Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ost-Ost is required for bile acid and conjugated steroid disposition in the intestine , kidney , and liver

Ballatori N, Fang F, Christian WV, Li N, Hammond CL. Ost -Ost is required for bile acid and conjugated steroid disposition in the intestine, kidney, and liver. Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol 295: G179–G186, 2008. First published May 22, 2008; doi:10.1152/ajpgi.90319. 2008. —Mice deficient in the organic solute transporter (Ost)subunit of the heteromeric organic solute and steroid transporter, Ost -Ost , were generated and were found to be viable and fertile but exhibited small intestinal hypertrophy and growth retardation. Bile acid pool size and serum levels were decreased by more than 60% in Ost / mice, whereas fecal bile acid excretion was unchanged, suggesting a defect in intestinal bile acid absorption. In support of this hypothesis, when [H]taurocholic acid or [H]estrone 3-sulfate were administered into the ileal lumen, absorption was lower in Ost / mice. Interestingly, serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels were also 15% lower in Ost / mice, an effect that may be related to the impaired intestinal bile acid absorption. After intraperitoneal administration of [H]estrone 3-sulfate or [H]dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, Ost / mice had higher levels of radioactivity in their liver and urinary bladder and less in the duodenum, indicating altered hepatic, renal, and intestinal disposition. Loss of Ost was associated with compensatory changes in the expression of several genes involved in bile acid homeostasis, including an increase in the multidrug resistance-associated protein 3, (Mrp3)/Abcc3, an alternate basolateral bile acid export pump, and a decrease in cholesterol 7 -hydroxylase, Cyp7a1, the rate-limiting enzyme in bile acid synthesis. The latter finding may be explained by increased ileal expression of fibroblast growth factor 15 (Fgf15), a negative regulator of hepatic Cyp7a1 transcription. Overall, these findings provide direct support for the hypothesis that Ost -Ost is a major basolateral transporter of bile acids and conjugated steroids in the intestine, kidney, and liver.
Salmonella typhimurium synthesizes cobalamin (vitamin B12) de novo under anaerobic growth conditions

In this paper, we report that the enteric bacterium Salmonella typhimurium synthesized cobalamin de novo under anaerobic culture conditions. Aerobically, metE mutants of S. typhimurium need either methionine or cobalamin as a nutritional supplement for growth. The growth response to cobalamin depends upon a cobalamin-requiring enzyme, encoded by the gene metH, that catalyzes the same reaction as the metE enzyme. Anaerobically, metE mutants grew without any nutritional supplements; the metH enzyme functioned under these conditions due to the endogenous biosynthesis of cobalamin. This conclusion was confirmed by using a radiochemical assay to measure cobalamin production. Insertion mutants defective in cobalamin biosynthesis (designated cob) were isolated in the three major branches of the cobalamin biosynthetic pathway. Type I mutations blocked the synthesis of cobinamide, type II mutations blocked the synthesis of 5,6-dimethylbenzimidazole, and type III mutations blocked the synthesis of cobalamin from cobinamide and 5,6-dimethylbanzimidazole. Mutants that did not synthesize siroheme (cysG) were blocked in cobalamin synthesis. Genetic mapping experiments showed that the cob mutations are clustered in the region of the S. typhimurium chromosome between supD (40 map units) and his (42 map units). The discovery that S. typhimurium synthesizes cobalamin de novo only under anaerobic conditions raises the possibility that anaerobically grown cells possess a variety of enzymes which are dependent upon cobalamin as a cofactor.
Intravascular contrast agent improves magnetic resonance angiography of carotid arteries in minipigs

