Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Potent Protective Role of Lysophospholipids against Global Cerebral Ischemia and Glutamate Excitotoxicity in Neuronal Cultures

Lysophospholipids (LPLs) are important intermediates in the synthesis and degradation of membrane phospholipids. Here we show that certain LPLs, particularly lysophosphatidylcholine and lysophosphatidylinositol, prevent neuronal death both in an in vivo model of transient global ischemia and in an in vitro model of excitotoxicity using primary cultures of cerebellar granule cells exposed to high extracellular concentrations of glutamate (20–40 μmol/L). The intravenous injection of lysophosphatidylcholine or lysophosphatidylinositol at a concentration of 200 nmol/kg induced a survival of CA1 pyramidal neurons as high as approximately 95%, even when the treatment was started 30 minutes after 15-minute global ischemia. In contrast, lysophosphatidic acid induced no protection. This work also provides evidence that a pretreatment with lysophosphatidylcholine or lysophosphatidylinositol (200 nmol/kg) injected as long as 3 days before a severe 6-minute ischemia provided a potent tolerance against neurodegeneration. Neuroprotection was also observed in in vitro experiments with LPLs. Taken together, in vivo and in vitro data suggest a potential therapeutic use of LPLs as antiischemic compounds. The potential role of 2P-domain K+ channels as targets of LPLs in this potent neuroprotective effect is discussed.
J-curve disparity between the goods sector and the services sector: evidence from Australia

The J-curve effect phenomenon suggests that the currency devaluation would worsen the trade balance in the short run, but improve it in the long run. This article uses quarterly Australian data over the period 1988 to 2011 to examine whether J-curve effects are different between the two main components of the trade account: the goods sector and the services sector. Using the bound testing approach to cointegration and error correction modelling, we find some evidence to support the J-curve phenomenon, but the impact of real exchange rate on the trade account seems complex. While the services sector displays a J-curve effect, the goods sector response is quite the opposite: it has a positive response in the short run, but a weak negative response in the long run.
Do Colleges Get What They Pay For? Evidence on Football Coach Pay and Team Performance

We use a data set of Football Bowl Subdivision (Division-IA) universities to investigate the hypothesis that higher coach pay leads to improved team performance. Our analysis finds that pay and team performance are positively correlated and that, when schools change coaches, higher pay is associated with improved performance. The evidence suggests that additional rating points are increasingly valuable, perhaps over US$1 million for top teams. Our descriptive analysis reveals the median 2011 head coach pay of US$1.2 million, significant increases over our 2006-2011 study period, and large disparities among schools and conferences. We conclude that administrators perceive highly ranked football teams have significant value.
Strategic philosophy in Turkey: balancing the art-science, consistency-flexibility, and top-down-bottom-up perspectives

Top executives are faced with a number of concerns when formulating strategies for their organisations. Three strategic dimensions – strategy formulation as an art or science, strategic emphasis on consistency or flexibility, and strategy as a top-down or a bottom-up approach – appear to require difficult choices or compromises between polar extremes. Measurement scales have been developed and tested among US managers, but little work has been done in emerging economies. This paper reports on the measures of these dimensions in Turkey. As predicted, a scientific perspective on strategy was preferred to an artistic perspective and strategic consistency was preferred to flexibility. Surprisingly, however, Turkish respondents expressed a preference for a bottom-up strategy formulation process. Implications for managers and future research are discussed.
Intellectual capital and business performance in Malaysian industries

The purpose of this empirical study is to investigate the three elements of intellectual capital, i.e. human capital, structural capital, and customer capital, and their inter‐relationships within two industry sectors in Malaysia. The study was conducted using a psychometrically validated questionnaire which was originally administered in Canada. The main conclusions from this particular study are that: human capital is important regardless of industry type; human capital has a greater influence on how a business should be structured in non‐service industries compared to service industries; customer capital has a significant influence over structural capital irrespective of industry; and finally, the development of structural capital has a positive relationship with business performance regardless of industry. The final specified models in this study show a robust explanation of business performance variance within the Malaysian context which bodes well for future research in alternative contexts.
Machiavellian Intelligence and Socio-Economic Status as Predictors of Political Preference

