Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Dermatitis Herpetiformis Sera or Goat Anti–Transglutaminase-3 Transferred to Human Skin-Grafted Mice Mimics Dermatitis Herpetiformis Immunopathology

Dermatitis herpetiformis (DH) is characterized by deposition of IgA in the papillary dermis. However, indirect immunofluorescence is routinely negative, raising the question of the mechanism of formation of these immune deposits. Sárdy et al. (2002. J. Exp. Med. 195: 747–757) reported that transglutaminase-3 (TG3) colocalizes with the IgA. We sought to create such deposits using passive transfer of Ab to SCID mice bearing human skin grafts. IgG fraction of goat anti-TG3 or control IgG were administered i.p. to 20 mice. Separately, sera from seven DH patients and seven controls were injected intradermally. Biopsies were removed and processed for routine histology as well as direct immunofluorescence. All mice that received goat anti-TG3 produced papillary dermal immune deposits, and these deposits reacted with both rabbit anti-TG3 and DH patient sera. Three DH sera high in IgA anti-TG3 also produced deposits of granular IgA and TG3. We hypothesize that the IgA class anti-TG3 Abs are directly responsible for the immune deposits and that the TG3 is from human epidermis, as this is its only source in our model. These deposits seem to form over weeks in a process similar to an Ouchterlony immunodiffusion precipitate. This process of deposition explains the negative indirect immunofluorescence results with DH serum.
The Order of Games in a Best-of-Three Contest

We study a best-of-three all-pay contest with two players in which the first player to win two games wins the contest. Each player has a value of winning the contest as well as a value of winning a single game. It is assumed that a player’s value of winning a game in his home field is higher than his value of winning a game away from home. The stronger player (the player with the higher value of winning the contest) plays twice at his home field and once away from it. We analyze the order of games that both players agree to, according to which no one has an incentive to switch to a different order, since switching would not yield a higher expected payoff. In this order, the weaker player plays at his home field in the first stage and then plays two games at the stronger player’s field.
Unintended consequences of caps on Medicare drug benefits.

BACKGROUND Little information exists about the consequences of limits on prescription-drug benefits for Medicare beneficiaries. METHODS We compared the clinical and economic outcomes in 2003 among 157,275 Medicare+Choice beneficiaries whose annual drug benefits were capped at 1,000 dollars and 41,904 beneficiaries whose drug benefits were unlimited because of employer supplements. RESULTS After adjusting for individual characteristics, we found that subjects whose benefits were capped had pharmacy costs for drugs applicable to the cap that were lower by 31 percent than subjects whose benefits were not capped (95 percent confidence interval, 29 to 33 percent) but had total medical costs that were only 1 percent lower (95 percent confidence interval, -4 to 6 percent). Subjects whose benefits were capped had higher relative rates of visits to the emergency department (relative rate, 1.09 [95 percent confidence interval, 1.04 to 1.14]), nonelective hospitalizations (relative rate, 1.13 [1.05 to 1.21]), and death (relative rate, 1.22 [1.07 to 1.38]; difference, 0.68 per 100 person-years [0.30 to 1.07]). Among subjects who used drugs for hypertension, hyperlipidemia, or diabetes in 2002, those whose benefits were capped were more likely to be nonadherent to long-term drug therapy in 2003; the respective odds ratios were 1.30 (95 percent confidence interval, 1.23 to 1.38), 1.27 (1.19 to 1.34), and 1.33 (1.18 to 1.48) for subjects using drugs for hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes. In each subgroup, the physiological outcomes were worse for subjects whose drug benefits were capped than for those whose benefits were not capped; the odds ratios were 1.05 (95 percent confidence interval, 1.00 to 1.09), 1.13 (1.03 to 1.25), and 1.23 (1.03 to 1.46), respectively, for subjects with a systolic blood pressure of 140 mm Hg or more, a serum low-density-lipoprotein cholesterol level of 130 mg per deciliter or more, and a glycated hemoglobin level of 8 percent or more. CONCLUSIONS A cap on drug benefits was associated with lower drug consumption and unfavorable clinical outcomes. In patients with chronic disease, the cap was associated with poorer adherence to drug therapy and poorer control of blood pressure, lipid levels, and glucose levels. The savings in drug costs from the cap were offset by increases in the costs of hospitalization and emergency department care.
Natural occurrence of trichothecenes on lodged and water-damaged domestic rice in Japan.

