Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
High seroprevalence of antibodies to human herpesvirus-8 in Egyptian children: evidence of nonsexual transmission.

BACKGROUND In western countries, human herpesvirus-8 (HHV-8) appears to be transmitted mainly by sexual contact. To evaluate the role of other transmission routes, especially in developing countries, we estimated the seroprevalence of HHV-8 in Egyptian children, who, if seropositive, would have acquired the virus through a nonsexual route. METHODS Sera from 196 children (<1-12 years of age), 20 adolescents (13-20 years of age), and 30 young adults (21-25 years of age) attending a vaccination program in Alexandria, Egypt, were studied. Immunofluorescence assays were used to detect antibodies against HHV-8 lytic-phase antigens (anti-lytic) and latent-phase antigens (anti-latent). Antibodies against Epstein-Barr virus viral cap antigen, cytomegalovirus, and HHV-6 were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Seroprevalence of these herpesviruses was calculated after stratifying the subjects by age. RESULTS Anti-lytic and anti-latent HHV-8 antibodies were detected in 44.7% and 8.5% of the study participants, respectively. The prevalence of anti-lytic antibodies tended to increase with age, exceeding 50% in children older than 6 years; once children reached the age of 10 years, the prevalence tended to stabilize. The seroprevalence of other herpesviruses tended to be higher than that of HHV-8, ranging from approximately 83% to more than 97% in the 9- to 12-year age group. One- to 3-year-old children had higher titers of antilytic HHV-8 antibodies than children in the other age groups. Anti-latent antibodies were more frequently detected in individuals with high anti-lytic antibody titers. CONCLUSIONS HHV-8 antibodies are highly prevalent in Egyptian children, suggesting that, in developing countries, HHV-8 infection may be acquired early in life through routes other than sexual transmission. The lower seroprevalence of HHV-8 relative to that of the other herpesviruses suggests that HHV-8 is less transmissible than other common herpesviruses.
Cost of Capital: The Managerial Perspective

This article examines the impact of the cost of capital on managerial decision making. Senior executives from four capital-intensive industries were interviewed. One group of executives (Group 1) argued that the cost of capital has a major impact on their ability to compete and directly constrains their investments in capital equipment and/or R&D. A second group (Group 2) expressed a roughly opposite view, arguing that the cost of capital is not one of the primary factors in their decision making. Two factors appear to account for this difference: Group 2 firms tend to be in better financial condition than Group 1, and Group 2 firms are technology leaders in their respective markets, whereas Group 1 firms are not.
Very-Low Voltage (VLV) and VLV Ratio (VLVR) Testing for Quality, Reliability, and Outlier Detection

A new implementation of very-low voltage (VLV) and minimum voltage (Min_Vdd) testing, the VLV ratio test (VLVR) is proposed to improve product quality and reliability by detecting fabrication and test outliers. The VLVR technique was also used to assist in the diagnosis of a stress induced failure mechanism in a 0.13 micron low power (LP) CMOS process
Did Welfare Reform Cause the Caseload Decline?

The federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, created in 1996 to replace Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC), devolved considerable policy‐making responsibility to states. In the 2006 reauthorization of TANF, Bush administration officials and others proclaimed welfare reform a dramatic success, yet research has not comprehensively assessed the extent to which specific welfare policies caused the caseload to decline. Employing 7 years of AFDC data and 9 years of TANF data, in combination with methods sensitive to the effect of gradually implemented policies on caseload stocks, this work obtains plausible estimates of the effects of the economy and of four policies (financial incentives, sanctions, time limits, and diversion) that characterize the shift from AFDC to TANF. Simulations imply that the examined policies pushed the caseload down in the 1990s but that neither they nor the economy can explain the majority of the decline.
Dead and Alive

Conspiracy theories can form a monological belief system: A self-sustaining worldview comprised of a network of mutually supportive beliefs. The present research shows that even mutually incompatible conspiracy theories are positively correlated in endorsement. In Study 1 (n = 137), the more participants believed that Princess Diana faked her own death, the more they believed that she was murdered. In Study 2 (n = 102), the more participants believed that Osama Bin Laden was already dead when U.S. special forces raided his compound in Pakistan, the more they believed he is still alive. Hierarchical regression models showed that mutually incompatible conspiracy theories are positively associated because both are associated with the view that the authorities are engaged in a cover-up (Study 2). The monological nature of conspiracy belief appears to be driven not by conspiracy theories directly supporting one another but by broader beliefs supporting conspiracy theories in general.
From Earnings Inequality to Consumption Inequality

This paper studies the paths from inequality in earnings to inequality in household consumption. We show that careful study of the evolution of the variances and covariances of earnings and consumption within cohorts across time can identify permanent and transitory shocks. We present an application to the evolution of inequality in the United Kingdom. We extend previous results to recognise separate earnings of partners in couples.
Sustainable Development Strategies in Domestic and International Tourism

