Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Privatization of Stock Exchanges: The Case of Stockholm Stock Exchange

Stock exchanges will soon have to face a much more complex, demanding and competitive environment in the financial sector changing at a rapid pace. The main driving forces of this development will be the growing power of the fund managers of the large institutions managing the pension capital of the world, the continuing financial deregulation, and the widespread use of sophisticated technology. In such an environment, stock exchanges will initiate efforts towards privatization in order to strengthen their competitive powers and we will witness mergers of stock exchanges. As a pioneer in this respect, the Stockholm Stock Exchange provides a good example due to its high performance. The present article covers the development process of the Stockholm Stock Exchange and in particular, the privatization phase of it. The developments which led to the decision to privatize, the steps towards privatization and the results thereof are examined in this article in detail.
JuncDB: an exon–exon junction database

Intron positions upon the mRNA transcript are sometimes remarkably conserved even across distantly related eukaryotic species. This has made the comparison of intron–exon architectures across orthologous transcripts a very useful tool for studying various evolutionary processes. Moreover, the wide range of functions associated with introns may confer biological meaning to evolutionary changes in gene architectures. Yet, there is currently no database that offers such comparative information. Here, we present JuncDB (http://juncdb.carmelab.huji.ac.il/), an exon–exon junction database dedicated to the comparison of architectures between orthologous transcripts. It covers nearly 40 000 sets of orthologous transcripts spanning 88 eukaryotic species. JuncDB offers a user-friendly interface, access to detailed information, instructive graphical displays of the comparative data and easy ways to download data to a local computer. In addition, JuncDB allows the analysis to be carried out either on specific genes, or at a genome-wide level for any selected group of species.
Determinants and Socioeconomic Impact of Remittances between Bangladesh and Italy: A Multivariate Analysis of Religion of Rural Households

This paper analyses the influence of religious differences amongst 10 villages on the remittance determinants and their socioeconomic impacts in remittance-receiving households in rural Bangladesh. Using micro-economic data from a survey conducted in 2013, multivariate analysis was carried out on 300 rural households. The empirical findings show that the remittance determinants (migrant age, marital status and number of visits; household head age, marital status and employment status) and impacts (saving and investment patterns) vary from religion to religion at the same community level of the households. The study suggests that the strong religious differences in the remittance behaviour of Bangladeshi households and highlights the importance of differentiating religious backgrounds when analysing the determinants of remittances.
The Phosphatase Src Homology Region 2 Domain-Containing Phosphatase-1 Is an Intrinsic Central Regulator of Dendritic Cell Function

Dendritic cells (DCs) initiate proinflammatory or regulatory T cell responses, depending on their activation state. Despite extensive knowledge of DC-activating signals, the understanding of DC inhibitory signals is relatively limited. We show that Src homology region 2 domain-containing phosphatase-1 (SHP-1) is an important inhibitor of DC signaling, targeting multiple activation pathways. Downstream of TLR4, SHP-1 showed increased interaction with several proteins including IL-1R–associated kinase-4, and modulated LPS signaling by inhibiting NF-κB, AP-1, ERK, and JNK activity, while enhancing p38 activity. In addition, SHP-1 inhibited prosurvival signaling through AKT activation. Furthermore, SHP-1 inhibited CCR7 protein expression. Inhibiting SHP-1 in DCs enhanced proinflammatory cytokines, IL-6, IL-12, and IL-1β production, promoted survival, and increased DC migration to draining lymph nodes. Administration of SHP-1–inhibited DCs in vivo induced expansion of Ag-specific cytotoxic T cells and inhibited Foxp3+ regulatory T cell induction, resulting in an enhanced immune response against pre-established mouse melanoma and prostate tumors. Taken together, these data demonstrate that SHP-1 is an intrinsic global regulator of DC function, controlling many facets of T cell-mediated immune responses.
Die internationale Regulierung geistiger Eigentumsrechte und ihr Einfluss auf den Wissenserwerb in Entwicklungsländern

The TRIPS-Agreement under the umbrella of the World Trade Organization (WTO) forms a cornerstone in the international regulation of intellectual property rights protection. The agreement leads to an international strengthening of intellectual property rights by binding developing countries to adhere to protection standards common in industrialized countries. The study at hand answers the question how the international strengthening of intellectual property rights influences the creation and use of technology in developing countries. Analyzing theoretical and empirical work leads to the conclusion that the international regulation of intellectual property rights protection should be regarded critically. It leads to a significant transfer of innovation rents from developing to industrialized countries since developing countries can no longer use technology at marginal prices as free riders. The implied static welfare losses can be compensated in advanced developing countries by new technologies that will be transferred to the country via contractual channels (Foreign Direct Investment or markets for technology). On the other hand, less developed countries with weak technological capacities will rather be harmed even in the long run. This result is not in the long-term interest of industrialized countries and contradicts important political declarations of intent like the Millennium Development Declaration. The study at hand sheds light on this reasoning by using the pharmaceutical sector as a special case where intellectual property rights protection causes visible conflicts that have to be dealt with.
Introduction: Capital Budgeting in the States After the Great Recession

