Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Public Disclosure of Executive Compensation: Do Shareholders Need to Know?

Prior to 1997, New Zealand firms were not required to disclose the remuneration paid to their executive employees. We analyze the cross-sectional variation in New Zealand executive compensation during the first year of public disclosure and find no evidence of a positive relationship between pay and performance, regardless of firm size, risk, leverage, and board structure. We also find no link between CEO compensation and governance and ownership structures. Instead, CEO pay seems to depend primarily on firm size. These results are consistent with the view that the absence of public compensation disclosure results in greater agency problems, less efficient compensation policies, and CEO capture of boards of directors.
Business International's Guide to International Licensing: Building a Licensing Strategy for 14 Key Markets Around the World

This book provides country-by-country guidance on how to take advantage of licensing opportunities in 14 of the world's fastest growing markets, including Brazil, Venezuela, Mexico, Japan, China, Czechoslovakia and the CIS. It covers local laws regulating technology transfer, patents, copyright, trademark licensing, financial, political and economic conditions and taxes. There is also advice on negotiating, checklists on the licensing process, a list of companies successful in this area, and information on risks and opportunities.
The incidence of malignant tumor among the adult population of Belarus, undergone to influence of radiation owing to the accident on the Chernobyl atomic power station

______________________________________________________________________________________________ Purpose: We presented results of long-term monitoring of incidence malignant tumor among the adult population of Belarus, according to the Belarus state register of the persons, undergone to influence of radiation owing the accident on the Chernobyl atomic power station. Material and methods: The analysis of primary incidence of malignant tumor among various categories of the population living in Belarus and undergone the influence of ionizing radiation owing to the accident on the Chernobyl atomic power station is lead. The analysis is leading on the directly agestandardized parameters designed with the use of the world standard population. Levels, dynamics and growth rate in comparison with a similar parameters control group were estimated. Those localizations of a cancer which taking into account world experience can be radiation induced to have been included in research only. Results: The carried out research has revealed of statistically excess of a level and rate of incidence malignant tumors lung, stomach, colon, skin, urinary bladder among various categories of the population of the injured from Chernobyl accident in comparison with the control group. The most expressed distinctions were characteristic of the liquidators. The changes of levels and dynamics of incidence are revealed for organs of the breath, digestion, urinary system, which are the basic ways of receipt and deducing radionuclide’s. Among all observable groups of the adult population the significant excess of incidence by thyroid cancer is revealed. Conclusion: Among the adult population of Belarus should continue to monitor the incidence of malignant tumor, provide an assessment of doses to different groups of affected people, plan and conduct analytical radiation-epidemiological studies.
Diagnostic significance of Schistosoma mansoni proteins Sm31 and Sm32 in human schistosomiasis in an endemic area in Egypt

Summary We performed a series of ELISAs to evaluate the diagnostic significance of two Schistosoma mansoni proteins, Sm31 (cysteine proteinase, cathepsin B) and Sm32 (asparaginyl endopeptidase). Our study populations were chosen from two villages in an endemic area close to Alexandria. Using fusion proteins MS2‐Sm31 and MS2‐Sm32 as antigens, 70% and 78.9%, respectively, of patient sera from 134 parasitologically confirmed cases reacted positively. The percentage of seropositivity increased to 84.5% when parasite‐derived proteins Sm31 and Sm32 were used. The serum levels of antibodies to these two proteins in recombinant or native forms do not correlate with intensity of infection and hence are detected even when egg counts are low, which makes proteins Sm31 and Sm32 useful antigens in the identification of S. mansoni infected cases, particularly in endemic areas in Egypt.
Tractography-Guided Stimulation of Somatosensory Fibers for Thalamic Pain Relief

Background: The spinothalamocortical tract (STC) is seen as a neural tract responsible for or involved in the generation or transmission of thalamic pain. Either the thalamus itself or the posterior limb of the internal capsule (PLIC) are targets for deep brain stimulation (DBS) in patients with thalamic pain, but due to its low contrast, conventional MRI cannot visualize the STC directly. Objectives: To show the feasibility of integrating diffusion tensor imaging-based tractography into the stereotactic treatment planning for identification of an object-oriented lead trajectory that allows STC-DBS with multiple electrode contacts. Methods: Diffusion tensor imaging was performed in 4 patients with thalamic pain. The STC was modeled and integrated into the stereotactic treatment planning for DBS. DBS-lead implantation was done according to trajectory planning along the modeled STC at the level of the PLIC. Results: After implantation, electrode stimulation was possible over a length of more than 20 mm with a tractography-based trajectory along the PLIC part of the STC. After a follow-up of 12 months, pain relief of more than 40% was achieved in 3 of 4 patients with rating on a visual analogue scale. In 1 patient, stimulation failed to reach any long-lasting positive effects. Conclusions: Integrating tractography data into stereotactic planning of DBS in thalamic pain is technically feasible. It can be used to identify a lead trajectory that allows for multiple contact stimulation along the STC at the level of the PLIC. Due to long-lasting positive stimulation effect, tractography-guided stimulation of sensory fibers seems to be beneficial for thalamic pain relief.
EAACI guidelines on allergen immunotherapy: Prevention of allergy

