Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Consumption, Wealth and Expected Stock Returns in Australia

The present paper investigates the relationship between consumption, labour income and household wealth in Australia within the inter-temporal consumption framework developed by Lettau and Ludvigson (2001). We first test for a long-run relationship among these series and then investigate whether private dissaving, measured as the deviation from the estimated relationship, has information content for future stock returns. We find that private dissaving has predictive power for quarterly returns on the ASX200 and for returns over long holding periods. The recent substantial decline in private dissaving suggests that consumers view the recent surge in non-financial wealth as transitory and expect a correction.
The Utilization Pattern and Costs Analysis of Psychotropic Drugs at a Neuropsychiatric Hospital in Nigeria

Background/Aim: Drug utilisation study is essential for evaluating patient care to improve service delivery through awareness creation for appropriate choice of drugs. The study analysed the prescription pattern and associated costs of psychotropic drugs at the outpatient unit of a mental health facility in Nigeria, to assess and document information for enhancing rational and cost-effective use of psychotropic medicines. Methods: A retrospective analysis of prescription records covering 8 September and 28 October 2008, was carried out using the WHO recommended use indicators, adapted for mental health care. Data was analysed for number of drugs, number of prescriptions, cost of prescription and cost per defined daily dose (DDD). Results: 1,756 prescriptions were analysed. Each prescription contained an average of 2.1 (±0.75) drugs, at a mean cost of N1, 089 (±N2, 127). Antipsychotics accounted for the highest number of prescribed drugs in 82% (1441/1756) of prescriptions, followed by antidepressants, 13%. Atypical antipsychotics were the most expensive psychotropics at an average cost per DDD of N241.67 (±N97.77), about 35 times the average cost per DDD of traditional psychotropics at N7.00 (±N2.65), which were the cheapest, accounting for over 90% of total prescriptions. Conclusion: The high use frequency of antipsychotics suggests psychosis as the Original Research Article British Journal of Pharmaceutical Research, 4(3): 325-337, 2014 326 prevalent mental health disorders in the environment. Significant antipsychoticantipsychotic combinations indicate scope for improving the use of antipsychotics. Average cost of prescription reflects the economic status of patients’ population where cost appears to be the major consideration of the choice of prescribers, limiting the use of newer and better tolerated psychotropics. Policy measures are required to improve access to the utilisation of newer psychotropics for enhanced quality of life of patients. The study provides a baseline data for carrying out further utilisation studies, to provide regular information for improving psychotropic drugs utilisation in mental health facilities in Nigeria.
Sibling (Non) Rivalry: The Relationship Between Siblings' College Choices

Research consistently shows that college choice in an important predictor of college completion and labor market outcomes. These longer term implications of college choice, combined with suboptimal choices made by many low-income but high-achieving students, has sparked several large-scale initiatives to improve college choice. Strategically targeting those students most susceptible to making questionable decisions in the college-choice process remains challenging, as variation in college choice is largely unexplained by easily measurable socio-demographic characteristics. This paper explores the potential to improve upon existing models and, more generally, to better understand college choice by documenting the similarities in college enrollment patterns between younger and older siblings. To do so, we identify siblings in the millions of SAT test-takers between the 2004 and 2011 high school graduation cohorts. We find that younger siblings enroll in the same college as their older sibling 21.2 percent of the time. Also, conditional on their own SAT scores, we find that younger siblings whose older siblings enrolled in four-year colleges and the most selective colleges are 17.4 and 21.3 percentage points, respectively, more likely to themselves enroll in four-year and the most selective colleges. Overall, adding characteristics and enrollment decisions of older siblings to standard college choice models improves model fit and consequently, are valuable pieces of information for explanatory and predictive power.
Normal kinetics of intestinal glucose absorption in the absence of GLUT2: Evidence for a transport pathway requiring glucose phosphorylation and transfer into the endoplasmic reticulum

