Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Malondialdehyde-acetaldehyde (MAA) adducted protein inhalation causes lung injury

In addition to cigarette smoking, alcohol exposure is also associated with increased lung infections and decreased mucociliary clearance. However, little research has been conducted on the combination effects of alcohol and cigarette smoke on lungs. Previously, we have demonstrated in a mouse model that the combination of cigarette smoke and alcohol exposure results in the formation of a very stable hybrid malondialdehyde-acetaldehyde (MAA)-adducted protein in the lung. In in vitro studies, MAA-adducted protein stimulates bronchial epithelial cell interleukin-8 via the activation of protein kinase C epsilon (PKC ε ). We hypothesized that direct MAA-adducted protein exposure in the lungs would mimic such a combination of smoke and alcohol exposure leading to airway inflammation. To test this hypothesis, C57BL/6J female mice were intranasally instilled with either saline, 30 µL of 50 µg/mL BSA-MAA, or unadducted BSA for up to 3 wk. Likewise, human lung surfactant proteins A and D (SPA, SPD) were purified from human pulmonary proteinosis lung lavage fluid and successfully MAA-adducted in vitro . Similar to BSA-MAA, SPD-MAA was instilled into mouse lungs. Lungs were and assayed for histopathology, PKC ε activation, and lung lavage chemokines. In control mice instilled with lungs few inflammatory cells. No significant effects were observed in unadducted BSA- or SPD-instilled mice. However, when mice were instilled with BSA-MAA or SPD-MAA for 3 wk, a significant peribronchiolar localization of inflammatory cells was observed. Both BSA-MAA and SPD-MAA stimulated increased lung lavage neutrophils and caused a significant elevation in the chemokine, KC, which is a functional homologue to human interleukin-8. Likewise, MAA-adducted protein stimulated the activation of airway and lung slice PKC ε . These data support that MAA-adducted protein induces a pro-inflammatory response in the lungs and that lung surfactant protein is a biologically relevant target for malondialdehyde and acetaldehyde adduction. These data further implicate MAA-adduct formation as a potential mechanism for smoke and alcohol induced lung injury.
Political market orientation and strategic party postures in Danish political parties

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between the strategic postures and political market orientation profile of two Danish parties. Profile stability at the organisational level is used as a control variable.Design/methodology/approach – The strategic political postures of two Danish parties are derived using a self‐typing study. Based on configuration theory, ideal organisational profiles to implement these studies are juxtaposed with the actual political market orientation profile for each party, gained from two datasets analysed using Partial Least Squares. Member activity levels are used to control for organisational stability.Findings – The self‐typing study revealed that Party A was perceived to follow a relationship builder posture, and Party B a convinced ideologist posture. However, both market orientation profiles resembled the organisational structures of a convinced ideologist. Thus, Party A exhibits a mismatch between strategic orientation and implemented org.
Venture Capital Distributions: Short‐Run and Long‐Run Reactions

Venture capital distributions, a legal form of insider trading, provides an ideal arena for examining the share price impact of transactions by informed parties. These sales, which occur after substantial run-ups in share value, generate a substantial price reaction immediately around the event. In the months after distribution, returns apparently continue to be negative. When the short- and long-run reactions are decomposed, they are consistent with the view that venture capitalists use inside information to time stock distributions: Distributions of firms brought public by lower quality underwriters and of less seasoned firms have more negative price reactions. Copyright The American Finance Association 1998.
Selection models in accounting research

ABSTRACT: This study explains the challenges associated with the Heckman (1979) procedure to control for selection bias, assesses the quality of its application in accounting research, and offers guidance for better implementation of selection models. A survey of 75 recent accounting articles in leading journals reveals that many researchers implement the technique in a mechanical way with relatively little appreciation of important econometric issues and problems surrounding its use. Using empirical examples motivated by prior research, we illustrate that selection models are fragile and can yield quite literally any possible outcome in response to fairly minor changes in model specification. We conclude with guidance on how researchers can better implement selection models that will provide more convincing evidence on potential selection bias, including the need to justify model specifications and careful sensitivity analyses with respect to robustness and multicollinearity. Data Availability: Data used.
Circadian Effects of Light No Brighter Than Moonlight