Allergic diseases are common and frequently coexist. Allergen immunotherapy (AIT) is a disease‐modifying treatment for IgE‐mediated allergic disease with effects beyond cessation of AIT that may include important preventive effects. The European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) has developed a clinical practice guideline to provide evidence‐based recommendations for AIT for the prevention of (i) development of allergic comorbidities in those with established allergic diseases, (ii) development of first allergic condition, and (iii) allergic sensitization. This guideline has been developed using the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research & Evaluation (AGREE II) framework, which involved a multidisciplinary expert working group, a systematic review of the underpinning evidence, and external peer‐review of draft recommendations. Our key recommendation is that a 3‐year course of subcutaneous or sublingual AIT can be recommended for children and adolescents with moderate‐to‐severe allergic rhinitis (AR) triggered by grass/birch pollen allergy to prevent asthma for up to 2 years post‐AIT in addition to its sustained effect on AR symptoms and medication. Some trial data even suggest a preventive effect on asthma symptoms and medication more than 2 years post‐AIT. We need more evidence concerning AIT for prevention in individuals with AR triggered by house dust mites or other allergens and for the prevention of allergic sensitization, the first allergic disease, or for the prevention of allergic comorbidities in those with other allergic conditions. Evidence for the preventive potential of AIT as disease‐modifying treatment exists but there is an urgent need for more high‐quality clinical trials.
Exposure to peer deviance during childhood and risk for drug abuse: a Swedish national co-relative control study

Background. Peer deviance (PD) is associated with risk for drug abuse (DA). Is this association causal? Method. DA was recorded in official records. PD was defined as the percentage of peers residing in small communities with future DA registrations. We examined offspring in families whose community PD changed when the offspring was 0–15 years of age and then examined families where cousins or siblings differed in their years of exposure to low or high PD communities. Results. The duration of exposure to PD was strongly associated with future DA. Co-relative analyses for families whose exposure to PD declined suggested that the PD–DA association was largely non-causal. Within full-sibling pairs in such families, the length of exposure to low PD environments was unrelated to risk for DA. By contrast, co-relative analyses in families where exposure to PD increased over time indicated that the PD–DA association was largely causal. In such families, siblings who differed in the duration of their exposure to high PD differed in their risk for subsequent DA. These results were replicated in families whose PD changed because they moved or because of changes in the community in which they resided. Conclusions. Within families whose social environment is improving over time, the association between PD exposure and offspring DA outcomes is not causal but is due to familial confounding. Within families whose social environment is deteriorating, the PD–DA association seems to be largely causal. Our measure of PD may also reflect broader aspects of the community environment beyond peers.
Review of Mesh Topology of NoC Architecture using Source Routing Algorithms

NoC is efficient on-chip communication architecture for SoC architectures. It enables integration of a large number of computational and storage blocks on a single chip. NoCs have tackled the SoCs many disadvantages and are structured, reusable, scalable, and have high performance. Lots of topologies have been proposed for NoCs. Among these topologies, mesh topology has gained more consideration by designers due to its simplicity. A 2D-mesh topology is one of the most frequently mentioned topologies for an NoC design due to its natural layout mapping onto an SoC. Thus, the 2D mesh network on chip (NoC) is a popular NoC topology because of network scalability and the use of a simple routing algorithm. In this paper, we compare popular mesh with the other NoC topologies in terms of different performance metrics such as, latency, power consumption, and power/throughput ratio under different routing algorithms.
The Monuments of Piedras Negras, an Ancient Maya City

Patronized by royalty between the sixth and eighth centuries, the monuments of Guatemala's ancient Maya city of Piedras Negras were carved by sculptors with remarkable skills and virtuosity. Together patrons and sculptors created monumental imagery in a manner unique within the larger history of ancient Maya art by engaging public viewers through illustrations of ceremonies focusing on family and the feminine in royal agendas. Flora Clancy's introduction contextualizes her work with other studies and lays out her methodological framework. She then discusses the known monuments of the city sequentially by reigns. Individual rulers are characterized by a biography drawn from the hieroglyphic texts and the icons or imagery of their monuments are analyzed and discussed. Although the monuments of Piedras Negras are acknowledged as social, political, and cultural productions, Clancy also treats them as works of art that at their best operate on transcendent levels dissolving and overruling the contingencies of history and cultural differences.
Realizing Rural Community-Based Tourism Development: Prospects for Social Economy Enterprises

