Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Wage Subsidies for Microenterprises

Wage subsidies have long been used by Governments as part of their active labor market policies to generate employment for the disadvantaged or to sustain employment during downturns. The current global financial crisis has seen such policies return to prominence, with many developed nations using such policies to try and reduce lay-offs. Nicholas Kaldor (1936), P. Richard Layard and Stephen Nickell (1980), and Lawrence Katz (1998) lay out the economic arguments for such a policy, and discuss conditions under which a short-term subsidy might have longer-term effects on employment for the targeted individuals.
Correlation of heterogeneity for chromosome 3 copy number with cell type in choroidal melanoma of mixed-cell type.

PURPOSE To study heterogeneity for chromosome 3 copy number in mixed choroidal melanoma with discrete populations of spindle and epithelioid cells using chromosome in situ hybridization (CISH) and to correlate chromosomal loss with cell type. METHODS Twenty-two archival cases of choroidal melanoma with discrete populations of spindle and epithelioid cells were identified. CISH was used to identify chromosome 3 copy number in spindle and epithelioid areas. RESULTS Monosomy 3 was detected in 12 (55%) of 22 choroidal melanomas. Of these, 10 (45%) had two copies of chromosome 3 in both epithelioid and spindle cells, 7 (32%) showed monosomy 3 in the epithelioid areas only, and 5 (23%) showed monosomy 3 in both epithelioid and spindle areas. CONCLUSIONS CISH is a useful technique for analyzing chromosome copy number in different cell populations within a tumor. In mixed choroidal melanomas with discrete spindle and epithelioid cell populations, there may be heterogeneity for chromosome 3 copy number that correlates with areas of different cell type.
Acute hypobaric hypoxia augments ROCK2 protein level and activity

ABSTRACT Aim: Rho kinase activation plays an important role in hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction and increased vascular resistance. The present study investigated changes in the level and activity of rho kinase isoform 2 (ROCK2) under acute hypobaric hypoxia exposure. For this, Wistar rats were taken as the model organism. Materials and Methods: Fifteen male Wistar rats (4-6 week old, 250 grams) were normalized with the surrounding environment by providing a 12/12 hour day and night acclimatization cycle. The rats were divided into 3 groups: (a) control group (no exposure, n = 5), (b) Group 1 (12 hour hypobaric-hypoxia exposure, n = 5) and (c) Group 2 (12 hour hypobaric hypoxia and 12 hour normobaric normoxia exposure, n = 5). A change in behavior of the animals was noted before sacrifice. Blood was collected from the beating heart of the anesthetized animal. Lungs were dissected out and used to estimate the levels and activity of ROCK2 in different groups using commercially available kits. Lung histology was evaluated by immunohistochemistry. ROCK2 gene expression was studied in the blood and lungs using quantitative PCR. Results and Conclusions: Control and Group 2 animals had an active movement while the Group 1 animals were sluggish before the sacrifice. Formation of a large perivascular edema cuff and collagen deposition in lungs of Group 1 and a reduction in Group 2 was observed. The protein levels and activities of ROCK2 were increased in Group 1 (p < 0.05) and became normal in Group 2 which was akin to control group animals. ROCK2 expression in PBMCs was increased in Group 1 (10.7 fold, p = 0.005) and was decreased in Group 2 (5.5 fold, p = 0.02). The outcomes establish that acute hypobaric hypoxia augments ROCK2 protein level and activity.
Labour market effects of public sector employment and wages

