Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Quality of Latin American Institutions

Faced with institutional competition, accelerated by the process of globalization, countries have basically two options: participate in it and get their benefits or isolate themselves and be left aside. With a few exceptions, Latin American countries have not been able to cope with competition and are lagging behind. In this article an attempt will be made to evaluate the quality of Latin American institutions in terms of macroeconomic stability and the rule of law through the building of a composite index called “Institutional Quality Index”, averaging together indexes evaluating economic and political issues, trying to capture the essence of institutional arrangements that have allowed countries to progress and showing whether Latin America’s institutions are able to compete in the world arena. It will be concluded that small countries, such as Chile and some islands on the Caribbean and Central America, get better qualifications than larger countries in the region. This may be explained by the fact that their size forces them to be open economies where contracts and property rights are enforced, since their economies would not be self-sustainable if closed. Also, the “heritage” of legal systems such as the British “common law” shows that some countries could get a better performance of justice as shown by, for example, the high qualifications of some Caribbean countries as compared to others in Latin America that inherited the legal systems of Spain or Portugal. A few recommendations follow.
[Characteristics of expression of CD44v and receptor for HA-mediated motility (RHAMM) in multi-step gastrocarcinogenesis].

OBJECTIVE To explore the potential significance of expression of CD44 and RHAMM at different stages of gastric carcinogenesis. METHODS The expression pattern of CD44 and RHAMM in non-cancerous mucosa, preneoplastic lesions and carcinomas of the stomach was examined by RT-PCR, Southern blot hybridization, immunohistochemical staining and Western blot hybridization. RESULTS Expression of CD44 v5 could be observed not only in cancers, but also in pre-neoplastic and non-cancerous specimens. CD44 v7 was commonly seen in non-cancerous lesions but its expression tended to decrease with the progression of pre-malignant phenotype. CD44 v8-v10 could only be observed in some intestinal metaplasia, dysplastic proliferation and undifferentiated carcinoma. Nevertheless, CD44 v6 was found exclusively in cancer tissues, with a positive rate of 14%. The frequency of RHAMM detection was about 10% in non-cancerous mucosa but tended to increase with tumor development, reaching an average of 74% in gastric cancers. In 80% of the invading cancer cells, RHAMM and CD44v coexpressed, or complementarily expressed. CONCLUSION Expression of RHAMM is more associated with progression of gastric malignancy. Irrespective of its low frequency, CD44 v6 is still a reliable marker of malignant transformation of gastric mucosa. Co-expression or complementary expression of CD44v and RHAMM might facilitate invasion and metastasis of gastric cancer.
Diffusion Measurements inside Biofilms by Image-Based Fluorescence Recovery after Photobleaching (FRAP) Analysis with a Commercial Confocal Laser Scanning Microscope

ABSTRACT Research about the reactional and structural dynamics of biofilms at the molecular level has made great strides, owing to efficient fluorescence imaging methods in terms of spatial resolution and fast acquisition time but also to noninvasive conditions of observation consistent with in situ biofilm studies. In addition to conventional fluorescence intensity imaging, the fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) module can now be routinely implemented on commercial confocal laser scanning microscopes (CLSMs). This method allows measuring of local diffusion coefficients in biofilms and could become an alternative to fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS). We present here an image-based FRAP protocol to improve the accuracy of FRAP measurements inside “live” biofilms and the corresponding analysis. An original kymogram representation allows control of the absence of perturbing bacterial movement during image acquisition. FRAP data analysis takes into account molecular diffusion during the bleach phase and uses the image information to extract molecular diffusion coefficients. The fluorescence spatial intensity profile analysis used here for the first time with biofilms is supported both by our own mathematical model and by a previously published one. This approach was validated to FRAP experiments on fluorescent-dextran diffusion inside Lactoccocus lactis and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia biofilms, and the results were compared to previously published FCS measurements.
Special Issue: Frontiers of Organization Science, Part 2 of 2: Identities, Genres, and Organizational Forms

