Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The ethnic density effect on the health of ethnic minority people in the United Kingdom: a study of hypothesised pathways

This thesis contributes to our understanding of the individual and community assets available to ethnic minority people living in areas characterised by high concentrations of co-ethnics. It has been hypothesized that positive attributes found in areas of greater concentration of ethnic minority people, or ethnic density, might provide ethnic minority residents with health promoting, or protective effects. This study explored the effect of ethnic density on the health of ethnic minority people in the UK. It proposed and tested three pathways by which ethnic density is hypothesised to operate: through a change in racism-related social norms; through buffering the detrimental effects of racism on health; and through an increase in civic-political activity. Multilevel methods were applied to three nationally representative cross sectional studies, the 1999 and 2004 Health Survey for England; the Fourth National Survey of Ethnic Minorities; and the 2005 and 2007 Citizenship Survey. Results showed a stronger ethnic density effect on psychological outcomes, as compared to that found for physical health outcomes. Effect sizes were larger when the ethnic density of specific groups was analysed, but more likely to be significant when the density of all minority groups combined was considered. Analyses conducted to test the social norms model reported a significant reduction in experienced racism among ethnic minority people living in areas of high ethnic density, as compared to their counterparts who live in areas of reduced ethnic density. Examinations of the buffering effects of ethnic density indicated a tendency for a weaker association between racism and health as ethnic density increased, although interactions were mostly non-significant. Finally, ethnic minority people were not found to report higher civic engagement as ethnic density increased, but they were found to be more satisfied with local services and to report greater community cohesion.
Private Property and Economic Efficiency: A Study of a Common‐Pool Resource*

The British Columbia halibut fishery provides a natural experiment of the effects of “privatizing the commons. ” Using firm‐level data from the fishery 2 years before private harvesting rights were introduced, the year they were implemented, and 3 years afterward, a stochastic frontier is estimated to test for changes in technical, allocative, and economic efficiency. The study indicates that (1) the short‐run efficiency gains from privatization may take several years to materialize and can be compromised by restrictions on transferability, duration, and divisibility of the property right; (2) substantial long‐run gains in efficiency can be jeopardized by preexisting regulations and the bundling of the property right to the capital stock; and (3) the gains from privatization are not just in terms of cost efficiency but include important benefits in revenue and product form.
Combining Actual and Contingent Behavior to Estimate the Value of Sports Fishing in the Lagoon of Venice

This paper reports the results of a Travel Cost Method (TCM) study about the recreational use of the Lagoon of Venice for sports fishing. In April-July 2002, we conducted a mail survey of anglers with valid licenses fishing on the Lagoon of Venice to gather data on their fishing trips, behaviors and expenditures over the previous year. We also asked questions about trips that would be undertaken under hypothetical changes in the price of a trip and/or in the catch rate. Actual and hypothetical trips are combined to estimate single-site TCM demand function for trips. We propose several models to test whether it is acceptable to pool hypothetical and actual trip data, focusing on the respondent heterogeneity in the contingent behavior questions. Our models suggest actual and contingent behavior are driven by the same demand function, and can be pooled for estimation purposes. We use this estimated demand function, and its shift when the catch rate is improved, to compute angler surplus at the current catch rate and the change in surplus accruing from a 50% improvement in the catch rate. For the average angler in our sample, the former is about €1,700 a year, while the latter is about €2,800.
Effect of Rimonabant on the High-Triglyceride/Low–HDL-Cholesterol Dyslipidemia, Intraabdominal Adiposity, and Liver Fat: The ADAGIO-Lipids Trial

