Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Specificity, Specialization, and Coalitions

Several flaws in the interpretation of "firms" have obscured understanding of evolving organizations. Among these are: (1) a failure to recognize that what is called a firm is a special set of contracts among owners of resources used in the coalition; (2) a failure to see that a capitalistic firm involves ownership in common of the coalition-specific resources; (3) a failure to recognize specialization in components of the rubric of private property rights; (4) a failure to recognize incentives to renege on promises; (5) the failure to recognize monitoring by competition with the managerial and capital markets; (6) the erroneous belief that salable private property stockholder rights (common stock) in the large corporations are (or should be) identical to political voting rights; (7) preoccupation with firms rather than individuals as competitors; (8) the failure to recognize that competition and cooperation occurs in the contractual forms of organizing and coordinating economic incentives. The significance of some of these will be indicated, after some concepts are defined.
Early-stage Pathogenic Sequence of Jaw Osteoradionecrosis in vivo

The mechanism underlying jaw osteoradionecrosis (ORN) is not fully understood, particularly in the early stages. To investigate bone and vessel pathogenesis in the early stages of jaw ORN, we generated a mandibular ORN model in miniature pigs (minipigs) by applying a combination of single-dose 25-Gy irradiation (IR) and tooth extraction. We studied 6 ORN model minipigs and 6 control, non-irradiated minipigs. We measured dynamic morphological changes, bone-remodeling-associated gene expression, sphingomyelinase activity, and local blood flow. Bone remodeling, including bone resorption and new bone formation, was observed within 15 days post-IR. Later, an ORN-related imbalance in bone metabolism gradually occurred, with loss of bone regeneration capacity, collagen collapse, and microvascular obliteration. Within 24 hrs post-IR, sphingomyelinase significantly increased in irradiated tissues. At 1 wk post-IR, local blood flow increased, but at 15 days post-IR, it significantly decreased to 50% below normal levels. This study provided details of the sequential occurrences in early-stage ORN in a large animal model. Our results suggested that reduced local blood flow and consequent hypovascularity may have caused an imbalance in bone remodeling. This suggested that microvessel damage may play a key role in the initiation of ORN.
Investors’ Fear and Herding Behavior: Evidence from the Taiwan Stock Market

ABSTRACT This article analyzes the influence of investors’ fear on their investment behavior in the Taiwan stock market. This study used the volatility index (VIX) as a barometer of investors’ fear. Our results show that herding behavior increases with the VIX; that is, herding behavior is encouraged by an increase in investors’ fear. Moreover, our results demonstrate that investors react more quickly to bad news than to good news when their fear increases, supporting the hypothesis of the presence of an asymmetric reaction to news. However, investors react more quickly to good news when their fear decreases, indicating an inverse asymmetric reaction. In addition, our empirical results reveal that herding behavior tends to exist on days with a large trading volume.
Inclusive Study Abroad Course for College Students with and without Intellectual Disabilities (Practice Brief).

The development of postsecondary education programs for individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID) opens opportunities for inclusive study abroad experiences for students with and without ID. This article shares first-hand experiences based on a study abroad trip taken by students in the University Participant (UP) program at Western Carolina University (WCU) to London, England and Dublin, Ireland. Information is presented about initial planning, recruiting and selecting participants, course content and instructional procedures, organizations and agencies visited, providing travel support for students with ID, lessons learned, challenges, future research, and implications for practice.
Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 Immediate-Early Protein Vmw110 Induces the Proteasome-Dependent Degradation of the Catalytic Subunit of DNA-Dependent Protein Kinase

