Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Incorporation for investment

We estimate the causal e¤ect of corporation tax on small business incorporation and investment by exploring cross-sectional variation in the impact of a 2006/07 tax reform in a di¤erence-in-di¤erences design. Analyzing the population of UK corporation tax records from 2001/02 to 2008/09, we present three ndings. First, a one percentage point increase in the tax gains to incorporate increases the number of newly incorporated companies by around 2-4.5%. Second, there is a strong cash ow e¤ect of taxes on corporate investment. On average, a one percentage point increase in the average tax rate reduces investment rate by about 2.2 percentage points. Third, the cash ow e¤ect of corporation taxes on investment is most pronounced for newly incorporated rms, and diminishes over time as companies begin to establish a track record of providing credible information for bank loans. The empirical evidence suggests that incorporation lowers the cost of external nance for small businesses by reducing the information cost of borrowing. Small business incorporation leads to more investment and implies potential welfare gains for the larger society. We thank the HMRC and especially sta¤ in the HMRC Datalab for providing the corporate tax return data and for helping us to merge the data with rm accounting records. The following disclaimer applies: This work contains statistical data from HMRC which is Crown Copyright. The research datasets used may not exactly reproduce HMRC aggregates. The use of HMRC statistical data in this work does not imply the endorsement of HMRC in relation to the interpretation or analysis of the information. We acknowledge nancial support from the ESRC, under grant RES-194-23-0012. yDevereux: Centre for Business Taxation, University of Oxford (michael.devereux@sbs.ox.ac.uk). Liu: Centre for Business Taxation, University of Oxford (li.liu@sbs.ox.ac.uk).
Women and agricultural productivity: Reframing the Issues

Abstract Should agricultural development programmes target women in order to increase productivity? This article analyzes the challenges in distinguishing women's agricultural productivity from that of men. Most of the literature compares productivity on plots managed by women with those managed by men, ignoring the majority of agricultural households in which men and women are both involved in management and production. The empirical studies which have been carried out provide scant evidence for where the returns to projects may be highest, in terms of who to target. Yet, programmes that do not consider gendered responsibilities, resources and constraints, are unlikely to succeed, either in terms of increasing productivity or benefitting men and women smallholder farmers.
Incidence and Rate Characteristics of Atrial Tachyarrhythmias in Patients with a Dual Chamber Defibrillator

Atrial tachyarrhythmias play an important role in the treatment of patients with malignant ventricular tachyarrhythmias not only with respect to inappropriate discharges but also to left ventricular function and stroke risk. A combined dual chamber defibrillator provides separate therapies for atrial and ventricular tachyarrhythmias. To assess the incidence of atrial tachyarrhythmias in patients with this dual chamber implantable defibrillator, 40 patients with ventricular tachyarrhythmias and concomitant atrial tachyarrhythmias and/or AV conduction disturbances were included in a prospective study. During a mean follow‐up of 25 ± 11 months , 26 of 40 patients had a total of 1,430 recurrences of atrial tachyarrhythmias. The vast majority of the atrial tachyarrhythmias with regular atrial cycles had a mean median atrial cycle length of 235 ± 37 ms and a mean duration of 34 ± 144 minutes . Atrial tachyarrhythmias with irregular atrial cycles exhibited a median atrial cycle length of 198 ± 31 ms and had a mean duration of 246 ± 1,264 minutes . In addition, 67% of 375 tachyarrhythmias, in which the median ventricular cycle length during the ongoing episode could be documented, had a ventricular rate <100 beats/min. Continuous atrial arrhythmia detection with a dual chamber ICD reveals a high incidence of atrial tachyarrhythmias with a predominantly short duration of paroxysmal recurrences <1 hour in the vast majority of episodes. (PACE 2003; 26:1691–1698)
Is There a “Critical Period” for Intervention in Posttraumatic Epilepsy?

