Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Correlated Random Effects Quantile Estimation of the Tax-Price Elasticity of Charitable Donations

This paper provides quantile estimates of the tax-price elasticity of charitable donations controlling for unobserved heterogeneity. Utilising the Correlated Random Effects Quantile estimator of Bache, Dahl & Kristensen (2013) it is found that the size of the price elasticity is decreasing in the size of donation with very large donors being largely unresponsive to tax incentives for giving. We provide evidence that cross sectional quantiles estimates of the price elasticity not accounting for unobserved heterogeneity suffer a substantial downward bias for those with small to mid-level donations.
TAREAN: a computational tool for identification and characterization of satellite DNA from unassembled short reads

Abstract Satellite DNA is one of the major classes of repetitive DNA, characterized by tandemly arranged repeat copies that form contiguous arrays up to megabases in length. This type of genomic organization makes satellite DNA difficult to assemble, which hampers characterization of satellite sequences by computational analysis of genomic contigs. Here, we present tandem repeat analyzer (TAREAN), a novel computational pipeline that circumvents this problem by detecting satellite repeats directly from unassembled short reads. The pipeline first employs graph-based sequence clustering to identify groups of reads that represent repetitive elements. Putative satellite repeats are subsequently detected by the presence of circular structures in their cluster graphs. Consensus sequences of repeat monomers are then reconstructed from the most frequent k-mers obtained by decomposing read sequences from corresponding clusters. The pipeline performance was successfully validated by analyzing low-pass genome sequencing data from five plant species where satellite DNA was previously experimentally characterized. Moreover, novel satellite repeats were predicted for the genome of Vicia faba and three of these repeats were verified by detecting their sequences on metaphase chromosomes using fluorescence in situ hybridization.
Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy analysis of immunoglobulin G in patients with gastric cancer

AIM: To study whether alterations in the glycosylation of immunoglobulin G (IgG) as defined by an electrochemical impedance IgG analysis have a diagnostic potential in gastric cancer. Methods: Serum samples were obtained from patients with histologically verified gastric carcinoma and healthy blood donors. A lectin enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay-based glycoprofiling of IgG was performed using affinity purified IgG and lectins of various sugar specificities. Electrochemical measurements were carried out using 12.6 mm2 gold screenprinted electrodes DRP-220BT (DropSens, Spain). The measurement of impedance has been performed using Impedance Analyzers 6500B series. The sensitivity and specificity of differences between cancer patients and controls were evaluated by a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. All calculations and comparisons were performed using the SPSS 15.0 software. Results: A significant difference in electrochemical impedance parameters between cancer patients and controls was established (P = 0.01). This study revealed a rather high specificity (90%) and sensitivity (72.7%) for gastric cancer with 80.9% accuracy of diagnostics. The impedance values positively correlated with the reactivity of purified IgG to fucose-specific lectin (P<;0.01) suggesting that the impedance changes observed in cancer are related to the aberrant glycosylation of IgG. Conclusion: This is the first report indicating that a total serum IgG impedance analysis may be a promising technique for stomach cancer detection.
Alpha reduction and event-related potentials, theta and gamma increase linked to letter selection

We examined evoked and induced modulations in theta, alpha and gamma oscillations, and also the P2 and late positive component of event-related potentials, during a visual discrimination task with target and nontarget letters. Results for target letters showed a decrease in the amplitude of alpha-band (10–11 Hz) activity and an increase in theta (4–7 Hz) and gamma (40–44 Hz) activities around 350 ms after stimulation. P2 and late positive component presented a higher amplitude to target than to repeated nontarget letters. Alpha reduction was inversely related to theta and late positive component increase. Moreover, gamma oscillation amplitude was directly related to theta amplitude. The findings suggest the importance of occipitoparietal alpha reduction for the development of task-related neuronal activity.
From the Immoral to the Incorruptible

