Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Book review: Anwar Shaikh, Capitalism: Competition, Conflict, Crises

Lee FS (2014) The role of microeconomics in heterodox economics: A view of a heterodox micro theorist. Unpublished transcript of Fred Lee’s last lecture at the University of Missouri– Kansas City, April 24. Available at: http://heterodoxnews.com/leefs/fred-lee-lecture-at-umkc Martins NO (2013) The Cambridge Revival of Political Economy. London: Routledge. Pasinetti LL (2007) Keynes and the Cambridge Keynesians. A ‘Revolution in Economics’ to be Accomplished. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Robinson J (1933) The Economics of Imperfect Competition. London: Macmillan. Robinson J (1969) The Economics of Imperfect Competition, 2nd ed. London: Macmillan. Robinson J (1962) Essays in the Theory of Economic Growth. London: Macmillan. Robinson J (1977) What are the questions? Journal of Economic Literature 15(4): 1318–1339. Robinson J (1979) Thinking about thinking. In: Robinson J Collected Economic Papers, vol. V. Oxford: Basil Blackwell, pp. 110–119. Shapiro N (2012) Competition. In: King JE (ed.) The Elgar Companion to Post Keynesian Economics. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar, pp. 92–95. Shapiro N and Mott T (1995) Firm-determined prices: the post-Keynesian conception. In: Wells P (ed.) Post-Keynesian Economic Theory. Boston, MA: Kluwer Academic Publishers, pp. 35–48. Toporowski J (2013) Michał Kalecki: An Intellectual Biography, Vol. 1: Rendezvous in Cambridge 1899–1939. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Wood A (1975) A Theory of Profits. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Reduced Order Jammer Cancellation Scheme Based on Double Adaptivity

A doubly adaptive scheme is presented for detection and jammer cancellation by airborne/spaceborne radar equipped with a limited number of receiving channels. In this case where, to guarantee the desired performance in the protection against multiple jammers with a wide range of possible direction of arrivals (DOAs), a number of auxiliary antenna beams greater than the number of channels would be required. For these systems an adaptive auxiliary beam selection technique is proposed to decide which is the most effective subset of auxiliary antennas in each condition, assuming a slowly changing jamming environment. This leads to a doubly adaptive jammer cancellation scheme: we first perform an adaptive selection of the best set of auxiliary beams, and then we apply an adaptive scheme for jammer cancellation and target detection by using only the best set of beams. This especially applies to the case of adaptive radar obtained as a retrofit of existing monopulse radar sensors or of design retrofit for single channel spaceborne radar with a redundant channel. A closed form analytical expression is provided for the detection performance of the proposed reduced degree of freedom (DOF) scheme based on double adaptivity, which provides a complete characterization of the properties of this detection scheme. Based on the derived expression of the detection performance, the proposed scheme is compared with an ideal scheme with a number of channels equal to the number of auxiliary antennas, showing that the proposed approach has near-optimal performance. Finally the implementation issues of the doubly adaptive scheme are discussed, together with its limitations.
Low‐intensity microwave irradiation does not substantially alter gene expression in late larval and adult Caenorhabditis elegans

Reports that low‐intensity microwave radiation induces heat‐shock reporter gene expression in the nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans, have recently been reinterpreted as a subtle thermal effect caused by slight heating. This study used a microwave exposure system (1.0 GHz, 0.5 W power input; SAR 0.9–3 mW kg−1 for 6‐well plates) that minimises temperature differentials between sham and exposed conditions (≤0.1 °C). Parallel measurement and simulation studies of SAR distribution within this exposure system are presented. We compared five Affymetrix gene arrays of pooled triplicate RNA populations from sham‐exposed L4/adult worms against five gene arrays of pooled RNA from microwave‐exposed worms (taken from the same source population in each run). No genes showed consistent expression changes across all five comparisons, and all expression changes appeared modest after normalisation (≤40% up‐ or down‐regulated). The number of statistically significant differences in gene expression (846) was less than the false‐positive rate expected by chance (1131). We conclude that the pattern of gene expression in L4/adult C. elegans is substantially unaffected by low‐intensity microwave radiation; the minor changes observed in this study could well be false positives. As a positive control, we compared RNA samples from N2 worms subjected to a mild heat‐shock treatment (30 °C) against controls at 26 °C (two gene arrays per condition). As expected, heat‐shock genes are strongly up‐regulated at 30 °C, particularly an hsp‐70 family member (C12C8.1) and hsp‐16.2. Under these heat‐shock conditions, we confirmed that an hsp‐16.2::GFP transgene was strongly up‐regulated, whereas two non‐heat‐inducible transgenes (daf‐16::GFP; cyp‐34A9::GFP) showed little change in expression. Bioelectromagnetics 30:602–612, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Altered expression of urea transporters in response to ureteral obstruction.