Background—Rimonabant, the first selective cannabinoid type 1 (CB1) receptor antagonist, improves cardiometabolic risk factors in overweight/obese patients. ADAGIO-Lipids assessed the effect of rimonabant on cardiometabolic risk factors and intraabdominal and liver fat. Methods and Results—803 abdominally obese patients with atherogenic dyslipidemia (increased triglycerides [TG] or reduced high-density lipoprotein–cholesterol [HDL-C]) were randomized to placebo or rimonabant 20 mg/d for 1 year. HDL-C and TG were coprimary end points. Intraabdominal (visceral) and liver fat were measured by computed tomography in a subgroup of 231 patients. In total, 73% of rimonabant- and 70% of placebo-treated patients completed the study treatment. Rimonabant 20 mg produced significantly greater changes from baseline versus placebo in HDL-C (+7.4%) and TG levels (−18%; P<0.0001), as well as low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and HDL particle sizes, apolipoprotein A1 and B, HDL2, HDL3, C-reactive protein, and adiponectin levels (all P<0.05). Rimonabant decreased abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue (AT) cross-sectional area by 5.1% compared to placebo (P<0.005), with a greater reduction in visceral AT (−10.1% compared to placebo; P<0.0005), thereby reducing the ratio of visceral/subcutaneous AT (P<0.05). Rimonabant significantly reduced liver fat content (liver/spleen attenuation ratio; P<0.005). Systolic (−3.3 mm Hg) and diastolic (−2.4 mm Hg) blood pressure were significantly reduced with rimonabant versus placebo (P<0.0001). The safety profile of rimonabant was consistent with previous studies; gastrointestinal, nervous system, psychiatric, and general adverse events were more common with rimonabant 20 mg. Conclusions—In abdominally obese patients with atherogenic dyslipidemia, rimonabant 20 mg significantly improved multiple cardiometabolic risk markers and induced significant reductions in both intraabdominal and liver fat.
Opening China's Capital Account: Modeling the Capital Flow Response

Capital account convertibility in China is on the rise. In this paper we consider the impact that removing remaining capital controls might have on the volume of China's international capital flows. Better understanding of this capital flow response can shed light on China's current degree of international financial integration, which has important implications for policy decisions such as whether China should move toward a more flexible exchange rate regime. It is also relevant to discussing the financial stability consequences of removing remaining capital controls. The main finding is that China's capital account is already quite open, thus implying a tradeoff presently exists between exchange rate stability on the one hand and monetary independence on the other. In terms of financial stability, the results generally serve to allay fears that further opening the capital account would compromise China's international payments ability or disrupt global capital flows.
Induction of c-Jun and Suppression of CREB Transcription Factor Proteins in Axotomized Neurons of Substantia Nigra and Covariation with Tyrosine Hydroxylase

In adult rats, the expression of transcription factor proteins c-Jun and CREB and their colocalization with tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) were investigated in neurons of the substantia nigra compacta (SNC) axotomized by stereotaxic unilateral transection of the medial forebrain bundle (MFB). Axotomized SNC neurons were identified by injection of the retrograde tracer horseradish-peroxidase-coupled-gold (HRP-gold) into the ipsilateral striatum 5 days prior to MFB transection. Nuclear c-Jun immunoreactivity (IR) appeared 36 h after MFB transection in SNC neurons, was maximal after 5 days, and declined after 10 days. c-Jun-IR was visible in HRP-gold-labeled SNC neurons, demonstrating that c-Jun is in fact expressed in axotomized neurons. The constitutively expressed CREB (calcium/cAMP response element-binding protein, syn. CREB-1) was present in apparently all neuronal and glial cells in the brains of untreated rats including those SNC neurons that coexpressed TH. Three days following MFB transection, the nuclear CREB-IR disappeared in the axotomized SNC neurons labeled by TH-IR and was almost completely absent after 20 days in this neuronal population. The TH-IR rapidly declined 5 days after MFB transection, and 10 and 100 days post-axotomy the number of TH-labeled neurons was reduced by 52 and 80%, respectively. During this period, the majority of surviving TH positive neurons coexpressed c-Jun but were immunonegative for CREB. Between 3 and 60 days following MFB transection, the number of CREB-labeled glial cell nuclei increased in the ipsilateral substantia nigra by about 80%. Concomitantly, expression of GFAP, a marker protein for astrocytes, was also enhanced whereas nuclear c-Jun-, JunD-, and c-Fos-IR did not change in glial cells. These findings demonstrate that c-Jun can be expressed in axotomized neurons during the absence of CREB and suggest a role of c-Jun in the transcriptional control of the TH gene.
International retail franchising: a conceptual framework