I build a dynamic stochastic general equilibrium model with search and matching frictions and both public and private sectors, in order to study the labour market effects of public sector employment and wages. I discuss what is the public sector wage that achieves the social planner's solution and how it varies with different labour market parameters. Public sector wage and employment shocks have mixed effects on unemployment. A wage shock raises unemployment rate while a reduction in the separations reduces it. Hiring more people can increase or decrease unemployment depending on the level of wages. All shocks increase the wage and crowd out employment in the private sector because they induce more unemployed to search for public sector jobs. I then discuss the optimal policy in response to technology shocks. It consists on a counter-cyclical vacancies posting and a procyclical public sector wage. Deviations from the optimal policy can increase the volatility of unemployment rate significantly. In the empirical part, I start by reviewing the micro evidence on public sector wages and the endogeneity of the sector choice. Then, I employ Bayesian techniques to estimate the parameters of the model for the US, using quarterly data on government employment and wages, unemployment rate, private sector wages, job separation rate and job finding rate. I find evidence that the direct search mechanism plays a role over the business cycle and that public sector vacancies are mildly counter-cyclical while public sector wages are acyclical. To complete the empirical study, I estimate a structural VAR model. I find that public sector employment and wages positively affect private sector wage. The negative effect on private sector hours is only significant over the last 20 years. Both government employment and wages do not respond to innovations in productivity.
Isolation and expression of a gene which encodes a wall-associated proteinase of Coccidioides immitis

A chymotrypsinlike serine proteinase of Coccidioides immitis with an estimated molecular size of 34 kDa has been shown by immunoelectron microscopy to be associated with the walls of the parasitic cells of this human respiratory pathogen. The proteinase has been suggested to play a role in spherule development. We report the isolation of a 1.2-kb cDNA from an expression library of C. immitis constructed in the lambda ZAP II phage vector. The cDNA is suggested to encode the 34-kDa protein. We demonstrate identity between segments of the deduced amino acid sequence of the open reading frame of the 1.2-kb cDNA and three distinct sequences obtained from cyanogen bromide cleavage peptides of the purified proteinase. The occurrence of N-glycosyl linkage sites in the deduced sequence of 309 amino acids of the open reading frame (ORF) correlates with our identification of such linkage sites in the native glycosylated proteinase. A protein encoded by an 800-bp fragment of the 1.2-kb cDNA, which was produced by transformed Escherichia coli XL1-Blue, was recognized by the anti-34-kDa protein antibody in a Western blot (immunoblot). Northern (RNA) hybridization of total poly(A)-containing RNA of C. immitis with the labeled 1.2-kb cDNA clone revealed a single band of approximately 1.75 kb. Partial homology was demonstrated between the deduced amino acid sequence of the ORF (927 bp) and reported sequences of alpha-chymotrypsin and chymotrypsinogens. Expression of the proteinase gene was examined by Northern dot blot analysis of total RNA from different stages of parasitic cell development in C. immitis. Maximum levels of specific mRNA were detected during early endospore wall differentiation. The 34-kDa proteinase appears to be concentrated in walls of the parasitic cells at stages of active growth. We suggest that the enzyme may participate in wall plasticization and/or intussusception or in cell wall turnover.
The Birth of a Black Rice Gene and Its Local Spread by Introgression

The historical DNA changes that created the black rice trait and its local spread into rice subspecies involved rearrangement in the promoter region of Kala4 and subsequent introgression events. The origin and spread of novel agronomic traits during crop domestication are complex events in plant evolution. Wild rice (Oryza rufipogon) has red grains due to the accumulation of proanthocyanidins, whereas most cultivated rice (Oryza sativa) varieties have white grains induced by a defective allele in the Rc basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) gene. Although the events surrounding the origin and spread of black rice traits remain unknown, varieties with black grains due to anthocyanin accumulation are distributed in various locations throughout Asia. Here, we show that the black grain trait originated from ectopic expression of the Kala4 bHLH gene due to rearrangement in the promoter region. Both the Rc and Kala4 genes activate upstream flavonol biosynthesis genes, such as chalcone synthase and dihydroflavonol-4-reductase, and downstream genes, such as leucoanthocyanidin reductase and leucoanthocyanidin dioxygenase, to produce the respective specific pigments. Genome analysis of 21 black rice varieties as well as red- and white-grained landraces demonstrated that black rice arose in tropical japonica and its subsequent spread to the indica subspecies can be attributed to the causal alleles of Kala4. The relatively small size of genomic fragments of tropical japonica origin in some indica varieties indicates that refined introgression must have occurred by natural crossbreeding in the course of evolution of the black trait in rice.
Research Note: Long-Lasting Effects and Welfare Costs of Fluctuations

