Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Equilibria and Location Choice in Corporate Tax Regimes

This article considers the impact of preferential, base-specific taxation on equilibrium revenues. While policy makers have argued that it generates a prisoner’s dilemma result, there is mixed support in the academic literature. Using a more plausible model with asymmetric base elasticities and heterogeneity of both firms and countries, I find that preferential taxation can generate greater revenues if countries exhibit sufficient productivity and/or population asymmetry. It is also less distortionary except in cases where moving costs are fully deductible. Allowing for noncorrelated, cross-country profits is the key factor as it generates base expansion effects.
Temporal expression of a membrane-associated protein putatively involved in repression of initiation of DNA replication in Bacillus subtilis

A Bacillus subtilis membrane-associated protein that binds specifically to the origin region of DNA replication may act as an inhibitor of DNA replication (J. Laffan and W. Firshein, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 85:7452-7456, 1988). This protein, originally estimated to be 64 kDa, had a slightly lower molecular size (57 kDa), as determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis during these studies. The size difference may be due to processing that results in modification of the protein. The protein can be extracted from both cytosol and membrane fractions, and the amounts in these fractions vary during the developmental cycle of B. subtilis. A complex pattern of expression in which significant levels were detected in spores was revealed; levels decreased dramatically during germination and increased after the first round of DNA replication. The decrease during germination was due to protease activity, as demonstrated by the addition of protease inhibitors and radioactive-labeling chase experiments. During vegetative growth, the protein levels increased until stationary phase, after which there was another decrease during sporulation. The decrease during sporulation may be partially due to sequestering of the protein into forespores, since as the putative repressor protein decreased in the mother cell, it increased in the forespores. However, protease activity was also involved in the decrease in the mother cell. The changes in expression of this protein are consistent with its role as a repressor of initiation of DNA replication. Additional studies, including sequence analysis and further antibody analysis, show that this protein is not a subunit of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex. This relationship had been a possibility based upon the results of others (H. Hemila, A. Pavla, L. Paulin, S. Arvidson, and I. Palva, J. Bacteriol. 172:5052-5063, 1990).
The txl1+ gene from Schizosaccharomyces pombe encodes a new thioredoxin‐like 1 protein that participates in the antioxidant defence against tert‐butyl hydroperoxide

Yeasts are equipped with several putative single‐domain thioredoxins located in different subcellular compartments. However, additional proteins containing thioredoxin domains are also encoded by the yeast genomes as described for mammals and other eukaryotic organisms. We report here the characterization of the fission yeast orthologue thioredoxin‐like 1 (txl1+), which has been previously identified in mammals. Similarly to the human protein, the fission yeast Txl1 is a two‐domain protein comprising an N‐terminal thioredoxin‐like domain and a C‐terminal domain of unknown function. Many other yeasts and fungi species contain homologues of txl1+; however, there is no evidence of txl1+ orthologues in either Saccharomyces cerevisiae or plants. Txl1 is found in both the nucleus and the cytoplasm of Schizosaccharomyces pombe cells and exhibits a strong reducing activity coupled to thioredoxin reductase. In humans, TXL1 expression is induced by glucose deprivation and overexpression of TXL1 confers resistance against this stress. In contrast, a Sz. pombe Δtxl1 mutant was not affected in the response against glucose starvation but the Δtxl1 mutant strain showed a clear hypersensitivity to alkyl hydroperoxide. The mRNA levels of txl1+ in a h20 strain did not change in response to any oxidative insult (hydrogen peroxide or alkyl hydroperoxide) and the overexpression of an integrated copy of the wild‐type txl1+ gene did not confer a significant increased resistance against alkyl hydroperoxide. Overall, these results indicate that the Txl1 role in the cellular detoxification of alkyl hydroperoxide is exerted through a constitutive transcription of txl1+. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Corporate governance and conglomerate diversification strategy – evidence from Vietnam