Franchising has become a major driving force in the globalisation of service businesses. Likewise, international retailing has become an important feature of global distribution systems. This has been brought about through changing socio‐economic patterns, favourable political and cultural environments, and a shift from manufacturing to service based economies. Both developments have contributed to the globalisation of marketing activity. However, there remain fundamental conceptual inconsistencies in the literatures that explain the development of international retailing and the internationalisation of franchise operations. This paper considers the use of franchising in the internationalisation of retail operations and places the experience of retail operations that use the market entry strategy within the context of other franchising activity. The paper evaluates the literature on the internationalisation of retailing alongside the literature on franchising. It identifies the different perspectives that have emerged within the two literatures and conceptually reconciles the contradictions that exist.
Phase I dose escalation, pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic study of naptumomab estafenatox alone in patients with advanced cancer and with docetaxel in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer.

PURPOSE Two phase I studies were conducted of ABR-217620 alone or in combination with docetaxel. This is a recombinant fusion protein consisting of a mutated variant of the superantigen staphylococcal enterotoxin E (SEA/E-120) linked to fragment antigen binding moiety of a monoclonal antibody recognizing the tumor-associated antigen 5T4. PATIENTS AND METHODS Patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), pancreatic cancer (PC), and renal cell cancer (RCC) received 5 daily boluses of ABR-217620 (3-month cycles) in escalating doses to determine the maximum-tolerated dose (MTD; ABR-217620 dose escalation monotherapy [MONO] study). Doses were selected based on individual patient anti-SEA/E-120 titers pretreatment. Patients with NSCLC received 4 daily, escalating doses of ABR-217620 followed by docetaxel in 21-day cycles (ABR-217620 dose escalation combination with docetaxel [COMBO] study). RESULTS Thirty-nine patients were enrolled in the MONO study and 13 were enrolled in the COMBO study. The monotherapy MTD was 26 microg/kg (NSCLC and PC) and 15 microg/kg (RCC). Dose-limiting toxicities (DLTs) in the MONO study were fever, hypotension, acute liver toxicity, and vascular leak syndrome. In the COMBO study, the MTD was 22 microg/kg (neutropenic sepsis). Adverse events included grade 1 to 2 fever, hypotension, nausea, and chills. Treatment caused a systemic increase of inflammatory cytokines and selective expansion of SEA/E-120 reactive T-cells. Tumor biopsies demonstrated T-cell infiltration after therapy. Fourteen patients (36%) had stable disease (SD) on day 56 of the MONO study. Two patients (15%) in the COMBO study had partial responses, one in a patient with progressive disease on prior docetaxel, and five patients (38%) had SD on day 56. CONCLUSION ABR-217620 was well tolerated with evidence of immunological activity and antitumor activity.
AUTOMATED ANALYSIS OF DEOXYRIBONUCLEIC ACID, PROTEIN AND NUCLEAR TO CYTOPLASMIC RELATIONSHIPS IN TUMOR CELLS AND GYNECOLOGIC SPECIMENS