In mammals, light entrains endogenous circadian pacemakers by inducing daily phase shifts via a photoreceptor mechanism recently discovered in retinal ganglion cells. Light that is comparable in intensity to moonlight is generally ineffective at inducing phase shifts or suppressing melatonin secretion, which has prompted the view that circadian photic sensitivity has been titrated so that the central pacemaker is unaffected by natural nighttime illumination. However, the authors have shown in several different entrainment paradigms that completely dark nights are not functionally equivalent to dimly lit nights, even when nighttime illumination is below putative thresholds for the circadian visual system. The present studies extend these findings. Dim illumination is shown here to be neither a strong zeitgeber, consistent with published fluence response curves, nor a potentiator of other zeitgebers. Nevertheless, dim light markedly alters the behavior of the free-running circadian pacemaker. Syrian hamsters were released from entrained conditions into constant darkness or dim narrowband green illumination (~0.01 lx, 1.3 × 10-9 W/cm2, peak λ = 560 nm). Relative to complete darkness, constant dim light lengthened the period by ~0.3 h and altered the waveform of circadian rhythmicity. Among animals transferred from long day lengths (14 L:10 D) into constant conditions, dim illumination increased the duration of the active phase (α) by ~3 h relative to complete darkness. Short day entrainment (8 L:16 D) produced initially long α that increased further under constant dim light but decreased under complete darkness. In contrast, dim light pulses 2 h or longer produced effects on circadian phase and melatonin secretion that were small in magnitude. Furthermore, the amplitude of phase resetting to bright light and nonphotic stimuli was similar against dimly lit and dark backgrounds, indicating that the former does not directly amplify circadian inputs. Dim illumination markedly alters circadian waveform through effects on α, suggesting that dim light influences the coupling between oscillators theorized to program the beginning and end of subjective night. Physiological mechanisms responsible for conveying dim light stimuli to the pacemaker and implications for chronotherapeutics warrant further study.
Spring–summer albedo variations of Antarctic sea ice from 1982 to 2009

This study examined the spring–summer (November, December, January and February) albedo averages and trends using a dataset consisting of 28 years of homogenized satellite data for the entire Antarctic sea ice region and for five longitudinal sectors around Antarctica: the Weddell Sea (WS), the Indian Ocean sector (IO), the Pacific Ocean sector (PO), the Ross Sea (RS) and the Bellingshausen–Amundsen Sea (BS). Time series data of the sea ice concentrations and sea surface temperatures were used to analyse their relations to the albedo. The results indicated that the sea ice albedo increased slightly during the study period, at a rate of 0.314% per decade, over the Antarctic sea ice region. The sea ice albedos in the PO, the IO and the WS increased at rates of 2.599% per decade (confidence level 99.86%), 0.824% per decade and 0.413% per decade, respectively, and the steepest increase occurred in the PO. However, the sea ice albedo in the BS decreased at a rate of −1.617% per decade (confidence level 95.05%) and was near zero in the RS. The spring–summer average albedo over the Antarctic sea ice region was 50.24%. The highest albedo values were mainly found on the continental coast and in the WS; in contrast, the lowest albedo values were found on the outer edge of the sea ice, the RS and the Amery Ice Shelf. The average albedo in the western Antarctic sea ice region was distinctly higher than that in the east. The albedo was significantly positively correlated with sea ice concentration (SIC) and was significantly negatively correlated with sea surface temperature (SST); these scenarios held true for all five longitudinal sectors. Spatially, the higher surface albedos follow the higher SICs and lower SST patterns. The increasing albedo means that Antarctic sea ice region reflects more solar radiation and absorbs less, leading to a decrease in temperature and much snowfall on sea ice, and further resulted in an increase in albedo. Conversely, the decreasing albedo leads to more solar radiation absorbing and sea ice melting, thus resulting in a decrease in albedo.
Prediction of birth weights from body weights of newborns.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the accuracy of prediction of birth weights from body weights of newborns till six days after birth. DESIGN Prospective follow-up. SETTING Four villages near Hyderabad. METHODS Weights of 47 newborns were recorded daily from the day of birth for seven days. The birth weights were regressed on the weights of the babies taken on the 2nd day to the 7th day. Specificity and sensitivity of the predicted birth weights to arrive at the prevalence of low birth weight (LBW) were computed. RESULTS The co-efficient of determination (R-square) for between the days measurements decreased from 95% on the second day to 86% on seventh day with an increase in the standard error of the estimate from 84 g to 154 g. Based on the "predicted birth weights", the prevalence of LBW in the community was arrived at and compared with the actual observation. The sensitivity and specificity of these regression equations was high and ranged from 0.95 to 0.85 and 0.96 to 0.93, respectively. CONCLUSIONS In situations where the birth weight cannot be recorded, weight of the baby taken within the first week after birth may be reliably utilized to assess the "birth weight", particularly in relation to categorization as LBW. This methodology can serve as a tool to monitor various developmental programs aimed at improving birth weights.
The Distribution of Uncertainty: Evidence from the VIX Options Market

