Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Real and Imagined Constraints on Euro Area Monetary Policy

Although the European Central Bank (ECB) has been pursuing an aggressively expansionary policy since 2012, previously the ECB was behind the curve in lowering interest rates and making asset purchases to combat the prolonged euro area recession. This paper argues that part of the delay can be attributed to the multi-country nature of the euro area. Over-interpreting the limitations of the ECB’s statutory mandate, some ECB decision makers were wary of being accused of circumventing the prohibition on monetary financing by intervening in the market of the debt of weaker governments. Some were also mesmerized by the relatively strong performance of the German economy in the crisis and attributed the slower post-crisis recovery of most other member states to national policy failures that should not be offset by euro area monetary policy. All of this was exacerbated by the ECB’s adoption of and (at least until 2011) adherence to a seductive but analytically flawed “separation principle,” which misled some of its decision makers into overestimating the adequacy of the monetary expansion that was being applied. The ECB’s toolbox is indeed somewhat limited by its statute, reflecting multi-country considerations, but abandonment of the separation principle should help ensure a more effective, holistic approach to monetary policy design in the future.
Nuclear expression of YB‐1 in diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma: correlation with disease activity and patient outcome

The aim of this study is to investigate the correlations among Y‐box binding protein‐1 (YB‐1) and P‐glycoprotein(P‐gp) and their prognostic significance in diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma (DLBCL). The expression of YB‐1 and P‐gp was examined immunohistochemically on 68 patients with DLBCL who were treated from 2003 to 2005. Samples were paraffin‐embedded newly diagnosed DLBCL tissues taken from the surgical specimens before adjuvant chemotherapy. We determined the prognostic significance of YB‐1 and its relationship with P‐gp in patients with DLBCL. Of the 68 tumors examined, 42 (61.8%) were positive for YB‐1 expression in the nucleus. The nuclear expression of YB‐1 was significantly associated with clinical stages, bone marrow involvement, extra nodal involvement, and poor response to chemotherapy. No associations were observed between P‐gp and clinical features, in context of the poor response to chemotherapy. Nuclear expression of YB‐1 was correlated significantly with increased expression of P‐gp patients with a nuclear YB‐1 tumor had a poorer prognosis than did those with a cytoplasmic YB‐1 tumor in all of the DLBCL patients (P = 0.035). Thus, correlation of YB‐1 and P‐gp emerged as a possible biomarker for unfavorable prognosis in DLBCL. It may provide useful information for clinicians to determine the appropriate therapy for each type of DLBCL.
A nonsynonymous TNFRSF11A variation increases NFκB activity and the severity of Paget's disease

Mutations in the SQSTM1 gene were identified as a common cause of Paget's disease of bone (PDB) but experimental evidence demonstrated that SQSTM1 mutation is not sufficient to induce PDB in vivo. Here, we identified two nonsynonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (C421T, H141Y and T575C, V192A) in the TNFRSF11A gene, associated with PDB and with the severity of phenotype in a large population of 654 unrelated patients that were previously screened for SQSTM1 gene mutations. The largest effect was found for the T575C variant, yielding an odds ratio of 1.29 (p = 0.003), with the C allele as the risk allele. Moreover, an even more significant p‐value (p = 0.0002) was observed in the subgroup of patients with SQSTM1 mutation, with an odds ratio of 1.71. Interestingly, patients with the C allele also showed an increased prevalence of polyostotic disease (68%, 53%, and 51% in patients with CC, CT, and TT genotypes, respectively; p = 0.01), as well as an increased number of affected skeletal sites (2.9, 2.5, and 2.0 in patients with CC, CT, and TT genotypes, respectively, p = 0.008). These differences increased when analyses were restricted to cases with SQSTM1 mutation. In human cell lines, cotrasfection with mutated SQSTM1 and TNFRSF11AA192 produced a level of activation of NFκB signaling greater than cotrasfection with wild‐type SQSTM1 and TNFRSF11AV192, confirming genetics and clinical evidences. These results provide the first evidence that genetic variation within the OPG/RANK/RANKL system influences the severity of PBD in synergistic action with SQSTM1 gene mutations. © 2012 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research
Production of steroids by human ovarian surface epithelial cells in culture: possible role of progesterone as growth inhibitor.