In 1998, a typhoon struck before rice harvesting in Japan, and the unpolished rice was found to be stained brown. Samples were collected and analyzed for the presence of trichothecenes using GC/MS. The mycotoxins deoxynivalenol (DON), fusarenon-X (Fus.-X) and nivalenol (NIV) were detected and confirmed with GC/MS. The quantity of trichothecenes was determined using GC-ECD. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the presence of the trichothecene Fus. -X in rice.
The clinical implications of hepatitis B virus genotype: Recent advances

Outcomes of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection are heterogeneous. Estimates of annual incidence of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are 2–10% and 1–3%, respectively. Several viral factors, including HBV genotype, viral load and specific viral mutations, have been associated with disease progression. Among these, HBV genotype is not only predictive of clinical outcomes but has also been associated with response to interferon treatment. Currently, at least 10 HBV genotypes and several subtypes have been identified; they have distinct geographic distribution. Acute infection with genotypes A and D results in higher rates of chronicity than genotypes B and C. Compared to genotype A and B cases, patients with genotypes C and D have lower rates of spontaneous hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) seroconversion; when this occurs, it tends to be delayed. HBV genotype C has a higher frequency of basal core promoter (BCP) A1762T/G1764A mutation, pre‐S deletion and is associated with higher viral load than genotype B. Similarly, genotype D has a higher prevalence of BCP A1762T/G1764A mutation than genotype A. These observations suggest important pathogenic differences between HBV genotypes. These may contribute to more severe liver disease, including cirrhosis and HCC with genotypes C and D HBV infection. In addition, genotype A and B patients have better responses to interferon‐based therapy than genotypes C and D, but there are few consistent differences for direct HBV antivirals. In conclusion, genotyping of chronic HBV infections can help practicing physicians identify those at risk of disease progression and determine optimal anti‐viral therapy.
Corporate Governance - Regulation and Reform: The Actuarial Governance of UK Life Insurers

The paper investigates the Financial Services Authority's (FSA) reforms of the unique corporate governance arrangements of UK life insurers. In particular, the paper explores the need for special arrangements for the governance of with-profits funds, the role of actuaries in corporate governance and the proposals for reform which resulted from the FSA's With Profits Review and Lord Penrose's Report into the problems experienced at the Equitable Life Assurance Company. The paper concludes that post-Cadbury trends in corporate governance, in combination with the FSA's reforms, have placed boards at the centre stage of actuarial governance with directors no longer able to abrogate responsibility for actuarial decisions. There is also much to be learnt from studying changes to the actuarial and corporate governance of life insurers as it reveals the complex nature of corporate reality, and demonstrates the inadequacy of theoretical approaches that dichotomise corporate governance between Anglo-Saxon shareholder and continental European stakeholder models.
Life Skills Curricula for Students with Learning Disabilities

This article presents a review of the current literature on life skills curricula and instruction as they relate to students with learning disabilities. The review of life skills literature is organized into two sections: intervention and follow-up/follow-along studies. Based on the available research, several suggestions for designing research programs that address life skills curricula and instruction for students with learning disabilities are outlined.
Evaluation of curriculum change at RMIT: experiences of the BELP project

This paper evaluates the process and outcomes of an action learning research project undertaken during 2005 entitled 'Beyond Leather Patches' (BELP), which aimed to embed sustainability principles in non-traditional disciplines at RMIT University, Australia. The BELP project drew on the insights of previous attempts to address education for sustainability at RMIT and sought to achieve lasting change in organisational structure/operations and curriculum content. The academics who participated in the project were involved in curriculum audits, workshops, and renewal of their curricula and a culture of open collaboration and reflective practice were actively encouraged.
Indian hedgehog synchronizes skeletal angiogenesis and perichondrial maturation with cartilage development

A null mutation in the morphogen Indian hedgehog (IHH) results in an embryonic lethal phenotype characterized by the conspicuous absence of bony tissue in the extremities. We show that this ossification defect is not attributable to a permanent arrest in cartilage differentiation, since Ihh-/- chondrocytes undergo hypertrophy and terminal differentiation, express angiogenic markers such as Vegf, and are invaded, albeit aberrantly, by blood vessels. Subsequent steps, including vessel expansion and persistence, are impaired, and the net result is degraded cartilage matrix that is devoid of blood vessels. The absence of blood vessels is not because the Ihh-/- skeleton is anti-angiogenic; in fact, in an ex vivo environment, both wild-type and Ihh mutant vessels invade the Ihh-/- cartilage, though only wild-type vessels expand to create the marrow cavity. In the ex vivo setting, Ihh-/- cells differentiate into osteoblasts and deposit a bony matrix, without benefit of exogenous hedgehog in the new environment. Even more surprising is our finding that the earliest IHH-dependent skeletal defect is obvious by the time the limb mesenchyme segregates into chondrogenic and perichondrogenic condensations. Although Ihh-/- cells organize into chondrogenic condensations similar in size and shape to wild-type condensations, perichondrial cells surrounding the mutant condensations are clearly faulty. They fail to aggregate, elongate and flatten into a definitive, endothelial cell-rich perichondrium like their wild-type counterparts. Normally, these cells surrounding the chondrogenic condensation are exposed to IHH, as evidenced by their expression of the hedgehog target genes, patched (Ptch) and Gli1. In the mutant environment, the milieu surrounding the cartilage - comprising osteoblast precursors and endothelial cells - as well as the cartilage itself, develop in the absence of this important morphogen. In conclusion, the skeletal phenotype of Ihh-/- embryos represents the sum of disturbances in three separate cell populations, the chondrocytes, the osteoblasts and the vasculature, each of which is a direct target of hedgehog signaling.
State Building and Democratization in Sub-Saharan Africa