Glucose is absorbed through the intestine by a transepithelial transport system initiated at the apical membrane by the cotransporter SGLT-1; intracellular glucose is then assumed to diffuse across the basolateral membrane through GLUT2. Here, we evaluated the impact of GLUT2 gene inactivation on this transepithelial transport process. We report that the kinetics of transepithelial glucose transport, as assessed in oral glucose tolerance tests, was identical in the presence or absence of GLUT2; that the transport was transcellular because it could be inhibited by the SGLT-1 inhibitor phlorizin, and that it could not be explained by overexpression of another known glucose transporter. By using an isolated intestine perfusion system, we demonstrated that the rate of transepithelial transport was similar in control and GLUT2−/− intestine and that it was increased to the same extent by cAMP in both situations. However, in the absence, but not in the presence, of GLUT2, the transport was inhibited dose-dependently by the glucose-6-phosphate translocase inhibitor S4048. Furthermore, whereas transport of [14C]glucose proceeded with the same kinetics in control and GLUT2−/− intestine, [14C]3-O-methylglucose was transported in intestine of control but not of mutant mice. Together our data demonstrate the existence of a transepithelial glucose transport system in GLUT2−/− intestine that requires glucose phosphorylation and transfer of glucose-6-phosphate into the endoplasmic reticulum. Glucose may then be released out of the cells by a membrane traffic-based pathway similar to the one we previously described in GLUT2-null hepatocytes.
Aldehydes and dicarbonyls in non-enzymic glycosylation of proteins.

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Association of pioglitazone treatment with decreased bone mineral density in obese premenopausal patients with polycystic ovary syndrome: a randomized, placebo-controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE Our objective was to investigate the effect of pioglitazone on bone mineral density (BMD) and bone turnover markers in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). DESIGN AND SETTING We conducted a randomized, placebo-controlled study at an outpatient clinic at a university hospital. PATIENTS Thirty premenopausal patients with PCOS and 14 age- and weight-matched healthy females participated. INTERVENTIONS Pioglitazone (30 mg/d) or placebo was given for 16 wk. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Measurements of BMD [hip (neck and total) and lumbar spine (L2-L4)], bone metabolic parameters [alkaline phosphatase (ALP), 25-hydroxyvitamin D, C-telopeptide of type I collagen (ICTP), osteocalcin, and PTH], endocrine profiles (testosterone, estradiol, and insulin), and body composition (waist to hip ratio, body mass index, and whole-body dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry scans) were performed. RESULTS Patients with PCOS had significantly higher levels of ICTP, fasting insulin, and testosterone than controls, whereas no differences were measured in ALP, PTH, body composition, or BMD. Pioglitazone treatment was followed by reduced BMD [geometric means (-2 to +2 sd)]: lumbar spine 1.140 (0.964-1.348) vs. 1.127 (0.948-1.341) g/cm(2) (average decline 1.1%) and femoral neck 0.966 (0.767-1.217) vs. 0.952 (0.760-1.192) g/cm(2) (average decline 1.4%), both P < 0.05. Both ALP and PTH decreased significantly during pioglitazone treatment, whereas no significant changes were measured in 25-hydroxyvitamin D, ICTP, osteocalcin, sex hormones, and body composition. CONCLUSION Pioglitazone treatment was followed by decreased lumbar and hip BMD and decreased measures of bone turnover in a premenopausal study population relatively protected from bone mineral loss.
Bacterial conjugative transfer: visualization of successful mating pairs and plasmid establishment in live Escherichia coli

We used the LacO/GFP–LacI system to label and visualize the IncPβ plasmid R751 fluorescently during conjugative transfer between live donor and recipient bacteria. Comparisons of R751 in conjugative and non‐conjugative conditions have allowed us to identify key localizations and movements associated with the initiation of conjugative transfer in the donor and the establishment of R751 in the recipient. A survey of successful mating pairs demonstrates that close physical contact between donor and recipient bacteria is required for DNA transfer and that regions of intimate contact can occur at any location on the donor or recipient cell membrane. The transferred DNA is positioned at the characteristic centre or quarter‐cell position after conversion to a double‐stranded molecule in the recipient cell. Initial duplication of plasmids often results in an asymmetric distribution of plasmid foci. Symmetric localization (either at centre or at 1/4 and 3/4 cell lengths) occurs only after a significant lag, presumably reflecting the time required to synthesize the plasmid‐encoded partitioning proteins.
Anaplastic large cell lymphoma involving the breast: a clinicopathologic study of 6 cases and review of the literature.