This study was designed to optimize three‐dimensional (3D) time‐of‐flight (TOF) magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) sequences and to determine whether contrast‐enhanced MRA could improve the accuracy of lumen definition in stenosed carotid arteries of minipigs. 3D TOF MRA was acquired with use of either an intravascular (n = 13) and/or an extravascular contrast agent (n = 5) administrated at 2 to 4 weeks after balloon‐induced injury to a carotid artery in 16 minipigs. Vascular contrast, defined as signal intensity differences between blood vessels and muscle normalized to the signal intensity of muscle, was compared before and after the injection of each contrast agent and between the two agents. Different vascular patencies were observed among the animals, including completely occluded vessels (n = 5), stenotic vessels (n = 3), and vessels with no visible stenosis (n = 8). Superior vascular contrast improvement was observed for small arteries and veins and for large veins with the intravascular contrast agent when compared with the extravascular contrast agent. In addition, preliminary studies in two of the animals showed a good correlation for the extent of luminal stenosis defined by digital subtraction angiography compared with MRA obtained after administration of the intravascular contrast agent (R2 = .71, with a slope of .96 ± .04 by a linear regression analysis). We concluded that use of an intravascular contrast agent optimizes 3D TOF MRA and may improve its accuracy compared with digital subtraction angiography.
An empirical investigation of asset price bubbles in Latin American emerging financial markets

A generally accepted view among researchers and policy makers is that large capital flows to Latin America starting from the second half of the 1980s through the 1990s may have caused speculative bubbles in the asset markets of recipient economies. This article tests for asset price bubbles in the stock markets of six Latin American countries using data for the last 10 years or so. It employs recently developed robust estimation techniques which are specifically designed to exploit the skewness and leptokurtosis that bubbles may engender in the data. It finds massive deviations from normality in both stock prices and dividends series and the test results provide strong evidence for the existence of stock price bubbles in each of the markets examined.
Misallocation or Mismeasurement? Evidence from Plant-Level
 Data

When capital is mismeasured, two problems arise. First, the extent of and the effects of capital misallocation are overestimated. Second, unless one controls for the errors in variable, the parameter estimates of production function are biased. To address these problems, I develop a new method to estimate plant-level CES production functions. My estimator eliminates measurement-error bias. Simulations show that as the variance of the errors increases, the bias of the parameter estimates and dispersion of capital-labor ratios, output-capital ratios and estimated TFPs remain roughly the same when using the new estimator. By contrast, such bias increases when using the traditional method, especially when the variance of errors exceeds the variance of capital. Using Korean manufacturing data, I construct two measures of capital stock by considering embodied technology change and utilization of capital. By applying my new estimator, I find substantial errors in these two capital measures. I also find that, on average, the measured loss of TFP from capital misallocation using Hsieh and Klenow (2009) is overestimated by 10% and the elasticity of substitution between capital and labor is overestimated by 15%. Between 1991 and 1999, average embodied technology change in Korea is around 9%, comparably to the U.S. And in industries where technological change is faster, equipment is less substitutable with labor.
The start of interest rate smoothing in the US: is it a monetary or fiscal story?

This article revisits the key issue raised by researchers who have empirically investigated the behaviour of short term US interest rates during the period 1890–1933. The seminal article of Mankiw, Miron and Weil (1987) argues that changes in the behaviour of nominal interest rates is best explained as a monetary regime shift that occurred with the founding of the Federal reserve in 1914. This explanation is rejected by Newbold, Lehybourne, Sollis and Wohar (2001) who show that fiscal and regulatory changes (driven by the needs of World War1 financing) best explain the changing behaviour of interest rates that they identify as beginning in mid-1917. We find, using three different statistical procedures that a structural break in the second moment of interest rates occurred in early 1915. This supports the monetary regime shift argument of MMW by illustrating that the interest rate smoothing policies of the FED can be observed as a variance break in short term interest rates.
Housing as a Social Right: Implications for Welfare State Theory

