Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Less decrease in risk behaviour from pre-HIV to post-HIV seroconversion among MSM in the combination antiretroviral therapy era compared with the pre-combination antiretroviral therapy era

Objective:To gain insight in the ongoing HIV transmission, we compared sexual risk behaviour pre-HIV and post-HIV seroconversion in 206 MSM participating in the Amsterdam Cohort Studies (1984–2008) before and after the introduction of combination antiretroviral therapy (cART). Design and methods:MSM completed behavioural questionnaires and were tested for HIV antibodies every 6 months. Trends in anal intercourse and number of sex partners from 4 years before HIV seroconversion until 4 years after diagnosis were analysed with latent class random effects logistic regression models. Results:The risk of having unprotected anal intercourse (UAI) 1 year after HIV diagnosis decreased significantly when compared with 1 year before diagnosis in both the pre-cART era [difference, 30%; 95% confidence interval (CI), 22–36%] and cART era (difference, 19%; 95% CI, 9–30%). In contrast to a continuing decrease of UAI in the pre-cART era, the probability of UAI in the cART era increased again to preseroconversion levels (61%; 95% CI, 48–74%)) 4 years after diagnosis. Conclusion:This study provides evidence that recently seroconverted MSM reduce their sexual risk behaviour following HIV diagnosis both in the pre-cART as well as the cART period. However, in the cART period this reduction in sexual risk behaviour is less and returns to pre-cART levels within 4 years. These findings not only confirm the need for early HIV testing but also make it clear that much more effort should go into identifying, counselling, and possibly treating recently seroconverted MSM who have been found to be one of the most important drivers of HIV transmission among MSM.
Regional hypermethylation and global hypomethylation are associated with altered chromatin conformation and histone acetylation in colorectal cancer

Regional DNA hypermethylation and global DNA hypomethylation are 2 epigenetic alterations associated with colorectal cancers. However, their correlation with microsatellite instability (MSI) and chromosomal instability (CIN) in colorectal cancer, and their relationship with chromatin conformation and histone modification are not clear. In this study, we analyzed regional and global methylation in 16 cell lines and 64 primary colorectal cancers. We found that MSI and CIN are 2 alternative events in most cell lines and tumors. Furthermore, regional hypermethylation and global hypomethylation are also alternative events in most cases. We also observed a strong correlation between MSI and regional hypermethylation and between CIN and global hypomethylation. We further analyzed chromatin conformation and histone acetylation in cell lines with CIN or MSI. CIN cancers had open chromatin conformation and enriched histone acetylation in repetitive as well as in gene‐specific regions. MSI cancers, on the other hand, had closed chromatin conformation and low levels of histone acetylation. After a MSI cell line was treated with 5‐aza‐2′‐deoxycytidine or trichostatin A, the closed chromatin conformation became open, and histone acetylation was enriched. These observations support our hypothesis that in colorectal cancer, regional hypermethylation and global hypomethylation are associated with altered chromatin conformation and histone acetylation, which might have a causal correlation with MSI and CIN, respectively. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Consumer Behavior, Public Policy, and Country-of-Origin Labeling

Recent work by agricultural economists has failed to adequately identify why consumers desire country-of-origin labeling, a key piece of information needed to determine whether a market-failure exists. This paper brings to the attention of agricultural economists a sizable body of literature on country-of-origin effects from the marketing and business disciplines. Based on this literature, we draw a distinction between several consumer motivations for origin labels and we identify which of these is cause for public policy. We propose several research questions that require answers if the consequences of country-of-origin labeling policy are to be fully understood.
Childhood Hearing Is Associated With Growth Rates in Infancy and Adolescence

It is known that shorter stature is associated with sensorineural hearing loss; and that cochlear development is associated with activity of IGF 1, as are many important aspects of neurodevelopment. We hypothesized that this relation might be extrapolated to a normally hearing group, and that the strongest relation between hearing level and growth rate would be in late puberty, when serum IGF-1 levels are highest. We examined the statistical relation between childhood hearing threshold and rate of growth in height at different times during the life course up to age 32. We found mixed support for the hypothesis. The strongest relations were observed in late puberty, at the ages which previous research shows are associated with the highest serum concentrations of IGF-1 in males and females, but also in infancy and early childhood. The association between hearing and height is present in a normally hearing, general population sample, and is associated with growth in late adolescence. Our findings support the idea that childhood hearing threshold may be predictive of IGF-1 mediated developmental characteristics.
BUREAUCRATIC VALUES AND RESILIENCE: AN EXPLORATION OF CRISIS MANAGEMENT ADAPTATION