Political preference is understood to be shaped by dispositional as well as situational factors. In this study, we show that Machiavellian intelligence and socio-economic status do not predict political preference in a Dutch student population. We investigated whether behavioural measures of Machiavellian intelligence are linked to political preferences on an economic or social scale. Machiavellian intelligence was measured using the difference in contributions in the common dictator and ultimatum games. However, no significant relationship between Machiavellian intelligence, socio-economic status, and political preference is found. We further show that a high level of contributions in the dictator game is associated with left-leaning economic preferences. Our findings support recent research that dictator game performance is a measure of altruism, a personality trait which has been found to be correlated with leftist political preferences.
The Association between Glyceraldehyde-Derived Advanced Glycation End-Products and Colorectal Cancer Risk

Background: A large proportion of colorectal cancers are thought to be associated with unhealthy dietary and lifestyle exposures, particularly energy excess, obesity, hyperinsulinemia, and hyperglycemia. It has been suggested that these processes stimulate the production of toxic reactive carbonyls from sugars such as glyceraldehyde. Glyceraldehyde contributes to the production of a group of compounds known as glyceraldehyde-derived advanced glycation end-products (glycer-AGEs), which may promote colorectal cancer through their proinflammatory and pro-oxidative properties. The objective of this study nested within a prospective cohort was to explore the association of circulating glycer-AGEs with risk of colorectal cancer. Methods: A total of 1,055 colorectal cancer cases (colon n = 659; rectal n = 396) were matchced (1:1) to control subjects. Circulating glycer-AGEs were measured by a competitive ELISA. Multivariable conditional logistic regression models were used to calculate ORs and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI), adjusting for potential confounding factors, including smoking, alcohol, physical activity, body mass index, and diabetes status. Results: Elevated glycer-AGEs levels were not associated with colorectal cancer risk (highest vs. lowest quartile, 1.10; 95% CI, 0.82–1.49). Subgroup analyses showed possible divergence by anatomical subsites (OR for colon cancer, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.57–1.22; OR for rectal cancer, 1.90; 95% CI, 1.14–3.19; Pheterogeneity = 0.14). Conclusions: In this prospective study, circulating glycer-AGEs were not associated with risk of colon cancer, but showed a positive association with the risk of rectal cancer. Impact: Further research is needed to clarify the role of toxic products of carbohydrate metabolism and energy excess in colorectal cancer development. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 24(12); 1855–63. ©2015 AACR.
CHANGES IN MALLARD (ANAS PLATYRHYNCHOS) SERUM CHEMISTRY DUE TO AGE, SEX, AND REPRODUCTIVE CONDITION

Selected serum constituents were analyzed from 50 adult mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) of both sexes during several stages of reproduction: pre-egg laying, egg laying, incubating, molting, and postreproductive. Similar assays were conducted on sera from ducklings aged 5 to 58 days. Values for total protein (TPR), albumin (ALB), glucose (GLU), gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), calcium (CA), phosphorus (PHOS) and magnesium (MG) differed by sex. When all data were combined and analyzed for sex-related differences within each reproductive condition separately, all assays except lactate dehydrogenase (LD-L), cholinesterase (CHE), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), creatinine (CRN) and direct bilirubin (BIDI) differed between sexes during one or more reproductive periods. Each assay showed differences among the various reproductive conditions regardless of gender. The pattern of change differed between sexes. All assays except ALB, GLU, CA and MG showed age-related changes. Lipemia in the sample interfered with all chemistries except TPR, LD-L and CA. Results indicate that when using clinical chemistry as a diagnostic tool in the mallard, age and reproductive condition should be determined in order to compare the data to appropriate control values.
Population Patch-Clamp Electrophysiology Analysis of Recombinant GABAA α1β3γ2 Channels Expressed in HEK-293 Cells

