Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Charles A. Dice Center for Research in Financial Economics Public Debt and the Slope of the Term Structure

The debt-to-GDP ratio negatively predicts cumulative nominal consumption growth up to a ten-year horizon, resulting from the ratio’s ability to forecast lower inflation and real growth. Moreover, the debt-to-GDP ratio is positively associated with yield spreads. I rationalize these facts in a model in which positive shocks to government debt cause lower inflation and growth, making bonds attractive assets. Furthermore, because longer-term bonds are less exposed to current debt shock than shorter-term bonds, they are better hedges, resulting in high yield spreads in high-debt states. The model highlights the importance of fiscal risk in understanding the Treasury bond market.
Reduction-oxidation poise regulates the sign of phototaxis in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

In many phototrophic microorganisms and plants, chloroplasts change their positions relative to the incident light to achieve optimal photosynthesis. In the case of motile green algae, cells change their swimming direction by switching between positive and negative phototaxis, i.e., swimming toward or away from the light source, depending on environmental and internal conditions. However, little is known about the molecular signals that determine the phototactic direction. Using the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, we found that cellular reduction-oxidation (redox) poise plays a key role: Cells always exhibited positive phototaxis after treatment with reactive oxygen species (ROS) and always displayed negative phototaxis after treatment with ROS quenchers. The redox-dependent switching of the sign of phototaxis may contribute in turn to the maintenance of cellular redox homeostasis.
Growth versus value investing: a case of Nigerian Stock Market

At a time, the Nigeria Stock Exchange (NSE) is generally undergoing bearish trends; the paper investigated the performance of eighty-eight (88) sampled stocks, which were screened with the modern Price Earnings Growth (PEG) ratio into the Growth and the Value Portfolios. This is to ascertain whether the Value Portfolio outperformed the Growth Portfolio in terms of returns. From the researches in the developed and emerging stock markets, the momentum supports that the Value Portfolio outscored the Growth Portfolio in terms of returns. The paper explored pooled data from the Factbooks of the Nigerian Stock Market and the Annual Reports across different industries from 1990 to 2016. Descriptive methods and Arellano and Generalized Methods of Moment (GMM) xtabond2 were adopted to address the outliers, reverse causality and other related consequences of panel data. Similar to the findings from the developed and emerging stock markets, the study recognized that the Value Portfolio over-performed the Growth Portfolio in terms of returns in the NSE. Therefore, it is recommended that rational investors should show more preferences to invest in low-priced Value Stocks to earn higher returns than the high-priced Growth Stocks, which generated lower returns in the NSE.
Research on the displacement function and equivalent circuit of circular flexural vibration mode piezoelectric ceramic composite transducers

Flexural vibration mode piezoelectric ceramic transducers can be used in many application fields because of their ability to develop large displacement at low levels of electrical excitation, or conversely, to generate high output from sources of low mechanical impedance. Many flexural transducers are very thin, and their behavior can be analyzed and predicted accurately by the current theory based on thin-plate assumptions. However, for those flexural transducers with moderate thickness, the thin-plate assumptions are no longer valid. To analyze and predict the behaviors of the flexural transducers with moderate thickness, we must establish a new theory. In this paper, by introducing Mindlin's assumptions and theory, the displacement function and equivalent circuit for circular flexural composite transducers with moderate thickness are derived. Through the displacement function and the equivalent circuit, the vibration characteristics and the electrical impedance of circular flexural composite transducers with moderate thickness can be predicted directly.
Intramuscular interferon beta-1a is effective in Japanese patients with relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis: a pre-treatment versus treatment comparison study of gadolinium-enhanced MRI brain lesions

Background and objective: Interferon beta (IFNβ) is standard therapy for multiple sclerosis (MS). The efficacy of intramuscular (IM) IFNβ-1a (AVONEX®) was assessed in 25 Japanese patients with relapsing–remitting MS (RRMS). Methods: Patients with RRMS not previously treated with IFNβ or other disease-modifying therapies were included in this 36-week study. The primary outcome was the average total number of gadolinium-enhanced lesions detected on four brain MRI scans during the last 12 weeks of 24 weeks’ treatment with IM IFNβ-1a 30 μg once weekly compared with the number during the 12-week pre-treatment period. Lesions were counted by blinded investigators. Results: IM IFNβ-1a significantly decreased the median number of gadolinium-enhanced lesions from 2.5 to 0.3 (p < 0.0001) compared with pre-treatment values. The median number of new gadolinium-enhanced lesions also decreased significantly from 2.0 to 0.3 (p = 0.0002). Serum neopterin was induced in a manner similar to that observed previously in a Caucasian RRMS population. No new adverse events occurred during the study. Conclusion: This first study of IM IFNβ-1a in Japanese patients with RRMS demonstrated a level of efficacy similar to that reported in Caucasian patients based on an assessment of pre-treatment and post-treatment gadolinium-enhanced lesions.
Immunity in adolescents with major depression.