Urea plays an important role in the urinary concentrating capacity. Renal inner medullary (IM) urea transporter expression was examined in rats with bilateral (BUO) or unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO). BUO (24 h) was associated with markedly increased plasma urea (42.4 +/- 1.0 vs. 5.2 +/- 0.2 mmol/l) and a significant decrease in expression of UT-A1 (28 +/- 8% of sham levels), UT-A3 (45 +/- 11%), and UT-B (70 +/- 8%). Immunocytochemistry confirmed downregulation of UT-A1 and UT-A3 in IM collecting duct and UT-B in the descending vasa recta. Three days after release of BUO, UT-A1, UT-A3, and UT-B remained significantly downregulated (UT-A1: 37 +/- 6%; UT-A3: 25 +/- 6%; and UT-B: 10 +/- 5% of sham levels; P < 0.05) concurrent with a persistent polyuria and a marked reduction in solute-free water reabsorption (115 +/- 11 vs. 196 +/- 8 microl.min(-1). kg(-1), P < 0.05). Moreover, 14 days after release of BUO, total UT-A1, UT-A3, and UT-B remained significantly decreased compared with sham-operated controls and urine urea remained reduced (588 +/- 43 vs. 1,150 +/- 94 mmol/l). Consistent with increased levels of plasma urea 24 h after onset of UUO (7.4 +/- 0.3 vs. 4.8 +/- 0.3 mmol/l), the protein abundance of UT-A1, UT-A3, and UT-B in IM was markedly reduced in the obstructed kidney, which was confirmed by immunocytochemistry. In the nonobstructed kidney, the expression of urea transporters did not change. In conclusion, reduced expression of UT-A1, UT-A3, and UT-B levels in both BUO and UUO rats suggests that urea transporters play important roles in the impaired urinary concentrating capacity in response to urinary tract obstruction.
Escaping Europe: health and human capital of Holocaust refugees

The large-scale persecution of European Jews during the Second World War generated massive refugee movements. We study the last wave of Holocaust refugees with a newly compiled dataset of mostly Jewish passengers from several European countries traveling from Lisbon to New York between 1940 and 1942. We find that both refugee and nonrefugee passengers were positively selected, but nonrefugees were even more so, suggesting it was predominantly the European elite who escaped the Holocaust during this period. In spite of the unique circumstances of this historical setting, this episode of migration displays well-known selection features: both refugees and nonrefugees are positively selected, and earlier passengers are more positively selected than later passengers, and economic barriers to migration apply.
Morning Hypertension: The Strongest Independent Risk Factor for Stroke in Elderly Hypertensive Patients

Stroke occurs most frequently in the morning hours, but the impact of the morning blood pressure (BP) level on stroke risk has not been fully investigated in hypertensives. We studied stroke prognosis in 519 older hypertensives in whom ambulatory BP monitoring was performed, and who were followed prospectively. During an average duration of 41 months (range: 1–68 months), 44 stroke events occurred. The morning systolic BP (SBP) was the strongest independent predictor for stroke events among clinic, 24-h, awake, sleep, evening, and pre-awake BPs, with a 10 mmHg increase in morning SBP corresponding to a relative risk (RR) of 1.44 (p<0.0001). The average of the morning and evening SBP (Av-ME-SBP; 10 mmHg increase: RR=1.41, p=0.0001), and the difference between the morning and evening SBP (Di-ME-SBP; 10 mmHg increase: RR=1.24, p=0.0025) were associated with stroke risks independently of each other. The RR of morning hypertension (Av-ME-SBP≥135 mmHg and Di-ME-SBP≥20 mmHg) vs. sustained hypertension (Av-ME-SBP≥135 mmHg and Di-ME-SBP<20 mmHg) for stoke events was 3.1 after controlling for other risk factors (p=0.01). In conclusion, morning hypertension is the strongest independent predictor for future clinical stroke events in elderly hypertensive patients, and morning and evening BPs should be monitored in the home as a first step in the treatment of hypertensive patients.
Investment price rigidity and business cycles

