Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Modulation of Human T Cell Responses and Macrophage Functions by Onchocystatin, a Secreted Protein of the Filarial Nematode Onchocerca volvulus1

Immune responses of individuals infected with filarial nematodes are characterized by a marked cellular hyporesponsiveness and a shift of the cytokine balance toward a Th2/Th3 response. This modulation of cellular immune responses is considered as an important mechanism to avoid inflammatory immune responses that could eliminate the parasites. We investigated the immunomodulatory potential of a secreted cysteine protease inhibitor (onchocystatin) of the human pathogenic filaria Onchocerca volvulus. Recombinant onchocystatin (rOv17), a biologically active cysteine protease inhibitor that inhibited among others the human cysteine proteases cathepsins L and S, suppressed the polyclonally stimulated and the Ag-driven proliferation of human PBMC. Stimulated as well as unstimulated PBMC in the presence of rOv17 produced significantly more IL-10, which was paralleled in some situations by a decrease of IL-12p40 and preceded by an increase of TNF-α. At the same time, rOv17 reduced the expression of HLA-DR proteins and of the costimulatory molecule CD86 on human monocytes. Neutralization of IL-10 by specific Abs restored the expression of HLA-DR and CD86, whereas the proliferative block remained unaffected. Depletion of monocytes from the PBMC reversed the rOv17-induced cellular hyporeactivity, indicating monocytes to be the target cells of immunomodulation. Therefore, onchocystatin has the potential to contribute to a state of cellular hyporesponsiveness and is a possible pathogenicity factor essential for the persistence of O. volvulus within its human host.
Phase I and II study of high-dose ifosfamide, carboplatin, and etoposide with autologous bone marrow rescue in lymphomas and solid tumors.

PURPOSE High-dose chemotherapy produces durable disease-free remissions in a minority of patients with resistant lymphomas and solid tumors. In an attempt to improve on the available regimens, ifosfamide, carboplatin, and etoposide (ICE) were selected for a new high-dose regimen because of their favorable spectrum of nonhematopoietic toxicity and evidence of synergy in in vitro systems. PATIENTS AND METHODS Forty-one patients with drug-resistant Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's lymphomas, and breast and testicular cancers were entered onto a phase I and II trial of a single course of ICE with autologous bone marrow rescue. Before transplantation, all patients received combination chemotherapy until maximal tumor response was achieved. RESULTS Patients received total doses of ifosfamide from 10 to 18 g/m2, carboplatin from 0.9 to 1.98 g/m2, and etoposide from 0.6 to 1.5 g/m2 administered during a 4-day period, with a maximum-tolerated dose (MTD) of ifosfamide 16 g/m2, carboplatin 1.8 g/m2, and etoposide 1.5 g/m2. The dose-limiting toxicities included irreversible renal, cardiac, and CNS dysfunction. There were three toxic deaths (7%), and all occurred above the MTD. Thirteen patients who were treated at the MTD tolerated the regimen well; reversible renal dysfunction and grade 2 mucositis commonly were observed. Of 23 heavily pretreated patients with persistent disease at the time of transplant, 10 (43%) achieved complete remissions (CRs) and 11 (48%) achieved partial remissions (PRs). Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma patients who were treated at or below the MTD had a median potential follow-up of 11.9 months, and 12-month progression-free survivals of 62% and 48%, respectively. CONCLUSION High-dose ICE with bone marrow rescue was well tolerated with a high response rate, and should be considered for further testing.
Understanding sport organizations: the application of organizational theory.

This is a text for students on Sport Management Courses, and a reference for sport administrators and managers. It aims to provide the reader with a greater understanding of the issues and theoretical construction behind sport organisations. Case studies and profiles allow reader to apply knowledge from each chapter to a real life example. It features new chapters on strategic alliances and doing research in sport management and includes a new section in each chapter on key issues for sport managers.
R&D in a strategic delegation game revisited: a note

In this note we reconsider the paper of Zhang and Zhang (1997), published in Managerial and Decision Economics, who analyze a strategic delegation model with R&D spillovers in an imperfectly competitive market. We were motivated to study their setup by a puzzling result given in their paper: delegating the production and R&D decisions to managers is never beneficial for the owners of the firm. When we tried to understand the driving forces of this result, we found however that the findings of Zhang and Zhang (1997) are incorrect. We explain why their derivations are wrong and demonstrate via counterexamples that the main propositions in their paper do not hold. In addition, we show how the correct solution of this R&D model with spillovers can be obtained. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Rethinking dependency and development between international and indigenous non-governmental organisations