Quantitative two-color fluorescence staining techniques, coupled with flow system multiparameter cell analysis and sorting instrumentation, have been used for rapid, simultaneous determination of deoxyribonucleic acid, protein, nuclear (N) and cytoplasmic (C) diameters and N:C ratios in mammalian tumor cells and human gynecologic specimens. Cells stained in suspension for deoxyribonucleic acid and total protein content, respectively, with propidium iodide (red fluorescence) and fluorescein isothiocyanate (green fluorescence), enter a flow chamber and intersect an argon laser beam which excites cellular fluorescence. Optical sensors measure both red and green fluorescence plus the time duration of each fluorescence signal which is proportional to nuclear and cytoplasmic diameters, respectively. The resulting signals are processed and displayed as frequency distribution histograms using a multichannel pulse height analyzer. Cells are also sorted based on N:C ratios. Illustrative examples of preliminary two-color fluorescence analysis and sorting of mouse squamous tumor cells and human exfoliative vaginal cells are presented.
Histological patterns of synovitis and serum chemokines in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVE Studies indicate the genetic, biological, and clinical heterogeneity of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Recently the histological diversity of RA has been postulated. We investigated whether serum concentrations of interleukin 8 (IL-8), RANTES (regulated upon activation normal T cell expressed and secreted), and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) are correlated with histological appearance of the rheumatoid synovitis. METHODS Using ELISA we assessed IL-8, RANTES, and MCP-1 concentrations in serum of 47 patients with RA and 30 patients with osteoarthritis (OA). RESULTS Morphological analysis of synovial specimens distinguished 2 types of rheumatoid synovitis. Twenty-eight RA samples presented diffuse infiltrates of mononuclear cells with no specific microanatomical organization and were categorized as diffuse synovitis. In the remaining 19 specimens, classified as follicular synovitis, formation of lymphocytic follicles with germinal center-like structures was observed. Serum levels of studied chemokines were increased in patients with RA compared to the OA control group (p < 0.001 for all comparisons). Concentrations of IL-8, RANTES, and MCP-1 were highest in serum of RA patients with follicular synovitis in comparison with patients with diffuse synovitis (p < 0.01, p < 0.01, and p < 0.05, respectively) and could distinguish RA patients with these 2 histological disease patterns. Serum levels of chemokines correlated with markers of disease activity such as erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein concentrations, and Disease Activity Score. CONCLUSION Distinct histological variants of rheumatoid synovitis associated with different serum levels of IL-8, RANTES, and MCP-1 reflect clinical activity of the disease and confirm the concept of RA heterogeneity.
The AtGRXS3/4/5/7/8 glutaredoxin gene cluster on Arabidopsis thaliana chromosome 4 is coordinately regulated by nitrate and appears to control primary root growth

ABSTRACT Nitrate and ammonium are the 2 most common forms of inorganic nitrogen available to plants in the soil. We previously identified a group of class III glutaredoxin genes whose expression is strongly upregulated by nitrate, but not ammonium, in Arabidopsis thaliana shoots and roots. A reverse genetics approach was used to functionally characterize a subset of these nitrate-regulated glutaredoxins, and we found that the AtGRXS3,4,5, and 8 genes function as negative regulators of primary root growth. AtGRXS3/4/5/8 are arranged in a tandem array on Arabidopsis chromosome 4, and these genes show very high levels of sequence similarity. Interestingly, there is one additional glutaredoxin, AtGRXS7, in this same gene cluster, but this gene was not identified as nitrate-responsive in our previous studies. We show here that AtGRXS7 is upregulated by nitrate and shows strong co-expression with the other glutaredoxins in this gene cluster. Further, AtGRXS7 was effectively silenced by the RNAi construct used to target AtGRXS3/4/5/8 for previous functional analyses. Overall, it appears that the 5 genes in the AtGRX3/4/5/7/8 cluster share virtually identical sequences, regulatory patterns, and functions, collectively acting to regulate primary root growth in response to soil nitrate.
The Kuznets Curve: What Happens After the Inverted‐U?

Recent research has posited that, in advanced economies, there is a positive correlation between income inequality and development. Using a new unbalanced panel dataset for 71 countries from 1961 to 1992, we present evidence that supports this conjecture. Although many factors may be contributing to this renewed positive relationship between growth and inequality, one plausible explanation rests on the shift away from a manufacturing base towards a service base in most advanced economies. Copyright 1999 by Blackwell Publishing Ltd
Too Much Investment: A Problem of Asymmetric Information

This paper shows that under plausible assumptions, the inability of lenders to discover all of the relevant characteristics of borrowers results in investment in excess of the socially efficient level. Raising the rate of interest above the free market level will restore optimality. This conflicts with generally held views and is contrasted with the Stiglitz-Weiss model. It is shown that the assumptions which yield overinvestment support debt as the equilibrium method of finance. However, under the Stiglitz-Weiss assumptions, used to derive an underinvestment result, equity is shown to be the equilibrium method of finance.
Third‐Degree Price Discrimination with Fairness‐Concerned Consumers

This paper studies monopolistic third-degree price discrimination, incorporating consumers' fairness concerns: discriminatory pricing antagonizes consumers and may reduce their demand. In contrast to the findings in previous studies, we show that consumers' concerns regarding price inequalities may deter discriminatory pricing by monopolists. Furthermore, a strong aversion to unfair pricing may improve social welfare compared with the situation in which consumers do not perceive price discrimination as unfair. Conversely, if the disutility from price inequality is not sufficiently large, social welfare decreases.
Interactions between Electromagnetic Fields and Biological Tissues : Questions , Some Answers and Future Trends

