Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Lamotrigine: A Review of Antiepileptic Efficacy

Summary: Lamotrigine (LTG) is a chemically novel anti‐epileptic drug (AED) that blocks voltage‐sensitive sodium channels, leading to inhibition of neurotransmitter release, principally glutamate. LTG is active in a wide range of pharmacologic models of epilepsy, demonstrating a potency and duration of action generally superior to currently available AEDs. Preliminary evidence of efficacy was provided by single‐dose studies showing effects on reducing interictal spike activity and photoconvulsive response. A total of eight randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled, crossover trials have established the efficacy of LTG in patients with refractory partial epilepsy. Literature reports suggest LTG also is effective in patients with idiopathic generalized epilepsy, including absence seizures, and in patients with Lennox‐Gastaut syndrome. Other reports suggest that LTG is useful in the pediatric population, and an interim report of an open monotherapy trial suggests that the efficacy of LTG was comparable to that of carbamazepine (CBZ) but the adverse experiences leading to discontinuation were less frequent.
Design of digital FIR filters using differential evolution algorithm based on reserved genes

Filtering has been an enabling technology and has found ever-increasing applications. There are two main classes of digital filters: finite impulse response (FIR) filters and infinite impulse response (IIR) filters. FIR filter can be guaranteed to have linear phase and are always stable filters, so FIR filters is widely applicable. The differential evolution (DE) algorithm, which has been proposed particularly for numeric optimization problems, is a population-based algorithm like the genetic algorithms. In this work, the new DE algorithm based on reserved genes has been applied to the design of digital finite impulse response filters. In this new algorithm, the new vectors can be produced by the combination of genes of the selected chromosomes. These new vectors as the new individuals are evolved with other individuals in the population. It can increase the diversity of population and the algorithm is effective to avoid the local optimal solution. It can get more accurate solution. Its performance has been compared to other method. Examples are illustrated to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed design method.
Effects of Dietary Protein and Carbohydrate Level on Cholesterolemia and Atherogenesis in Cockerels on a High‐Fat, High‐Cholesterol Mash

Decreased protein intake in the presence of a high-fat, high-cholesterol diet was found to produce marked aggravation of hypercholesterolemia and atherogenesis in cockerels. Sucrose was substituted for protein in this low protein diet. The effect of this diet is not due to sucrose since restoring the protein to a high level, while keeping the sucrose in the ration constant, had no such effect.
A Tale of Two Sectors : Product Differentiation and Heterogeneity in Price Stickiness in a General Equilibrium Model ∗

International trade data show that the prices of differentiated goods barely moved in recent recessions, while the declines in volumes were large. In contrast, for nondifferentiated goods, price reductions greatly contributed to the adjustment in trade values. I document similar patterns in U.S. domestic data on producer prices and industrial production. I use a two-country general equilibrium model with trade in nondifferentiated and differentiated manufactured goods to shed light on the reasons behind these sectoral differences. I focus on two mechanisms: sector-specific nominal rigidities and endogenous variable markups at the producer level. The calibration of the key parameters of the model is based on micro data and national accounts data. The impulse responses of relative prices and quantities to a monetary shock are compared with empirical vector autoregressions, showing a reasonably good match. These responses can largely be explained by heterogeneity in the frequency of price adjustment, while the variable markup channel is quantitatively less important. JEL Codes: E3, E52, F14, F41, L11, L16
Lipopolysaccharide outer core is a ligand for corneal cell binding and ingestion of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