This article investigates the informational content implied in the risk‐neutral distribution of the VIX, a leading barometer of economic uncertainty. We extract the risk‐neutral distribution from VIX option prices over the sample period from 2006 to 2011 using a non‐parametric approach. We analyze the time‐series behavior of the option‐implied moments and assess whether the information implied in the risk‐neutral distribution has predictive power. The risk‐neutral distribution considerably changed shape during the financial crisis. Furthermore, risk‐neutral moments contain useful information with respect to the likelihood of upward jumps in volatility. Consistent with investors disliking high levels of economic uncertainty, we find that the overall shape of the estimated volatility pricing kernel is increasing. For certain periods, there is a puzzling U‐shape. The behavior of the volatility pricing kernel over time reveals that the financial crisis has affected investors’ attitudes towards risk. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Jrl Fut Mark 35:597–624, 2015
THE VOLATILITY OF THE FIRM’S ASSETS

This paper investigates the conditional volatility of the firm’s assets in contrast to existing studies that focus primarily on equity volatility. Using a novel dataset that allows us to map out significant portions of the capital structure, we examine the volatility properties of asset returns as calculated by a weighted average of equity, bond and loan prices. The two fundamental findings in this paper are that asset volatility is time-varying and that financial leverage matters and has a large influence on equity volatility. Within this backdrop, several new results emerge. First, leverage plays a more important role than previously thought in explaining the well-documented asymmetric volatility effect. Second, equity volatility possesses both a transitory component due primarily to asset volatility and a more permanent component due to financial leverage. Third, in terms of a breakdown of the determinants of equity volatility, we relate implied equity volatility levels and changes to different components of estimated asset volatility (i.e., both idiosyncratic and market, including lagged volatility and asymmetric return shocks) and to leverage at the firm level. *Stern School of Business, NYU ** NBER and Stern School of Business, NYU We would like to thank Rob Engle and seminar participants at the Inaugural Conference of SoFIE.
Systemic Reform: Good Educational Practice with Positive Impacts and Unresolved Problems and Issues

This article describes the National Science Foundation's systemic reform programming, including major accomplishments and barriers to systemic reform. The challenges of systemic reform and new directions for education reform are discussed. The focus in on the results and challenges of policies implemented by the systemic initiatives, namely the mandate for the alignment of standards, curriculum, instruction, and assessment with the implementation of a standards-based K-12 mathematics and science education program; increased science and mathematics requirements for high school graduation; the delivery of intensive, high-quality professional development; and improvement in student achievement after three years of funding. A broader view of education reform in the future will require policymakers and educators to pay more attention to formulating mutually supportive policies across education, health, and social services; establishing fiscal policies that provide sufficient funding to ensure equitable outcomes; and revising accountability policies to facilitate rather than impede the reform efforts. Copyright 2003 by The Policy Studies Organization.
Six-minute walk distance as a marker for disability and complaints in patients with systemic sclerosis.

