Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The ambivalent influence of the domestic industries on India’s meandering foreign economic policies

Abstract Most of the Indian government’s bi- and multilateral trade initiatives are stuck in political deadlock. At the same time, the unilateral measures are lurching between trade restricting and liberalizing policies. By conducting detailed investigations into the process of the trade policy formulation in three industries, this article seeks to discern the societal pressures that are driving the government’s trade preferences and policies. The empirical results show that the government’s tortuous dealings can be explained by two impulses of the domestic industries that have been emanated by the opening of the economy in the 1990s. Most of the domestic industries—grappling with competition from abroad—will call for some form of protection from the global markets. These compulsions, however, endanger the benefits that other domestic industries derive from the global markets—through the access to intermediate goods, foreign investments or export opportunities. This is why they will militate against protectionist interventions. The outcome is an overall consolidation of the open trade regime, which is, however, frequently upset by spats between different domestic industries over the formulation of trade policies.
Ultrasound contrast plane wave imaging

Background: Monitoring the accumulation of microbubbles within tissue vasculature with ultrasound allows both molecular and perfusion imaging. Unfortunately, conventional imaging with focused pulses can destroy a large fraction of the microbubbles it is trying to follow. Using coherent synthetic summation, ultrafast plane wave imaging could attain similar image quality, while reducing the peak acoustic pressure and bubble disruption. Method: In these experiments, microbubbles were flowed in a wall-less vessel phantom. Images were obtained on a programmable clinical scanner with a set of line-per-line focused pulses for conventional contrast imaging and with compounded plane wave transmission adapted for nonlinear imaging. Imaging was performed between 14 and 650 kPa peak negative pressure at 7.5 MHz. The disruption of the microbubbles was evaluated by comparing the microbubble intensity before and after acquisition of a set of 100 images at various pressures. Results: The acoustic intensity required to disrupt 50% of the microbubbles was 24 times higher with plane-wave imaging compared with conventional focused pulses. Although both imaging approaches yield similar resolution, at the same disruption level, plane-wave imaging showed better contrast. In particular, at similar disruption ratio (50% after 100 images), contrast-pulse sequencing (CPS) performed with plane waves displayed an improvement of 11 dB compared with conventional nonlinear imaging. Conclusion: In each resolution cell of the image, plane-wave imaging spread the spatial peak acoustic intensity over more pulses, reducing the peak pressure and, hence, preserving the microbubbles. This method could contribute to molecular imaging by allowing the continuous monitoring of the accumulation of microbubbles with improved contrast.
Investigation of the Use of Antioxidants to Diminish the Adverse Effects of Postnatal Glucocorticoid Treatment on Mortality and Cardiac Development

Background: In premature infants, glucocorticoids ameliorate chronic lung disease, but have adverse effects on growth and the cardiovascular system. Glucocorticoid excess promotes free radical overproduction and vascular dysfunction. Objectives: We hypothesized that the adverse effects of postnatal glucocorticoid therapy are secondary to oxidative stress and that antioxidant treatment would diminish unwanted effects. Methods: Male rat pups received a clinically relevant course of dexamethasone (Dex), or Dex with vitamins C and E (DexCE), on postnatal days 1–6 (P1–6). Controls received saline (Ctrl) or saline with vitamins (CtrlCE). Results: At P21, Dex reduced survival (Ctrl: 96 vs. Dex: 70%) and promoted asymmetric growth restriction (ponderal index, Ctrl: 6.3 ± 0.1 g · mm–3 × 10–5 vs. Dex: 7.4 ± 0.2 g · mm–3 × 10–5), both p < 0.05. Dex increased cardiac oxidative stress (protein expression: 4-HNE +20%, Hsp90 –42% and eNOS –54%), induced left ventricle (LV) wall thinning (LV wall volume: Ctrl: 47.2 ± 1.2 mm3 vs. Dex: 38.9 ± 1.7 mm3) and decreased the ratio of the aortic lumen:total vessel area (Ctrl: 0.74 ± 0.01 vs. Dex: 0.66 ± 0.02), all p < 0.05. DexCE restored towards control values survival, growth symmetry the aortic lumen:total vessel area, and increased the cardiac expression of Hsp90 relative to Dex. In addition, relative to controls, the decrease in the cardiac expression of eNOS was no longer significant in DexCE animals (–20.3 ± 14.4%, p > 0.05). However, DexCE did not prevent growth retardation, cardiac 4-HNE upregulation (DexCE: +29%) or LV thinning (DexCE: 40.1 ± 1.1 mm3). Treatment of neonates with vitamins alone affected somatic growth and promoted thinner LV walls (CtrlCE: 39.9 ± 0.5 mm3, p < 0.05). Conclusions: Combined glucocorticoid and antioxidant therapy in premature infants may be safer than glucocorticoids alone in the treatment of chronic lung disease. However, antioxidant therapy in healthy offspring is not recommended.
Zfrp8, the Drosophila ortholog of PDCD2, functions in lymph gland development and controls cell proliferation

