Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Economic Policy Uncertainty and the Credit Channel: Aggregate and Bank Level U.S. Evidence Over Several Decades

Economic policy uncertainty aspects decisions of households, businesses, policy makers and financial intermediaries. We first examine the impact of economic policy uncertainty on aggregate bank credit growth. Then we analyze commercial bank entity level data to gauge the effects of policy uncertainty on financial intermediaries' lending. We exploit the cross-sectional heterogeneity to back out indirect evidence of its effects on businesses and households. We ask (i) whether, conditional on standard macroeconomic controls, economic policy uncertainty affected bank level credit growth, and (ii) whether there is variation in the impact related to banks' balance sheet conditions; that is, whether the effects are attributable to loan demand or, if impact varies with bank level financial constraints, loan supply. We find that policy uncertainty has a significant negative effect on bank credit growth. Since this impact varies meaningfully with some bank characteristics - particularly the overall capital-to-assets ratio and bank asset liquidity-loan supply factors at least partially (and significantly) help determine the influence of policy uncertainty. Because other studies have found important macroeconomic effects of bank lending growth on the macroeconomy, our findings are consistent with the possibility that high economic policy uncertainty may have slowed the U.S. economic recovery from the Great Recession by restraining overall credit growth through the bank lending channel.
Inhibition of activated nonresponder C3H/HeJ lymphocytes by lipopolysaccharide endotoxin

The B lymphocytes and macrophages of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) nonresponder C3H/HeJ mice were found to respond to certain R types of LPS endotoxin in a fashion resembling that ordinarily seen with the cells from normal responder mice. DNA synthesis, polyclonal antibody synthesis, and interleukin-1 activity were stimulated by Bordetella pertussis LPS and Salmonella minnesota R595 LPS, although to a lesser extent than with responder cells. Mitogenesis stimulated by both LPSs was inhibited by polymyxin B; this finding provided evidence that any trace endotoxin-associated proteins were not responsible for the activity. Of particular interest was the finding that wild-type smooth LPS actually inhibited activation of the C3H/HeJ B cells not only by the LPS but also by mitogenic proteins, including purified protein derivative of tuberculin. The nonspecific nature of this inhibition and the fact that maximal inhibition occurred some 9 to 12 h into the culture period suggested that the proliferation of the B cells was affected by smooth-type LPS in a manner heretofore unrecognized. These findings permit a new approach to the study of how LPS endotoxin affects cells of the immune system.
Effect of agitation and terminal subcultures on yield and speed of detection of the Oxoid Signal blood culture system versus the BACTEC radiometric system

In an initial evaluation, we found the Oxoid Signal blood culture system inferior to the BACTEC radiometric system for detection of some microorganisms causing septicemia (M. P. Weinstein, S. Mirrett, and L. B. Reller, J. Clin. Microbiol. 26:962-964, 1988). To determine whether modified processing of the Oxoid Signal blood culture system could improve its yield and speed of detecting positive cultures relative to the BACTEC radiometric system, we agitated all Oxoid bottles during the first 24 to 48 h of incubation and performed aerobic and anaerobic subcultures of all Oxoid bottles negative after 7 days of incubation. These modifications improved the overall performance of the Oxoid system, particularly with regard to the yield of streptococci, members of the family Enterobacteriaceae, and Haemophilus, Neisseria, and Acinetobacter spp. The speed of detecting positive cultures also was improved, especially within the first 24 h of incubation. However, the BACTEC system still detected more positive cultures (P less than 0.005), especially of obligate aerobes such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P less than 0.05) and yeasts (P less than 0.005). The BACTEC system also detected positive cultures earlier than the Oxoid system (e.g., at 24 h of incubation, 70.5% of BACTEC positive cultures detected versus 62.1% of Oxoid positive cultures detected). Further modifications of the Oxoid system which might include a revised medium, additional processing modifications, altered headspace atmosphere, or a complementary second broth medium should be considered, since the system is attractive in concept and is easy to use in the clinical laboratory.
A Narrative Perspective on International Entrepreneurship: Comparing Stories From the United States, Spain, and China

Research problem: This study investigates entrepreneurship as a rhetorical practice and seeks to illustrate how narratives of individuals from different cultures create a discourse of entrepreneurship. We offer theoretical and methodological considerations for comparative international analyses in entrepreneurship research. Research questions: (1) How do the stories that are told by entrepreneurs from different cultures reveal their values? (2) What can those stories tell us about entrepreneurship in different cultures? Literature review: An emerging stream of authors proposes to study entrepreneurship from individual narratives, but studies on entrepreneurship rhetorics are scarce, seldom use an international approach, and rarely cover the cultural aspects. Methodology: We collected entrepreneurial narratives in the US, Spain, and China, and deployed a novel two-fold method to retain cultural nuances and validate translation accuracy. Narrative data were studied based upon the coding, constant comparison, and memo writing used in grounded theory. Results and conclusions: We identify three core metaphorical devices used by participants to structure their entrepreneurial journeys (action and learning, autonomy and money, and exceptionalism and networks), and we suggest that the use of these metaphorical pairs varies both within and across cultures. These findings offer preliminary evidence, for the first time in the literature, that building a rhetorical understanding of entrepreneurship requires that we consider two axes: the individual and the cultural.
Microbial diversity under extreme euxinia: Mahoney Lake, Canada

