Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Identifying the Institutional Effects of Mixed Systems in New Democracies: The Case of Lesotho

This paper addresses the effects of the mixed system used for the last three elections in Lesotho (2002, 2007 and 2012), a small African country with a turbulent history regarding opposition acceptance of elections. The decision to implement a mixed system was in part to encourage democratic stability, yet whether the electoral system has become more conducive to democratic competition is unclear. Through an analysis of national and district-level results, this paper addresses the following questions. First, at the district level, is competition consistent with Duverger’s law or the contamination thesis and is a progression over time evident? Second, does the population size of a district influence the number of candidates and the concentration of votes? Finally, following recent research on detecting electoral fraud, this paper tackles whether the reports of district results suggest extra-institutional manipulation.
Antecedents and Consequences of Perceived Gender Discrimination in the Audit Profession

SUMMARY: This paper tests a model of perceived gender discrimination in the audit profession. Using a sample of 234 female auditors employed in public accounting firms, we examine the effects of workgroup composition factors and organizational climate factors on perceived gender discrimination, along with the impact of perceived gender discrimination on several critical organizational outcomes. We find that female auditors report lower levels of gender discrimination when employed (1) in firms with more female partners, (2) in firms with stronger ethical climates, (3) in firms that are more supportive of alternative work arrangements, and (4) in firms that provide higher levels of top management support for the personal well-being of their employees. Further, we find that perceived gender discrimination is associated with lower organizational citizenship behavior and higher turnover intentions. Implications for research and public policy are discussed.
Acrylamide Induced Alterations In Glutathione S-Transferase And Glutathione Peroxidase Activity And DNA Damage In Rat Brain

An imbalance between pro-oxidants and antioxidants occurs in cells due to oxidative stress (Nazıroğlu, 2007). Oxidative stress leads to atherosclerosis, inflammation, ischemia-reperfusion injury, gene mutation, carcinogenesis, and tissue injury (Halliwell, 2014). Among the antioxidant enzymes glutathione S-transferase (GST) and Glutathione Peroxidase (GPx) are prominent. Glutathione S-transferases (GST, EC 2.5.1.18) are a multifunctional dimeric protein involved in cellular detoxification of reactive electrophilic compounds, and protecting tissues against oxidative damage (Hayes et al., 2005). Glutathione peroxidase (GPx) has various forms, containing or not containing selenium (Nakane et al., 1998). GPx capture reactive oxygen species (ROS) and thereby it protects the cells against oxidative stress. Increasing the expression level of the GPx enzyme can protect cells from free radicals (Koral Taşçi and Gülmez, 2014). Acrylamide (AC) is a noxious chemical with formula of CH2=CH–CO–NH2 and it is a highly reactive small organic molecule with hydrophilic nature. Acrylamide can rapidly absorb and distribute throughout the body because of its small size, solubility in water and capability of reaction (Mannaa et al., 2006). It is a well proved toxic chemical including neurotoxicity, reproductive toxicity, carcinogenicity, genotoxicity and mutagenicity (Chen et al., 2013). Acrylamide causes genotoxicity by binding to its metabolite (glycidamide) with DNA (Belinda et al., 2012) and It release the large amount of free radicals in to body there by it generate disturbances between the oxidative status and antioxidant enzymatic system (Yousef & El-Demerdash, 2006). In tobacco smoke high levels of acrylamide (AC) were identified (Pruser and Flynn, 2011). Several studies have been concluded the interaction of AC with GST in both rats and mice (Alturfan et al., 2011; Rawi et al., 2012). Generally AC is formed during cooking foods at high temperatures that is more than 120 o C. This study aimed to investigate the effects of AC on rat brain and AC was administered as short term and long term.
Towards a theory of total factor productivity (-growth): Monetary policy, short-run fluctuations and long-run consequences