The tourism industry is growing rapidly but is also highly fluctuating. Using China's inbound tourism market as the object and based on the B–N data decomposition theory, this paper adopts the statistics of variance ratio to measure the long-lasting effects of stochastic fluctuations on China's inbound tourism industry. It also discusses the influences of stochastic fluctuations and the decreasing growth rate on the welfare of China's inbound tourism. The conclusion is that undoubtedly China's inbound tourism industry will continue to grow, but the impact of stochastic shocks will endure for a relatively long time. Twenty-four per cent of the long-term fluctuation of China's inbound tourism industry is the result of stochastic shocks, whose effect, in the short term, will continue to be reinforced. Though the elimination of fluctuations will increase welfare by 0.40%, lowering the growth rate will decrease welfare by a larger percentage. If the monthly growth rate decreases by 0.1%, welfare will fall by about 19.37%, 48 times the amount of welfare loss without fluctuation. Therefore, China's inbound tourism business should stick to the long-term policy of facilitating growth, while some administrative and legislative measures should be taken to address the negative impact of stochastic fluctuation appropriately.
Transformation Suppression by Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase 1B Requires a Functional SH3 Ligand

ABSTRACT We have recently shown that protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) associates with the docking protein p130Cas in 3Y1 rat fibroblasts. This interaction is mediated by a proline-rich sequence on PTP1B and the SH3 domain on p130Cas. Expression of wild-type PTP1B (WT-PTP1B), but not a catalytically competent, proline-to-alanine point mutant that cannot bind p130Cas(PA-PTP1B), causes substantial tyrosine dephosphorylation of p130Cas (F. Liu, D. E. Hill, and J. Chernoff, J. Biol. Chem. 271:31290–31295, 1996). Here we demonstrate that WT-, but not PA-PTP1B, inhibits transformation of rat 3Y1 fibroblasts by v-crk, -src, and -ras, but not by v-raf. These effects on transformation correlate with the phosphorylation status of p130Cas and two proteins that are associated with p130Cas, Paxillin and Fak. Expression of WT-PTP1B reduces formation of p130Cas-Crk complexes and inhibits mitogen-activated protein kinase activation by Src and Crk. These data show that transformation suppression by PTP1B requires a functional SH3 ligand and suggest that p130Cas may represent an important physiological target of PTP1B in cells.
Combination DNA/RNA Fish and Immunophenotyping

This unit presents methods for combining immunophenotyping with DNA/RNA FISH. The approach is used in so‐called genotype/phenotype analysis to identify chromosomal aberrations in sub‐populations of cells present in heterogenous populations. Combining RNA and DNA detection with identification of cellular proteins is quite difficult. This series of protocols is provided to enable the successful application of the combination of these techniques.
Asset Liquidity and the Determinants of Asset Sales by Poorly Performing Firms

This study analyzes factors that potentially are associated with higher incidences of asset sales by poorly performing firms. Consistent with Shleifer and Vishny’s (1992) asset liquidity model, I find that firms are more likely to sell assets if their industry’s growth rate is higher. The relation is stronger among firms less likely to suffer from a lack of flexibility arising from poor financial health. Firms also are more likely to sell assets if they are suffering from low debt capacity, experiencing the nonroutine turnover of its top officer, or have made acquisitions prior to their performance decline.
Business Cycle and Sector Cycles: Model-Based Filtering and Application to Italian Data

A methodology based on the multivariate generalized Butterworth filter for extracting the business cycles of the whole economy and of its productive sectors is developed. The method is then illustrated through an application to the Italian gross value added time series of the main economic sectors. We identify sectors of the Italian economy for which general counter-cyclical policies are expected to have no effect, or even amplify the fluctuations. As a side-product we obtain a coincident indicator and a dating of the Italian business cycle.
Organization of Cytochrome P450 Enzymes Involved in Sex Steroid Synthesis

