Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Unobserved Actions of Mutual Funds

Despite extensive disclosure requirements, mutual fund investors do not observe all actions of fund managers. We estimate the impact of unobserved actions on fund returns using the return gap--the difference between the reported fund return and the return on a portfolio that invests in the previously disclosed fund holdings. We document that unobserved actions of some funds persistently create value, while such actions of other funds destroy value. Our main result shows that the return gap predicts fund performance. The Author 2007. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Society for Financial Studies. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org. , Oxford University Press.
Hypothalamic damage in multiple sclerosis correlates with disease activity, disability, depression, and fatigue

Abstract Objectives: Disturbances in the hypothalamo-pituitary axis are supposed to modulate activity of multiple sclerosis (MS). We hypothesised that the extent of HYP damage may determine severity of MS and may be associated with the disease evolution. We suggested fatigue and depression may depend on the degree of damage of the area. Method: 33 MS patients with relapsing-remitting and secondary progressive disease, and 24 age and sex-related healthy individuals (CON) underwent 1H-MR spectroscopy (1H-MRS) of the hypothalamus. Concentrations of glutamate + glutamin (Glx), cholin (Cho), myoinositol (mIns), N-acetyl aspartate (NAA) expressed as ratio with creatine (Cr) and NAA were correlated with markers of disease activity (RIO score), Multiple Sclerosis Severity Scale (MSSS), Depressive-Severity Status Scale and Simple Numerical Fatigue Scale. Results: Cho/Cr and NAA/Cr ratios were decreased and Glx/NAA ratio increased in MS patients vs CON. Glx/NAA, Glx/Cr, and mIns/NAA were significantly higher in active (RIO 1–2) vs non-active MS patients (RIO 0). Glx/NAA and Glx/Cr correlated with MSSS and fatigue score, and Glx/Cr with depressive score of MS patients. In CON, relationships between Glx/Cr and age, and Glx/NAA and fatigue score were inverse. Conclusion: Our study provides the first evidence about significant hypothalamic alterations correlating with clinical outcomes of MS, using 1H-MRS. The combination of increased Glu or mIns with reduced NAA in HYP reflects whole-brain activity of MS. In addition, excess of Glu is linked to severe disease course, depressive mood and fatigue in MS patients, suggesting superiority of Glu over other metabolites in determining MS burden.
Swimming against the tide: economic growth and demographic dividend in India

ABSTRACT There is an increasing policy focus on India’s demographic potential and associated growth benefits. This paper provides empirical evidence regarding the net growth benefits derived from an increased share of working-age population in India. The analysis adopts decomposition and econometric methods, using data at the state and national level in India, to robustly test the nature and magnitude of the demographic dividend in India. We find that the Indian economy is drawing significant benefits from the ongoing process of demographic transition, with dividend effects estimated to be over one percentage point per annum during 1980–2010. However, to derive high growth from the demographic potential would require tackling some of the growth constraints. The paper discusses ways in which these constraints can be addressed to fully tap the potential of demographic dividend.
Assessment of Liver Perfusion by IntraVoxel Incoherent Motion (IVIM) Magnetic Resonance–Diffusion-Weighted Imaging: Correlation With Phase-Contrast Portal Venous Flow Measurements

Objectives To prospectively verify, in vivo, Le Bihan’s model of signal decay in magnetic resonance/diffusion-weighted imaging (intravoxel incoherent motion) in healthy liver parenchyma. Methods Informed consent and institutional board approval were obtained. To measure both underfasting and postprandial conditions, apparent, slow, and fast diffusion (D*) coefficients and perfusion fraction of liver parenchyma, 40 healthy volunteers (19 women and 21 men) underwent a 3.0-T magnetic resonance imaging examination, including portal venous flow measurements by a 2-dimensional phase-contrast sequence, and multi-b diffusion-weighted imaging acquired before and 30 minutes after a 600-Kcal meal. Parameters were measured by fitting procedure with regions of interest drawn on the right liver lobe. Paired-sample t test was performed to search for any statistically significant difference between preprandial and postprandial values of each parameter and of portal flow. Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated to evaluate the relationship between portal flow increase and diffusion-weighted imaging parameter changes in postprandial conditions. Interobserver agreement for measurement of the intravoxel incoherent motion parameters was determined, both for preprandial and postprandial values. Results Mean increase in postprandial portal flow was 98% (P < 0.0009). The t test did not show any statistically significant difference between the preprandial and postprandial values for apparent, slow diffusion coefficients and perfusion fraction (P ≥ 0.05), whereas a statistically significant postprandial increase (P < 0.01) of D* was detected. Correlation with portal venous flow increase at Pearson test was statistically significant for D* (P = 0.04) and nonsignificant for the other parameters. All the parameters showed wide variability, with a higher percent coefficient of variation for D*. Interobserver agreement was always greater than 0.70. Conclusions This study verifies Le Bihan’s theory, confirming that in the liver, D* is influenced by perfusional changes related to portal venous flow.
Prevalence of transmitted drug resistance associated mutations and HIV-1 subtypes in new HIV-1 diagnoses, U.S.–2006

