Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Labor Markets, Inequality and Poverty in Georgia

The labor market is the main channel through which economic growth affects poverty. This paper is the first empirical account of main channels through which the growth in transition period has affected labor market and living standards in Georgia. It is based on both the official aggregate statistics and data from a representative household survey fielded in 1996-1997. The paper finds that in Georgia the labor market has shown outstanding flexibility during a period of severe political and economic turmoil in 1992-1995. Despite the catastrophic fall in GDP employment contracted only marginally. This flexibility has been achieved mainly through the informalization of employment, and through the reallocation of labor towards small-scale agriculture. Informalization has dampened the impact of the crisis and served to protect the poor, stabilizing the poverty rate at the politically and socially acceptable level (around 15% of the population). However, the informalization limited the impact of market forces favoring human capital accumulation on the formation of earnings. Today, a large and growing fraction of the Georgian labor force relies on self-employment as the primary means to earn an income. For some, this is an avenue for earnings mobility and growth; for the majority, however, self-employment remains constrained to low-productivity agricultural or trading activities, with little earnings stability and little potential for long term earnings growth. Prospects for the future hinge critically on the economy’s ability to generate new private formal employment, and to reallocate labor away from these low-productivity activities into higher value added sectors.
Product Risk, Asymmetric Information, and Trade Credit

Abstract The purpose of this paper is to explain cross-sectional variations in trade credit terms across firms and industries. This study shows that there is a separating equilibrium in which the size of the cash discount conveys information about product quality. The driving forces of this equilibrium outcome are the risk-sharing motives of the producer and buyer as well as asymmetric information about product quality. The empirical implications of the model are derived and discussed in relation to industry practices.
Modelo de gestión del conocimiento apoyado en la vigilancia tecnológica y la inteligencia competitiva para la cadena productiva de la uva Isabella en la bioregión del Valle del Cauca

Con el proposito de contribuir al mejoramiento de la competitividad la cadena productiva de la uva Isabella, aprovechando el capital "intelectual y social" generado por la ejecucion de varios proyectos en la microrregion del Valle del Cauca comprendida por los municipios de Ginebra, El Cernto y Guacari, se realizo un estudio sobre gestion del conocimiento y modelos aplicados a las organizaciones, a partir de los cuales se propuso un modelo de elaboracion propia, apoyado en Vigilancia Tecnologica e Inteligencia Competitiva (lC/YT)4 para dar respuesta a la problematica que enfrentan las cadenas productivas fruticolas Colombianas, especialmente por las exigencias del mercado. Se focalizo el trabajo en la implementacion de un Sistema de Aseguramiento de la Inocuidad, con base en un analisis de las condiciones necesarias para lograr la competitividad
Lymphosome concept: Anatomical study of the lymphatic system

The gross anatomical study of the lymphatic system in humans and animals has been suspended for almost 100 years. This article introduces the author's technique for investigating the lymphatic system using the concept of the lymphosome. In revisiting the anatomical study of the lymphatic system, our updated knowledge can potentially be utilized either to reassure surgeons about their current procedures in the surgical management of cancers and lymphedema or assist them to refine them. J. Surg. Oncol. 2017;115:13–17. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The M53I mutation in CDKN2A is a founder mutation that predominates in melanoma patients with Scottish ancestry

Germline mutations in the tumor suppressor gene CDKN2A have been shown to predispose to cutaneous malignant melanoma. The M53I mutation is the most common CDKN2A mutation identified in Scottish melanoma patients and is also found in a small number of families in other countries. The aim of this study was to determine whether the occurrence of this mutation is due to a common ancestor originating from Scotland, and if so, to estimate how long ago the mutation arose. We examined 18 families carrying the M53I mutation: six from Scotland, five from Canada, four from Australia, and three from America. Haplotypes derived from segregation of seven informative microsatellite markers flanking CDKN2A were constructed in each family. Our findings show that 14 of 18 families carry a common ancestral haplotype on which the mutation arose ∼88 generations ago (1‐LOD‐unit support interval 44‐198 generations). This haplotype is very rare in controls, which supports the idea that it is a common founder mutation haplotype. The four M53I families that do not share the consensus haplotype may in fact have arisen from the same founder, but this is potentially obscured by presumed replication slippage for some of the microsatellite markers tested. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy: Detecting and Interpreting the Mobility of Transmembrane Proteins In Vivo