This paper demonstrates a negative relation between short-run nominal fluctuations and long-run productivity growth. First, we employ (country) panel data to investigate the robustness of a negative causal eect of inflation on long-run TFP-growth. Second, we develop an endogenous growth model whose key ingredients are (i) a firm-level technology choice between a return-dominated but secure and a more productive but risky project, (ii) an agency problem which gives rise to financial market incompleteness and (iii) a cash-inadvance constraint for households that incorporates a costly short-run provision of nominal assets in equilibrium even under flexible prices. The model generates a long-run eect of monetary policy on total factor productivity (TFP): nominal short-run fluctuations aect the costs of corporate insurance against risky (productive) projects and hence a firm’s choice of technology. Thus, economies (time periods) that feature a higher level of inflation are predicted to exhibit a lower long-run TFP-level. Moreover, we show that inflation reduces the long-run balanced growth path of TFP if investments in the superior technology represent (at least partly) firm-level R&D expenses which enhance the economy’s future productivity. That is, each level of inflation is associated with a dierent long-run balanced growth path as long as financial markets are incomplete. Finally, we apply sectoral and (U.S.) firm level dynamic panel data to test the relevance of our specific microeconomic mechanism.
Does Biotech Reflect a New Science-based Innovation Regime?

The purpose of this paper is to enter into the ""black box'' of science-based sectors, to seek a better understanding of the nature of the dynamics of such technological regimes in their different forms. Special attention is given to the institutional dimensions, which, in the authors' view, play a major role in structuring technological regimes and organizational trajectories. After a short review of the literature on science-based sectors and technological regimes, some specificities of the new emerging biotech sector are focused on, aiming to show how and why it can be regarded as a new type of science-based technological regime, referred to in this paper as the science-based ""type 2'' model. In a short final conclusion, some of the consequences of the existence of this basic distinction between two types of ""science-based'' regime are explored.
Testando o CAPM condicional nos mercados brasileiro e norte-americano

In the last decades, the CAPM model has being of great interest in the scientific area. Despite all the criticism, the improvement of the static CAPM, which has generated new dynamic models, provided investors with stronger guarantee throughout the financial movement. The CAPM and its static version were and still are very important in the financial area. Nowadays more sophisticated adaptations of the CAPM are found, which allow us to explain some matters in finance that had not been solved for long time. Considering such discussion about the CAPM validity, this study intends to show the advantages of the conditional model comparing with the static one. In order to verify such facts, tests of conditional models are examined (with beta varying throughout time), which are not commonly studied in the literature. Such tests are suitable to incorporate variances and covariance that change throughout time. Among all, Jagannathan and Wang´s (1996) can be considered one of the most important tests. This study aims to test the conditional CAPM model by Jagannathan and Wang (1996) using macroeconomics and financial variables from the Brazilian, Chilean and Argentinean markets. Also, one of its objectives is to compare such results with the American ones.
The Growth of the Nonprofit Sector in the Netherlands

In the past century, the Netherlands’ nonprofit sector has grown tremendously. Nowadays, it is one of the largest in the world. This article considers the growth of the sector in general, and pays special attention to its main domains: education, health care, social work, the arts, and culture. It argues that three factors explain the sector’s current size. First, the Netherlands has a long and rich tradition of private initiatives, ranging from the medieval guilds and church-related activities to pillarization in the 19th and 20th centuries. Second, the posture of the government created a political environment that stimulated nonprofit growth. Finally, the crucial factor in the expansion of the nonprofit sector is the scheme of collective finance and private provision for key welfare state services. This scheme started ineducation and later spread to health care and social services.
Symbolism Versus Policy Learning

The logic of democracy rests on the assumption that policymakers respond to public preferences, which, in turn, respond to policy developments. We address the question of how policy might affect public opinion by analyzing public opinion before and after the 1996 U.S. Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act. We hypothesized that changes made by the legislation would have improved opinions of welfare recipients. Using U.S. surveys from 1994 and 2001, we find that public opinion was more positive postreform and that the change was because of the enactment of welfare reform itself, not any perceived program success.
Economic Impact Studies: Relating The Positive And Negative Impacts To Tourism Development

This article is the sixth in a series prepared by the U. S. Department of Commerce Task Force on Accountability Research to examine the issues of accountability and evaluation in travel research. An important issue in any tourism development effort is the estimation of total economic impact of the programs conducted by state and local tourism offices as well as by the private sector. This article focuses on the increasing need to conduct detailed economic impact studies and discusses some of the basic approaches to measuring both the positive and negative economic impacts.
Molecularly imprinted composite cryogels for hemoglobin depletion from human blood