Ample evidence documents that power increases unethical behavior. This article introduces a new theoretical framework for understanding when power leads to more versus less unethical behavior. Our key proposition is that people hold expectations about power that are both descriptive (how the powerful do behave) and prescriptive (how the powerful should behave). People hold descriptive beliefs that the powerful do behave more unethically than the powerless, but they hold prescriptive beliefs that the powerful should behave more ethically than the powerless. Whichever expectation—descriptive or prescriptive—is salient affects how power influences one’s behavior. Three experiments demonstrate that activating descriptive expectations for power leads the powerful to cheat more than the powerless, whereas activating prescriptive expectations leads the powerful to cheat less than the powerless. The current work offers new ideas for curbing unethical behavior by those with power: focus their attention on prescriptive expectations for power.
Crystal structures of a therapeutic single chain antibody in complex with two drugs of abuse—Methamphetamine and 3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine

Methamphetamine (METH) is a major drug threat in the United States and worldwide. Monoclonal antibody (mAb) therapy for treating METH abuse is showing exciting promise and the understanding of how mAb structure relates to function will be essential for future development of these important therapies. We have determined crystal structures of a high affinity anti‐(+)‐METH therapeutic single chain antibody fragment (scFv6H4, KD= 10 nM) derived from one of our candidate mAb in complex with METH and the (+) stereoisomer of another abused drug, 3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), known by the street name “ecstasy. ” The crystal structures revealed that scFv6H4 binds to METH and MDMA in a deep pocket that almost completely encases the drugs mostly through aromatic interactions. In addition, the cationic nitrogen of METH and MDMA forms a salt bridge with the carboxylate group of a glutamic acid residue and a hydrogen bond with a histidine side chain. Interestingly, there are two water molecules in the binding pocket and one of them is positioned for a CH ⃛O interaction with the aromatic ring of METH. These first crystal structures of a high affinity therapeutic antibody fragment against METH and MDMA (resolution = 1.9 Å, and 2.4 Å, respectively) provide a structural basis for designing the next generation of higher affinity antibodies and also for carrying out rational humanization.
A Pixel Pitch-Matched Ultrasound Receiver for 3-D Photoacoustic Imaging With Integrated Delta-Sigma Beamformer in 28-nm UTBB FD-SOI

This paper presents a pixel pitch-matched readout chip for 3-D photoacoustic (PA) imaging, featuring a dedicated signal conditioning and delta-sigma modulation integrated within a pixel area of 250 <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mu \text{m}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> by 250 <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mu \text{m}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>. The proof-of-concept receiver was implemented in an STMicroelectronics’s 28-nm Fully Depleted Silicon On Insulator technology, and interfaces to a <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$4 \times 4$ </tex-math></inline-formula> subarray of capacitive micromachined ultrasound transducers (CMUTs). The front-end signal conditioning in each pixel employs a coarse/fine gain tuning architecture to fulfill the 90-dB dynamic range requirement of the application. The employed delta-sigma beamforming architecture obviates the need for area-consuming Nyquist ADCs and thereby enables an efficient in-pixel A/D conversion. The per-pixel switched-capacitor <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\Delta \Sigma $ </tex-math></inline-formula> modulator leverages slewing-dominated and area-optimized inverter-based amplifiers. It occupies only 1/4th of the pixel, and its area compares favorably with state-of-the-art designs that offer the same SNR and bandwidth. The modulator’s measured peak signal-to-noise-and-distortion ratio is 59.9 dB for a 10-MHz input bandwidth, and it consumes 6.65 mW from a 1-V supply. The overall subarray beamforming approach improves the area per channel by 7.4 times and the single-channel SNR by 8 dB compared to prior art with similar delay resolution and power dissipation. The functionality of the designed chip was evaluated within a PA imaging experiment, employing a flip-chip bonded 2-D CMUT array.
Political Economy Model of Cross‐Border Mergers Under Mixed Oligopoly