We have identified a new gene, Zfrp8, as being essential for hematopoiesis in Drosophila. Zfrp8 (Zinc finger protein RP-8) is the Drosophila ortholog of the PDCD2 (programmed cell death 2) protein of unknown function, and is highly conserved in all eukaryotes. Zfrp8 mutants present a developmental delay, lethality during larval and pupal stages and hyperplasia of the hematopoietic organ, the lymph gland. This overgrowth results from an increase in proliferation of undifferentiated hemocytes throughout development and is accompanied by abnormal differentiation of hemocytes. Furthermore, the subcellular distribution ofγ -Tubulin and Cyclin B is affected. Consistent with this, the phenotype of the lymph gland of Zfpr8 heterozygous mutants is dominantly enhanced by the l(1)dd4 gene encoding Dgrip91, which is involved in anchoring γ-Tubulin to the centrosome. The overgrowth phenotype is also enhanced by a mutation in Cdc27, which encodes a component of the anaphase-promoting complex (APC) that regulates the degradation of cyclins. No evidence for an apoptotic function of Zfrp8 was found. Based on the phenotype, genetic interactions and subcellular localization of Zfrp8, we propose that the protein is involved in the regulation of cell proliferation from embryonic stages onward, through the function of the centrosome, and regulates the level and localization of cell-cycle components. The overproliferation of cells in the lymph gland results in abnormal hemocyte differentiation.
The 'Trusting Citizen': Participating in Genetic Research

Why do healthy people decide to divulge personal information and donate blood samples for genetic research? What does this decision signal about their civic duty, and how is the decision-making process mediated by aspects of the social relationship between the individual and the institution? These questions were addressed through interviewing 24 people who participated in an Australia-wide longitudinal study of the genetic and environmental causes of cancer. Participants agreed to the research readily, positioning themselves as responsible citizens through their intention to act for the good of others. It is debatable to what extent this citizenship was ‘active’ in the sense that little, if any, attention was paid to details of the research or the manner in which it was governed. Nevertheless, through trusting that correct ethical and political governance was in place, the participants shifted responsibility to the researchers/research institution. The socialrelational aspect of trust allowed the participants to justify the research in order to reduce its inherent uncertainty and complexity and to determine its legitimacy. Participants were exercising their rights to citizenship ‘from a distance’, a point that may not seem surprising, but one which complicates calls for a more engaged public in matters related to medical research.
Epiphora as a side effect of topical mitomycin C

Aim: To report symptoms and findings of lacrimal duct malfunction after topical mitomycin C (MMC) for conjunctival neoplasia. Methods: 14 consecutive patients treated with 1–6 cycles of topical 0.04% MMC four times daily for periods of 2 weeks were interviewed about symptoms of lacrimal duct malfunction. Patients who complained of tearing had examination of the puncta and canaliculi including probing and lacrimal duct irrigation. Results: Nine patients complained of epiphora after topical MMC. Three of these patients had normal puncta and canaliculi, patent to irrigation. In these patients epiphora ceased spontaneously after probing and irrigation. The additional six patients had stenosis of the punctum (n = 3), the common canaliculus (n = 1), both puncta and both canaliculi (n = 1) and complete occlusion of the lower canaliculus (n = 1). Conclusion: Obstruction of the puncta or canaliculi is not an infrequent event after topical 0.04% MMC.
Glutamate transporter expression and function in human glial progenitors

