaughter, carcasses were chilled and backfat was measured at four locations. The right side of each carcass was fabricated into primal cuts of ham, loin, Boston Butt, picnic, and belly. Composition of each primal cut was determined by physical dissection into lean, fat, bone, and skin. Estimated allometric growth coefficients for carcass length, carcass weight, and longissimus muscle area relative to BW; carcass lean, fat, bone, and skin relative to both BW and carcass weight; and lean in each of the primal cuts relative to total carcass lean did not differ (P greater than .05) among genotypes. Relative to BW, the pooled growth coefficient(s) for carcass weight was (were) greater (P less than .001) than unity, whereas those for carcass length, longissimus muscle area, and backfat at first rib were smaller (P less than .001) than unity. Those for other backfat measurements were close to 1.00. Relative to either BW or carcass weight, the pooled coefficient(s) for fat was (were) greater (P less than .001) than unity, whereas those for lean, bone, and skin were smaller (P less than .001) than unity. Growth of lean, backfat, bone, and skin in the carcass were nearly linearly associated with increases in BW. The increase in fat weight was curvilinear as the pig grew and was accelerated in later growth stages, indicating that carcass fat percentage increased with increased BW.
Effect of narrow band ultraviolet B phototherapy on T helper 17 cell specific cytokines (interleukins-17, 22 and 23) in psoriasis vulgaris

Abstract Background: Psoriasis is mediated by a T helper 17 (Th17) cell inflammatory process. This study describes the changes in serum levels of IL-17, 22 and 23 in patients of psoriasis vulgaris treated with narrow band ultraviolet B (NBUVB). Methods: The serum levels of IL-17, 22 and 23 were compared with a control group (n = 30) before and after NBUVB. In addition, post-NBUVB levels were compared with healthy controls. Psoriasis Area Severity Score (PASI) and Body Surface Area scoring were used to evaluate severity of disease. Results: When compared with the non-psoriasis control group, IL-17, 22 and 23 were higher in psoriasis patients (p < 0.05, p < 0.001, p < 0.001, respectively). The serum levels of all three interleukins strongly correlated with severity of disease. Although IL-17, 22 and 23 decreased after NBUVB, decline in IL-17 was not significant after phototherapy as compared to controls (p = 0.634). IL-22 and 23 continued to remain elevated post-phototherapy when compared with control group (p < 0.05, p < 0.0001, respectively). Conclusions: The serum levels of IL-17, 22 and 23 decrease after phototherapy in psoriasis. Post-phototherapy only the IL-17 levels decrease to that of non-psoriasis controls. Our study supports the role of T helper 17 cell specific cytokines in psoriasis and a possible mechanism of action of NBUVB via inhibition of these cytokines.
Impact of error management culture on organizational performance, management-team performance and creativity in the hospitality industry

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study is to examine how organizational error management culture impacts organizational performance, management-team performance, and creativity in the hospitality industry. In addition, this study examined the mediating effect of management-team learning behavior between error management culture and outcomes. Data were collected from general managers of 148 hotels in China using survey questionnaires. Results indicated that general managers’ perceptions of organizational error management culture had a significant impact on all outcome variables. Additionally, the study found the mediating effect of management-team learning behavior.