Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Proteome analysis of the dystrophin‐deficient MDX diaphragm reveals a drastic increase in the heat shock protein cvHSP

Duchenne muscular dystrophy is the most commonly inherited neuromuscular disorder in humans. Although the primary genetic deficiency of dystrophin in X‐linked muscular dystrophy is established, it is not well‐known how pathophysiological events trigger the actual fibre degeneration. We have therefore performed a DIGE analysis of normal diaphragm muscle versus the severely affected x‐linked muscular dystrophy (MDX) diaphragm, which represents an established animal model of dystrophinopathy. Out of 2398 detectable 2‐D protein spots, 35 proteins showed a drastic differential expression pattern, with 21 proteins being decreased, including Fbxo11‐protein, adenylate kinase, β‐haemoglobin and dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase, and 14 proteins being increased, including cvHSP, aldehyde reductase, desmin, vimentin, chaperonin, cardiac and muscle myosin heavy chain. This suggests that lack of sarcolemmal integrity triggers a generally perturbed protein expression pattern in dystrophin‐deficient fibres. However, the most significant finding was the dramatic increase in the small heat shock protein cvHSP, which was confirmed by 2‐D immunoblotting. Confocal fluorescence microscopy revealed elevated levels of cvHSP in MDX fibres. An immunoblotting survey of other key heat shock proteins showed a differential expression pattern in MDX diaphragm. Stress response appears to be an important cellular mechanism in dystrophic muscle and may be exploitable as a new approach to counteract muscle degeneration.
Sit-to-Stand Test for Measuring Performance of Lower Extremity Muscles

When the intent is to quantify performance of lower extremity muscles, the sit-to-stand test is a practical alternative to manual muscle testing and various instrumented options. Several procedures for performing the test are presented in this review as is information relevant to test interpretation. Performance variables known to be associated with sit-to-stand performance are noted.
Insight into the Sialome of the Bed Bug, Cimex lectularius.

The evolution of insects to a blood diet leads to the development of a saliva that antagonizes their hosts' hemostasis and inflammation. Hemostasis and inflammation are redundant processes, and thus a complex salivary potion composed of dozens or near 100 different polypeptides is commonly found by transcriptome or proteome analysis of these organisms. Several insect orders or families evolved independently to hematophagy, creating unique salivary potions in the form of novel pharmacological use of endogenous substances and in the form of unique proteins not matching other known proteins, these probably arriving by fast evolution of salivary proteins as they evade their hosts' immune response. In this work we present a preliminary description of the sialome (from the Greek Sialo = saliva) of the common bed bug Cimex lectularius, the first such work from a member of the Cimicidae family. This manuscript is a guide for the supplemental database files http://exon.niaid. nih.gov/transcriptome/C_lectularius/S1/Cimex-S1.zip and http://exon.niaid. nih.gov/transcriptome/C_lectularius/S2/Cimex-S2.xls.
Molecular Recombination Between R-Factor Deoxyribonucleic Acid Molecules in Escherichia coli Host Cells

Three previously studied R factors were used: 222/R4, controlling transmissible resistance to sulfonamide, streptomycin, chloromycetin, and tetracycline (SUr SMr CMr TCr); 222/R3, a derivative of 222/R4 (now termed 222/R3W) having lost TCr; and R15, controlling infectious resistance to SU and SM only. Two types of derivative R factors were isolated from 222/R4 by serial subculture in Salmonella species. One derivative, termed 222/R1, lost resistance to SU, SM, and CM, and the other, termed 222/R3N, lost only TCr. Each factor was transferred to a standard Escherichia coli K-12 host. Recombinant factors of 222/R4 phenotype were isolated by selection after mixed culture of E. coli (222/R1)+ and (222/R3N)+ strains. Density-gradient equilibrium centrifugation of lysates of E. coli R+ hosts in the presence of ethidium bromide separated R-factor deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) as a heavy satellite peak which was subjected to electron microscopy or analytical density gradient centrifugation. Each DNA comprised a unimolecular species of circular DNA. The contour of R15 measured 22.3 μm [equivalent to 46 × 106 atomic mass units (AMU)], and that of 222/R4 measured 33.6 μm (70 × 106 AMU). 222/R3W appeared to be a point mutant or small deletion of 222/R4 with an almost identical size, whereas 222/R3N had lost a DNA segment of about 3 μm, and measured 30.3 μm or 63 × 106 AMU. The 222/R1 factors also appeared to have arisen by loss of DNA from 222/R4, 222/R1A being 22.3 μm or 46 × 106 AMU, whereas all other 222/R1 factors appeared to be duplicates, measuring 25.6 μm or 53 × 106 AMU. The DNA from six recombinant factors of R4 phenotype was indistinguishable in size and configuration from the parental 222/R4. In most cases, the number of R-factor copies (present as covalently closed circular molecules) per copy of the E. coli chromosome was less than 2, ranging from 1.2 to 3.3.
Inequality of opportunity in health: evidence from a UK cohort study