Glutamate is the major neurotransmitter of the brain, whose extracellular levels are tightly controlled by glutamate transporters. Five glutamate transporters in the human brain (EAAT1–5) are present on both astroglia and neurons. We characterize the profile of three different human astroglial progenitors in vitro: human glial restricted precursors (HGRP), human astrocyte precursors (HAPC), and early‐differentiated astrocytes. EAAT 1, EAAT3, and EAAT4 are all expressed in GRPs with a subsequent upregulation of EAAT1 following differentiation of GRPs into GRP‐derived astrocytes in the presence of bone morphogenic protein (BMP‐4). This corresponds to a significant increase in the glutamate transport capacity of these cells. EAAT2, the transporter responsible for the bulk of glutamate transport in the adult brain, is not expressed as a full‐length protein, nor does it appear to have functional significance (as determined by the EAAT2 inhibitor dihydrokainate) in these precursors. A splice variant of EAAT2, termed EAAT2b, does appear to be present in low levels, however. EAAT3 and EAAT4 expression is reduced as glial maturation progresses both in astrocyte precursors and early‐differentiated astrocytes and is consistent with their role in adult tissues as primarily neuronal glutamate transporters. These human glial precursors offer several advantages as tools for understanding glial biology because they can be passaged extensively in the presence of mitogens, afford the potential to study the temporal changes in glutamate transporter expression in a tightly controlled fashion, and are cultured in the absence of neuronal coculture, allowing for the independent study of astroglial biology. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Demographic, employment, and wage trends in South Africa

This paper looks to uncover the growth traps and opportunities for the South African economy, with a focus on underlying labour market dynamics. We explore the potential of South Africa.s demographic dividend. We also consider the structure of the labour market and the growth-employment interactions, which uncover the skills-biased labour demand path of the economy and a rising trend in the use of labour brokers to source temporary workers. Finally, we show a new labour market trend has emerged: a rise in the share of public sector employment along with higher conditional returns to public sector workers than to those in the private sector.
Early prenatal vitamin D concentrations and social-emotional development in infants

Abstract Background: Many pregnant women in the United States have suboptimal vitamin D, but the impact on infant development is unclear. Moreover, no pregnancy-specific vitamin D recommendations have been widely accepted. Aims: Given the ubiquitous expression of vitamin D receptors in the brain, we investigated the association between early prenatal plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentrations and children’s social and emotional development in the Newborn Epigenetic Study, a prospective study of pregnancies from 2009 to 2011 in Durham, North Carolina. Methods: We measured 25(OH)D concentrations in first or second trimester plasma samples and categorized 25(OH)D concentrations into quartiles. Covariates were derived from maternal questionnaires. Mothers completed the Infant Toddler Social-Emotional Development Assessment when children were 12–24 months of age. We used multivariable linear regression to evaluate associations between 25(OH)D and specific behavior scores, adjusted for season of blood draw, maternal age, education, parity, smoking, marital status, prepregnancy BMI, and infant gender. We investigated effect-measure modification by race/ethnicity. Results: Of the 218 mother–infant pairs with complete data, Black mothers had much lower 25(OH)D concentrations as compared to White and Hispanic mothers. After adjustment, lower prenatal 25(OH)D was associated with slightly higher (less favorable) Internalizing scores among White children, but lower (more favorable) Internalizing scores among Black and Hispanic children. Lower prenatal 25(OH)D also appears to be associated with higher (less favorable) dysregulation scores, though only among White and Hispanic children. Conclusions: Though imprecise, preliminary results warrant further investigation regarding a role for prenatal vitamin D on children’s early social and emotional development.
Estimating the Integrated Volatility with Tick Observations

We develop a volatility estimator that works in the presence of (i) dependent noise which can have diurnal features and be dependent on the latent price process, and (ii) irregular observation times which can be endogenous. Our estimator can hence be directly applied to tick-by-tick data. We show that the estimator enjoys the optimal rate of convergence. Simulation as well as empirical studies demonstrate clear advantages of our proposed estimator.
Detection of Helicobacter pylori and its CagA gene in tonsil and adenoid tissues by PCR.