CONTEXT Lymphomas involving the breast are rare, and most cases are of B-cell lineage; T-cell neoplasms represent less than 10% of all breast lymphomas. OBJECTIVE To define the clinicopathologic spectrum of anaplastic large cell lymphomas (ALCLs) involving the breast. DESIGN Six cases of ALCL involving the breast were identified at a single institution during 21 years. The clinicopathologic and immunophenotypic features are presented, and the literature is reviewed. RESULTS All patients were women, with a median age of 52 years. There were 4 anaplastic lymphoma kinase- negative (ALK(-)) ALCL cases; 3 of these neoplasms developed around breast implants. Two patients with ALK(-) ALCL had a history of cutaneous ALCL. There were 2 ALK(+) ALCLs; both patients had stage IV disease. Histologically, all neoplasms were composed of large anaplastic cells that were uniformly CD30(+) and expressed markers of T-cell lineage. Four patients with adequate follow-up are alive, with a mean of 4.1 years (range, 1.5-9 years) after diagnosis of the breast tumor. Included in this group are 2 patients with ALK(-) ALCL associated with breast implants who were alive 4 years and 9 years after diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS Including the 6 cases we describe, a total of 21 cases of ALCL involving the breast are reported. Fifteen cases, all ALK(-), were associated with breast implants, suggesting a possible pathogenetic relationship, and associated with an excellent prognosis. Patients with cutaneous ALCL can subsequently develop ALK(-) ALCL involving the breast, and these tumors can be associated with breast implants.
Application of q charts for short-run autocorrelated data

Traditional control charts are designed for processes where data are indepen- dent and identically distributed and where large historical data sets are available before a production run for estimating process parameters and computing control limits. Many processes, particularly in semiconductor manufacturing, often involve limited data sets, which result from high-mix low-volume production; in many cases, data are correlated. Therefore, charting techniques for treating short-run autocorrelated data are required. In this paper, we assess the effectiveness of control charts based on Q statistics by applying them to actual data obtained from a horizontal low-pressure chemical vapor deposition process used in semiconductor manufacturing. Our results show that Q charts enable the plotting of different types of data on the same chart, and that Q charts can detect real anomalies in data. Furthermore, we show that both Q statistics and Q statistics applied to the residuals of a time series model are practical, useful methods for the processes
Intratumoral heterogeneity and TERT promoter mutations in progressive/higher-grade meningiomas

Background Recent studies have reported mutations in the telomerase reverse transcriptase promoter (TERTp) in meningiomas. We sought to determine the frequency, clonality and clinical significance of telomere gene alterations in a cohort of patients with progressive/higher-grade meningiomas. Methods We characterized 64 temporally- and regionally-distinct specimens from 26 WHO grade III meningioma patients. On initial diagnoses, the meningiomas spanned all WHO grades (3 grade I, 13 grade II and 10 grade III). The tumor samples were screened for TERTp and ATRX/DAXX mutations, and TERT rearrangements. Additionally, TERTp was sequenced in a separate cohort of 19 patients with radiation-associated meningiomas. We examined the impact of mutational status on patients’ progression and overall survival. Results Somatic TERTp mutations were detected in six patients (6/26 = 23%). Regional intratumoral heterogeneity in TERTp mutation status was noted. In 4 patients, TERTp mutations were detected in recurrent specimens but not in the available specimens of the first surgery. Additionally, a TERT gene fusion (LPCAT1-TERT) was found in one sample. In contrary, none of the investigated samples harbored an ATRX or DAXX mutation. In the cohort of radiation-induced meningiomas, TERTp mutation was detected in two patients (10.5%). Importantly, we found that patients with emergence of TERTp mutations had a substantially shorter OS than their TERTp wild-type counterparts (2.7 years, 95% CI 0.9 – 4.5 years versus 10.8 years, 95% CI 7.8 -12.8 years, p=0.003). Conclusions In progressive/higher-grade meningiomas,TERTp mutations are associated with poor survival, supporting a model in which selection of this alteration is a harbinger of aggressive tumor development. In addition, we observe spatial intratumoral heterogeneity of TERTp mutation status, consistent with this model of late emergence in tumor evolution. Thus, early detection of TERTp mutations may define patients with more aggressive meningiomas. Stratification for TERT alterations should be adopted in future clinical trials of progressive/higher-grade meningiomas.
Different effects of two regeneration regimens on immunological parameters in cyclists.