In recent years, there has been an increasing emphasis within organizational ecology on identity as a fundamental basis for the conceptualization and identification of organizational forms. This paper highlights the benefits of an identity-based conceptualization of organizational forms and outlines an identity-based agenda for organizational ecology. We begin by discussing fundamental properties of organizational identity, drawing extensively from the formal-theoretical conceptualization proposed by Polos et al. (2002). We then build on this foundation by proposing a number of systematic ways in which forms can be specified and differentiated in terms of identity. We also address the challenge of measuring forms by discussing various approaches researchers may use to assess the beliefs contemporaneous audiences hold regarding organizational identities. This paper concludes with a discussion of research questions revolving around three issues core to an ecological approach to organizations: (1) the emergence of identities, (2) the persistence of identities, and (3) the strategic trade-offs among different types of identities.
New Role for Shc in Activation of the Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase/Akt Pathway

ABSTRACT Most, if not all, cytokines activate phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI-3K). Although many cytokine receptors have direct binding sites for the p85 subunit of PI-3K, others, such as the interleukin-3 (IL-3) receptor beta common chain (βc) and the IL-2 receptor beta chain (IL-2Rβ), lack such sites, leaving the mechanism by which they activate PI-3K unclear. Here, we show that the protooncoprotein Shc, which promotes Ras activation by recruiting the Grb2-Sos complex in response to stimulation of cytokine stimulation, also signals to the PI-3K/Akt pathway. Analysis of Y→F and “add-back” mutants of βc shows that Y577, the Shc binding site, is the major site required for Gab2 phosphorylation in response to cytokine stimulation. When fused directly to a mutant form of IL-2Rβ that lacks other cytoplasmic tyrosines, Shc can promote Gab2 tyrosyl phosphorylation. Mutation of the three tyrosyl phosphorylation sites of Shc, which bind Grb2, blocks the ability of the Shc chimera to evoke Gab2 tyrosyl phosphorylation. Overexpression of mutants of Grb2 with inactive SH2 or SH3 domains also blocks cytokine-stimulated Gab2 phosphorylation. The majority of cytokine-stimulated PI-3K activity associates with Gab2, and inducible expression of a Gab2 mutant unable to bind PI-3K markedly impairs IL-3-induced Akt activation and cell growth. Experiments with the chimeric receptors indicate that Shc also signals to the PI-3K/Akt pathway in response to IL-2. Our results suggest that cytokine receptors lacking direct PI-3K binding sites activate Akt via a Shc/Grb2/Gab2/PI-3K pathway, thereby regulating cell survival and/or proliferation.
Effect of dried Bacillus subtilis culture on growth, body composition and hepatic lipogenic enzyme activity in female broiler chicks

To investigate the effect of dried Bacillus subtilis culture on growth, body composition and hepatic lipogenic enzyme activity, female broiler chicks were fed on either no additive (control) or dried B. subtills-culture-supplemented commercial diets (215 g crude protein/kg, 12.85 MJ metabolizable energy/kg) at 10 or 20 g/kg diet for 28 d from 14 to 42 d of age. Body weight, and moisture, fat, protein and ash contents of the body were not influenced by the B. subtilis culture. Feed efficiency. N utilization, the ratio of abdominal fat or liver to body weight, acetyl-coenzyme A carboxylase (EC 6·4·1·2) activity, liver and serum cholesterol contents were significantly lower in treatment groups, while fatty acid synthetase activity and serum cholesterol concentration were not significantly different, compared with the control group. Liver triacylglycerol concentration was decreased in chicks given 20 g culture·kg diet, while serum and carcass triacylglycerol concentrations were significantly lower in treatment groups than in the control group. Serum phospholipid concentration was increased but carcass phospholipid concentration was decreased in chicks given 20 g B. subtilis/kg diet, while liver phospholipid concentration was not significantly influenced. The advantages of inclusion of B. subtilis to the broiler diet included improved feed efficiency, less abdominal fat, reduced triacylglycerol concentrations in the liver, serum and carcass and reduced cholesterol concentrations in the liver and carcass.
Functional Components of Fibroblast Growth Factor (FGF) Signal Transduction in Pituitary Cells

Fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) have been implicated in pituitary lactotroph tumorigenesis; however, little is known about the molecular mechanisms of FGF signal transduction. We used a transient transfection approach, in GH4 cells, to identify components of the FGF signaling pathway leading to activation of the rat prolactin (rPRL) promoter. Using dominant-negative constructs of p21Ras, Raf-1 kinase, and mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase, we show that FGF activation of the rPRL promoter is independent of Ras and Raf-1 but requires MAP kinase. Furthermore, MAP kinase but not Raf-1 kinase catalytic activity is stimulated by FGFs. The rPRL promoter FGF response maps to two Ets binding sites, centered at −212 (FRE1) and −96 (FRE2), and co-transfection of dominant-negative Ets inhibits FGF activation. FRE1 co-localizes with a composite, Ets/GHF-1, Ras response element. However, overexpression of Ets-1 and GHF-1, which potentiate the Ras response, inhibits FGF stimulation of the rPRL promoter, implying that Ras and FGF signaling pathways target distinct factors to elicit their effects. These data suggest that Ets factors serve to sort and integrate MAP kinase-dependent growth factor signals, allowing highly specific transcriptional responses to be mediated via the interaction of distinct Ets proteins and cofactors at common response elements.
Polymer-based metal coated additive manufactured V- and W-band antenna feed chain components

In this paper an additive manufactured (AM) W-band monolithic feed chain is presented. The feed chain, which consists of a corrugated horn antenna and a turnstile orthomode transducer (OMT), operates over the entire W-band (75–110 GHz) and fulfills typical RF specifications for a chosen space-borne radiometer application (RL > 20 dB, IL < 1 dB and Xpol < −30 dB). Both the OMT and the horn have been designed by exploiting the design freedom offered by AM, but also taking into account its specific technological constraints. The presented W-band design can be straightforwardly scaled to V-band.
Targeting galectin‐1‐induced angiogenesis mitigates the severity of endometriosis

Endometriosis is characterized by the presence of endometrial tissue outside the uterus that causes severe pelvic pain and infertility in women of reproductive age. Although not completely understood, the pathophysiology of the disease involves chronic dysregulation of inflammatory and vascular signalling. In the quest for novel therapeutic targets, we investigated the involvement of galectin‐1 (Gal‐1), an endogenous glycan‐binding protein endowed with both immunosuppressive and pro‐angiogenic activities, in the pathophysiology of endometriotic lesions. Here we show that Gal‐1 is selectively expressed in stromal and endothelial cells of human endometriotic lesions. Using an experimental endometriosis model induced in wild‐type and Gal‐1‐deficient (Lgals1−/−) mice, we showed that this lectin orchestrates the formation of vascular networks in endometriotic lesions in vivo, facilitating their ectopic growth independently of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and the keratinocyte‐derived CXC‐motif (CXC‐KC) chemokine. Targeting Gal‐1 using a specific neutralizing mAb reduced the size and vascularized area of endometriotic lesions within the peritoneal compartment. These results underline the essential role of Gal‐1 during endometriosis and validate this lectin as a possible target for the treatment of disease. Copyright © 2014 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Rapid stimulation of Ins (1,4,5)P3 production in rat aorta by NE: correlation with contractile state.