OBJECTIVE The association between major depression (MD) and altered immunity appears to be age-related, with differing immune changes found in prepubertal children, young adults, and older adults. There is limited information concerning immunity in adolescents with MD. METHOD Thirty-six otherwise healthy medication-free adolescents (aged 14-20; 23 female) from a community sample, meeting Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children DSM-III-R criteria for unipolar MD, were compared with 36 nondepressed adolescents matched by gender, age, and racial background. A battery of quantitative and functional immune measures was obtained. RESULTS MD adolescents had increased (p < .05) circulating lymphocytes and lymphocyte subsets; however, altered distribution of lymphocyte subsets was found only for activated T (HLA-DR+) cells (p < .004) and, possibly, natural killer (NK) (CD56+) cells (p < .06), each showing lower percentages in the MD adolescents. Concanavalin A (but not phytohemagglutinin or pokeweed mitogen) mitogen response was lower in the MD adolescents (p < .02). NK cell activity was elevated at higher effector-target ratios (p < .001), an effect not associated with the number of circulating CD56+ (NK) cells. CONCLUSIONS Depressed adolescents showed changes in immune measures that have been found to be altered in other MD groups, although the pattern of effects differs.
Motility response to colonic distention is increased in postinfectious irritable bowel syndrome (PI‐IBS)

Acute intestinal infection leads to persistent intestinal smooth muscle hypercontractility and pain hypersensitivity after resolution of the infection in animal models. We investigated whether postinfectious irritable bowel syndrome (PI‐IBS) is associated with abnormalities in phasic contractions of the colon, smooth muscle tone, and pain sensitivity compared to non‐PI‐IBS (NI‐IBS) or healthy controls (HC).
Soluble CD30 and CD23 in cord blood are not related to atopy in early childhood

Atopic disease, including atopic dermatitis (AD), is associated with a T‐helper 2 (Th2)‐dependent immune response. The cytokine receptor CD30 appears to be preferentially expressed on, and its soluble form (sCD30) released by, Th2 cells. Therefore, sCD30 may be a potential marker for atopic disorders. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that the sCD30 level in cord blood could be used to predict the development of atopy or AD in early childhood. In a case‐control study, levels of sCD30, as well as soluble low‐affinity immunoglobulin E (IgE) receptor (sCD23), interleukin‐4 (IL‐4) and IgE, were measured in cord blood in 35 children who subsequently developed allergic sensitization and AD before the age of three, and the results were compared to those of 35 matched children without a history of atopy. There was no difference in cord blood levels of sCD30 between controls (32.5 U/ml; 19.7–80.1) and children with subsequent atopy and AD (32.2 U/ml; 22–75.9) (median; quartiles). The concentration of sCD30 showed no relation to the levels of total IgE, sCD23 or IL‐4. Levels of sCD23 were similar in children with subsequent atopy (60.2 U/ml; 44.5–76.8) and controls (55.2 U/ml; 38.3–72.5), whereas IL‐4 was detectable in 10 of the atopic children and in only two of the controls (p < 0.05). In conclusion, cord blood levels of sCD30 or sCD23 do not seem to be related to the subsequent development of atopy or AD at the age of three.
Adherence to the guideline 'Triage in emergency departments': a survey of Dutch emergency departments.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to evaluate the adherence to the 2004 guideline Triage in emergency departments three years after dissemination in Dutch emergency departments. BACKGROUND In 2004, a Dutch guideline Triage in emergency departments was developed. Triage is the first step performed by nurses when a patient arrives at an emergency department. It includes the prioritisation of patients to ensure that doctors see patients with the highest medical needs first. Although the national guideline was developed and disseminated in 2004, three years on there was no insight into the level of implementation of the guideline in practice. DESIGN A cross-sectional descriptive design. METHODS In February 2007, data were collected from ward managers and triage nurses at all emergency departments in the Netherlands (n = 108), using a questionnaire that was based on the recommendations and performance indicators of the guideline. RESULTS In total, 79% of all 108 Dutch emergency departments responded. The main findings showed that over 31% of the emergency departments did not use a triage system. Emergency departments using the Manchester Triage System had a mean adherence rate of 61% of the guideline's recommendations and emergency departments using the Emergency System Index adhered to a mean of 65%. CONCLUSION The guideline Triage in emergency departments was disseminated in 2004, but results from this study indicate that an improvement in adherence to this guideline is required. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE Adherence to guidelines is important to standardise practice to ensure that patients receive the appropriate treatment and to improve quality of care.
The Spindle Positioning Protein Kar9p Interacts With the Sumoylation Machinery in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Accurate positioning of the mitotic spindle is important for the genetic material to be distributed evenly in dividing cells, but little is known about the mechanisms that regulate this process. Here we report that two microtubule-associated proteins important for spindle positioning interact with several proteins in the sumoylation pathway. By two-hybrid analysis, Kar9p and Bim1p interact with the yeast SUMO Smt3p, the E2 enzyme Ubc9p, an E3 Nfi1p, as well as Wss1p, a weak suppressor of a temperature-sensitive smt3 allele. The physical interaction between Kar9p and Ubc9p was confirmed by in vitro binding assays. A single-amino-acid substitution in Kar9p, L304P disrupted its two-hybrid interaction with proteins in the sumoylation pathway, but retained its interactions with the spindle positioning proteins Bim1p, Stu2p, Bik1p, and Myo2p. The kar9-L304P mutant showed defects in positioning the mitotic spindle, with the spindle located more distally than normal. Whereas wild-type Kar9p-3GFP normally localizes to only the bud-directed spindle pole body (SPB), Kar9p-L304P-3GFP was mislocalized to both SPBs. Using a reconstitution assay, Kar9p was sumoylated in vitro. We propose a model in which sumoylation regulates spindle positioning by restricting Kar9p to one SPB. These findings raise the possibility that sumoylation could regulate other microtubule-dependent processes.
Aetiology and pathogenesis of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