The concept of resilience has gained currency as a motif under which governments have sought to improve their responses to crises. At the heart of this agenda is an understanding that crisis management must be adaptable. Yet crises continue to expose the intransigent nature of central bureaucracies. This article addresses this issue by exploring how bureaucratic values can affect the ability of agents to adapt to the challenges of crises. Data are generated from a series of interviews with crisis managers who operate in a policy chain that connects the European Union to the United Kingdom. The data indicate that two well-entrenched bureaucratic value-sets, relating to efficiency and procedural rationality, have profound consequences for the resilience agenda.
Empirical Mode Decomposition vs. Wavelet Decomposition for the Extraction of Respiratory Signal From Single-Channel ECG: A Comparison

The respiratory signal can be accurately evaluated by single-channel electrocardiogram (ECG) processing, as shown in recent literature. Indirect methods to derive the respiratory signal from ECG can benefit from a simultaneous study of both respiratory and cardiac activities. These methods lead to major advantages such as low cost, high efficiency, and continuous noninvasive respiratory monitoring. The aim of this paper is to reconstruct the waveform of the respiratory signal by processing single-channel ECG. To achieve these goals, two techniques of decomposition of the ECG signal into suitable bases of functions are proposed, such as the empirical mode decomposition (EMD) and the wavelet analysis. The results highlight the main differences between them in terms of both theoretical foundations, and performance achieved by applying these algorithms to extract the respiratory waveform shape from single-channel ECG are presented. The results also show that both algorithms are able to reconstruct the respiratory waveform, although the EMD is able to break down the original signal without a preselected basis function, as it is necessary for wavelet decomposition. The EMD outperforms the wavelet approach. Some results on experimental data are presented.
The ameliorative effect of cysteine prodrug l‐2‐oxothiazolidine‐4‐carboxylic acid on cisplatin‐induced nephrotoxicity in rats

Pathogenesis of nephrotoxicity of the synthetic anticancer drug cisplatin (CP) involves generation of reactive oxygen species and free radicals in the kidney cortex, and cysteine prodrug l‐2‐oxothiazolidine‐4‐carboxylic acid (OTC) has been confirmed to have a strong antioxidant action. Therefore, in the present work, we aimed at testing the possible protective or palliative effect of OTC on CP nephrotoxicity in rats. OTC was given at an oral dose of 150 mg/kg/day for 7 days. On day 7, some of these rats were given a single intraperitoneal injection of CP (or vehicle) at a dose of 6 mg/kg. Rats were killed, blood and urine samples were collected, and the kidneys were removed 6 days after CP treatment. Nephrotoxicity was evaluated histopathologically by light microscopy, and biochemically by measuring the concentrations of creatinine and urea in serum, reduced glutathione (GSH) concentration and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in renal cortex, and by urinalyses. CP significantly increased the concentrations of urea and creatinine (P < 0.05) by about 128% and 170% respectively. CP treatment reduced cortical GSH concentration by about 34% (P < 0.05), and the activity of SOD by about 28% (P < 0.05). CP treatment significantly increased urine volume and N‐acetyl‐β‐d‐glucosaminidase (NAG) activity, and significantly decreased osmolality and protein concentrations. OTC significantly mitigated all these effects. Sections from saline‐ and OTC‐treated rats showed apparently normal proximal tubules. However, kidneys of CP‐treated rats had a moderate degree of necrosis. This appeared to be lessened when CP was given simultaneously with OTC. The concentration of CP in the cortical tissues was not significantly altered by OTC treatment. The results suggested that OTC had ameliorated the histopathological and biochemical indices of nephrotoxicity in rats. Pending further pharmacological and toxicological studies, OTC may potentially be useful as a nephroprotective agent.
The Impact of Mapping Error on the Performance of Upscaling Agricultural Maps