Penetrating cortical trauma frequently results in delayed development of epilepsy. In the rat undercut model of neocortical posttraumatic hyperexcitability, suppression of neuronal activity by exposing the injured cortex to tetrodotoxin (TTX) in vivo for approximately 2 weeks prevents the expression of abnormal hypersynchronous discharges in neocortical slices. We examined the relation between neuronal activity during the latent period after trauma and subsequent expression of hyperexcitability by varying the timing of TTX treatment. Partially isolated islands of rat sensorimotor cortex were treated with Elvax polymer containing TTX to suppress cortical activity and slices obtained for in vitro experiments 10 to 15 days later. TTX treatment was either started immediately after injury and discontinued after a variable number of days or delayed for a variable time after the lesion was placed. Immediate treatment lasting only 2 to 3 days, and treatment delayed up to 3 days prevented hyperexcitability. Thus a critical period exists for development of hyperexcitability in this model that depends on cortical activity. We propose that the hyperexcitability caused by partial cortical isolation may represent an early stage of posttraumatic epileptogenesis. A hypothetical cascade of events leading to subsequent pathophysiologic activity is likely initiated at the time of injury but remains plastic during this critical period.
Banknote design for retailers and public

Two stakeholders of banknote design are discussed, retailers and the general public. A retailer on average receives around 120 banknotes a day. A security check should be effected in less than two seconds and avoid discussion with the client. A private person on average receives one or two banknotes a day. For the public the probability of receiving a counterfeit is low and confidence in receiving genuine banknotes high. On the whole, people in the Netherlands are familiar with two security features, the watermark and the holographic stripe. In daily practice the public is not willing to verify a banknote, but if they do, it should be done within 6 seconds. A 'negative' stakeholder is the counterfeiter. They target the retailer and create counterfeits with UV features that look similar to - or even better - than a genuine euro banknote.
Test of the Gaussian Copula on the Swedish Stock Market

This paper examines whether the pairwise comovement between stocks quoted on the Stockholm stock exchange can be correctly quantified by the Gaussian copula, i.e., by linear correlation. Two different methods are used to test whether the dependence on the Swedish stock market can be modeled by the Gaussian copula. From these tests, we come to the conclusion that the Gaussian copula is not an appropriate choice of copula for the Swedish stock market. We also come to the same conclusion when observing sector and industry indices on the Swedish stock market. However, if performing a GARCH filtering of the return series, there is a substantial decrease in the number of pairs of either stocks or indices for which the Gaussian copula can be rejected. For the two test methods, a notable difference in the rejection rate of the Gaussian copula can also be observed.
Influence of stage of maturity on bromatological quality of corn forage

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of stalk/leaf ratio and the stage of maturity on the digestibility of the corn plant. Hybrids AG1051, AG4051, AG5011, DOW2B710, DOW2C577, DOW2A525, NB7315 and P30F90 were used, harvested at the one-half milk line (½ ML), three-quarters milk line (¾ ML) and black layer (BL) stages. A randomized block design was used in an 8 (hybrids) × 3 (stages of maturity) factorial design, with three replications. The means generated were used for grouping into high and low stalk/leaf ratio and a new analysis of variance was generated in a 2 × 3 (two groups and three stages of maturity) factorial design. The whole plant and its stalk, leaf, husk, cob and grain components were incubated in situ in the rumen of three cows for determination of degradability of dry matter and degradable neutral detergent fiber. Stalk/leaf ratio did not influence neutral detergent fiber content or the degradability of dry matter and neutral detergent fiber of any of the components, except for the cob, in which the high ratio group had greater degradable neutral detergent fiber contents. There was a reduction in the degradability of all the parts, except for the stalk and cob, and an increase in the neutral detergent fiber contents of the vegetative parts, except for the stalk. Unlike the vegetative components, the neutral detergent fiber contents of the whole plant decreased throughout the stages evaluated. For degradable neutral detergent fiber, there was a reduction in the whole plant and in its components. The advance of maturity reduces the quality of the vegetative components; however, this loss in the entire plant is moderated by grain filling. Forage quality depends more on the quality of the components than on their proportions in the dry matter.
Genotype–phenotype correlation of congenital anomalies in multiple congenital anomalies hypotonia seizures syndrome (MCAHS1)/PIGN‐related epilepsy

