Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Quantitative Trait Locus Mapping of Human Blood Pressure to a Genetic Region at or near the Lipoprotein Lipase Gene Locus on Chromosome 8 p 22

Resistance to insulin-mediated glucose disposal is a common finding in patients with non–insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM), as well as in nondiabetic individuals with hypertension. In an effort to identify the generic loci responsible for variations in blood pressure in individuals at increased risk of insulin resistance, we studied the distribution of blood pressure in 48 Taiwanese families with NIDDM and conducted quantitative sib-pair linkage analysis with candidate loci for insulin resistance, lipid metabolism, and blood pressure control. We found no evidence for linkage of the angiotensin converting enzyme locus on chromosome 17, nor the angiotensinogen and renin loci on chromosome 1, with either systolic or diastolic blood pressures. In contrast, we obtained significant evidence for linkage of systolic blood pressure, but not diastolic blood pressure, to a genetic region at or near the lipoprotein lipase (LPL) locus on the short arm of chromosome 8 ( P 5 0.002, n 5 125 sib-pairs, for the haplotype generated from two simple sequence repeat markers within the LPL gene). Further strengthening this linkage observation, two flanking marker loci for LPL locus, D8S261 (9 cM telomeric to LPL locus) and D8S282 (3 cM centromeric to LPL locus), also showed evidence for linkage with systolic blood pressure ( P 5 0.02 and 0.0002 for D8S261 and D8S282, respectively). Two additional centromeric markers (D8S133, 5 cM from LPL locus, and NEFL, 11 cM from LPL locus) yielded significant P values of 0.01 and 0.001, respectively. Allelic variation around the LPL gene locus accounted for as much as 52–73% of the total interindividual variation in systolic blood pressure levels in this data set. Thus, we have identified a genetic locus at or near the LPL gene locus which contributes to the variation of systolic blood pressure levels in nondiabetic family members at high risk for insulin resistance and NIDDM. ( J. Clin. Invest. 1996. 97:2111–2118.)
The New Field of Sustainable Entrepreneurship: Studying Entrepreneurial Action Linking “What is to be Sustained” with “What is to be Developed”

Informed by the sustainable development and entrepreneurship literatures we offer the following definition: Sustainable entrepreneurship is focused on the preservation of nature, life support, and community in the pursuit of perceived opportunities to bring into existence future products, processes, and services for gain, where gain is broadly construed to include economic and non–economic gains to individuals, the economy, and society. To illustrate the diversity of potential research avenues that will advance this field, we offer a research agenda derived from an economics, an institutional, and a psychology perspective. We suggest research questions exploring “what is to be sustained” and “what is to be developed” in sustainable entrepreneurship research.
Stress Testing of Banking Systems (in English)

In response to the increased financial instability of many countries in the 1990s, policy makers sought a better understanding of the vulnerabilities of financial systems and of measures that could help prevent financial crises. A key technique for quantifying financial-sector vulnerabilities is stress testing. This paper surveys the literature in the developing field of stress-testing financial systems and in particular banking systems. Stress tests are useful because they provide a quantitative measure of the vulnerability of a financial system to risk factors. This can be useful in combination with other analyses to draw conclusions about the overall stability of a financial system. The value added of macroprudential stress tests derives from their forward-looking macroeconomic perspective, their focus on the financial system as a whole, and their uniform approach to the assessment of risk exposures across institutions. The value added of stress tests can be particularly high if tests are performed regularly and their results analyzed over time.
Oligonucleotide Microarray for 16S rRNA Gene-Based Detection of All Recognized Lineages of Sulfate-Reducing Prokaryotes in the Environment