Objective:To determine the distribution of HIV-1 subtypes and the prevalence of transmitted drug resistance-associated mutations (TDRM) among persons newly diagnosed with HIV-1 infection in the United States. Methods:We used sequence data from Variant, Atypical, and Resistant HIV Surveillance (VARHS) collected from newly diagnosed persons in 10 states and 1 county health department in 2006. To evaluate TDRM, we used a mutation list for surveillance of TDRM appropriate for the primarily subtype B HIV epidemic in the United States. Results:Sequences were obtained from 2030 of 10 860 persons newly diagnosed with HIV in 11 surveillance areas. Mutations associated with transmitted drug resistance occurred in 292 (14.6%) persons; TDRM associated with a specific drug class occurred in 156 (7.8%) for non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors, 111 (5.6%) for nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors and 90 (4.5%) for protease inhibitors. There were no significant differences in prevalence of TDRM by demographic characteristic. The HIV-1 subtype B was the most prevalent subtype occurring in 1922 (96.2%) persons; subtype C (1.3%) was the most prevalent non-B subtype. Conclusion:We presented a clade B-optimized mutation list for evaluating surveillance of TDRM in the United States and analyzed the largest collection of sequence data obtained from individuals newly diagnosed with HIV. The prevalence of TDRM in persons newly diagnosed with HIV is higher than in previous U.S. studies; however, this is not necessarily a significant trend. Continued reporting of sequence data for public health purposes from all sources will improve representativeness and accuracy in analyzing trends in transmitted drug resistance and genetic diversity.
Allosteric Coupling of Two Different Functional Active Sites in Monomeric Plasmodium falciparum Glyoxalase I*

Glyoxalase I (GloI) catalyzes the glutathione-dependent conversion of 2-oxoaldehydes to S-2-hydroxyacylglutathione derivatives. Studies on GloI from diverse organisms such as man, bacteria, yeast, and different parasites show striking differences among these potentially isofunctional enzymes as far as metal content and the number of active sites per subunit are concerned. So far, it is not known whether this structural variability is linked to catalytic or regulatory features in vivo. Here we show that recombinant GloI from the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum has a high- and a low-affinity binding site for the diastereomeric hemithioacetals formed by addition of glutathione to methylglyoxal. Both active sites of the monomeric enzyme are functional and have similar \batchmode \documentclass[fleqn,10pt,legalpaper]{article} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amsmath} \pagestyle{empty} \begin{document} \(k_{\mathrm{cat}}^{\mathrm{app}}\) \end{document} values. Proteolytic susceptibility studies and detailed analyses of the steady-state kinetics of active-site mutants suggest that both reaction centers can adopt two discrete conformations and are allosterically coupled. As a result of the positive homotropic allosteric coupling, P. falciparum GloI has an increased affinity at low substrate concentrations and an increased activity at higher substrate concentrations. This could also be the case for GloI from yeast and other organisms. Potential physiologically relevant differences between monomeric GloI and homodimeric GloI are discussed. Our results provide a strong basis for drug development strategies and significantly enhance our understanding of GloI kinetics and structure-function relationships. Furthermore, they extend the current knowledge on allosteric regulation of monomeric proteins in general.
The relationship between juxtapapillary duodenal diverticula and biliary stone disease

Objective: To assess the relationship between juxtapapillary duodenal diverticula (JDD) and common bile duct stones and biliary stone disease in general. Design: A retrospective study. Methods: We analysed 1115 patients who underwent consecutive endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography examinations. The patients were subdivided into three groups: the first group (group I; n = 482) had no biliary stone disease, the second one (group II; n = 329) had common bile duct stones, and the third group (group III; n = 304) had biliary stone disease of the gallbladder but without evidence of common bile duct stones. Additionally, the patients were subdivided into age groups of <50, 50‐59, 60‐69, 70‐79, and ≥ 80 years of age. Logistic regression was applied for statistical analysis. Results: Juxtapapillary duodenal diverticula were diagnosed in 111 (10.0%) patients. The incidence of JDD was 6.9% in group I, 14.3% in group II and 10.2% in group III. Age was the most dominant influence factor for JDD, common bile duct stones, and biliary stone disease (P<0.0001). Sex was also a factor, female patients having a higher risk for common bile duct stones (P=0.01) and biliary stone disease (P< 0.0001). After adjustment for age and sex, JDD was found to have a noticeable, but not statistically significant (P= 0.073), influence on common bile duct stones and no influence on biliary stone disease (P=0.15). Conclusion: Our data support only moderately the existence of a relationship, which had been conjectured in a part of the literature, between JDD and common bile duct stones. No noticeable influence on biliary stone disease was found.
Statin and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug use in relation to clinical outcome among patients with Rai stage 0 chronic lymphocytic leukemia

