Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Modelling Vulnerability and Low Earnings in the South African Labour Market

Drawing on a comparative overview of the earnings function work on South Africa, this article presents an alternative and comprehensive model of earnings in the South African labour market. Gauteng, South Africa's economic powerhouse, has long been dependent on immigration to supply its labour requirements, a phenomenon deeply rooted in the provinces early economic history and the development of mining and heavy industry. As far as possible, the analysis compared in-migrants to non-migrants and intra-Gauteng migrants in order to provide insight into special benefits or challenges that in-migrant households may present. The Labour Force Survey module on migrant labour allowed the profiling of migrant labourers and the approximation of economic links between Gauteng and other provinces as represented by remittances.
Reappraisal of Aquaporin‐4 Astrocytopathy in Asian Neuromyelitis Optica and Multiple Sclerosis Patients

Selective aquaporin‐4 (AQP4) loss and vasculocentric complement and immunoglobulin deposition are characteristic of neuromyelitis optica (NMO). We recently reported extensive AQP4 loss in demyelinated and myelinated layers of Baló's lesions without perivascular immunoglobulin and complement deposition. We aimed to reappraise AQP4 expression patterns in NMO and multiple sclerosis (MS). We evaluated AQP4 expression relative to glial fibrillary acidic protein, extent of demyelination, lesion staging (CD68 staining for macrophages), and perivascular deposition of complement and immunoglobulin in 11 cases with NMO and NMO spectrum disorders (NMOSD), five with MS and 30 with other neurological diseases. The lesions were classified as actively demyelinating (n = 66), chronic active (n = 86), chronic inactive (n = 48) and unclassified (n = 12). Six NMO/NMOSD and two MS cases showed preferential AQP4 loss beyond the demyelinated areas, irrespective of lesion staging. Five NMO and three MS cases showed AQP4 preservation even in actively demyelinating lesions, despite grave tissue destruction. Vasculocentric deposition of complement and immunoglobulin was detected only in NMO/NMOSD patients, with less than 30% of actively demyelinating lesions showing AQP4 loss. Our present and previous findings suggest that antibody‐independent AQP4 loss can occur in heterogeneous demyelinating conditions, including NMO, Baló's disease and MS.
Director tenure and the compensation of bank CEOs

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to examine how board tenure affects the compensation of CEOs using a sample of 93 publicly traded US banks. Design/methodology/approach - The paper proposes a CEO allegiance hypothesis whereby long-term relationships with executives and other directors will shift allegiance from shareholders to executives vs a more traditional expertise hypothesis that predicts superior monitoring of executives by directors with longer tenure. A generalized least squares regression methodology is used to examine the relationship between CEO compensation and outside director tenure. Findings - For the full sample, board tenure variables were found to be insignificant. However, when examining a subsample of firms with CEO tenure of greater than six years or more, the relationship between CEO pay and the median tenure of outside directors becomes positive, supporting a CEO allegiance hypothesis. Research limitations/implications - On a caveat, since this study relies on data for large bank holding companies over a short period of time, further research is needed to determine if the results carry over to a broader sample of firms and across time. Practical implications - The results suggest that the independence of outside directors may be compromised when they serve for longer tenure periods together with the same CEO; an important consideration for better corporate governance. Originality/value - The study provides a unique examination of outside director independence from the perspective of board tenure and the long-term relationships with executives and other directors that may result in allegiance shifts away from shareholders and towards managers.
Integrin-Mediated Pathway 1 b TLR2-Dependent, ADAM9- and Granuloma Macrophage Fusion via a Mycobacterial Lipomannan Induces