This paper proposes an empirical implementation of the concept of inequality of opportunity in health and applies this to data from the UK National Child Development Study. Drawing on the distinction between circumstance and effort variables in John Roemer's work on equality of opportunity, circumstances are proxied by parental socio-economic status and childhood health; effort is proxied by health-related lifestyles and educational attainment. Stochastic dominance tests are used to detect inequality of opportunity in the conditional distributions of self-assessed health in adulthood. Two alternative approaches are used to measure inequality of opportunity. Econometric models are estimated to illuminate and quantify the triangular relationship between circumstances, effort and health. The results indicate the existence of a considerable and persistent inequality of opportunity in health. Circumstances affect health in adulthood both directly and through effort factors such as educational attainment. This indicates that, while the influence of some unjust circumstances can only be tackled during childhood, the implementation of complementary educational policies may be of paramount importance.
Quantifying the European Central Bank's Interest Rate Smoothing Behavior

Against the background of the recent discussion whether the smoothing behavior of the Fed detected by empirical Taylor rules is indeed a fact or rather a statistically fiction, this paper re‐examines the empirical evidence for interest rate smoothing for the case of the European Central Bank (ECB). Based on data representing true ECB behavior, our findings reject the hypothesis of no smoothing but also find a role of serially correlated shocks. The degree of smoothing is estimated in the range of [0.38;0.82], reflecting model uncertainty with respect to the output gap and indicating a rather moderate extent of partial adjustment.
Land Use Conflict Across the Airport Fence: Competing Urban Policy, Planning and Priority in Australia

Land use planning within and surrounding privatised Australian capital city airports is a fragmented process as a result of: current legislative and policy frameworks; competing stakeholder priorities and interests; and inadequate coordination and disjointed decision-making. Three Australian case studies are examined to detail the context of airport and regional land use planning. Stakeholder Land Use Forums within each case study have served to inform the procedural dynamics and relationships between airport and regional land use decision-making. This article identifies significant themes and stakeholder perspectives regarding on-airport development and broader urban land use policy and planning. First, it outlines the concept of the “airport city” and examines the model of airport and regional “interfaces. ” Then, it details the policy context that differentiates on-airport land use planning from planning within the surrounding region. The article then analyses the results of the Land Use Forums identifying key themes within the shared and reciprocal interfaces of governance, environment, economic development and infrastructure. The article concludes by detailing the implications of this research to broader urban planning and highlights the core issues contributing to the fragmentation of airport and regional land use planning policy.
Exploring the involvement of management accounting in strategic decisions and control

Purpose – The paper seeks to explore the extent of involvement of management accounting in strategic inter‐organizational decisions and control in the context of offshoring of services.Design/methodology/approach – For the present study, a multiple case study field research design was selected. A data‐bank media search identified companies actually offshoring their services. In total, 17 semi‐structured interviews with management accountants/managers were conducted in 14 of the identified companies. The interviews were analyzed using content analysis techniques.Findings – Management accounting is involved in offshoring activities to a much lower extent than expected. The reasons range from contractual agreements between the different parties, which substitute in part for management accounting interventions, to competence problems in accounting departments. Therefore, management accounting often fails to provide support for strategic planning and coordination.Research limitations/implications – The data ob.
Journal of Benefit-Cost

We summarize procedures for assessing the benefits and costs of using labor inputs in public projects. Examples are provided to illustrate how information on labor inputs can be analyzed and presented such that, should the analyst choose, labor services generate elements of both benefit and cost in times of high unemployment; however, this is not generally correct in times of full employment. Our analysis is consistent with the overall goal of identifying those projects which are estimated to improve efficiency—those with social benefits in excess of social costs.
Environmental Disclosure and the Cost of Equity: The French Case

What is the impact of voluntary corporate environmental disclosures on the cost of equity? The present study will attempt to answer this question. The empirical research is based on companies listed in the French SBF 120 stock market index. In 2006, most of these companies devoted a section of their annual report to environmental actions, yet fewer than 20% of them actually published a separate report dedicated to the issue of sustainable development. Regardless of the selected medium, the environmental topics receiving the most attention in corporate reporting are pollution, natural resources and recycling. The determinants associated with environmental disclosure are: company size, financial leverage, and the number of financial analysts monitoring company stock. This study does not lead to concluding that companies disclosing environmental information necessarily lower the cost of equity.
Banking Sector Reforms in Nigeria’s Fourth Republic: A Review of Evidence

