Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Will 'other effective area-based conservation measures' increase recognition and support for ICCAs?

This paper reflects on IUCN’s ongoing progress to develop technical guidance on ‘other effective area-based conservation measures’ (OECMs) and begins to explore under what conditions OECMs – as a new form of recognition – might make a positive contribution to territories and areas conserved by Indigenous peoples and local communities (abbreviated to ‘ICCAs’). It argues that while the protected areas framework is a potentially useful means by which to recognise the biodiversity contributions of some ICCAs, it is not universally appropriate. In this context, and subject to important caveats, OECM-related frameworks offer an important opportunity to increase recognition and support for ICCAs. The paper concludes with two practical recommendations: first for the development of supplementary guidance on OECMs and ICCAs; and second, for further discussion by a wide range of interested parties on whether ‘OECMs’ should be referred to as ‘conserved areas’.
Conditions Associated with Antibodies Against the Tumor-Associated Antigen MUC1 and Their Relationship to Risk for Ovarian Cancer

Many cancers, including ovarian, overexpress epithelial mucin (MUC1) and promote anti-MUC1 antibodies that may correlate with more favorable prognosis. By extension, risk for ovarian cancer might be reduced by preexisting MUC1-specific immunity. We measured anti-MUC1 antibodies in 705 control women, identified events predicting antibodies, and estimated ovarian cancer risk by comparing profiles of events generating antibodies in controls with those in 668 ovarian cancer cases. Factors predicting antibodies included oral contraceptive use, breast mastitis, bone fracture or osteoporosis, pelvic surgeries, nonuse of talc in genital hygiene, and to a lesser extent intrauterine device use and current smoking. There was a significant increase in the likelihood of having anti-MUC1 antibodies from 24.2% in women with 0 or 1 condition, to 51.4% in those with five or more conditions. By the same index of events, the risk for ovarian cancer was inversely associated with number of conditions predisposing to anti-MUC1 antibodies. Compared with having experienced 0 or 1 event, the adjusted risk for ovarian cancer decreased progressively with relative risks (and 95% confidence limits) of 0.69 (0.52-0.92), 0.64 (0.47-0.88), 0.49 (0.34-0.72), and 0.31 (0.16-0.61), respectively for women with two, three, four, and five or more events related to the presence of antibodies (Ptrend < 0.0001.) We conclude that several traditional and new risk factors for ovarian cancer may be explained by their ability to induce MUC1 immunity through exposure of MUC1 to immune recognition in the context of inflammatory or hormonal processes in various MUC1-positive tissues.
Detection of campylobacter in gastroenteritis: comparison of direct PCR assay of faecal samples with selective culture

The prevalence of campylobacter gastroenteritis has been estimated by bacterial isolation using selective culture. However, there is evidence that certain species and strains are not recovered on selective agars. We have therefore compared direct PCR assays of faecal samples with campylobacter culture, and explored the potential of PCR for simultaneous detection and identification to the species level. Two hundred unselected faecal samples from cases of acute gastroenteritis were cultured on modified charcoal cefoperazone deoxycholate agar and subjected to DNA extraction and PCR assay. Culture on CCDA indicated that 16 of the 200 samples contained ‘Campylobacter spp. ’. By contrast, PCR assays detected campylobacters in 19 of the 200 samples, including 15 of the culture-positive samples, and further identified them as: C. jejuni (16), C. coli (2) and C. hyointestinalis (1). These results show that PCR offers a different perspective on the incidence and identity of campylobacters in human gastroenteritis.
Competition, Corporate Governance: Substitutes or Complements? Evidence from the Warsaw Stock Exchange