γ-Amino butyric acid (GABA)—activated Cl— channels are critical mediators of inhibitory postsynaptic potentials in the CNS. To date, rational design efforts to identify potent and selective GABAA subtype ligands have been hampered by the absence of suitable high-throughput screening approaches. The authors describe 384-well population patch-clamp (PPC) planar array electrophysiology methods for the study of GABAA receptor pharmacology. In HEK293 cells stably expressing human α1β3γ2 GABAA channels, GABA evoked outward currents at 0 mV of 1.05 ± 0.08 nA, measured 8 s post GABA addition. The IGABA was linear and reversed close to the theoretical ECl (—56 mV). Concentration-response curve analysis yielded a mean pEC50 value of 5.4 and Hill slope of 1.5, and for a series of agonists, the rank order of potency was muscimol > GABA > isoguvacine. A range of known positive modulators, including diazepam and pentobarbital, produced concentration-dependent augmentation of the GABA EC 20 response (1 µM). The competitive antagonists bicuculline and gabazine produced concentration-dependent, parallel, rightward displacement of GABA curves with pA2 and slope values of 5.7 and 1.0 and 6.7 and 1.0, respectively. In contrast, picrotoxin (0.2-150 µM) depressed the maximal GABA response, implying a non-competitive antagonism. Overall, the pharmacology of human α1β3γ2 GABAA determined by PPC was highly similar to that obtained by conventional patch-clamp methods. In small-scale single-shot screens, Z′ values of >0.5 were obtained in agonist, modulator, and antagonist formats with hit rates of 0% to 3%. The authors conclude that despite the inability of the method to resolve the peak agonist responses, PPC can rapidly and usefully quantify pharmacology for the α1β3γ2 GABAA isoform. These data suggest that PPC may be a valuable approach for a focused set and secondary screening of GABAA receptors and other slow ligand-gated ion channels. ( Journal of Biomolecular Screening 2009:769-780)
Characterization of Muscarinic Acetylcholine Receptors in the Rat Epididymis1

Abstract The aim of the present study was to characterize the muscarinic acetylcholine receptor subtypes present in the caput and cauda of rat epididymis. The specific binding of [3H]quinuclidinyl benzilate ([3H]QNB) to epididymal membranes was time dependent, temperature dependent, and saturable. The cauda epididymis showed higher affinity to [3H]QNB and higher muscarinic receptor density when compared to the caput region. The [3H]QNB binding was tested in competition studies with different muscarinic receptor antagonists. Each antagonist tested displaced [3H]QNB bound to caput and cauda epididymal membrane with similar affinity. Correlation among the negative logarithm of inhibition constant values (pKi) for these antagonists obtained in the epididymis with their correspondent published pKi values obtained in tissues that expressed each receptor subtype (M1, M2, M3, and M4) indicated that the muscarinic receptors present in caput and cauda epididymis belong to the muscarinic M2 receptor subtype. When reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction was used to identify muscarinic receptor mRNA subtypes in the epididymis, only m2 transcripts were detected in the caput region, while both m2 and m3 mRNA subtypes were observed in the cauda region. In conclusion, these results demonstrate that muscarinic receptors are present in the rat epididymis, with expression levels dependent on the region of the epididymis analyzed. Thus, the cholinergic neurotransmitter in the epididymis may be a factor controlling contractility and/or the luminal fluid microenvironment.
A Subordinated Stochastic Process Model with Finite Variance for Speculative Prices

S. Bochner's concept of a subordinate stochastic process is proposed as a model for speculative price series. A general class of finite-variance distributions for price changes is described, and a member of this class, the lognormal-normal, is tested against previously proposed distributions for speculative price differences. It is shown with both discrete Bayes' tests and Kolmogorov-Smirnov tests that finite-variance distributions subordinate to the normal fit cotton futures price data better than members of the stable family.
Determinants of parental decisions to abort for chromosome abnormalities