Rapid stimulation of Ins(1,4,5)P3 production in rat aorta by NE: correlation with contractile state. Am. J. Physiol. 264 (Heart Circ. Physiol. 33): H126-H132, 1993. --The isomeric composition of inositol phosphates generated in response to norepinephrine (NE) stimulation and the relationship of inositol phosphate production to release of intracellular Ca2+ as measured by contraction were characterized in rat aorta prelabeled with [3H]inositol. NE stimulated a rapid and transient increase in labeled D-myo-inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate [Ins-(1,4,5)P3] levels. A maximal increase in labeled Ins(1,4,5)P3 occurred within 15 s of stimulation followed by a decline to control levels at 5 min. D-Myo-inositol 1,3,4-trisphosphate [Ins-(1,3,4)P3] and D-myo-inositol 1-monophosphate [Ins(1)P] levels also increased rapidly in response to NE. In contrast to the transient production of Ins(1,4,5)P3, Ins(1,3,4)P3 and Ins(1)P production was maintained in the presence of NE. Half-maximal stimulation of Ins(1,4,5)P3 production and Ca2+ release occurred at 0.3 microM NE, and maximal effects were obtained with 10 microM NE. The concentration-response curve and time course for production of Ins(1,4,5)P3 correlated with the neurotransmitter-induced Ca2+ release from intracellular stores, indicating that the level of Ins(1,4,5)P3 regulated the Ca(2+)-release mechanism. In the continued presence of NE, the intracellular pools did not completely refill with Ca2+ despite the return of Ins-(1,4,5)P3 levels to basal at 5 min. These results demonstrate that NE stimulates a rapid increase in Ins(1,4,5)P3 that correlates with contraction in Ca(2+)-free buffer. The reuptake of Ca2+ into intracellular stores is regulated by a mechanism that may not involve Ins(1,4,5)P3.
Oral Impacts on Daily Performance in 20- to 50-yearolds Demanding Dental Care in Tehran, Iran: Association with Clinical Findings and Self-reported Health.

PURPOSE To determine the prevalence and intensity of oral impacts on daily performance in 20- to 50-year-olds attending the dental clinic at Tehran Dental School and to investigate the association between the Oral Impacts on Daily Performance (OIDP) score, self-reported oral and general health and clinical findings of oral health. MATERIALS AND METHODS The study population comprised 20- to 50-year-olds attending the dental clinic before receiving any treatments. Data were collected using questionnaire-led interviews and clinical examinations. The questionnaire consisted of a validated questionnaire of the Persian version of the OIDP index, sociodemographic characteristics and self-reported general and oral health of subjects. The number of teeth, prosthetic status and the decayed, missing and filled tooth score (DMFT) were recorded according to WHO criteria. Statistical analyses were performed by Wilcoxon test and linear regression modeling. RESULTS A total of 499 individuals participated in the study. Among the subjects, 82.6% had experienced one or more oral impacts on their daily activities, and 49.5% of impacts were reported to be of severe or very severe intensity. Eating was the performance most frequently affected (50.1%) followed by smiling (16.2%) and sleeping (11.8%). The OIDP score was higher in the participants with a lower wealth index (P = 0.015) and in those with more decayed teeth (P = 0.013). The association between self-reported oral health and OIDP score was of borderline significance (P = 0.05). CONCLUSION Oral health status has an enormous impact on the daily performance of Iranian adults attending the dental care center. More emphasis on oral health care in disadvantaged populations, particularly in countries with a developing oral health system, is required.
Factors associated with breastfeeding in England: an analysis by primary care trust

Objectives To identify the sociodemographic factors associated with variation in area-based breastfeeding in England; to calculate the predicted breastfeeding rates adjusted for sociodemographic variations. Design Ecological analysis of routine data using random effects logistic regression. Setting All 151 primary care trusts (PCTs) in England 2010–2011. Outcome measures PCT level data on breastfeeding: initiation, any and exclusive breastfeeding at 6–8 weeks. Results There was considerable variation in breastfeeding across PCTs (breastfeeding initiation mean 72%, range 39–93%; any breastfeeding at 6–8 weeks mean 45%, range 19–83%; exclusive breastfeeding at 6–8 weeks mean 32%, range 14–58%), with London PCTs reporting markedly higher rates. Maternal age was strongly associated with area-based breastfeeding, with a 4–6% increase in odds of breastfeeding associated with a unit increase in the percentage of older mothers. Outside London, the proportion of the local population from a Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) background, compared with those from a White British background, was associated with higher breastfeeding (1–3% increase in odds per unit increase in the proportion from a BME background). Area-based deprivation was associated with reduced odds of breastfeeding (21–32% reduced odds comparing most deprived quintile to least deprived quintile). Weaker associations were observed between sociodemographic factors and breastfeeding in London PCTs. Very few PCTs reported breastfeeding figures substantially above or below the national average, having adjusted for variations in sociodemographic factors. Conclusions Our results show striking associations between sociodemographic factors and breastfeeding at the area level, with much of the variation in breastfeeding rates explained by the sociodemographic profile. The sociodemographic context of breastfeeding is clearly important at the area level as well as the individual level. Our findings can be used to inform decision-making relating to local priorities and service provision.
SketchParse: Towards Rich Descriptions for Poorly Drawn Sketches using Multi-Task Hierarchical Deep Networks