This paper incorporates sticky investment prices in a two-sector monetary model of business cycles. Fit to quarterly U.S. time series, the model suggests that price rigidity in the investment sector is the single most empirically relevant friction to match the data. Sticky investment prices are also important to understand the dynamic effects of technology shocks and their pass-through to the relative price of investment goods.
Priming in the brain, an immunologically privileged organ, elicits anti‐tumor immunity

A crucial question in the study of tumor neuro‐immunology concerns the capacity of the central nervous system to initiate and execute an immune response. In a 100% fatal rat malignant glioma model, genetically modified tumors secreting INF‐γ intracerebrally generate an immune response resulting in a substantial increase in survival time, tumor rejection and specific systemic immunity. Tumors modified to secrete IL‐2 alone do not change the biologic behavior of transfected gliomas. INF‐γ induces elevated expression of major‐histocompatibility‐complex‐class‐I and ‐class‐II molecules in microglia throughout the brain and invokes enhanced tumor infiltration by CD4, CD8 and NK cells. These findings demonstrate successful immunization against a central‐nervous‐system tumor by direct priming in the brain with a live growth‐competent tumor vaccine. Int. J. Cancer 75:266–276, 1998. © 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Wall Street Crosses Memory Lane: How Witnessed Returns Affect Professionals' Expected Returns

Witnessing stock-market history in the making creates a vivid story, but does not provide valuable information. However, finance professionals extrapolate from personally witnessed returns, which we show by using a unique dataset about the timing of their career start in the finance industry. This result is robust when controlling for all publicly available information and other time-fixed effects as well as interpersonal differences. Additionally, we find that returns witnessed early in the career are more formative than those witnessed recently. Finally, among the potential channels through which witnessed returns might affect expected returns, a judgmental bias appears most plausible.
Political Connections, Audit Opinions, and Auditor Choice: Evidence from the Ouster of Government Officers

SUMMARY: In this study, we examine changes in audit opinions and auditor choice decisions in politically connected firms before and after the exogenous termination of their political connections. We use 84 anti-corruption cases involving high-level Chinese bureaucrats between 2004 and 2014 to construct a nature experiment, and identify a set of listed firms whose executives bribe or have connections through family affiliation with these corrupt bureaucrats. We find that within the event years of the ouster of corrupt bureaucrats, connected state-owned enterprises (SOEs) receive more favorable audit opinions than their non-connected counterparts, whereas connected non-SOEs obtain less favorable opinions. Moreover, after the termination of political connections, connected SOEs are more likely, while connected non-SOEs are less likely, to hire local small auditors. Additional analyses show that termination of political ties has more pronounced effects after the recent anti-corruption campaign. Furthermore, t.
Rumination in posttraumatic stress disorder

Recent studies have shown that rumination is a powerful predictor of persistent posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, to date, the mechanisms by which rumination maintains PTSD symptoms are little understood. Two studies of assault survivors, a cross‐sectional (N = 81) and a 6‐month prospective longitudinal study (N = 73), examined several facets of ruminative thinking to establish which aspects of rumination provide the link to PTSD. The current investigation showed that rumination is not only used as a strategy to cope with intrusive memories but it also triggers such memories. Certain characteristics of rumination, such as compulsion to continue ruminating, occurrence of unproductive thoughts, and “why” and “what if” type questions, as well as negative emotions before and after rumination, were significantly associated with PTSD, concurrently and prospectively. These characteristics explained significantly more variance in PTSD severity than the mere presence of rumination, thereby indicating that not all ways of ruminative thinking are equally maladaptive. Depression and Anxiety 24:307–317, 2007. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Forebrain projections to the hypothalamus are topographically organized in anurans: conservative traits as compared with amniotes

