Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cerebral Cortical Dysplasia: Giant Neurons Show Potential for Increased Excitation and Axonal Plasticity

Cerebral cortical dysplasia (CD) is a common cause of intractable childhood epilepsy. Five cases of CD were analyzed for GABAA receptor subunit β (GABAAβ), glutamate decarboxylase, AMPA receptor subunit 1 (GluR1) and subunit 2/3 (GluR2/3), and NMDA receptor 2 (NMDAR2) immunoreactivity. Antisera to the highly polysialylated neural cell adhesion molecule (PSA-NCAM) and human unc-33-like phosphoprotein 1 (hUlip 1) were used to identify neurons with ‘developmentally immature’ characteristics. Differences between CD and comparison tissue (n = 3) included: (1) prominent GABAAβ immunoreactivity of the cytoplasm of dysmorphic neurons in the subcortical white matter and cortex in 1 CD case; (2) increased immunolabeling with anti-GluR1 and GluR2/3 antisera in dysmorphic neurons compared with more normal-appearing adjacent neurons and neurons from nondysplastic cortex; (3) varying numbers of cortical dysmorphic neurons stained for NMDAR2 in all 5 CD cases, in contrast to a complete lack of cellular immunoreactivity in 2/3 of the cases of nondysplastic cortex; (4) PSA-NCAM and hUlip 1 expression (usually observed only in populations of neurons that undergo axonal growth) was observed in CD tissue, but not in normal brain tissue. In summary, dysmorphic neurons in cases of CD have increased immunoreactivity for several excitatory neurotransmitter receptor subunits, show variable immunoreactivity for GABAAβ and show expression of several proteins that are normally expressed only in immature neurons or those with the potential for synaptic plasticity.
Asset prices, financial conditions and the transmission of monetary policy

In this paper we assess the role of asset prices as information variables for aggregate demand conditions and in the transmission of monetary policy. A Monetary Conditions Index, a weighted average of the short-term interest rate and the exchange rate, has commonly been used as a composite measure of the stance of monetary policy and aggregate demand conditions. However, other asset prices, property and share prices, also affect aggregate demand. By looking at reduced form coefficient estimates and VAR impulse responses we derive Financial Conditions Indices, a weighted average of the short-term real interest rate, the effective real exchange rate, real property and real share prices, for the G7 countries. We find that house and share prices get a substantial weight in such an index and that the derived Financial Conditions Indices contain useful information about future inflationary pressures.
Projections from the thoracic cord to the cerebellar nuclei in the rat, studied by anterograde axonal tracing

The dorsal spinocerebellar tract (DSCT) of the thoracic cord (the thoracic DSCT) consists of uncrossed ascending axons originating from Clarke's column, marginal neurons of Clarke's column, and lamina V neurons, and crossed ascending axons originating from neurons in lamina VIII and the ventromedial part of lamina VII. The present study has examined, by using anterograde labeling with biotinylated dextran, whether the thoracic DSCT projects to the cerebellar nuclei. The tracer was injected into the thoracic cord, for two to four segments at levels between the T4 and T9 segments in the rat. The distribution of anterogradely labeled axons and terminals was bilateral but predominantly ipsilateral to the injections. Labeled axons entered the medial nucleus from its rostromedial aspect and terminated widely in medial and ventral parts of the middle subdivision. Furthermore, they terminated in the medial and ventral part of the caudomedial subdivision. Labeled terminals were seen in rostromedial parts of the anterior interpositus nucleus and in medial to caudal parts of the posterior interpositus nucleus. A small number of labeled terminals were consistently seen in the ventral part of the lateral nucleus and the dorsolateral hump region.
A Novel U-Shaped and Microchanneled Optical Fiber Temperature Sensor Fabricated by LIGA-Like Process

This paper developed a U-shaped, microchanneled optical fiber temperature sensor based on macrobending-induced whispering gallery mode (WGM). The proposed novel U-shaped, microchanneled optical fiber temperature sensor is fabricated by a LIGA-like process to obtain the microstructure molds on the wafer for the replica molding method. This process can be used for mass production such that the cost of the sensors can be reduced significantly. In temperature sensing experiments, the resonant wavelengths of the WGM sensor exhibited blue shifts as the temperature increased. The temperature sensitivity of the sensor can reach 0.624 nm/°C, with a maximum linearity of 0.994. The results of a system repeatability analysis show a standard deviation of 0.00547 nm/°C in sensitivity following three heating cycles, indicating superior repeatability. Therefore, the WGM temperature sensor possesses superior stability and repeatability.
Testicular development in the complete androgen insensitivity syndrome

