Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Immobility and the Brexit vote

Popular explanations of the Brexit vote have centred on the division between cosmopolitan internationalists who voted Remain, and geographically rooted individuals who voted Leave. In this paper, we conduct the first empirical test of whether residential immobility – the concept underpinning this distinction – was an important variable in the Brexit vote. We find that locally rooted individuals – defined as those living in their county of birth – were 7 percent more likely to vote Leave. However, the impact of immobility was filtered by local circumstances: immobility only mattered for respondents in areas experiencing relative economic decline or increases in migrant populations
Health rights knowledge among medical school students at King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Background Health care is a basic human right, and Saudi Arabia affirms these rights for all its citizens. Objectives To assess the knowledge of medical students regarding health rights in Saudi Arabia. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted at King Abdulaziz University (KAU) from September 2015 through November 2015. A questionnaire written in English collected demographic data and included questions about reproductive health care and health rights of women and patients with cancer, senility, or special needs. Results Of the 267 participants, 184 (68.9%) were female, and 252 (94.4%) were Saudi. Regarding consent, 87 (32.6%) and 113 (42.3%) participants believed a female patient required the consent of a male guardian to receive medical treatment or surgery, respectively, in Saudi Arabia, and only 106 (39.7%) knew that a female patient could provide consent for a caesarean section. Sixty-six (24.7%) believed that abortion is never allowed in Islam. Only 93 (34.8%) were aware that acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) patients had health rights, about half (144, 53.9%) knew that cancer patients have a right to full information, and most (181, 67.8%) believed that a patient had the right to withhold health information from his/her family. Approximately half were aware that cancer patients have the right to free medical treatment (138, 51.7%) or that health rights applied to special needs patients (137, 51.3%) and senile patients (122, 45.7%). Conclusions The knowledge of KAU medical students regarding health rights of certain patient populations highlights the importance of health rights education in medical school.
The Effect of Family Ownership, Control and Management on Corporate Debt Structure – Evidence from Panel Fractional Data

The present study examines the impact of family involvement on the debt structure of family businesses. Family corporate involvement is considered in three related but distinct dimensions: capital ownership, firm’s management and corporate control. The marginal effect of each of these three dimensions is specified as a unique regression parameter in a conditional mean model for the proportion of medium- plus long-term debt to total debt. This general strategy calls for an appropriate modelling and estimation approach, taking due account of the response variable’s inherent fractional definition and consequential nonlinear functional form of its conditional expectation, given covariates. Such an approach, combining a probit model for the equation of interest with a control function estimation method, is applied to a panel data set on Portuguese family businesses. Estimation results confirm the uniqueness of the impact of each of the three considered dimensions of families’ corporate involvement on the debt structure of firms.
Role of magnetic resonance diffusion imaging and apparent diffusion coefficient values in the evaluation of spinal tuberculosis in Indian patients

Aim: To define a range of apparent diffusion coefficient values in spinal tuberculosis and to evaluate the sensitivity of diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DW-MRI) and apparent diffusion coefficient values in patients of spinal tuberculosis. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted over a period of 20 months and included 110 patients with a total of 230 vertebral bodies. The study was performed in two parts. The first part included all patients of known tuberculosis and patients with classical features of tuberculosis. The second part included patients with spinal pathology of indeterminate etiology. All the patients underwent a routine MRI examination along with diffusion sequences. The apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values were calculated from all the involved vertebral bodies. Results: The mean ADC value of affected vertebrae in first part of the study was found to be 1.4 ± 0.20 × 10−3 mm2/s. This ADC value was then applied to patients in the second part of study in order to determine its ability in predicting tuberculosis. This range of ADC values was significantly different from the mean ADC values of normal vertebrae and those with metastatic involvement. However, there was an overlap of ADC values in a few tuberculous vertebrae with the ADC values in metastatic vertebrae. Conclusion: We found that DW-MRI and ADC values may help in the differentiation of spinal tuberculosis from other lesions of similar appearance. However, an overlap of ADC values was noted with those of metastatic vertebrae. Therefore diffusion imaging and ADC values must always be interpreted in association with clinical history and routine MRI findings and not in isolation.
Growth and Growth Hormone Therapy of Children Treated for Leukaemia