ABSTRACT Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) infection causes the active degradation of the catalytic subunit of DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PKcs), and this process is reliant on the expression of the HSV-1 immediate-early protein Vmw110. In this study we investigated in more detail the mechanism by which the degradation occurs, the domains of Vmw110 which are required, and whether Vmw110 is by itself sufficient for the effect. We found that proteasome inhibitors prevented the degradation of DNA-PKcs, indicating the involvement of a proteasome pathway. Furthermore, the continued activity of DNA-PK during infection in the presence of these inhibitors indicated that Vmw110 does not directly alter the enzyme activity of DNA-PKcs prior to its degradation in a normal infection. Indeed, Vmw110 was found to bind to neither the catalytic nor Ku subunits of DNA-PK. Using mutant Vmw110 viruses we show that the RING finger domain of Vmw110 is essential for the induced degradation of DNA-PKcs but that the ability of Vmw110 to bind to a cellular ubiquitin-specific protease (HAUSP) is not required. When expressed in the absence of other viral proteins, Vmw110 was sufficient to cause the degradation of DNA-PKcs, indicating that the effect on the stability of DNA-PKcs was a direct consequence of Vmw110 activity and not an indirect Vmw110-dependent effect of virus infection. Finally, the Vmw110-induced degradation of DNA-PKcs and loss in DNA-PK activity appears to be beneficial to HSV-1 infection, as virus replication was more efficient in cells lacking DNA-PKcs, especially at low multiplicities of infection.
The Adoption and Use of Twitter as a Representational Tool among Members of the European Parliament

ABSTRACT Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) struggle to connect with European publics. Few European Union (EU) citizens feel connected to their MEPs. Levels of turnout for European Parliament (EP) elections are low, and EU citizens rarely retain EP-related news. For these and other reasons, we might expect MEPs to embrace social media platforms, like Twitter, that facilitate interactivity, spontaneity, personality, and informality. In reality, however, significant variation characterizes the timing and nature of MEPs’ engagement with Twitter. In this article, we document and seek to explain elements of this variation. We examine five dimensions of MEP engagement with Twitter: Do MEPs establish Twitter accounts? Are they early adopters? How frequently do they tweet? And how, exactly, do they use Twitter – do they engage in direct conversations via Twitter's @-reply functionality and/or refer followers to other content via retweeting? We find that MEPs’ approaches to Twitter are conditioned by specific personal, constituency-based, and structural/strategic variables. Our findings generate insights into the changing nature of political communication and the diverse patterns of political representation in today's EU.
Relationship between the stereoselective negative inotropic effects of verapamil enantiomers and their binding to putative calcium channels in human heart

1 Ventricular preparations from patients with mitral disease and hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM) were set up to contract isometrically. Ventricular membrane particles were also prepared and putative calcium channels were labelled with [3H]‐nimodipine. 2 Positive staircase was induced by varying the rate of stimulation of isolated strips from 6 min−1 to 120 min−1 in the presence of 6–60 μm (—)‐adrenaline or (—)‐noradrenaline. (—)‐Verapamil 3–5 μm or (+)‐verapamil 20–30 μm reversed the force‐frequency relationship (i.e. caused negative staircase) in preparations from patients with mitral disease or HOCM. 3 In subendocardial strips of ventricular septum from 5 patients with HOCM paced at 60 min−1, both (—)‐verapamil and (+)‐verapamil caused cardiodepression. Half‐maximal cardiodepression was observed with 0.4 μm (—)‐verapamil and with 3 μm (+)‐verapamil. 4 [3H]‐nimodipine bound to ventricular membrane particles in a saturable, reversible fashion to a high affinity site with an equilibrium dissociation constant of 0.23 nm. The density of these sites was 95 fmol mg−1 of membrane protein. Binding of the tritiated 1,4‐dihydropyridine was stereoselectively inhibited by 1,4‐dihydropyridine enantiomers and nifedipine. 5 (—)‐Verapamil and (+)‐verapamil inhibited high affinity [3H]‐nimodipine binding in a negative heterotropic allosteric manner with (—)‐verapamil being 5 times more potent than (+)‐verapamil on an IC50 basis. At a given [3H]‐nimodipine concentration, (+)‐verapamil inhibited a greater fraction of specific [3H]‐nimodipine binding. 6 The allosteric mode of (+)‐verapamil inhibition of [3H]‐nimodipine binding was confirmed by kinetic studies. (—)‐Verapamil shifted (+)‐verapamil‐binding inhibition curves to the right in an apparently competitive fashion. 7 The inversion of staircase caused by both verapamil enantiomers suggests that they cause a use‐dependent channel blockade. The similar potency ratios for binding and for cardiodepression are indicative of a common locus of action for both verapamil enantiomers within the calcium channel.
Europeanisation and Catalonia’s in(ter)dependence