The article contributes to two central and interrelated discourses in welfare state theory and housing policy. One concerns the meaning of a ‘right to housing’, and the other concerns the meaning of the dichotomy ‘universal’–‘selective’ in housing policy. The right to housing is best seen as a political ‘marker of concern’ pointing out housing as an area for welfare state policy. The more precise meaning of the idea is always defined socially, in a specific national context of relations between state, citizen, and markets in housing provision. Two alternative interpretations of a right to housing are suggested, each related to a certain logic of housing provision. In a selective housing policy, the state provides a ‘protected’ complement to the general housing market, and the right to housing implies some legalistic minimum rights for households of lesser means. In a universal housing policy, the state provides correctives to the general housing market in order to make housing available to all types of households, and the right to housing is best seen as a social right in Marshall’s meaning of an obligation of the state towards society as a whole. The concepts of ‘universal’ and ‘selective’ may be applied to either the political discourse or the social outcome of policies. Furthermore, they may refer to different political levels (e.g. welfare state level, sector level, and policy instrument level). If the dichotomy is not specified in those two respects, the distinction between a universal and a selective policy will always be seriously blurred.
Diagnostic Checking of Unobserved-Components Time Series Models

Diagnostic checking of the specification of time series models is normally carried out using the innovations—that is, the one-step-ahead prediction errors. In an unobserved-components model, other sets of residuals are available. These auxiliary residuals are estimators of the disturbances associated with the unobserved components. They can often yield information that is less apparent from the innovations, but they suffer from the disadvantage that they are serially correlated even in a correctly specified model with known parameters. This article shows how the properties of the auxiliary residuals may be obtained, how they are related to each other and to the innovations, and how they can be used to construct test statistics. Applications are presented showing how residuals can be used to detect and distinguish between outliers and structural change.
Closing the circle: participant views of a 360 degree feedback programme

The use of 360 degree feedback is becoming increasingly commonplace in organisations. It is claimed that this programme offers a more rounded diagnosis of development needs resulting in more effective development plans for individuals and more strategically focused investment in training for the organisation as a whole. These claims are tested in a qualitative and quantitative field study of participants in a 360 degree programme for middle and senior managers at a UK university. Some elements of the programme are found to work better than others, but participants rate their experience of almost all aspects of training and development as significantly better than a matched sample of non-participants, and this leads to more positive global evaluations of the employer. The implications for the use of 360 degree programmes are discussed with regard to the critical HRM literature.
650-nm vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers: laser properties and reliability investigations

650-nm AlGaInP-AlGaAs-based oxide-confined VCSELs are investigated in dependence on the current aperture size. VCSELs with small aperture (a=5 /spl mu/m) have a maximum continuous-wave (CW) output power of about 1 mW at room temperature. They reach higher operating temperatures (T/sub max/=55/spl deg/C), have narrower beam profiles, less transverse modes, and a higher side mode suppression compared to large aperture VCSELs (a>13 /spl mu/m). The latter devices emit a CW-output power P=3 mW at 20/spl deg/C. Reliability tests of 655-nm devices show at 20/spl deg/C an output power of P/spl ap/0.4 mW over more than 1000 h and at 40/spl deg/C P/spl ap/0.1 mW over 500 h.
Community-Based Ecotourism in Phuket and Ao Phangnga, Thailand: Partial Victories and Bittersweet Remedies

By encouraging both ecological sustainability and grassroots development, community- based ecotourism offers hope that the environmental sensitivity and responsibility promoted by ecotourism can also serve the political, economic, and social interests of host communities. However, due to the difficulties of implementing community-based ecotourism in practice, success stories remain rare. This paper explores the feasibility of community-based ecotourism in Phuket andAoPhangnga in southern Thailand. Using the region’s oldest ecotourism company as its case study, this paper argues that community-based ecotourism in southern Thailand is only partially successful, and requires four tradeoffs: success and survival at the expense of ecotourism’s spatial isolation and structural independence; local employment and benefits at the expense of local initiation and control; social status and mobility at the expense of social cohesion and harmony; and incipient environmentalism at the expense of ecological sustainability. Despite these tradeoffs, the benefits of ecotourism in Phuket still outweigh the costs in terms of community development.
Biological effect of food additive titanium dioxide nanoparticles on intestine: an in vitro study

Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs) are widely found in food‐related consumer products. Understanding the effect of TiO2 NPs on the intestinal barrier and absorption is essential and vital for the safety assessment of orally administrated TiO2 NPs. In this study, the cytotoxicity and translocation of two native TiO2 NPs, and these two TiO2 NPs pretreated with the digestion simulation fluid or bovine serum albumin were investigated in undifferentiated Caco‐2 cells, differentiated Caco‐2 cells and Caco‐2 monolayer. TiO2 NPs with a concentration less than 200 µg ml–1 did not induce any toxicity in differentiated cells and Caco‐2 monolayer after 24 h exposure. However, TiO2 NPs pretreated with digestion simulation fluids at 200 µg ml–1 inhibited the growth of undifferentiated Caco‐2 cells. Undifferentiated Caco‐2 cells swallowed native TiO2 NPs easily, but not pretreated NPs, implying the protein coating on NPs impeded the cellular uptake. Compared with undifferentiated cells, differentiated ones possessed much lower uptake ability of these TiO2 NPs. Similarly, the traverse of TiO2 NPs through the Caco‐2 monolayer was also negligible. Therefore, we infer the possibility of TiO2 NPs traversing through the intestine of animal or human after oral intake is quite low. This study provides valuable information for the risk assessment of TiO2 NPs in food. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Prediction of therapeutic failure after adrenaline injection plus heater probe treatment in patients with bleeding peptic ulcer

Background: Continued or recurrent bleeding after endoscopic treatment for bleeding ulcer is a major adverse prognostic factor. Identification of such ulcers may allow for alternate treatments. Aim: To determine factors predicting treatment failure with combined adrenaline injection and heater probe thermocoagulation. Methods: Consecutive patients with bleeding peptic ulcers who received endoscopic therapy between January 1995 and March 1998 were studied. Data on clinical presentation, endoscopic findings, and treatment outcomes were collected prospectively. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to identify independent risk factors for treatment failure. Results: During the study period, 3386 patients were admitted with bleeding peptic ulcers: 1144 (796 men, 348 women) with a mean age of 62.5 (SD 17.6) years required endoscopic treatment. There were 666 duodenal ulcers (58.2%), 425 gastric ulcers (37.2%), and 53 anastomotic ulcers (4.6%). Initial haemostasis was successful in 1128 patients (98.6%). Among them, 94 (8.2%) rebled in a median time of 48 hours (range 3–480). Overall failure rate was 9.6%. Mortality rate was 5% (57/1144). Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that hypotension (odds ratio (OR) 2.21, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.40–3.48), haemoglobin level less that 10 g/dl (OR 1.87, 95% CI 1.18–2.96), fresh blood in the stomach (OR 2.15, 95% CI 1.40–3.31), ulcer with active bleeding (OR 1.65, 95% CI 1.07–2.56), and large ulcers (OR 1.80, 95% CI 1.15–2.83) were independent factors predicting rebleeding. Conclusions: Larger ulcers with severe bleeding at presentation predict failure of endoscopic therapy.
Is it all about money? An examination of the motives behind moonlighting

Multiple-job holding is an important labour market phenomenon. In this article, we examine individuals’ motives for multiple-job holding. Specifically, we estimate an empirical model of the motivation for moonlighting assuming that individuals hold a second job for either financial or for nonpecuniary motives. Our results contribute to a better understanding of multiple-job holding. We find that multiple-job holding is used by individuals as a way to deal with the financial difficulties or the increased financial commitments in their household. Individuals are more likely to moonlight for money in the early stages of their adult life. Finally, individuals with more labour market experience are more likely to moonlight for pecuniary than nonpecuniary reasons.
The Differential Effect of Regulation across Plant Size: Comment on Pashigian

I SHOW that the conclusion of a recent article by B. Peter Pashigian, that environmental regulatory costs have fallen more heavily on smaller than on larger businesses, is not supported by the statistical evidence he presents and is contradicted by data on the actual distribution of pollution abatement costs across plant and firm sizes.l Section II shows that average pollution abatement costs per employee are substantially smaller for smaller plants and firms than for larger plants and firms. Section III shows that Pashigian's statistical analysis does not support his conclusion that small businesses have borne the brunt of environmental regulations. Section IV presents conclusions. Before proceeding, it will prove useful to clarify why the incidence of regulatory costs across plant or firm size is of interest and to summarize Pashigian's analysis.2 The differential effect of regulation across plant or firm size is important for at least three reasons. First, when there are scale economies in regulatory compliance and when certain other assumptions are met, optimal regulatory policy may require imposing a lighter regulatory burden on
Using housing vouchers to move to the suburbs: How do families fare?