Mobility of proteins is crucial for their functionality. Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) is a sensitive tool for assessing dynamics in vivo. It can reveal properties of diffusing proteins, as well as of the surrounding medium. Hence, subtle changes in the dynamics after treatment with toxic substances can be visualized. On biological membranes, the high concentration of transmembrane and peripheral membrane proteins leads to molecular crowding, and thus to a change in the diffusion behavior, i.e., to anomalous diffusion of membrane proteins. Presented here is a protocol for conducting and evaluating FCS measurements of membrane proteins before and after treatment. Curr. Protoc. Toxicol. 48:2.19. 1‐2.19. 16. © 2011 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Effects of Mutations of the Initiation Nucleotides on Hepatitis C Virus RNA Replication in the Cell

ABSTRACT Replication of nearly all RNA viruses depends on a virus-encoded RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp). Our earlier work found that purified recombinant hepatitis C virus (HCV) RdRp (NS5B) was able to initiate RNA synthesis de novo by using purine (A and G) but not pyrimidine (C and U) nucleotides (G. Luo et al., J. Virol. 74:851-863, 2000). For most human RNA viruses, the initiation nucleotides of both positive- and negative-strand RNAs were found to be either an adenylate (A) or guanylate (G). To determine the nucleotide used for initiation and control of HCV RNA replication, a genetic mutagenesis analysis of the nucleotides at the very 5′ and 3′ ends of HCV RNAs was performed by using a cell-based HCV replicon replication system. Either a G or an A at the 5′ end of HCV genomic RNA was able to efficiently induce cell colony formation, whereas a nucleotide C at the 5′ end dramatically reduced the efficiency of cell colony formation. Likewise, the 3′-end nucleotide U-to-C mutation did not significantly affect the efficiency of cell colony formation. In contrast, a U-to-G mutation at the 3′ end caused a remarkable decrease in cell colony formation, and a U-to-A mutation resulted in a complete abolition of cell colony formation. Sequence analysis of the HCV replicon RNAs recovered from G418-resistant Huh7 cells revealed several interesting findings. First, the 5′-end nucleotide G of the replicon RNA was changed to an A upon multiple rounds of replication. Second, the nucleotide A at the 5′ end was stably maintained among all replicon RNAs isolated from Huh7 cells transfected with an RNA with a 5′-end A. Third, initiation of HCV RNA replication with a CTP resulted in a >10-fold reduction in the levels of HCV RNAs, suggesting that initiation of RNA replication with CTP was very inefficient. Fourth, the 3′-end nucleotide U-to-C and -G mutations were all reverted back to a wild-type nucleotide U. In addition, extra U and UU residues were identified at the 3′ ends of revertants recovered from Huh7 cells transfected with an RNA with a nucleotide G at the 3′ end. We also determined the 5′-end nucleotide of positive-strand RNA of some clinical HCV isolates. Either G or A was identified at the 5′ end of HCV RNA genome depending on the specific HCV isolate. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that replication of positive-strand HCV RNA was preferentially initiated with purine nucleotides (ATP and GTP), whereas the negative-strand HCV RNA replication is invariably initiated with an ATP.
Riemerella anatipestifer outbreaks in commercial goose flocks and identification of isolates by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry

Several outbreaks of Riemerella anatipestifer in commercial geese occurred within a short time period. A serious disease was recognized in the affected birds, mainly characterized by depression and severe neurologic disturbances. The morbidity ranged from 20 to 30% and the mortality from 5 to 20%. Generally, the clinical signs started at the age of 8 to 10 days. Post-mortem examination revealed fibrinous pericarditis, perihepatitis and airsacculitis in all birds. Some of the birds also had synovitis of the tibio-tarsal joints and oedematous swelling of the subcutaneous tissues around these joints and metatarsus. Histology revealed a characteristic severe inflammation with heterophilic granulocytes in different organs. Bacteriological investigation was made from several organs and R. anatipestifer could be isolated from all birds investigated. The identification of these clinical isolates, done for the first time by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization–time-of-flight mass spectrometry, confirmed the aetiology. Sequence analysis showed 100% similarity between the clinical isolates, indicating a common source of infection.
Measuring the flashbulb-like nature of memories for private events: the flashbulb memory checklist

ABSTRACT What do we remember following an emotionally charged event? The assessment of memory characteristics for an emotional event represents one of the most challenging issues in the domain of autobiographical memory. Literature of flashbulb memories (FBMs) provides a crucial contribution on this issue: Following an emotional and unexpected public event, people remember not only central details of the episode, but also irrelevant, peripheral and idiosyncratic details of the reception context in which they learned of the news. The present study was set up to assess the factorial structure (samples 1 and 2) and convergent validity (sample 2) of an FBM checklist, an instrument designed to measure Flashbulb-like features of memories for emotional private events. Factorial analyses account for an oblique two-factor solution – FBM Specificity and Confidence – while correlational analyses support the convergent validity of this instrument. Practical implications are discussed, especially for the credibility assessment of witnesses of emotional events in forensic settings.
A novel method for oral delivery of apolipoprotein mimetic peptides synthesized from all L-amino acids