Statins and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are among the most commonly prescribed medications. In vitro studies suggest that statins and NSAIDs may have potential as anticancer therapies in low-grade non-Hodgkin lymphomas including chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), and a recent observational study found statin use was associated with improved event free survival in patients with follicular lymphoma. Other studies have suggested that statins reduce the efficacy of rituximab by inhibiting binding to CD20. We therefore conducted an observational cohort study of 686 patients with newly diagnosed Rai stage 0 CLL to evaluate whether statin or NSAID use was related to their clinical outcome or influenced the efficacy of rituximab therapy. At diagnosis, 136 (20%) patients took statins and 230 (34%) scheduled daily aspirin, ibuprofen, or naproxen. No difference in time to treatment was observed based on statin or NSAID use. Among patients receiving a rituximab-containing first-line therapy, no difference in time to salvage treatment was observed based on statin use. Although previous studies suggested statins may improve event free survival among patients with follicular lymphoma, we find no impact of statins on time to initial therapy in this large study of patients with Rai stage 0 CLL. The in vitro observation that statins reduce rituximab efficacy does not appear to have clinical significance in CLL care.
Enhancement of islanded droop-controlled microgrid performance via power filter design

This paper introduces a new method for tuning the power filter for enhancing the stability and transient response of a droop controlled microgrid system based on inverter-interfaced Distributed Generators (DGs). To tackle the stability issue of such a microgrid, faster and more robust droop controllers are required. Thus, the delay and phase shift imposed by the Low Pass Filter (LPF), which is incorporated in the power controller of inverter-based DGs, should also be minimized. In this context, the purpose of this paper is two-fold: to show that a tunable power filter with a cutoff frequency below the fundamental frequency can improve the performance of an islanded droop controlled DG microgrid; and to suggest a filter tuning method. A comprehensive study is carried out by means of small signal analysis in order to assess the impact of the power filter on the system's eigenvalues. The mathematical analysis shows that the proposed technique results in efficient damping of oscillations following system disturbances. The simulation results verify the superior performance of the proposed approach in terms of improving the transient response and the small signal stability of the islanded DG microgrid during the startup and load excursion operations.
STUCK IN A CORNER? CLIMATE POLICY IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

Much of the capital equipment used in developing countries is created in the OECD and, thus, is designed to make optimal use of the relative supplies of capital, labor, and energy in these developed countries. However, differences in capital–labor ratios between developed and developing countries create a mismatch between the energy requirements of this capital and developing countries' optimal levels of energy intensity. Using a calibrated macroeconomic model, this paper analyzes the implications of this mismatch for climate policy. I find that using capital equipment with “inappropriate” energy intensity has sizeable consequences for both the effectiveness and the welfare cost of climate policies in developing countries.
Membrane raft association is a determinant of plasma membrane localization

Significance The organization of metazoan membranes into functional domains is a key feature of their physiology. A subset of these domains, known as “membrane rafts,” has been implicated in a large variety of cellular processes; however, the molecular mechanisms by which raft domains regulate cell function remain elusive. Here, we demonstrate that membrane raft association is a necessary and sufficient sorting signal for cell-surface localization of a specific single-pass membrane protein, linker for activation of T-cells, and that this raft association is governed by the properties of the protein transmembrane domain. These results begin to define the physical bases for protein raft affinity and establish lateral membrane domains as mediators of protein sorting in mammalian cells. The lipid raft hypothesis proposes lateral domains driven by preferential interactions between sterols, sphingolipids, and specific proteins as a central mechanism for the regulation of membrane structure and function; however, experimental limitations in defining raft composition and properties have prevented unequivocal demonstration of their functional relevance. Here, we establish a quantitative, functional relationship between raft association and subcellular protein sorting. By systematic mutation of the transmembrane and juxtamembrane domains of a model transmembrane protein, linker for activation of T-cells (LAT), we generated a panel of variants possessing a range of raft affinities. These mutations revealed palmitoylation, transmembrane domain length, and transmembrane sequence to be critical determinants of membrane raft association. Moreover, plasma membrane (PM) localization was strictly dependent on raft partitioning across the entire panel of unrelated mutants, suggesting that raft association is necessary and sufficient for PM sorting of LAT. Abrogation of raft partitioning led to mistargeting to late endosomes/lysosomes because of a failure to recycle from early endosomes. These findings identify structural determinants of raft association and validate lipid-driven domain formation as a mechanism for endosomal protein sorting.
Different Levels of Government, Different Levels of Political Competence?