Aggregation methods are the most common way of upscaling land cover maps. To analyze the impact of land cover mapping error on upscaling agricultural maps, we utilized the Cropland Data Layer (CDL) data with corresponding confidence level data and simulated eight levels of error using a Monte Carlo simulation for two Agriculture Statistic Districts (ASD) in the U.S.A. The results of the simulations were used as base maps for subsequent upscaling, utilizing the majority rule based aggregation method. The results show that increasing error level resulted in higher proportional errors for each crop in both study areas. As a result of increasing error level, landscape characteristics of the base map also changed greatly resulting in higher proportional error in the upscaled maps. Furthermore, the proportional error is sensitive to the crop area proportion in the base map and decreases as the crop proportion increases. These findings indicate that three factors, the error level of the thematic map, the change in landscape pattern/characteristics of the thematic map, and the objective of the project, should be considered before performing any upscaling. The first two factors can be estimated by using pre-existing land cover maps with relatively high accuracy. The third factor is dependent on the project requirements (e.g., landscape characteristics, proportions of cover types, and use of the upscaled map). Overall, improving our understanding of the impacts of land cover mapping error is necessary to the proper design for upscaling and obtaining the optimal upscaled map.
The Impact of the Fiscal Crisis on Greek and Portuguese Welfare States: Retrenchment before the Catch-up?

This article examines the impact of the ongoing (2008–13) economic crisis on Greek and Portuguese welfare state reforms in a comparative perspective with a particular focus on the public sector, labour markets and social protection. It is argued that the recent crisis caused ‘shock and awe’ in Greece and Portugal resulting in an unprecedented wave of cuts, tax rises and labour market reforms. In particular, public sector remuneration and jobs were cut, pensions were significantly curtailed and pension rights significantly restricted, successive tax hikes were implemented and welfare benefits became less generous and more conditional. It is argued that these reforms constitute a critical juncture and a considerable effort towards welfare retrenchment, which is which is implemented before converging with the more advanced welfare states of the EU15. Both countries appeared to be significantly more vulnerable to the crisis than the richer countries of Northern Europe (e.g. Germany, Austria, Sweden, Finland and the Netherlands) and their larger Southern counterparts (Italy and Spain). Yet, the latter had to implement similar measures, albeit in a less abrupt and extensive fashion. In other words, it may be that size is less important than economic and political power for coping with the effects of the current crisis.
The Genetic Landscape of β-Cell Proliferation: Toward a Road Map

β-Cell failure underlies much of the pathogenesis of type 1 and type 2 diabetes, and restoring β-cell mass, for example by stimulating proliferation, has been an active area of investigation. β-Cells are generally, although not universally, quiescent. Numerous studies have documented the low but nonzero replicative capacity of both rodent and human β-cells (1,2). Further, in adult rodent models, it appears that β-cell proliferation can occur in response to injury (3), nutrients (4), or pregnancy (5,6). In humans, the matter may be more complicated, with many pathways under consideration (7). Therefore, understanding what regulates β-cell proliferation could have important implications for regenerative medicine, as the mechanisms underlying this process may lead to new avenues for therapeutic intervention. Gene-expression profiling of β-cells has been challenging because islets comprise a heterogeneous cell population. Early efforts profiled intact islets without regard to cell type; for example, Affymetrix profiling of islets from pregnant mice (8,9) pointed to pathways potentially responsible for the proliferative response during pregnancy. For the most part, such a strategy is reasonable in rodent islets as they are typically composed of >80% β-cells. In human islets, however, β-cells barely make up 50% of the population. Transcriptomic analysis of individual cell types in the human islet, based on sorting cells by …
Pelleting of diet for weaning pigs of different initial weights

Physical form effect of the pre-starter diet supplied during the post-weaning period from 21 to 41 days of age on diet digestibility and animal performance in terms of zootechnical performances of light-weight (5.82kg) and heavy-weight weaning piglets (6.32kg) was evaluated, as well as the residual effects of the treatments until slaughter. Forty-eight female pigs at 21 days of age were evaluated. The experimental design was completely randomized in a 2x2 factorial scheme (meal/pelleted diet vs. light-weight/heavy-weight piglets), with six replicates for the nursery phase and 12 replicates for the growing–finishing phases. Animals received the experimental diet from 21 to 41 days of age. Data were analyzed with ANOVA, setting the significance in 5%. Feeding with the pelleted diet resulted in a 39% greater daily weight gain and a 28% greater feed conversion rate for piglets from weaning to 40 days of age. Pelleting also resulted in a decrease in feed wastage during the first week after weaning (9.15% for meal diet vs. 1.68% for pelleted diet) and; consequently, the results showed an increase in feed consumption. Digestible energy of the pelleted diet (3,626kcal kg-1) was greater than that of the meal diet (3,424kcal kg-1). The physical form improved the performance of weaning pigs and the digestibility of the pre-starter diet, but there wasn’t residual effect of the physical form and the weight of a piglet at weaning on live weight at slaughter.
Determinants of management's preferences for an earnings threshold