OBJECTIVES The role of the six-minute walk distance (6MWD), measured by a six-minute walk test (6MWT), in the assessment of systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients remains to be evaluated. Here, we have analysed whether 6MWD is associated with clinical parameters obtained by an extended standardised assessment of SSc patients. METHODS In 101 consecutive SSc patients, 6MWD was correlated with disease activity, Scleroderma Health Assessment Questionnaire (SHAQ) score, nutrition status, age, ESR, haemoglobin values, and several lung function parameters. RESULTS Of the 101 SSc patients, 6 patients were excluded because of diseases that could influence the result of the 6MWT, such as asthma, COPD or peripheral vascular disease. In the remaining 95 patients the median 6MWD was 491.0 m (range 86.0-664.5 m). 6MWD weakly-to-moderately correlated with predicted FVC, FEV1, TLC, DLCO and nutrition status. Moderate negative correlations were found for the SHAQ score and disease activity, weaker correlations for age and BMI. Exclusion of patients with musculoskeletal limitations revealed similar results. Training status of the patients did not affect 6MWD. Multivariate analyses revealed SHAQ score and predicted DLCO values as the best parameters predicting 6MWD. Optimal 6MWD cut-off values for the presence of PAH, predicted FVC values <80%, and dyspnea NYHA III/IV were between 465 m and 480 m. CONCLUSIONS 6MWD is a surrogate marker for disability and complaints in SSc patients. Therefore, 6MWT could provide a valuable outcome parameter although it lacks organ specificity.
BACLOFEN: EFFECTS ON AMINO ACID RELEASE AND METABOLISM IN SLICES OF GUINEA PIG CEREBRAL CORTEX

Slices of guinea‐pig cerebral cortex were used to investigate the effects of the antispastic drug β‐(p‐chlorophenyl)‐γ‐aminobutyrate (Baclofen, Lioresal) on the release and metabolism of several amino acids. Electrical stimulation of slices evoked (1) a relatively large release, probably from nerve terminals, of 14C‐labelled tissue glumate, aspartate and γ‐aminobutyrate (GABA) synthesized via metabolism of D‐[U‐14C]glucose and (2) a relatively small release, probably not from nerve terminals, of 14C‐labelled tissue alanine and threonine‐serine‐glutamine and of exogenous radiolabeled glutamate, aspartate, GABA and α‐aminoisobutyrate that had been taken up from the medium. Baclofen (4μM) preferentially inhibited the release of 14C‐labelled tissue glutamate and aspartate. It had no effect on the concentrations and specific radio‐activities of most of the labelled tissue amino acids in the slices. However, it increased the turnover of 14C‐labelled tissue glycine approx 4‐fold and elevated the specific radio activity of tissue alanine by 40%. It was concluded that Baclofen affects transmission not by modulating the release of the inhibitory amino acid GABA, but by selectively suppressing the release of the excitatory amino acids glutamate and aspartate from nerve terminals. Provided that this action obtains in the spinal cord, it may at least partly underlie the antispastic action of Baclofen as glutamate and aspartate are presumed to be the transmitters released from terminals of non‐nociceptive primary afferent fibers and excitatory interneurons, respectively. The Baclofen‐induced increase in glycine turnover suggests an additional effect on inhibitory glycinergic interneurons in the spinal cord.
A study of corporate social disclosures in Bangladesh

Most of the corporate social reporting (CSR) studies conducted so far have been in the context of developed countries. Very few studies are available on the CSR practices in developing countries. Given the different socio-economic context of developing countries it is argued that it is important to learn about the CSR practices in those countries. This study reports the results of a survey of CSR practices in Bangladesh. The main contribution of this paper is that in addition to measuring the extent and volume of disclosures by using content analysis, it explores the socio-political and economic context in which these disclosures take place.
Is Economics a House Divided? Analysis of Citation Networks