Abstract: The European Union has transcended many of the old prerogatives of national independence bringing about the very function of interdependence among Member States. Within the latter there are sub-state communities claiming simultaneously both self-government and ‘more Europe’. The future intent of this political process in the Old Continent is to make territorial subsidiarity consistent with home rule within European framework legislation and continental institutions. The first part of this article focuses on the idea of a closer European Union based upon the implementation of territorial subsidiarity, as well as on the challenges posed by democratic accountability, multi-level governance and the preservation of the European Social Model (ESM). The second section illustrates some of these challenges in practice through an analysis of how the meaning of independence has developed in a ‘stateless nation’ such as Catalonia. In Spain, the lack of territorial accommodation, together with a long-standing centre–periphery controversy, has fuelled claims for secession by some Catalan nationalists. The conclusions ponder on how ‘cosmopolitan localism’ can optimise both independence and interdependence of stateless nations like Catalonia in the global context.
Further evidence of the role of frizzled-related protein gene polymorphisms in osteoarthritis

Objective: To replicate the association of frizzled-related protein (FRZB) non-synonymous polymorphisms with osteoarthritis (OA) susceptibility. Methods: Three groups of Spanish patients with OA were included: with total joint replacement due to primary OA in the hip (n = 310), or the knee (n = 277), or with hand OA (n = 242). Controls were more than 55 years old and did not show OA (n = 294). SNPs rs288326 (R200W) and rs7775 (R324G) were genotyped. Results: There were no significant differences in allele frequencies between controls and each of the three groups of OA patients. However, allele G of the R324G SNP showed a trend to be more frequent in patients with a clinical OA syndrome at multiple joints (p = 0.07), specifically in women of the total hip replacement group (8.3% in patients without other affected joints, 13.1% with one, 15.9% with two and 24.1% with more than two additional joints, p for trend = 0.008). Conclusions: No direct replication of previous OA association findings was obtained but the results suggest that the R324G SNP of the FRZB gene may have an effect in OA development in multiple joints, with a specific severe involvement of the hip in women. This phenotype could reconcile previous studies that showed association either with generalised OA or with hip OA in women.
Finite Element modeling of hexagonal surface acoustic wave biosensor based on LiTaO3

The main advantage of numerical methods such as Finite Elements (FE) in modeling surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices lies in their ability to model devices involving complicated transducer geometries. We present a 3-D finite element model of a novel hexagonal SAW biosensor based on LiTaO3 substrate. This SAW biosensor involves the use of one delay path for biological species detection whereas the other delay paths are used to simultaneously remove the non-specifically bound proteins using the acoustic streaming phenomenon, thus eliminating biofouling issues associated with other biosensors. Prior to this biosensor fabrication on any piezoelectric substrate, it is important to establish the type of waves that are generated along the various delay paths. The choice of a delay path for sensing and simultaneous cleaning application depends on the propagation characteristics of the wave generated along the crystal cut and orientation corresponding to that delay path. The frequency response as well as wave propagation characteristics along the delay path corresponding to crystal orientation with on-axis propagation along 36deg YX LiTaO3 substrate are analyzed using a coupled field FE model. Similar analysis is extended to the off-axis propagation directions corresponding to Euler rotations by 60deg and -60deg along the x-z plane. Our findings indicate that the on-axis direction with a significant surface shear horizontal (SH) component should be employed for biological species detection whereas the off-axis directions having mixed modes with a dominant Rayleigh wave component are most suitable for simultaneous cleaning or removal application.
Do regulator inspections of audit firms discern audit quality? Evidence from Korean regulator inspections*