Community-based tourism (CBT) is often considered as one component of a broad-based plan to improve rural economies. CBT development is characterized as a form of locally situated development that uses tourism to generate economic, social, and cultural benefits within a community. This process occurs through increased community participation in decision making and the sustainable development of both natural and cultural resources. Recent work in the field of community economic development has shown that social-economy enterprises, often called the third sector of the economy, can fill multiple areas of need within rural communities, contributing to economic, social, and cultural goals. As opposed to services and businesses controlled by private or public interests, the social economy is made up of community-based and mutually controlled enterprises that exist to serve the identified needs of a specific community. Examples of social-economy enterprises include worker-owned cooperatives, credit unions, community-based training organizations, and volunteer-run projects. This paper examines the potential for social-economy enterprises to contribute to the implementation of CBT within the Canadian rural tourism landscape. Two main roles for the social economy are identified: supportive and product delivery. Each role is described with reference to examples from across Canada. Challenges and benefits within each are evaluated, outlining areas for further research and on-the-ground development of social-economy enterprises to support rural CBT. Keywords: rural tourism, social economy, Canada, social-economy enterprises Many rural
Facilitating urban renewal: Changing institutional arrangements and land assembly in Hong Kong

Purpose – The paper examines the operation of the Land (compulsory sale for redevelopment) Ordinance, one of a series of urban renewal policy initiatives introduced by the Hong Kong Government. The new institutional arrangement was mooted as a means to facilitate greater private sector participation in the renewal process by overcoming existing constraints on land assembly, which arise as the result of a system of common property ownership. The paper investigates whether the legislation can achieve the objective of encouraging private sector participation in the urban renewal processDesign/methodology/approach – The paper adopts a transaction cost framework, drawn from literature and applied in the context of real estate, to examine the effects of a new Ordinance. In addition to publicly available data, semi‐structured interviews were conducted with professionals involved in urban renewal and representatives from the property development companies. The apparently low usage of the new approach is explored .
Lrp5/&bgr;‐Catenin Signaling Controls Lung Macrophage Differentiation and Inhibits Resolution of Fibrosis

&NA; Previous studies established that attenuating Wnt/&bgr;‐catenin signaling limits lung fibrosis in the bleomycin mouse model of this disease, but the contribution of this pathway to distinct lung cell phenotypes relevant to tissue repair and fibrosis remains incompletely understood. Using microarray analysis, we found that bleomycin‐injured lungs from mice that lack the Wnt coreceptor low density lipoprotein receptor‐related protein 5 (Lrp5) and exhibit reduced fibrosis showed enrichment for pathways related to extracellular matrix processing, immunity, and lymphocyte proliferation, suggesting the contribution of an immune‐matrix remodeling axis relevant to fibrosis. Activation of &bgr;‐catenin signaling was seen in lung macrophages using the &bgr;‐catenin reporter mouse, Axin2+/LacZ. Analysis of lung immune cells by flow cytometry after bleomycin administration revealed that Lrp5−/− lungs contained significantly fewer Siglec Flow alveolar macrophages, a cell type previously implicated as positive effectors of fibrosis. Macrophage‐specific deletion of &bgr;‐catenin in CD11ccre;&bgr;‐cateninflox mice did not prevent development of bleomycin‐induced fibrosis but facilitated its resolution by 8 weeks. In a nonresolving model of fibrosis, intratracheal administration of asbestos in Lrp5−/− mice also did not prevent the development of fibrosis but hindered the progression of fibrosis in asbestos‐treated Lrp5−/− lungs, phenocopying the findings in bleomycin‐treated CD11ccre;&bgr;‐cateninflox mice. Activation of &bgr;‐catenin signaling using lithium chloride resulted in worsened fibrosis in wild‐type mice, further supporting that the effects of loss of Lrp5 are directly mediated by Wnt/&bgr;‐catenin signaling. Together, these data suggest that lung myeloid cells are responsive to Lrp5/&bgr;‐catenin signaling, leading to differentiation of an alveolar macrophage subtype that antagonizes the resolution of lung fibrosis.
Gonadal Restructuring and Correlative Steroid Hormone Profiles during Natural Sex Change in Protogynous Honeycomb Grouper (Epinephelus merra)