The complete androgen insensitivity syndrome (CAIS), caused by mutations in the androgen receptor (AR) gene, is associated with abnormal testicular development and an increased risk of germ cell malignancy. Previous histological studies in CAIS have selected patients purely on the basis of clinical diagnosis and were mostly based on small numbers, many of whom were post‐pubertal. Here, we present 44 cases of CAIS, each with molecular pathological confirmation of an AR mutation. The median age at gonadectomy was 5.5 years (5.5; IQR 1–13). We have been able, therefore, to investigate testicular development in infancy, childhood and puberty, and estimate the incidence of premalignant change in this series. In addition, we have investigated whether the presence of epididymides and/or vasa deferentia in CAIS, previously shown to be associated with residual activity of mutant ARs, is related to a particular testicular phenotype. Epididymides/vasa deferentia were present in 36% of cases and these patients showed varying degrees of seminiferous tubule maturation at puberty above those without epididymides/vasa deferentia (p = 0.003). There were no other histological differences between these patient groups. In both groups, features of testicular degeneration and dysgenesis were present and germ cell development was delayed, with prolonged expression of the gonocyte markers, placental‐like alkaline phosphatase and activator protein‐2γ. Germ cell numbers rapidly declined after the first year of life (R2 = 0.42). Only two cases of carcinoma in situ were identified in our study and both patients were postpubertal (17 and 53 years). From these results and the literature, we conclude that the risk of premalignant change in germ cells is low before and during puberty. Patients can be advised, therefore, that gonadectomy can be delayed to allow for a natural puberty, with low risk of malignant transformation. Our study only included one patient over 18 years, so we cannot comment on the risk of malignant transformation in later life. Copyright © 2006 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A gap or a chasm? Attrition in reported rape cases

The views expressed in this report are those of the authors, not necessarily those of the Home Office (nor do they reflect Government policy). RDS is part of the Home Office. The Home Off i c e 's purpose is to build a safe, just and tolerant society in which the rights and responsibilities of individuals, families and communities are p roperly balanced and the protection and security of the public are maintained. RDS is also part of National Statistics (NS). One of the aims of NS is to inform Parliament and the citizen about the state of the nation and provide a window on the work and perf o rm a n c e of government, allowing the impact of government policies and actions to be assessed. T h e re f o re – Research Development and Statistics Directorate exists to improve policy making, decision taking and practice in support of the Home Office purpose and aims, to provide the public and Parliament with information necessary for informed debate and to publish information for future use. A gap or a chasm? Attrition in reported rape cases i Foreword In 1998 the Home Office announced the Crime Reduction Programme (CRP), which aimed to develop and implement an integrated approach to reducing crime and making communities safer. As part of this programme the Violence Against Women Initiative (VAWI), was launched in July 2000, and specifically aimed to find out which approaches and practices were effective in supporting victims and tackling domestic violence, rape and sexual assault. Thirty-four multi-agency victim focused projects were funded and aimed to develop and implement a range of interventions for various population groups in a number of different settings and contexts. The projects were originally funded until the end of March 2002; however, 24 of these projects had their funding, and in some cases, their evaluations extended until the end of March 2003. A further 24 'Second Round' projects were funded in March 2001; however, these were provided with specific service provision funding and were not evaluated by the Home Office. For evaluation purposes, the projects were divided into nine packages and projects with similar solutions or strategies, as well as those operating in the same contexts were grouped t o g e t h e r. Seven diff e rent independent evaluation teams were commissioned to assess the p rojects in terms of their development, …
Comparison of decimation and interpolation methods in case of multiple repeated RGB-YCbCr colour image format conversions

The performance of different interpolators and decimators for RGB-YCbCr colour image format conversions was studied. The main attention was given for performance in multiple repeated conversions. New interpolators designed by the author were also evaluated. Visual quality differences were small after a single conversion but became considerably larger in repeated conversions. <<ETX>>
Safety and Efficacy of 0.1% Clobetasone Butyrate Eyedrops in the Treatment of Dry Eye in Sjögren Syndrome

Purpose To study the effects of a low administration rate and low concentration (0.1%) of clobetasone butyrate eyedrops in patients with Sjögren syndrome (SS). Methods This prospective, double-masked, randomized, placebo-controlled study included 40 subjects divided into 2 treatment groups: group 1 (2% polyvinylpyrrolidone eyedrops and placebo) and group 2 (2% polyvinylpyrrolidone and 0.1% clobetasone butyrate, 1 drop BID). The treatment lasted for 30 days, with visits at enrollment, baseline, day 15, day 30, and after 15 days of treatment discontinuation. At each visit, symptoms questionnaire, tear film break-up time, corneal fluorescein stain, lissamine green stain, conjunctival impression cytology for human leukocyte antigen–DR (HLA-DR) expression, intraocular pressure (IOP) measurement, and fundus examination were performed. Results No changes in IOP or fundus examination were observed in either group at each time point. Group 1 patients showed at day 30 a statistically significant amelioration of symptoms and reduction of HLA-DR expression. No changes in other parameters were detected. Group 2 patients showed at day 15 a statistically significant improvement of corneal and conjunctival stain versus baseline values and group 1 at the same time; after 30 days the symptoms score was statistically significantly better than baseline values and group 1 at the same time. The HLA-DR expression and the epithelial cells area were statistically significantly reduced versus baseline and group 1 at the same time. Conclusions Anti-inflammatory therapy is critical for the treatment of SS dry eye. Clobetasone butyrate, at low dosage, proved to be safe and effective in treating this condition.
Children's Understanding of Reputations