ABSTRACT In federal political systems such as the United States, there has long existed a view that citizens should be more politically competent at the local level than at the federal level of government. Recent studies have challenged this view. This article argues that these findings may reflect only one part of the broader picture. Through a review of two recent studies, I contend that research in this realm must consider more than only the level of government. Odd as this sounds, assumptions about varying levels of political competence at different levels of government have always been premised on the notion that local-level politics is smaller and less complex than federal-level politics. However, when local politics takes place today against the backdrop of small villages and towns as well as in large cities, these are assumptions that must be reevaluated.
Human CAP18: a novel antimicrobial lipopolysaccharide-binding protein

CAP18 (18-kDa cationic antimicrobial protein) is a protein originally identified and purified from rabbit leukocytes on the basis of its capacity to bind and inhibit various activities of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Here we report the cloning of human CAP18 and characterize the anti-LPS activity of the C-terminal fragment. Oligonucleotide probes designed from the rabbit CAP18 cDNA were used to identify human CAP18 from a bone marrow cDNA library. The cDNA encodes a protein composed of a 30-amino-acid signal peptide, a 103-amino-acid N-terminal domain of unknown function, and a C-terminal domain of 37 amino acids homologous to the LPS-binding antimicrobial domain of rabbit CAP18, designated CAP18(104-140). A human CAP18-specific antiserum was generated by using CAP18 expressed as a fusion protein with the maltose-binding protein. Western blots (immunoblots) with this antiserum showed specific expression of human CAP18 in granulocytes. Synthetic human CAP18(104-140) and a more active truncated fragment, CAP18(104-135), were shown to (i) bind to erythrocytes coated with diverse strains of LPS, (ii) inhibit LPS-induced release of nitric oxide from macrophages, (iii) inhibit LPS-induced generation of tissue factor, and (iv) protect mice from LPS lethality. CAP18(104-140) may have therapeutic utility for conditions associated with elevated concentrations of LPS.
Evolution and function of anterior cervical vertebral fusion in tetrapods

The evolution of vertebral fusion is a poorly understood phenomenon that results in the loss of mobility between sequential vertebrae. Non‐pathological fusion of the anterior cervical vertebrae has evolved independently in numerous extant and extinct mammals and reptiles, suggesting that the formation of a ‘syncervical’ is an adaptation that arose to confer biomechanical advantage(s) in these lineages. We review syncervical anatomy and evolution in a broad phylogenetic context for the first time and provide a comprehensive summary of proposed adaptive hypotheses. The syncervical generally consists of two vertebrae (e.g. hornbills, porcupines, dolphins) but can include fusion of seven cervical vertebrae in some cetaceans. Based on the ecologies of taxa with this trait, cervical fusion most often occurs in fossorial and pelagic taxa. In fossorial taxa, the syncervical likely increases the out‐lever force during head‐lift digging. In cetaceans and ricochetal rodents, the syncervical may stabilize the head and neck during locomotion, although considerable variation exists in its composition without apparent variability in locomotion. Alternatively, the highly reduced cervical vertebral centra may require fusion to prevent mechanical failure of the vertebrae. In birds, the syncervical of hornbills may have evolved in response to their unique casque‐butting behaviour, or due to increased head mass. The general correlation between ecological traits and the presence of a syncervical in extant taxa allows more accurate interpretation of extinct animals that also exhibit this unique trait. For example, syncervicals evolved independently in several groups of marine reptiles and may have functioned to stabilize the head at the craniocervical joint during pelagic locomotion, as in cetaceans. Overall, the origin and function of fused cervical vertebrae is poorly understood, emphasizing the need for future comparative biomechanical studies interpreted in an evolutionary context.
The Concept of Beauty in African Philosophy

This article contributes to the ongoing discussion on African aesthetics by presenting the concept of beauty or the beautiful as it evolved from cultural conceptions of beauty to the philosophical shift in the concept. It also examined the Western concept of beauty in order to show the different contexts of the meaning of beauty in African and Western philosophies with a primarily focus on beauty concepts in terms of what constitutes beauty and how beauty can be known. The presentation also shows that unlike individualistic conception of beauty in Western philosophy, the concept of beauty in African philosophy is relational and functional, and that in an African context, there is no beauty for beauty’s sake and that the beautiful is considered in terms of good conduct and physical attractiveness. Finally, it is argued that the African concept beauty is only intelligible when considered in the context of African ontology.