Abstract The honeycomb grouper shows protogynous hermaphroditism. The endocrine mechanisms involved in gonadal restructuring throughout protogynous sex change are largely unknown. In the present study, we investigated changes in the gonadal structures and levels of serum sex steroid hormones during female to male sex change in the honeycomb grouper. On the basis of histological changes, entire process of sex change was assigned into four developmental phases: female, early transition (ET), late transition (LT), and male phase. At the female phase, the oocytes of several developmental stages were observed including gonial germ cells in the periphery of ovigerous lamellae. At the beginning of ET phase, perinucleolar and previtellogenic oocytes began degenerating, followed by proliferation of spermatogonia toward the center of lamella. The LT phase was characterized by further degeneration of oocytes and rapid proliferation of spermatogenic germ cells throughout the gonad. At the male phase, no ovarian cells were observed and testis had germ cells undergoing active spermatogenesis. Serum levels of estradiol-17β (E2) were high in females in the breeding season, but low in the non-breeding female, transitional and male phase, and those of 11-ketotestosterone (11-KT) and testosterone (T) were low in females and gradually increased in the transitional and male phase. The present results suggest that low serum E2 levels and degeneration of oocytes accompanied by concomitant increase in the 11-KT levels and proliferation of spermatogenic germ cells are probably the events mediating protogynous sex change in the honeycomb grouper.
Are the Joneses Making You Financially Vulnerable

This note studies a model in which heterogeneous income agents get a utility boost only when their consumption catches up with the Joneses'. The resulting utility function is non-concave. In this setup, participation in a fair consumption lottery has the potential to make some agents ex-ante better off but more financially vulnerable. More income-diverse people join the lottery pool when the 'kick' from catching up increases. Worsening income inequality may increase the number of financially vulnerable people. The analysis sheds light on some aspects of the ongoing sub-prime mortgage crisis.
Arrest of 3T3 cells in G1 phase in suspension culture

3T3 cells do not grow in Methocel suspension culture, while other permanent cell lines do. The viability of 3T3 cells in suspension remains unchanged for at least three days with respect to plating efficiency, vital staining and resumption of normal growth when transferred into monolayer culture. When monolayer 3T3 cells in G1 phase are suspended they remain in G1 phase. Cells already in S phase which are suspended complete ongoing DNA synthesis and mitosis and then are arrested in the G1 phase. Progress through the cell cycle is reinitiated after suspended cells attach to a surface. When monolayer cells in late G1 phase (just before entering S phase) are put in suspension cultures they do not initiate DNA synthesis.
Naturally Occurring Subclinical Endotoxemia in Humans Alters Adaptive and Innate Immune Functions through Reduced MAPK and Increased STAT1 Phosphorylation

Multiple studies have shown correlates of immune activation with microbial translocation and plasma LPS during HIV infection. It is unclear whether this activation is due to LPS, residual viral replication, or both. Few studies have addressed the effects of persistent in vivo levels of LPS on specific immune functions in humans in the absence of chronic viral infection or pathological settings such as sepsis. We previously reported on a cohort of HIV-negative men with subclinical endotoxemia linked to alterations in CD4/CD8 T cell ratio and plasma cytokine levels. This HIV-negative cohort allowed us to assess cellular immune functions in the context of different subclinical plasma LPS levels ex vivo without confounding viral effects. By comparing two samples of differing plasma LPS levels from each individual, we now show that subclinical levels of plasma LPS in vivo significantly alter T cell proliferative capacity, monocyte cytokine release, and HLA-DR expression, and induce TLR cross-tolerance by decreased phosphorylation of MAPK pathway components. Using this human in vivo model of subclinical endotoxemia, we furthermore show that plasma LPS leads to constitutive activation of STAT1 through autocrine cytokine signaling, suggesting that subclinical endotoxemia in healthy individuals might lead to significant changes in immune function that have thus far not been appreciated.
A review of SSRIs and SNRIs in neuropathic pain

Importance of the field: Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) are becoming increasingly used in the treatment of neuropathic pain and fibromyalgia. However, they are not without adverse effects and their efficacy has not been clear because of conflicting evidence. Areas covered in this review: We have examined the current evidence on the efficacy of SSRIs and SNRIs in the treatment of neuropathic pain and fibromyalgia. Relevant randomized, placebo-controlled studies were identified through a MEDLINE search of English-language literature from January 1990 to December 2009. What the reader will gain: The evidence for efficacy of SSRIs in the treatment neuropathic pain is moderate at best. However, SNRIs, venlafaxine and duloxetine have been shown to be effective in the treatment of painful diabetic neuropathy and polyneuropathy. With fibromyalgia, both SSRIs (fluoxetine and paroxetine) and SNRIs (duloxetine and milnacipran) have been shown to improve pain relief, function and quality of life. Take home message: SSRIs and SNRIs may be considered in the treatment of neuropathic pain if treatment with tricyclic antidepressants and anticonvulsants fails, or if there are contraindications to these drugs. There is also sufficient evidence to indicate that SNRIs are effective in the treatment of fibromyalgia and may be considered early in the treatment of fibromyalgia.