In this Paper we analyse the impact of product market competition and ownership structure on corporate performance. We focus on the firms listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange, which are either privatised or newly created firms. First, we study the separate effects of competition and ownership concentration on firm level productivity growth. Next, we investigate their interaction: are they substitutes or complements? We take care of the crucial problem of potential endogeneity of explanatory variables by using GMM estimators proposed by Arellano and Bond (1991). We also control for several types of selection bias that could affect the productivity levels and productivity growth. Our results show that product market competition has a positive and significant impact on performance. Concerning the effect of ownership concentration, we find a U-shaped relationship with performance. Firms with relatively dispersed and relatively concentrated ownership have higher productivity growth than firms with an intermediate level of ownership concentration. This correlation between concentration of ownership and productivity growth is not explained by the type of the controlling shareholder. Finally, product market competition and good governance tend to reinforce each other rather than act as substitutes. Competition has no significant effect on performance for the firms with 'poor' governance; on the contrary, it has a significant positive effect in the case of firms with 'good' corporate governance.
The NS2 Proteins of Parvovirus Minute Virus of Mice Are Required for Efficient Nuclear Egress of Progeny Virions in Mouse Cells

ABSTRACT The small nonstructural NS2 proteins of parvovirus minute virus of mice (MVMp) were previously shown to interact with the nuclear export receptor Crm1. We report here the analysis of two MVM mutant genomic clones generating NS2 proteins that are unable to interact with Crm1 as a result of amino acid substitutions within their nuclear export signal (NES) sequences. Upon transfection of human and mouse cells, the MVM-NES21 and MVM-NES22 mutant genomic clones were proficient in synthesis of the four virus-encoded proteins. While the MVM-NES22 clone was further able to produce infectious mutant virions, no virus could be recovered from cells transfected with the MVM-NES21 clone. Whereas the defect of MVM-NES21 appeared to be complex, the phenotype of MVM-NES22 could be traced back to a novel distinct NS2 function. Infection of mouse cells with the MVM-NES22 mutant led to stronger nuclear retention not only of the NS2 proteins but also of infectious progeny MVM particles. This nuclear sequestration correlated with a severe delay in the release of mutant virions in the medium and with prolonged survival of the infected cell populations compared with wild-type virus-treated cultures. This defect could explain, at least in part, the small size of the plaques generated by the MVM-NES22 mutant when assayed on mouse indicator cells. Altogether, our data indicate that the interaction of MVMp NS2 proteins with the nuclear export receptor Crm1 plays a critical role at a late stage of the parvovirus life cycle involved in release of progeny viruses.
The temporospatial expression of peripheral myelin protein 22 at the developing blood‐nerve and blood‐brain barriers

Peripheral myelin protein 22 (PMP22), also known as growth arrest‐specific gene 3 (gas3), is a tetraspan membrane protein whose misexpression is associated with demyelinating peripheral neuropathies. Although the function of PMP22 in Schwann cells is unknown, the protein is found at intercellular junctions of various epithelia and endothelia. To begin to elucidate the role of PMP22 at cell junctions, we examined the temporal expression and protein localization during development and maturation of the rat blood‐nerve barrier (BNB) and blood‐brain barrier (BBB). Developing and adult rat sciatic nerves and brains were coimmunostained for PMP22 and known junctional proteins including zonula occludens‐1 (ZO‐1), occludin, and claudin‐5. Prior to the maturation of the BNB and BBB and detection of the tight junction protein occludin, PMP22 is present at ZO‐1 positive endothelial junctions of the sciatic nerve and brain cortex. The subcellular localization of PMP22 in cultured brain endothelia was confirmed by internalization with ZO‐1 after EGTA‐induced disruption of cell junctions. In choroid epithelia, PMP22 is detected along with occludin and ZO‐1 as early as embryonic day 15 (E15). In agreement, PMP22 message is elevated in P1 rat brain microvasculature and choroid epithelia, compared with total cortex. Additionally, neuroepithelial cell junctions in the embryonic rat brain are immunoreactive for PMP22, ZO‐1, and β‐catenin but not occludin. Together, these studies identify PMP22 as an early constituent of intercellular junctions in the developing and mature rat BNB and BBB. J. Comp. Neurol. 474:578–588, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Progression of Alloresponse and Tissue‐Specific Immunity during Graft Coronary Artery Disease