Mutations in PIGN, resulting in multiple congenital anomalies‐hypotonia‐seizures syndrome, a glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchor deficiency, have been published in four families to date. We report four patients from three unrelated families with epilepsy and hypotonia in whom whole exome sequencing yielded compound heterozygous variants in PIGN. As with previous reports Patients 1 and 2 (full siblings) have severe global developmental delay, gastroesophageal reflux disease, and minor dysmorphic features, including high palate, bitemporal narrowing, depressed nasal bridge, and micrognathia; Patient 3 had early global developmental delay with later progressive spastic quadriparesis, intellectual disability, and intractable generalized epilepsy; Patient 4 had bilateral narrowing as well but differed by the presence of hypertelorism, markedly narrow palpebral fissures, and long philtrum, had small distal phalanges of fingers 2, 3, and 4, absent distal phalanx of finger 5 and similar toe anomalies, underdeveloped nails, unusual brain anomalies, and a more severe early clinical course. These patients expand the known clinical spectrum of the disease. The severity of the presentations in conjunction with the patients’ mutations suggest a genotype–phenotype correlation in which congenital anomalies are only seen in patients with biallelic loss‐of‐function. In addition, PIGN mutations appear to be panethnic and may be an underappreciated cause of epilepsy. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Urologist practice patterns in the management of Peyronie's disease: a nationwide survey.

INTRODUCTION Peyronie's disease (PD) is a poorly understood clinical entity. Aim. We endeavored to determine how contemporary urologists in the United States manage PD. METHODS A randomly generated mailing list of 996 practicing urologists was generated from the American Urologic Association member directory. A specifically designed survey was mailed with a cover letter and a postage-paid return envelope. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Our survey assessed several practice-related factors and asked questions of how the subject would manage various presentations of PD in their practice. Four cases were presented: case 1, a healthy 55-year-old man with painless 30 degrees dorsal curvature of 16 months duration; case 2, a 60-year-old man with 35 degrees dorsal curvature, 4/10 pain on visual analog scale, of 6 months duration; case 3, a 62-year-old man with painless 60 degrees dorsal curvature and erectile dysfunction responsive to alprostadil suppository of 2 years duration; and case 4, a 50-year-old man with mid-shaft waist deformity, foreshortening, no pain/curvature/erectile dysfunction. RESULTS Responses were received from 236 (24%) practicing urologists. Vitamin E was the preferred initial management for 70% of respondents, with observation, Potaba (Glenwood, Englewood, New Jersey, USA), colchicine, verapamil injections, and verapamil gel favored by 32, 20, 12, 7, and 10% of respondents, respectively. Fifty-seven percent of respondents performed surgery for PD, with penile prostheses, Nesbit procedure, grafting, and plication used by 76, 66, 55, and 51% of respondents, respectively. Medical therapy and/or observation was the preferred management for all of the cases except case 3, for which penile prosthesis placement and referral were the favored options by 39 and 30% of urologists, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Medical therapy is the initial treatment for PD among American urologists. Penile prosthesis is the treatment of choice in impotent patients. Most American urologists conform to recommended practice patterns in the management of PD.
Mice devoid of interferon regulatory factor 1 (IRF‐1) show normal expression of type I interferon genes.

The transcription factor interferon regulatory factor 1 (IRF‐1) binds tightly to the interferon (IFN)‐beta promoter and has been implicated in the induction of type I IFNs. We generated mice devoid of functional IRF‐1 by targeted gene disruption. As reported by others, IRF‐1‐deficient mice showed a discrete phenotype: the CD4/CD8 ratio was increased and IFN‐gamma‐induced levels of macrophage iNO synthase mRNA were strongly diminished. However, type I IFN induction in vivo by virus or double‐stranded RNA was unimpaired, as evidenced by serum IFN titers and IFN mRNA levels in spleen, liver and lung. There was also no impairment in the response of type I IFN‐inducible genes. Therefore, IRF‐1 is not essential for these processes in vivo.
Transcriptional mapping of human respiratory syncytial virus

A transcriptional map for human respiratory syncytial virus was determined by measuring the kinetics of viral gene inactivation in response to UV irradiation. Monolayer cell cultures of respiratory syncytial virus-infected HEp-2 cells were exposed to UV light, and residual viral RNA synthesis was monitored both by gel electrophoresis and by hybridization to dot blots of cloned cDNAs of the 10 known viral genes. Target sizes for the 10 individual viral genes were calculated relative to the UV sensitivity of intracellular viral genome replication. Target size analysis indicated that the 10 viral genes were transcribed as a single transcriptional unit and that the transcription of an individual gene was dependent on the prior transcription of all the preceding genes. The order of gene transcription (with nomenclature according to encoded proteins) was determined to proceed from the promoter as follows: 14K, 11K, N, P, M, 9.5K, 36K, F, 24K, L.
[Tripano-triatomine infection of Triatoma spinolai in a zone with epidemiological risk].