One of the most outstanding debates in recent times is whether government banking sector reforms promotes growth and development. Objectively, this study is quite significant as it empirically re-investigates the role of the Nigerian banking sector reforms especially of the fourth republic (2000-2010) on the economy. The study adopts the Granger-causality and Johansen co-integration econometric approaches in the estimation procedure. Overall, evidence from the study shows that there is no link between fourth republic banking sector reform and economic growth in Nigeria, thereby contradicting the finance-growth nexus of Mckinnon and Shaw (1973) hypothesis. The study, therefore, concludes that any serious effort to ensure the strengthening of the banking sector should be preceded by the narrowing down of the interest rate spread. Moreover, the reform programmes of the Nigerian banking sector should be sustained so as to channel resources from the surplus sector (savings) to the deficit sector (investment) by putting in place appropriate macroeconomic policies that will engender productive activities and ensure sustainable economic growth. Keywords : Governance, Banking sector reform, economic growth, co-integration.
REAL EXCHANGE RATES AND STOCK PRICES: INSIGHTS INTO THE COMPETITIVENESS OF ROMANIAN ECONOMY

The paper investigates the dynamic links between stock prices and exchange rates in Romania, after 1997, considering the changes in the exchange rate regime occurred after 1997. The research employs advanced econometric methods – cointegration and Granger causality tests, in order to capture the bi-directional influences between stock prices and exchange rates, applied to monthly data over the 1999-2007 period. We use two types of exchange rates: nominal effective exchange rates and real effective exchange rates, aiming at revealing the competitiveness effects embedded in the real exchange rate evolution. In terms of stock prices, we use the BET and BET-C indices of the Bucharest Stock Exchange. We conclude that there is a long-term equilibrium relationship between the stock market performance and the nominal and real effective exchange rates, while the information is generally transmitted from the stock prices to exchange rates with a one-month lag in the case of cointegrated variables. Also, the exchange rates are the leading variables for the stock prices and the stock market adjusts quite dramatically to changes in the exchange rates in one month time in the case of cointegrated variables.
Technical Efficiency in a Heterogeneous Fishery: The Case of Norwegian Groundfish Fisheries

Abstract Most fish stocks are targeted by different fleets using different types of vessels and gear. Heterogeneous fleets can contribute to variations in vessel performance, as the potential of each vessel type and gear differs when it comes to harvesting fish. Different management regimes among vessel groups can amplify these variations. To explore this issue, this article investigates differences in efficiency between and within vessel groups in the Norwegian groundfish fleet. Whereas efficiency differences within a group of relatively homogeneous vessels reflect managerial abilities, efficiency differences between different groups of vessels reflect the use of different technologies and/or management regimes. Our results indicate the presence of significant inefficiencies. Given the substantial variation in technical efficiency both between and within vessel groups, both managerial skills and an inefficient management regime in the study fishery are documented. JEL Classification Code: Q22.
Serine Phosphorylation, Chromosomal Localization, and Transforming Growth Factor-β Signal Transduction by Human bsp-1*

The transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) superfamily regulates a multitude of cellular and developmental events. TGF-β family ligands signal through transmembrane serine/threonine kinase receptors whose downstream effectors are largely unknown. Using genetic data from the fruit fly, we have identified a downstream effector of TGF-β-induced signaling. TGF-β signaling protein-1 (BSP-1) is rapidly phosphorylated in response to TGF-β. Localization of bsp-1 to chromosome 4q28 suggests a role in carcinogenesis. These data suggest that BSP-1 is the prototype of a new class of signaling molecules.
An empirical analysis of the informational efficiency of Australian equity markets

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether the Australian equity market is informationally efficient in the semi-strong form with regard to interest rates and the exchange rate shocks during the period 1994-2006. Design/methodology/approach - There is evidence that the data are non-normal and that autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity (ARCH) effects exist and in such circumstances, standard estimation methods are not reliable. A new method introduced by Hacker and Hatemi-J which is robust to non-normality and the presence of ARCH is applied. Findings - The results show the Australian equity market is not informationally efficient with regard to either the interest rate or the exchange rate. Originality/value - The empirical findings, in contrast to several previous studies, imply that the possibility for arbitrage profits in the equity market might exist.
Exploring the links between information capability and the EFQM business excellence model: the case of Basque Country Quality award winners