 This paper deals with the electromagnetic field computation in biological tissues. It is actually one of the important challenges for the computational electromagnetics community for the next years. The major difficulties that appear are related to the material properties, to the formulation of the electromagnetic problem and to the thermal model of the human body.
Improved decoder schemes for QOSTBCs based on single-symbol decoding

It has been shown that a quasi-orthogonal space-time block code (QOSTBC) provides full transmission rate for four transmit antennas [3]–[5]. However, one of the QOSTBC's main disadvantages is high decoder complexity due to the channel interference terms in detection matrix. In this paper, we propose two improved decoder schemes to reduce complexity at the decoder. Our decoder schemes can fully eliminate channel interference parameters in detection matrix. As a result, only diagonal components remain, and we can detect the transmitted symbols easily with single-symbol maximum-likelihood (ML) detector. The proposed schemes can be used for all known QOSTBCs in four transmit antennas systems and can be extended for systems with number of transmit antennas greater than four.
Yersinia enterocolitica Invasin Protein Triggers Differential Production of Interleukin-1, Interleukin-8, Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein 1, Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor, and Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha in Epithelial Cells: Implications for Understanding the Early Cytokine Netwo

ABSTRACT Yersinia enterocolitica infection of epithelial cells results in interleukin-8 (IL-8) mRNA expression. Herein we demonstrate that besides IL-8, increased mRNA levels of five other cytokines, IL-1α, IL-1β, monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1), granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), can be detected upon infection of HeLa cells with Yersinia. Yersinia-triggered cytokine production was not affected by blocking phosphatidylinositol-3-phosphate kinase with wortmannin, which inhibited bacterial invasion. Comparable cytokine mRNA responses were triggered by Escherichia coli expressing Yersinia inv, while no response was triggered by aninv-deficient Yersinia mutant. Moreover, cytokine responses were independent from metabolic activity of the bacteria, as killed bacterial cells were sufficient for triggering cytokine responses in HeLa cells. Semiquantitative reverse transcription-PCR analysis was used to assess the kinetics of cytokine mRNA expression in infected HeLa cells. IL-8, IL-1α, IL-1β, MCP-1, GM-CSF, and TNF-α mRNA expression increased within 1 h postinfection, reached a maximum after 3 to 4 h, and then declined to preinfection levels within 3 h. IL-8, MCP-1, and GM-CSF were secreted by HeLa cells, whereas IL-1α and IL-1β were not secreted and thus were found exclusively intracellularly. TNF-α protein could not be detected in cell lysates or supernatants. Stimulation of HeLa cells with IL-1α was followed by increased IL-8 mRNA expression, whereas stimulation with IL-8 did not induce cytokine production. Likewise, MCP-1 and GM-CSF did not induce significant cytokine responses in HeLa cells. Our results implicate that the initial host response to Yersinia infection might be sustained by IL-8, MCP-1, and GM-CSF produced by epithelial cells.
New modes of governance, the Open Method of Co-ordination and other fashionable red herring

Abstract Many academic analysts have greeted EU efforts to promote ‘new modes of governance’ including the Open Method of Co-ordination (OMC) with enthusiasm. Most of the literature on EU governance suggests that the introduction of new modes of governance is desirable and that the OMC and other new modes of governance are likely to play a greater role in EU governance in the future. We challenge this view of the OMC and other ‘new’ modes of governance. The current significance and likely future impact of such modes of governance has been greatly exaggerated. The OMC and new modes of governance more generally are red herring that distract attention from the more important and pervasive increase in the formality and judicialisation of EU policy making. While we agree that the idealised model of the OMC might be desirable in many respects, we question the conceptual underpinnings of this hopeful vision and find that the actual practice of the OMC to date has little to recommend it. Finally, we reject claims that the OMC and other new modes of governance promise to enhance the legitimacy of EU policy making. Instead, they threaten to do precisely the opposite.