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of internal corporate governance mechanisms, including interest alignment and control devices, on the unrelated diversification level in Vietnam. Additionally, the moderation of free cash flow (FCF) on these relationships is also tested. Design/methodology/approach The study is based on a balanced panel data set of 70 listed companies in both stock markets, Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange and Hanoi Stock Exchange, in Vietnam for the years 2007–2014, which gives 560 observations in total. Findings The results show that if executive ownership for CEOs is increased, then the extent of diversification is likely to be reduced. However, the link between unrelated diversification level and executive stock option, another interest alignment device, cannot be confirmed. Among three control devices (level of blockholder ownership, board composition and separation of CEO and chairman positions), the study finds a positive connection between diversification and blockholder ownership, and statistically insignificant relations between the conglomerate diversification level and board composition, or CEO duality. Additionally, this study discovers a negative link between diversification and state ownership, although there is no evidence to support the change to the effect of each internal corporate governance mechanism on the diversification level of a firm between high and low FCF. Practical implications The research can be a useful reference not only for investors and managers but also for policy makers in Vietnam. This study explores the relationship among corporate governance, diversification and firm value in Vietnam, where the topics related to effectiveness of corporate governance mechanisms to public companies has been increasingly attractive to researchers since the default of Vietnam Shipbuilding Industry Group (Vinashin) happened in 2010 and the Circular No. 121/2012/TT-BTC on 26 July 2012 of the Vietnamese Ministry of Finance was issued with regulations on corporate governance applicable to listed firms in this country. Originality/value This research, first, enriches current literature on the relationship between corporate governance and firm diversification. It can be considered as a contribution to the related topic with an example of Vietnam, a developing country in Asia. Second, the research continues to prove non-unification in results showing the relationship between corporate governance and conglomerate diversification among different nations. Third, it provides a potential input for future research works on the moderation of FCF to the effects of corporate governance on diversification.
Breast Cancer Burden in Maiduguri, North Eastern Nigeria

Abstract: Breast cancer is a global disease and incidence continues to rise especially in the sub‐Saharan Africa. In Nigeria, breast cancer is currently the most common malignancy. This study aimed at describing the pattern of breast cancers in Maiduguri and to determine if there is any significant changing trend of frequency. This is a retrospective review data of breast cancers between 2001 and 2005 in the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital Cancer Registry. A total of 1,216 cases of cancers were registered within the study period and breast cancer accounted for 13.9%. There were 490 breast biopsy specimens and breast cancer accounted for 34.5%. There were 161 females and 8 males breast cancer within the study period giving a F:M ratio 20:1. There were four cases of bilateral breast cancers. The age ranges between 17 and 85 years and the peak age group was 40–49 years which accounted for 61 cases (36.1%). The commonest histologic type of breast cancer was invasive ductal carcinoma which accounted for 82.6%; invasive lobular (6.6%); medullary (4.3%); colloid (1.7%); papillary (1.1%); and others (5.1%). In conclusion, breast cancer is on the increase in our environment and therefore there is need for public enlightenment, screening all women at risk, early detection of the lesion, and proper management in our health institution.
Semantic Interoperability in Czech Healthcare Environment Supported by HL7 Version 3

Summary Objectives: The data interchange in the Czech healthcare environment is mostly based on national standards. This paper describes a utilization of international standards and nomenclatures for building a pilot semantic interoperability platform (SIP) that would serve to exchange information among electronic health record systems (EHR-Ss) in Czech healthcare. The work was performed by the national research project of the “Information Society” program. Methods: At the beginning of the project a set of requirements the SIP should meet was formulated. Several communication standards (open EHR, HL7 v3, DICOM) were analyzed and HL7 v3 was selected to exchange health records in our solution. Two systems were included in our pilot environment: WinMedicalc 2000 and ADAMEKj EHR. Results: HL7-based local information models were created to describe the information content of both systems. The concepts from our original information models were mapped to coding systems supported by HL7 (LOINC, SNOMED CT and ICD-10) and the data exchange via HL7 v3 messages was implemented and tested by querying patient administration data. As a gateway between local EHR systems and the HL7 message-based infrastructure, a configurable HL7 Broker was developed. Conclusions: A nationwide implementation of a full-scale SIP based on HL7 v3 would include adopting and translating appropriate international coding systems and nomenclatures, and developing implementation guidelines facilitating the migration from national standards to international ones. Our pilot study showed that our approach is feasible but it would demand a huge effort to fully integrate the Czech healthcare system into the European e-health context.
Parental obesity and overweight affect the body‐fat accumulation in the offspring: the possible effect of a high‐fat diet through epigenetic inheritance

