Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Review article: faecal occult blood testing for colorectal cancer

Major health organizations recommend colorectal cancer screening using faecal occult blood tests, sigmoidoscopy or both for patients 50 years of age or older who are at average risk for colorectal cancer. However, no specific recommendations have been made regarding choice of test from among the tests currently or soon to be available. Therefore, to aid clinicians in rationally choosing a particular test for faecal occult blood, published data are reviewed regarding the performance characteristics, strengths and weaknesses of the various faecal occult blood tests. New studies suggest that immunochemical tests (e.g. HemeSelect) or a combination of sensitive guaiac tests and immunochemical tests (e.g. Hemoccult Sensa and HemeSelect) are the most sensitive, specific tests for detecting colorectal carcinoma and colorectal polyps ≥ 1 cm.
REASONS FOR AND BARRIERS TO PARTICIPATING IN VOLUNTEERISM AND SERVICE: A COMPARISON OF OHIO YOUTH IN GRADES 5-8 AND 9-12

The authors analyzed existing data investigating volunteerism and service among Ohio youth. Principle components analysis resulted in four factors explaining respondents’ reasons for providing volunteerism/service for both grade levels: Grades 5-8: 1) Adult and Peer Pressure; 2) Adult Encouragement; 3) Altruistic Reasons; and 4) Spiritual Reasons; Grades 9-12: 1) Personal and Altruistic Importance; 2) Education and Career Advancement; 3) Parent, Teacher, and/or Mentor Encouragement; and 4) Social and Peer Influences. Data analysis resulted in three factors explaining barriers to volunteerism/service, again for both grade levels: Grades 5-8: 1) Low Personal Interest; 2) Personal Challenges; and 3) Weak Connectedness to Volunteerism; Grades 9-12: 1) Low Personal Interest; 2) Weak Connectedness to Volunteerism; and 3) Time Constraints. Volunteer administrators from Ohio and states with similar school demographics should consider these reasons and barriers when designing or restructuring youth volunteerism and service programs.
Neuroticism as a risk factor for schizophrenia

Background. Neuroticism has been shown to increase the risk of depression whereas extraversion is associated with a reduction of risk. These personality traits play a central role in aetiological theories of affective disorder but their role in schizophrenia is unclear. In this study, the risk for schizophrenia associated with neuroticism and extraversion was examined and quantified. Methods. Neuroticism and extraversion rated at the age of 16 years were examined in relation to adult schizophrenia in a national birth cohort of 5362 individuals. Results. Neuroticism increased the risk of later schizophrenia independent of the level of affective symptoms in adult life (odds ratio over three levels: 1·93, 95% CI 1·09–3·43), whereas extraversion reduced the risk (OR: 0·44, 95% CI 0·23–0·84). Conclusions. Depression and schizophrenia may share personality risk-increasing and risk-reducing factors. Coping styles associated with particular personality traits may determine whether isolated symptoms progress to full-blown illness.
Analysing security performance in Morocco and South Africa using CAPM

This paper examines how well the capital asset pricing model (CAPM) is able to describe the performance of individual securities listed on Casablanca and Johannesburg Stock Exchanges, Morocco and South Africa respectively. Jensen (1968) methodology is employed in the study. While there is a reasonable amount of empirical studies on the performance of the CAPM in Africa, the validity of the model has not previously been addressed in this manner in Morocco and South Africa. The CAPM posits that the performance of assets is solely explained by the market beta. The results of this study do not support this assertion. Although it was found that beta contributes to the variation of security returns in Morocco and South Africa, that contribution is insufficient to fully explain security performance. Instead, we found positive and significant alpha values, representing factors unexplained by market beta, and hence deviations from the CAPM.
Counting Those Who Count: The Impact of Latino Population Growth on Redistricting in Southern States