Chronic rejection remains the major obstacle for long‐term transplant survival. Both indirect alloresponse and tissue‐specific autoimmunity have been implicated in its pathogenesis. The interrelationship between these two types of host anti‐graft response remains poorly understood. We have developed an immunosuppression‐free mouse model of graft coronary artery disease (GCAD), in which all FVB (H‐2q) cardiac allografts placed into minor Ag (mHC)‐mismatched DBA/1 (H‐2q) hosts survived more than 112 days, and developed GCAD. We then examined the kinetics of both anti‐mHC alloresponse and host autoimmunity against heart‐specific antigen, cardiac myosin (CM). At 8 days post‐transplantation, recipient mice showed minimal intragraft inflammation and apoptosis, and limited expansion of allo‐specific T cells. In addition, we observed early production of anti‐myosin IgG1 autoantibodies, which occurred in the absence of activated CM‐specific T lymphocytes. By day 56, GCAD indices, the numbers of mHC‐ and CM‐reactive T cells, and the levels of circulating allo‐ and CM‐specific antibodies were all significantly increased. While host alloresponse was exhausted at 112 days post‐transplant, T‐cell reactivity against CM persisted. Our data suggest that both allo‐ and tissue‐specific immunity might contribute to the induction of GCAD. They indicate that continual autoimmune response against graft tissue antigens may provide for GCAD sustenance.
Separation of Petroleum Hydrocarbons from Soil and Groundwater through Enhanced Bioremediation

Abstract In this study, enhance air biosparging techniques were investigated for remediating VOC-contaminated subsurface. Desired injection manners were acquired through batch- and bench-scale experiments in order to reduce the operating costs, eliminate the need for off-gas treatment, and enhance the efficiency of contaminant removal. The fate of benzene in water and water-soil systems under a variety of conditions was examined. Blank experiments were conducted to compare the efficiencies of different enhancement measures in promoting biodegradation. The effects of soil properties and injection manners on benzene removal were investigated through a number of experimental runs. The results indicated that using pulsed air injection in an air biosparging system could significantly reduce benzene concentration in both the pure fine-sand-without-clay system and the system with 95% fine sand and 5% clay. The rates of aerobic biodegradation for benzene in both water and water-soil systems were generally high in the study systems. Also, the effect of clay content (in fine sand) on benzene removal is significant at low air flow rate. The removal efficiency generally decreases with the increase of clay content.
Banking responses in the wake of the global financial crisis

As prime components in the global financial architecture, banking institutions are exposed to the deleterious consequences of international financial contagion processes. This paper analyses the performance of the banking industry both prior to and during the Global Financial Crisis (GFC). Through the application of a regime-switching model specifically designed to capture heterogeneity, our findings suggest that banking responses could be grouped into two distinctive clusters, each with its own specific regime dynamics. Before the crisis, a cluster of banking institutions pertaining to advanced economies stands out by its buyont performance, whereas a second cluster, mainly comprised of banking institutions belonging to emerging economies, exhibited a more subdued performance; this differentiation was accompanied by low regime synchronisation between the clusters. During the crisis, the latter cluster differentiation became more subdued as banking institutions behaved similarly and regime synchronisation increased, while differences in the regime dynamics vanished. Finally, the GFC constituted a highly synchronised and systemic extreme financial event, revealing the potency of severe underlying international financial contagion processes.
A multifunctional peptide based on the neutrophil immune defense molecule, CAP37, has antibacterial and wound‐healing properties

