Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Essential History of Mexico: From Pre-Conquest to Present

List of Figures and Tables Preface Section I: The First Three Millennia Chapter 1: Mesoamerica Chapter 2: The Conquest of Mexico, 1519-1521 Chapter 3: Three Centuries of Colonial Rule, 1521-1810 Chapter 4: Colonial Society Chapter 5: From Corn to Capitalism, 1521-1810 Section II: The Nineteenth Century, 1810-1909 Chapter 6: The End of Spanish Rule, 1810-1821 Chapter 7: Nationhood, 1821-1855 Chapter 8: Shifting Boundaries Chapter 9: Juarez and Diaz, 1855-1909 Section III: The Early Twentieth Century, 1910-1940 Chapter 10: The Mexican Revolution, 1910-1916 Chapter 11: Institutionalizing the New Regime, 1917-1940 Section IV: The Late Twentieth Century, 1941-2000 Chapter 12: After Cardenas, 1940-1970 Chapter 13: Politics in Times of Crisis, 1971-2000 Chapter 14: Plunging Back into the International Market, 1971-2000 Section V: The Twenty-First Century Chapter 15: Twenty-First Century Mexico Index
Regulation of nerve growth factor secretion and mRNA expression by bacterial lipopolysaccharide in primary cultures of rat astrocytes

The present work was undertaken to study the effect of bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a potent activator of the host inflammatory response, on the synthesis of nerve growth factor (NGF) by newborn rat brain astrocytes. Treatment of primary rat astroglial cells cultured in chemically defined medium with LPS resulted in a dose‐dependent accumulation of NGF mRNA, and an increased release of NGF protein in the cell medium. NGF mRNA levels were maximal after 24 hr of stimulation (8‐fold increase), whereas extracellular NGF peaked after 72 hours of treatment (17‐fold increase). This dramatic increase of extracellular NGF was abrogated if cells were treated with actinomycin D or cycloheximide, a fact which implies that the accumulation of extracellular NGF by LPS‐treated cells requires DNA transcription and RNA translation. Stimulation of NGF synthesis and secretion was: (i) unaffected by treatment with the protein kinase C inhibitor bisindolylmaleimide, and (ii) prevented by forskolin and 3‐isobutyl‐1‐methylxanthine, two agents which increase cAMP levels. Inhibition of LPS effect was also obtained with apigenin, a proposed inhibitor of the mitogen‐activated protein kinase pathway. Results thus show that LPS stimulates NGF synthesis by astroglial cells through a mechanism that is independent of protein kinase C (PKC), antagonized by cAMP‐elevating agents, and probably mediated by the mitogen‐activated protein kinase cascade. The data raise the possibility that LPS exerts stimulatory effects on NGF synthesis that are independent of those elicited by astrocyte‐derived inflammatory lymphokines such as IL‐1β, TNFα or TGFβ1. J. Neurosci. Res. 49:569–575, 1997. © 1997 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Transforming Growth Factor- and Interleukin-1 Signaling Pathways Converge on the Chemokine CCL20 Promoter*

Oliver J. Brand, Sangeeta Somanath, Catherine Moermans Haruhiko Yanagisawa, Mitsuo Hashimoto, Stephanie Cambier, Jennifer Markovics, Andrew J. Bondesson, Arthur Hill, David Jablons, Paul Wolters, Jianlong Lou , James D. Marks , Jody L. Baron, and Stephen L. Nishimura From the Departments of Pathology, Anesthesia and Perioperative Care, Medicine, and Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, California 94110
How Is the Compact City Faring in Australia?