Parental decisions concerning the continuation of pregnancy following prenatal detection of abnormal chromosomes were evaluated for 80 patients whose diagnosis and prenatal counselling were performed in our centre. Twenty‐two anomalies were diagnosed by chorionic villus sampling (CVS) and 58 by amniocentesis. The severity of the chromosome anomaly and associated ultrasound findings in the first vs. second trimester were correlated with patients' decisions. No difference was found in the likelihood of parental decisions to interrupt or continue a pregnancy between CVS and amniocentesis for either the‘severe’ or the‘questionable’ group of chromosome anomalies. Ninety‐three per cent of patients with severe prognosis and 27 per cent with questionable prognosis opted for pregnancy termination (p <0·0001). The association of ultrasound anomalies and termination was highly significant (p< 0·001). The severity of the chromosome anomaly, and, to a lesser extent, the visualization of anomalies on ultrasound were the major determinants of parental decisions to terminate the pregnancy. The diagnosis of an anomaly in the first trimester was no more likely ito lead to a termination of pregnancy than in the second trimester.
The Collapse of the Mexican Peso: What Have We Learned?

In the first quarter of 1995 Mexico found itself in the grip of an intense financial panic. Foreign investors fled Mexico despite very high interest rates on Mexican securities, an undervalued currency, and financial indicators that pointed to long-term solvency. The fundamental conditions of the Mexican economy cannot account for the entire crisis. The crisis was due to unexpected shocks that occurred in 1994, and the inadequate policy response to those shocks. In the aftermath of the March assassination the exchange rate experienced a nominal devaluation of around 10 percent and interest rates increased by around 7 percentage points. However, the capital outflow continued. The policy response to this was to maintain the exchange rate rule, and to prevent further increases in interest rates by expanding domestic credit and by converting short-term peso- denominated government liabilities (Cetes) falling due into dollar- denominated bonds (Tesobonos). A fall in international reserves and an increase in short-term dollar-denominated debt resulted. The government simply ended up illiquid, and therefore financially vulnerable. Illiquidity exposed Mexico to a self-fulfilling panic.
Has the Burden of Obesity Declined in America Since 1980

The proportion of overweight Americans has increased over the past three decades. This increase has implications for policymakers and researchers who are concerned about future increases in health and economic burdens. However, between 1980 and 2009 the health burdens among overweight people, measured by activity limitation, declined significantly. It is our purpose to quantify this recent progress, particularly in respect to the role of income growth. We argue that the health-care market has been driven by obesity and that new health technologies have grown increasingly affordable over the past three decades. Our key finding is that the growth of income provides an adequate explanation of the shift of the quadratic relationship between BMI and activity limitation over these three decades.
Aptamer-mediated indirect quantum dot labeling and fluorescent imaging of target proteins in living cells

Protein labeling for dynamic living cell imaging plays a significant role in basic biological research, as well as in clinical diagnostics and therapeutics. We have developed a novel strategy in which the dynamic visualization of proteins within living cells is achieved by using aptamers as mediators for indirect protein labeling of quantum dots (QDs). With this strategy, the target protein angiogenin was successfully labeled with fluorescent QDs in a minor intactness model, which was mediated by the aptamer AL6-B. Subsequent living cell imaging analyses indicated that the QDs nanoprobes were selectively bound to human umbilical vein endothelial cells, gradually internalized into the cytoplasm, and mostly localized in the lysosome organelle, indicating that the labeled protein retained high activity. Compared with traditional direct protein labeling methods, the proposed aptamer-mediated strategy is simple, inexpensive, and provides a highly selective, stable, and intact labeling platform that has shown great promise for future biomedical labeling and intracellular protein dynamic analyses.
‘Lost in translation’: an analysis of temporary work agency employment in hotels

Temporary work continues to stimulate research and debate in many developed countries. This research provides contemporary data on temporary work agency employment in the Australian hotel industry. Findings reveal that an absence of regulation governing the temporary work agency industry in conjunction with strong migrant labour supply and extremely active agency-client firm interactions has entrenched TWA employment and restructured the labour market in a coercive fashion.
Brazilian Soybean Production: Emergy Analysis With an Expanded Scope