In this work-paper we have analysed a separate chapter of tourism’s sustainable development, namely development strategies. Given the economic, social and political importance in tourism, and also the overall contribution to the development of a region, we considered that a distinct approach of the tourism development strategies was required in domestic and international terms. Analysing the local level, the development strategy of Romania considers that tourism can become one of the key factors in the process of reinvigorating the economy, given the fact that Romania has huge tourism potential, which is appropriate to the different types of tourism, at national and regional level. It is considered that one of the main issues which needs to be addressed is the use of the Romanian tourism potential and its use in inappropriate conditions.
Phorbol ester stimulation of RasGRP1 regulates the sodium-chloride cotransporter by a PKC-independent pathway

The sodium-chloride cotransporter (NCC) is the principal salt-absorptive pathway in the mammalian distal convoluted tubule (DCT) and is the site of action of one of the most effective classes of antihypertensive medications, thiazide diuretics. We developed a cell model system to assess NCC function in a mammalian cell line that natively expresses NCC, the mouse DCT (mDCT) cell line. We used this system to study the complex regulation of NCC by the phorbol ester (PE) 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA), a diacylglycerol (DAG) analog. It has generally been thought that PEs mediate their effects on transporters through the activation of PKC. However, there are at least five other DAG/PE targets. Here we describe how one of those alternate targets of DAG/PE effects, Ras guanyl-releasing protein 1 (RasGRP1), mediates the PE-induced suppression of function and the surface expression of NCC. Functional assessment of NCC by using thiazide-sensitive 22Na+ uptakes revealed that TPA completely suppresses NCC function. Biotinylation experiments demonstrated that this result was primarily because of decreased surface expression of NCC. Although inhibitors of PKC had no effect on this suppression, MAPK inhibitors completely prevented the TPA effect. RasGRP1 activates the MAPK pathway through activation of the small G protein Ras. Gene silencing of RasGRP1 prevented the PE-mediated suppression of NCC activity, the activation of the H-Ras isoform of Ras, and the activation of ERK1/2 MAPK. This finding confirmed the critical role of RasGRP1 in mediating the PE-induced suppression of NCC activity through the stimulation of the MAPK pathway.
Towards Validation of the Service Orientation Construct

This article reports early results from an Australian study using the Hogan Personality Inventory (HPI) to assess the validity of two proposed service orientation constructs by Hogan [1992] and Dale and Wooler [1991]. Results from this sample (N=235) closely reflect the basic Hogan construct but found that ambition may also influence service orientation. Other HPI Subscales indicate that service orientation is an inherent disposition and it is proposed that, even with training, low service orientation employees may present longer term attitudinal and performance problems for organisations. Implications are discussed for using the HPI in service employee selection and suggestions are made to enhance future research endeavours.
Embryonic origins of the mouse superior olivary complex

Many areas of the central nervous system are organized into clusters of cell groups, with component cell groups exhibiting diverse but related functions. One such cluster, the superior olivary complex (SOC), is located in the ventral auditory brainstem in mammals. The SOC is an obligatory contact point for most projection neurons of the ventral cochlear nucleus and plays central roles in many aspects of monaural and binaural information processing. Despite their important interrelated functions, little is known about the embryonic origins of SOC nuclei, due in part to a paucity of developmental markers to distinguish individual cell groups. In this report, we present a collection of novel markers for the developing SOC nuclei in mice, including the transcription factors FoxP1, MafB, and Sox2, and the lineage‐marking transgenic line En1‐Cre. We use these definitive markers to examine the rhombic lip and rhombomeric origins of SOC nuclei and demonstrate that they can serve to uniquely identify SOC nuclei and subnuclei in newborn pups. The markers are also useful in identifying distinct nuclear domains within the presumptive SOC as early as embryonic day (E) 14.5, well before morphological distinction of individual nuclei is evident. These findings indicate that the mediolateral and dorsoventral position of SOC nuclei characteristic of the adult brainstem is established during early neurogenesis. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Develop Neurobiol 73: 384–398, 2013
Escalators and Elevators: A Phillips Curve for Keynesians

The negatively sloped long-run Phillips curve remains an issue of contention. This paper presents a theoretical model of the Phillips curve in which nominal demand growth reduces unemployment caused by stochastic shifts of demand between sectors. ' The model can be understood through the following metaphor. Keynesian economies are "escalator" economies in which markets adjust back to equilibrium slowly, so that nominal demand growth presents a means of speeding up the escalator process. Contrastingly, new classical economies, as set forth by e.g. Lucas (1973), are "elevator" economies in which adjustment is instantaneous. Consequently, there is no role for nominal demand growth in the adjustment process, and to the extent that policy sponsored nominal demand growth is uncertain, it may actually disrupt the economy by sending the elevator to the wrong floor.
Virus-Specific RNA Synthesis in Cells Infected by Infectious Pancreatic Necrosis Virus