Australia has some of the lowest density cities in the world. However, in recent years the more compact city has become the orthodoxy of state capital city planning. Since 2000, long-range metropolitan strategies have been produced, planning the compact city. But in every state, each has been replaced by another one within a few years, frequently with different provisions. The metropolitan planning process is seen as in transition from the previous task emphasizing urban expansion to planning the compact city. Progress is patchy and uncertain, which in part explains the frequent replacement of plans. But this review suggests there are perhaps more important underlying reasons which may eventually lead to a modified style of metropolitan plan-making.
Differential expression of melanoma-associated antigens and molecules involved in antigen processing and presentation in three cell lines established from a single patient

Tumour cells are able to evade the immune system by using several ‘escape mechanisms’. Downregulation of molecules involved in the processing and presentation of self-antigens has been reported. However, these adaptations have not been compared in metastases in different anatomical locations but derived from a single patient. We investigated three melanoma cell lines – MJT1 from the parietal lobe of the brain, MJT3 from the cerebellum and MJT5 from the left side of the neck – established from biopsies excised from a 45 year old female patient. Although human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I was detected in all three cell lines by flow cytometry using an anti-HLA monomorphic antibody, further serological analysis demonstrated HLA B38 loss in all three cell lines, HLA B7 downregulation in MJT5 (skin metastases) and B7 loss in MJT3 and MJT1 (brain metastases) compared with the HLA type of the patient's normal autologous lymphocytes. Interferon-&ggr; (IFN&ggr;) treatment increased the expression of HLA class I and transporters associated with antigen processing 1 (TAP1) in all three cell lines. De novo HLA class II molecule expression was observed after IFN&ggr; treatment in MJT3 and MJT5. Western blot and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction results revealed heterogeneity of melanoma-associated antigen (MAA) expression in the cell lines: MJT3 cells expressed higher levels of MAAs than the other two cell lines. In conclusion, this study has demonstrated that three metastatic lesions from a single patient can have differential expression of molecules involved in antigen processing (TAP1) and presentation (HLA I and II), but that expression of these molecules is modulated by IFN&ggr; to a similar degree in all cell lines. In contrast, the downregulation of expression of specific MAAs between the three cell lines was unaffected by the addition of IFN&ggr;.
Constituencies, Conflict, and Cost-Benefit Analysis as Factors in Acquisition Strategy

The 1981--1982 acquisitions by mammoth corporations, mostly to diversify, raise questions as to whether such moves benefit the surviving stockholders or the economy. Do such transactions at premium prices reflect only management's eagerness to seize available opportunities? Shouldn't the affected constituencies of these corporations, that is, the stockholders, employees, retirement fund beneficiaries, consumers, and taxpayers, be recognized in a benefit/cost analysis framework to ensure that acquisition transactions are sound? The recent rash of acquisitions of banks and savings and loan associations by both financial and nonfinancial interests, and the acquisition of major insurance operations by firms remote from that industry raise further questions.
Bursaries and institutional aid in higher education in England: do they safeguard and promote fair access?

The 2004 Higher Education Act introduced variable tuition fees of up to £3,000 for full‐time undergraduates in England. Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) charging the maximum tuition must give low‐income students bursaries of £300. On top of this mandatory minimum, HEIs now provide additional discretionary financial support exceeding this level to these and other students. The degree to which these new bursaries and discretionary financial support have become a policy instrument for improving access and widening participation has not, as yet, been documented. Little is known about why the government introduced bursaries and what the government saw as their role. Even less is known about the type of bursaries HEIs have introduced or how they are being used, because up till now they have not been examined systematically. This article presents the first such analysis. It concludes that, from the evidence currently available, a mismatch exists between government aspirations and HEIs’ actual use of bursaries and scholarships. Moreover, the bursaries and scholarships put in place may perpetuate existing divisions within and across higher education.
The Costs and Benefits Analysis of CFA Membership: The Choice of an Exchange Rate Regime for the CFA Countries Zone

The paper determines an analytical framework defining the choice of an optimal exchange rate regime for a typical CFA country. The policymakers behave strategically to decide to adopt alternative exchange rate regime by minimizing their loss function under specific constraints like economic characteristics and political consideration. One concludes a CFA economy with less inflationary propensity and greater external shocks volatility will tend to select a flexible exchange rate regime.
Optimal Hedging with a Subjective View: An Empirical Bayesian Approach

The standard optimal hedging model has been the preferred theoretical model of normative hedging behavior. In empirical applications, the model is often implemented with the parameter certainty equivalent (PCE) procedure. However, the PCE procedure completely ignores parameter estimation risk and subjective views. We develop an “empirical” Bayesian optimal hedging model that not only effectively accommodates parameter estimation risk, but also provides hedgers with a theoretically intuitive yet quantitatively rigorous framework to blend their subjective views and a “marketwide” or “firmwide” consensus in determining optimal hedging positions (ratios). Copyright 2005, Oxford University Press.
[Odors and health: a descriptive epidemiological study around a wastewater treatment plant].