A molecularly imprinted composite cryogel (MICC) was prepared for depletion of hemoglobin from human blood prior to use in proteome applications. Poly(hydroxyethyl methacrylate) based MICC was prepared with high gel fraction yields up to 90%, and characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometer, scanning electron microscopy, swelling studies, flow dynamics and surface area measurements. MICC exhibited a high binding capacity and selectivity for hemoglobin in the presence of immunoglobulin G, albumin and myoglobin. MICC column was successfully applied in fast protein liquid chromatography system for selective depletion of hemoglobin for human blood. The depletion ratio was highly increased by embedding microspheres into the cryogel (93.2%). Finally, MICC can be reused many times with no apparent decrease in hemoglobin adsorption capacity. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Cost pass-through elasticities, concentration and productivity growth

Cost pass-through elasticities measure the percentage decrease in prices from a percentage cost reduction. For given cost reductions, lower elasticities harm consumers through a lower pass-through to prices. But these same lower elasticities may increase cost-reducing innovation by firms and thereby help consumers by leading to lower prices. To explore this trade-off, pass-through elasticities are first estimated for 253 US manufacturing industries. After this, two second-stage regressions that use the estimated elasticities are introduced. The first regression finds that higher seller concentration leads to lower pass-through elasticities, whereas the second finds that the lower pass-through elasticities, which accompany higher concentration, lead to higher average annual productivity growth. This means there is a trade-off, and lower elasticities can benefit consumers.
Assistive Control System Using Continuous Myoelectric Signal in Robot-Aided Arm Training for Patients After Stroke

In some stroke rehabilitation programs, robotic systems have been used to aid the patient to train. In this study, a myoelectrically controlled robotic system with 1 degree-of-freedom was developed to assist elbow training in a horizontal plane with intention involvement for people after stroke. The system could provide continuous assistance in extension torque, which was proportional to the amplitude of the subject's electromyographic (EMG) signal from the triceps, and could provide resistive torques during movement. This study investigated the system's effect on restoring the upper limb functions of eight subjects after chronic stroke in a twenty-session rehabilitation training program. In each session, there were 18 trials comprising different combinations of assistive and resistive torques and an evaluation trial. Each trial consisted of five cycles of repetitive elbow flexion and extension between 90deg and 0deg at a constant velocity of 10deg /s. With the assistive extension torque, subjects could reach a more extended position in the first session. After 20 sessions of training, there were statistically significant improvements in the modified Ashworth scale, Fugl-Meyer scale for shoulder and elbow, motor status scale, elbow extension range, muscle strength, and root mean square error between actual elbow angle and target angle. The results showed that the twenty-session training program improved upper limb functions.
The Dynamic Inefficiency of Capitalism

A new paradigm for capitalism is woven from Marx's dynamic conflict and Keyne's disjunction between the saving and investment decisions, in which capitalism is viewed as a differential game between workers, who may save or consume, and capitalists, who may consume or invest. A simple model incorporating this view is constructed and solved, and the solution is compared with the social optimum. It is shown that there is a clearly defined dynamic welfare loss, arising from the separation of saving and investment decisions. The suboptimality conclusion is shown to be very robust, surviving the addition of much complexity to the simple basic model.
Hemodynamic and gas exchange effects of inhaled iloprost in patients with COPD and pulmonary hypertension