PURPOSE Pseudomonas aeruginosa has been observed to be adherent to and inside epithelial cells during experimental corneal infection. The authors identified bacterial ligands involved in adherence and entry of P. aeruginosa into corneal epithelial cells. METHODS In vitro gentamicin survival assays were used to determine the intracellular survival of a panel of P. aeruginosa mutants. Strains (10(6) to 10(7) colony-forming units) were added to primary cultures of rabbit corneal epithelial cells (approximately 10(5)/well) for 3 hours, nonadherent bacteria were washed away, and extracellular bacteria were killed with gentamicin. The antibiotic was then washed away, and epithelial cells were lysed with 0.5% Triton X-100 to release internalized bacteria. Bacterial association (sum of bound and internalized bacteria) was measured by the omission of gentamicin. Similar assays were carried out with whole mouse eyes in situ. RESULTS A lipopolysaccharide core with an exposed terminal glucose residue was found to be necessary for maximal association and entry of P. aeruginosa into corneal cells. Bacterial pili and flagella were not involved. Mutants of P. aeruginosa strains that do not produce an LPS core with a terminal glucose residue had a significantly lower level of association with (approximately 50%) and ingestion by ( > 90%, P < 0.01) corneal cells than did strains with this characteristic. Complementation of the LPS productions defect by plasmid-borne DNA returned association and ingestion to near parental levels. Lipopolysaccharides and delipidated oligosaccharides with a terminal glucose residue in the core inhibited bacterial association and entry into corneal cells. Experiments using P. aeruginosa LPS mutants and corneal cells on whole mouse eyes confirmed the role of the LPS core in cellular entry. CONCLUSIONS Corneal epithelial cells bind and internalized P. aeruginosa by the exposed LPS core.
Essays on asset liquidity, cash holdings, and the cost of corporate debt

This dissertation examines the relationship between the ability of a firm to sell its real assets (asset liquidity) and its cash holdings behavior as well as its cost of debt. In essay 1, I show that for financially constrained firms there exists a negative relationship between the liquidity of a firm’s real assets and the size of its cash holdings, however no such relationship is present for financially unconstrained firms. This indicates a substitution effect between cash balances and liquid real assets when access to external capital markets is limited. Additionally, I find that among financial constrained firms the market value of cash holdings is lower among firms possessing more liquid real assets. In essay 2, I examine the implications of this cash holdings/asset liquidity relationship on the cost of corporate debt. First, I develop a simple two period model of credit spreads endogenizing the cash holdings/asset liquidity trade-off and show that there exists a non-linear (U-shaped) relationship between credit spreads and asset liquidity. Empirically, I show that indeed there is a non-linear relationship between credit spreads and asset liquidity such that credit spreads are decreasing with liquidity for low liquidity firms and increasing for high liquidity firms. In addition, cash holdings plays a mitigating role in the observed effect of asset liquidity on credit spreads.
Mutation Spectra of Kras and Tp53 in Urethral and Lung Neoplasms in B6C3F1 Mice Treated with 3,3′,4,4′-Tetrachloroazobenzene

3,3′,4,4′-tetrachloroazobenzene (TCAB) is a contaminant formed during manufacture of various herbicide compounds. A recent National Toxicology Program study showed B6C3F1 mice exposed to TCAB developed a treatment-related increase in lung carcinomas in the high-dose group, and urethral carcinomas, an extremely rare lesion in rodents, in all dose groups. As the potential for environmental exposure to TCAB is widespread, and the mechanisms of urethral carcinogenesis are unknown, TCAB-induced urethral and pulmonary tumors were evaluated for alterations in critical human cancer genes, Kras and Tp53. Uroplakin III, CK20, and CK7 immunohistochemistry was performed to confirm the urothelial origin of urethral tumors. TCAB-induced urethral carcinomas harbored transforming point mutations in K-ras (38%) and Tp53 (63%), and 71% displayed nuclear TP53 expression, consistent with formation of mutant protein. Transition mutations accounted for 88% of Tp53 mutations in urethral carcinomas, suggesting that TCAB or its metabolites target guanine or cytosine bases and that these mutations are involved in urethral carcinogenesis. Pulmonary carcinomas in TCAB-exposed animals harbored similar rates of Tp53 (55%) and Kras (36%) mutations as urethral carcinomas, suggesting that TCAB may induce mutations at multiple sites by a common mechanism. In conclusion, TCAB is carcinogenic at multiple sites in male and female B6C3F1 mice through mechanisms involving Tp53 and Kras mutation.
Funding Risk, Market Liquidity, Market Volatility and the Cross-Section of Asset Returns