BACKGROUND Triatoma spinolai is the only wild vector for Chagas disease in Chile and its epidemiological importance is being studied. AIM To study the proportion of insects infected with Trypanosoma cruzi (tripano-triatomine index) in a zone with epidemiological risk in the Metropolitan Region of Chile. METHODS Four hundred ninety two specimens of Triatoma spinolai were collected in four sites of a quarry zone, 14 kilometers north of Santiago. Their maturity and the presence of Trypanosoma cruzi in their intestinal contents were determined. RESULTS Mean tripano-triatomine index was 26.02 +/- 2% (range 0 to 34% in different sites). The proportion of infected insects increased along with their maturity and 58% of adult specimens were infected. There was a seasonal variation of the proportion of infected specimens, being lower in March and June and higher in July and February. CONCLUSIONS The studied zone has a potential epidemiological risk for the transmission of Chagas disease by Triatoma spinolai.
Evaluation of health profiles of sickle-cell patients managed in University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu Southeast, Nigeria

Sickle cell anemia is a progressive hemoglobinopathy producing chronic hemolytic anemia, microvascular thrombosis, ischemic pain, tissue infarction, decreased quality of life, shortened life expectancy. The study evaluated health profiles of sickle-cell anaemia (SCA) patients. This simple random cross-sectional survey sampled 68 subjects undertaking treatment at the Sickle-Cell Clinic, University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Ituku-Ozalla between January to December, 2010; using an adapted and modified questionnaire which also used Visual Analogue scale to assess the pain levels. After which, data collected were analysed decriptively. 30(44%) and 38(56%) subjects were males and females respectively. 13(19.0%) SCD patients within 45years-the least. Prevalence of pain occurred among the entire 68 SCA patients. Pain provocative factors include Stress 53 (77.9%), Sitting 4(5.9%), and cold 2 (2.9%). 62 (91.2%) respondents reported direct proportional relationship between pain and Activities of Daily Living; with complications in all patients. Experts’ management involved 68(100%) haematologist and 9 (13.2%) physiotherapists. Patients’ percception of pain relief recorded 61(89.7%) temporal; anger and depression respectively recorded 1 (1.5%) post-treatment; and non in 5 (7.4%). Conclusively, pain perception was an important psychologic and therapeutics factor for the patients wellbeing post-treatment. However, SCA patients’ pain management required qualitative and clinical evidence-based multiagency healthcare services approach especially physiotherapy.
Retrospective evaluation of the incidence and severity of hemosiderosis in a large captive lemur population

Significant concern has been generated about the susceptibility of captive lemurs to iron storage disease, which has led some researchers to propose husbandry changes regarding dietary iron. In the current study we sought to determine the history, severity, and prevalence of iron storage disease within a large captive lemur population. Iron concentration and hemosiderin accumulation in a target organ, the liver, were assessed in necropsy specimens from 15 different species (n=153) of lemurs over a 12‐yr period at the Duke University Primate Center. Banked liver tissue was used to quantify liver iron concentration (LIC) via neutron activation analysis (NAA). Prussian blue staining was used to accentuate the presence of liver iron for evaluation using an established scoring system. Of the 153 reports examined, 49 (32%) of the animals were considered positive for the presence of hemosiderin in the liver, lymph node, duodenum, and kidney, with 36 of the 49 (73%) showing deposition of iron in the liver. Total iron scores (TIS) ranged from 0.3 ± 0.3 in Lemur catta to 33.3±1.7 in Cheirogaleus medius. The mean LIC ranged from 209±1.4 µg/g wet weight in L. catta to 2957±414 µg/g in C. medius. Management practices may have contributed to some of the results observed in this study. Although evidence of excess iron deposition in the liver was present across several species studied, the levels were not as pervasive as previously reported in other captive lemur populations. Hemochromatosis was not observed, and excess iron was not related to the cause of death in any of the animals studied. The current findings suggest that iron overload in lemurs may be more complex than was previously believed. Am. J. Primatol. 68:369–381, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
A large internal deletion converts yeast LEU3 to a constitutive transcriptional activator