Tuberculous granulomas are the sites of interaction between the host response and the tubercle bacilli within infected individuals. They mainly consist of organized aggregations of lymphocytes and macrophages (Mf). A predominant role of mycobacterial envelope glycolipids in granulomas formation has been recently emphasized, yet the signaling events interfering with granuloma cell differentiation remain elusive. To decipher this molecular machinery, we have recently developed an in vitro human model of mycobacterial granulomas. In this study, we provide evidence that the mycobacterial proinﬂammatory phosphatidyl- myo -inositol mannosides and lipomannans (LM), as well as the anti-inﬂammatory lipoarabinomannan induce granuloma formation, yet only the proinﬂammatory glycolipids induce the fusion of granuloma Mf into multinucleated giant cells (MGC). We also demonstrate that LM induces large MGC resembling those found in vivo within the granulomas of tuberculosis patients, and that this process is mediated by TLR2 and is dependent on the (cid:1) 1 integrin/ADAM9 cell fusion machinery. Our results demonstrate for the ﬁrst time that the Mf differentiation stage speciﬁcally occurring within granulomatous structures (i.e., MGC formation) is triggered by mycobacterial envelope glycolipids, which are capable of inducing the cell fusion machinery. This provides the ﬁrst characterization of the ontogeny of human granuloma MGC, thus resulting
Blood–Brain Barrier Permeability to Sodium. Modification by Glucose or Insulin?

Abstract: In order to explore the pathogenetic mechanism underlying the changes in blood‐brain barrier sodium transport in experimental diabetes, the effects of hyperglycemia and of hypoinsulinemia were studied in nondiabetic rats. In untreated diabetes, the neocortical blood‐brain barrier permeability for sodium decreased by 20% (5.6 ± 0.7 versus 7.0 ± 0.8 × 105 ml/g/s) as compared to controls. Intravenous infusion of 50% glucose for 2 h was associated with a decrease in the blood‐brain barrier permeability to sodium (5.4 ± 1.2 × 105 ml/g/s), whereas rats treated with an inhibitor of insulinsecretion (SMS 201–995, a somatostatin‐analogue) had normal sodium permeability (7.3 ± 2.0 × 105 ml/g/s). Acute insulin treatment of diabetic rats normalized the sodium permeability within a few hours as compared to a separate control group (7.7 ± 1.1 versus 6.9 ± 1.4 × 105 ml/g/s). To elucidate whether the abnormal blood‐brain barrier passage is caused by a metabolic effect of glucose or by the concomitant hyperosmolality, rats were made hyperosmolar by intravenous injection of 50% mannitol. Although not statistically significant, blood‐brain barrier sodium permeability increased in hyperosmolar rats as compared to the control rats (8.3 ± 1.0 and 7.0 ± 1.9 × 105 ml/g/s, respectively). It is concluded that either hyperglycemia per se or a glucose metabolite is responsible for the blood‐brain barrier abnormality which occurs in diabetes. Further, we suggest that the specific decrease of sodium permeability could be the result of glucose‐mediated inhibition of the Na+K+‐ATPase localized at the blood‐brain barrier.
Formation and structure of cross-linking and monomeric pyrrole autoxidation products in 2,5-hexanedione-treated amino acids, peptides, and protein.

2,5-Hexanedione (2,5-HD) is the neurotoxic gamma-diketone metabolite of the industrial solvent n-hexane. Substantial evidence indicates that 2,5-HD reacts with neurofilament protein lysine epsilon-amines to yield 2,5-dimethylpyrrole adducts and that this reaction is critical to the mechanism of toxicity. Alkylpyrroles are susceptible to autoxidative dimerization, a process that has also been suggested as an obligatory step in 2,5-HD neuropathy. In the present study, we characterized pyrrole autoxidation products of a 2,5-HD-treated lysine analogue and of a model, lysine-containing dipeptide and examined mechanistic aspects of pyrrole-mediated protein cross-linking. Incubation of 2,5-HD with N alpha-acetyllysine or the dipeptide N alpha-acetylglycyllysine methyl ester in physiological buffer (pH 7.4) under oxidative conditions resulted in time-dependent formation of the N epsilon-pyrrole derivative and two major pyrrole autoxidation products, as demonstrated by HPLC, on-line thermospray MS, and UV photodiode array detection. An autoxidative pyrrole dimer containing a methylene bridge between C-2 of one pyrrole ring and C-3 of a second ring was characterized by thermospray MS and 1H-NMR spectroscopy. 13C-NMR spectroscopy provided evidence for an identical pyrrole-to-pyrrole bridge in autoxidized, pyrrolylated ribonuclease (RNase). MS analysis also revealed a second major product--a stable, oxygen-containing monomeric pyrrole derivative. This product exhibited a UV absorbance maximum (lambda max = 355 nm) consistent with extended conjugation. Polymerization of pyrrolylated acetyllysine was accelerated by persulfate, a free-radical initiator, and inhibited by ascorbate, an antioxidant. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Mother‐to‐child transmission of HBV: review of current clinical management and prevention strategies