Across sub-Saharan Africa, new democracies emerge only in the context of relatively effective states. Using aggregate indicators of democracy and governance plus new public opinion data, the authors show which aspects of state building are most important. The scope of state infrastructure and the delivery of welfare services have little impact on democratization. But the establishment of a rule of law—as experienced through improvements in personal security and the popular perception that leaders respect the constitution—is critical to building democracy. But because the legitimacy of the state is itself a reciprocal product of democratization, studies of African states and regimes, presently separated, should be connected.
An Economic Theory of Political Action in a Democracy

IN SPITE of the tremendous importance of government decisions in every phase of economic life, economic theorists have never successfully integrated government with private decision-makers in a single general equilibrium theory. Instead they have treated government action as an exogenous variable, determined by political considerations that lie outside the purview of economics. This view is really a carry-over from the classical premise that the private sector is a self-regulating mechanism and that any government action beyond maintenance of law and order is "interference" with it rather than an intrinsic part of it.2 However, in at least two fields of economic theory, the centrality of government action has forced economists to formulate rules that indicate how government "should" make decisions. Thus in the field of public finance, Hugh Dalton states:
A new robust sign test for cointegration

We propose new tests for cointegration based on signs of the residuals of the conventional t-test. Our tests have the limiting normal distribution under the null hypothesis and are robust to heavy tailed disturbances. A Monte-Carlo simulation shows the new tests have a stable size property and are locally more powerful than that of Engle and Granger (1987) for heavy tailed error distribution.
Quality awards and the market value of the firm: an empirical investigation

This paper empirically investigates the impact of winning a quality award on the market value of firms by estimating the mean "abnormal" change in the stock prices of a sample of firms on the date when information about winning a quality award was publicly announced. We note that the abnormal returns generated by the quality award winning announcements provide a lower bound for the impact of implementing an effective quality award improvement program. Our results show that the stock market reacts positively to quality award announcements. Statistically significant mean abnormal returns on the day of the announcements ranged from a low of 0.59% to a high of 0.67% depending on the model used to generate the abnormal returns. The reaction was particularly strong for smaller firms (mean abnormal returns ranged from low of 1.16% to a high of 1.26%), and for firms that won awards from independent organizations such as Malcolm Baldrige, Philip Crosby, etc. (mean abnormal returns ranged from a low of 1.31% to a high of 1.65%). Winning a quality award also conveys information about the systematic risk of the firm. We find a statistically significant decrease in the equity and the asset betas after the quality award announcement. There is also evidence to suggest that large firms experience negative stock price performance in the second year before winning quality awards, which is followed by a year of positive performance. Small firms experience a positive stock price performance in the second year before winning quality awards but no negative performance before winning quality awards.
Seasoned Equity Issuers' R&D Investments: Signaling or Overoptimism

It is well-known that investors often react negatively to the announcements of seasoned equity offerings (SEOs). We posit that issuers can use positive discretionary (higher-than-expected) RD these issuers are more likely to use new capital in future RD and they produce better post-SEO operating performance. In contrast, we find some evidence of managerial over-optimism among low-tech issuers: Investors tend to penalize low-tech firms with positive discretionary RD they are more likely to hold new capital as cash; and they fail to produce better post-SEO operating performance.
Markets segmented by regional-origin labelling with quality control

It is the objective of this paper to provide a methodological framework for the analysis of regional marketing programs which inlclude regional-origin labelling as well as quality assurance and control. Such programs are increasingly being introduced in Europe and other parts of the world as a means against quality uncertainty in globalized markets. An equilibrim – displacement model is developed for a segmented market with differential qualities that can be utilized for a broad variety of marketing programs. It is applied to one selected European case, i.e. “Gepruefte Qualitaet – Bayern”. It is shown that the price impacts on high-quality and low-quality segments depend crucially on substitutive relationships between the markets and the advertising elasticities. Welfare implications for producers in a program depend strongly on advertising elasticities, too, but also on the costs of participation including quality control and on the co-financing mechanism between government and producers.
An Empirical Evaluation of Six Voting Procedures: Do They Really Make Any Difference?