This article presents a case study detailing how the Netherlands-based international NGO Terre Des Hommes (TDH) works with and impacts the indigenous Tanzanian NGO Umoja wa Maendeleo ya Bukwaya (UMABU) and the Bukwaya region that UMABU serves. The article illustrates how indigenous agency and autonomy are actualised within relationships where indigenous over-reliance and dependency are connected to Western aid organisations. The paper proposes that dependent relationships between Southern and Northern NGO partners can be negotiated by indigenous leaders in order to disseminate resources for development in indigenous communities to a greater extent than previously imagined by Western donor agencies.
Excluding illegal migrants in The Netherlands: Between national policies and local implementation

National immigration controls are no longer carried out solely by specialised ‘gate-keepers’ at external borders. Internal controls have partly shifted to human service workers who have to fence off public services in practice. Little attention in the field of migration studies has gone to the relationship between formal policies and practices of implementation. Based on interviews with human service workers before and after the enactment of the Linking Act in the Netherlands in 1998, which aimed at excluding illegal or undocumented immigrants from public services, the essay examines the tensions between different levels of policy making. These tensions are particularly visible in an era of ‘shifting down’ immigration controls. At the local level concrete dilemmas come to the fore. Norms and ideologies of professionals sometimes lead them to make decisions that contradict the aim of the official policy. A comparison between different sectors suggests that sectors with a high level of professionalisation a.
Tourism and Economic Growth: Comparing Malaysia and Singapore

The nexus between tourism and economic growth has been debated whether tourism contributes to the growth of economies (tourismled economic growth) or it is impacted by growth of the economies (economic-driven tourism growth). This paper examines the impact of tourism on economic growth of Malaysia and Singapore. Two control variables, international trade and exchange rate are included in the model to enhance the specification. The results suggest that economic-driven tourism growth hypothesis is supported in Malaysia while tourism-led economic growth hypothesis has been identified for Singapore. Moreover, maintaining a competitive exchange rate is vital to improve the tourism and economic growth.
Against work: a utopian incursion into social policy

This paper argues in favour of using a utopian method of thinking about the future, rather than simply extrapolating from present conditions. This opens up the possibility of thinking in terms of the kind of society we want to achieve, rather than what seems immediately probable. It criticises the Blair Government's focus on the economic and moral centrality of paid work, and argues, following Gorz, that the link between ‘work’ and income needs to be broken to ensure an adequate livelihood for all. This will entail a re-valuing of forms of human activity, as argued by Herbert Marcuse, and more recently by Fiona Williams. This ultimately calls in question the structures of capitalism itself, since what is entailed is, at the very least, a step change downwards in the proportion of the social product accruing to capital. The paper concludes by contending that any genuinely critical social policy must have this utopian dimension.
Integrated Systems and Technologies Ploidy and Large-Scale Genomic Instability Consistently Identify Basal-like Breast Carcinomas with BRCA 1 / 2 Inactivation

BRCA1 inactivation is a frequent event in basal-like breast carcinomas (BLC). However, BRCA1 can be inactivated by multiple mechanisms and determining its status is not a trivial issue. As an alternate approach, we profiled 65 BLC cases using single-nucleotide polymorphism arrays to define a signature of BRCA1-associated genomic instability. Large-scale state transitions (LST), defined as chromosomal break between adjacent regions of at least 10 Mb, were found to be a robust indicator of BRCA1 status in this setting. Two major ploidy-specific cutoffs in LST distributions were sufficient to distinguish highly rearranged BLCs with 85% of proven BRCA1-inactivated cases from less rearranged BLCs devoid of proven BRCA1-inactivated cases. The genomic signature we defined was validated in a second independent series of 55 primary BLC cases and 17 BLC-derived tumor cell lines. High numbers of LSTs resembling BRCA1inactivated BLC were observed in 4 primary BLC cases and 2 BLC cell lines that harbored BRCA2 mutations. Overall, the genomic signature we defined predicted BRCA1/2 inactivation in BLCs with 100% sensitivity and 90% specificity (97% accuracy). This assay may ease the challenge of selecting patients for genetic testing or recruitment to clinical trials of novel emerging therapies that target DNA repair deficiencies in cancer. Cancer Res; 72(21); 5454–62. 2012 AACR.
Analysis of the fundamental factors affecting the market price of shares constituting the Indian index: a study of SENSEX

This paper examines the various research studies undertaken in the Indian and international context highlighting the effect of various fundamental factors on the behaviour of the stock market. This paper tries to identify the critical variables which have a significant effect on stock price movements and influence the entire market's movement. The 30 shares constituting the Bombay Stock Exchange-Sensitivity Index (BSE-SENSEX or SENSEX) are used as proxies to capture the entire stock market's movement. Appropriate statistical techniques have been used to establish a meaningful relationship among various explanatory variables identified through the empirical analysis considering the available research studies. The explanatory variables, which act as major determinants of stock price movements, are condensed into a few critical factors by factor analysis and the relevance of these factors in influencing stock market movements is explained in detail. The analysis shows that higher earning power, Returns on Investment (ROIs), growth possibility and favourable valuation have a positive impact on the share price and stock market movement, while higher risk and volatility have a negative impact. These factors can be used as major analytical tools by investors, corporations and brokers to make rational and intelligent investment decisions.
Estimating dynamic consumption of antibiotics using panel data: the shadow effect of bacterial resistance

