Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Do financial constraints affect the sensitivity of investment to cash flow? New evidence from franchised restaurant firms

This study investigates whether industry-specific characteristics such as franchising can affect investment and financing decisions when restaurant firms have limited access to capital. Building on the resource scarcity theory and investment-cash flow sensitivity (ICFS) model, this study developed an industry-specific ICFS model that analyzes corporate demand for franchising as a means of complementing the firms’ ability to invest in imperfect markets. Using a sample of US restaurant firms, we empirically evaluated the extent to which franchising provides greater insights into ICFS. By investigating the industry-specific effect of franchising on ICFS, the current study provides a more comprehensive understanding and explanation for the interaction between investment and financing decisions in the US restaurant industry. The findings of this study will provide restaurant investors and shareholders with valuable insights into how to monitor the investment behavior of management.
Molecular Mechanisms of Water and Solute Transport across Archaebacterial Lipid Membranes*

Archaebacteria thrive in environments characterized by anaeobiosis, saturated salt, and both high and low extremes of temperature and pH. The bulk of their membrane lipids are polar, characterized by the archaeal structural features typified by ether linkage of the glycerol backbone to isoprenoid chains of constant length, often fully saturated, and with sn-2,3 stereochemistry opposite that of glycerolipids of Bacteria and Eukarya. Also unique to these bacteria are macrocyclic archaeol and membrane spanning caldarchaeol lipids that are found in some extreme thermophiles and methanogens. To define the barrier function of archaebacterial membranes and to examine the effects of these unique structural features on permeabilities, we investigated the water, solute (urea and glycerol), proton, and ammonia permeability of liposomes formed by these lipids. Both the macrocyclic archaeol and caldarchaeol lipids reduced the water, ammonia, urea, and glycerol permeability of liposomes significantly (6–120-fold) compared with diphytanylphosphatidylcholine liposomes. The presence of the ether bond and phytanyl chains did not significantly affect these permeabilities. However, the apparent proton permeability was reduced 3-fold by the presence of an ether bond. The presence of macrocyclic archaeol and caldarchaeol structures further reduced apparent proton permeabilities by 10–17-fold. These results indicate that the limiting mobility of the midplane hydrocarbon region of the membranes formed by macrocyclic archaeol and caldarchaeol lipids play a significant role in reducing the permeability properties of the lipid membrane. In addition, it appears that substituting ether for ester bonds presents an additional barrier to proton flux.
Identifying Price Informativeness

We show that outcomes (parameter estimates and R-squareds) of regressions of prices on fundamentals allow us to recover exact measures of the ability of asset prices to aggregate dispersed information. Formally, we show how to recover absolute and relative price informativeness in dynamic environments with rich heterogeneity across investors (regarding signals, private trading needs, or preferences), minimal distributional assumptions, multiple risky assets, and allowing for stationary and non-stationary asset payoffs. We implement our methodology empirically, finding stock-specific measures of price informativeness for U.S. stocks. We find a right-skewed distribution of price informativeness, measured in the form of the Kalman gain used by an external observer that conditions its posterior belief on the asset price. The recovered mean and median are 0.05 and 0.02 respectively. We find that price informativeness is higher for stocks with higher market capitalization and higher trading volume.
The Dual Demands: Gender Equity and Fertility Intentions after the One-Child Policy

ABSTRACT This article investigates fertility intentions and obstacles among young Chinese men and women after the lift of the one-child policy. Over 100 in-depth interviews reveal that while having one child is viewed as the normative step following marriage, various obstacles remain for second-birth transition. Time and financial concerns are salient among both men and women, whereas labor market disadvantage and the perceived incompatibility between work and motherhood create additional hindrances for women. The gendered childcare leave policy, coupled with discriminatory hiring practice, leads women to view multiple childbirths and successful career as fundamentally incompatible. A universal ‘two-child policy’ without additional institutional measures that address work-life incompatibility for women may not successfully boost fertility level, but would rather exacerbate the existing gender inequity in China’s labor market.
Heterogeneous Vascular Bed Responses to Pulmonary Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticle Exposure