The organization of the forebrain in amphibians (anamniotes) is currently being re‐evaluated in terms of evolution and several evidences have corroborated numerous traits shared by amphibians and amniotes, such as the organization of the basal ganglia and the amygdaloid complex. In the present study we have analysed the organization of forebrain afferent systems to the hypothalamus of the frog Rana perezi. In vivo and in vitro tract‐tracing techniques with dextran amines and immunohistochemistry for localizing nitric oxide synthase (NOS) in a series of single or combined experiments were used as NOS labelling reveals hypothalamic afferents arising from the lateral amygdala and the combination allowed analysis of the relationship between fibers of different origins in the same section. The results showed a large segregation of afferents in the hypothalamic region depending on their site of origin in the forebrain. Four highly topographically organized prosencephalic tracts reaching the anuran hypothalamus were observed: (i) the medial forebrain bundle, from the medial pallium and septal complex; (ii) the caudal branch of the stria terminalis formed by fibers arising in the lateral and medial amygdala; (iii) part of the lateral forebrain bundle with fibers from the central amygdala and (iv) the dorsal thalamo‐hypothalamic tract. Fibers coursing in each tract reach the hypothalamus and terminate in distinct fields. The resemblance in pattern of forebrain‐hypothalamic organization between amphibians and amniotes suggests that this feature represents an important trait conserved in the evolution of all tetrapods and therefore essential for the hypothalamic function.
Comparative analysis of inosine-substituted duplex DNA by circular dichroism and X-ray crystallography

Leveraging structural biology tools, we report the results of experiments seeking to determine if the different mechanical properties of DNA polymers with base analog substitutions can be attributed, at least in part, to induced changes from classical B-form DNA. The underlying hypothesis is that different inherent bending and twisting flexibilities may characterize non-canonical B-DNA, so that it is inappropriate to interpret mechanical changes caused by base analog substitution as resulting simply from ‘electrostatic’ or ‘base stacking’ influences without considering the larger context of altered helical geometry. Circular dichroism spectra of inosine-substituted oligonucleotides and longer base-substituted DNAs in solution indicated non-canonical helical conformations, with the degree of deviation from a standard B-form geometry depending on the number of I⋅C pairs. X-ray diffraction of a highly inosine-substituted DNA decamer crystal (eight I⋅C and two A⋅T pairs) revealed an A-tract-like conformation with a uniformly narrow minor groove, reduced helical rise, and the majority of sugars adopting a C1′-exo (southeastern) conformation. This contrasts with the standard B-DNA geometry with C2′-endo sugar puckers (south conformation). In contrast, the crystal structure of a decamer with only four I⋅C pairs has a geometry similar to that of the reference duplex with eight G⋅C and two A⋅T pairs. The unique crystal geometry of the inosine-rich duplex is noteworthy given its unusual CD signature in solution and the altered mechanical properties of some inosine-containing DNAs.
Aminoguanidine ameliorates and L-arginine worsens brain damage from intraluminal middle cerebral artery occlusion.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE We studied whether the inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) inhibitor aminoguanidine reduces focal cerebral ischemic damage in a relatively noninvasive stroke model in which the rat middle cerebral artery (MCA) is occluded using an intravascular filament. METHODS In rats anesthetized with halothane, a nylon filament was advanced into the internal carotid artery until its tip occluded the origin of the MCA. The filament was left in place for 2 hours and then withdrawn. Twenty-four hours later, rats received intraperitoneal injections of aminoguanidine (100 mg/kg BID; n = 7), aminoguanidine+L-arginine (300 mg/kg QID; n = 7), L-arginine alone (n = 6), D-arginine alone (n = 6), or vehicle (n = 10). Drugs were administered for 3 consecutive days. Infarct volume was determined by image analysis in thionin-stained brain sections 4 days after ischemia. iNOS mRNA was detected with the use of reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS Cerebral ischemia led to iNOS mRNA expression in the affected brain 48 hours after induction of ischemia. Administration of aminoguanidine reduced neocortical infarct volume by 26% (P < .05 versus vehicle, ANOVA and Tukey's test), a reduction that was antagonized by coadministration of L-arginine (P > .05 versus vehicle). Administration of L-arginine alone, but not D-arginine, enlarged the infarct by 29% (P < .05). Aminoguanidine or L-arginine did not influence the increase in water content in the postischemic brain, indicating that the effect on infarct volume is not related to modulation of ischemic edema. CONCLUSIONS These results demonstrate that cerebral ischemia is also associated with iNOS expression in a minimally invasive model of transient MCA occlusion and that iNOS inhibition reduces focal ischemic damage. The findings support the hypothesis that nitric oxide produced by iNOS contributes to ischemic brain damage and that inhibition of iNOS may be a valuable tool in the management of cerebral ischemia.
Soluble Fibrinogen-Like Protein 2/Fibroleukin Exhibits Immunosuppressive Properties: Suppressing T Cell Proliferation and Inhibiting Maturation of Bone Marrow-Derived Dendritic Cells1