To some extent, antibiotics are similar to addictive goods since current consumption is reinforced by past use because of bacterial resistance, which represents a growing concern in many countries. The purpose of this paper is to explore how consumers adjust their current level of antibiotic consumption towards desired levels over time. We construct a balanced panel dataset (2000-2007) for 20 Italian regions and estimate a dynamic model where antibiotic consumption depends upon demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of the population, the supply of health care in the community, antibiotic price, and the "capital stock" of endogenous bacterial resistance measured by past consumption. We apply alternative dynamic estimators for short panels: the bias-corrected least squares dummy variable (LSDVC) and the system Blundell-Bond GMM estimator (GMM-BB). The estimation results are stable across different model specifications and show that antibiotic use in previous periods has a positive impact on current antimicrobial consumption (between 0.14 and 0.39). This indicates that the process of adjustment to desired levels of consumption is relatively fast (approximately 1.2-1.6 years). Weak persistence in consumption may suggest that individuals are responsive to changes in antibiotic effectiveness.
OPTIMAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES FOR CONTROLLING DRAWDOWNS

We analyze the optimal risky investment policy for an investor who, at each point in time, wants to lose no more than a fixed percentage of the maximum value his wealth has achieved up to that time. In particular, if "M" t is the maximum level of wealth W attained on or before time "t", then the constraint imposed on his portfolio choice is that W t α"M" t , where α is an exogenous number betweenα O and 1. We show that, for constant relative risk aversion utility functions, the optimal policy involves an investment in risky assets at time "t" in proportion to the "surplus""W" t - α"M" t . the optimal policy may appear similar to the constant-proportion portfolio insurance policy analyzed in Black and Perold (1987) and Grossman and Vila (1989). However, in those papers, the investor keeps his wealth above a "nonstochastic" floor "F" instead of a stochastic floor α"M" t . the "stochastic" character of the floor studied here has interesting effects on the investment policy in states of nature when wealth is at an all-time high; i.e., when Wt e"M" t . It can be shown that at "W" t e"M" t , α"M" t is expected to grow at a faster rate than "W" t , and therefore the investment in the risky asset can be expected to fall. We also show that the investment in the risky asset can be expected to rise when "W" t is close to α"M" t . We conjecture that in an equilibrium model the stochastic character of the floor creates "resistance" levels as the market approaches an all-time high (because of the reluctance of investors to take more risk when "W" t e"M" t ). Copyright 1993 Blackwell Publishers.
Shifting Skill Demand and the Canada-US Unemployment Gap: Evidence from Prime-Age Men

This paper considers the possible role of shifts in labour demand away from unskilled workers, combined with an institutionally-generated greater labour supply elasticity in Canada, in explaining the apparent secular increase in Canadian male unemployment, and in explaining the emergence of the Canada-US unemployment rate gap in the 1980s. Using comparable data on annual weeks worked and unemployed in both countries, we identify four main facts which are consistent with this explanation: Both Canada and the US experienced wage polarization over this period, with substantial real wage declines for unskilled men; annual weeks worked fell disproportionately among unskilled workers in both countries; responses of weeks worked in wage declines were more elastic in Canada; and aggregate movements out of employment over this period corresponded closely to movements into unemployment in Canada. Interestingly, however, unskilled US men were more likely than Canadians to leave the labour force as their employment fell, adding further to the Canada-US unemployment gap. As well, some fairly substantial decreases in weeks worked are observed quite high up in the Canadian wage distribution, where wages did not fall appreciably. The latter changes cannot easily be explained by shifts in labour demand alone.
Individual, Organizational, and Managerial Predictors of Organizational Innovation: The Case of Poland

This article reports the results of a comparative analysis of the impact of individual, organizational, and managerial factors on organizational innovation. Our study, which is based on 345 responses from managers and employees of companies operating in Poland, found out that organizational and managerial variables are much better predictors of organizational innovation than individual variables. The results also suggest that organizational innovation mediates relationships between each individual, organizational, and managerial variable and (1) firm performance, and (2) new product success.
Governing scarcity. Water markets, equity and efficiency in pre-1950s eastern Spain