We find strong evidence of a funding risk premium in the cross-section of asset returns. Our estimate for the price of funding risk is robust across Treasury bonds, corporate bonds, equities, and hedge funds. Funding shocks pose a risk to investors because they exacerbate the illiquidity and volatility of securities, increase the dispersions of asset illiquidity and volatility, and decrease contemporaneous returns. Our price-of-risk estimates are also robust to using mimicking portfolio returns, alternative portfolio sorts, traditional test assets, monthly returns or quarterly returns. Funding shocks are not subsumed by common proxies for market-wide illiquidity or dealers' balance sheet risk.
Capital Structure Determinants of Non Financial Listed Firms in Service Sector: Evidence from Pakistan

This paper identifies the important factors that affect the capital structure of non-financial listed firms in service sector. Empirical results indicate that profitability is inversely related to all measures of capital structure. Liquidity is negatively related to total leverage and short-term leverage. Firm size is positively related to all measures of capital structure with an exception that it is negatively related to shortterm leverage in the fixed effects method. More importantly, tangibility is inversely related to total leverage and short-term leverage. Finally, dividends are positively related to total leverage and short-term leverage. The positive and negative coefficients of different explanatory variables are found consistent with the implications of POT and TOT. Finally, results provide support to the managers of service sector firms in articulating a balanced capital structure.
Impaired Phonological and Orthographic Word Representations Among Adult Dyslexic Readers: Evidence From Event-Related Potentials

The authors examined the processing of phonological and orthographic word representations among 17 dyslexic and 16 normal college-level readers using Event-Related Potential measures. They focused on 2 early components—the P200 and the P300. The results revealed P200 and P300 components of lower amplitude and later latency among dyslexic readers than among normal readers for both types of word representation. Group differences were greatest for phonological representations. In addition, the authors observed greater time gaps among dyslexic readers than among normal readers between different processing stages (i.e., between P2 and P3 peaks, between P3 and reaction time). Combined, the data suggest a consistent speed-of-processing deficit among dyslexic readers that is evident within and between stages of cognitive processing. The results are discussed in the context of deficits in stimulus encoding and working memory. In addition, the authors discuss the need for accurate timing and synchronization of phonological and orthographic codes for efficient word recognition.
Has Financial Crisis Affected the Announcement Gains of Indian Cross-border Acquisitions?

The failure of an unparalleled large number of financial institutions during the global financial crisis of 2007–2008 resulted in a freeze of global credit markets. The financial crisis has affected the capital markets around the world. In contrast, the global financial crisis has facilitated the strategic asset-seeking ambitions of emerging market multinationals. The objective of the present article is to examine the market response to cross-border acquisition by Indian companies during 2003– 2015 by conducting event study. We have also compared the acquisition gains before and after the financial crisis. The acquisition gains for the event window (–1, 1) are 2.06 per cent for the entire period 2003–2015 for a sample of 430 announcements. Two-thirds of the acquisitions experienced positive abnormal returns. The abnormal returns are positive and significant for the entire event window of 41 days. The empirical findings also suggest that the CAAR on the event day for pre-crisis period is 4.28 per cent compared to CAAR of 1.70 per cent during post-crisis period. Results are statistically significant. It is evident that market response has muted after the financial crisis.
Properties of the Bombyx mori insulin-like peptide (BmILP) gene

Insulin/Insulin-like growth factors play important roles in promoting proliferation, differentiation, growth and development of organisms. In this article, bioinformatics analysis was performed to locate and identify the Bombyx mori insulin-like peptide (BmILP) gene, which had two introns, three exons, and a predicted signal peptide at the front, and it also determined that BmILP was the same to the gene Bombyxin Z1, a member of the bombyxin family. Both the full-length BmILP gene and the gene without the signal peptide expressed mainly existed in inclusion body forms at different induction conditions and it was noted that the signal peptide had significant influence on the expression level. In addition, protein-protein interaction experiments suggested that there was interaction between BmILP and the autophagy-related protein Atg8, indicating that BmILP may play a role in immunity. It was found was that BmILP predominantly produced by the ovary among different tissues in the silkworm. Particularly, the adult females had higher expression levels than the adult males, and the expression level appeared to be the highest in the mated female moths, suggesting that BmILP may be a key factor in the regulation of egg maturation in Bombyx mori.
The Estimation of Multinomial Probit Models: A New Calibration Algorithm