A total of 37 children (24 male, 13 female) who had been treated for leukaemia with chemotherapy and 24 Gy cranial irradiation, and who were disease free for at least 18 months, were commenced on somatrem at a mean of 7.6 years (range, 4.8‐12.1 years) after leukaemia diagnosis because of growth rate below the 25th centile for bone age. Peak GH response to provocation (exercise, arginine, insulin hypoglycaemia) was less than 20 milliunits/litre in 27 children (deficient group) and 20 milliunits/litre or more in 10 children (non‐deficient group). The mean height SD decrease from diagnosis of leukaemia to commencement of somatrem was 1.98, 86% of the children decreasing by more than 1 SD. Those who were tall for age at leukaemia diagnosis and females were more severely affected. Mean (LSD) height velocity increased on somatrem from 2.7 ± 1.1 to 6.6 ± 2.2 cm/year during the first 6 months (n = 251, and to 6.0 ± 1.7 cm/year during the first 12 months (n = 19). No difference in growth response was seen between the sexes or between the deficient and non‐deficient groups. Catch‐up growth occurred for the first 6 months only. It is concluded that children with a low growth rate after treatment of leukaemia should be considered for GH therapy irrespective of the results of GH provocative tests.
Ascertainment of individual risk of mortality for patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

RATIONALE Several predictors of mortality in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis have been described; however, there is a need for a practical and accurate method of quantifying the prognosis of individual patients. OBJECTIVES Develop a practical mortality risk scoring system for patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. METHODS We used a Cox proportional hazards model and data from two clinical trials (n = 1,099) to identify independent predictors of 1-year mortality among patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. From the comprehensive model, an abbreviated clinical model comprised of only those predictors that are readily and reliably ascertained by clinicians was derived. Beta coefficients for each predictor were then used to develop a practical mortality risk scoring system. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS Independent predictors of mortality included age, respiratory hospitalization, percent predicted FVC, 24-week change in FVC, percent predicted carbon monoxide diffusing capacity, 24-week change in percent predicted carbon monoxide diffusing capacity, and 24-week change in health-related quality of life. An abbreviated clinical model comprising only four predictors (age, respiratory hospitalization, percent predicted FVC, and 24-wk change in FVC), and the corresponding risk scoring system produced estimates of 1-year mortality risk consistent with observed data (9.9% vs. 9.7%; C statistic = 0.75; 95% confidence interval, 0.71–0.79). CONCLUSIONS The prognosis for patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis may be accurately determined using four readily ascertainable predictors. Our simplified scoring system may be a valuable tool for determining prognosis and guiding clinical management. Additional research is needed to validate the applicability and accuracy of the scoring system.
The role of internal limiting membrane peeling in epiretinal membrane surgery: a randomised controlled trial

Purpose To compare the anatomical and functional outcomes after primary idiopathic epiretinal membrane (ERM) peeling with or without internal limiting membrane (ILM) peeling. Design A two-centre randomised, controlled clinical trial with 12 months of follow-up. Methods One hundred and two eyes of 102 patients were included in the analysis and were randomised into two groups (ILM peeling (P) and non-ILM peeling (NP) group). Inclusion criteria were: Idiopathic ERM confirmed on optical coherence tomography, age ≥18 years, binocular distortion, best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) ≤90 ETDRS letters, intraocular pressure ≤23 mm Hg and informed consent. The primary outcome measure was the mean change in the ETDRS distance BCVA at 12 months' follow-up for each group. Results The mean change in distance BCVA at 12 months was 0.30±0.24 logMAR (15 ETDRS letters) in the P group and 0.31±0.23 logMAR (14 ETDRS letters) in the NP group, a change that was not statistically significant (p=0.84). No statistically significant differences were observed when comparing the changes in distance BCVA, the changes in metamorphopsia (Amsler grid) and the changes in central retinal thickness between the two groups at any of the time points studied. Conclusions Our analysis suggests that ILM peeling in idiopathic ERM surgery does not result in better visual improvement. The more frequent presence of an uninterrupted interdigitation zone in the P group did not result in a better functional outcome of our patients. No recurrent ERMs were noted in either group.
Is globalisation taking away jobs? An empirical assessment for advanced economies