ABSTRACT For cultivation-independent detection of sulfate-reducing prokaryotes (SRPs) an oligonucleotide microarray consisting of 132 16S rRNA gene-targeted oligonucleotide probes (18-mers) having hierarchical and parallel (identical) specificity for the detection of all known lineages of sulfate-reducing prokaryotes (SRP-PhyloChip) was designed and subsequently evaluated with 41 suitable pure cultures of SRPs. The applicability of SRP-PhyloChip for diversity screening of SRPs in environmental and clinical samples was tested by using samples from periodontal tooth pockets and from the chemocline of a hypersaline cyanobacterial mat from Solar Lake (Sinai, Egypt). Consistent with previous studies, SRP-PhyloChip indicated the occurrence of Desulfomicrobium spp. in the tooth pockets and the presence of Desulfonema- and Desulfomonile-like SRPs (together with other SRPs) in the chemocline of the mat. The SRP-PhyloChip results were confirmed by several DNA microarray-independent techniques, including specific PCR amplification, cloning, and sequencing of SRP 16S rRNA genes and the genes encoding the dissimilatory (bi)sulfite reductase (dsrAB).
Expert Computer Systems In Tourism: Emerging Possibilities

Expert systems are designed to cope with problems or decisions which conventional computer tools are unable to handle because the solution relies on the knowledge and inferential reasoning capabilities of human experts. Since expertise plays an important part in the activities of many sectors of the tourist industry, and because expert systemts are beginning to have an important impact on business generally, a preview of the potential impact of expert systems on tourism is opportune.
Financial Market Turmoil: Implications for Monetary Policy Transmission in China

The recent financial market turmoil has initiated another search for insightful understanding of the interactions between the financial market and monetary policy. This paper explores these interactions in terms of the transmission mechanism of monetary policy in China. We argue that evolving financial development, enhanced by the expansion of the financial market, has altered the conventional channel for monetary transmission in China. Analyzing marked changes in the financial landscape and taking into account policy regime shifts in China, the paper provides clear evidence showing that the financial market has become a new and important channel for transmission of monetary policy in China.
PERBANDINGAN ANALISIS PREDIKSI KEBANGKRUTAN MENGGUNAKAN MODEL ALTMAN DENGAN UKURAN PERUSAHAAN SEBAGAI VARIABEL PENJELAS PADA PERUSAHAAN INDUSTRI KEUANGAN BANK YANG TERDAFTAR DI BURSA EFEK INDONESIA PERIODE 2010-2012

The purpose of this research is to compare the bankruptcy prediction models introduced by Z-scores Altman; the First Altman model, the Revised Altman model, and the Modified Altman model to predict bankruptcy for banking companies listed in the Indonesian Stock Exchange. The research was conducted for eleven banking companies that matched criteria in the selection of the sample over the years 2010-2012 based on published data for the same period. In the descriptive method, researchers describe the model and analyze financial distress in banking companies using the size of the company where the company will be divided into small group and large group in terms of total assets. The result from this research is the First Altman model, The Revised Altman model, and banking company with assets of a small group provides the highest percentage in predicting the bankruptcy, whereas the predictive models provide healthy is The Modified Altman. Keyword : financial distress, bankruptcy index, z-score Altman model. size of the company.
Strength is a major factor in balance, gait, and the occurrence of falls.

We studied the effects of lower extremity strength as well as gait and balance on the occurrence of falls in nursing home residents. Nursing home residents with a history of falls had less than half of the knee and ankle strength of nonfalling subjects residing in the same home. The differences were more prominent at the ankle than the knee, and were most pronounced in the ankle dorsiflexors, where they were one-tenth that of controls. Also of note was the fact that this same group of fallers had slowed gait velocity (58% of control) as well as an impaired response to postural perturbation as determined on the Postural Stress Test (55% of control). In a recently completed study we measured strength as balance (EquiTest balance platform) of community-dwelling subjects. The occurrence of loss of balance during the sensory organization test was correlated with diminished lower extremity (Pearson R = -.36, p = .001) as well as ankle dorsi and plantar flexion moments (Pearson R = -.37, p = .001). Using a logistic regression model, we demonstrated an independent effect of strength on the odds ratio of an SOT-LOB; for each newtonmeter per kg increase in strength there was a 20% decrease (95% CI, .74-87) in the odds ratio. The data from both nursing home and community-dwelling subjects indicate a strong relationship of lower extremity strength to balance and gait. The nursing home studies demonstrated an association between these functions and the occurrence of falls. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Estimating Threshold Effects of U.S. Generic Fluid Milk Advertising