Pulse-labeling experiments with [3H]uridine revealed that the rate of infections pancreatic necrosis virus-specific RNA synthesis was maximal at 8 to 10 h after infection and was completely diminished by 12 to 14 h. Three forms of RNA intermediates were detected: (i) a putative transcription intermediate (TRI) which comigrated in acrylamide gels with virion double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) after RNase treatment; (ii) a 24S genome length mRNA which could be resolved into two bands by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis; and (iii) a 14S dsRNA component indistinguishable from virion RNA by gradient centrifugation and gel electrophoresis. The TRI (i) was LiCl precipitable; (ii) sedimented slightly faster and broader (14 to 16S) than the 14S virion dsRNA; (iii) had a lower electrophoretic mobility in acrylamide gels than dsRNA, barely entering acrylamide gels as a heterogenous component; (iv) yielded genome-sized pieces of dsRNA after RNase digestion; and (v) was the most abundant RNA form early in the infectious cycle. The 24S single-stranded RNA was thought to be the viral mRNA since it: (i) became labeled during short pulses; (ii) was found in the polysomal fraction of infected cells; and (iii) hybridized to denatured viral RNA, forming two segments of RNase-resistant RNA that comigrated with virion dsRNA in gels. The 24S mRNA component was formed before the synthesis of dsRNA, and radioactivity could be chased from 24S single-stranded RNA to dsRNA, indicating that 24S RNA may serve as template for the synthesis of complementary strands to form dsRNA. Similar to reovirus, infectious pancreatic necrosis viral 24S mRNA contained no polyadenylic acid tracts.
Working 9-5?: Professional Differences in Email and Boundary Management Practices

Technology not only brings benefits such as flexible working practices but can also have negative stressful consequences such as increasing email overload and the blurring of work-home boundaries. We report on an exploratory study that extends the current understanding of email usage by investigating how different professions at a university manage work and personal emails using different devices and how this impacts their work-home boundary management. Our findings lead us to identify two user groups: those with permeable boundaries (primarily academics) and those who have more rigid ones (primarily professional services employees) and that there are differences in when, where and how they manage their work and personal emails. In particular we find that some participants use micro-boundary strategies to manage transitions between work and personal life. Based on these novel findings we propose improvements of email software design to facilitate effective email, work-home boundary management, and support micro-boundary practices.
Designing driver-vehicle cooperation principles for automated driving systems. (Conception des principes de coopération conducteur-véhicule pour les systèmes de conduite automatisée)

Given rapid advancement of automated driving (AD) technologies in recent years, major car makers promise the commercialization of AD vehicles within one decade from now. However, how the automation should interact with human drivers remains an open question. The objective of this thesis is to design, develop and evaluate interaction principles for AD systems that can cooperate with a human driver. Considering the complexity of such a human-machine system, this thesis begins with proposing two general cooperation principles and a hierarchical cooperative control architecture to lay a common basis for interaction and system design in the defined use cases. Since the proposed principles address a dynamic driving environment involving manually driven vehicles, the AD vehicle needs to understand it and to share its situational awareness with the driver for efficient cooperation. This thesis first proposes a representation formalism of the driving scene in the Frenet frame to facilitate the creation of the spatial awareness of the AD system. An adaptive vehicle longitudinal trajectory prediction method is also presented. Based on maneuver detection and jerk estimation, this method yields better prediction accuracy than the method based on constant acceleration assumption. As case studies, this thesis implements two cooperation principles for two use cases respectively. In the first use case of highway merging management, this thesis proposes a cooperative longitudinal control framework featuring an ad-hoc maneuver planning function and a model predictive control (MPC) based trajectory generation for transient maneuvers. This framework can automatically handle a merging vehicle, and at the mean time it offers the driver a possibility to change the intention of the system. In another use case concerning highway lane positioning and lane changing, a shared steering control problem is formulated in MPC framework. By adapting the weight on the stage cost and implementing dynamic constraints online, the MPC ensures seamless control transfer between the system and the driver while conveying potential hazards through haptic feedback. Both of the designed systems are evaluated through user tests on driving simulator. Finally, human factors issue and user’s perception on these new interaction paradigms are discussed.
Pitfalls in Early Stage Company “Cram Down” Recapitalization Transactions

The venture capital shakeout of the last two years has created a great deal of pain and suffering which is shared by all the players in the market, including investors, management teams, boards, and VCs. Yet capital is still flowing for good deals, although in many cases the valuations are being recalculated substantially downward. These revised values cause a host of problems as they set previously aligned parties against each other. This article discusses ways to deal with the inevitable conflicts that arise in these down rounds.
Impact of structural adjustment policies on health in developing countries