We empirically investigate the link between economic globalisation and unemployment for a sample of 20 OECD countries over the 1981-2013 period. Controlling for the usual determinants of unemployment, our results show that unemployment is related in a complex way to global economic factors. Specifically , we show that outflows of foreign direct investment and restrictions reduce the unemployment rate, whereas capital account openness raises it. We also find that the standard trade openness measure does not explain unemployment in advanced economies. Finally, the increase in the share of China's imports is not to be blamed for slack in Western labour markets. JEL Classification: E24, F62, C33.
Modulation of fear memory by retrieval and extinction: a clue for memory deconsolidation

Abstract Memories are fragile and easily forgotten at first, but after a consolidation period of hours to weeks, are inscribed in our brains as stable traces, no longer vulnerable to conventional amnesic treatments. Retrieval of a memory renders it labile, akin to the early stages of consolidation. This phenomenon has been explored as memory reactivation, in the sense that the memory is temporarily ‘deconsolidated’, allowing a short time window for amnesic intervention. This window closes again after reconsolidation, which restores the stability of the memory. In contrast to this ‘transient deconsolidation’ and the short-spanned amnesic effects of consolidation blockers, some specific treatments can disrupt even consolidated memory, leading to apparent amnesia. We propose the term ‘amnesic deconsolidation’ to describe such processes that lead to disruption of consolidated memory and/or consolidated memory traces. We review studies of these ‘amnesic deconsolidation’ treatments that enhance memory extinction, alleviate relapse, and reverse learning-induced plasticity. The transient deconsolidation that memory retrieval induces and the amnesic deconsolidation that these regimes induce both seem to dislodge a component that stabilizes consolidated memory. Characterizing this component, at both molecular and network levels, will provide a key to developing clinical treatments for memory-related disorders and to defining the consolidated memory trace.
Role of macronutrients, vitamins and minerals in the aetiology of squamous‐cell carcinoma of the oesophagus

Between 1992 and 1997 we conducted a case‐control study of oesophageal cancer in 3 areas of northern Italy. Cases were 304 patients (29 women), ages 39–77 years (median age 60 years), with a first incident squamous‐cell carcinoma (SCC) of the oesophagus. Controls were 743 patients (150 women), ages 35–77 years (median age 60 years), admitted for acute illnesses, unrelated to tobacco and alcohol, to major hospitals of the areas under surveillance. We derived estimates of daily dietary intake of 6 macronutrients, cholesterol, and 20 micronutrients or minerals from a validated food‐frequency questionnaire, including 78 food groups and recipes and 15 questions on individual eating patterns. After allowance for age, gender, area of residence, education, body mass index, physical activity, smoking habit, alcohol consumption and energy intake, most micronutrients were inversely associated with oesophageal SCC risk. Highly significant associations emerged for monounsaturated fatty acids [odds ratio (OR) in highest vs. lowest intake quintile = 0.5]; carotene (OR = 0.3); lutein + zeaxanthin (OR = 0.4); vitamin C (OR = 0.4); and niacin (OR = 0.5). Only retinol appeared to be positively related to risk (OR = 1.9). The effect of the above nutrients, expressed as ORs, appeared to be similar in non‐smokers and smokers, and non/light drinkers and heavy drinkers. Int. J. Cancer 86:626–631, 2000. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Animal Cytogenetics and Comparative Mapping