Adopting a spline threshold estimation procedure, this article investigates the threshold effects on demand of generic fluid milk advertising. A quarterly fluid milk demand equation with unknown thresholds is estimated. The results support the existence of a minimum threshold below which advertising has no impact on sales, and an upper threshold beyond which the law of diminishing returns dictates. Advertising is also found to have the effect of rendering fluid milk demand less elastic with respect to own price, and more elastic with respect to income. The simulations highlight the importance of accounting for threshold effects when evaluating promotion programs. Copyright 2010, Oxford University Press.
Modelos de valoración de opciones europeas en tiempo continuo

El clasico modelo de valoracion de opciones europeas de Black y Scholes (1973) supone que los retornos logaritmicos de un activo financiero se distribuyen normalmente, no obstante varios estudios empiricos muestran, primero, que esta distribucion puede ser asimetrica y tener colas pesadas" y, segundo, que la varianza del precio del activo no es finita. Este articulo presenta la implementacion numerica de tres modelos alternativos: elasticidad constante de la varianza (1976), jump-diffusion (1976) y volatilidad estocastica (1987). "
Latino Communities in the United States: Place-Making in the Pre-World War II, Postwar, and Contemporary City

Scholarship on Latino communities in the United States has yet to catch up with the rapid growth of this ethnic population in the country. Understanding the Latino urban experience and developing plans to better respond to both the needs of Latino communities and their integration within society is not only relevant, but also urgently necessary. Using the city of Los Angeles as a main lens, in addition to a general look at the urban Southwest, we contribute to the scholarship on the subject with a review of literature on Latino communities. We structure the review as an assessment of the various challenges and opportunities for urban Latinos in the pre-war, postwar, and contemporary city. Focusing on space, culture, economy, and governance, we chart the various roles both the private and public sectors play in meeting these challenges. Our reading of the literature shows that particular government actions in the economic and governance domains in the past had positive impacts on Latino integration, and we call for a similar effort today in addressing contemporary challenges. We conclude by suggesting that future planning scholarship on Latino communities engage the wider urban studies literature, focus on emerging forms of urbanization, and call on planners to sustain increased academic and practical interest in the topic.
Ambulatory monitoring predicts development of drug‐treated hypertension in subjects with high normal blood pressure

Background: High normal blood pressure (HNBP), i.e. blood pressure (BP) ≥ 130/85 mmHg and <140/90 mmHg, is an important predictor of progression to established hypertension. Design: The purpose of this retrospective study was the evaluation of the predictive value of ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) for the development of drug‐treated hypertension in subjects with HNBP and other risk factors. Methods: We studied 127 subjects (69 M, 58 F, age 50 ± 14 years): 59 subjects had normal BP (NBP: <130/85 mmHg), 68 subjects had systolic and/or diastolic HNBP. All the subjects underwent ABPM. There were 21/68 (30.9%) subjects in the HNBP group vs. 1/59 (1.7%) in the NBP group with an elevated (>135/85 mmHg) daytime ambulatory blood pressure (ABP) (p < 0.01). Results: After an average follow‐up of 103 ± 28 months, 27 subjects (39.7%) in the HNBP group and 4 subjects (6.8%) in the NBP group developed drug‐treated hypertension (p < 0.01). An elevated daytime ABP correctly predicted development of drug‐treated hypertension in 17/21 subjects (81%) of the HNBP group and in the only subject of the NBP group. Development of drug‐treated hypertension was associated with higher office and ambulatory BP (p < 0.01) and pulse pressures (p < 0.05), longer follow‐up (p < 0.05) and higher prevalence of hypercholesterolaemia and smoking (p < 0.01). Conclusions: We conclude that ABPM correctly predicts development of drug‐treated hypertension in most subjects who were identified early as having a daytime mean ABP >135/85 mmHg. ABPM appears to be a useful clinical tool in the early diagnosis of hypertension in subjects with metabolic risk factors and smoking.
Irreversible Decision Making in Contagious Animal Disease Control under Uncertainty: An Illustration Using FMD in Brittany