A growing body of research links engineered nanomaterial (ENM) exposure to adverse cardiovascular endpoints. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of ENM exposure on vascular reactivity in discrete segments so that we may determine the most sensitive levels of the vasculature where these negative cardiovascular effects are manifest. We hypothesized that acute nano-TiO2 exposure differentially affects reactivity with a more robust impairment in the microcirculation. Sprague-Dawley rats (8–10 weeks) were exposed to nano-TiO2 via intratracheal instillation (20, 100, or 200 µg suspended per 250 µL of vehicle) 24 h prior to vascular assessments. A serial assessment across distinct compartments of the vascular tree was then conducted. Wire myography was used to evaluate macrovascular active tension generation specifically in the thoracic aorta, the femoral artery, and third-order mesenteric arterioles. Pressure myography was used to determine vascular reactivity in fourth- and fifth-order mesenteric arterioles. Vessels were treated with phenylephrine, acetylcholine (ACh), and sodium nitroprusside. Nano-TiO2 exposure decreased endothelium-dependent relaxation in the thoracic aorta and femoral arteries assessed via ACh by 53.96 ± 11.6 and 25.08 ± 6.36%, respectively. Relaxation of third-order mesenteric arterioles was impaired by 100 and 20 µg nano-TiO2 exposures with mean reductions of 50.12 ± 8.7 and 68.28 ± 8.7%. Cholinergic reactivity of fourth- and fifth-order mesenteric arterioles was negatively affected by nano-TiO2 with diminished dilations of 82.86 ± 12.6% after exposure to 200 µg nano-TiO2, 42.6 ± 12.6% after 100 µg nano-TiO2, and 49.4 ± 12.6% after 20 µg nano-TiO2. Endothelium-independent relaxation was impaired in the thoracic aorta by 34.05 ± 25% induced by exposure to 200 µg nano-TiO2 and a reduction in response of 49.31 ± 25% caused by 100 µg nano-TiO2. Femoral artery response was reduced by 18 ± 5%, while third-order mesenteric arterioles were negatively affected by 20 µg nano-TiO2 with a mean decrease in response of 38.37 ± 10%. This is the first study to directly compare the differential effect of ENM exposure on discrete anatomical segments of the vascular tree. Pulmonary ENM exposure produced macrovascular and microvascular dysfunction resulting in impaired responses to endothelium-dependent, endothelium-independent, and adrenergic agonists with a more robust dysfunction at the microvascular level. These results provide additional evidence of an endothelium-dependent and endothelium-independent impairment in vascular reactivity.
Does race affect prescribing for acute psychosis? Evaluation by a case vignette

Background: Black people are over represented in mental health services and prescribing of antipsychotics differs by race in some countries. Our previous UK research into the prescribing of antipsychotics in large, multicentre studies found no important differences for black and white patients. However, we received several comments challenging our findings. We wanted to test the validity of these anecdotes by devising two case vignettes that differed only by race and asking prescribers to choose antipsychotic treatment. Method: A case study was sent to all medical prescribers in the South London and Maudsley NHS Trust. Half of the prescribers for each grade of staff were sent the case study where the ethnicity of the patient was white and the other half where the ethnicity was black. Participants were asked to describe what they would prescribe for the patient. Outcomes were total percentage maximum dose, high dose, type of antipsychotic, route of administration and antipsychotic polypharmacy. Results: We received 123 completed case studies and demographic data forms from prescribers. There were no differences in percentage maximum dose, high dose, type, route and number of antipsychotics prescribed by case study ethnicity. Conclusions: Prescribing for UK black and white patients is broadly similar when tested in clinical and theoretical studies.
Perceived employability among foreign-born employees, before and during crisis

This article investigates the subjective prospects of job mobility via the perceived employability for different groups of employees. Based on comparative data from 2004 and 2010 for 16 European countries, the study explores whether perceived employability varies depending on country of birth. Furthermore, this study examines the influence of country-level factors on perceived employability. The analyses show that compared to native-born employees, foreign-born employees generally demonstrate a more positive view of their possibilities to find a new position that is similar to or better than the current one. Given that previous research indicates a rather negative de facto labour market outcome for foreign-borns compared to native-borns, the results of this study show that the foreign-borns’ self-estimation most likely differs from their expected labour market outcomes. Furthermore, these overall results are influenced by the strictness of employment protection legislation, the level of competition for qualified positions, and the general economic conditions.
Research about suppression effect and auditory processing in individuals who stutter.