This paper analyses the horizontal cross&#8208;border mergers under the framework of political economy in mixed markets. We explore the conditions under which a cross&#8208;border merger between a partially privatized foreign public firm and a profit&#8208;maximizing domestic firm occurs and is approved by the domestic government. We show that a welfare&#8208;maximizing domestic government approves the merger if the share owned by the foreign government is sufficiently low and the merger is relatively efficient; a government only caring about political contributions always approves such a merger; we also consider the case where the government cares about both social welfare and political contributions.
Percutaneous and Surgical Insertion of Peritoneal Catheter in Patients Starting in Chronic Dialysis Therapy: A Comparative Study

Percutaneous peritoneal catheter insertion can be performed by trained nephrologists. The objective of this study was to compare the outcome of peritoneal dialysis (PD) catheters percutaneous inserted with the traditional surgical technique. One hundred twenty‐one PD catheters were placed in 121 stage‐5 Chronic kidney disease patients using three techniques: percutaneous insertion (Group P, n = 53), percutaneous insertion guided by radioscopy (Group R, n = 26), and surgical insertion (Group S, n = 42). The mean age of the whole cohort was 57 ± 16 years and 54% were male. Patients and catheter outcomes were followed up prospectively for 19 months. Gender, age, body mass index, previous abdominal surgeries, and the prevalence of diabetes mellitus were not significantly different among the groups as well as the incidence of bleeding and the presence of catheter dysfunction. In addition, the incidence of exit‐site infections and peritonitis was not significantly different among the groups. Finally, the survival catheter rate was not significantly different by the end of the follow‐up of 19 months (70% in P group, 85% in R, and 70% in S group (log rank = 0.88, p = 0.95). The outcome of percutaneous implanted catheters, which were inserted by a trained nephrologist, did not demonstrate to be inferior as compared with the traditional surgical approach.
Activation of Epidermal Akt by Diverse Mouse Skin Tumor Promoters

Akt is a serine/threonine kinase involved in a variety of cellular responses, including cell proliferation and cell survival. Recent studies from our laboratory suggest that Akt signaling may play an important role in skin tumor promotion. To explore this premise, we examined epidermal Akt activation and signaling in response to chemically diverse skin tumor promoters. Mice received single or multiple applications of 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA), okadaic acid, or chrysarobin. All three tumor promoters were able to activate epidermal Akt as early as 1 h after treatment. Activation of Akt following tumor promoter treatment led to enhanced downstream signaling, including hyperphosphorylation of glycogen synthase kinase-3β and Bad. Structure activity studies with phorbol ester analogues revealed that the magnitude of activation paralleled tumor-promoting activity. In cultured primary keratinocytes, TPA treatment also led to activation of Akt. Activation of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) seemed to underlie the ability of TPA to activate Akt as both PD153035, an inhibitor of EGFR, and GW2974, a dual-specific inhibitor of both EGFR and erbB2, were able to effectively reduce TPA-induced Akt phosphorylation as well as TPA-stimulated EGFR and erbB2 tyrosine phosphorylation in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, inhibition of protein kinase C (PKC) activity blocked TPA-stimulated heparin-binding EGF production and EGFR transactivation. Inhibition of PKC also led to a decreased association of Akt with the PP2A catalytic subunit, leading to increased Akt phosphorylation. However, combination of EGFR inhibitor and PKC inhibitor completely abrogated TPA-induced activation of Akt. Collectively, the current results support the hypothesis that elevated Akt activity and subsequent activation of downstream signaling pathways contribute significantly to skin tumor promotion. In addition, signaling through the EGFR via EGFR homodimers or EGFR/erbB2 heterodimers may be the primary event leading to Akt activation during tumor promotion in mouse skin. (Mol Cancer Res 2007;5(12):1342–52)
Apoptotic pathway induced by diallyl trisulfide in pancreatic cancer cells.