OBJECTIVE To determine the presence of Helicobacter pylori and, if detected, the prevalence of the CagA gene in adenotonsillectomy specimens by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). DESIGN A prospective clinical trial. SETTING Tertiary referral center. PATIENTS AND METHODS The study population comprised 23 patients who had undergone adenoidectomy, tonsillectomy, or adenotonsillectomy under local or general anesthesia. Helicobacter pylori DNA was extracted from 3-mm-diameter tissue samples obtained from each tonsil and adenoid tissue specimens. The amplifications were performed for the 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) and CagA genes of H pylori in the samples of which H pylori DNA was detected. RESULTS In examining all the samples, 7 (30%) of 23 patients were shown to be positive for H pylori DNA, 5 (71%) of whom also possessed the CagA gene. CONCLUSIONS Tonsil and adenoid tissues may be an ecological niche of the mouth without regard to transient or permanent colonization. Oral-oral transmission may be a possible mode of spread of H pylori.
A very rapid and simple assay based on trogocytosis to detect and measure specific T and B cell reactivity by flow cytometry

Detection, quantification, separation and characterization of T and B cells reactive to specific antigens are important tasks in both basic and clinical immunology. Here, we describe an approach allowing the performance of all four tasks on a functional basis by flow cytometry. The assay is based on the property of lymphocytes to capture membrane components from the cells they interact with, in a process we call trogocytosis. Working with CD8+ CTL and target cells labeled with membrane markers, we describe the conditions allowing reactive lymphocytes to be detected rapidly and inexpensively within mixed populations. Accordingly, we used this method to monitor the CTL response triggered in mice after vaccination. In addition, we documented the applicability of this method to the detection of antigen‐specific CD4+ T and B cells. While our method is, for the time being, not as sensitive as staining of CTL with MHC class I multimers, it allows the simultaneous quantitative identification of reactive CD8+, CD4+ and B cells. Altogether, our method offers a simple and general alternative to other methods previously described to detect and quantify lymphocyte reactivity, and it can also be used in combination with those.
Unipolar Organic Transistor Circuits Made Robust by Dual-Gate Technology

Dual-gate organic transistor technology is used to increase the robustness of digital circuits as illustrated by higher inverter gains and noise margins. The additional gate in the technology functions as a VT-control gate. Both zero-VGS-load and diode-load logic are investigated. The noise margin of zero- VGS-load inverter increases from 1.15 V (single gate) to 2.8 V (dual gate) at 20 V supply voltage. Diode-load logic inverters show an improvement in noise margin from ~0 V to 0.7 V for single gate and dual gate inverters, respectively. These values can be increased significantly by optimizing the inverter topologies. As a result of this optimization, noise margins larger than 6 V for zero- VGS-load logic and 1.4 V for diode-load logic are obtained. Functional 99-stage ring oscillators with 2.27 μs stage delays and 64 bit organic RFID transponder chips, operating at a data rate of 4.3 kb/s, have been manufactured.
Eye Movements during Perception of Pictures in Chronic Schizophrenia

Using a device of our own built eye movements during the perception of some pictures were examined in 24 chronic schizophrenic and 20 normal subjects. While they were shown each of 4 pictures for 30 seconds, we plotted the points on which the subject's eyes fixed for a short time and observed their traces.
Still Waiting for Godot? Improving Household Consumption and Expenditures Surveys (HCES) to Enable More Evidence-Based Nutrition Policies