OBJECTIVE The purpose was to investigate whether normal ovarian surface epithelial cells, harvested from premenopausal and postmenopausal women, are capable of steroid production, and to evaluate effects of estradiol and progesterone on growth regulation of such cells. METHODS Ovarian surface epithelial cells were obtained by brushing of the ovarian surface of 9 premenopausal and 10 postmenopausal women undergoing surgery for benign gynecological diseases. The conditioned media after culture, with and without addition of FSH and LH, were analyzed for estradiol and progesterone. The proliferative effects of the steroids were analyzed using two different culture models, nonconfluent cells and confluent cells, and two different detection methods, [(3)H]thymidine incorporation and a colorimetric method assaying cell number. RESULTS The normal ovarian surface epithelial cells were found to secrete both estradiol and progesterone, a production that was not regulated by FSH or LH. Addition of steroids to the cultured cells did not induce any overall significant growth effects. However, progesterone significantly inhibited the growth of ovarian surface epithelial cells from three of the patients. Enhanced thymidine incorporation was observed in the presence of the progesterone receptor antagonist Org 31710 in the nonconfluent cultures of cells from postmenopausal women, but no effect of an estrogen receptor antagonist was observed. CONCLUSIONS The normal ovarian surface epithelium is capable of steroid production, which is also often observed in tissue from ovarian epithelial tumors. Progesterone appeared to be a negative regulator of ovarian surface epithelial growth, while estradiol had no effect.
Process Integration Using SOA: An Implementation Case in a Municipality

There is a new world in which we're living, with a complete reconfiguration of the concept of enterprise and organization in course, in which whole business chains shall be the basis for any management action, and for which are of crucial importance the new information and process technologies architectures (BPM-business process management and SOA-service oriented architecture). As the central focus of the paper, an interesting case is presented, in which the best solution, for a municipality, was to jump into this new world of possibilities.
Intracellular dynamics of calcyon, a neuron-specific vesicular protein

Calcyon is a brain-specific protein, implicated in clathrin-mediated endocytosis. In this descriptive study we show that calcyon is exclusively expressed in neurons, and localized in moving vesicles. The movement of calcyon-containing vesicles was dependent on temperature and on intact microtubules, in addition these vesicles were colocalized with a marker for endocytosed plasma membrane proteins, suggesting that calcyon vesicles follow the endocytic recycling pathway. We also show using evanescent wave microscopy that there is a pool of ready releasable calcyon vesiclesaccumulated beneath the plasma membrane. We conclude that the mobility and storage properties of calcyon-containing vesicles imply that they play a role in brain plasticity.
Conceptualizing the Circular Economy: An Analysis of 114 Definitions

Abstract The circular economy concept has gained momentum both among scholars and practitioners. However, critics claim that it means many different things to different people. This paper provides further evidence for these critics. The aim of this paper is to create transparency regarding the current understandings of the circular economy concept. For this purpose, we have gathered 114 circular economy definitions which were coded on 17 dimensions. Our findings indicate that the circular economy is most frequently depicted as a combination of reduce, reuse and recycle activities, whereas it is oftentimes not highlighted that CE necessitates a systemic shift. We further find that the definitions show few explicit linkages of the circular economy concept to sustainable development. The main aim of the circular economy is considered to be economic prosperity, followed by environmental quality; its impact on social equity and future generations is barely mentioned. Furthermore, neither business models nor consumers are frequently outlined as enablers of the circular economy. We critically discuss the various circular economy conceptualizations throughout this paper. Overall, we hope to contribute via this study towards the coherence of the circular economy concept; we presume that significantly varying circular economy definitions may eventually result in the collapse of the concept.
Service innovation through resource integration: An empirical examination of co-created value using telehealth services

Scholars, policymakers and practitioners recognise the potential to improve public services through active citizen involvement and much research has examined the formal opportunities to ‘co-produce’ changes in the structures and cultures of public services. Yet scholars have devoted little attention to the opportunities for service and social innovation that emerge from the everyday activities of service users and their phenomenological experiences of realising value from service interactions. This qualitative study of telehealth users explores how and why public service beneficiaries co-create value. It argues that understanding citizens’ approaches to co-create phenomenological value is a vital component of the collaborative processes that generate social benefit.
Antiproliferative effect of salvianolic acid A on rat hepatic stellate cells

Suppression of activation or proliferation, or induction of apoptosis in hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) have been proposed as therapeutic strategies against liver fibrosis. Salvia miltiorrhiza has been reported to exert antifibrotic effects in rats with hepatic fibrosis, but its mechanisms of action remain to be clarified. We have investigated the effects of salvianolic acid A (Sal A), an active principle from S. miltiorrhiza, on the proliferation‐related biomarkers in a cell line of rat HSCs (HSC‐T6) stimulated with platelet‐derived growth factor‐BB homodimer (PDGF‐BB). DNA synthesis (bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) incorporation), cell cycle related proteins and apoptosis markers were determined to evaluate the inhibitory effects of Sal A. The results showed that Sal A (1–10μ M) concentration‐dependently attenuated PDGF‐BB‐stimulated proliferation (BrdU incorporation) in HSC‐T6 cells. Sal A at 10μ M induced cell apoptosis in PDGF‐BB‐incubated HSCs, together with a reduction of Bcl‐2 protein expression, induction of cell cycle inhibitory proteins p21 and p27, and down‐regulation of cyclins D1 and E, suppression of Akt phosphorylation, reduction in PDGF receptor phosphorylation, and an increase in caspase‐3 activity. Sal A exerted no direct cytotoxicity on primary hepatocytes and HSC‐T6 cells under experimental concentrations. Our results suggested that Sal A inhibited PDGF‐BB‐activated HSC proliferation, partially through apoptosis induction.
Comparison of Diabetes Diagnostic Categories in the U.S. Population According to 1997 American Diabetes Association and 1980–1985 World Health Organization Diagnostic Criteria