Everyone who works in or studies state and local government knows about the importance of budgets. For example, an operating budget that uses authorized expenditures from the current fiscal year’s revenues to pay the compensation and benefits budgeted and then incurred for a jurisdiction’s police officers is a familiar process to most students of state and local government. Yet of equal importance, but of less familiarity to many students of government is the capital budgeting process in which a state or local jurisdiction might use current revenues to construct a highway, a parking garage, or other infrastructure. For many, capital budgeting is the real meat of local government spending because it creates permanent and tangible rather than transitory and intangible results. In general, thinking about budgeting in the public sector is both useful and imperative. When times are good for state governments and localities, figuring out what to spend revenues on is important as a matter both of government—making sure that taxation and representation are linked—and of governance— deciding who will have what responsibilities both within government and among the public and private sectors. When times are not so robust economically, as has been the case in the United States since 2008, decisions on what is purchased and paid for by public sector revenue is of even greater importance, because revenues are either flat or falling and the opportunity costs of choices is high. Consequently, choices about spending on permanent, capital items for which opportunity costs are even greater than for operating outlays needs even closer scrutiny. Even in private sector firms, these choices can be poorly made if not carefully scrutinized and lead to over investment when capital performance is low and under investment when high (Harris and Raviv 1996).
Enhancing Patients' Trust in the Virtual Home Healthcare Nurse

Typically, patients develop trusting relationships with their nurses through a variety of face-to-face, often hands-on, interpersonal interactions that convey the nurse's ability, integrity, and benevolence. However, in telehome care, face-to-face interaction is limited, so nurses must learn to use different strategies to convey those professional characteristics that promote patients' trust. This study explores the nature of trust and the way it develops, and suggests strategies that can be used by telehome care nurses to counter any barriers to trust imposed by the technology.
Characterization of the Acetate‐Producing Pathways in Escherichia coli

Although the bacterium E. coli is chosen as the host in many bioprocesses, the accumulation of a common byproduct, acetate, is often problematic. Acetate, when present at high levels, will inhibit both cell growth and recombinant protein productivity. In addition, products derived from the central aerobic metabolic pathway often compete with the acetate‐producing pathways poxB and ackA‐pta for glucose as the substrate. As such, a significant portion of the glucose may be excreted as acetate, wasting substrate that otherwise could have been used for the desired product. We have created mutant E. coli strains with a deletion of either the poxB or the ackA‐pta pathway. These two strains, along with the wild‐type strain, have been studied in batch reactors over a 12 h time period, at pH 7.0 and 6.0. The wild‐type strain has also been studied using glucose as the carbon source. Data were collected to correlate cellular growth, extracellular metabolite production, enzyme activity, and gene expression. Results show that the ackA‐pta pathway dominates in exponential phase, and the poxB pathway dominates in stationary phase. The ackA‐pta pathway is repressed in acidic environments, whereas the poxB pathway is activated.
The New Imperative of Innovation: Policy Perspectives for Latin America and the Caribbean

The main purpose of this study is to present the conceptual basis that supports science, technology, and innovation (STI) policy in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). It starts by clarifying STI relationship, both conceptual and empirical, to economic growth and it explains how market and coordination failures hinder innovation. Then, it discusses a variety of demand- and supply-side policies aimed at addressing these private sector and institutional insufficiencies. In the specific case of LAC, it examines the region's underperformance in innovation relative to both emerging and advanced economies, and analyses the degree to which scientific productivity and knowledge inputs have led to accelerated economic development. Finally, the publication presents five dimensions of success for STI policies based on international best practices that should stimulate innovation and economic growth and guide the IDB's work in STI in the region.
A Cross-National Analysis of Economic Voting: Taking Account of the Political Context

A large literature has demonstrated that such economic factors as growth, inflation, and unemployment affect the popularity of incumbents within many democratic countries. However, cross-national aggregate analyses of "economic voting" show only weak and inconsistent economic effects. We argue for the systematic incorporation of political factors that shape the electoral consequences of economic performance. Multivariate analyses of 102 elections in 19 industrialized democracies are used to estimate the cross-national impact of economic and political factors. The analyses show that considerations of the ideological image of the government, its electoral base, and the clarity of its political responsibility are essential to understanding the effects of economic conditions on voting for or against incumbents.
Effects of dietary cholesterol and fat on serum non-cholesterol sterols according to different apolipoprotein E subgroups among healthy men