Six single- or multi-winner voting procedures are compared to one another in terms of the outcomes of thirty-seven real elections conducted in Britain by various trade unions, professional associations and non-profit-making organizations. The six procedures examined are two versions of plurality voting (PV), approval voting (AV), the Borda-count (BR), the alternative and repeated alternative vote (ALV–RAL) and the single transferable vote (STV). These procedures are evaluated in terms of two general and five specific criteria that are common in social-choice theory. In terms of these criteria one version of the PV procedure (PVO) is found to be inferior to the other five procedures among which no significant difference has been found.
The Effect of Abduction and Rotation on Footprint Contact for Single-Row, Double-Row, and Modified Double-Row Rotator Cuff Repair Techniques

Background An abduction pillow and abduction and rotation exercises are commonly used after rotator cuff repair. The effect of glenohumeral abduction and rotation on footprint contact has not been elucidated. Hypothesis Abduction will decrease tendon-to-bone contact for all repairs. A modified double-row repair will maintain footprint contact more effectively at each position of humeral abduction and rotation than double- or single-row repairs. Study Design Controlled laboratory study. Methods In 6 fresh-frozen human shoulders, a modified double-row supraspinatus tendon repair was performed; a suture limb from each of 2 medial anchors was bridged over the tendon and fixed laterally. Double- and single-row repairs were performed sequentially; a total of 3 repairs were tested. For all repairs, a Tekscan pressure sensor was fixed at the tendon-footprint interface. The tendon was loaded with 30 N. The shoulders were tested at 0°, 30°, and 60° of abduction with 0° of rotation. For both dual-row repairs, 5 rotation positions were tested. Results The greatest contact areas at neutral rotation were achieved at 0° of abduction for the modified double-row, double-row, and single-row repairs (151.3 ± 10.7 mm2, 80.7 ± 30.0 mm2, and 61.3 ± 26.1 mm2, respectively), with values decreasing as abduction increased. Each repair was significantly different from one another at each abduction angle (P <. 05), except between single-and double-row repairs at 0° of abduction. Mean interface pressure exerted over the footprint was greater for the modified double-row technique than for the other techniques at each abduction angle (P <. 05). With respect to rotation, the modified double-row repair had significantly more footprint contact than did the double-row repair at each position tested (P <. 05). Conclusion For a given repair, increasing abduction at neutral rotation reduced footprint contact. Internal rotation to 60° provided among the highest contact measurements. The modified double-row technique provided the most contact. Clinical Relevance Results are consistent with the practice of immobilizing the shoulder with 30° or less of abduction and up to 60° of internal rotation to optimize footprint contact. A dual-row repair may maximize contact when initiating rehabilitation that involves abduction and rotation.
Research and Technology Outsourcing and Innovation Systems: an Exploratory Analysis

The paper discusses the process of externalization and contracting out of research and technology, in particular the outsourcing of R&D and technical activity formerly undertaken by manufacturing and service companies and now contracted out to other firms and specialist organizations. The growth in the external sourcing of R&D, design and other technical activities by firms has contributed to the evolution of new research and technical markets which have important implications for current conceptualizations of “systems of innovation”.
Regulation of Photosynthetic Light Harvesting Involves Intrathylakoid Lumen pH Sensing by the PsbS Protein*

The biochemical, biophysical, and physiological properties of the PsbS protein were studied in relation to mutations of two symmetry-related, lumen-exposed glutamate residues, Glu-122 and Glu-226. These two glutamates are targets for protonation during lumen acidification in excess light. Mutation of PsbS did not affect xanthophyll cycle pigment conversion or pool size. Plants containing PsbS mutations of both glutamates did not have any rapidly inducible nonphotochemical quenching (qE) and had similar chlorophyll fluorescence lifetime components as npq4-1, a psbS deletion mutant. The double mutant also lacked a characteristic leaf absorbance change at 535 nm (ΔA535), and PsbS from these plants did not bind dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCCD), a known inhibitor of qE. Mutation of only one of the glutamates had intermediate effects on qE, chlorophyll fluorescence lifetime component amplitudes, DCCD binding, and ΔA535. Little if any differences were observed comparing the two single mutants, suggesting that the glutamates are chemically and functionally equivalent. Based on these results a bifacial model for the functional interaction of PsbS with photosystem II is proposed. Furthermore, based on the extent of qE inhibition in the mutants, photochemical and nonphotochemical quenching processes of photosystem II were associated with distinct chlorophyll fluorescence life-time distribution components.