In today's turbulent global environment, using and efficiently managing information is a critical success factor that enables organisations to improve their results. Information capability is a source of competitive advantage and helps companies to achieve higher levels of efficiency. Total quality management (TQM) models are designed to guide organisations in their journey towards business excellence, and they help to identify the role and importance of information as a capability. The aim of this study is to find whether companies with TQM models actually use and manage information efficiently so that they have information capability. In order to achieve this goal, after defining the components of information capability, we reviewed the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) criteria described in the reports of Basque Country Quality award winners to find evidence of these components. In addition, interviews with members of those companies were conducted in order to get additional insights into the findings. This paper presents evidence from organisations at the forefront of TQM practice, showing that many information capability practices are covered in the EFQM model. We found evidence of many information practices, and we saw from the information collected that the most highly developed competence in these companies is the Information Management Competence, while practices related to the information technology Competence and the Information Behaviours and Values Competence are not as evident. Nevertheless, this study is a first approach and is limited by the information shown in the self-assessment reports.
Memo No . 061 July 31 , 2017 Full interpretation of minimal images

The goal in this work is to model the process of ‘full interpretation’ of object images, which is the ability to identify and localize all semantic features and parts that are recognized by human observers. The task is approached by dividing the interpretation of the complete object to the interpretation of multiple reduced but interpretable local regions. In such reduced regions, interpretation is simpler, since the number of semantic components is small, and the variability of possible configurations is low. We model the interpretation process by identifying primitive components and relations that play a useful role in local interpretation by humans. To identify useful components and relations used in the interpretation process, we consider the interpretation of ‘minimal configurations’: these are reduced local regions, which are minimal in the sense that further reduction renders them unrecognizable and uninterpretable. We show that such minimal interpretable images have useful properties, which we use to identify informative features and relations used for full interpretation. We describe our interpretation model, and show results of detailed interpretations of minimal configurations, produced automatically by the model. Finally, we discuss possible extensions and implications of full interpretation to difficult visual tasks, such as recognizing social interactions, which are beyond the scope of current models of visual recognition.
The Accelerated Binomial Option Pricing Model

Abstract This paper describes the application of a convergence acceleration technique to the binomial option pricing model. The resulting model, termed the accelerated binomial option pricing model, also can be viewed as an approximation to the Geske-Johnson model for the value of the American put. The new model is accurate and faster than the conventional binomial model. It is applicable to a wide range of option pricing problems.
Achieving Glycemic Goals With Addition of Incretin-based Therapies to Insulin in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Abstract:As type 2 diabetes mellitus progresses, multiple antihyperglycemic agents are needed to maintain adequate glycemic control. Consensus guidelines recommend combining agents with complementary mechanisms of action. Given that hypoglycemic events increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and that weight gain affects mortality in obese individuals, it is important to control hyperglycemia without inducing hypoglycemia or weight gain. Peer-reviewed clinical trial data from patients requiring insulin-containing combination therapy suggest that insulin may be more effective at controlling hyperglycemia when given with appropriate combination therapy, but insulin is associated with weight gain and hypoglycemia. Some agents should not be combined with insulin because of associated weight gain and edema (ie, thiazolidinediones) or hypoglycemia (ie, sulfonylureas). Conversely, the lack of weight gain and hypoglycemia associated with metformin, glucagon-like peptide-1 agonists and dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors and suppression of glucagon secretion by both classes of incretin-based therapies suggest that these agents are well suited to combination therapy with insulin.
Government crisis assessment and reputation management: A case study of the Vietnam Health Minister's crises in 2013-2014

In Vietnam, many government announcements have gathered negative receptions from the public. Among them, Ms. Nguyen Thi Kim Tien, Vietnam Minister of Health, has received more of it. Through the case study of Ms. Kim Tien’s many scandals during the 2013-2014 period, this study is interested to see if the health scandals eventually elevated into a government crisis, how they affected the minister’s reputation, and what she could have done to better respond to the public. This study examined news articles on such health scandals to confirm whether the health scandals indeed escalated to be a government crisis. It also identified the advantages and disadvantages of Ms. Kim Tien’s responses in restoring her reputation to the public to understand what factors contributed to public dissatisfaction toward the minister. This study concluded that poorly-managed health scandals eventually elevated into a government crisis and greatly affected the minister’s reputation. It is suggested that PR is what the government needs to deal with such situations. The research also leaves room for a quantitative approach to the case to increase the result’s validity and representativeness. Until now, as the health issues and the resignation appeals are still needed, the crisis management effort should get more attention from the government, and such study is needed to better understand the situation.