Abstract The purpose of this article is to examine the potential impact of Hispanics on the electoral geography of the southern United States after the 2010 decennial census. Hispanics are the largest and fastest-growing minority group in the United States today. In addition to traditional Hispanic destinations such as Florida and Texas, many of the areas experiencing the most rapid growth in Hispanic population are southern states such as Georgia, North Carolina, and Virginia. Geographic information systems are used to determine where majority-minority and influential districts are likely to emerge in southern states. We argue that although the Latino population has increased significantly over the past decade, the proportion of Latinos living in southern states remains relatively low in comparison to the general population. Therefore, no new majority-minority or influence districts will emerge in Louisiana, Mississippi, or Tennessee. Majority-minority and influence districts are likely to emerge in Arkansas, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia at the state and local levels, but not at the U.S. congressional level. Texas and Florida are the only southern states where new majority-minority and influence districts are likely to emerge at the U.S., state, and local levels after the 2010 decennial census.
An Empirical Examination of Union Density in Six Countries: Canada, Ecuador, Mexico, Nicaragua, the United States and Venezuela

Union density is an indication of the strength and potential influence of the labor movement in an economy. This paper examines and compares union density in six countries: Canada, Ecuador, Mexico, Nicaragua, the U.S. and Venezuela. Two determinants of union density are examined: (1) the structure of the paid labor force, and (2) the probability that a worker with given labor force characteristics is a union member. The union density gap between Canada, the country with the highest union density, and each country is decomposed in order to explore the contribution of each determinant to the gap. 3 1 I would like to thank Gabriela Cordourier for help in compiling the data for this project.
Location Choice Behavior of Gulf of Mexico Shrimpers under Dynamic Economic Conditions

This study uses a mixed logit model to analyze monetary and nonmonetary factors that influence location choice behavior of the U.S. Gulf of Mexico shrimpers. Shrimpers' responses to economic conditions are compared and contrasted for two periods related to changing economic conditions in the industry. Results show that even though shrimpers are generally revenue driven in choosing a fishing site, their past experience also plays an important role. Further, changes in economic conditions appear to exhibit an influence on the risk attitudes of some shrimpers.
AN EMS TARGET ZONE MODEL IN DISCRETE TIME

The discrete time analogue of the continuous time Krugman target zone model is developed in order to capture the typical volatility clusters and fat-tailed distributed innovations of exchange rates. It is shown that under these more general stochastic conditions the S-shaped relation between exchange rate and fundamentals is preserved, but is less pronounced. The model is tested for its S-shape and stochastic properties. Two clearly distinct sets of EMS currencies are detected on the basis of the curvature features. One-step-ahead realignment probabilities are used as an alternative evaluation method. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The PICNIC Interferometry Camera at IOTA

We describe the control and performance of a new near‐infrared camera based on a Rockwell PICNIC array detector for interferometry observations at the Infrared‐Optical Telescope Array (IOTA). The camera control uses a complex programmable logic device that allows fast and stable clocking of the PICNIC array and on‐the‐fly reconfiguration of the readout method. We measured a read noise as low as 12.4 e per correlated double sample. The read noise can be reduced even more through nondestructive readout, and decreases as the square root of the number of successive reads. We discuss the advantages of this system for near‐infrared interferometry.
Does the policy trilemma still hold? Fresh evidence and its implications

Economic success of any nation intrinsically hinges on the tradeoff between external policy choices and their internal consequences. An enduring challenge that countries confront is the 'trilemma' of choices between three desirable, yet jointly unattainable objectives of maintaining a fixed exchange rate regime, unfettered cross-border capital flows and monetary policy independence. This study examines the extent of monetary autonomy for over 130 nations spanning the period 1999-2011. Using both pooled cross-sectional as well as time series analyses I find more loss of monetary sovereignty for fixed regimes than non-fixed ones, supporting the trilemma's predictions. However, I do note this difference is only marginal and several floaters exhibit 'fear of floating' behaviour allowing sufficient transmission of foreign interest rates. Finally, I examine the macroeconomic consequences of the three tenets of the trilemma. I find higher monetary independence, greater capital openness as well as greater regime flexibility to promote economic stability.
Do the US trends drive the UK–French market linkages?: empirical evidence from a threshold intraday analysis

