Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Hyperprolactinemia in males with systemic lupus erythematosus.

OBJECTIVE To study prospectively the serum prolactin (PRL) concentrations among male patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and their possible relationship to disease activity and manifestations. METHODS Serum PRL levels were measured by radioimmunoassay in 31 male patients with SLE and 31 age matched controls. Demographic, clinical, and laboratory features of the patients were obtained. Mean PRL levels from both groups were compared, and PRL from patients with SLE was correlated with variables of disease activity, including the SLE Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI), complement level, and anti-dsDNA titer. Thirteen patients were followed serially and changes in PRL levels in relation to fluctuation in disease activity were evaluated. RESULTS Mean PRL levels were higher in male patients with SLE than healthy controls; however, the difference did not reach statistical significance (230 vs 194 mIU/l; p = 0.06). Hyperprolactinemia was found in 4 patients (13%) and was not associated with particular clinical manifestations or autoantibodies. Considering all patients as a whole, PRL levels did not correlate with variables of disease activity and there was no difference in PRL between patients with active versus inactive disease. A subanalysis of the 4 hyperprolactinemic patients revealed a higher SLEDAI score than those with normal PRL (8.8 vs 3.7; p = 0.20); however, the difference was not statistically significant. Among the hyperprolactinemic patients, PRL levels did not correlate with SLEDAI score or anti-dsDNA titer. Prospective studies of PRL levels in 13 patients did not indicate a role of PRL in the monitoring of disease activity or predicting relapses. CONCLUSION Hyperprolactinemia occurred in a small proportion of male patients with SLE and its significance remained unclear. Serum PRL level did not correlate with disease activity and was not a reliable marker for disease monitoring.
Epigenetic targets for melatonin: induction of histone H3 hyperacetylation and gene expression in C17.2 neural stem cells

Abstract: We have reported the induction of glial cell line‐derived neurotrophic factor, a potent survival factor for dopaminergic neurons, in the C17.2 neural stem cell line following in vitro treatment with melatonin. Furthermore, we have detected the melatonin MT1 receptor in these cells. Given these findings and recent evidence that melatonin may play a role in cellular differentiation, we examined whether this indoleamine induces morphological and transcriptional changes suggestive of a neuronal phenotype in C17.2 cells. Moreover, in order to extend preliminary evidence of a potential role for melatonin in epigenetic modulation, its effects on the mRNA expression of several histone deacetylase (HDAC) isoforms and on histone acetylation were examined. Physiological concentrations of melatonin (nanomolar range) increased neurite‐like extensions and induced mRNA expression of the neural stem cell marker, nestin, the early neuronal marker β‐III‐tubulin and the orphan nuclear receptor nurr1 in C17.2 cells. The indoleamine also significantly increased mRNA expression for various HDAC isoforms, including HDAC3, HDAC5, and HDAC7. Importantly, treatment with melatonin for 24 hr caused a significant increase in histone H3 acetylation, which is associated with chromatin remodeling and gene transcription. Since the melatonin MT2 receptor was not detected in C17.2 cells, it is likely that the MT1 receptor is involved in mediating these physiological effects of melatonin. These findings suggest novel roles for melatonin in stem cell differentiation and epigenetic modulation of gene transcription.
Program Trading and Price Movement: Evidence from the October 1987 Market Crash