PURPOSE To investigate the effect of 4-d active regeneration of different duration on immunological parameters after 2 wk of intensive training. METHODS In a cross-over design 11 male cyclists conducted 13 d of intensive training followed by 4 d of low-intensity cycling for either 1 or 3 h each day (sequence randomized). Before the intensive training (test 1), between training and regeneration (test 2), and after the regeneration period (test 3), subjects were tested in the lab: venous blood sampling (immunological parameters; flow cytometry) and incremental exercise stage test on acycle ergometer. RESULTS Average values of lymphocytes and natural killer (NK) cells decreased significantly from test 1 to test 2 and were influenced differently by 1- and 3-h cycling (P = 0.018 and 0.039, respectively); 1-h cycling restored values from test 1, whereas 3 h led to a further decrease in lymphocyte and NK cell concentrations. This pattern was resembled by the courses of maximal heart rate and maximal blood lactate concentration during incremental cycling exercise. In leukocytes, tests 2 and 3 differed significantly from test 1 (P = 0.048 and 0.031, respectively), but there was no significant effect of the regeneration duration (P = 039). Neither the concentration of neutrophils nor the neutrophil oxidative burst was significantly influenced by the training period or by one of the regeneration phases. CONCLUSIONS The present results indicate that low-intensity regenerative training sessions in cyclists should preferably be conducted for shorter durations than 3 h. It was demonstrated that 4-d cycling of 1 h each day reversed ergometric and immunological changes indicative of fatigue after 2 wk of intensive training.
Hoarding behaviors of two wood mouse species: Different preference for acorns of two Fagaceae species

Two species of wood mouse, Apodemus argenteus and A. speciosus, were observed consuming and hoarding acorns of Quercus serrata and Castanopsis cuspidata. When each species of acorn was supplied individually, both species of mice used each species of acorn for eating and hoarding. When both species of acorn were supplied, A. argenteus consumed or hoarded only C. cuspidata, whereas A. speciosus tended to eat C. cuspidata acorns at the feeding site, and disperse or hoard Q. serrata acorns. Apodemus speciosus is unlikely to disperse C. cuspidata acorns (their utilization was biased towards consumption) when Q. serrata acorns are also available. Apodemus argenteus will make almost no contribution to the dispersal of Q. serrata when the two acorn species coexist.
Greedy heuristics for the bounded diameter minimum spanning tree problem

Given a connected, weighted, undirected graph G and a bound D, the bounded diameter minimum spanning tree problem seeks a spanning tree on G of minimum weight among the trees in which no path between two vertices contains more than D edges. In Prim's algorithm, the diameter of the growing spanning tree can always be known, so it is a good starting point from which to develop greedy heuristics for the bounded diameter problem. Abdalla, Deo, and Gupta described such an algorithm. It imitates Prim's algorithm but avoids edges whose inclusion in the spanning tree would violate the diameter bound. Running the algorithm from one start vertex requires time that is O(n3). A modification of this approach uses the start vertex as the center of the spanning tree (if D is even) or as one of the two center vertices (if D is odd). This yields a simpler algorithm whose time is O(n2). A further modification chooses each next vertex at random rather than greedily, though it still connects each vertex to the growing tree with the lowest-weight feasible edge. On Euclidean problem instances with small diameter bounds, the randomized heuristic is superior to the two fully greedy algorithms, though its advantage fades as the diameter bound grows. On instances whose edge weights have been chosen at random, the fully greedy algorithms outperform the randomized heuristic.
Chromosome integration domain for bovine leukemia provirus in tumors