Purpose To verify the auditory processing abilities and occurrence of the suppression effect of Otoacoustic Emissions (OAE) in individuals who stutter. Methods The study sample comprised 15 adult individuals who stutter, aged 18-40 years, with stuttering severity ranging from mild to severe, paired according to gender, age, and schooling with individuals without speech complaint or disorder. All participants underwent conventional clinical evaluation, specific stuttering assessment, and basic (audiometry, imitanciometry, and measurement of acoustic reflexes) and specific (auditory processing evaluation and measurement of suppression effect of OAEs) audiological assessments. Data were statistically analyzed with application of the Fisher's Exact Test and the Mann-Whitney Test. Results The group of individuals who stutter (Study Group - SG) presented higher incidence of auditory processing disorders. The auditory processing assessments used to differentiate the groups of stutterers and non-stutterers (Control Group - CG) were the Nonverbal Dichotic Test and the Frequency Pattern Test. The SG presented higher incidence of absence of suppression effect of OAEs, indicating abnormal functioning of the efferent medial olivocochlear system. Conclusion The auditory processing abilities investigated in this study differentiate individuals who stutter from non-stutterers, with greater changes in the first. Functioning of the efferent medial olivocochlear system showed a deficit in stutterers, indicating difficulties in auditory discrimination, especially in the presence of noise.
Mammalian Peptidoglycan Recognition Protein Binds Peptidoglycan with High Affinity, Is Expressed in Neutrophils, and Inhibits Bacterial Growth*

Peptidoglycan recognition protein (PGRP) is conserved from insects to mammals. In insects, PGRP recognizes bacterial cell wall peptidoglycan (PGN) and activates prophenoloxidase cascade, a part of the insect antimicrobial defense system. Because mammals do not have the prophenoloxidase cascade, its function in mammals is unknown. However, it was suggested that an identical protein (Tag7) was a tumor necrosis factor-like cytokine. Therefore, the aim of this study was to identify the function of PGRP in mammals. Mouse PGRP bound to PGN with fast kinetics and nanomolar affinity (K d = 13 nm). The binding was specific for polymeric PGN or Gram-positive bacteria with unmodified PGN, and PGRP did not bind to other cell wall components or Gram-negative bacteria. PGRP mRNA and protein were expressed in neutrophils and bone marrow cells, but not in spleen cells, mononuclear cells, T or B lymphocytes, NK cells, thymocytes, monocytes, and macrophages. PGRP was not a PGN-lytic or a bacteriolytic enzyme, but it inhibited the growth of Gram-positive but not Gram-negative bacteria. PGRP inhibited phagocytosis of Gram-positive bacteria by macrophages, induction of oxidative burst by Gram-positive bacteria in neutrophils, and induction of cytokine production by PGN in macrophages. PGRP had no tumor necrosis factor-like cytotoxicity for mammalian cells, and it was not chemotactic on its own or in combination with PGN. Therefore, mammalian PGRP binds to PGN and Gram-positive bacteria with nanomolar affinity, is expressed in neutrophils, and inhibits growth of bacteria.
Comparison of Outcome of Hepatic Arterial Infusion Chemotherapy and Sorafenib in Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma Refractory to Transcatheter Arterial Chemoembolization.