Studies have shown that vasodilators such as iloprost can be useful for treating pulmonary hypertension (PH). However, in patients with COPD, vasodilators may inhibit hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction and impair gas exchange. The efficacy and safety of iloprost inhalation was assessed in 67 patients with PH associated with COPD (COPD-PH), diagnosed by right heart catheterization. Of these, 37 patients had severe PH (mean pulmonary arterial pressure [mPAP] >35 mmHg or mPAP 25–35 mmHg with low cardiac index [<2.0 L⋅min−1⋅m−2]). All patients received a single 20 µg dose of iloprost via a nebulizer (4.4 µg delivered at the mouthpiece). No serious adverse events were reported. Hemodynamic and gas exchange parameters (arterial blood gas and shunt fraction [Qs/Qt]) were measured or calculated at baseline and 10 min after iloprost inhalation. mPAP decreased by 2.1 mmHg (95% CI, −3.3 to −1.0), pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) decreased by 62.4 dyn⋅s⋅cm−5 (95% CI, −92.9 to −31.8), and cardiac output increased by 0.4 L⋅min−1 (95% CI, 0.2–0.5). There was a more significant decline in PVR in patients with severe COPD-PH than in those with nonsevere COPD-PH. Hypoxemia and intrapulmonary shunt were more extreme in patients with severe COPD-PH. However, there were no significant differences in arterial blood gas and Qs/Qt between patients with nonsevere and severe forms of COPD-PH. In conclusion, iloprost improved pulmonary hemodynamics without detrimental effects on arterial oxygenation in patients with COPD-PH, even in those with severe PH. These findings suggest that the short-term use of iloprost in patients with COPD-PH is effective and well tolerated.
23Na MRI accurately measures fixed charge density in articular cartilage

One of the initiating steps of osteoarthritis is the loss of proteoglycan (PG) molecules from the cartilage matrix. One method for assessing cartilage integrity, therefore, is to measure the PG content or fixed charge density (FCD) of cartilage. This report shows the feasibility of calculating FCD by 23Na MRI and introduces MRI protocols for human studies, in vivo. 23Na MRI was used to measure the sodium concentration inside bovine patellar cartilage. The sodium concentration was then converted to FCD (mM) by considering ideal Donnan equilibrium. These FCD measurements were compared to FCD measurements obtained through standard dimethylmethylene blue PG assays. There was a high correlation (slope = 0.89, r2 = 0.81) between the FCD measurements obtained by 23Na MRI and those obtained by the PG assays. These methods were then employed in quantifying the FCD of articular cartilage of human volunteers in vivo. Two imaging protocols were compared: one using a birdcage coil, the other using a transmit/receive surface coil. Both methodologies gave similar results, with the average sodium concentration of normal human patellar cartilage ranging from ∼240 to 260 mM. This corresponds to FCDs of –158 mM to –182 mM. Magn Reson Med 47:284–291, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
HPLC-atmospheric pressure chemical ionization MS/MS for quantification of 15-F2t-isoprostane in human urine and plasma.

BACKGROUND Quantification of F(2)-Isoprostanes is considered a reliable index of the oxidative stress status in vivo and is valuable in the diagnosis and monitoring of a variety of diseases. Because of complex and lengthy sample preparation procedures, current chromatography/mass spectrometry and immunoassays are impractical for measuring larger numbers of samples. Thus, we developed and validated a semiautomated high-throughput HPLC tandem mass spectrometry assay for the quantification of F(2)-Isoprostane F(2t) in human urine and plasma. METHODS After protein precipitation (500 microL methanol/zinc sulfate added to 500 microL plasma), samples were injected into the HPLC system and extracted online. The extracts were then back-flushed onto the analytical column and detected with an atmospheric pressure chemical ionization-triple quadrupole mass spectrometer monitoring the deprotonated molecular ions [M-H](-) of 15-F(2t)-IsoP (m/z = 353-->193) and the internal standard 15-F(2t)-IsoP-d(4) (m/z = 357-->197). RESULTS In human urine, the assay was linear from 0.025 to 80 microg/L and in human plasma from 0.0025 to 80 microg/L (r(2)>0.99). Interday accuracy and precision for concentrations above the lower limit of quantification were <10%. Concentrations of 15-F(2t)-IsoP in urine of 16 healthy individuals ranged from 55-348 ng/g creatinine. In 16 plasma samples from healthy individuals, free 15-F(2t)-IsoP was detectable in all samples and concentrations were 3-25 ng/L. CONCLUSIONS Our assay meets all predefined method performance criteria, allows for analysis of >80 samples/day, and has sufficient sensitivity for quantifying 15-F(2t)-IsoP concentrations in plasma and urine from healthy individuals. It is, thus, suitable for clinical routine monitoring and the analysis of samples from larger clinical trials.
Fast and frugal heuristics for new product screening – is managerial judgment ‘good enough?’