The concept of irreversible investment is applied to highly contagious animal disease control when uncertainty about the spread of the disease is resolved over time. In comparison with the strategy of destroying infected herds, the vaccination programme causes additional losses that cannot be recovered. These sunk costs are thus irreversible. Therefore, the gain from waiting for new information, namely the quasi-option value, should induce animal health authorities to delay the decision to vaccinate if the probability of a widespread epidemic is not too high. A numerical example is developed for foot and mouth disease (FMD) in Brittany. Copyright 1999 by Oxford University Press.
The European Company Statute: Employee Involvement - and Beyond

Employee representation in managerial decision-making in its broader sense has to distinguish between two basic forms. At the ’lower’ (or plant) level different forms exist across the European Union (ETUC 1998, EIRR 2001 a and b for details). Mostly we find works councils or workplace committees, in some cases also union delegates and/or shop stewards. At the ’upper’ (or company) level, Member States provisions on employees’ board-level involvement also differ to a considerable or even wider degree: There are so-called monistic as well as dualistic systems of corporate governance or, in another terminology, single-tier versus dual-tier systems of management structure and employee involvement on the board. In the latter variant, activities and performance of the management board are monitored and controlled by an additional organ, the supervisory board (Austria, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Netherlands, Portugal). This basic distinction is missing within the first form, the socalled board (or board of directors) system (Ireland, Luxembourg, Spain, Sweden, also Italy and the UK). Some countries (such as Finland and France) are characterised by a combination of both systems (Timmesfeld, 1994; Group of Experts, 1997; Schulten et al., 1998 for details). All in all, differences in existing national regulations at the ’upper’ level are even greater than at the ’lower’ level as far as scope, management and supervisory structure, coverage, degree and intensity of employee involvement are concerned—not to mention the enormous variety of national ’customs and practices’ that have developed over time and are definitely going to persist (Carley, 1998). At the supranational level, this great diversity of ’joint regulation’ is of particular interest. The Directive ’On the establishment of a European Works Council or a procedure in Community-scale undertakings and Community-scale groups of undertakings for the purposes of informing and consulting employees’ (94/95 EG) (hereafter
Influence of new ultra-short-acting β-blockers on selected physiological indicators in laboratory rats

High rates of cardiovascular mortality have long been a serious problem in all European countries. Despite advancements in health care the situation is not improving fast enough. In the last decades, no new ultra-short-acting β-blockers have been registered in the European Union except for esmolol and landionol. In this study, eight newly-synthesised ultra-short-acting β-blockers were tested. These β-blockers contain an ester functional group which can be easily cleaved by plasma or cytoplasmic esterases. The substances were prepared in the Department of Chemical Drugs, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Brno. Systolic blood pressure, heart rate and the interval of the QRS complex were evaluated using normotensive laboratory Wistar rats. The tested compounds were administered intravenously into the vena jugularis during general anaesthesia. The arteria carotis was exposed and cannulated to a Universal Perfusion System Basic Unit (UPSBU) of type Uniper UP-100. The universal perfusion system for isolated organs was capable of measuring and transducing actual values of blood pressure. ECG records were made using the ECG SEIVA – Praktik Veterinary. A series of substances named 2FC2a, 2FC2b, 2FC2c, 2FC2d, and another series with substances named 2FT2a, 2FT2b, 2FT2c, 2FT2d were tested at a dose of 3 mg/kg. Results were statistically compared to placebo. The best results were obtained for propyl and butyl derivatives with the highest lipophilicity. These acted as the best blood pressure reducers immediately after their administration. None of the compounds notably affected the heart rate. Statistical data show that carbamate substitution considerably prolongated the duration of the QRS complex as compared to placebo or etheric substitution. The carbamate substitution caused a pronounced arrhythmogenic effect. Thus, we could confirm the short-term hypotensive effect of the compounds. We observed an effect on the electrical conduction system of the heart while no effects were observed on heart rate. Our study contributes to better describing potential new ultra-short-acting β-blockers and facilitates selection for further testing.
Re-examining the models used to estimate disability-related wage discrimination