We investigate divisions within the citation network in economics using citation data between 1990 and 2010. We consider all partitions of top institutions into two equal-sized clusters, and pick the one that minimizes cross-cluster citations. The strongest division is much stronger than could be expected to be found under idiosyncratic citation patterns, and is consistent with the reputed freshwater/saltwater division in macroeconomics. The division is stable over time, but varies across the fields of economics.
Sensitivity Tuning in Terfenol-D Based Fiber Bragg Grating Magnetic Sensors

In this work, the dependence of the magnetostrictive response on the prestress has been used to improve and fit the performance of Terfenol-D based fiber Bragg grating magnetic sensor. The possibility to tune sensitivity allows to work at different operative conditions and to develop advanced sensors with reconfigurable sensitivity. Performance improvements in terms of magnetic resolution up to 0.0116 A/m have been demonstrated.
The Hipc Initiative: True and False Promises

The paper develops the view that the perspective on the HIPC initiative is distorted by the fact that -contrary to the Brady deal itself- it lacks all perspective on the “market value” of the debt which is written down. The appropriate “market value” is one that takes account of the risk of non-payment: arrears, rescheduling and “constrained” refinancing of various sorts. Building upon econometric evidence that relies on middle income debtors in the eighties, the paper argues that the initiative is about ten times less generous than face value accounting would suggest .
Countries of a Feather flock together

We analyze the economic forces underlying cross-border Mergers and Acquistions (M&As) using a large bilateral panel data set. The frequent occurrence of "zero" observations provides essential information on the structure of M&A flows, which we model empirically using a two-stage procedure. At the fist stage, an observation is either classified in the Passive Group (always zero) or in the (potentially) Active Group using a logit model. At the second stage, the size of M&A flows in the Active Group is modeled using a gravity-type negative binomial model. We find that: (i) market size (GDP) of both acquirer and target is more important for trade flows than for cross-border M&As, (ii) market development (per capita GDP) is more important for cross-border M&As than for trade flows, (iii) for M&As, the target’s market, both in size and development, is more important than the acquirer’s market, and (iv) the impact of distance is larger on trade flows than for M&As. Financial openness is a prerequisite for becoming active in M&As and positively influences the size of M&A flows. Our estimates on the direction, size, and significance of the main variables are robust for alternative specifications, incorporating lagged stock market value, black market premium, real interest rates, transparency, and exchange rate variability. Finally, we provide additional support and extend the recent results of Blonigen et al. (2007) on outside-market potential and of Bergstrand and Egger (2007) on Rest of World GDP.
Private groups and public life : social participation, voluntary associations and political involvement in representative democracies

1. Introduction 2. Voluntary Associations and Democratic Politics: Participation in Britain 3. Social Reflexivity, Democracy, and New Types of Democracy in Denmark 4. Political Parties and Social Organisation in Flanders 5. Women and the Transformation of the Norwegian Voluntary Sector 6. The Rise of Protest Businesses in Britain 7. Political Capital Formation among British Party Members 8. The Corporatist Channel and Civil Society in the Netherlands 9. Associative and Political Participation in Switzerland and France 10. The Political Participation of Intermediary organisations at the Local Level 11. Organising Capacity of Societies and Modernity 12. Voluntary Associations, Social Movements, and Individual Political Behaviour in Western Europe. References, Subject Index, Name Index
Overview of Web Content Mining Tools

Nowadays, the Web has become one of the most widespread platforms for information change and retrieval. As it becomes easier to publish documents, as the number of users, and thus publishers, increases and as the number of documents grows, searching for information is turning into a cumbersome and time-consuming operation. Due to heterogeneity and unstructured nature of the data available on the WWW, Web mining uses various data mining techniques to discover useful knowledge from Web hyperlinks, page content and usage log. The main uses of web content mining are to gather, categorize, organize and provide the best possible information available on the Web to the user requesting the information. The mining tools are imperative to scanning the many HTML documents, images, and text. Then, the result is used by the search engines. In this paper, we first introduce the concepts related to web mining; we then present an overview of different Web Content Mining tools. We conclude by presenting a comparative table of these tools based on some pertinent criteria.