OBJECTIVE To compare the 1997 American Diabetes Association (ADA) and the 1980–1985 World Health Organization (WHO) diagnostic criteria in categorization of the diabetes diagnostic status of adults in the U.S. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Analyses are based on a probability sample of the U.S. population age 40–74 years in the 1988–1994 Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III). People with diabetes diagnosed before the survey were identified by questionnaire. For 2,844 people without diagnosed diabetes, fasting plasma glucose was obtained after an overnight 9 to < 24-h fast, HbA1c was measured, and a 2-h oral glucose tolerance test was administered. RESULTS Prevalence of diagnosed diabetes in this age-group is 7.9%. Prevalence of undiagnosed diabetes is 4.4% by ADA criteria and 6.4% by WHO criteria. The net change of −2.0% occurs because 1.0% are classified as having undiagnosed diabetes by ADA criteria but have impaired or normal glucose tolerance by WHO criteria, and 3.0% are classified as having impaired fasting glucose or normal fasting glucose by ADA criteria but have undiagnosed diabetes by WHO criteria. Prevalence of impaired fasting glucose is 10.1% (ADA), compared with 15.6% for impaired glucose tolerance (WHO). For those with undiagnosed diabetes by ADA criteria, 62.1% are above the normal range for HbA1c compared with 47.1% by WHO criteria. Mean HbA1c is 7.07% for undiagnosed diabetes by ADA criteria and 6.58% by WHO criteria. CONCLUSIONS The number of people with undiagnosed diabetes by ADA criteria is lower than that by WHO criteria. However, those individuals classified by ADA criteria are more hyperglycemic, with higher HbA1c values and a greater proportion of values above the normal range. This fact, together with the simplicity of obtaining a fasting plasma glucose value, may result in the detection of a greater proportion of people with undiagnosed diabetes in clinical practice using the new ADA diagnostic criteria.
Human Antibody Response to Individual Outer Membrane Proteins of Haemophilus influenzae Type b

To evaluate the potential of outer membrane proteins of Haemophilus influenzae as a vaccine, sera from 11 healthy persons and from 23 patients convalescing from disease caused by Haemophilus influenzae type b were assayed for antibodies to individual outer membrane proteins of a single type b isolate, strain Eag, by a gel radioimmunoassay. All 23 patients, ranging in age from 2 months to 62 years, with 17 patients being 24 months or less, had antibodies to some of these proteins in their sera (range, antibodies to 4 to 17 proteins per patient). Although the intensity and spectrum of the response varied, all patients had antibodies to one particular outer membrane protein and 19 patients had antibodies to another, with those patients 5 years and older having antibodies to more proteins than did infants (≦24 months). In the two cases examined, convalescent sera had greater amounts and broader spectra of antibodies than did acute sera. In addition, 10 of 11 healthy subjects not known to have had systemic H. influenzae disease also had antibodies to individual outer membrane proteins, with older children having greater amounts than did their younger siblings and with children showing a different spectrum of response than that for adults. Thus, antibodies to outer membrane proteins are commonly found in humans. Also, these results and those demonstrating that hyperimmune rabbit antisera to strain Eag reacted with each of five type b substrains possessing some different outer membrane proteins indicate considerable cross-reactivity among these proteins. These results encourage continued consideration of outer membrane proteins in a vaccine.
Sox10 Expression in Goldfish Retina and Optic Nerve Head in Controls and after the Application of Two Different Lesion Paradigms

The mammalian central nervous system (CNS) is unable to regenerate. In contrast, the CNS of fish, including the visual system, is able to regenerate after damage. Moreover, the fish visual system grows continuously throughout the life of the animal, and it is therefore an excellent model to analyze processes of myelination and re-myelination after an injury. Here we analyze Sox10+ oligodendrocytes in the goldfish retina and optic nerve in controls and after two kinds of injuries: cryolesion of the peripheral growing zone and crushing of the optic nerve. We also analyze changes in a major component of myelin, myelin basic protein (MBP), as a marker for myelinated axons. Our results show that Sox10+ oligodendrocytes are located in the retinal nerve fiber layer and along the whole length of the optic nerve. MBP was found to occupy a similar location, although its loose appearance in the retina differed from the highly organized MBP+ axon bundles in the optic nerve. After optic nerve crushing, the number of Sox10+ cells decreased in the crushed area and in the optic nerve head. Consistent with this, myelination was highly reduced in both areas. In contrast, after cryolesion we did not find changes in the Sox10+ population, although we did detect some MBP- degenerating areas. We show that these modifications in Sox10+ oligodendrocytes are consistent with their role in oligodendrocyte identity, maintenance and survival, and we propose the optic nerve head as an excellent area for research aimed at better understanding of de- and remyelination processes.
The viral diffusion of campaign messages about political issues during the 2016 U.S. presidential election