N The October 19, 1987 market crash fueled the debate as to the effect of program trading on market stability. The unprecedented price movement also provided a natural experiment to help resolve the debate and prompted the collection of program-trading data that had not previously been available. This study uses the new data to examine the relationship between program trading and price movements. Following the market crash, several institutions undertook studies that included analyses of program trading, but there is still no consensus as to the role of program trading in the crash. The Brady Report [2, p. 15] concludes that a "limited number of investors" using portfolio insurance "played a dominant role" during the crash. The SEC's Division of Market Regul tion report (hereafter referred to as the Division Report) asserts " 'program trading' [was] a significant factor in accelerating and exacerbating the declines" [22, p. xiii]. In contrast, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission report [4, p. 137] states that a "detailed examination of the trading data . does not provide empirical support for the theory that hedging in the futures market and index arbitrage activities interacted to cause a technical downward price spiral of stock prices. " Similarly, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange report [18, p. 56] concludes that (i) "index arbitrage does not appear to have played a major role in the crash," and (ii) although "portfolio insurance did conThis study has benefited from the comments of Brandon Becker, Ken Lehn, Mark Mitchell, Harold Mulherin, Rob Neal, Jeffry Netter, Stephen Newmark, Charles Trzcinka, Darrell Williams, and an anonymous referee. The Securities and Exchange Commission, as a matter of policy, disclaims responsibility for any private publication or statement of any of its employees. The views expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Commission or the author's colleagues on the Staff of the Commission.
A meta‐analytic investigation of the relationship between HRM bundles and firm performance

Human resource management bundles consisting of multiple complementary practices are typically considered superior to individual best practices in influencing firm performance. This study investigates the relationship between three such bundles (empowerment, motivation, and skill-enhancing) and business outcomes (retention, operating performance, financial performance, and overall performance ratings). A meta-analysis of 239 effect sizes derived from 65 studies reveals that HRM bundles have significantly larger magnitudes of effects than their constituent individual practices, are positively related to business outcomes, and display effect sizes that are comparable to or larger than those of high-performance work systems. These findings reaffirm the case for firm-level investments in synergistic HRM combinations and highlight the importance of investing in complementary practices. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Business, skills and the welfare state: the political economy of employment-oriented family policy in Britain and Germany

Family policies have been expanded in many OECD countries, whilst developments along other welfare state dimensions have been characterized by retrenchment. Although the contribution of gender analyses of the welfare state to a better understanding of family policies is widely acknowledged, the literature so far has largely failed to provide a comparative account explaining the recent expansions of employment-oriented family policies in countries that were previously categorized as pursuing policies in accordance with the strong male breadwinner model. This article aims to make a contribution to the comparative literature by investigating the socioeconomic conditions and politics of employment-oriented family policy expansions in Britain and Germany since the 1990s. We pay special attention to processes of post-industrialisation and especially changed skill compositions as well as the role of key policy actors, with a special focus on organized business.
Thrombin inhibition during PCI in heart failure patients

In this retrospective analysis, CHF patients undergoing PCI had a decrease in mortality, bleeding, and transfusion as well as decreased length of stay and hospital cost when bivalirudin was used when compared to heparin. This study suggests bivalirudin may be the preferred anticoagulant for patients with CHF undergoing PCI. Confirmation of these data might entail analysis of patient‐level, pooled data from randomized controlled trials comparing bivalirudin to heparin in PCI patients with pre‐existing CHF.
IMPACT OF PUBLIC FUNDING ON A FIRM S INNOVATION PERFORMANCE. ANALYSIS OF INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL MODERATING FACTORS

This paper analyses the effect of public subsidies on a firm's innovation performance. The research aims at filling two research gaps. First, it will try to analyse the effect of public source funding directly on a firm's innovation performance analysing not the effects on R&D investment or intensity but on the final results of the innovative effort, its outcome. Secondly, it will examine the mediating effects of various (internal and external to the firm innovative behaviour) factors which influence the whole innovation process and, though have been identified by literature, its effects have not yet been properly quantified.
Beliefs about cancer causation and prevention as a function of personal and family history of cancer: a national, population‐based study

Objective: Research suggests individuals possess multifaceted cognitive representations of various diseases. These illness representations consist of various beliefs, including causal attributions for the disease, and are believed to motivate, guide, and shape health‐related behavior. As little research has examined factors associated with beliefs about cancer causation, this study examined the relationship between personal and family history of cancer and beliefs about the causes and prevention of malignant disease.
A comparison of three different pension savings products with special emphasis on the payout phase