We examine how differences in model specifications and econometric methods affect unexplained wage differentials between workers with and without physical disabilities, where the unexplained differentials are estimates of the potential effects of disability-related wage discrimination. We apply an enhanced decomposition method (Neuman and Oaxaca, 2004) to selectivity-corrected wage equations to estimate potential discrimination effects. The decomposition separates observed wage differentials into a part explained by differences in characteristics that affect productivity and the decision to work and an unexplained part potentially attributed to discrimination. In addition to the functional limitation variables used to control for the effects of disability on productivity, we add measures of physical job demands, and interaction effects between functional limitations and job demands, to the wage models to examine how estimates of potential discrimination change. The interaction terms measure the extent to which workers’ physical limitations affect important job functions. Data come from the 2004 SIPP merged to measures of job demands from the Occupational Information Network (O*Net). With job demands and interactions included in the model, approximately 10% of the observed wage differential for men, and 20% for women, is potentially attributed to discrimination. Changes in decomposition technique substantially alter the estimates of discrimination effects.
Induction of instability of normal length trinucleotide repeats within human disease genes

Myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) is the most frequent cause of adult muscular dystrophy. It is a progressive multisystem disorder with an incidence of 1 in 8000 newborns. Its molecular basis is an expansion of a CTG repeat in the 3′ untranslated region (UTR) of the DMPK gene on chromosome 19.1 Fragile X syndrome is the most common inherited cause of mental retardation. It is caused by an expansion of a CGG repeat in the 5′ UTR of the FMR1 gene.2,3 The full mutation appears in approximately 1 in 4000 males and 1 in 9000 females. The number of trinucleotide repeats (TNRs) in most unaffected individuals is in the range of 5–35 repeats in DM1 and around 14–35 repeats in fragile X syndrome. However, pathogenic loci bear expanded alleles of up to several hundred or even thousand repeats in severe cases.1,2,4,5 As with many other tandemly repeated microsatellite sequences, pathogenic TNRs are highly unstable in both the somatic and germ cell lineage, leading to expansions and contractions in the length of the repeats in successive cell or individual generations.6–8 Expansions in the number of TNRs are known to be a molecular basis of genetic anticipation,9 the progressively earlier age of onset of a disease with increasing severity in successive generations. An important consequence of genetic anticipation is that the genetic transmission is interrupted and, therefore, new pathogenic alleles have to be generated from unexpanded alleles. Little is known, however, about the mechanism(s) that cause a stable, non-expanded allele to become unstable and pathogenic, probably because normal length alleles are thought to be stable compared with expanded pathogenic alleles. In addition, much of the evidence for the mechanisms that are thought to produce repeat expansion in pathological TNRs are dismissed as …
Analysis and comparison based on component stress factor of dual active bridge and isolated full bridge boost converters for bidirectional fuel cells systems

This paper presents an analysis and comparison of isolated topologies for bidirectional fuel cell systems. The analyzed topologies are the dual active bridge (DAB) and the isolated full bridge boost converter (IFBBC). The analysis is performed based on the component stress factor (CSF). Results highlight that the DAB has lower CSF than the IFBBC for narrow converter operating points. On the other hand the IFBBC presents a more homogeneous CSF over the entire converter operating range. Finally, experimental results obtained from a 30-80 V 80 A 6 kW 40 kHz IFBBC are presented. The converter achieves efficiencies up to 98.2% and 97.45% depending on the converter power flow.
Troponin‐T levels in perinatally asphyxiated infants during the first 15 days of life

Aim: To measure serial cardiac troponin‐T, creatine kinase, creatine kinase‐MB, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase and lactate dehydrogenase levels in asphyxiated newborn infants during the first 15 d of life.