This study proposes the estimation of Multinomial Probit models using Mendell-Elston's approximation to the cumulative multivariate normal for the computation of choice probabilities. The accuracy of this numerical approximation in computing probabilities is compared with other procedures used in existing calibration programs. Finally, the proposed estimation procedure is tested on simulated choice data.
Detection of the 43,000-molecular-weight glycoprotein in sera of patients with paracoccidioidomycosis

The 43,000-molecular-weight (43K) soluble glycoprotein was detected in sera of patients with paracoccidioidomycosis by the immunoblot technique by using as the probe rabbit monospecific antisera to this fraction. The 43K antigen was present before treatment in sera of patients with the acute (juvenile) form; it started to disappear from circulation after 10 months of chemotherapy, and it was undetectable after 2 years of treatment. In the chronic cases, the 43K antigen was detected in patients without treatment, and it was absent in the healed cases. The detection of the 43K protein specific to Paracoccidioides brasiliensis may be important for its diagnostic value as well as for modulation of the host immune response.
Systemic inflammation and imbalance between endothelial injury and repair in patients with psoriasis are associated with preclinical atherosclerosis

Background Systemic inflammation and imbalance between endothelial injury and repair, the latter referred to as vascular incompetence, are associated with atherosclerosis and cardiovascular risk. Psoriasis, an inflammatory disease of the skin, has been associated with atherosclerosis. We investigated whether, in psoriasis, inflammation and vascular incompetence are associated with carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) irrespective of metabolic syndrome and other established cardiovascular risk factors. Methods High sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), the ratio between endothelial microparticles (EMPs) and progenitors (EPCs), a marker of vascular incompetence, and cIMT were measured in 84 patients with psoriasis and 90 healthy controls, balanced for age, gender and the prevalence of metabolic syndrome. Results Patients with psoriasis had higher hsCRP, EMP/EPC ratio and cIMT than controls. Patients with both psoriasis and metabolic syndrome had the highest hsCRP levels, psoriasis and metabolic syndrome being associated with a 3.1- and 2.6-fold increased risk of having high hsCRP levels, respectively. Logarithm transformed hsCRP and EMP/EPC ratio were predictors of high cIMT (odds ratio 3.8; 95% confidence interval 1.3–11.4; p = 0.02 and odds ratio 8.7; 95% confidence interval 2.7–27.5; p < 0.001, respectively) regardless of confounders. Patients with high hsCRP and EMP/EPC ratio had higher cIMT than those with none or at least one of risk variable. Conclusions Patients with psoriasis have an increased burden of cardiovascular risk, including inflammation, vascular incompetence and early atherosclerosis. Increased hsCRP levels, possibly sustained by the inflammatory nature of psoriasis and metabolic syndrome, and vascular incompetence are associated with early carotid atherosclerosis, regardless of metabolic syndrome and other established cardiovascular risk factors.
Credit standards and capital allocation in a low interest rate environment

I dette arbejdspapir praesenteres en analyse af de senere ars udvikling i kreditgivningen til danske virksomheder baseret pa regnskabsdata og data fra sporgeskemaundersogelser pa virksomhedsniveau. Analysen indikerer, at det lave renteniveau og den ogede konkurrence blandt kreditinstitutterne ikke har fort til betydelige lempelser i de mindre kreditvaerdige virksomheders lanevilkar. Institutternes kreditvurdering giver stadig i stor udstraekning anledning til, at lanekapitalen gar til de mest solide og produktive virksomheder. Endvidere indikerer analysen, at danske virksomheders laneeftersporgsel er forholdsvis afdaempet, og at de har relativt god adgang til finansiering i sammenligning med virksomheder i andre lande.
EFFICIENCY CONVERGENCE IN TRANSITION ECONOMIES:1991-2002 A NON-PARAMETRIC FRONTIER APPROACH

This study based on panel data for 47 countries (25 transition countries and 22 OECD countries) examines efficiency convergence based on regression of average annual efficiency growth on initial levels of efficiency in transition economies during 1991-2002. Efficiency levels and average efficiency growth is calculated by Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and then regression analysis is applied to estimate β –convergence. Efficiency change indices of trasition economies indicate that the poor transition economies are catching up the rich countries or the best-practice world production frontier. β -convergence also justifies this finding. Because the estimated convergence coefficient for transition economies, β, is (-0.0498) .
Conditional Equity Premium and Aggregate Investment: Is the Stock Market a Sideshow?