Fibrinogen-like protein 2 (fgl2)/fibroleukin is a member of the fibrinogen-related protein superfamily. In addition to its established role in triggering thrombosis, it is known to be secreted by T cells. The soluble fgl2 (sfgl2) protein generated in a baculovirus expression system bound to both T cells and bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (DC) in a specific manner. sfgl2 exhibited immunomodulatory properties capable of inhibiting T cell proliferation stimulated by alloantigens, anti-CD3/anti-CD28 mAbs, and Con A in a dose-dependent manner; however, it had no inhibitory effects on CTL activity. The time- and dose-dependent inhibitory effect of sfgl2 on alloreactive T cell proliferation could be neutralized by a mAb against mouse fgl2. Polarization toward a Th2 cytokine profile with decreased production of IL-2 and IFN-γ and increased production of IL-4 and IL-10 was observed in sfgl2-treated allogeneic cultures. Exposure of immature DC to sfgl2 abrogated the expression of CD80high and MHC class IIhigh molecules and markedly inhibited NF-κB nuclear translocation, thus inhibiting their maturation. sFgl2-treated DC had an impaired ability to stimulate allogeneic T cell proliferation. Maximal inhibition of proliferation was observed when allogeneic T cells were cultured with sfgl2-treated DC and sfgl2 protein was added in the culture. These data provide the first evidence to demonstrate that sfgl2 exerts immunosuppressive effects on T cell proliferation and DC maturation.
The Ceiling Trumps the Cliff – Gender-Related Promotion Patterns to Executive Boards in DAX-Firms

Previous field studies on the glass cliff hypothesis in corporate settings focused on the Anglo-American context and yielded mixed results. This study analyzes promotion patterns to executive boards in Germany, the country of largest economic power in Europe. Screening the boards of all 160 firms listed in the German DAX-30, MDAX, SDAX and TecDAX from 1999 to 2014 yields a sample of 75 female executive director appointments; this sample is matched with an equal number of male directors. For two years before and after board members’ appointments, we measure company performance by daily stock prices and annual accounting-based measures. Results contradict the glass cliff hypothesis: Firms more likely promote women to their boards in times of stability. After the appointment decision, they continue to perform better than their competitors appointing men. Nonetheless, shareholders disapprove of the appointment of women, particularly in times of crises.
Regulatory capital and stability of Islamic and conventional banks

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is twofold. First, it attempts to determine the factors that influence the stability of Islamic and conventional banks. Second, it focuses on the relationship between the regulatory capital and bank soundness. Design/methodology/approach - Thus, the authors use the Z-score to assess the stability of Islamic and conventional banks operating in the Middle East and North Africa region over the period 1999 to 2014. Findings - The comparative analysis reveals that Islamic banks seem to be less stable than their conventional peers. With regard to the determinants of bank stability, the findings suggest that the regulatory capital represents the primordial factor that reinforces the soundness of banking systems. The authors also find that bank stability depends on both bank-specific variables as well as macroeconomic and institutional variables. Interestingly, the corruption level turns out to have a significant negative effect on financial strength in the both types of banks. Originality/value - The authors believe that investigating the relationship between regulatory capital and the failure risk in a comparative study between Islamic and conventional banks deserves a particular attention and looks very interesting because it will allow them to identify the difference between the factors explaining the failure risk of each type of banks. The authors also believe that the analysis of the relationship between corruption and bank stability is very interesting because corruption can be seen as an example of moral hazard which forces Islamic banks to use non-PLS instruments.