Mounting evidence underscores the importance of protein-protein interactions in the functional regulation of drug-metabolizing P450s, but few studies have been conducted in membrane environments, and none have examined P450s catalyzing sex steroid synthesis. Here we report specific protein-protein interactions for full-length, human, wild type steroidogenic cytochrome P450 (P450, CYP) enzymes: 17α-hydroxylase/17,20-lyase (P450c17, CYP17) and aromatase (P450arom, CYP19), as well as their electron donor NADPH-cytochrome P450 oxidoreductase (CPR). Fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET)3 in live cells, coupled with quartz crystal microbalance (QCM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM) studies on phosphatidyl choline ± cholesterol (mammalian) biomimetic membranes were used to investigate steroidogenic P450 interactions. The FRET results in living cells demonstrated that both P450c17 and P450arom homodimerize but do not heterodimerize, although they each heterodimerize with CPR. The lack of heteroassociation between P450c17 and P450arom was confirmed by QCM, wherein neither enzyme bound a membrane saturated with the other. In contrast, the CPR bound readily to either P450c17- or P450arom-saturated surfaces. Interestingly, N-terminally modified P450arom was stably incorporated and gave similar results to the wild type, although saturation was achieved with much less protein, suggesting that the putative transmembrane domain is not required for membrane association but for orientation. In fact, all of the proteins were remarkably stable in the membrane, such that high resolution AFM images were obtained, further supporting the formation of P450c17, P450arom, and CPR homodimers and oligomers in lipid bilayers. This unique combination of in vivo and in vitro studies has provided strong evidence for homodimerization and perhaps some higher order interactions for both P450c17 and P450arom.
Trade and technological explanations for changes in sectoral labour demand in OECD economies

This paper sets out to establish the main determinants of variations in the demand for aggregate labour in manufacturing and service sectors (22) for a cross-section of OECD countries (14). A relatively new panel data set is employed in the analysis, the OECD's International Sectoral Data Base. Preliminary analysis revealed that the ‘within’ sector variation in the wage share dominated overall variation for most countries and time periods. A separate dynamic model was thus generated to explain the ‘within’ sector variation in the wage share. This model contained real wages, output, the capital stock, technological change (total factor productivity) and trade (the imports to value-added ratio) as independent variables. In addition the wage level was also interacted with these explanatory variables on the presumption that skill is positively correlated with the level of wages. Because of the potential for simultaneity bias, estimation was conducted by IV and OLS. The main findings were that the capital stock and technological change were the main determinants of shifts in labour demand. While some countries reported the trade variable as significant its influence was only of slight importance in most cases. The interaction terms proved to be significant in a large number of countries. Some evidence was found that capital and technological were complementary with skill. Overall it was found that broad agreement existed across countries in the factors which influence labour demand despite considerable differences in the cross-country nature of labour market institutions.
The evaluation of rectal bleeding in adults

BACKGROUND: Though primary care patients commonly present with rectal bleeding, the optimal evaluation strategy remains unknown.OBJECTIVE: To compare the cost-effectiveness of four diagnostic strategies in the evaluation of rectal bleeding.DESIGN: Cost-effectiveness analysis using a Markov decision model.DATA SOURCES: Systematic review of the literature, Medicare reimbursement data, Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Cancer Registry.TARGET POPULATION: Patients over age 40 with otherwise asymptomatic rectal bleeding.TIME HORIZON: The patient’s lifetime.PERSPECTIVE: Modified societal perspective.INTERVENTIONS: Watchful waiting, flexible sigmoidoscopy, flexible sigmoidoscopy followed by air contrast barium enema (FS+ACBE), and colonoscopy.OUTCOME MEASURES: Incremental cost-effectiveness ratio.RESULTS OF BASE-CASE ANALYSIS: The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio for colonscopy compared with flexible sigmoidoscopy was $5,480 per quality-adjusted year of life saved (QALY). Watchful waiting and FS+ACBE were more expensive and less effective than colonscopy.RESULTS OF SENSITIVITY ANALYSES: The cost of colonoscopy was reduced to $1,686 per QALY when age at entry was changed to 45. Watchful waiting became the least expensive strategy when community procedure charges replaced Medicare costs, when age at entry was maximized to 80, or when the prevalence of polyps was lowered to 7%, but the remaining strategies provided greater life expectancy at relatively low cost. The strategy of FS+ACBE remained more expensive and less effective in all analyses. In the remaining sensitivity analyses, the incremental cost-effectiveness of colonoscopy compared with flexible sigmoidoscopy never rose above $34,000.CONCLUSIONS: Colonoscopy is a cost-effective method to evaluate otherwise asymptomatic rectal bleeding, with a low cost per QALY compared to other strategies.
A signal processing method of monobit receiver based on stochastic computing