It is usually taken for granted that the existence of water markets allows economic efficiency gains to be achieved at the expense of equity losses. This paper addresses the issue by analysing the functioning of the irrigation communities in pre-1950s eastern Spain. While in some of them the water inhered in the land and could not be sold, in others there were tradable water rights. In the paper it is shown that, in the former, not only was equity greater but in fact the resource was also used more efficiently.
The Internet as an Agent of Political Change: The Case of "Rohsamo" in the South Korean Presidential Campaign of 2002

Roh Moo-hyun’s victory on December 19, 2002, represents a major watershed in modern day South Korean politics. In this exploratory case study, we draw on historical research on the impact of the printing press on the Protestant Reformation and on the literature on the mass media and the Internet in politics to explain how the Internet influenced this presidential election outcome. Both the Internet and the Gutenberg printing press technologies dramatically changed how information was communicated. The printing press broke the control held by the Catholic Church over religious information in Europe; the Internet significantly changed how political information was communicated in South Korea where broadband access rates are four times higher than in the U.S., providing an effective alternative medium for the exchange of political information. The Church was suspicious of the quality of publications through the print media and failed to recognize its potential while Luther actively embraced it; unlike Roh, the opposing candidate as well as the print media in South Korea were wary of the information transmitted through the Internet and heavily criticized online activities. The historical parallels from this case will enable us to draw on lessons from the past in order to better understand the potential impact of the Internet in societal context. In this research, we examine the role the Internet played in Roh Moo-hyun’s upset victory in 2002. In addition to serving as an alternative source of information, the Internet was also used as a tool to coordinate Roh Moo-hyun’s supporters. Rohsamo, an online group of Roh Moo-hyun supporters, became the focal organizing structure around which the efforts of individual supporters were coordinated.
THE INVESTMENT FUNDS SYSTEM RECONSIDERED

This paper studies the effects of the Swedish investment funds system on the cost of capital. It is shown that the incentive effects critically depend on which "regime" it expects to be in in the future. For quite reasonable assumptions, investment funds system releases turn out to have much less impact on the incentive to invest than conventionally assumed. Copyright 1989 by The editors of the Scandinavian Journal of Economics.
Job Strain and Adverse Health Behaviors: The Finnish Public Sector Study

Objective: The objective of this study was to explore the association between job strain and the co-occurrence of adverse health behaviors; smoking, heavy drinking, obesity, and physical inactivity. Methods: The authors studied cross-sectional data of 34,058 female and 8154 male public sector employees. Results: Multinomial logistic regression models adjusted for sex, age, basic education, marital status, and type of job contract showed that high job strain and passive jobs were associated with 1.3 to 1.4 times higher odds of having ≥3 (vs 0) adverse health behaviors. Among men, low job control was associated with a 1.3-fold likelihood and among women active jobs were associated with a 1.2-fold likelihood of having ≥3 (vs 0) adverse behaviors. High demands were associated with a higher likelihood of co-occurrence of one to two (vs 0) adverse behaviors among women. Conclusions: Job strain conditions may be associated with the co-occurrence of adverse health behaviors that contribute to preventable chronic diseases. Clinical Significance: Adverse job conditions may increase the likelihood of co-occurring health risk behaviors. Reducing work stress by increasing job control and decreasing psychologic demands might help efforts to promote healthy lifestyles.
Strategy‐proof and Symmetric Social Choice Functions for Public Good Economies

For economies with one private good and one public good, the author discusses social choice functions satisfying the following requirements: strategy-proofness--representing true preferences is a dominant strategy; symmetry--two agents having the same preference pay equal cost shares--anonymity--when agents' preferences are switched, so are their consumption bundles; and individual rationality--allocations making agents worse off than their initial situations are never obtained. Theorem 1 characterizes strategy-proof, budget-balancing, and symmetric social choice functions under convex public good technology. Theorems 2 and 3 characterize such functions without the convexity assumption, but employ anonymity and individual rationality requirements respectively.
Cryptococcal Antigen Screening and Preemptive Therapy in Patients Initiating Antiretroviral Therapy in Resource-Limited Settings

HIV-associated cryptococcal meningitis (CM) is estimated to cause over half a million deaths annually in Africa. Many of these deaths are preventable. Screening patients for subclinical cryptococcal infection at the time of entry into antiretroviral therapy programs using cryptococcal antigen (CRAG) immunoassays is highly effective in identifying patients at risk of developing CM, allowing these patients to then be targeted with “preemptive” therapy to prevent the development of severe disease. Such CRAG screening programs are currently being implemented in a number of countries; however, a strong evidence base and clear guidance on how to manage patients with subclinical cryptococcal infection identified by screening are lacking. We review the available evidence and propose a treatment algorithm for the management of patients with asymptomatic cryptococcal antigenemia.