Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Stress, Adaptation, and Disease: Allostasis and Allostatic Load

Abstract: Adaptation in the face of potentially stressful challenges involves activation of neural, neuroendocrine and neuroendocrine‐immune mechanisms. This has been called “allostasis” or “stability through change” by Sterling and Eyer (Fisher S., Reason J. (eds): Handbook of Life Stress, Cognition and Health. J. Wiley Ltd. 1988, p. 631), and allostasis is an essential component of maintaining homeostasis. When these adaptive systems are turned on and turned off again efficiently and not too frequently, the body is able to cope effectively with challenges that it might not otherwise survive. However, there are a number of circumstances in which allostatic systems may either be overstimulated or not perform normally, and this condition has been termed “allostatic load” or the price of adaptation (McEwen and Stellar, Arch. Int. Med. 1993; 153:2093.). Allostatic load can lead to disease over long periods. Types of allostatic load include (1) frequent activation of allostatic systems; (2) failure to shut off allostatic activity after stress; (3) inadequate response of allostatic systems leading to elevated activity of other, normally counter‐regulated allostatic systems after stress. Examples will be given for each type of allostatic load from research pertaining to autonomic, CNS, neuroendocrine, and immune system activity. The relationship of allostatic load to genetic and developmental predispositions to disease is also considered.
Substitution effect of advertising on resale price maintenance: using a real options approach

This article investigates the incentives to impose Resale Price Maintenance (RPM) from the real options perspective, how manufacturers use national advertising as a substitute for RPM when RPM is made illegal. Purchase delay caused by frequent markdowns among retailers encourages the manufacturers to impose RPM. But advertising mitigates the impacts of frequent markdowns by decreasing the demand price elasticity. When RPM is prohibited, we find that manufacturers increase national advertising expenditures to reduce the negative externality of frequent markdowns.
Country of Origin Labeling: Evaluating the Impacts on U.S. and World Markets

A provision of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 requires country of origin labeling (COOL) for certain agricultural commodities. To comply with the law, producers, processors, and retailers face additional production costs associated with labeling, separating, and tracking commodities. Using estimated costs provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), we simulate the impacts of mandatory COOL on U.S. and global agricultural markets using a global static general equilibrium model (STAGEM). The results show resource adjustments that lead to decreases in production, consumption, and trade flows. The results assume no demand premium for labeled commodities relative to unlabeled commodities.
Spectrum for the next radio revolution: the economic and technical case for collective use

Purpose – New technologies challenge the traditional view that the radio spectrum must be tightly controlled and the new orthodoxy that a market‐based approach is the most efficient way to manage the spectrum. This article aims to make the case for collective use of the spectrum.Design/methodology/approach – The paper draws on a range of literature, both technical and economic, as well as the authors' opinions to describe the economic context, market and other models for spectrum allocation, technological advances in signal processing, and the way forward for assessing future spectrum management policy, with particular reference to Europe.Findings – Technical advances, from research in the commercial domain and from release of military research, combined with the increasingly important economic need to facilitate innovation in new radio technologies, demand a debate on a new approach to spectrum management policy.Originality/value – The paper brings together the economic and technical arguments in favour .
[Mutation screening and function prediction of melanocortin-4 receptor gene in obese children].

OBJECTIVE To screen the coding region of melanocortin-4 receptor gene (MC4R) for mutations in children, analyze the association of the identified variants with obesity-related phenotypes, and predict the potential functions of the identified variants. METHODS A case-control study was conducted in 160 severely obese children and 100 normal-weight controls, all aged 7-18 years. Their anthropometric data were collected and blood tests were performed. The coding region of MC4R gene was screened by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), single strand conformation polymorphism and sequencing, and the potential functions of the identified variants were predicted by related online databases. RESULTS Three heterozygous missense mutations were identified in obese children (Val95Ile, Val166Ile and Val179Ala), and one heterozygous missense mutation was found in controls (Met218Thr). Val103Ile variant was found to be carried by seven subjects in the obese group and six in the control group (P>0.05). Val179Ala was a newly identified heterozygous mutation. No significant differences in BMI, weight, waist circumstance, hip circumstance, serum lipid parameters, fasting glucose, and body fat percentage were found between Val95Ile, Val166Ile or Val179Ala mutation carriers and non-carriers in obese children. The function prediction of the variants showed that all the five identified variants influenced the protein function. CONCLUSIONS Five variants were identified in the coding region of MC4R gene, among which Val179Ala was newly identified. All the five variants might influence the protein function as evidenced by online prediction.
Innovation Leaders Should Be Controlled Schizophrenics