Mahoney Lake, British Columbia, Canada, is a stratified, 15‐m deep saline lake with a euxinic (anoxic, sulfidic) hypolimnion. A dense plate of phototrophic purple sulfur bacteria is found at the chemocline, but to date the rest of the Mahoney Lake microbial ecosystem has been underexamined. In particular, the microbial community that resides in the aphotic hypolimnion and/or in the lake sediments is unknown, and it is unclear whether the sulfate reducers that supply sulfide for phototrophy live only within, or also below, the plate. Here we profiled distributions of 16S rRNA genes using gene clone libraries and PhyloChip microarrays. Both approaches suggest that microbial diversity is greatest in the hypolimnion (8 m) and sediments. Diversity is lowest in the photosynthetic plate (7 m). Shallower depths (5 m, 7 m) are rich in Actinobacteria, Alphaproteobacteria, and Gammaproteobacteria, while deeper depths (8 m, sediments) are rich in Crenarchaeota, Natronoanaerobium, and Verrucomicrobia. The heterogeneous distribution of Deltaproteobacteria and Epsilonproteobacteria between 7 and 8 m is consistent with metabolisms involving sulfur intermediates in the chemocline, but complete sulfate reduction in the hypolimnion. Overall, the results are consistent with the presence of distinct microbial niches and suggest zonation of sulfur cycle processes in this stratified system.
Relationships among Acculturative Stress, Sleep, and Nondipping Blood Pressure in Korean American Women

Generally blood pressure (BP) should drop or dip by 10–20% during sleep. The phenomenon of nondipping BP during sleep has gained interest because of its association with various damaging effects to end-organs. This exploratory study examined nighttime nondipping BP, acculturative stress and quality of sleep in 30 Korean American women. Acculturative stress and sleep quality were measured using the Revised Social, Attitudinal, Familial, and Environmental Acculturative Stress Scale (R-SAFE) and the Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), respectively. Participants’ BP was monitored over a 24-hour period. Participants were categorized as dippers and nondippers based on the drop in nocturnal systolic BP. Of the 30 women, 8 (26.7%) were nondippers. A shorter sleep duration and more disturbed sleep were associated with nondipping and, interestingly, less acculturative stress was also associated with nondipping BP. Our finding supports that sleep evaluation is needed in caring for individuals with nondipping BP.
OVARIAN ELECTROCAUTERY VERSUS HUMAN MENOPAUSAL GONADOTROPHINS AND PURE FOLLICLE STIMULATING HORMONE THERAPY IN THE TREATMENT OF PATIENTS WITH POLYCYSTIC OVARIAN DISEASE

Eighty‐eight clomiphene citrate‐resistant infertile patients with oligomeno‐rrhoea or amenorrhoea attributable to polycystic ovarian disease were divided at random into three groups. Twenty‐nine patients were treated with ovarian electrocautery, 30 with human menopausal gonadotropins (hMG) and 29 with pure follicle stimulating hormone (FSH). Successful ovulation was induced in 71‐4, 70‐6 and 66‐7% of the cycles in the groups respectively. Ten patients conceived after electrocautery and pure FSH therapy while 15 conceived after hMG medication (chi‐squared = 1 ‐6464, P = 0–439). The six‐cycle cumulative pregnancy rate in the three consecutive groups was 521, 55‐4 and 38‐3%. Four further pregnancies were achieved after treating 10 patients in the electrocautery group with clomiphene citrate (100 mg/day for 5 days) for 25 cycles. The rate of pregnancy wastage in the corresponding groups was 21‐4, 53‐3 and 40% (chi‐squared = 3–127, P = 0–2039). Ovarian electrocautery is equally effective as hMG and pure FSH in the treatment of PCO patients resistant to clomiphene citrate therapy.
Essays in Health Economics

This dissertation presents three empirical studies that are broadly concerned with the valuation of human health and the evaluation of policies designed to improve it. The first study evaluates how a supply-side policy intended to restrict drug diversion, prescription monitoring, affects opioid prescribing and pain management in hospitals and homes. The results indicate that prescription monitoring reduces opioid use in outpatient settings not but in hospitals, and appears to have only modest effects on pain management, with suggestive evidence indicating that it enables more effective targeting of opioid therapy. The second study reevaluates the labor market evidence on compensating differentials for fatal injury risk, showing that the standard estimator for the sample mean value of a statistical life (VSL) is biased when the compensating differentials vary across the wage distribution and that correcting for this bias is quantitatively significant. The last study revisits an old question with a new identification strategy, using the financing mechanism for state medical boards as an instrument for local physician supply in order to evaluate the impact of supply shocks on local health care markets. The results indicate that a larger physician supply leads to changes in the style of medical practice but the welfare implications of this are unclear.
Thermal Response Time of Media in Heat-Assisted Magnetic Recording

Heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) promises to deliver higher storage areal density than the current perpendicular magnetic recording product. A laser is introduced to the HAMR system to heat magnetic media to reduce the media coercivity. The thermal response of the media becomes very critical for the success of the magnetic writing process. The study of thermal response time in HAMR relies on the setup configurations, such as laser spot sizes, the way that laser energy is delivered to media and the media structures. In this paper, the thermal response time of HAMR media under three different heating methods is systematically investigated through experiments and numerical analysis. A lumped model is built to simplify the heat conduction problem to understand the difference in thermal responses under various experimental conditions. Dominant layers are identified under those experimental conditions. The transient thermal response is mainly determined by the dominant layers. Engineering the dominant layers helps the most in optimizing the thermal performance of the media. Our study clearly suggests that for HAMR systems, optimizing the thermal properties of the heat sink layer is the key to reducing variations in the transient thermal process resulting from changes in the linear speed.
Edutainment as a Strategy for Parental Discussion With Israeli Children: The Potential of a Children’s Play in Preventing Sexual Abuse

ABSTRACT Edutainment is a communication strategy to influence attitudes and behaviors through the use of the media. Through the children’s play “Yael Learns to Take Care of Her Body,” designed for joint viewing by children aged 5–8 and their parents, sexual abuse is raised. This qualitative study findings indicate that parents from low socioeconomic subgroups from the secular sector reported that their awareness had been raised by viewing the play and that they received tools for holding a conversation. Conversely, parents from high socioeconomic subgroups in the secular sector and parents from the national-religious sector were more ambivalent regarding the play’s effectiveness. In order to make the conversation meaningful, the play has to tailor different messages to different audiences. A single program is not enough but should be part of a series of customized intervention programs for different subpopulations and separate programs for parents and children accompanied by professionals.
Capillary blood glucose and venous blood glucose measured with portable digital glucometer in diabetic dogs

This study aimed to compare the glycemic values obtained with a glucometer with those determined by a colorimetric enzymatic assay in venous blood as wel l as to evaluate the possibility of using capillary blood samples of dogs with diabetes mellitus. A group with 30 diabetic d ogs was formed and from each dog three blood samples were obtained for glycemic evaluations by different methods and b lood collection sites. The mean glycemic values sho wed no significant difference between the different sites of blood col lection and methods (P=0.90). Venous, pinna and carpal pad blood glucose showed excellent correlation with the color imetric enzymatic assay (r=0.98; r=0.95 and r=0.96 respectively) and the obtained values fit properly the clinically accepta ble intervals in the error grid analysis. The prese nt study revealed that carpal pad, venous and pinna glucose measurements are clinically acceptable and this method is feasibl e for use in hospitalized diabetic dogs. The sample attainment o f carpal pad proved to be effective and a viable al ternative. Further work is necessary to assess the utility of this techniqu e in a home environment.
Scleral Ossification in Phthisical Eyes

Heterotopic secondary ossification of the eye usually affects intraocular tissues. Although calcium deposition in the scleral lamellae is not uncommonly observed, bone formation is only rarely associated with chromosomal abnormalities or colobomatous eyes. Herein two cases of both scleral and intraocular ossification in patients with long-standing ocular phthisis are reported. The cases of idiopathic scleral ossification, albeit exceedingly rare, suggest that osteogenic precursor cells may reside in the sclera, as well and though very rarely, these cells can also be stimulated to form heterotopic bone by a traumatic or inflammatory local event.
Short-term effects of particulate matters on pulse pressure in two general population studies

Objectives: To explore the association of short-term exposure to particulate matter with aerodynamic diameters less than 10 &mgr;m (PM10) with pulse pressure, SBP, and DBP taking outdoor temperature into account in two large population-based studies in Switzerland. Methods: We used data from the Bus Santé study including 5605 adults in Geneva and the CoLaus study including 6183 adults in Lausanne. PM10 and meteorological data were measured from fixed monitoring stations. We analyzed the association of short-term exposure to PM10 (on the day of examination visit and up to 7 days before) with pulse pressure, SBP, and DBP by linear regression, controlling for potential confounders and effect modifiers. Results: Average PM10 levels were 22.4 &mgr;g/m3 in Geneva and 31.7 &mgr;g/m3 in Lausanne. In adjusted models, for each 10 &mgr;g/m3 increase in 7-day PM10 average, pulse pressure and SBP increased by 0.583 (95% confidence interval, 0.296–0.870) mmHg and 0.490 (0.056–0.925) mmHg in Geneva, and 0.183 (0.017–0.348) mmHg and 0.036 (0.042–0.561) mmHg in Lausanne, respectively. Stronger associations of pulse pressure and SBP with PM10 were observed when outdoor temperature was above 5°C. Conclusion: Positive associations of pulse pressure and SBP with short-term exposure to PM10 were found and replicated in the Swiss adult population. Our results suggest that even low levels of air pollution may substantially impact cardiovascular risk in the general population.
Arsenic Junction Thermal Stability and High-Dose Boron-Pocket Activation During SPER in nMOS Transistors