BACKGROUND Following community concern regarding potential health effects associated with odors of a wastewater treatment plant, a descriptive epidemiological study was conducted to assess the complaints and the health status of the community and to identify potentially more susceptible groups. METHODS Questionnaires were administered by telephone to nearly 3.000 subjects, randomly selected in the 8 nearby towns, using a geographical Information System. Residents of three areas were compared, according to the distance from the site: 0-1.5 km (high exposed group), 1.5-3 km (moderate exposed group) and 3-4.5 km (low exposed group). Questions measured demographic characteristics, concerns, perceived environmental risk and health effects (symptoms in the past 1 month and in the past 1 year). Multivariate logistic models study the relationships of complaints and health effects, with area and susceptibility factors. RESULTS Two thousand eight hundred and sixty seven eligible adults participated in an interview. Taking in account confounding factors, population of high and moderate exposed groups reported more odor complaints than the low exposed group, with adjusted odds ratio (OR) of 4.73 (CI95%: 3.63-6.14) and 2.06 (CI95%: 1.59-2.66) respectively. But these 2 groups did not report more frequent health effects compared to the low exposed group. Several health effects were significantly more frequent in persons with self-reported chemical intolerance and in persons considering malodor in terms of health threat. In this last sub-group of population, rhinitis were significantly more frequent in the high exposed group compared to low exposed group, whereas respiratory infections and asthma attacks showed the same non significant patterns. CONCLUSION If 24,2% of the total sample complaints from odors of the site, this study did not show a higher frequency of health effects in people living near the site (high exposed group). But 2 susceptible groups (with a higher frequency of symptoms potentially related to odors) were identified: persons with self-reported chemical intolerance, among those, many allergic and asthmatic subjects, and persons considering malodor in terms of health threat.
Robust Model for the Design of Controller in Saucer UAV

The saucer UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) features both helicopter and traditional fixed-wing airplane, is capable of hovering, takeoff and landing vertically. The configuration of the UAV in this paper which is comprised of a propeller and there pairs of control vanes enclosed in the duct is new-style aircraft. In order to research the attitude control of the saucer UAV, this paper mainly focuses on the dynamic analysis and control model design of the vehicle. The dynamics of all the components of the UAV configuration is analyzed respectively first and then the complete nonlinear model is constructed from the forces and moments analysis of the vehicle. The model is simplified in the flight node of hovering. After that a robust model is designed to handle the parameter uncertainty and disturbance while in the hovering condition, and the simulation results are presented at last. Simulated results show the controller designed can guarantee the saucer UAV has good stable feature for operation and certain robustness.
Labor Productivity and Managerial Efficiency against a Static Technology: The Pennsylvania Iron Industry, 1750–1800

An increase in labor productivity and a reduction of fuel consumption rates were two notable and closely related achievements of the management of Hopewell Forge, an ironworks in eighteenth-century Pennsylvania. Significantly, these economies were realized in the face of technological stasis through learning by doing. The analysis of this accomplishment is cast in the larger context of the performance of the iron industry before and after 1800.
Active Labour Market Programmes and Poverty Dynamics in Ireland