Abstract When families with Section 8 housing vouchers move from inner‐city communities to the suburbs, are they more likely to move to neighborhoods with higher socioeconomic status and to perceive improvements in housing and neighborhood conditions than those who make local moves or those who first move to the suburbs but then return to the central city? Both crosstabular and logistic regression analysis are applied to a telephone interview sample of 300 Section 8 voucher recipients in Oakland and Berkeley, CA. As predicted, compared with the other two groups, suburban‐bound movers were more likely to move to neighborhoods with higher socioeconomic status and to experience better residential conditions, even when relevant background characteristics were controlled. Furthermore, few suburban‐bound movers experienced adjustment problems with neighbors or landlords, and their children quickly and smoothly adjusted to their new schools. The implications of these results for the Section 8 housing voucher program are discussed.
Bayesian Tail Risk Forecasting using Realised GARCH

A Realised Volatility GARCH model is developed within a Bayesian framework for the purpose of forecasting Value at Risk and Conditional Value at Risk. Student-t and Skewed Student-t return distributions are combined with Gaussian and Student-t distributions in the measurement equation in a GARCH framework to forecast tail risk in eight international equity index markets over a four year period. Three Realised Volatility proxies are considered within this framework. Realised Volatility GARCH models show a marked improvement compared to ordinary GARCH for both Value at Risk and Conditional Value at Risk forecasting. This improvement is consistent across a variety of data, volatility model speci_cations and distributions, and demonstrates that Realised Volatility is superior when producing volatility forecasts. Realised Volatility models implementing a Skewed Student-t distribution for returns in the GARCH equation are favoured.
The impact of the Internet on travel agencies

This paper examines tourist perceptions of the potential for the elimination of travel agencies in the presence of the Internet. The opinions of 413 tourists on making transactions through both Internet‐based (hereafter, online) and traditional distribution channels were analysed. Experimental results illustrated that tourists still used professional services and advice offered by travel agencies. Tourists also agreed that more information could be found through the Internet. Following the findings, the paper suggests that both online and traditional distributional channels can coexist in the future.
Leptin Is a Negative Independent Predictor of Areal BMD and Cortical Bone Size in Young Adult Swedish Men

The association between leptin and areal BMD has been controversial, and the predictive role of leptin on cortical volumetric BMD and bone size has not previously been studied. We show that leptin is a negative independent predictor of aBMD (DXA), at several measured sites, and of cortical bone size (pQCT) in a large population of young men.
After ten years the Russian crisis how IMF intervention might be evaluated

The ongoing global financial crisis has become prominently visible since September 2008. This crisis affected the whole world and enhanced the importance of policy implementation to mitigate financial crises in future. Many academics blamed insufficient domestic regulation as the reason of crises, others pointed to the lack of overseas financial regulation and inappropriate actions by international organizations, such as the IMF and World Bank. This whole discussion encouraged to look back and analyzed a previous crisis in smallest countries such as Russia. This paper evidently shows the inefficiency of IMF policy during the Russia Crisis in 1998 by implementing a new monetary balance-of-payment model in Russian data. This model identified the role of macroeconomic fundamentals and international economic policy implications on the likelihood and the timing of the currency crisis in Russia. For the period from December 1995 to December 1998 it was found that, the increase in domestic credit growth gradually undermined confidence in the fixed exchange rate regime. The most dangerous point was at the end of 1998, when the collapse probability was above 90 percent. This result ambiguously questioned the IMF’s July packet 1998 and proved the political aspects of this financial help.