This article investigates the impact of US stock market openings on linkages between the UK and French markets. Using intraday data over the period December 2004 to March 2009, we find significant time-varying dependence between the UK and French stock returns, which alter according to the state of the US market. Indeed, not only does the opening of the US market itself significantly affect the UK stock dependency, but such linkages also seem to be closely dependent on bearish or bullish US market trends. Interestingly, the estimation of a two-regime Threshold Autoregressive (TAR) model indicates that the bearish US trends are a source of minor linkage (lower regime), whereas the bullish US trends involve higher interdependency (upper regime). This finding is particularly interesting as following the US trend expectations enables us to better forecast future European stock prices and to calculate the level of their potential contagion effects.
Between Democracy and Efficiency: Trends in Local Government Reform in the Netherlands and Germany

In this article attention is drawn to a striking difference between recent attempts to reform local government in the Netherlands and in Germany. What has been the prime focus of attention in the Netherlands in the 1980s is being emphasized in Germany in the 1990s, and what is being emphasized in the Netherlands in the 1990s has been the prime focus of attention in Germany in the 1980s. Trends in local goverment reform in the Netherlands have been going from a focus on more efficiency to a focus on more democracy, while trends in local government reform in Germany have been going the other way around. Likely explanations for these intersecting reform trends are built on four pillars: financial crises, legitimacy crises, formal institutions and informal institutions
Oxidative DNA Damage, Oxidative Stress and Genetic Susceptibility-Prognostic Scores in ‘Missing’ COPD Cases

Abstract In situ identification of COPD cases at workplace and sample assessment for oxidative stress/ DNA damage as a function of metabolic/antioxidant genotypes (as susceptibility genotypes) offers a novel manner of hazardous workplace-identification for genotoxic/carcinogenic events. In this case-control study, blood/ sera samples of the COPD cases (n=32 identified spirometrically among the stone-crushing workers) and healthy controls (n=19) were assessed for 8-OHdG (DNA damage), glutathione and superoxide dismutase levels (oxidative stress) and genotyped for GSTT1, M1, P1 and MnSOD variants. Significant increase in oxidative damage and lung-function decline were observed as a function of some genotypes. Predictors of genetic damage included tGSH, SOD and GSTM1. A prognostic index score based on prognostic factors was developed revealing cases were at high-(53.12%), intermediate- (34.37%) or low- (12.50%) risk for progressive DNA damage. These aberrant findings imply workplace exposure. This study provides insight on exposure-effect relationship in workers at stone-crushing sites.
Bovine Oocytes Cryoinjury and How to Improve Their Development Following Cryopreservation

Bovine oocytes are less likely to undergo successful cryopreservation than cleavage-stage embryos. Bovine oocytes characteristically contain high levels of lipids that represent one of the major obstacles limiting efficient cryopreservation. These droplets together with structures such as cumulus cells, zona pellucida, cytoplasm membrane, cortical granules, mitochondria, spindle, and cytoskeleton (microtubles and microfilaments) often incur serious damage during cooling and warming. The cryoinjury could, to some extent, be decreased by selection of proper permeable and non-permeable cryoprotectants, and of vitrification with high cooling and warming rates. Additionally, such measures may also enhance their cryotolerance as partial removal of cumulus cells, modification of oocyte membrane constituents, polarization of the cytoplasmic lipid droplets by centrifugation, and addition of cytoskeleton relaxants or ice blockers into vitrification solutions. The improvement in cryopreservation methodology for bovine oocytes will no doubt augment other technologies such as bovine cloning and the establishment of gene bank for transgenic cattle.
Phosphotransferase System-Mediated Glucose Uptake Is Repressed in Phosphoglucoisomerase-Deficient Corynebacterium glutamicum Strains