Mother‐to‐child transmission (MTCT) of HBV is responsible for approximately half of the HBV transmission routes and continues to be a challenging problem worldwide. Even after the development of effective vaccines and clear World Health Organization guidelines toward HBV several decades ago, 1–9% newborns of HBV‐carrying mothers still acquire HBV in early life as a result of in utero infection. The prevention of MTCT is of high importance, because chronically infected individuals function as a reserve for sustained HBV transmission, and 25% of them can develop asymptomatic liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. In this article, we review the canonical and novel HBV infection routes/mechanisms, influencing factors, diagnostic criteria, and interruption strategies for HBV MTCT. The preventative strategy of HBV MTCT has evolved from routine postpartum HB immune globulin (HBIG) plus HB vaccine schedules to administration of HBIG or nucleoside analogs during pregnancy and minimizing the exposure of maternal body fluids to the newborn during delivery. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A study validating changes in the multiple sclerosis functional composite.

OBJECTIVE To prospectively characterize the relation between 1-year changes in neurologist ratings of abnormalities as measured by means of the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) and changes in observations of functional impairment as measured by means of the Multiple Sclerosis Functional Composite (MSFC) in the clinical assessment of multiple sclerosis (MS). METHODS One hundred twenty patients with MS were recruited at our outpatient clinic. Impairment and disability at baseline and follow-up were assessed using the EDSS and MSFC. We studied correlations between change (Delta) in the EDSS, MSFC, and MSFC components for the total population and different subgroups and analyzed the contribution of change in MSFC components to change in the EDSS and MSFC. RESULTS Median EDSS score at baseline was 4.5; at follow-up, 5.0. Mean MSFC score at baseline was -0.00; at follow-up, -0.04. Good cross-sectional correlations were found between the EDSS and MSFC at baseline (-0.72) and follow-up (-0.73). Only weak correlations were found between DeltaEDSS and DeltaMSFC. Although DeltaEDSS showed the strongest correlations with change in leg function and weak or no correlation with change in cognitive function or arm function, DeltaMSFC showed the highest correlation with change in arm function and cognitive function. CONCLUSION Our longitudinal data indicate that the MSFC reflects change from different dimensions of neurologic functions, which is a favorable characteristic when compared with the EDSS.
The impact of major–job mismatch on college graduates' early career earnings: evidence from China

This paper assesses the impact of the mismatch between a college major and job on college graduates' early career earnings using a sample from China. On average, a major–job mismatched college graduate is found to suffer from an income loss that is much lower than the penalty documented in previous studies. The income losses are also found to be heterogeneous and about one-third of the mismatched college graduates earn more than those matched ones.
Physical impairment and social adaptation in adult survivors of childhood and adolescent rhabdomyosarcoma: a report from the Childhood Cancer Survivors Study

Background: Despite interest in the well‐being of adult survivors of childhood rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS), few studies have examined their health‐related quality of life (HRQOL). This study evaluated physical and social aspects of HRQOL among long‐term childhood RMS survivors relative to a sibling comparison group, and assessed whether physical impairment among RMS survivors adversely affected their ability to achieve adult life goals.
Option pricing for large agents