Innovating is a multi-faceted process. In this paper, four different, yet intertwined aspects of this process are distinguished. The first aspect concerns the content of the innovation; a new product, a new technology or a new market. The second aspect concerns the group dynamics of the innovation team. The third aspect concerns seeing the innovation process as a creative process. And the fourth aspect has to do with leadership. Since these four aspects are simultaneously working together during the innovation process, the leaders of this process are working in a very difficult situation, as all four aspects need to be dealt with in different ways. Nearly all of them are, in one way or another, in conflict with one another. They may conflict in real actions, in time horizons (past, present or future) or in effect (positive reactions during market introduction do not garantee ultimate market success). This means that innovation leaders need to show a special kind of leadership. This leadership must be balanced, people-focused and must include a high tolerance for ambiguity and paradoxes. They have to be nice and nasty at the same time. In short: innovation leaders should be some kind of controlled schizophrenics.
Alliance Reliability in Times of War: Explaining State Decisions to Violate Treaties

Abstract Understanding the conditions under which state leaders are willing to honor alliance commitments in war will increase knowledge about the escalation and diffusion of conflict and about the propensity of states to fulfill agreements under anarchy. New data analysis provides evidence that alliance commitments are fulfilled about 75 percent of the time. But how can one understand the failure of alliance partners to act as promised in the remaining 25 percent of cases? Formal modelers have deduced that because of the costs associated with alliances, state leaders who form alliances are likely to fulfill them; those alliances that are formed should be fairly reliable. I argue, therefore, that one can best account for violations of alliance agreements either through an understanding of the factors that reduce the costs of violation or through changes that have occurred since the alliance was formed. Using detailed data on alliance commitments between 1816 and 1944, I find evidence commensurate with this argument. Changes in the power of states or in their policymaking processes are powerful predictors of the failure to honor past commitments; and nondemocratic states and major powers, sets of states that I argue suffer lower costs from reneging on agreements, are more likely to violate treaties.
Air Transport Capacity and Tourism Demand Interaction: A Vector Error Correction Model Approach

The co-movement of air transport capacity and tourism demand are well-recognised. However, there exists a gap in understanding the relation between air transport capacity and demand such that the causal nature of these variables is rarely examined. The goal of this paper is to impose a cause-effect structure into the relation between tourism demand and air transport capacity. Specifically, we apply a vector error correction model (VECM) to help assess whether, and to what extent, capacity or passenger demand are first-movers that return long-run equilibrium following an event that punctuates the established equilibrium. Using data on international aviation between Australia and our test cases of China and Japan, we find that demand on Japan-Australia market correct for short-run deviations from the long-run equilibrium quicker than in the China-Australia market. Reasons for such variation in adjustment speeds are discussed and we show that the results are robust to the phenomenon of airlines pre-empting demand when setting capacity.
Cytokeratin 20 and guanylyl cyclase C mRNA is largely present in lymph node and liver specimens of colorectal cancer patients

The aim of our prospective study was to detect circulating epithelial cells (CEC) indicating the presence of disseminated tumor cells (DTC) in tissues affected by lymphatic and hematogenic colorectal cancer metastasis. DTC were tracked in lymph node, liver or bone marrow samples of 245 colorectal cancer patients using 2 independent RT‐PCR assays for cytokeratin 20 (CK20) and guanylylcyclase C (GCC) that demonstrated a sensitivity of 1 colorectal cancer cell in 106 nucleated hematopoietic cells. CK20 mRNA was detected in 79% of lymph nodes, 35% of both liver lobes and 11% of bone marrow samples. GCC mRNA was found in 68% of lymph nodes, 60% of both liver lobes and 6% of bone marrow specimens. Both markers were recorded in 63% of lymph nodes, 45% of at least 1 liver lobe and 1% of bone marrow samples. There was no significant difference when comparing lymph node samples tested positive for both markers in patients with (N1/2; 65%) and without (N0; 56%) nodal involvement. The same was true when comparing the percentages of patients with and without clinically overt distant metastasis who were positive for both markers in at least 1 liver lobe (62% vs. 41%) or in bone marrow (4% vs. 0%). A score denoting the cumulative sum of tests indicating presence of CK20 and GCC mRNA in the liver was significantly related with UICC classification (p = 0.039). However, addition of lymph node results to this score decreased the correlation. The high incidence of clinically inconspicuous lymph node and liver samples tested positive for both markers emphasizes the function of these organs as primary filters for epithelial cells possibly shed from colorectal carcinomas. The potential prognostic significance of these findings warrants verification, especially regarding the importance of CEC or DTC resident in the liver of colorectal cancer patients. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Creating open source geodemographics: Refining a national classification of census output areas for applications in higher education