The impact of apo E phenotypes on applicability of relative cholesterol synthesis (lathosterol:cholesterol) and absorption (ratios of cholestanol, campesterol and sitosterol to cholesterol) during diets of various cholesterol and fat content is unclear. We examined and compared with each other both relative and absolute synthesis and absorption among twenty-nine men, of whom eight, nine and twelve had apo E phenotypes 2 (2/2, 2/3, 2/4), 3 (3/3) and 4 (3/4, 4/4), respectively. Serum lipids, lipoproteins, sterols and cholesterol metabolism were examined on four subsequent diets: high-cholesterol high-fat (home diet; HD), low-cholesterol low-fat (LCLF), high-cholesterol low-fat (HCLF) and low-cholesterol high-fat (LCHF). LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C) level was about 40 % lower (P < 0·05) in apo E2 than apo E3 and E4 groups irrespective of dietary fat and cholesterol. Serum proportions of phytosterols were determined apo E-dependently on LCLF and HCLF, and those of lathosterol, cholestanol and campesterol were increased in apo E2 and E3 groups (P < 0·05 for each v. HD). Serum proportion of sitosterol reflected almost consistently apo E phenotype (r range+0·308 to+0·383; P range 0·214–0·011). Relative cholesterol synthesis and absorption reflected respective absolute values during each diet in the apo E4 group (r range+0·713 to+0·893; P < 0·05 for each), but only during HD (r+0·594; P = 0·015) in the apo E2+E3 group. The consumption of a high amount of fat did not interfere with cholesterol metabolism or serum levels of LDL-C differently in apo E phenotypes. Surrogate sterol markers of cholesterol metabolism reflected absolute ones (especially in the apo E4 group) and apo E phenotypes despite variable amounts of dietary cholesterol and fat.
Baicalin protects neonatal rat brains against hypoxic-ischemic injury by upregulating glutamate transporter 1 via the phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B signaling pathway

Baicalin is a flavonoid compound extracted from Scutellaria baicalensis root. Recent evidence indicates that baicalin is neuroprotective in models of ischemic stroke. Here, we investigate the neuroprotective effect of baicalin in a neonatal rat model of hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy. Seven-day-old pups underwent left common carotid artery ligation followed by hypoxia (8% oxygen at 37°C) for 2 hours, before being injected with baicalin (120 mg/kg intraperitoneally) and examined 24 hours later. Baicalin effectively reduced cerebral infarct volume and neuronal loss, inhibited apoptosis, and upregulated the expression of p-Akt and glutamate transporter 1. Intracerebroventricular injection of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K/Akt) inhibitor LY294002 30 minutes before injury blocked the effect of baicalin on p-Akt and glutamate transporter 1, and weakened the associated neuroprotective effect. Our findings provide the first evidence, to our knowledge that baicalin can protect neonatal rat brains against hypoxic-ischemic injury by upregulating glutamate transporter 1 via the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.
Contribution of Myoglobin-Induced Increases in Vascular Resistance to Shock Decompensation in Experimental Crush-Syndrome in Anesthetized Rats

Myoglobin is known to become nephrotoxic when released in greater amounts from skeletal muscle into the general circulation during shock. The present study deals with the question as to whether a myoglobin-induced increase in vascular tone additionally contributes to the detrimental role of this protein in hypovolemic shock. Anesthetized rats were subjected to 250 mg·kg−1·h−1 myoglobin infused i.v. during hemorrhagic hypotension of 50 mmHg. Shock survival time was measured, as were blood flow and vascular resistance in kidney, intestine, brain, and heart, using the microsphere method. Rats subjected to only myoglobin or hemorrhage survived a period of >120 min; in contrast, rats, exposed to both myoglobin and hemorrhage died at 68 ± 9 min. When the animals subjected to only hemorrhage and to myoglobin/hemorrhage were compared, significantly lower values were found in the latter group with respect to blood flow in the kidney (1.7 ± 0.1 vs. 0.2 ± 0.05 ml·min−1·g−1), small intestine (1.0 ± 0.1 vs. 0.5 ± 0.1 ml·min−1·g−1), cardiac output (112 ± 5 vs. 62 ± 10 ml−1·min−1·kg−1), and significantly higher values of total peripheral vascular resistance (0.45 ± 0.02 vs. 0.81 ± 0.12 mmHg·min·ml−1·kg) at 50 min of hypotension. It is assumed that these effects of myoglobin are induced by its ability to scavenge endogenous nitric oxide, because a modified, non-nitrosylable myoglobin was unable to induce such effects. The results support the view that a pathological release of myoglobin into the general circulation causes increases in vascular resistance of vital organs that may contribute to decompensation of tissue supply when occurring in hypovolemic shock.
The end of the honeymoon: The increasing differentiation of (long-term) unemployment risks in Europe