The prevalence of obesity in adults has been rising continually, as has the prevalence of childhood obesity, and a large number of epidemiological studies have demonstrated a direct relationship between parental obesity and childhood obesity. In this paper, we review the effect of diet, the intrauterine environment, and the genetic inheritance on obesity. We described a study in detail that used experimental animals as a model to investigate the effect of a parental high‐fat diet on body‐fat accumulation in their offspring. Fertilized eggs were transplanted in that study, and body‐fat accumulation in the offspring of the parents fed a high‐fat diet was found to be greater than in the offspring of the parents fed a low‐fat diet, even when the experimental conditions were the same in the intrauterine and subsequent environment. The results suggested that a parental high‐fat diet before intrauterine developmental stage may increase body‐fat accumulation in the offspring. We discuss the possibility that parental diet may influence the lifelong health of offspring and epigenetic inheritance may be occurred.
Behavioral distinctions in children with reading disabilities and/or ADHD.

OBJECTIVE To investigate behavioral distinctions between children with reading disabilities (RD) and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). METHOD A four-group mixed design consisting of children with reading disabilities only (RD only), reading disabilities and ADHD (RD/ADHD), ADHD only, and a comparison group was used. Differences between parent reports, from age 5 to 15 years, and teacher reports, from age 5 to 13 years, were examined on measures of hyperactive and antisocial behaviors. RESULTS The analyses indicated that, at home, children from the ADHD only and RD/ADHD groups exhibited significantly more hyperactive behaviors than children from the RD only and comparison groups. At school, children from the RD only, ADHD only, and RD/ADHD groups typically exhibited significantly more hyperactive and antisocial behaviors than children from the comparison group. With regard to antisocial behaviors, children from the RD/ADHD group exhibited significantly more antisocial behaviors than children from any other group. CONCLUSIONS The results of the study indicate that children from these groups may exhibit either a "pervasive" or "situational" presentation of behavioral problems, a finding which suggests that in conducting an evaluation of ADHD it is important to obtain both parent and teacher reports of problem behaviors.
P-Body Components Are Required for Ty1 Retrotransposition during Assembly of Retrotransposition-Competent Virus-Like Particles

ABSTRACT Ty1 is a retrovirus-like retrotransposon whose replication is influenced by diverse cellular processes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We have identified cytoplasmic P-body components encoded by DHH1, KEM1, LSM1, and PAT1 as cofactors that posttranscriptionally enhance Ty1 retrotransposition. Using fluorescent in situ hybridization and immunofluorescence microscopy, we found that Ty1 mRNA and Gag colocalize to discrete cytoplasmic foci in wild-type cells. These foci, which are distinct from P-bodies, do not form in P-body component mutants or under conditions suboptimal for retrotransposition. Our immunoelectron microscopy (IEM) data suggest that mRNA/Gag foci are sites where virus-like particles (VLPs) cluster. Overexpression of Ty1 leads to a large increase in retrotransposition in wild-type cells, which allows VLPs to be detected by IEM. However, retrotransposition is still reduced in P-body component mutants under these conditions. Moreover, the percentage of Ty1 mRNA/Gag foci and VLP clusters and levels of integrase and reverse transcriptase are reduced in these mutants. Ty1 antisense RNAs, which have been reported to inhibit Ty1 transposition, are more abundant in the kem1Δ mutant and colocalize with Ty1 mRNA in the cytoplasm. Therefore, Kem1p may prevent the aggregation of Ty1 antisense and mRNAs. Overall, our results suggest that P-body components enhance the formation of retrotransposition-competent Ty1 VLPs.
Bioaccumulation and Metabolic Effects of the Endocrine Disruptor Methoprene in the Lobster, Homarus americanus1