ABSTRACT Corynebacterium glutamicum is particularly known for its industrial application in the production of amino acids. Amino acid overproduction comes along with a high NADPH demand, which is covered mainly by the oxidative part of the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP). In previous studies, the complete redirection of the carbon flux toward the PPP by chromosomal inactivation of the pgi gene, encoding the phosphoglucoisomerase, has been applied for the improvement of C. glutamicum amino acid production strains, but this was accompanied by severe negative effects on the growth characteristics. To investigate these effects in a genetically defined background, we deleted the pgi gene in the type strain C. glutamicum ATCC 13032. The resulting strain, C. glutamicum Δpgi, lacked detectable phosphoglucoisomerase activity and grew poorly with glucose as the sole substrate. Apart from the already reported inhibition of the PPP by NADPH accumulation, we detected a drastic reduction of the phosphotransferase system (PTS)-mediated glucose uptake in C. glutamicum Δpgi. Furthermore, Northern blot analyses revealed that expression of ptsG, which encodes the glucose-specific EII permease of the PTS, was abolished in this mutant. Applying our findings, we optimized l-lysine production in the model strain C. glutamicum DM1729 by deletion of pgi and overexpression of plasmid-encoded ptsG. l-Lysine yields and productivity with C. glutamicum Δpgi(pBB1-ptsG) were significantly higher than those with C. glutamicum Δpgi(pBB1). These results show that ptsG overexpression is required to overcome the repressed activity of PTS-mediated glucose uptake in pgi-deficient C. glutamicum strains, thus enabling efficient as well as fast l-lysine production.
Bayesian Meta‐Experimental Design: Evaluating Cardiovascular Risk in New Antidiabetic Therapies to Treat Type 2 Diabetes

Summary Recent guidance from the Food and Drug Administration for the evaluation of new therapies in the treatment of type 2 diabetes (T2DM) calls for a program‐wide meta‐analysis of cardiovascular (CV) outcomes. In this context, we develop a new Bayesian meta‐analysis approach using survival regression models to assess whether the size of a clinical development program is adequate to evaluate a particular safety endpoint. We propose a Bayesian sample size determination methodology for meta‐analysis clinical trial design with a focus on controlling the type I error and power. We also propose the partial borrowing power prior to incorporate the historical survival meta data into the statistical design. Various properties of the proposed methodology are examined and an efficient Markov chain Monte Carlo sampling algorithm is developed to sample from the posterior distributions. In addition, we develop a simulation‐based algorithm for computing various quantities, such as the power and the type I error in the Bayesian meta‐analysis trial design. The proposed methodology is applied to the design of a phase 2/3 development program including a noninferiority clinical trial for CV risk assessment in T2DM studies.
Evaluation of axillary status in breast cancer. CT-based determination of sentinel lymph node size.

PURPOSE To determine whether the location and size of sentinel lymph nodes (SLN) on CT are predictive of the axillary lymph node status in patients with breast cancer. MATERIAL AND METHODS Forty patients with confirmed breast cancer underwent 5-mm CT of both breasts and axillae and the most inferior lymph node in the affected axilla was designated the SLN. Based on CT assessment of the axillary lymph node status, 22 (55%) patients then underwent dye- and gamma probe (DGP)-guided SLN biopsy followed by axillary dissection; 18 (45%) underwent dissection without prior SLN biopsy. The localization and status of the SLN determined on CT and by DGP-guided biopsy were compared. Biopsied and excised nodes were subjected to histopathologic examinations. RESULTS All SLN identified on CT were close to the lateral thoracic artery and their localization corresponded well with SLN identified by the DGP-guided method. The positive predictive value of CT diagnosis was 100%. Histopathologic examination of excised nodes confirmed that none of the SLN biopsies was false-negative. CONCLUSION Our CT criteria were highly accurate for identification and diagnostic assessment of SLN and useful for evaluating the axillary status in patients with breast cancer.
Impact measurement in microfinance: Is the measurement of the social return on investment an innovation in microfinance?