In this letter, thermal stability of arsenic (As) junctions formed by solid-phase epitaxial regrowth and their impact on device performance are investigated. If the temperature does not exceed 800 degC, a 35% junction sheet-resistance improvement over the conventional rapid thermal anneal is observed. The overlap junction resistance is not degraded and transistors, processed exclusively with lowly doped drain junctions, show a significant performance gain. High boron (B)-pocket dose leads to good transistor short-channel effect control, overcoming the B deactivation issue. The impact of B-pocket-related counterdoping and channel-mobility degradation on device characteristics are investigated. In the presence of heavily doped substrates, band-to-band tunneling is the dominant mechanism driving the reverse-bias junction leakage and is higher than the trap-assisted tunneling contribution related to the end-of-range defects
OPA1 R445H mutation in optic atrophy associated with sensorineural deafness

The heterozygous R445H mutation in OPA1 was found in five patients with optic atrophy and deafness. Audiometry suggested that the sensorineural deafness resulted from auditory neuropathy. Skin fibroblasts showed hyperfragmentation of the mitochondrial network, decreased mitochondrial membrane potential, and adenosine triphosphate synthesis defect. In addition, OPA1 was found to be widely expressed in the sensory and neural cochlear cells of the guinea pig. Thus, optic atrophy and deafness may be related to energy defects due to a fragmented mitochondrial network. Ann Neurol 2005
Survey of veterinary surgeons on the introduction of serological testing to assess revaccination requirements

Despite the discussion of the use of serological testing in canine vaccination protocols, no study has been published that investigates the opinions of the veterinary profession regarding the use of the test to assess revaccination requirements in dogs. This paper presents the results of a study designed to fill this research gap which was completed in 2009. Veterinary surgeons were asked to complete a questionnaire on different aspects of canine vaccination and the introduction of serological testing to determine revaccination requirements. Of the 448 questionnaires distributed, 243 replies were received (54.2 per cent) and of these, a significant majority (169/243; 69.5 per cent) of respondents would consider introducing serological testing. An average of 53.5 per cent of respondents practised tri-annual revaccination for the core diseases. A significant number of respondents (86/140; 61 per cent) who placed low importance on vaccine overload would consider introducing serological testing into canine vaccination programmes (P=0.002).
Epithelial Innervation of Human Cornea: A Three-Dimensional Study Using Confocal Laser Scanning Fluorescence Microscopy

Purpose: Evaluation of a new method to visualize distribution and morphology of human corneal nerves (Aδ- and C-fibers) by means of fluorescence staining, confocal laser scanning microscopy, and 3-dimensional (3D) reconstruction. Methods: Trephinates of corneas with a diagnosis of Fuchs corneal dystrophy were sliced into layers of 200 μm thickness using a Draeger microkeratome (Storz, Germany). The anterior lamella was stained with the Life/Dead-Kit (Molecular Probes Inc.), examined by the confocal laser scanning microscope “Odyssey XL,” step size between 0.5 and 1 μm, and optical sections were digitally 3D-reconstructed. Results: Immediate staining of explanted corneas by the Life/Dead-Kit gave a complete picture of the nerves in the central human cornea. Thin nerves running parallel to the Bowman layer in the subepithelial plexus perforate the Bowman layer orthogonally through tube-like structures. Passing the Bowman layer, Aδ- and C-fibers can be clearly distinguished by fiber diameter, and, while running in the basal epithelial plexus, by their spatial arrangement. Aδ-fibers run straight and parallel to the Bowman layer underneath the basal cell layer. C-fibers, after a short run parallel to the Bowman layer, send off multiple branches penetrating epithelial cell layers orthogonally, ending blindly in invaginations of the superficial cells. In contrast to C-fibers, Aδ-fibers show characteristic bulbous formations when kinking into the basal epithelial plexus. Conclusions: Ex-vivo fluorescence staining of the cornea and 3D reconstructions of confocal scans provide a fast and easily reproducible tool to visualize nerves of the anterior living cornea at high resolution. This may help to clarify gross variations of nerve fiber patterns under various clinical and experimental conditions.