The term hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is used to describe an autosomal dominant cardiac disorder, characterized by myocyte hypertrophy and disarray, interstitial fibrosis and small vessel disease, with or without macroscopic hypertrophy. More than 100 mutations in ten genes, all encoding sarcomeric proteins, have been identified as responsible for this disease. Mutations in the genes for β‐myosin heavy chain, myosin binding protein‐C, and cardiac troponin T are the most common. Other genes involved are α‐tropomyosin, cardiac troponin‐I, essential and regulatory light chains, α‐cardiac actin, titin, and α‐myosin heavy chain. Some mutations are more frequently associated with a given phenotype, but no particular phenotype is mutation specific; in fact, some mutations exhibit highly variable clinical, electrocardiographic and echocardiographic manifestations. This variability in the phenotypic manifestations is probably due to the influence of environmental factors and/or modifier genes. While the aetiology of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy has been extensively elucidated, its pathogenesis is not completely understood. Mutated proteins are incorporated in the sarcomere and impair myocyte contractility. This probably triggers the compensatory local release of trophic factors, which influence the development of the typical anatomical features of the disease, with a pathway similar to that observed in secondary, pressure overload hypertrophy.
Does cesarean section prevent mortality and cerebral ultrasound abnormalities in preterm newborns?

Objective. Despite the increased use of the cesarean section (CS), the rates of cerebral palsy, a frequent consequence of brain damage, have remained stable over the last decades. Whether an actual decrease in cerebral palsy has been masked by increased survival of infants delivered by CS or not, remains undefined. To investigate the role of CS, we compared risks of mortality and brain damage, as defined by ultrasound (US) abnormalities, in preterm newborns by mode of delivery. Methods. Information on fetal, maternal, and neonatal risk factors was collected from the paired clinical records of preterm newborns and mothers. Crude and adjusted odds ratios (OR) of mortality and ultrasound abnormalities, according to mode of delivery (i.e., vaginal, elective CS, and emergency CS) were calculated. All the analyses were controlled for possible confounding by indication. Results. In newborns of gestational age <32 weeks, no effect of CS on cerebral US abnormalities was found (OR 0.71 and 0.73 for emergency CS and elective CS, respectively). None of the maternal and neonatal factors were associated with both cerebral US abnormalities and mode of delivery. Among newborns of gestational age ≥32 weeks, after controlling for known and potential confounders in a multivariate model, the adjusted ORs remained close to one for both elective CS and emergency CS. Conclusions. CS does not reduce overall mortality in preterm newborns. No protective effect of CS on US abnormalities was found after stratifying by gestational age and controlling for possible confounding. These results do not encourage the widespread use of CS in preterm labor.
Outcomes of a Multi-faceted Educational Intervention to Increase Student Scholarship

Objective. To increase the percentage of state, national, or international student presentations and publications. Design. A multi-faceted intervention to increase student scholarly output was developed that included: (1) a 120-minute lecture on publication of quality improvement or independent study research findings; (2) abstract workshops; (3) poster workshops; and (4) a reminder at an advanced pharmacy practice experience (APPE) meeting encouraging students to publish or present posters. The intervention effect was measured as the percent of students who presented at meetings and the number of student projects published. Assessment. A significant increase occurred in the percent of students who presented posters or published manuscripts after the intervention (64% vs 81%). Total student productivity increased from 84 to 147 posters, publications, and presentations. The number of projects presented or published increased from 50 to 77 in one year. Conclusion. This high-impact, low-cost intervention increased scholarly output and may help students stand out in a competitive job market.
AXENIC CULTIVATION OF THE HETEROTROPHIC DINOFLAGELLATE PFIESTERIA SHUMWAYAE AND OBSERVATIONS ON FEEDING BEHAVIOR 1