This article discusses the changing social distribution of unemployment and long-term unemployment risks during the current financial and economic crisis. These risks are interpreted as the result of three different, overlapping forms of labour market segmentation: first, the institutionally stabilized polarization between labour market insiders and outsiders; second, the occupational dualization of high- and low-skilled employees and occupations; and third, the marginalization of disadvantaged social groups. On the basis of European Union-Survey on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC) data for 24 European countries (2005–2012), it can be shown that (long-term) unemployment risks increase especially for low-skilled persons and occupations, single parents, migrants and disabled persons. Women, older and permanently employed persons are relatively less affected by short-term unemployment but more affected by long-term unemployment. Hence, the current crisis strengthens the occupational and social dualization of labour markets, endangering the inclusiveness and long-term growth potential of the European economy and societies.
To have and have not: Health and health care disparities in chronic kidney disease.

A 50-year-old African American man came to the emergency room complaining of substernal chest discomfort over the past 2 months, as well as anorexia, general malaise, and decreased urinary frequency over the past 2 weeks. The patient stated that his chest pain lasted 2 to 3 minutes; did not radiate to the neck, jaw, or shoulder; was precipitated by lifting heavy objects; and did not occur at rest. He admitted to mild shortness of breath when walking up the stairs at home. He noted that for 2 weeks, he had been feeling exhausted and had had poor appetite, weight loss, and less frequent urination than usual. The patient had last seen a physician 4 years ago at an urgent care facility for a pilonidal cyst abscess. Five years prior to that, he had been told by a primary care physician that he had hypertension. He was treated with an unknown medication and, after a follow-up visit, was told that his blood pressure was normal. He has no other known history of cardiovascular or renal disease. He takes no medications. He lost his job as a cook and the health insurance that the job provided; he now says that he is unable to continue seeing the physician. He completed high school, is married, and works as a taxi driver as well as at a local farmers market on weekends. His father had hypertension and died suddenly at age 55. His mother is 71 and has diabetes. He has one older brother who
Socioeconomic Class of Brazilian Cities for Health, Education and Employment & Income IFDM: A Clustering Data Analysis

The FIRJAN system, through the simple average of three basic aspects of development, Employment & Income, Education and Health, calculates an index, the IFDM, to sort the city into four categories in order to assist the government in public policies. However, the simple average of these three aspects and the classification of the cities in four categories, as previously defined, may not actually represent natural groups that these cities are included. Therefore, by means of an unsupervised classification, such as the clustering data analysis, it is proposed to examine whether there are natural groupings of cities the basic aspects mentioned. For this, we used the hierarchical method WARD and the non-hierarchical k-means method, with the criteria of validation width silhouette (SWC) and sum of squared errors (SSE) to find groups of municipalities in three basic aspects of development. For validated statistically were used Monte Carlo analysis width criterion of silhouette, under the null hypothesis that the data were random. With significance level 5%, was rejected H0, thus indicating there is strong evidence of the existence of natural groups. We identified two as the best number of groups and, after analyzing the percentage of cities in each Brazilian state are in group 1 and 2; it was possible to validate the resulting grouping of prior knowledge of the development of each region of the country. We also identified two subgroups found in each of the groups resulting, therefore, in four representative categories. The subgroups also went through the same analysis that the groups.
Estimating the Compliance Costs of Australia's Carbon Pricing Scheme

A questionnaire postal survey of 351 Australian emitting entities was undertaken in April/May 2013, sent to each entity's Chief Financial Officer, with 27 usable responses. The main finding is that Australia's carbon pricing scheme in 2012-13 imposed overall (indicative) mean tax compliance costs of (around) $456,000, composed of start-up costs of $402,000 (88 per cent) and recurrent costs of $54,000 (12 per cent). The tax compliance costs of Australian carbon pricing, including in terms of pertinent factors (such as per liable emitting site, tax paid and hypothetical 'compensation') and basic entity characteristics (such as legal entity, location and size), are analysed and discussed. Expressed on a per liable emitting site basis and subject to certain caveats, the Australian estimates of the compliance costs of carbon pricing are broadly comparable to those in Germany, the only country for which comparable data is available. A comparison of the main findings of this research in terms of previous tax compliance costs studies worldwide is undertaken. This article should be seen as an initial step towards a better understanding of carbon pricing compliance costs that have been neglected by governments and researchers worldwide to date.