AIM To compare the outcome of 5-fluorouracil (FU)-based hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy (HAIC) with sorafenib monotherapy in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) refractory to transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE). PATIENTS AND METHODS In this retrospective cohort study, 123 patients with HCC refractory to TACE, with Child-Pugh A and free of extrahepatic metastasis, were divided into two groups: 65 received HAIC and 58 received sorafenib. Since the size of main tumor and portal vein invasion were significantly different between the HAIC and sorafenib groups, we selected 48 patients from the 65 patients of the HAIC group and 48 from the 58 patients of the sorafenib group. The model used one-to-one matching between the two groups using the case-control method matching method. The clinical characteristics of patients of the case-control HAIC (n=48) and sorafenib groups (n=48) were similar. Overall survival, time to progression and time to treatment failure (TTTF) were compared between the two groups. RESULTS The median survival time and TTTF were significantly longer in the sorafenib group than in the HAIC group (15 and 12.2 months versus 8 and 4.4 months, respectively; p=0.021 and p=0.002, respectively). Multivariate analysis identified male gender (p=0.008), relative tumor size <50% (p=0.012), α-fetoprotein <400 ng/ml (p=0.005), and treatment with sorafenib (p=0.001) as significant and independent determinants of better overall survival. CONCLUSION In patients with HCC refractory to TACE, overall survival was favorable in those treated with sorafenib rather than HAIC.
IGF-I, IGF-I-binding proteins and GH-binding protein in malnourished elderly patients with inflammation receiving refeeding therapy.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the mechanisms determining the success or failure of refeeding therapy in malnourished elderly patients with inflammation by studying changes in plasma IGF-I, GH-binding protein (GHBP) and IGF-binding protein (IGFBP) levels and IGFBP-3 proteolysis. DESIGN AND METHODS We studied 15 severely malnourished hospitalized elderly patients. Weight, food intake, plasma albumin, transthyretin, C-reactive protein (CRP), orosomucoid, interleukin-6 (IL-6), IGF-I, intact and proteolytically degraded IGFBP-3 and GHBP levels were determined on admission and during refeeding therapy designed to increase food intake to 40 kcal/kg body weight per day (15% protein). RESULTS Plasma IGF-I, IGFBP-3 and GHBP levels were significantly low for age on admission in all malnourished elderly patients. They increased in nine patients as nutritional status improved (albuminemia >30 g/l; transthyretinemia >200 mg/l or weight gain >5% of initial body weight) and levels of inflammation markers decreased (group 1). In contrast, plasma IGF-I, IGFBP-3 and GHBP levels remained low in six patients in whom nutritional status failed to improve and levels of inflammation markers increased (group 2). IGF-I showed greater variations than IGFBP-3 or GHBP with respect to nutritional status. High plasma CRP and IL-6 levels were associated with high levels of IGFBP-3 proteolysis. CONCLUSION Efficient refeeding therapy was associated with a significant increase in IGF-I plasma levels. In patients with severe and persistent inflammation, high levels of proteolysis of IGFBP-3 may have contributed to the low plasma IGF-I levels, persistence of hypercatabolism and lack of improvement in nutritional status.
A Steeper slope: the Laffer Tax Curve in Developing and Emerging Economies

In comparing the tax burden between developed and developing economies, we argue that the Laffer curve is sensitive to two factors, namely the size of underground economic activities and tax collection costs. The baseline model exhibits counter-intuitive results for developing and emerging economies. Insofar as we find that they are able to extract higher tax rates and revenues in comparison with developed countries. The differences are due to the values computed for structural parameters and steady-state variables. However, when the share of underground activities is taken into account, the Laffer curve is pushed downward, while tax collection costs shift the peak rate to the left.
Effects of Organic Fertilizers on Soil Physicochemistry and on the Yield and Botanical Composition of Forage over 3 Years