Project screening in the fuzzy front-end of product development is dominantly based on managerial judgment, yet little is known about the quality of heuristic screening decisions. This research models three commonly discussed fast and frugal (F%F) heuristics for project screening (take-the-best, tallying and elimination-by-aspect) and explores their performance. An illustrative dataset of 52 new product development projects is used to compare the performance of F%F heuristics against that of regression models, which reflect compensatory judgment behaviour. The findings uncover a 'less is more' effect that justifies the use of simple heuristics in early stage product screening; two out of the three F%F heuristics reach accuracies of over 80% for project selection and 70% for project rejection and the best F%F model, tallying, performs similarly to the best regression model. The findings warrant a fresh look at managerial screening heuristics as 'good enough' decision making approach.
Dose-Dependent Associations between Wine Drinking and Breast Cancer Risk - Meta-Analysis Findings.

PURPOSE To investigate any potential association between wine and breast cancer risk. MATERIALS AND METHODS We quantitatively assessed associations by conducting a meta-analysis based on evidence from observational studies. In May 2014, we performed electronic searches in PubMed, EmBase and the Cochrane Library to identify studies examining the effect of wine drinking on breast cancer incidence. The relative risk (RR) or odds ratio (OR) were used to measure any such association. RESULTS The analysis was further stratified by confounding factors that could influence the results. A total of twenty-six studies (eight case-control and eighteen cohort studies) involving 21,149 cases were included in our meta-analysis. Our study demonstrated that wine drinking was associated with breast cancer risk. A 36% increase in breast cancer risk was observed across overall studies based on the highest versus lowest model, with a combined RR of 1.0059 (95%CI 0.97-1.05) in dose-response analysis. However, 5 g/d ethanol from wine seemed to have protective value from our non-linear model. CONCLUSIONS Our findings indicate that wine drinking is associated with breast cancer risk in a dose-dependent manner. High consumption of wine contributes to breast cancer risk with protection exerted by low doses. Further investigations are needed for clarification.
Bortezomib (PS-341, Velcade) increases the efficacy of trastuzumab (Herceptin) in HER-2–positive breast cancer cells in a synergistic manner

Background: Preclinical and clinical studies have shown that the proteasome inhibitor bortezomib (PS341, Velcade) is highly effective when combined with chemotherapeutic agents. The value of trastuzumab (Herceptin) in HER-2–positive (3+ score by immunohistochemistry or fluorescence in situ hybridization positive) breast cancer is also known; however, the response rate is <40% for metastatic breast cancer. These two pharmacologic agents prevent nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) activation and induce nuclear accumulation of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p27kip1, suggesting that combining bortezomib with trastuzumab could increase trastuzumab efficacy. Methods: Drug cytotoxicity, both individually and together, and drug effects on p27 localization and NF-κB activation were investigated on four breast cancer cell lines: SKBR-3 (HER-2+++), MDA-MB-453 (HER-2++), HER-2–transfected MCF-7 (HER-2+++), and MCF-7 (HER-2−). Results: Bortezomib induced apoptosis in HER-2–positive and HER-2–negative breast cancer cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Together, these drugs induced apoptosis of HER-2++/+++ cells at low concentrations, which had no effect when used alone, indicating there was a synergistic effect. Sequential treatment (trastuzumab then bortezomib) induced either necrosis or apoptosis, depending on the trastuzumab preincubation time. Susceptibility to bortezomib alone and the drug combination correlated with NF-κB activity and p27 localization. Conclusions: The addition of bortezomib to trastuzumab increases the effect of trastuzumab in HER-2+++/++ cell lines in a synergistic way. This effect likely results from the ability of these two drugs to target the NF-κB and p27 pathways. The potential clinical application of this drug combination is under current evaluation by our group in a phase 1 clinical trial. [Mol Cancer Ther 2006;5(12):3042–51]