Background The constrained evidence base of food and nutrition policy-making compromises nutrition programs. Nutrition policy-making must do better than relying exclusively on Food and Agriculture Organization Food Balance Sheets. The strategy of relying on observed-weighed food record or 24-hour recall surveys has not proven practical either; they remain few in number, generally not nationally representative, and of dubious external validity. Although Household Consumption and Expenditures Surveys (HCES) have shortcomings, they are increasingly being used to address this information gap. Objective To promote dialog within the nutrition community, and between it and the greater community of HCES stakeholders, in order to identify their shared agenda and develop a strategy to improve HCES for analyzing food and nutrition issues. Methods The diverse origins and objectives of HCES are described, the evolution of their use in addressing food and nutrition issues is traced, and their shortcomings are identified. Results The causes, relative importance, some potential solutions, and the strategic implications of three distinct categories of shortcomings are discussed. Elements of a possible approach and process for strengthening the surveys are outlined, including identifying best practices, developing guidelines and more rigorously analyzing the tradeoffs involved in common, key survey design and implementation decisions. Conclusions To date, the nutrition community's role in most HCES has been as a passive user of secondary data. The nutrition community must become more involved in the design, implementation, and analysis of HCES by identifying criteria for prioritizing countries, establishing assessment criteria, applying the criteria in retrospective assessments, identifying key shortcomings, and recommending alternatives to ameliorate the short-comings. Several trends suggest that this is a propitious time for improving the relevance and reliability of HCES.
Liver Fat Assessed With CT Relates to MRI Markers of Incipient Brain Injury in Middle-Aged to Elderly Overweight Persons.

OBJECTIVE Obesity has been related to structural brain abnormalities. Increasing evidence suggests that accumulation of fat in the liver is an important determinant of cardiometabolic complications of obesity. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between CT-assessed liver-to-spleen attenuation ratio as a measure of liver steatosis and MRI-assessed brain tissue integrity in middle-aged to elderly persons. SUBJECTS AND METHODS CT and MRI were performed on 213 participants (114 women, 99 men; mean age, 65 ± 7 years). Brain tissue integrity was assessed by magnetization transfer imaging. Linear regression analysis was adjusted for age, sex, vascular risk factors, and total body fat estimated from bioelectrical impedance analysis. RESULTS Seventy-nine participants had normal weight (body mass index [BMI], 18.5-24.9), and 134 were overweight (BMI ≥ 25). Significant interaction was found between liver-to-spleen ratio and BMI (p = 0.001). In the overweight group, liver fat was associated with reduced brain tissue integrity in both gray matter (standardized β = 0.22; 95% CI, 0.07-0.36) and white matter (standardized β = 0.31; 95% CI, 0.15-0.45). These associations were not found in the normal weight group (gray matter standardized β = -0.08; 95% CI, -0.33 to 0.16; white matter standardized β = -0.09; 95% CI, -0.36-0.14). CONCLUSION The results indicate that liver fat assessed with CT relates to MRI markers of incipient brain injury in middle-aged to elderly overweight persons.
A Qualitative Exploration of Youth in the “New” China

School-based prevention programs are not common in China and the attempts to modify successful Western prevention programs have largely shown little effect. Distinct cultural and social systems differences could explain why modified programs have been unsuccessful. Smoking behavior is examined from the perspective of Chinese adolescents as part of the development of a large intervention trial. A total of 16 focus groups with 128 participants were conducted in Chengdu in Sichuan province of China. Impressions of adolescent smokers were mixed, most seeing the behavior as common among boys. Smokers were seen as being overwhelmed and stressed. Girls’ smoking was mostly seen as universally “bad” and reflecting poorly on a girl’s character. However, a small portion of focus group participants suggested that female smoking was fashionable and trendy. With social norms changing rapidly in the “new” China, understanding what the new generation of Chinese youth thinks about smoking is critical in determining how to address and tailor prevention efforts.
Management of Evaporative Dry Eye in Ectrodactyly-Ectodermal Dysplasia-Clefting Syndrome

Purpose. The purpose of this study is to report the features of dry eye and ocular surface disease in an unusual case of ectrodactyly-ectodermal dysplasia-clefting (EEC) syndrome. Case Report. A single observational case report of a 22-year-old Japanese male with evaporative dry eye and corneal epithelial disease because of lipid layer abnormality resulting from meibomian gland agenesis was treated successfully with low dose lipid base ointment application. Discussion. The clinical features of the dry eye and ocular surface disease and management issues are discussed. Conclusion. Low dose lipid base ointment application may be a promising treatment modality for the ocular surface disease in ectrodactyly-ectodermal dysplasia (EEC)-clefting syndrome, which seems to help in alleviating the subjective complaints and in improving the objective clinical findings.