Administered subcutaneously, D-4F or L-4F are equally efficacious, but only D-4F is orally efficacious because of digestion of L-4F by gut proteases. Orally administering niclosamide (a chlorinated salicylanilide used as a molluscicide, antihelminthic, and lampricide) in temporal proximity to oral L-4F (but not niclosamide alone) in apoE null mice resulted in significant improvement (P < 0.001) in the HDL-inflammatory index (HII), which measures the ability of HDL to inhibit LDL-induced monocyte chemotactic activity in endothelial cell cultures. Oral administration of L-[113-122]apoJ with niclosamide also resulted in significant improvement (P < 0.001) in HII. Oral administration of niclosamide and L-4F together with pravastatin to female apoE null mice at 9.5 months of age for six months significantly reduced aortic sinus lesion area (P = 0.02), en face lesion area (P = 0.033), and macrophage lesion area (P = 0.02) compared with pretreatment, indicating lesion regression. In contrast, lesions were significantly larger in mice receiving only niclosamide and pravastatin or L-4F and pravastatin (P < 0.001). In vitro niclosamide and L-4F tightly associated rendering the peptide resistant to trypsin digestion. Niclosamide itself did not inhibit trypsin activity. The combination of niclosamide with apolipoprotein mimetic peptides appears to be a promising method for oral delivery of these peptides. —Navab, M. P., Ruchala, A. J. Waring, R. I. Lehrer, S. Hama, G. Hough, M. N. Palgunachari, G. M. Anantharamaiah, and A. M. Fogelman. A novel method for oral delivery of apolipoprotein mimetic peptides synthesized from all L-amino acids. J. Lipid Res. 2009. 50: 1538–1547.
Potent monoclonal antibodies against Clostridium difficile toxin A elicited by DNA immunization

Recent studies have demonstrated that DNA immunization is effective in eliciting antigen-specific antibody responses against a wide range of infectious disease targets. The polyclonal antibodies elicited by DNA vaccination exhibit high sensitivity to conformational epitopes and high avidity. However, there have been limited reports in literature on the production of monoclonal antibodies (mAb) by DNA immunization. Here, by using Clostridium difficile (C. diff) toxin A as a model antigen, we demonstrated that DNA immunization was effective in producing a panel of mAb that are protective against toxin A challenge and can also be used as sensitive reagents to detect toxin A from various testing samples. The immunoglobulin (Ig) gene usage for such mAb was also investigated. Further studies should be conducted to fully establish DNA immunization as a unique platform to produce mAb in various hosts.
Semantic Clustering of Category Fluency in Schizophrenia Examined with Singular Value Decomposition

Abstract Decreased productivity on verbal fluency tasks by persons with schizophrenia has been attributed to semantic system abnormalities. Semantic structure is often assessed using multidimensional scaling (MDS) to detect normal and aberrant semantic clustering. However, MDS has limitations that may be particularly problematic for such assessments. Here, we introduce a different clustering technique, singular value decomposition (SVD), to elucidate abnormalities of the semantic system in schizophrenia. We compared 102 treated outpatients with schizophrenia to 109 healthy adults on two category-cued word fluency tasks. Patients with schizophrenia showed semantic clustering patterns that differ markedly from those of healthy adults. However, SVD revealed more detailed and critical semantic system abnormalities than previously appreciated using MDS. Patients with schizophrenia showed less coherent semantic clustering of both low- and high-frequency category exemplars than healthy adults. These results suggest the intriguing possibility that impaired automatic activation of semantic information is a key deficit in schizophrenia. (JINS, 2012, 18, 565–575)
Effects of high frequency electromagnetic field (EMF) emitted by mobile phones on the human motor cortex

We investigated whether the pulsed high frequency electromagnetic field (EMF) emitted by a mobile phone has short term effects on the human motor cortex. We measured motor evoked potentials (MEPs) elicited by single pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), before and after mobile phone exposure (active and sham) in 10 normal volunteers. Three sites were stimulated (motor cortex (CTX), brainstem (BST) and spinal nerve (Sp)). The short interval intracortical inhibition (SICI) of the motor cortex reflecting GABAergic interneuronal function was also studied by paired pulse TMS method. MEPs to single pulse TMS were also recorded in two patients with multiple sclerosis showing temperature dependent neurological symptoms (hot bath effect). Neither MEPs to single pulse TMS nor the SICI was affected by 30 min of EMF exposure from mobile phones or sham exposure. In two MS patients, mobile phone exposure had no effect on any parameters of MEPs even though conduction block occurred at the corticospinal tracts after taking a bath. As far as available methods are concerned, we did not detect any short‐term effects of 30 min mobile phone exposure on the human motor cortical output neurons or interneurons even though we can not exclude the possibility that we failed to detect some mild effects due to a small sample size in the present study. This is the first study of MEPs after electromagnetic exposure from a mobile phone in neurological patients. Bioelectromagnetics 28:553–561, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
A comparison of classifiers and features for authorship authentication of social networking messages