This paper explores the use of geodemographic classifications to investigate the social, economic and spatial dimensions of participation in Higher Education (HE). Education is a public service that confers very significant and tangible benefits upon receiving individuals: as such, we argue that understanding the geodemography of educational opportunity requires an application-specific classification that exploits under-used educational data sources. We develop a classification for the UK higher education sector, and apply it to the Gospel Oak area of London. We discuss the wider merits of sector specific applications of geodemographics and enumerate the advantages of bespoke classifications for applications in public service provision. Copyright (c) 2008 the author(s). Journal compilation (c) 2008 RSAI.
Comparing the Effects of Two In‐Flight Aerobic Exercise Protocols on Standing Heart Rates and VO2peak Before and After Space Flight

The effects of regular aerobic exercise on orthostatic tolerance have been the subject of a long‐standing controversy that will influence the use of exercise during space flight. To examine these effects, astronauts performed continuous (CE) aerobic exercise (n = 8), interval (IE) aerobic exercise (n = 4), or no (NE) exercise (n = 5) during flights of 7 to 11 days. Heart rate (HR) responses to an orthostatic challenge (stand test) were measured 10 days before flight and on landing day. V̇O2peak (graded treadmill exercise) was measured 7 to 21 days before and 2 days after flight. No significant differences across the groups were observed in standing HRs before or after flight. However, the within‐group mean HRs significantly increased in the NE (71–89 beats/min) and CE (60–85 beats/min) groups after space flight. The HRs for the IE group did not significantly increase (75–86 beats/min) after space flight. V̇O2peak decreased (P < .05) in the NE (‐9.5%) group, but did not change in the CE (‐2.4%) and IE (1%) groups. The relationship (r = 0.237) between the ΔHR and ΔV̇O2peak was not significant. These preliminary results indicate that: (1) continuous exercise does not affect the orthostatic HR response after space flight; (2) interval exercise may minimize an increase in the postflight orthostatic HR; and (3) both exercise protocols can maintain V̇O2peak.
Do we really need high-sensitivity troponin immunoassays in the emergency department? Maybe not

Abstract The diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) has challenged the minds of cardiologists, emergency physicians and laboratorists for decades. A major breakthrough has, however, occurred at the dawn of the third millennium, with development, commercialization and introduction into clinical practice of troponin immunoassays. A novel generation of these methods, conventionally defined as “high-sensitivity” (HS), has more recently emerged. These latest generation assays are characterized by improved analytical sensitivity, which would theoretically allow earlier and more efficient diagnosis of ACS. Despite the considerable amount of information gathered over the past few years about the clinical use of conventional and HS immunoassays, several doubts persist and – according to our personal perspective – the evidence that the latest generation methods would represent a real breakthrough in management of patients in short-stay units such as the emergency department is still an unresolved issue. Beside the mystifying nomenclature that characterizes several commercial tests, recent evidence suggests that the diagnostic performance of some contemporary sensitive methods would equal those of HS immunoassays for early diagnosis, serial assessment and even prognostication of patients. Conversely, the better diagnostic specificity of conventional methods may represent an advantage for triaging patients in overcrowded emergency departments. There is hence a tangible threat that the measurement of troponin with HS methods would become more or less an “expensive cholesterol of the third millennium”, and this risk must be carefully considered in a world of limited resources. So, our answer to the question if we do really need HS troponin immunoassays in the emergency department is “maybe not”.
Role of tissue growth factors in aqueous humor homeostasis

The aqueous humor supplies nutrients to the nonvascularized cornea, lens, and trabecular meshwork. A number of tissue growth factors have been detected in this fluid. The composition of these proteins changes dramatically with different ocular conditions, such as inflammation and glaucoma. In this review, an overview of new findings regarding effects of aqueous humor growth factors is given. Our main emphasis is on the regulation of the avascular anterior eye compartment, the possible role of growth factors in the pathogenesis of glaucoma, and the importance of growth factors for the special immunosuppressive status of the anterior chamber.
Enhanced HIV-1 neutralization by antibody heteroligation