CAP37, a protein constitutively expressed in human neutrophils and induced in response to infection in corneal epithelial cells, plays a significant role in host defense against infection. Initially identified through its potent bactericidal activity for Gram‐negative bacteria, it is now known that CAP37 regulates numerous host cell functions, including corneal epithelial cell chemotaxis. Our long‐term goal is to delineate the domains of CAP37 that define these functions and synthesize bioactive peptides for therapeutic use. We report the novel finding of a multifunctional domain between aa 120 and 146. Peptide analogs 120–146 QR, 120–146 QH, 120–146 WR, and 120–146 WH were synthesized and screened for induction of corneal epithelial cell migration by use of the modified Boyden chamber assay, antibacterial activity, and LPS‐binding activity. In vivo activity was demonstrated by use of mouse models of sterile and infected corneal wounds. The identity of the amino acid at position 132 (H vs. R) was important for cell migration and in vivo corneal wound healing. All analogs demonstrated antimicrobial activity. However, analogs containing a W at position 131 showed significantly greater antibacterial activity against the Gram‐negative pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa. All analogs bound P. aeruginosa LPS. Topical administration of analog 120–146 WH, in addition to accelerating corneal wound healing, effectively cleared a corneal infection as a result of P. aeruginosa. In conclusion, we have identified a multifunctional bioactive peptide, based on CAP37, that induces cell migration, possesses antibacterial and LPS‐binding activity, and is effective at healing infected and noninfected corneal wounds in vivo.
Diabetes-Induced Alterations in the Extracellular Matrix and Their Impact on Myocardial Function

Abstract Diabetes is an increasing public health problem that is expected to escalate in the future due to the growing incidence of obesity in the western world. While this disease is well known for its devastating effects on the kidneys and vascular system, diabetic individuals can develop cardiac dysfunction, termed diabetic cardiomyopathy, in the absence of other cardiovascular risk factors such as hypertension or atherosclerosis. While much effort has gone into understanding the effects of elevated glucose or altered insulin sensitivity on cellular components within the heart, significant changes in the cardiac extracellular matrix (ECM) have also been noted. In this review article we highlight what is currently known regarding the effects diabetes has on both the expression and chemical modification of proteins within the ECM and how the fibrotic response often observed as a consequence of this disease can contribute to reduced cardiac function.
Revisiting the Uppsala internationalization model: Social network theory and overcoming the liability of outsidership

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to utilize key insights from social network theory (SNT) to enhance understanding of overcoming the liability of outsidership as a prerequisite for firm internationalization. Specifically, it examines the influence of structural attributes of networks on the motivational stance of both network insiders and outsiders in relation to overcoming the liability of outsidership. A related aim is to explore the role of network positions of insider actors in terms of its impact on the speed of market entry. Design/methodology/approach The paper draws on the extant literatures on firm internationalization, particularly the liability of outsidership, and SNT to identify to what extent SNT can be utilized to deeply understand the process of overcoming the liability of outsidership. The authors put forward eight propositions linking structural and positioning attributes of networks with overcoming the liability of outsidership. Findings SNT provides strong potential for a more comprehensive understanding of the internationalization phenomena through shedding light on the relationship between the liability of foreignness and the liability of outsidership. The paper demonstrates that while the cost of overcoming the liability of outsidership is higher in closed target network as compared to open networks, the expected benefits of an insidership position in closed or open networks are affected by the outsider firm’s perception of the liability of foreignness in the market it wishes to enter. Considering the differential enabling characteristics of closed and open networks in terms of facilitating tacit knowledge sharing as opposed to explicit information flows, the authors reveal that liability of foreignness operates as a negative moderator for the relationship between network structure and the willingness of the outsider to invest in gaining insidership. The analysis of the paper also shows that the positional attributes of the network insider are relevant in outsiders’ motivation in terms of the speed of market entry that they seek to achieve. Originality/value This study theoretically contributes to the internationalization research through integrating SNT with the liability of outsidership understanding of firm internationalization. This is a timely attempt as no systematic application of the conceptual apparatus of SNT in the internationalization research context has been studied. It adds a more coherent inside-out perspective into the overcoming the liability of outsidership discussion which has been extensively dominated by an outside-in perspective.
Colonoscopy findings in end-stage liver disease patients with incidental CT colonic wall thickening.