ABC Fax + 41 61 306 12 34 E-mail karger@karger.ch www.karger. com © 2001 S. Karger AG, Basel 0301–0171/01/0932–0065$17.50/0 Accessible online at: www.karger. com/journals/ccg Abstract. Interleukin 7 (IL7) is a cytokine that has many immunological functions, including regulation of hematopoiesis and peripheral lymphocytes. cDNA and a genomic DNA segment containing the porcine IL7 gene were isolated and sequenced, showing that porcine IL7 consists of 176 amino acids and that its gene spans over about 13 kb of genomic DNA. Porcine IL7 has 85% and 73% homology with human IL7 in terms of the nucleotide and amino acid sequences, respectively. Whereas the murine IL7 gene does not have an exon corresponding to human exon 5 (Lupton et al., 1990), the porcine IL7 gene was found to contain the same exon-intron structure as the human gene. These findings, together with the upstream structure of the cDNA elucidated in the present study, indicate that the relationship between swine and human IL7 is closer than that between mouse and human IL7. The IL7 gene was mapped to swine chromosome 4q11→q13 by fluorescence in situ hybridization and, using a radiation hybrid panel, was localized between microsatellite markers Sw1336 and Sw1073 on the same chromosome.
Regulation of estrogen receptor messenger ribonucleic acid in rat hypothalamus by sex steroid hormones.

Sex steroid hormone receptors are thought to mediate the actions of their respective hormones by functioning as ligand-activated nuclear transcription factors that alter the expression of specific sets of hormone-responsive genes. Particularly high densities of estrogen receptor (ER)-containing neurons are located in the arcuate nucleus (ARH) and ventrolateral part of the ventromedial nucleus (VMHvl) of the hypothalamus, and these cell groups are thought to play key roles in the neuroendocrine control of reproductive function. Thus, hormonal regulation of ER gene expression in ARH and VMHvl neurons represents a direct mechanism by which circulating sex steroids could affect the responsiveness of these neurons to hormonal activation. We used in situ hybridization histochemistry to evaluate the influence of estradiol and testosterone on levels of ER mRNA within the ARH and VMHvl of adult male and female rats. In female rats, estradiol treatment reduced levels of ER mRNA in the ARH and VMHvl within 24 h relative to levels in both ovariectomized control animals and intact estrous females. Comparable results were obtained in male rats, except that testosterone did not significantly attenuate ER mRNA hybridization in the VMHvl until after 3 days of hormone treatment, and only a minor decrease was noted in the ARH, which was not statistically significant. In both male and female animals, the overall density of labeling found over individual cells in emulsion-dipped autoradiograms was consistently lower in hormone-treated animals compared with that over cells in gonadectomized controls, suggesting that the observed decreases in ER mRNA hybridization measured over the ARH and VMHvl are due to changes in cellular levels of ER mRNA. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Essays on Debt and Pensions

Money is a scarce resource for most people. For that reason, the decision whether to spend more today and less in the future or vice versa is a recurrent question to many of us. Pension systems provide incentives for saving for future consumption and mortgage markets allow us to increase consumption immediately by giving up future spending opportunities accordingly. For this reason, pension and mortgage systems play a key role to individual savings decisions. This dissertation is comprised by three self-contained chapters concerned with how individual savings behavior depends on the design of certain pension and mortgage features. Chapter one, "Do Tax Incentives for Saving in Pension Accounts Cause Debt Accumulation? ", applies a quasi-experimental research design on a Danish 2010 policy that reduced tax incentives for saving in annuity pension schemes to show significant substitution of savings from retirement accounts to gross debt repayments. We find that for every 1 Danish krone reduction in retirement savings 31 cents goes to debt repayments. Taking into account all types of savings, we find full crowding out. Consistent with previous findings, we document that the effect is driven by a minority, about 23 percent, who actively rebalance their savings. Chapter two, "Housing Wealth Effects and Mortgage Borrowing", examines whether home price changes drive mortgage based equity extraction. To do this we use longitudinal survey data with subjective information about current and expected future house prices to calculate unanticipated house price changes. We link this information at the person level to high quality administrative records with information about mortgage borrowing as well as savings in various financial instruments. We find a marginal propensity to extract out of unanticipated housing wealth gains to be 3-5 percent. We find no adjustment to other components of the portfolio, and we find that mortgage extraction leads to an increase in spending. We find no evidence that the effect is driven by collateral constraints. Instead, the effect is driven by about 11 percent of the observations where the respondent is recorded having actively taken out a new mortgage. Three out of four among these refinance an existing fixed rate mortgage loan and exploit that the old loan can be prepaid and a new loan established to lock in a lower market rate. The propensity to extract equity is higher for the group that has an incentive to refinance following a drop in the market interest rate
Clock-delayed domino for dynamic circuit design