AIM To investigate the effects of diallyl trisulfide (DATS), a garlic-derived organosulfur compound, in pancreatic cancer cells. METHODS Human pancreatic cancer cells with wild-type p53 gene (Capan-2) and normal pancreatic epithelial cells (H6C7) were cultured in RPMI1640. DATS was prepared at a concentration of 100 μmol/L. Cell viability was determined via the methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium assay. Apoptotic cells were detected by TUNEL assay. Cell cycle analysis was performed using flow cytometry. Protein expression was determined by Western blot. Bax and Bcl-2 expression was detected by immunofluorescence. Apoptosis genes and cell cycle were assessed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS DATS suppressed the viability of cultured human pancreatic cancer cells (Capan-2) by increasing the proportion of cells in the G2/M phase and induced apoptotic cell death. Western blot analysis indicated that DATS enhanced the expression of Fas, p21, p53 and cyclin B1, but downregulated the expression of Akt, cyclin D1, MDM2 and Bcl-2. DATS induced cell cycle inhibition which was correlated with elevated levels of cyclin B1 and p21, and reduced levels of cyclin D1 in Capan-2 cells and H6C7 cells. DATS-induced apoptosis was markedly elevated in Capan-2 cells compared with H6C7 cells, and this was correlated with elevated levels of cyclin B1 and p53, and reduced levels of Bcl-2. DATS-induced apoptosis was correlated with down-regulation of Bcl-2, Akt and cyclin D1 protein levels, and up-regulation of Bax, Fas, p53 and cyclin B protein levels in Capan-2 cells. CONCLUSION DATS induces apoptosis of pancreatic cancer cells (Capan-2) and non-tumorigenic pancreatic ductal epithelial cells (H6C7).
Long Memory of Financial Time Series and Hidden Markov Models with Time-Varying Parameters

Hidden Markov models are often used to model daily returns and to infer the hidden state of financial markets. Previous studies have found that the estimated models change over time, but the implications of the time-varying behavior have not been thoroughly examined. This paper presents an adaptive estimation approach that allows for the parameters of the estimated models to be time varying. It is shown that a two-state Gaussian hidden Markov model with time-varying parameters is able to reproduce the long memory of squared daily returns that was previously believed to be the most difficult fact to reproduce with a hidden Markov model. Capturing the time-varying behavior of the parameters also leads to improved one-step density forecasts. Finally, it is shown that the forecasting performance of the estimated models can be further improved using local smoothing to forecast the parameter variations. (Less)
Intergenerational Wealth Elasticity in Japan

Abstract This study estimates the intergenerational wealth elasticity using original Japanese survey data and assesses factors explaining the intergenerational wealth elasticity, such as income, educational level, bequests and preferences. The age-adjusted elasticity of child wealth with respect to parental wealth ranges from 0.266 to 0.367, and transition matrices indicate that the intergenerational transmission of wealth persists more strongly in the tails of the distributions. The correlation between parent and child wealth mainly stems from income, education and bequests, which jointly constitute 63.9% of the wealth elasticity.
Validating the Construct of Coercion in Family Routines: Expanding the Unit of Analysis in Behavioral Assessment with Families of Children with Developmental Disabilities

We conducted an observational study of parent-child interaction in home activity settings (routines) of families raising young children with developmental disabilities and problem behavior. Our aim was to empirically investigate the construct validity of coercion in typical but unsuccessful family routines. The long-term goal was to develop an expanded ecological unit of analysis that may contribute to sustainable behavioral family intervention. Ten children with autism and/or mental retardation and their families participated. Videotaped observations were conducted in typical but unsuccessful home routines. Parent-child interaction in routines was coded in real time and sequential analyses were conducted to test hypotheses about coercive processes. Following observation, families were interviewed about the social validity of the construct. Results confirmed the presence of statistically significant, attention-driven coercive processes in routines in which parents were occupied with non-child-centered tasks. Results partially confirmed the presence of escape-driven coercive processes in routines in which parent demands are common. Additional analysis revealed an alternative pattern with greater magnitude. Family perspectives suggested the social validity of the construct. Results are discussed in terms of preliminary, partial evidence for coercive processes in routines of families of children with developmental disabilities. Implications for behavioral assessment and intervention design are discussed.
Influence of spontaneous calcium intake and physical exercise on the vertebral and femoral bone mineral density of children and adolescents