Abstract Methoprene is a pesticide that acts as a juvenile hormone agonist. Although developed initially against insects, it has since been shown to have toxic effects on larval and adult crustaceans. Methoprene was one of several pesticides applied to the Western Long Island Sound (WLIS) watershed area during the summer of 1999; the other pesticides were malathion, resmethrin, and sumethrin. These pesticides were applied as part of a county-by-county effort to control the mosquito vector of West Nile Virus. Subsequently, the seasonal lobster catches from the WLIS have decreased dramatically. The lethality of the pesticides to lobsters had been unknown. We studied the effects of methoprene while other investigators studied effects of the other pesticides. We questioned whether methoprene, through its effects on larvae, adults or both, could have contributed to this decline. We found that low levels of methoprene had adverse effects on lobster larvae. It was toxic to stage II larvae at 1 ppb. Stage IV larvae were more resistant, but did exhibit significant increases in molt frequency beginning at exposures of 5 ppb. Juvenile lobsters exhibited variations in tissue susceptibility to methoprene: hepatopancreas appeared to be the most vulnerable, reflected by environmental concentrations of methoprene inhibiting almost all protein synthesis in this organ. Our results indicated that methoprene concentrates in the hepatopancreas, nervous tissue and epidermal cells of the adult lobster. Methoprene altered the synthesis and incorporation of chitoproteins (cuticle proteins) into adult postmolt lobster explant shells. SDS PAGE analyses of adult post–molt shell extracts revealed changes in the synthesis of chitoproteins in the methoprene-treated specimens, suggesting that methoprene affects the normal pathway of lobster cuticle synthesis and the quality of the post-molt shell. Although it is likely that a combination of factors led to the reduced lobster population in WLIS, methoprene may have contributed both by direct toxic effects and by disrupting homeostatic events under endocrine control.
Review: structure of amyloid fibril in diseases

Tissue deposition of normally soluble proteins, or their fragments, as insoluble amyloid fibrils causes both acquired and hereditary systemic amyloidoses, which is usually fatal. Amyloid is associated with serious diseases such as Alz-heimer’s disease, type 2 diabetes, Parkinson’s Disease, Huntington’s Disease, cancer and the transmissible spongiform encephalopathies. In-formation concerning the structure and mecha-nism of formation of fibrils in these diseases is critical for understanding the process of pathol-ogy of the amyloidoses and to the development of more effective therapeutic agents that target the underlying disease mechanisms. Structural models have been made using information from a wide variety of techniques, including electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, solid state NMR, and Congo red and CD spectroscopy. Although each type of amyloidosis is characterised by a specific amyloid fibril protein, the deposits share pathognomonic histochemical properties and the structural morphology of all amyloid fibrils is very similar. In fact, the structural similarity that defines amyloid fibres exists principally at the level of β-sheet folding of the polypeptides within the protofilament, while the different types vary in the supramolecular assembly of their proto-filaments.
Review of cinacalcet hydrochloride in the management of secondary hyperparathyroidism

Abstract Cinacalcet is the first Food and Drug Administration-approved calcimimetic for the treatment of secondary hyperparathyroidism in dialysis patients. It is effective in improving control of parathyroid hormone, serum calcium, phosphorus, and calcium-phosphorus product. The calcium-lowering effect of cinacalcet overcomes the limitations of standard therapy associated hypercalcemia. There is evidence to suggest that cinacalcet has important clinical implications, which extend beyond its relevance in the treatment of secondary hyperparathyroidism. This review summarizes the evidence regarding the role of cinacalcet in the treatment of secondary hyperparathyroidism, disrupted bone mineral metabolism, cardiovascular disease, and mortality. In addition, the cost implications of cinacalcet are briefly explored.
Studies on the turnover of exogenous mannose‐terminal glucocerebrosidase in rat liver lysosomes