LEU3 of Saccharomyces cerevisiae encodes an 886-amino-acid polypeptide that activates transcription of at least five genes by binding to an upstream decanucleotide sequence. This activation is dependent on the inducer alpha-isopropylmalate, the synthesis of which is repressed by leucine. We created a 285-amino-acid LEU3 derivative by removing a large block of internal sequences, including a dense cluster of acidic residues. This deletion protein bound to the decanucleotide sequence in vitro and activated gene expression in vivo. In contrast to wild-type LEU3, the truncated LEU3 protein was an effective transcriptional activator when alpha-isopropylmalate synthesis was repressed by leucine.
Lsr2 of Mycobacterium leprae and Its Synthetic Peptides Elicit Restitution of T Cell Responses in Erythema Nodosum Leprosum and Reversal Reactions in Patients with Lepromatous Leprosy

ABSTRACT The Lsr2 protein of Mycobacterium leprae and its synthetic peptides have been shown to elicit lymphoproliferation and gamma interferon (IFN-γ) release by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of patients with lepromatous leprosy (M. Chaduvula, A. Murtaza, N. Misra, N. P. Narayan, V. Ramesh, H. K. Prasad, R. Rani, R. K. Chinnadurai, I. Nath, Infect. Immun. 80:742–752, 2012). PBMCs from 16 patients with lepromatous leprosy who were undergoing erythema nodosum leprosum (ENL) (type 2) and 5 patients with reversal reactions (RR) (type 1) were stimulated with M. leprae, recombinant Lsr2, and six end-to-end synthetic peptides (A through F) spanning the Lsr2 sequence. During the reaction all patients with ENL showed lymphoproliferation (stimulation index, >2) in response to peptides A and F, with other peptides eliciting responses in 75 to 88% of the subjects. In PBMC cultures, both lymphoproliferation and IFN-γ release for peptide E were significantly higher than for peptides B and C and recombinant Lsr2 (P < 0.05, Wilcoxon signed-rank test). Five patients with RR also showed enhanced lymphoproliferative responses and IFN-γ release in response to Lsr2, M. leprae, and peptide E. Six months postreaction, 14 patients with ENL continued to exhibit responses to Lsr2 and its peptides, with the highest responses being elicited by peptide E. However, 5 subjects showed no lymphoproliferation and had reduced IFN-γ release in response to Lsr2 peptides (P < 0.001, Kruskal-Wallis test) but responded to recombinant Lsr2. Six patients with ENL had HLA-A*68.01, which the STFPEITHI program showed to have high peptide-binding scores of 20 to 21 for peptides E, B, and C. Eleven patients had HLA-DRB1*1501 and HLA-DRB1*1502, which had high binding scores for peptides C and E. Thus, Lsr2 and its peptides are recognized in leprosy reactions during and well after the subsidence of clinical signs.
Trust and development: rotating savings and credit associations in Rwanda

Trust is a critical challenge that has faced Rwandans for many years due to the ethnic conflict, which disrupted people’ lives starting in 1959s between Hutu and Tutsi. Especially, after the Genocide of 1994, trust among people cannot be taken for granted. However, where trust is occurred, it changes everything; it promotes social order and stability through social exchanges and interactions. Moreover, trust reduces transactions cost and hence, it leads to development through people’s initiatives. Rotating Savings and Credit Associations (Roscs) are mutual aid associations where trust is viewed as a prerequisite for Roscas’ sustainability. Recently, research considers Roscas as a pro poor community development. This paper discusses the relationship between trust and development, and generates knowledge about Roscas, as well as its presence and involvement in the development of Rwanda aftermath of Genocide in 1994. Participation and persistence of Roscas in development, is examined on the basis of the qualitative interviews. In addition, the connection between trust and development is framed according to the social and economic theories. In Roscas, trust is based on individual reputation, past experience (knowledge) and calculus. This research found that Roscas have facilitated in building trust among their members as well as their development.