Abstract During the past decade, many countries have adopted a regulatory inspection program to oversee the auditing profession. In general, the inspection programs consist of two components: evaluation of accounting firms’ quality control systems and review of selected audit engagements. This study examines whether quality control system deficiencies and audit engagement deficiencies identified in the inspections reflect the audit quality of accounting firms using the data from Korean regulator inspections. We find that both quality control system deficiencies and audit engagement deficiencies reflect the audit quality of the accounting firms under inspection. Our findings also suggest that quality control system deficiencies discern the audit quality of accounting firms better than audit engagement deficiencies. Our results are robust across audit quality measures and auditor size. This study expands the literature by providing evidence about quality control system deficiencies and providing evidence for more comprehensive measures of audit quality.
Reviewing capital cost estimations in aquaculture

ABSTRACT This article reviews the discount rate or cost of capital (WACC) used as an input to estimate the net present value (NPV) in aquaculture research over the last 25 years. To that end, aquaculture articles, published in peer-reviewed journals using the Web of Science, Scopus, and ScienceDirect databases were collected. This article provides an approximate minimum profitability for new aquaculture feasibility studies according to the type of aquaculture marine commodities, the project type, and the location or country. The results show that the average WACC was 10.6%; this rate was significantly higher a) for algae than for crustaceans, mollusks, and fish; and b) for projects installed in developing countries than for developed countries. Because precisely estimating the WACC for each new project takes considerable time and is expensive, this study provides a useful baseline for many stakeholders, such as private investors, research centers, and government bodies, that provide financial support to aquaculture projects. This work will also benefit those who evaluate projects in other fields.
Effects of Diagnosed Dementia on Medicare and Medicaid Program Costs

This study examines the impacts of physician-diagnosed Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) on Medicare and Medicaid program costs in 1994 and 1999. An innovative method is employed to estimate program payments over the life cycle starting at age 65. Using data from the 1994 and 1999 National Long-Term Care Surveys, merged Medicare claims, and national program data for Medicaid, we find that the share of total Medicare and Medicaid payments attributable to diagnosed ADRD was 5.46% in 1999. Total annual program payments attributable to ADRD decreased between 1994 and 1999, in contrast to an increase implied by a cross-sectional approach.
Lecture Notes in Economic Growth

universe. At a more concrete and disaggregate level analysts of course make use of more refined notions about technological change, recognizing for example not only benefits of new technologies, but also the risks, including risk of fundamental mistakes (think of the introduction and later abandonment of asbestos in the construction industry). Informative history of technology is contained in Ruttan (2001) and Smil (2003). For more general economic history, see, e.g., Clark (2008) and Persson (2010). Forecasts of technological development in the next decades are contained in, for instance, Brynjolfsson and McAfee (2014). Embodied technological progress, sometimes called investment-specific technological progress, is explored in, for instance, Solow (1960), Greenwood et al. (1997), and Groth and Wendner (2014). Hulten (2001) surveys the literature and issues related to measurement of the direct contribution of capital accumulation and technological change, respectively, to productivity growth. Conditions ensuring that a representative household is admitted and the concept of Gorman preferences are discussed in Acemoglu (2009). Another useful source, also concerning the conditions for the representative firm to be a meaningful notion, is Mas-Colell et al. (1995). For general discussions of the limitations of representative agent approaches, see Kirman (1992) and Gallegati and Kirman (1999). Reviews of the “Cambridge Controversy”are contained in Mas-Colell (1989) and Felipe and Fisher (2003). The last-mentioned authors find the conditions required for the well-behavedness of these constructs so stringent that it is diffi cult to believe that actual economies are in any sense close to satisfy them. For a less distrustful view, see for instance Ferguson (1969), Johansen (1972), Malinvaud (1998), Jorgenson et al. (2005), and Jones (2005). It is often assumed that capital depreciation can be described as geometric (in continuous time exponential) evaporation of the capital stock. This formula is popular in macroeconomics, more so because of its simplicity than its realism. An introduction to more general approaches to depreciation is contained in, e.g., Nickell (1978).
In‐home salivary melatonin collection: Methodology for children and adolescents