OBJECTIVE Colonic wall thickening may occur in patients with end-stage liver disease. This study was conducted to correlate colonoscopy with CT-detected colonic wall thickening in this group of patients to assess their radiologic and clinical relevance. CONCLUSION Our results suggest that CT findings of colonic wall thickening in end-stage liver disease should be considered benign, and colonoscopy is unnecessary for the evaluation of malignancy or colitis unless it is clinically indicated.
Controlling Cardiac Arrhythmias: New Drugs in Development and Insights From Molecular Biology

From the Wyeth-Ayerst Research, Clinical Research and Development, Radnor, Pennsylvania. Reprint requests: Dr. Thomas J. Colatsky, Wyeth-Ayerst Research, P. O. Box 42528, Philadelphia, PA 19101-2528. The control of cardiac arrhythmias and the prevention of sudden death remain major therapeutic challenges. Despite steady declines in coronary mortality in the United States and other developed nations, cardiovascular disease is projected to be the leading cause of death worldwide by the year 2020 (1). The American Heart Association reports 250,000 sudden cardiac deaths each year among U.S. adults and the presence of atrial fibrillation in close to 2 million Americans, 15 % of whom will suffer a stroke as a direct result. In patients with congestive heart failure, nearly half the deaths are sudden and presumably arrhythmic, despite encouraging new data supporting reductions in arrhythmic mortality with beta-blockers (2) and angiotensin II antagonists (3). To date, large, well-controlled, prospective trials have not demonstrated that suppressing arrhythmias or preventing their induction during provocative clinical testing can actually make patients live longer. The National Institutes of Health-sponsored Cardiac Arrhythmia Suppression Trial (CAST I and II) demonstrated increases in both total and sudden arrhythmic death in patients whose ventricular arrhythmias were controlled by the class I agents flecainide, encainide, or moricizine (4,5). The Survival With Oral D-Sotalol (SWORD) trial was terminated prematurely because patients receiving dsotalol appeared nearly twice as likely to die as patients receiving placebo (6). In the recently concluded DIAMOND study, Pfizer’s dofetilide failed to reduce mortality in patients with heart failure or myocardial infarction, although good efficacy has been reported in converting atrial fibrillation to sinus rhythm (7). To date, the only antiarrhythmic drug (apart from beta-blockers) shown to reduce mortality and cardiac events in patients with ischemic heart disease has been amiodarone, a compound with complex electrophysiological and antisympathetic effects. A recent meta-analysis of data from 6,500 patients with recent myocardial infarction or congestive heart failure (ATMA) showed that amiodarone treatment produced a 13% reduc-
Credit Shock Propagation Along Supply Chains: Evidence from the CDS Market

Using a panel of credit default swap (CDS) spreads and supply chain links, we observe that both favorable and unfavorable credit shocks propagate through supply chains in the CDS market. Particularly, the three-day cumulative abnormal CDS spread change (CASC) is 63 basis points for firms whose customers experienced a CDS up-jump event (an adverse credit shock). The value is 74 basis points if their suppliers experienced a CDS up-jump event. The corresponding three-day CASC values are –36 and –38 basis points, respectively, for firms whose customers and suppliers, respectively, experienced an extreme CDS down-jump event (a favorable credit shock). These effects are approximately twice as large for adverse credit shocks originating from natural disasters. Credit shock propagation is absent in inactive supply chains and is amplified if supply chain partners are followed by the same analysts. Industry competition and financial linkages between supply chain partners, such as trade credit and large sales exposure, amplify the shock propagation along supply chains. Strong shock propagation persists through second and third supply chain tiers for adverse shocks but attenuates for favorable shocks. This paper was accepted by Kay Giesecke, finance.