The ability to semantically interpret hand-drawn line sketches, although very challenging, can pave way for novel applications in multimedia. We propose SKETCHPARSE, the first deep-network architecture for fully automatic parsing of freehand object sketches. SKETCHPARSE is configured as a two-level fully convolutional network. The first level contains shared layers common to all object categories. The second level contains a number of expert sub-networks. Each expert specializes in parsing sketches from object categories which contain structurally similar parts. Effectively, the two-level configuration enables our architecture to scale up efficiently as additional categories are added. We introduce a router layer which (i) relays sketch features from shared layers to the correct expert (ii) eliminates the need to manually specify object category during inference. To bypass laborious part-level annotation, we sketchify photos from semantic object-part image datasets and use them for training. Our architecture also incorporates object pose prediction as a novel auxiliary task which boosts overall performance while providing supplementary information regarding the sketch. We demonstrate SKETCHPARSE's abilities (i) on two challenging large-scale sketch datasets (ii) in parsing unseen, semantically related object categories (iii) in improving fine-grained sketch-based image retrieval. As a novel application, we also outline how SKETCHPARSE's output can be used to generate caption-style descriptions for hand-drawn sketches.
Budgeting and implementing fiscal policy in Italy

Abstract Forecast errors in budgetary variables are frequent. When systematic, they are a source of concern, as they signal misconduct in fiscal policymaking, undermine the government’s credibility and compromise long-term fiscal sustainability. This paper analyses the characteristics of fiscal forecasting and implementation errors in Italy using real-time data over the period 1998–2009. Several empirical methods are applied in order to identify the features of policymakers’ behaviour in preparing and implementing annual fiscal policy and to discover potential determinants in the formation of the implementation errors. Our results show that implemented budgetary plans systematically fall short one year ahead of ambitious planned adjustments for the main public finance aggregates. Fiscal illusion dominates revenue and GDP forecasting, and preliminary data releases are severely biased estimators of the final data, especially for expenditures. The role of the parliamentary session in driving a severe expenditure drift is confirmed.
Putting More Public in Policy Analysis

A persistent criticism of policy analysis is that it undermines basic democratic institutions and processes by replacing public participation with expert analysis. Many decision makers shun broader participation because of the complexity of an issue or the cost, uncertainty, and delay often associated with public involvement. This article presents a model for the systematic inclusion of public input into relatively complex public policy decisions. It outlines two determinants of success in public participation efforts: the purpose for public involvement and the nature of the issue; furthermore, it applies the model to two issues in recent Utah history that have involved public participation. Using these principles, decision makers should be able to design and implement public participation strategies that both inform the public about substantive policy questions and improve the quality of the final decision.
Czy subsydia ze wspólnej polityki rolnej UE są rentą polityczną? Próba konceptualizacji badań

According to the “induced innovation model of agricultural development” there exist mechanisms for this sector’s participation in contributing to economic development, as well as in sharing its benefits. Nonetheless, inefficiencies of the market that distort market signals, constitute a barrier of the latter process. Therefore, the so-called “surplus drainage” from agriculture takes place. The authors claim that it is possible to objectively measure a “surplus drainage” from agriculture as a result of market failure. Assuming that rural areas generate public goods (i.e. a landscape, a biodiversity, rural culture and tradition, unique food quality, food safety, food security) speculative land investors have lower willingness to contribute to its creation, than family farms. This is why agrarian policy levies more duties on them (institutional barriers) and favours farmers. The mentioned premises imply that the CAP’s subsidies should not be perceived as political rents according to its classical definition. Only a part of subsidies left after subtracting a value of “surplus drainage” and a compensation of public goods has a hallmark of the rent. A valuation of these values is an important scientific challenge.