Passive transfer of broadly neutralizing human antibodies against HIV-1 protects macaques against infection. However, HIV-1 uses several strategies to escape antibody neutralization, including mutation of the gp160 viral surface spike, a glycan shield to block antibody access to the spike, and expression of a limited number of viral surface spikes, which interferes with bivalent antibody binding. The latter is thought to decrease antibody apparent affinity or avidity, thereby interfering with neutralizing activity. To test the idea that increasing apparent affinity might enhance neutralizing activity, we engineered bispecific anti–HIV-1 antibodies (BiAbs) that can bind bivalently by virtue of one scFv arm that binds to gp120 and a second arm to the gp41 subunit of gp160. The individual arms of the BiAbs preserved the binding specificities of the original anti-HIV IgG antibodies and together bound simultaneously to gp120 and gp41. Heterotypic bivalent binding enhanced neutralization compared with the parental antibodies. We conclude that antibody recognition and viral neutralization of HIV can be improved by heteroligation.
Why don't producers adopt best management practices? An analysis of the beef cattle industry

Cattle producers were surveyed to determine their adoption rates and reasons for non-adoption of 16 best management practices. Potential reasons for non-adoption included unfamiliarity, non-applicability, high cost, still considering adoption, and preference not to adopt. The two most commonly cited reasons for non-adoption were unfamiliarity and non-applicability of the practice. Results highlight the importance of educational efforts in encouraging adoption, as well as farm type and financial situation of the farmer. Copyright 2007 International Association of Agricultural Economists.
Identifying key elasticities in a CGE model: a Monte Carlo approach

This article presents a simple Monte Carlo (MC) procedure to improve sensitivity analysis in Computable general equilibrium (CGE) modelling. MC experiments provide the modeller with a population of randomly drawn exogenous parameters and corresponding endogenous outcomes. Standard econometrics can then shed light on the relationship between them and help to identify key parameters, particularly key elasticities.
Analysing the platelet transcriptome

Historical studies, using Northern blot hybridization, RT-PCR and cDNA library construction have demonstrated the presence of a variety of mRNA molecules in platelets. The development of microarray technology has allowed further characterization of the transcripts represented in the platelet transcriptome. In this review, these studies will be summarized and their findings in relation to the study of platelet function and the identification of disease risk genes discussed.
Human Development and the "Explosion" of Democracy : Variations of Regime Change across 60 Societies

Recently scholars identified a global explosion of democracy as a sharply distinctive period within Huntington's Third Wave of democratization. So far the role of modernization has not been analyzed with particular regard to this outstanding phase of democratization. Given that modernization has economic as well as cultural aspects, we test two prominent theses. First, we test Przeworski/Limongi's claim that transitions to democracy do not derive from economic modernization. Using a graded measure of regime change, we present evidence to the contrary. Second, we test Inglehart's finding that modern mass attitudes play a negligable role in promoting regime change to democracy. To the contrary again, we show that one aspect of cultural modernization, mass-level liberty aspirations, has a positive impact on democratic change' even stronger than economic modernization. Third, we unfold the concept of Human Development to establish a more general argument on the causal mechanism in the modernization- democratization nexus. Our data cover 60 societies of the World Values Surveys, representing nearly 50 per cent of all regime changes in the world since 1972.
Evading Enron: Taking Principles Too Seriously in Accounting Regulation

The UK's regulators and accounting profession are at one in their assessment of why the UK avoided its Enron: the UK's approach to accounting regulation is principles-based in contrast to the rules-based approach taken in the United States. According to this position, the UK has its principles-based regulatory technique to thank for keeping the integrity of its markets intact during the infectious greed of the 1990s. This article is an inquiry into the effect and validity of this claim. It investigates the effect that this claim has had upon structuring the UK's post-Enron regulatory process and provides a close analysis of UK and US accounting regulation to determine whether the UK's regulation is in fact distinctively principles-based. It concludes that the structuring effect of the claim was considerable, diverting the reform process away from some of the US's most important Enron lessons. This is of particular concern as the article also concludes that the claim is without foundation.
The Global Efficiency of Radial Tax Reductions

Existing results on the efficiency consequences of a radial reduction in all tax and subsidy distortions in a small, competitive, open economy are extended by using revealed preference theory to analyze finite changes, rather than infinitessimal changes, and to allow both for the endogenous determination of which goods are imported, which exported, and which nontraded, and also for the possibility that a finite policy change may cause switches of particular goods among these three categories. Copyright 1991 by Economics Department of the University of Pennsylvania and the Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association.
MARKETING MARGINS IN THE MEAT SECTOR, ENGLAND AND WALES 1978–1987

The paper presents a basic analysis of price spread data for beef, lamb and pork over the period 1978 to 1987. The results are reviewed in the light of existing margin theory in order to assess how far the characteristics of price and margin behaviour today differ from those highlighted in earlier work. It is concluded that while short run behaviour is well explained, further research is required if we are to fully understand the factors influencing the longer term development of margins in the meat sector.