What is the impact of microfinance and how can it be measured? This paper analyzes the current status of microfinance and methods that are used to analyze its outreach and its impact. Especially on the background of the discussion about a mission drift in microfinance away from a poverty alleviation concept to a financial system approach the impact indicators of microfinance are discussed. So far, many methods measure the output of microfinance rather than the outcome. An analysis of the current mission of the 50 biggest microfinance institutions will be presented that shows that their missions are much more diverse than poverty alleviation or the financial system approach and that it is not possible to connect missions of microfinance institutions with their outreach. Based on this analysis the concept of Social Return on Investment (SROI) and social cost-benefit calculation will be discussed as methods to assess the impact of microfinance. We apply the methods in an exemplary way to demonstrate how they could be used. Based on this analysis we conclude that outcome-based approaches are better suited to measure the impact and outreach of microfinance but that they need much higher efforts because necessary data has to be assessed and useful indicators have to be developed.JEL Codes: A13, C18, C83, D61, G20
Decomposing the Relationship Between Contiguity and Militarized Conflict.

It is well known that the majority of militarized conflicts and wars have been fought by neighbors. Yet, much remains to be learned about the relationship between shared borders and militarized conflict. This article decomposes the effects of territorial contiguity into ex ante “observable” and “behavioral” effects. It provides powerful empirical evidence for the claim that although neighbors are more likely to experience conflict because of ex ante differences in observable variables such as economic interdependence, alliance membership, joint democracy, and the balance of military capabilities, most conflicts between neighbors occur because of differences in how neighbors and nonneighbors respond to the observable variables.
Modeling Spatial Price Competition: Marxian versus Neoclassical Approaches

Regional political economy is an approach to economic geography that can transcend the current dualism of a new neoclassical economic geography and a new cultural economic geography. We apply this approach to modeling the pricing strategies of firms competing in a geographically extensive market, critically assessing the validity of neoclassical theoretical claims about firm behavior. The neoclassical claim that firms should maximize total profits when setting prices is inconsistent with empirical evidence that, in practice, firms utilize the Marxian goal of maximizing the rate of profit. Regional political economy can explain why firms would choose to employ rate-of-profit pricing as a competitive strategy. In disequilibrium, uncertainty and sunk costs force firms into pricing strategies that, plausibly, should be evaluated on rate-of-profit grounds. Even in equilibrium, where neoclassical theory is presumed to be valid, economically rational firms in spatial markets should prefer the economic goal of ma.
Land Subsidence Monitoring In The Southern Spanish Coast Using Satellite Radar Interferometry

Over the last decades, coastal areas in many parts of Spain have undergone a continuous urban expansion because of the growth of cities and development of new residential areas. The transgression of the sea, as a consequence of sea level rise and the subsidence of populated areas, may result in serious problems to many constructions situated in the coastline. This has an important impact on the economy, environment and society, representing a considerable natural hazard. This paper investigates the applicability of InSAR in studies of coastal dynamics. We study the spatial and temporal evolution of some subsidence areas revealed from the SAR observations, an ERS SAR data set from 1992 to 2000 over the southern Spanish coast. After a preliminary processing using persistent scatterer (PS), small baseline (SBAS) and a combined multi-temporal InSAR time-series methods, we detect, for the first time, some subsidence areas that may be at risk.
Vincristine-resistant erythroleukemia cell line has marked increased sensitivity to hexamethylenebisacetamide-induced differentiation.

Hexamethylenebisacetamide (HMBA)-induced murine erythroleukemia (MEL) differentiation is a multistep process. Commitment is the capacity to express terminal cell division and characteristics of the differentiated phenotype even after the cells are removed from culture with inducer. Culture of MEL cell line 745A.DS19 (DS19) with HMBA causes commitment to terminal differentiation after a latent period of about 10-12 hr. Previous studies have shown that during this latent period, HMBA causes a number of metabolic changes, including modulation in expression of certain protooncogenes. We now report the development of a MEL cell line (designated V3.17) derived from DS19 that is resistant to vincristine and is (i) markedly more sensitive to HMBA, (ii) induced to commitment without a detectable latent period, and (iii) resistant to the effects of phorbol ester and dexamethasone, which are potent inhibitors of HMBA-mediated DS19 differentiation. We suggest that this V3.17 MEL cell line may express a factor that circumvents HMBA-mediated early events, which prepare the cells for commitment to terminal differentiation.