Abstract The purpose of this article is to illustrate how the pension benefits a pension saver will (expect to) receive will depend on the type of pension scheme chosen. We compare three widely different pension savings products: the “traditional” with-profits scheme involving bonus entitlement (average interest rate product), a market-based Unit Link scheme and, finally, a formula based smoothed investment-linked annuity scheme – TimePension in short – which is on many points a cross between the two prior-mentioned types of savings products. The three product types mentioned above have been analysed in previous literature, but those comparisons were based almost entirely on the values of pension savings accounts at the expiry of the accumulation period. This article will include the payout phase (decumulation phase) in the analysis, enabling us to analyse the size of paid-out pension benefits themselves as well as the possibilities of adjusting these benefits periodically. Compared to earlier articles, we have also improved the underlying model for the uncertainty of the underlying financial market. The article demonstrates that expected pension benefits from the three schemes are an increasing function of the allocation to shares in the underlying investment portfolios. TimePension involves the highest allocation to shares and therefore offers, on average, the highest pension benefits, followed by the Unit Link scheme. In the third and last place comes the traditional with-profits scheme, which has a relatively low allocation to shares, but which, in return, also provides relatively safe and stable pension benefits. We also show, however, that the stability of pension benefits from a TimePension scheme is completely level with the stability of benefits from the traditional scheme. Unit Link-based pension benefits, on the other hand, vary far more, and pension savers in this product segment will experience much higher annual adjustments – in a both negative and positive direction – than savers in the other product segments.
Sample Selection Bias in Estimating Housing Sales Prices

This paper explores the bias in estimates of housing price appreciation that arises because of problems of sample selection. As suggested by Haurin and Hendershott, sample selection potentially is a serious problem because studies normally are based on samples of only homes that have sold, not all houses. Using the procedure developed by Heckman, the empirical results of this study provide confirmation of the significance of the housing sample selection problem.
Les réseaux sociaux d'aujourd'hui

Dans une experimentation devenue un classique, Stanley Milgram avait montre en 1969 qu’il suffisait en moyenne de 6 liaisons (transitant donc par 5 intermediaires) pour relier deux inconnus aux Etats-Unis. Ces six degres de separation avaient ete confirmes par d’autres etudes mais portant elles aussi sur des petits effectifs. L’avenement des reseaux sociaux sur l’Internet a recemment permis de se demander ce qu’il en etait cette fois a tres grande echelle. Or les etudes portant sur la messagerie instantanee de Microsoft, Twitter ou Facebook ont verifie et meme amplifie l’hypothese du petit monde. Ainsi, en analysant les 69 milliards de liens entre les 721 millions d’individus s’etant connectes a Facebook en mai 2011, il apparait qu’en moyenne la distance (ou nombre de degres) separant deux utilisateurs choisis au hasard sur la planete vaut 4,7. Differentes explications du petit monde sont examinees dans cet article (liens faibles entre clusters, presence de hubs selon une structure libre d’echelle) et apparaissent en fin de compte plutot complementaires.
The e-mentoring of expatriates: mapping existing research domains and new opportunities

Considerable research has been undertaken into the role of mentoring and also of expatriation, with attention being paid to mentoring expatriates. Given the growth of Computer Mediated Communication (CMC) and the rise of the techno savvy Generation Y, it is surprising that very little has been written about the e-mentoring of expatriates. This paper begins to develop a framework for possible research in the domain created where mentoring, CMC and the management of expatriates intersect. It presents a review of the literature, draws together a theoretical framework and suggests research directions for future empirical examination.
3-Benzoyl-4-hydroxy-2H-1,2-benzothiazine 1,1-dioxide

There are two molecules in the asymmetric unit of the title compound, C15H11NO4S. The heterocyclic thiazine rings in both molecules adopt half-chair conformations with the S and N atoms displaced by 0.455 (4) and 0.254 (4) Å, respectively, in one molecule, and 0.480 (4) and 0.224 (5) Å in the other, on opposite sides of the mean planes formed by the remaining ring atoms. The crystal structure is stabilized by intermolecular N—H⋯O and C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds. In addition, intramolecular O—H⋯O interactions are also present.
Adipose tissue macrophage polarization in cardiovascular disease