Pfiesteria shumwayae Glasgow et J. M. Burkh. [=Pseudopfiesteria shumwayae (Glasgow et J. M. Burkh.) Litaker, Steid. , P. L. Mason, Shields et P. A. Tester] is a heterotrophic dinoflagellate commonly found in temperate, estuarine waters. P. shumwayae can feed on other protists, fish, and invertebrates, but research on the biochemical requirements of this species has been restricted by the lack of axenic cultures. An undefined, biphasic culture medium was formulated that supported the axenic growth of two of three strains of P. shumwayae. The medium contained chicken egg yolk as a major component. Successful growth depended on the method used to sterilize the medium, and maximum cell yields (104 · mL−1) were similar to those attained in previous research when P. shumwayae was cultured with living fish or microalgae. Additionally, P. shumwayae flagellate cells ingested particles present in the biphasic medium, allowing detailed observations of feeding behavior. This research is an initial step toward a chemically defined axenic culture medium and determination of P. shumwayae metabolic requirements.
Behavioural heterogeneity in wine investments

ABSTRACT We introduce a heterogeneous agent model to explain the dynamics of fine wine investments. Our results show evidence of the existence of both fundamentalists – those who trade on mean-reversion towards a fair value – and chartists – those who extrapolate recently observed price trends – in the wine market. Moreover, we document that market participants switch between the two trading strategies, allocating more weight to the strategy that has been the most accurate in forecasting wine index values in the recent past. This switching behaviour can explain the large variations in index values (bubbles and crashes) that are observed in the fine wine market.
Chronic d-amphetamine or methamphetamine produces cross-tolerance to the discriminative and reinforcing stimulus effects of cocaine.

These experiments tested the hypothesis that chronic administration of d-amphetamine (d-A) or methamphetamine (METH) would produce cross-tolerance to the discriminative and/or reinforcing effects of cocaine. One group of rats (n = 20) was trained to detect cocaine (10.0 mg/kg; i.p.) from vehicle; cocaine (1.0-17.8 mg/kg) dose dependently substituted for the training dose. Chronic administration of d-A or METH (0.32, 1.0 and 3.2 mg/kg/12 hr for 7 days) resulted in cross-tolerance to the discriminative stimulus effects of cocaine. A second group of rats (n = 12) was implanted with indwelling jugular catheters and were trained to self-administer cocaine under a fixed-ratio 2 schedule of reinforcement. This group of rats also received chronic d-A or METH (0.32, 1.0 and 3.2 mg/kg/12 hr for 7 days. In this group, chronic administration of the highest dose of d-A and of METH (3.2 mg/kg) resulted in cross-tolerance to the self-administration of cocaine. A third group of rats (n = 15) was implanted with indwelling jugular catheters and were trained to self-administer cocaine under a progressive-ratio schedule of reinforcement. Chronic administration of d-A and METH (3.2 mg/kg/12 hr for 7 days) resulted in cross-tolerance to the self-administration of cocaine under this progressive-ratio schedule. The data obtained from these experiments demonstrate that chronic treatment with central nervous system stimulants of the amphetamine type (d-A or METH) produces cross-tolerance to both the discriminative and reinforcing effects of cocaine.
Rapid changes in the gut microbiome during human evolution

Significance Human lifestyles profoundly influence the communities of microorganisms that inhabit the body, that is, the microbiome; however, how the microbiomes of humans have diverged from those found within wild-living hominids is not clear. To establish how the gut microbiome has changed since the diversification of human and ape species, we characterized the microbial assemblages residing within hundreds of wild chimpanzees, bonobos, and gorillas. Changes in the composition of the microbiome accrued steadily as African apes diversified, but human microbiomes have diverged at an accelerated pace owing to a dramatic loss of ancestral microbial diversity. These results suggest that the human microbiome has undergone a substantial transformation since the human–chimpanzee split. Humans are ecosystems containing trillions of microorganisms, but the evolutionary history of this microbiome is obscured by a lack of knowledge about microbiomes of African apes. We sequenced the gut communities of hundreds of chimpanzees, bonobos, and gorillas and developed a phylogenetic approach to reconstruct how present-day human microbiomes have diverged from those of ancestral populations. Compositional change in the microbiome was slow and clock-like during African ape diversification, but human microbiomes have deviated from the ancestral state at an accelerated rate. Relative to the microbiomes of wild apes, human microbiomes have lost ancestral microbial diversity while becoming specialized for animal-based diets. Individual wild apes cultivate more phyla, classes, orders, families, genera, and species of bacteria than do individual humans across a range of societies. These results indicate that humanity has experienced a depletion of the gut flora since diverging from Pan.