In Cochrane’s (1991) investment-based asset pricing model, aggregate investment is driven by conditional equity premium; Arif and Lee (2014), however, find that it is primarily influenced by investor sentiment or gauges of irrational exuberance. We reconcile these conflicting views by showing that the positive relation between aggregate investment and investor sentiment documented by Arif and Lee (2014) reflects the fact that both variables move closely with conditional equity premium. Our results cast doubt to (1) the conjecture that stock market mispricing is an important driver of aggregate investment and (2) the conventional wisdom that investor sentiment measures irrationality.
Effect of cytochrome P450 2C19*17 allelic variant on cardiovascular and cerebrovascular outcomes in clopidogrel-treated patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: We aimed to evaluate the associations of gain-of-function allele of CYP2C19*17 and risk of clinical events in clopidogrel-treated patients with cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases (CCVDs). Materials and Methods: Literature search was conducted in PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library. Odds ratio (OR) combined with 95% confidence interval (CI) was the pooled statistics. Subgroup analysis was performed by disease type, bleeding events, and race. Results: Thirteen eligible studies involving 14,239 patients with CYP2C19*17 carriers or noncarriers were included in the meta-analysis. CYP2C19*17 was significantly related to decreased risk of major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCEs) in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) (OR = 0.76, 95% CI: 0.60–0.98, P = 0.03), however, irrelevant with stent thrombosis in neither CAD nor ischemic heart disease patients. CYP2C19*17 was also significantly linked to decreased risk of high platelet reactivity (HPR) in CCVD patients (OR = 0.61, 95% CI: 0.43–0.88, P = 0.008). Meanwhile, CYP2C19*17 was significantly associated with bleeding risk in CCVD patients (OR = 1.89, 95% CI: 1.09–3.25, P = 0.02) but not related to major bleeding risk (OR = 1.35, 95% CI: 0.87–2.08, P = 0.18). Several outcomes in Caucasian subgroup were reverse to the overall results, such as bleeding events and HPR, which lacked significance. Conclusion: CYP2C19*17 had a significant effect on the reduced risks of MACCE and HPR as well as increased bleeding risk, but not on the risks of stent thrombosis and major bleeding in clopidogrel-treated CCVD patients. Outcomes might be different in different races.
Ozone ameliorates methotrexate-induced intestinal injury in rats

Methotrexate (Mtx) is an effective chemotherapeutic agent used in various cancer treatments. Gastrointestinal toxicity is the drug’s major limiting factor, arising mainly from oxidative damage. It has been proposed that ozone (O3) is an activator of antioxidant enzymes. Thus, this study was designed to investigate the efficacy of ozone therapy in the prevention of Mtx-induced intestinal injury in rats. Twenty rats were allocated into three groups: sham, Mtx alone (untreated) and Mtx+O3 (treated with ozone). Ozone was administered at a dose of 0.72 mg/kg daily via an intraperitoneal route for 15 days. On day 16, Mtx was applied via an intraperitoneal injection at a dose of 6 mg/kg for 5 days. All rats were sacrificed at day 21. Efficacy of the treatment was assessed by measuring the histopathologic injury score (HIS), and biochemically by determining tissue superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), and malondialdehyde (MDA) in ileum, liver and kidney homogenates. Although two rats (25%) died in the untreated group, all rats in the sham and treatment groups survived the study. The HIS, antioxidant enzyme and MDA levels of the ileal tissue were significantly lower in the ozone treated group than the untreated group (p