This paper considers arbitrage-free option pricing in the presence of large agents. These large agents have a significant market power, and their trading strategies influence the dynamics of the financial asset prices. First, a simple asset pricing model in the presence of large agents is presented. Then a nonlinear partial differential equation is found for the prices of European options in the model. The unit option price depends on the large agent's asset holdings. Finally, a game model is introduced for the interaction between different market players. In this game, the outstanding number of options, as well as the option price, is found as a Nash equilibrium.
Adoption of Implicit eWOM in Facebook: An Affect-as-Information Theory Perspective

Electronic word of mouth (eWOM) has gained inescapable attention among both practitioners and academia. Its importance lies in its simplicity yet profound impact on customers’ attitude toward specific brands or goods, and consequently affecting customer loyalty and intention to purchase. Although Social Network Services have emerged as platforms to spread eWOM, less attention has been paid towards implicit eWOM which is displayed by liking pages of products or through check-in feature of Facebook. Using the theoretical lens of affect-as-information theory, this study shows affective attitude of users toward implicit eWOM influences acceptance of eWOM. We also study how tie strength, image building, and involvement with Facebook collectively determine affective attitude. The implications for theory and practice are discussed as well as limitations and future research directions.
WHY ECONOMISTS SHOULD BE UNHAPPY WITH THE ECONOMICS OF HAPPINESS*

The economics of happiness is an influential research programme, the aim of which is to change welfare economics radically. In this paper I set out to show that its foundations are unreliable. I shall maintain two basic theses: (a) the economics of happiness shows inconsistencies with the first person standpoint, contrary claims on the part of the economists of happiness notwithstanding, and (b) happiness is a dubious concept if it is understood as the goal of welfare policies. These two theses are closely related and lead to a third thesis: (c) happiness should be replaced by autonomy as the fundamental goal of welfare economics. To defend my claims I shall show that a hedonic approach to happiness leads to an awkward trilemma. Furthermore, I shall clarify the meaning of “happiness” and “autonomy”, along with their conceptual relationships.
Increased Expression and Activation of Absent in Melanoma 2 Inflammasome Components in Lymphocytic Infiltrates of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms

Chronic vascular inflammation is a key hallmark in the pathogenesis of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). Recent investigations have suggested that the inflammasome, a cytosolic multiprotein complex that recognizes pathogen-associated molecular patterns, plays a role in atherosclerosis. However, its role in AAA inflammation has not yet been investigated. This pilot study analyzed inflammasome activation and its intramural localization in 24 biopsy samples from 11 patients with asymptomatic AAA versus 12 aortic samples from apparently healthy controls. Using a histological inflammation scale, we identified grade 2/3 inflammatory changes with lymphoid aggregates/tertiary lymphoid organs in 21 out of 24 AAA samples, whereas only 7 of the 12 control samples exhibited local grade 1 inflammatory changes. Strong expression levels of “apoptosis-associated speck-like protein with a caspase recruitment domain” (ASC), caspase-1, caspase-5 and “absent in melanoma 2” (AIM2) were detected by immunohis-tochemistry in both sporadic infiltrating lymphoid cells and lymphoid aggregates located in the outer media and adventitia of AAA samples. In contrast, inflammasome-positive cells were restricted to cholesterol plaque-associated areas and to single infiltrating cells in control aortas. Analysis of gene expression using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) revealed significantly increased median mRNA levels of the inflammasome core components PYCARD (ASC), CASP1 (Caspase-1) and IL1B (IL-1β) in AAA tissue compared with normal aorta. Moreover, significantly increased median amounts of AIM2 protein and mature caspase-5 (p20) were found in samples associated with high rupture risk compared with paired low rupture risk samples of the same AAA patient. We conclude from our data that AAA-associated lymphoid cells are capable of inflammasome signaling, suggesting that inflammasome activation is involved in the chronic inflammatory process driving AAA progression.
Brides for Sale: Marriage Market Imbalance and Female Immigration *

Despite fairly balanced sex ratios, a large number of men in developed East Asian countries have been marrying brides from other countries since 1990. This paper examines the characteristics of men and women forming cross-border marriages, using micro level datasets from Korea and Japan. A man with low socio-economic status is more likely to marry a foreign bride but, all else being equal, his likelihood of marrying a foreign bride increases with his earnings. Foreign brides on average are more educated than comparable people in their home countries. This paper then analyzes the underlying factors that may drive the large demand for foreign brides.
Gammadelta T Cells in Crohn’s Disease: A New Player in the Disease Pathogenesis?