In the present study, the authors investigated age differences in children's understanding (a) that a person's behavior may contribute to the formation of a shared opinion within the peer group and (b) that origins of a reputation can be direct or indirect. The authors read stories in which a target character engaged in either prosocial or antisocial interactions with peers to children in kindergarten, 2nd, and 4th grade. They then asked the children to judge how various peers viewed the target character. Children's explanations indicated that children in all of those age groups understood that firsthand experience influenced peers' opinions, and by 2nd grade, children understood that indirect experience or gossip also might have contributed to an individual's reputation.
What is it About Organic Milk? An Experimental Analysis

Auction experiments were used to examine demand relationships and willingness to pay (WTP) for organic, rBST-free, no antibiotics used, and conventional milk. Elasticities showed strong substitute and complement relationships between organic, rBST-free, and no antibiotics varieties. The sum of the latter two’s premiums were not significantly different than the organic premium, suggesting diminishing marginal utility for added attributes. Results from a two-stage heteroskedastic tobit model demonstrated that WTP premiums for the varieties differ significantly by demographics and beliefs regarding the conventional version. These suggest market segments for rBST-free and no antibiotics versions could succeed alongside organic, benefiting consumers and producers. Copyright 2007, Oxford University Press.
DO COUNTER-CYCLICAL FISCAL MEASURES OFFER ANY HOPE OF RECOVERY FOR THE WORLD ECONOMY? AN EVALUATION OF FISCAL POLICY EFFECTIVENESS IN THE FACE OF A GLOBAL RECESSION

Since August 2007, the world economy has fallen into recession and been confronted by a severe financial crisis. In the midst of this global recession, what hope can we place in the fiscal stimulus plans that have been announced? This Working Paper evaluates whether the measures implemented in the euro area and the US will be adequate responses. It indicates that while these measures will undoubtedly prove useful in limiting the scale and duration of the downturn, they will not be sufficient by themselves to prevent a lengthy recession followed by a tepid recovery. The paper argues that to maximise the effectiveness of the stimulus plans, they should be accompanied by accommodative monetary policy. Furthermore, to accelerate and underpin a recovery in global economic activity, fiscal and monetary policies should also be supplemented by measures aimed at re-establishing banking and financial sectors that function properly. * Patrick Van Brusselen is an economist at the Belgian Federal Planning Bureau. He is in charge of the work on the Bureau's world macroeconometric model NIME and is the author of the Bureau's regular publication, The NIME Outlook for the World Economy.
Corporate Management’s Inclination to Disclose Financial Information

(1) Retrospective view of corporate financial disclosure: Corporate management disclosed very little; or n.o financial information to stockholders until the turn of the century. Several corporations did not hold any annual meetings for decades, while others did not publish annual reports for years. The first conventional annual report in the American Business Community was issued, in 1858 by Borden Company. ' For a long period of time thereafter, even the largest corporations considered it best to disclose as little information as possible about their operations. In 1895, the New York Stock Exchange began recommending the practice of issuing annual reports and five years later requested companies applying for listing to publish them. The first modern annual report was published in 1902 by United States Steel Company. Its president, Judge E. H. Gary, commented in the. sam.e year, "Corporations cannot work on a principle of locked doors and shut lips. " Most of the corporations at that tim.e reacted unfavorably to this break with tradition, and failed to follow United States Steel Company's lead. A census by the New York Stock Exchange in 1926 showed that 242 of the 957 corporations then listed on the Big Board were issuing quarterly reports and 339 were issuing annual reports.2 Since a large number of the corporations failed to issue annual reports, the New York Stock Exchange in 1926 required that a listed corporation must publish and submit to stockholders at least fifteen days in advance of their annual meeting an annual report containing its financial statements. In the years following, the Exchange intensified its efforts to secure ad.equately informative financial reports from listed corporations. By 1933, however, a large number of listed corporations were still failing to disclose such important financial facts as sales and cost of sales.
Tourism and poverty reduction: pathways to prosperity

Taylor and Francis RPRT_A_539385. sgm 10.1080/19407963.2011. 539385 Journal of Policy Research in Tourism, Leisure and Events 940-7963 (pri t)/1940-7971 (online) Original Article 2 11 & Fran is 30 0 00Ma ch 201 imButche ji . b @canterbury ac.uk Tourism and poverty reduction: pathways to prosperity, by Caroline Ashley and Jonathan Mitchell, London, Earthscan, 2010, 157 pp., £22.95 (paperback), ISBN 9781-84407-889-9, £80 (hardback), ISBN 978-1-84407-888-2
Childhood bacterial meningitis: Impact of age at illness and acute medical complications on long term outcome.