Peak bone mass is determined mainly by genetic‐ethnic factors, but environmental factors such as calcium intake and physical activity during childhood and adolescence could play a role. We have measured the bone mineral density (BMD) of 151 healthy children and adolescents, ages 7–153 years. Density was measured by dual X‐ray absorptiometry (DXA) at two sites (lumbar verterbrae L1–L4 and the upper femur), and the data were analyzed in terms of the height, weight, sexual maturation, spontaneous calcium intake, and physical activity. Of the children, 57–71% had calcium intakes below 1000 mg/day. BMD increased with pubertal maturation from 0.68 ± 0.08 to 0.92 ± 0.09 g/cm2 (vertebral bone density, VBD) and from 0.87 ± 0.10 to 1.03 ± 0.09 g/cm2 (femoral bone density, FBD) between Tanner stage 1 and 5. Multiple regression analysis showed that body weight and Tanner stage were main determinants of bone density when expressed as g/cm2. The weekly duration of sports activity also influenced both the vertebral (p < 0.001) and femoral (p = 0.01) sites, especially in girls and during puberty. Dietary calcium appeared to be another independent determinant of BMD, especially before puberty, at the vertebral (p = 0.02) site. Most important, dietary calcium was found to be the main determinant of vertebral mineral density, when expressed as z score, in both sexes. Moreover, 93% of the 28 children with low vertebral z score values (below –1) and 84% of the 31 children with low femoral z score values (below –1) had dietary calcium intakes below 1000 mg/day.
Search for multifactorial disease susceptibility genes in founder populations

The current challenge in biomedical research is to detect genetic risk factors involved in common complex diseases. The power to detect their role is generally poor in populations that have been large for a long time. It has been suggested that the power may be increased by taking advantage of the specificity of founder populations; linkage disequilibrium spanning larger regions and kinship coefficients being stronger than in large populations. A new method is proposed here, the Maximum Identity Length Contrast (MILC) which, in contrast with other existing methods, does not make the assumption of unique ancestry for the genetic risk factors. It is thus appropriate for a search for common genetic risk factors for complex diseases. Statistical properties of the method are discussed in realistic contexts.
The Impact of Financial Dollarization on Inflation Targeting: Empirical Evidence from Serbia

Abstract Serbia has applied inflation targeting against the backdrop of financial dollarization for almost a decade. In such circumstances, efficiency of monetary policy instruments decreases and begs the question of efficiency of the monetary regime efficiency issue. Although there is some empirical testing of financial dollarization effects on monetary policy performance in the inflation targeting regime for some countries, such studies for Serbia mostly cover periods of early application of the regime. Therefore, the authors analysed financial dollarization effects on prices, i.e. exchange rate pass-through effect using Serbia as an example. The study concludes that although unpredictable changes in financial dollarization strongly affect nominal exchange rate, prices level is subject to moderate but persistent increase upon this shock.
Chondrosarcoma of the Larynx

Of the 250 cartilaginous tumors of the larynx reported in the literature, at least 69 (28%) were chondrosarcomas. Of these, 46 are sufficiently well documented to permit detailed analysis. One new case, previously reported as a benign chondroma, is added here. Initial diagnosis, type of treatment, and ultimate survival of these cases can be analyzed to arrive at a basis for treatment philosophy.
Initiation of contact system activation in plasma is dependent on factor XII autoactivation and not on enhanced susceptibility of factor XII for kallikrein cleavage

Various mechanisms have been hypothesized to explain the initiation of contact system activation in plasma. We investigated the capability of dextran sulphate (DS) of different molecular weights to initiate contact system activation in normal human plasma, and compared this with their capability to support factor XII autoactivation and to enhance factor XII susceptibility for cleavage by kallikrein.