This article offers the results of emergy analysis used to evaluate four different soybean production systems in Brazil that were divided into two main categories: biological models (organic and ecological farms) and industrial models (green-revolution chemical farms and herbicide with no-tillage farms). The biological models show better environmental, economical, and social performance indicators; however, at the national level, discussion of transgenic soybean seed release considers only industrial models without any mention of biological models. Classic emergy analysis shows biological options are the better alternatives but does not explain why decisions taken by farmers and government in Brazil were in opposition to these options. New research is proposed to identify and quantify the external forces that strongly interfere in the definition of public policy for soybean production. New parameters are proposed to enrich emergy methodology: Renewability of each input was considered in emergy calculations and negative externalities were included as additional services.
Abnormal Trafficking and Degradation of TLR4 Underlie the Elevated Inflammatory Response in Cystic Fibrosis

Morbidity and mortality in cystic fibrosis (CF) are due not only to abnormal epithelial cell function, but also to an abnormal immune response. We have shown previously that macrophages lacking CF transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR), the gene mutated in CF, contribute significantly to the hyperinflammatory response observed in CF. In this study, we show that lack of functional CFTR in murine macrophages causes abnormal TLR4 subcellular localization. Upon LPS stimulation, CFTR macrophages have prolonged TLR4 retention in the early endosome and reduced translocation into the lysosomal compartment. This abnormal TLR4 trafficking leads to increased LPS-induced activation of the NF-κB, MAPK, and IFN regulatory factor-3 pathways and decreased TLR4 degradation, which affects downregulation of the proinflammatory state. In addition to primary murine cells, mononuclear cells isolated from CF patients demonstrate similar defects in response to LPS. Moreover, specific inhibition of CFTR function induces abnormal TLR4 trafficking and enhances the inflammatory response of wild-type murine cells to LPS. Thus, functional CFTR in macrophages influences TLR4 spatial and temporal localization and perturbs LPS-mediated signaling in both murine CF models and patients with CF.
Do the effects of private equity investments on firm performance persist over time?

This study examines whether the effect of private equity (PE) investments persists over time or wears off after the PE investors exit. Unlike previous studies that focus on the PE-backed initial public offerings (IPOs), we constructed a unique and distinctive dataset comprising PE investments exiting both via IPO and other common ways (i.e., trade sale, secondary buy-out and buy-back). Consistent with Jain and Kini (1995), we observe that PE-backed firms outperform other firms. Our results shed light on existing literature because we find that whether PE investments continue to benefit the portfolio firms is strictly related to the type (venture capital versus buy-out) and length of the PE investment, the nature of the PE investor (bank-based versus nonbank based), and the exit strategy (IPO versus other exit strategies).
Liquidity, Maturity, and the Yields on U.S. Treasury Securities

The effects of asset liquidity on expected returns for assets with infinite maturities (stocks) are examined for bonds (Treasury notes and bills with matched maturities of less than six months). The yield to maturity is higher on notes, which have lower liquidity. The yield differential between notes and bills is a decreasing and convex function of the time to maturity. The results provide a robust confirmation of the liquidity effect in asset pricing. Copyright 1991 by American Finance Association.
An analysis of the determinants of the long-run growth rate of Bangladesh

This article develops a framework to analyse the determinants of the long term growth rate of Bangladesh. It is based on the Solow (1956) growth model and its extension by Mankiw et al. (1992) and follows Senhadji's (2000) growth accounting procedure to estimate Total Factor Productivity (TFP). Our Growth Accounting Exercise (GAE) shows that growth rate in Bangladesh, until the 1990s was primarily due to factor accumulation. Since then, however, TFP has made a small positive contribution. Using our results on the determinants of TFP, we also examine policy options to double per capita income of Bangladesh in about 15 years.