This study compared postmeningitic children (N = 130) with grade and sex matched controls (N = 130) selected from target children's schools on measures of intellectual, linguistic, learning, and reading skills. Results showed that children with a history of meningitis are at greater risk for impairment in these areas, with experience of the disease prior to 12 months of age being an important risk factor. Within the postmeningitic sample presence of medical complications was associated with poorer verbal abilities. Finally, a significant relationship was identified between depressed language skills and later educational difficulty, with these findings interpreted with respect to both developmental and neuropsychological principles. (JINS, 1997, 3, 147–158.)
An investigation of tourists’ destination loyalty and preferences

Investigates the relationship between tourists’ destination loyalty and their preferences as to destination. Destination loyalty is operationally defined as the level of tourists’ perceptions of a destination as a recommendable place. On‐site surveys of Korean outbound travellers were conducted at the Seoul International Airport, South Korea, in March 1997. Of 285 questionnaires collected from Korean outbound travellers, 265 useful questionnaires are analyzed. Multiple regression analysis reveals that three destination preferences, including different culture experiences, safety, and convenient transportation, have a positive relationship with tourist’s loyalty to the destination. Results from a path analysis show that past trip experience affects tourists’ destination preference. The implications and limitations of the study are discussed in the conclusion.
An Empirical Investigation of Accounting Methods for Goodwill and Identifiable Intangible Assets: 1985 to 1989

Accounting for intangible assets represents one of the more controversial accounting standards issues. This study examines the accounting policies adopted for goodwill and for identifiable intangible assets by a sample of 150 Australian Stock Exchange listed companies over the five-year period 1985 to 1989 inclusive. Findings reveal a general decrease in the diversity of goodwill accounting policies over the study period but the converse for identifiable intangible policies. In particular, an increase in the percentage of companies electing not to amortize identifiable intangibles was found. The study provides evidence to support claims that companies have been recognizing identifiable intangibles to reduce the impact on reported operating profits of the requirement of accounting standards for the amortization of goodwill.
Exports and Economic Growth: Some Additional Evidence

An assessment of the role of exports in economic growth is of obvious importance. At the theoretical level, extremely diverse positions can be taken. For instance, the standard neoclassical trade argument would postulate a substantial positive impact of exports and trade on economic performance due to better allocation of resources. In addition, the "two-gap" models of development would suggest an important positive role of exports in economic development due to an attenuation of the foreign resource "gap. " However, the Marxist or the neoMarxist stances may treat trade as one mechanism for exploitation of the less developed countries (LDCs) by the industrialized West. Although further theoretical insights would be valuable, empirical analyses of the issue are needed as well for a better understanding of the relationship between exports and growth. Several recent studies have attempted such an empirical analysis. Michaely considered a sample of 41 LDCs and related the mean annual growth of per capita GNP with the mean annual increase in the share of exports in GNP for the period 1950-73. His method was mainly that of simple correlation. For the entire sample, the rank correlation coefficient between the two variables is . 38, which indicates a positive association between the rates of growth of per capita GNP and export share. The association is much stronger for 23 countries with a per capita GNP of $300 or more in 1972 than for others, which led Michaely to infer that exports help "only once countries achieve some minimum level of development. "' Also, no positive association was found between the level of the share of exports and per capita income growth. In the context of a study of the impact of foreign trade regimes on economic development, Krueger assessed the effect of exports on
Changing Attitudes through International Participation: European Parliamentarians and Integration

Regional integration theory emphasizes elite social learning and attitude change as concomitant processes of integration. Participation by national elites in EEC decision making may bring about these changes. To test these hypotheses, French and German delegates to the European Parliament were interviewed, and their attitudes compared with those of a control group sampled among their national colleagues. The general finding was that the delegates’ attitudes appear to undergo cognitive, but not affective, changes. Delegates develop more complex perceptions and become better informed and more interested in European matters, yet they become neither more favorable nor less hostile to these issues because of the self–recruitment of many legislators who were avowed Europeans before their nomination. Strong ties to national parties apparently diminish the attitudinal effects of this learning experience. Only when the parliament has full time legislators who exercise potent policy–making tasks will its role in European integration increase.