Crohn's disease [CD] is a chronic relapsing systemic disease affecting the gastrointestinal tract. An altered immune response to commensal intestinal bacteria takes place in genetically predisposed individuals, resulting in chronic inflammation in the gut. Several alterations in the innate immunity mechanisms have been described in recent years. Thus, the study of the immunological aspects of CD, specifically the role of lymphocytes, is a key element for understanding the pathogenesis of the disease.Gammadelta T cells [γδ T cells] constitute only a small proportion of the lymphocytes that circulate in the blood and peripheral organs and they are present mainly in the epithelia, where they can constitute up to 40% of intraepithelial lymphocytes [IEL] in the intestinal mucosa. Due to their lack of major histocompatibility complex [MHC] restriction and their unique plasticity and immune-regulating properties, they are considered key cells in the first line of defence against infections and in wound healing in the gut. Although there is growing experimental and clinical evidence of their implication in inflammatory bowel disease [IBD], including CD, their clinical relevance is still unclear.In this review, we address the possible involvement of γδ T cells in the pathogenesis of CD, reviewing their role against infections and in inflammation and the current evidence suggesting their implication in CD, offering a novel potential target for immunotherapy in IBD.
Public Versus Private Savings Rates in LDCs: Please Effects in recent development

Please Effects, first noted in the 1950s, refer to more vigorous tax efforts having an adverse effect on overall savings in LDCs. It is argued here that, by the 1980s, the reforms imposed by conditionality combined with a less forgiving world economy should have led to significant improvements in public savings performances such that Please Effects would no longer be a widely observed phenomenon, and that perhaps even 'reverse' Please Effects might now be observed. Based on a broadly specified cross-country life cycle regression model, and samples ranging from 89 to 93 LDCs, no evidence whatsoever was found for Please Effects in both the 1980s and the 1990s. In fact, our results provided clear evidence for just the opposite, although for tax policy purposes the reverse Please Effects were not found to be especially large. Savings rates would typically rise about 3% for a 10% rise in the tax/GDP ratio. It was concluded that those who would argue for a greater public role in economies that are clearly savings deficient may once again have a case if, as our results indicate, increased taxation to fund social capital accumulation is not at the expense of savings overall.
The Effect of Income on Recycling Behavior in the Presence of a Bottle Law: New Empirical Results

Eleven U.S. states have enacted “bottle laws” and they are one of the few examples of a policy that takes advantage of the price system to ameliorate environmental damage. A deposit-refund program on beverage containers is a consumption tax combined with a disposal rebate that is the equivalent of a Pigouvian tax. Using individual level data I have collected on observed cash recycling behavior, this paper shows that an unintended consequence of bottle laws is that they have the potential to increase the incomes of very low wage workers. If states set the bottle deposit high enough, harvesting recyclables becomes viable employment. The use of a price system as an environmental remedy is often criticized on the grounds that it leads to lower incomes for the poor. In this case deposit-refund recycling laws may provide a way to improve resource allocation using the appropriate Pigouvian tax, and simultaneously provide a way to increase the income of low wage workers. The first section of this paper I estimate the determinants of recycling behavior in the presence of a bottle law. This provides some insights into the characteristics of those who cash recycle. In particular I find that low income households are much more likely to recycle for cash than are high income households. The second section of this paper uses the dataset of recyclers to examine the importance of recycling income to low income households. The data show the surprising result that recycling income does indeed provide a substantial supplemental income to a certain group of low-income cash recyclers.