ABSTRACT Organic wastes have been reported to reduce saturation of the exchange complex by Al in Al-rich acid soils. For 3 years, the main soil fertility properties were studied in plots sown with mixed pasture species. These plots were fertilized with cattle slurry, dairy sludge (DS), or granulated broiler litter (BL) in comparison with mineral fertilizer. Al saturation levels were low after the initial inorganic liming treatment (19.00–33.71%) but tended to rise under all treatments (21.09–61.37%) except BL (8.45–30.98%), which was also associated with the highest average soil pH and the highest average levels of exchangeable Ca2+, Mg2+, and K+. Treatment DS performed similarly to mineral fertilizer in most respects, but it led to greater available P levels. Under the dry conditions of the second and third years of the study, BL and DS treatments were associated with significantly greater forage yields than the other treatments. Under DS treatment, available P levels were too low to allow the maintenance of mixed pasture, clover being eliminated by the less P-dependent species. IMPLICATIONS This paper presents important information for the enterprises that produce these types of organic waste. They could use these residues as new resources to achieve a new profit in two ways: sell the product (BL) or save money (not to pay to an environmental management company to apply a landfill program under actual European Union [EU] regulations) and to help some of them to achieve the Environmental Management Certificate (dairy industry) and be under EU environmental law.
Lysine methyltransferase SMYD2 promotes cyst growth in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease

Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is driven by mutations in PKD1 and PKD2 genes. Recent work suggests that epigenetic modulation of gene expression and protein function may play a role in ADPKD pathogenesis. In this study, we identified SMYD2, a SET and MYND domain protein with lysine methyltransferase activity, as a regulator of renal cyst growth. SMYD2 was upregulated in renal epithelial cells and tissues from Pkd1-knockout mice as well as in ADPKD patients. SMYD2 deficiency delayed renal cyst growth in postnatal kidneys from Pkd1 mutant mice. Pkd1 and Smyd2 double-knockout mice lived longer than Pkd1-knockout mice. Targeting SMYD2 with its specific inhibitor, AZ505, delayed cyst growth in both early- and later-stage Pkd1 conditional knockout mouse models. SMYD2 carried out its function via methylation and activation of STAT3 and the p65 subunit of NF-&kgr;B, leading to increased cystic renal epithelial cell proliferation and survival. We further identified two positive feedback loops that integrate epigenetic regulation and renal inflammation in cyst development: SMYD2/IL-6/STAT3/SMYD2 and SMYD2/TNF-&agr;/NF-&kgr;B/SMYD2. These pathways provide mechanisms by which SMYD2 might be induced by cyst fluid IL-6 and TNF-&agr; in ADPKD kidneys. The SMYD2 transcriptional target gene Ptpn13 also linked SMYD2 to other PKD-associated signaling pathways, including ERK, mTOR, and Akt signaling, via PTPN13-mediated phosphorylation.
Mechanistic and functional differentiation of tapentadol and tramadol

Introduction: Many opioid analgesics share common structural elements; however, minor differences in structure can result in major differences in pharmacological activity, pharmacokinetic profile, and clinical efficacy and tolerability. Areas covered: This review compares and contrasts the chemistry, pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics, and CNS ‘functional activity' of tapentadol and tramadol, responsible for their individual clinical utilities. Expert opinion: The distinct properties of tapentadol and tramadol generate different CNS functional activities, making each drug the prototype of different classes of opioid/nonopioid analgesics. Tramadol's analgesia derives from relatively weak µ-opioid receptor (MOR) agonism, plus norepinephrine and serotonin reuptake inhibition, provided collectively by the enantiomers of the parent drug and a metabolite that is a stronger MOR agonist, but has lower CNS penetration. Tapentadol's MOR agonist activity is several-fold greater than tramadol's, with prominent norepinephrine reuptake inhibition and minimal serotonin effect. Accordingly, tramadol is well-suited for pain conditions for which a strong opioid component is not needed—and it has the benefit of a low abuse potential; whereas tapentadol, a schedule-II controlled substance, is well-suited for pain conditions requiring a strong opioid component—and it has the benefit of greater gastrointestinal tolerability compared to classical strong opioids. Both drugs offer distinct and complementary clinical options.
Fractional bit encoded spatial modulation (FBE-SM)

In this Letter, we introduce fractional bit encoded (FBE)-spatial modulation (SM), which is a novel and more versatile SM scheme that allows the transmitter to be equipped with an arbitrary number of antennas. The solution is based on the theory of modulus conversion, and is especially useful for compact mobile devices where cost and space constraints pose fundamental limits on the achievable bit rate. Numerical results will show that FBE-SM can offer design flexibility and the desired trade-off in terms of attainable performance and capacity.