This paper develops algorithms and investigates various classifiers to determine the authenticity of short social network postings, an average of 20.6 words, from Facebook. This paper presents and discusses several experiments using a variety of classifiers. The goal of this research is to determine the degree to which such postings can be authenticated as coming from the purported user and not from an intruder. Various sets of stylometry and ad hoc social networking features were developed to categorize 9259 posts from 30 Facebook authors as authentic or non‐authentic. An algorithm to utilize machine‐learning classifiers for investigating this problem is described, and an additional voting algorithm that combines three classifiers is investigated. This research is one of the first works that focused on authorship authentication in short messages, such as postings on social network sites. The challenges of applying traditional stylometry techniques on short messages are discussed. Experimental results demonstrate an average accuracy rate of 79.6% among 30 users. Further empirical analyses evaluate the effect of sample size, feature selection, user writing style, and classification method on authorship authentication, indicating varying degrees of success compared with previous studies. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
An experimental apparatus for observing deterministic structure formation in plate-on-pedestal ice crystal growth

We describe an experimental apparatus for making detailed morphological observations of the growth of isolated plate-like ice crystals from water vapor. Each crystal develops a plate-on-pedestal (POP) geometry, in which a large, thin, plate-like crystal grows out from the top edge of an initially prismatic seed crystal resting on a substrate. With the POP geometry, the substrate is not in contact with the growing plate (except at its center), so substrate interactions do not adversely affect the crystal growth. By controlling the temperature and supersaturation around the crystal, we can manipulate the resulting ice growth behavior in predictable ways, producing morphologies spanning the full range from simple faceted hexagonal plates to complex dendritic structures. We believe that the experimental apparatus described here will allow unprecedented investigations of ice crystal growth behaviors under controlled conditions, identifying and exploring robust morphological features in detail. Such investigations will provide valuable observational inputs for developing numerical modeling techniques that can accurately reproduce the faceted and branched structures that frequently emerge during diffusion-limited crystal growth.
Distance and divestment of Korean MNC affiliates: the moderating role of entry mode and experience

In this study, we examine the impact of cross-national distance on the divestment of foreign affiliates. On the basis of the nine dimensions of cross-national distance (Berry et al. 2010. “An Institutional Approach to Cross-National Distance.” Journal of International Business Studies 41 (9): 1460-1480), we empirically examine the impact of each measure of distance on the divestment of affiliates. Using a data set of 1697 multinational corporations (MNCs) headquartered in Korea and their 2435 affiliates in 67 host countries from 2000 to 2010, we find that distance created by economic, financial, political, administrative, cultural, demographic, knowledge and global connectedness leads to the divestment of foreign affiliates. We also find that the positive relationship between cross-national distance and affiliate divestment is likely to become stronger when an MNC enters the host country through a joint venture and weaker for affiliates with greater experience in the host country.
Earnings Management Under Pension Accounting Standards: SFAS 87 versus APB 8

This study presents evidence indicating a greater influence of accounting incentives on reported pension cost under the current pension accounting standard, Statement of Financial Accounting Standards Number 87 (SFAS 87), relative to the preceding standard, Accounting Principles Board Opinion Number 8 (APB 8). Accounting incentives refer to managerial incentives arising from income smoothing and contractual arrangements that use accounting numbers. This study uses the difference between the income reported under SFAS 87 and APB 8 in the adoption year as a measure that incorporates the difference between the discretionary components of pension cost under the two regimes and shows that this difference is associated with proxies for managers' accounting incentives. This finding has important implications for accounting regulatory agencies. Even though SFAS 87 appears to have been successful in moving pension accounting away from cash basis and toward accrual basis, the increased influence of accounting incentives may have hampered the comparability across firms of the reported pension numbers and hence their usefulness.
Worst case approximation of antenna near fields

Application of reliable approximations of antenna near fields (NF) is very helpful to increase the efficiency of existing procedures for electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) analysis and human exposure assessment. This paper provides simple analytical formulas for the worst case estimation of power density (PD) of antenna NF in the direction of maximum radiation. The new approximation formulas are based on the equivalence between the real antenna and the uniform rectangular aperture with the same half power beamwidth (BW). The accuracy of approximation is tested by electromagnetic calculations of circular and rectangular aperture antennas and is compared with antenna NF templates recommended by guidelines of Safety Level of Human Exposure standards.