Although a link between body weight, obesity and cardiovascular risk is generally accepted, the right scientific way to assess and correlate the content of abdominal fat with cardiovascular risk factors and mortality rates is still being analysed and debated. Epidemiological studies have shown that abdominal obesity is positively correlated with various cardiovascular risk factors, including systolic blood pressure and triglycerides levels, in adult men and women, as well as in obese children. Recent studies using the radiodensity of tissues measured by computed tomography have demonstrated that the density, and hence quality, of a specific adipose tissue may be more informative and sensitive to predicting cardiovascular risk than the volume and quantity of fat. In 1993, Spiegelman and co-workers published an important study in which they demonstrated that adipose tissue directly contributes to systemic inflammation by secreting a pro-inflammatory cytokine, thereby linking obesity to insulin resistance and diabetes. Follow-up studies showed that adipose tissue has important functions in metabolism and inflammation via the secretion of various adipokines, including hormones and inflammatory cytokines. In 2003, two different groups showed that a large contribution of the inflammatory state in adipose tissue is attributable to adipose tissue macrophages (ATMs).
Loss Aversion: A Comparison of Investment Decision Making Between Individual Investors and Pension Funds in Brazil

This article compares the application of a loss aversion utility function with a traditional Von Neumann-Morgenstern utility function aiming to test whether the first form of utility could better replicate the actual behavior of Brazilian investors concerning the choice of optimum investment portfolio. The results generated by both functions, in terms of stock market participation in the optimum investment portfolio, are compared with real aggregate data from two types of Brazilian investors (pension funds and individual investors). The analysis indicates that: i) the traditional utility function should be rejected as an adequate model to replicate Brazilian individual investors behavior in the stock market; and ii) Brazilian individual investors behavior are better replicated by a loss aversion utility function.
Adaptive population coding in visual cortical networks

Understanding the rules by which brain networks represent incoming stimuli in population activity to influence the accuracy of behavioral responses remains one of the deepest mysteries in neuroscience. We have embarked on a set of projects to investigate the realtime operation of neuronal networks in multiple brain areas and their capacity to undergo adaptive changes and plasticity. What are the fundamental units of network computation and the principles that govern their relationship with behavior? By employing state-of-the-art electrophysiological techniques we were able to record from large pools of cells in the non-human primate brain while animals performed a fixation task. We found that spatio-temporal correlations between neurons could act as an active ‘switch’ to control network performance in real time by modulating the communication between neurons. We believe that ‘cracking’ the mysteries of the population code will offer unique insight into a network-based mechanistic explanation of behavior and new therapeutic solutions to cure brain dysfunction.
Selected Health Behaviors That Influence College Freshman Weight Change

Objective and Participants: The authors investigated the effect of physical activity (PA), fruit and vegetable intake, and alcohol use on 6-month weight change in 193 college freshmen (78.8% white, 88.2% women, 94.5% on a meal plan). Methods: The authors administered a Web-based survey in fall 2002 (baseline) and spring 2003 (follow-up). Results: There was an overall average weight gain of 2.5 lbs (p < .05), although only 57% reported weight gain (M = 7.1 lbs). Fruit and vegetable intake decreased (p = .034), alcohol use increased (p > .05), and PA was unchanged. Weight gain for students with body mass indexes (BMI) ≥25 kg/m2 was nearly twice that of students with BMIs < 25 (p < .05). Students with low-frequency baseline PA were twice as likely to be overweight. Follow-up data showed that students reporting ≥ 4 sessions per week (ie, high frequency) of low-intensity PA were twice as likely to have healthy BMIs as students engaging in low- and moderate-frequency PA. Conclusions: PA interventions should target freshmen with BMIs ≥ 25.
Physical activity, energy balance and obesity