Mannose‐terminal glucocerebrosidase prepared by exoglycosidase digestion of human placental glucocerebrosidase is reported effective in the treatment of patients with type 1 Gaucher's disease [Barton et al. (1991); N Engl J Med 324:1464–1470]. However, the amount of enzyme that is necessary for therapeutic effect is much higher than would be predicted from in vitro activity measurements. We have investigated the fate of infused enzyme following intravenous administration in Sprague‐Dawley rats. In this model system, the enzyme is rapidly cleared from the plasma compartment by receptor‐mediated endocytosis via the mannose‐specific receptor present on reticuloendothelial cells. Enzyme activity measured in rat liver biopsy specimens at various times post‐infusion revealed a rapid initial loss of approximately one‐half of the maximum delivered enzyme in the first hour followed by a slower decay with a half‐life of approximately 6–8 h. The loss in enzyme activity is paralleled by a loss in enzyme protein when analyzed by Western blots. There is no evidence for return of enzyme activity or inactive enzyme protein to the plasma. Incomplete integration into the lysosomal membrane was demonstrated by the use of differential extraction of purified rat liver lysosomes to distinguish between lumenal and membrane bound enzyme. Immunoelectron microscopy of rat liver following infusion of mannose‐terminal glucocerebrosidase confirmed localization of the delivered enzyme primarily within the lumen of the lysosomes of Kupffer cells and to a lesser extent associated with the lysosomal membrane. Enzyme activity was stable in isolated rat liver lysosomes preloaded with mannose‐terminal glucocerebrosidase and incubated in the absence or presence of ATP. Acidification of the lysosomes to pH 3 results in a rapid loss of enzyme activity and protein; however, the relationship between the in vitro loss and the loss in enzyme activity in intact liver is not clear. We conclude from these studies that rapid intracellular degradation of administered glucocerebrosidase is the prime factor responsible for the high dose required for effective treatment of Gaucher's disease.
Maternal viral load and rate of disease progression among vertically HIV-1-infected children: an international meta-analysis

Objective: To evaluate whether maternal human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) RNA levels in the serum/plasma of mothers at or close to the time of delivery affects the rate of disease progression among vertically HIV-1-infected children and whether it correlates with other parameters affecting infant disease progression. Methods: International meta-analysis of eight studies with 574 HIV-1 infected infants with available maternal HIV-1 RNA measurements at or close to delivery and clinical follow-up. The primary outcome was disease progression (stage C disease or death, n = 178). Cohort-stratified Cox models were used. Results: Higher maternal HIV-1 RNA level at or close to delivery significantly increased disease progression risk [hazard ratio (HR), 1.25; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.04–1.52 per 1 log10 increase; P = 0.02) with a borderline effect on mortality (HR, 1.26; 95% CI, 0.96–1.65; P = 0.10]. The association with disease progression risk was strong in the first 6 months of life (HR, 1.77; 95% CI, 1.28–2.45; P = 0.001), but not subsequently (HR, 1.03; 95% CI, 0.81–1.30). Maternal HIV-1 RNA, early infant HIV-1 RNA (at 30–200 days after birth) and infant CD4 were independent predictors of disease progression in the first 6 months. Maternal HIV-1 RNA at or close to delivery correlated with early infant HIV-1 RNA (r = 0.26, P < 0.001). Effects were independent of maternal and infant treatment. Conclusions: Higher maternal HIV-1 RNA at or close to delivery strongly predicts disease progression for HIV-1-infected infants, especially in their first 6 months of life and correlates with the early peak of viremia in the infected child.