Active Labour Market Policies (ALMPs), which provide training and subsidised employment to the unemployed, are an important part of Ireland’s welfare state. While a good deal of existing research is concerned with the effect of these policies on employment chances and on wage rates, none addresses the connection between poverty and ALMPs. Do these policies have an effect on poverty? That is, first, to what extent do these policies serve the low-income population, as a consequence of and in addition to their focus on those in precarious labour market situations? Second, to what extent do these policies function to lift people out of poverty in the medium term? To address these issues we use longitudinal data from the Living in Ireland Survey (1994–2001) and examine how the respondents’ situation in one year predicts participation in employment and training schemes in the next year, and then how participation in these schemes affects poverty status in the following year. Participants on both sorts of schemes are much poorer than the population average, and those on employment schemes (but not training schemes) are even poorer than one would expect given their observed characteristics. Employment schemes and training schemes serve different purposes and different populations. A conventional logistic regression analysis seems to suggest that employment schemes (but not training schemes) positively increase the risk of poverty in the following year. This finding is not considered reliable, but rather it reflects the selection processes whereby those on employment schemes are in particularly vulnerable situations, in respects that are not picked up in the data set. A more rigorous analysis, using propensity score matching, reveals that employment schemes are neutral on poverty risk. Training schemes have a weak but insignificant protective effect. Considering the risk of poverty approximately one year after participation begins, employment schemes (and to a lesser extent, training schemes) do not provide a mechanism for immediately exiting poverty. We add the caveat that it may be desirable to consider outcomes two or more years into the future, were data available, and that other outcome measures of quality of life should also be taken into account. Ultimately, with regard to both labour market and poverty outcomes, we find no evidence that participants of training schemes or employment schemes have either raised their employment chances or reduced their risk of poverty in the year following their participation.
Developmental Changes in Constriction of the Ductus Arteriosus: Responses to Oxygen and Vasoactive Agents in the Isolated Ductus Arteriosus of the Fetal Lamb

Extract: Development of the constrictor response of the ductus arteriosus to O2 and selected vasoactive drugs (acetylcholine and bradykinin) was studied in 20 fetal lambs weighing 680–4800 g (90− to 150-day gestation). The isolated ductus arteriosus was perfused in vitro with Tyrode's solution at constant flow, temperature (38°), pH (7.3–7.4), and Pco2 (30–40 mm Hg), and the mean pressure difference across the ductus was measured. Ductal resistance was calculated at different levels of PO2 (10–700 mm Hg), raised stepwise to produce dose-response curves. Three young fetuses failed to respond initially to O2 and in the other 17 the initial response occurred at progressively lower PO2 levels with advancing gestation. The maximal degree of constriction developed showed a progressive increase with advancing gestational age.At any given PO2, both acetylcholine and bradykinin produced a further increase in resistance when added to the perfusion solution, but this further increase was independent of age. The level of PO2 at which an initial response occurred was decreased after exposure to acetylcholine but not bradykinin.Speculation: The ductus arteriosus of the fetal lamb constricts when exposed to oxygen. The initial level of PO2 at which this constriction occurs decreases, and the maximal degree of constriction increases, with advancing gestational age. The poor response to oxygen of the ductus arteriosus in the immature fetus may be the mechanism responsible for the high incidence of patent ductus arteriosus in premature infants. Constriction following-oxygen may be augmented by the exposure to acetylcholine or bradykinin.
Functional characterisation and serial imaging of abnormal fundus autofluorescence in patients with retinitis pigmentosa and normal visual acuity

Aim: To characterise and monitor abnormal fundus autofluorescence (AF) in patients with retinitis pigmentosa (RP) who have good visual acuity. Methods: 21 patients with a clinical diagnosis of RP were examined. All had rod-cone dystrophy (ISCEV standard electroretinograms (ERGs)), visual acuity of 6/9 or better, and manifested a parafoveal ring of high density fundus AF. Repeat AF imaging was performed after periods of between 2 years and 5 years in 12 patients. Pattern ERG (PERG) and multifocal ERG (mfERG) were performed in 20 cases. Visual fields (VF), photopic and scotopic fine matrix mapping and small field PERGs were performed in representative cases. Results: The rings of high density AF varied in size between patients (from 4°–16° diameter). MfERGs showed relative preservation over the central macular area, correlating with the size of AF ring and with PERG and psychophysical data. Progressive constriction of the AF ring was demonstrated at follow up in three patients. Serial PERG, mfERG, and VFs, performed in one of these cases, showed evidence of deterioration concordant with ring constriction. Conclusions: High density rings of AF, seen in some patients with RP with good visual acuity, demarcate areas of preserved central photopic function. MfERGs correlate with the area encircled by high density AF and the PERG data. The size of the ring of AF can show progressive constriction accompanied by increasing macular dysfunction.
Canadian Interest Rates and Yield Spread Dynamics