The 3'-end host-virus junction fragments from two bovine leukemia virus (BLV)-induced lymphoid tumors (tumors 15-4 and 1351), each containing a single provirus, were used as probes to detect large restriction fragments flanking these proviruses. The DNAs from 28 other independent BLV-induced tumors were checked by Southern analysis of their restriction fragments for possible rearrangement due to the insertion of a BLV provirus in the cellular sequences corresponding to those flanking the proviruses in tumors 15-4 and 1351. In no case did proviral integration occur in cellular sequences corresponding to those implicated in the tumors of origin. According to the statistical analysis performed, if a preferential domain for BLV integration exists, it has a size of 1,304 kilobases when the probability of not observing an integration event in the cellular fragments considered in tumors 15-4 and 1351 is 0.50.
Mowat-Wilson syndrome: Clinical and molecular report of the first case in mainland China

Mowat-Wilson syndrome (MWS, MIM #235730) is a rare genetic disorder characterized by moderate-tosevere mental retardation, a recognizable facial gestalt and multiple congenital anomalies. The striking facial phenotype in addition to other features such as microcephaly, congenital heart defects, Hirschsprung disease (HSCR), severely delayed motor/speech development, seizures, short stature, corpus callosum agenesis and hypospadias are particularly important clues for the initial clinical diagnosis. All molecularly confirmed cases with typical MWS have a heterozygous loss-of-function mutation in the ZEB2 (zinc finger E-box binding homeobox 2) gene, suggesting that haploinsufficiency of the protein is the main pathological mechanism. Here, we report the first individual with MWS in mainland China confirmed by molecular genetic testing. A 1-day-old girl was referred to the department of surgery for abdominal distension and failure to pass meconium. Targeted exome sequencing revealed a de novo heterozygous nonsense mutation (p.Arg302X) in ZEB2 in the patient. Medical record review revealed mild facial gestalt, HSCR and severe congenital heart defects supporting the diagnosis of MWS. We concluded that facial dysmorphism in newborn babies might be atypical; doctors should pay more attention during physical examination and be aware of MWS if multiple congenital defects were discovered. ZEB2 gene mutation screening would be an effective manner to clarify the diagnosis.
Soluble fiber enhances the hypocholesterolemic effect of the step I diet in childhood.

BACKGROUND Psyllium, a water-soluble fiber, has been shown to have a cholesterol-lowering effect in studies of adults. A small number of studies in children have produced variable results. METHODS A 12-week, randomized, single-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel clinical trial was conducted to test the effectiveness of psyllium in lowering total (TC) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) in 50 healthy 2 to 11 year old children. Children with two baseline LDL-C levels > or = 110 mg/dL were invited to participate in the trial, and were randomly assigned to follow a usual Step I (Control) diet of low dietary fat, saturated fat and cholesterol, or a Step I diet enriched with psyllium. Children consumed two 1-oz boxes of cereal per day, with each box of psyllium-enriched cereal containing 3.2 g of soluble fiber, and each box of placebo cereal containing less than 0.5 g of soluble fiber. RESULTS Greater reduction of total and LDL-cholesterol, and increase in HDL-cholesterol were noted after 12 weeks of the psyllium-enriched Step I diet compared to the Step I control diet. Total cholesterol decreased 21 mg/dL for the high fiber group compared with 11.5 mg/dL for the control group. LDL-C decreased 23 mg/dL for the high fiber group compared with 8.5 mg/dL for the control group. HDL-C increased 4 mg/dL for the high fiber group compared with 1 mg/dL for the controls. TC/HDL and LDL/HDL ratios decreased significantly more so for the high fiber group as well. CONCLUSIONS In this 12-week study, soluble fiber (psyllium) provided added benefit to the Step I diet in the treatment of hypercholesterolemia.