In-home salivary collection quality and adherence to a prescribed collection methodology for evaluation of dim light melatonin onset (DLMO) is unknown in children. Primary aims of this study were to 1) describe a novel family centered methodology for in-home salivary collection; 2) determine the acceptance and feasibility of this methodology; 3) measure adherence to collection instructions; and 4) identify patterns between participants' age and quality of samples collected. After receiving instructional handouts from the study team, families utilized in-home salivary melatonin collection. Participants (N = 64) included 39 children (21 female, mean age 9.5 ± 1.61 years) and 25 adolescents (11 female, mean age 15.9 ± 2.12 years) with craniopharyngioma. Participants were 90% adherent to collection schedule, and 89% of the samples collected were of sufficient quantity and quality, with no differences found between age (child vs. adolescent) and melatonin sample quantity and quality. In-home saliva collection provides an acceptable and feasible method to collect salivary melatonin and biomarkers in children and adolescents.
The Influence of Institutional Contexts on the Relationship between Voluntary Carbon Disclosure and Carbon Emission Performance

This article examines the relationship between the level of voluntary carbon disclosure (VCD) and carbon emission performance and how the institutional context influences this relationship. Using a sample of Global 500 firms participating in the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) over the period 2008–2015, the evidence shows a negative relationship between voluntary carbon disclosure and carbon emission performance, which is consistent with the legitimacy theory that VCD may be undertaken for the purposes of legitimation. However, stringent carbon institutions appear to restrict legitimation attempts and help better reflect underlying performance.
Detection of Tumor Response to a Vascular Disrupting Agent by Hyperpolarized 13C Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy

Nuclear spin hyperpolarization can dramatically increase the sensitivity of the 13C magnetic resonance experiment, allowing dynamic measurements of the metabolism of hyperpolarized 13C-labeled substrates in vivo. Here, we report a preclinical study of the response of lymphoma tumors to the vascular disrupting agent (VDA), combretastatin-A4-phosphate (CA4P), as detected by measuring changes in tumor metabolism of hyperpolarized [1-13C]pyruvate and [1,4-13C2]fumarate. These measurements were compared with dynamic contrast agent–enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) measurements of tumor vascular function and diffusion-weighted MRI (DW-MRI) measurements of the tumor cell necrosis that resulted from subsequent loss of tumor perfusion. The rate constant describing flux of hyperpolarized 13C label between [1-13C]pyruvate and lactate was decreased by 34% within 6 hours of CA4P treatment and remained at this lower level at 24 hours. The rate constant describing production of labeled malate from hyperpolarized [1,4-13C2]fumarate increased 1.6-fold and 2.5-fold at 6 and 24 hours after treatment, respectively, and correlated with the degree of necrosis detected in histologic sections. Although DCE-MRI measurements showed a substantial reduction in perfusion at 6 hours after treatment, which had recovered by 24 hours, DW-MRI showed no change in the apparent diffusion coefficient of tumor water at 6 hours after treatment, although there was a 32% increase at 24 hours (P < 0.02) when regions of extensive necrosis were observed by histology. Measurements of hyperpolarized [1-13C]pyruvate and [1,4-13C2]fumarate metabolism may provide, therefore, a more sustained and sensitive indicator of response to a VDA than DCE-MRI or DW-MRI, respectively. Mol Cancer Ther; 9(12); 3278–88. ©2010 AACR.