According to the cost, power consumption and anti-jamming problems of the high-speed wireless communication receiver, a digital signal processing architecture for receiver based on monobit analog-to-digital converter (ADC) is proposed in this paper. We derive and linearize the optimal maximum likelihood receiver and complete the framework of monobit receiver based on stochastic computing. This optimal digital signal processing receiver is implemented by a simple hardware based on stochastic computing. We Theoretical and numerical results show that this monobit receiver based on stochastic computing performs better than traditional monobit receiver when training sequences is long enough.
Agricultural lending and early warning models of bank failures for the late 2000s Great Recession

Purpose - The late 2000s Great Recession led to a surge of bank failures in the USA with nearly 300 banks failing from 2009 to 2010. Recalling the farm crises of the 1980s where the farm sector was pinpointed as one of the major precursors of such crises, this study is an attempt to validate if the agricultural sector can once again be considered as a major instigator of the current financial crises. Design/methodology/approach - An early warning model is developed based on factors that may cause bank failures, with special attention given to the role of the agricultural lending portfolios of commercial banks. The model will have several time period versions that will determine the length of time prior to the actual bank bankruptcy declarations that early warning signals could be detected. Findings - The empirical results indicate that credit exposure to the farm sector does not necessarily enhance a bank's tendency to fail or its probability of success or survival. This lends support to the reality that agricultural loan delinquency rates are consistently below the banks' overall loan delinquency rates, thus confirming that agricultural lenders are in relatively stronger financial health. This study instead finds that costly funding arrangements, increasing interest rate risk, and declining asset quality can be possible early warning signals that can be detected as far back as two or three years before eventual bank failure. Originality/value - This study differentiates itself from previous studies by its special focus on the role of the agricultural finance industry in the ensuing economic crises. This study's early warning model also presents an extended version of previous empirical models as it accounts for measures of capital adequacy, asset quality, management risk, profitability, liquidity risk, loan portfolio composition and risk, funding arrangement, structural and macroeconomic variables.
Linking Aid, Pro-Poor Public Spending and Poverty Reduction: A Cross Country Panel Analysis Using Eight Poverty and Well-being Indicators

Historically, the economic justification for aid-flows to developing countries is to reduce poverty, which can be applied through direct targeting of the poor or indirectly through economic growth or pro-poor public expenditure. This study investigates whether or not aid has produced the anticipated result in 144 developing economies using panel data analysis. Our variables of choice for measuring aid impact on poverty involve monetary and non-monetary poverty measures. Overall, Aid is good for poverty reduction; more so when institutional quality is controlled for. Secondly, for the analysis studying the poverty impact of aid via Pro-poor Public Expenditure (PPE), PPE was partially analysed as a function of aid, GDP and institutional quality (CPIA) using OLS in first differences. Evidence suggests that increase in aid does not lead to higher pro-poor public spending. In turn, pro-poor public spending is only good for the dollarized poverty measures, but not wellbeing. Consequently, institutional quality and absence of corruption is vital for aid effectiveness. Keywords: Official Development Assistance, PPE, Poverty Reduction, Wellbeing, Institutional quality.