With candidates using social media sites like Facebook and Twitter as part of their campaign strategies, social scientists are trying to understand the diffusion of political messages. Viral events can spread messages fast and far from the source, bringing candidate’s messages to new audiences and bringing new followers to candidates [4]. To date, no studies have focused on understanding specifically what kinds of political issues the public spreads into their own networks. While the kinds of issues that spread will likely change from election to election, this work provides a comparison point for future work and is the first step in more real-time analysis that could be useful for researchers, journalists, and politicians. For this poster abstract we highlight part of our analysis, specifically, the frequency with which presidential candidates tweeted about specific issues and how the public responded by retweeting. To accomplish this, we use data visualization for exploratory data analysis. We find that that candidates and the public are most interested in different topics, but that both the public and candidates are more interested in advocacy messages than attack messages for every topic. For the final poster we will present analysis of both Facebook and Twitter, as well as confirmatory statistical analysis using regression modeling.
Placebo-controlled phase 3 trial of a recombinant glycoprotein 120 vaccine to prevent HIV-1 infection.

BACKGROUND A vaccine is needed to prevent human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection. METHODS A double-blind, randomized trial of a recombinant HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein subunit (rgp120) vaccine was conducted among men who have sex with men and among women at high risk for heterosexual transmission of HIV-1. Volunteers received 7 injections of either vaccine or placebo (ratio, 2 : 1) over 30 months. The primary end point was HIV-1 seroconversion over 36 months. RESULTS A total of 5403 volunteers (5095 men and 308 women) were evaluated. The vaccine did not prevent HIV-1 acquisition: infection rates were 6.7% in 3598 vaccinees and 7.0% in 1805 placebo recipients; vaccine efficacy (VE) was estimated as 6% (95% confidence interval, -17% to 24%). There were no significant differences in viral loads, rates of antiretroviral-therapy initiation, or the genetic characteristics of the infecting HIV-1 strains between treatment arms. Exploratory subgroup analyses showed nonsignificant trends toward efficacy in preventing infection in the highest risk (VE, 43%; n=247) and nonwhite (VE, 47%; n=914) volunteers (P=.10, adjusted for multiple subgroup comparisons). CONCLUSIONS There was no overall protective effect. The efficacy trends in subgroups may provide clues for the development of effective immunization approaches.
Effects of strategic information systems on competitive strategy and performance

Purpose This study argues that strategic information systems (SISs) are necessary for organizations’ survival and corporate performance in turbulent economic environments. Applying Miles and Snow’s strategy typology, the purpose of this paper is to explore how SIS supports business strategy and corporate performance. Design/methodology/approach This study uses quantitative survey data from 389 Brazilian companies during economic crises and analyzes them using structural equation modeling. Findings There is strong evidence that SIS promotes capacity and flexibility to create competitive strategies in response to environmental changes. SIS significantly and positively predicts firms’ use of prospector strategies, reducing the need to sacrifice efficiency for innovation. SIS can predict corporate performance more strongly than firms’ strategic orientations can. Practical implications The results provide organizations insights on how SIS enables strategic planning processes to create competitive strategy and improve performance during economic turbulence. Originality/value This research demonstrates SIS’s positive effects during economic turbulence on competitive strategy and performance, revealing that corporate performance is influenced more by SIS (strategic process) than strategic orientation (content). Hence, this study fills a research gap in the information systems strategy literature by contributing new insights about SIS.
Unit Root of Cumulative Call Rate and Cointegration Analysis of Economic System

1n this paper, a unit root of cumulative ca1 rate is in vestigated with Monte Carlo experiments. Ca11 rate is shown to be 1(0) with a linear trend in [1970,1998] Vector Error Correction model consists of only 1(1) variables in a frame work of Johansen's cointegra:tion analysis, and stationary variables like a ca1 rate are of七enadded to the RHS of the resultant VEC model without considering cointegration. However ,if cumulative ca1 rate is 1(1), this variable should be contained in cointegration analysis. Since ca11 rate has a linear tr巴nd,a unit root of cumulative ca11 rate should be checked around a quadratic trend. MacKinnon's critical values for unit root are extended to a quadratic trend case with Monte Carlo simulation experiments It is shown that cumulative ca1 rate has a unit root with a quadratic trend. Cointegration properties are investigated among cumulative ca11 rate, GDP, money supply and bank loan and VEC model is constructed.