The impact on health of the structural adjustment policies has emerged as a controversial debate in international health. Some economists and public health researchers and some government and non-government commentators allege that the structural adjustment programs have had a detrimental health impact. The conclusion to be drawn from this study is that the claims that structural adjustment has had a detrimental impact on health in developing countries is baseless. Furthermore, it shows that structural adjustment failed to have positive impact on the health status or its proximal determinants. The study asserts that the previous two decades of economic and structural reforms fell short from exerting any real impact on the vast majorities of the population in developing countries. The study advances the opinion that the adjustment lending was a political interaction between the lending agencies and the national elites in the recipient countries.
Knowledge Management in R&D Organizations: A Management Control System Approach

Studies of knowledge management in R&D organizations have largely focused on performance measurement (i.e. diagnostic control). This specific focus comes at the expense of a broader conception of management control systems and their relation to organizational goals and capabilities. Building on Simons' [1, 2] 'levers of control' framework, we explore how beliefs, boundary, diagnostic and interactive control systems combine to help specify and achieve the various and often conflicting objectives of knowledge management. We present a theoretical model explaining how beliefs and interactive systems work jointly to enhance knowledge exploration, while boundary and diagnostic systems work to enhance R&D efficiency and reliability, thus augmenting knowledge exploitation. We argue that these relationships will significantly influence how scholars study the use, characteristics and effectiveness of knowledge control systems, and will help guide R&D managers on the forms of control needed for different goals.
The Differential Regulation of Human Telomerase Reverse Transcriptase and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor May Contribute to the Clinically More Aggressive Behavior of P63-Positive Breast Carcinomas

p63, a p53 homologue, is a myoepithelial cell marker in the normal mammary gland but p63-positive neoplastic cells may be found in up to 11% of invasive breast carcinomas. This study aims to verify the relationship between p63 expression and several clinicopathological features and tumor markers of clinical significance in breast pathology including key regulators of the cell cycle, oncogenes, apoptosis-related proteins, metalloproteinases and their inhibitors. Immunohistochemistry with 27 primary antibodies was performed in 100 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded samples of invasive ductal carcinomas. p63-positive cells were found in 16% of carcinomas. p63-positive carcinomas were poorly differentiated, hormone receptor-negative neoplasms with a high proliferation rate. p63 also correlated with advanced pathological stage, tumor size, and the expression of human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT), tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinase 1 (TIMP1) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). The expression of TIMP1 suggests that the anti-proteolytic stimuli may be preponderant in p63-positive carcinomas. hTERT activity is associated with nodal metastases and cellular proliferation. VEGF regulates angiogenesis, which is also a fundamental event in the process of tumor growth and metastatic dissemination. Thus, the differential regulation of hTERT and VEGF in p63-positive breast carcinomas may contribute to the clinically more aggressive behavior of these neoplasms.
Creating Price Indexes for Measuring Productivity in Mental Health Care

Economists have long suggested that to be reliable, a preferred medical care price index should employ time-varying weights to measure outcomes-adjusted changes in the price of treating an episode of illness. In this article, we report on several years of research developing alternative indexes for the treatment of the acute phase of major depression, for the period 19911996. The introduction of new treatment technologies in the past two decades suggests well-known measurement issues may be prominent in constructing such a price index.We report on the results of four successively re
School Boards Circa 2010: Governance in the Accountability Era.

The release of School Boards Circa 2010: Governance In The Accountability Era provides national data on who serves on school boards, what board members think about a number of school reform initiatives, how they do their work (especially as it relates to raising student achievement), how school board elections are carried out, and the nature of the relationship between the school board and the superintendent.
Topiramate: effects on serum lipids and lipoproteins levels in children

The present controlled study aims to evaluate topiramate (TPM) effect on total cholesterol (TC), high‐density lipoprotein (HDL), low‐density lipoprotein, very low‐density lipoprotein, apolipoproteins A1, B and lipoprotein (a). Seventy patients in evolving age suffering from various types of epilepsy, treated with TPM, (age range: 6 months–22 years) were evaluated before and after 12 months of treatment and compared with 110 sex‐ and age‐matched subjects. At baseline, no significant difference was present between controls and children treated with TPM. After a year, the BMI did not show significant change in adults and remained into respective growth curve. No significant difference in lipids and lipoproteins neither between first and second evaluation nor between patients and controls was found. Some intra‐group variation has been noticed: whilst controls maintained similar levels, the 70 patients on TPM monotherapy showed a slight decrease in TC, triglycerides and HDL. These fluctuations, however, occurred in the normal range so neither dietary nor pharmacological treatment of hyperlipidaemia after a year of TPM was necessary.