Clock-delayed (CD) domino is a self-timed dynamic logic family developed to provide single-rail gates with inverting or noninverting outputs. CD domino is a complete logic family and is as easy to design with as static CMOS circuits from a logic design and synthesis perspective. Design tools developed for static CMOS are used as part of a methodology for automating the design of CD domino circuits. The methodology and CD domino's characteristics are demonstrated in the design of a 32-b carry look-ahead adder. The adder was fabricated with MOSIS's 0.8-/spl mu/m CMOS process with scalable CMOS design rules that allow a 1.0-/spl mu/m drawn gate length. Measurements of the adder show a worst case addition of 2.1 ns. The CD domino adder is 1.6/spl times/ faster than a dual-rail domino adder designed with the same cell library and technology.
Personal Asset Pricing and the Premium Investment Framework

Rational asset pricing models should hold across assets. Nevertheless, in practice they are often developed and tested on a single asset pricing anomaly. This approach can lead to an overabundance of idiosyncratic ‘rational’ explanations. The paper demonstrates the problem by showing that crash and recession risk are idiosyncratic to a set of anomalies and consequently invalid as rational explanations. However, even with appropriate empirical testing, our ability to find a rational model is additionally hindered by the benchmark ambiguity and joint hypothesis problems. The paper discusses personal asset pricing as an alternative to equilibrium testing when investment recommendations are required.
An assessment of road traffic accidents in Spain: the role of tourism

ABSTRACT One of the principal causes of tourist deaths worldwide appears to be road accidents. However, the literature rarely addresses tourist road safety by exploring spatial variations. This paper covers the gap that exists as to how tourism can influence road safety (as a negative externality) and examines the case of Spanish NUTS-3 regions, particularly interesting due to Spain having been the world’s second most-visited country for five consecutive years. Our findings show a higher traffic accident rate for foreign drivers and indicate that tourism traffic safety is a relevant topic that should be incorporated into road safety policy planning.
Characterization of a Melanosomal Transport System in Murine Melanocytes Mediating Entry of the Melanogenic Substrate Tyrosine (*)

In this study, we identify a transport system for tyrosine, the initial precursor of melanin synthesis, in the melanosomes of murine melanocytes. Melanosomes preloaded with tyrosine demonstrated countertransport of 10 μM [3H]tyrosine, indicating carrier-mediated transport. Melanosomal tyrosine transport was saturable, with an apparent K for tyrosine transport of 54 μM and a maximal velocity of 15 pmol of tyrosine/unit of hexosaminidase/min. Transport was temperature-dependent (E = 7.5 kcal/mol) and showed stereospecificity for the L-isomer of tyrosine. Aromatic, neutral hydrophobic compounds (such as tryptophan and phenylalanine), as well as the small, bulky neutral amino acids (such as leucine, isoleucine, and methionine) competed for tyrosine transport. Tyrosine transport was inhibited by the classical system L analogue, 2-aminobicyclo[2.2. 1]heptane-2-carboxylic acid and by monoiodotyrosine, but not by cystine, lysine, glutamic acid, or 2-(methylamino)-isobutyric acid. Tyrosine transport showed no dependence on Na or K, and did not require an acidic environment or the availability of free thiols. These results demonstrate the existence of a neutral amino acid carrier in murine melanocyte melanosomes which resembles the rat thyroid FRTL-5 lysosomal system h. This transport system is critical to the function of the melanosome since tyrosine is the essential substrate required for the synthesis of the pigment melanin.