Abstract Obesity appears when energy intake exceeds energy expenditure. The most important variable compound of energy expenditure is physical activity. The global epidemics of obesity seem closely related to reduced physical activity and sedentariness widely increasing nowadays. Once obesity has developed, caloric intake becomes similar to energy expenditure. To lose weight, besides decreasing energy intake, energy expenditure must be increased. The promotion of physical activity is difficult and so the results of treatment of obesity are discouraging for doctors, other health professionals and patients. Proactive efforts from patients and health providers with an intensive feedback between them may be extremely helpful. Nevertheless, more studies are needed to provide better approaches on the role of physical activity for the prevention and treatment of obesity and for long-term weight-loss maintenance.
Rapid Onset of Iatrogenic Adrenal Insufficiency in a Patient with Cystic Fibrosis–Related Liver Disease Treated with Inhaled Corticosteroids and a Moderate CYP3A4 Inhibitor

Objective: To report the rapid onset of adrenal insufficiency and subsequent development of Cushing syndrome precipitated by a CYP3A4-mediated drug-drug interaction that may have been enhanced by the presence of cystic fibrosis (CF)-related liver disease. Case Summary: A 9-year-old girl with CF and cirrhosis experienced a decline in lung function that led to a diagnosis of asthma. After initiation of asthma therapy with inhaled fluticasone 110 μg/actuation, the patient experienced improvement in lung function to baseline. Seven weeks after the initiation of inhaled fluticasone, she developed vaginal candidiasis and was prescribed fluconazole 100 mg/day, a CYP3A4 inhibitor. Three days after starting fluconazole, she developed polyuria and polydipsia and was found to have severe hyperglycemia, which led to the diagnosis of Cushing syndrome. Fluticasone was discontinued, and the patient's adrenal function normalized. Discussion: Patients with CF are commonly prescribed complex medication regimens that may affect drug metabolism. CYP3A4 inhibitors may significantly decrease metabolic clearance in patients using chronic inhaled corticosteroids. Iatrogenic Cushing syndrome has been reported in patients with CF treated concomitantly, and for extended duration, with inhaled corticosteroids and CYP3A4 inhibitors. This case highlights rapid onset of adrenal insufficiency in a patient with CF-related liver disease treated briefly with a moderate CYP3A4 inhibitor. Use of the Horn drug interaction probability scale indicates that the interaction between fluticasone and fluconazole was probable. Conclusions: CYP3A4-mediated drug interactions represent a significant risk in patients treated with long-term inhaled corticosteroids. The presence of clinically significant CF-related liver disease may enhance this risk.
Arginine Vasopressin and Atrial Natriuretic Peptide Do Not Alter Ion Transport by Cultured Fetal Distal Lung Epithelium

ABSTRACT: Previous studies have shown that i.v. arginine vasopressin (AVP) decreases but does not stop lung fluid secretion in term fetuses not in labor. Although it has been presumed that the response to AVP results from augmented sodium transport, there is controversy whether AVP actually does affect sodium transport in mammalian lung epithelium. To determine if AVP or aldosterone could alone or together augment sodium transport in the perinatal lung, we studied primary cultures of fetal rat distal lung epithelium in Ussing chambers. The short circuit current of these sodium-transporting cells was not affected by the application of either 30 or 300 mU/mL AVP whether or not they were previously exposed to aldosterone (10−6 M). Aldosterone also did not affect the baseline bioelectric properties. Short circuit current increased in response to 8-bromo cAMP (10−4 M) and 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (10−3 M) to levels 169 ± 16 (SEM) and 172 ± 7% of respective baseline values. AVP had no effect in cells pretreated with 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine. Monolayers also did not respond to atrial natriuretic peptide (10−11 to 10−8 M). Monolayers of Na-absorbing A6 renal epithelium did increase short circuit current with either aldosterone or AVP. AVP increased endogenous cAMP levels in A6 but not fetal rat distal lung epithelium cells, suggesting that fetal rat distal lung epithelium lacks V2 receptors. These studies demonstrate that AVP does not increase ion transport in cultured fetal distal lung epithelium although these cells possess the necessary second messenger system.