We apply two commonly used cointegration techniques to study the relation between corporate yields and government yields and derive implications for the relation between yield spreads and government yields. Due to the stationary nature of the yield spread data, based on results of the conventional unit root tests, we cannot use cointegration theory to test this directly. The results of the unrestricted impulse response analysis provide evidence, which contradicts the results of cointegration analysis applied to corporate and government yields. Our expectation of a positive long-run relation between yield spreads and government yields is only slightly realized for AA yield spreads. The effect of a shock to the 10-year government yield appears to have a consistently negative impact on A and BBB yield spreads, both over the short-run and the long-run. The negative yield spread - government rate relation is induced due to the over-representation of callable bonds in the sample of bond indices. Moreover, yield spreads appear to exhibit characteristics similar to long-memory processes, for which the order of integration lies between zero and one. The hypothesis of fractional integration has to be tested using a completely different set of statistical tools and is not examined in this paper.
Financial Frictions and Risky Corporate Debt

We offer clarifications on Cooley and Quadrini (2001) regarding financial frictions and risky corporate debt pricing. Even in a frictionless world, the promised rate on corporate debt is not identical across firms and across capital structures and it is not equal to the risk-free rate. Frictions are unnecessary for credit spreads to arise. Only if the macroeconomy is in actuality risk free or risk neutral do interest rates on corporate debt reflect default probabilities. To the extent that the firm's entire financial structure is traded, a bias in credit spreads introduces an exploitable arbitrage opportunity. Re-establishing no-arbitrage, firm dynamics move in the opposite direction to Cooley and Quadrini's.
Unsupervised Hidden Markov Modeling of Spoken Queries for Spoken Term Detection without Speech Recognition

We propose an unsupervised technique to model the spoken query using hidden Markov model (HMM) for spoken term detection without speech recognition. By unsupervised segmentation, clustering and training, a set of HMMs, referred to as acoustic segment HMMs (ASHMMs), is generated from the spoken archive to model the signal variations and frame trajectories. An unsupervised technique is also designed for ASH-MMs parameter training. A model-based approach for spoken term detection is then developed by constructing a query HMM from the ASHMMs, and then scoring the spoken documents us-ing the query HMM. Experiments show that this model-based approach complements the feature-based dynamic time warping approach. A signiﬁcant improvement on detection performance is achieved by integrating the two methods.
Skin targeting of curcumin solid lipid nanoparticles-engrossed topical gel for the treatment of pigmentation and irritant contact dermatitis

Abstract Irritant contact dermatitis (ICD) and hyperpigmentation are the problems associated with skin. Topical curcumin (CUR) although effective in hyperpigmentation and ICD, is a challenging molecule due to low-solubility. Encapsulation of CUR into solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) makes it amenable to topical dosing as their small size promotes its penetration into the skin. CUR-SLNs were prepared using Precirol ATO5 and Tween-80 by probe ultrasonication method. Further, CUR-SLNs were incorporated into Carbopol gel and investigated for ex-vivo skin permeation, skin deposition and skin irritation studies. The potential of CUR-SLN gel was checked against hyperpigmentation through the inhibition of tyrosinase enzyme. It was further evaluated for possible effects on ICD using BALB/c mice. The optimized CUR-SLN showed the particle size of 51 nm and 93% EE. Ex vivo permeation of CUR-SLN gel exhibited controlled drug release up to 24 h, similarly in vitro drug deposition studies showed potential for skin targeting. In vitro tyrosinase inhibition assay indicates that the formulated gel has potential in skin depigmentation. The gel also confirmed proficient suppression of ear swelling and reduction in skin water content in the BALB/c mouse. Thus, the CUR-SLN gel would be a safe and effective alternative to conventional vehicles for treatment of ICD and pigmentation.