Purpose - Previous research has provided mixed evidence on the relative importance of three earnings thresholds that managers seek to achieve: avoiding losses, avoiding earnings declines and avoiding negative earnings surprises. The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether firm-specific factors influence management's preferences for an earnings threshold. Design/methodology/approach - Logit models are estimated to explore the relationships between firm-characteristics and management's perceptions of the relative importance of each threshold. Findings - This paper finds that: large firms, firms with high growth prospects and firms with high trading volume are more concerned with avoiding negative earnings surprises, while small firms, firms with low growth prospects and firms with low trading volume are more prone to avoid earnings declines and losses; for firms with high analyst forecast accuracy (relative to a random walk model forecast), avoiding negative earnings surprises is more important than avoiding earnings declines and losses; and firms with low analyst forecast dispersion focus more on avoiding negative earnings surprises and losses, while firms with high analyst forecast dispersion focus more on avoiding earnings declines. Overall, this paper shows that firm characteristics do affect management's perceptions of the relative importance of each threshold. Originality/value - This study recognizes the cross-sectional differences in the earnings threshold hierarchy. The results suggest that regulators and practitioners should focus on different thresholds for different types of firms when investigating the mechanisms used to achieve the thresholds.
Is Greener Whiter Yet? The Sustainable Slopes Program after Five Years

This study focuses on two basic questions: Are voluntary programs effective in promoting higher environmental performance by participant firms? If so, which distinct areas of environmental performance are more likely to be improved by firms joining a voluntary environmental program? We address these questions by assessing the environmental effectiveness of the ski industry’s Sustainable Slopes Program in the western United States between 2001 and 2005. We found no evidence in our five-year analysis to conclude that ski areas adopting the SSP displayed superior performance levels than nonparticipants for the following areas of environmental protection: overall environmental performance, expansion management, pollution management, and wildlife and habitat management. SSP participants only appear to show a statistically significant correlation with higher natural resource conservation performance rates. For policymakers, these results suggest that caution is needed before a priori assuming that strictly voluntary programs can be effective in promoting comprehensive superior environmental performance.
Optimal overlap representations

In this paper, we investigate the problem of computing minimal interval and circular arc overlap representations, and give several optimal algorithms. We show that, among other things, given an s/spl times/t interval or circular arc overlap representation matrix: a minimal interval overlap representation can be obtained with O(log(st)) time with O(st/log(st)) EREW PRAM processors, or in O(log t/log log t) time with O(st log log t/log t) common CRCW PRAM processors, or in O(1) time with O(st) BSR processors; a minimal circular arc overlap representation can be obtained in O(st) time.
Tax Reform in Latin America

IT IS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT to carry out a rational fiscal program in any developing country without some common developmental goals agreed upon by business, the public, and by the most important implementor of fiscal policy, the government. In the past, development programs in Latin America (at least those large enough to encompass fiscal reform) have not been adopted with much vigor. Most fiscal changes were made to meet some specific need or to promote or restrict some private activity and, in the words of the Economic Commission for Latin America, "fiscal policy could not be more precise than development policy. "' But fiscal policy holds a key role in any development program. Indeed, since the days of Keynes, it has been regarded as the most powerful tool of government. It has been recognized by the E.C. L.A. as the essential component for carrying out the much-needed social and economic reforms there. Specifically, fiscal policy is intimately related to the control of the volume of public and private investment (and its composition), to the quality and quantity of essential governmentally sponsored social goods and services, and to the distribution of income. In keeping with its importance to the less developed world, and in particular for Latin America, the E.C. L.A. has published under the auspices of the United Nations a "Report of the Conference on Fiscal Policy," organized by the Organization of American States, the International Development Bank, and by E.C. L.A. 's joint Tax Program, which took place in Santiago, Chile, in December, 1962. It will be the aim of this presentation to explore this report and other available sources on the topic in an attempt to synthesize and evaluate contemporary thought on tax reform.
Homomeric Interaction of AtVSR1 Is Essential for Its Function as a Vacuolar Sorting Receptor1[W][OA]

Vacuolar sorting receptors, BP80/VSRs, play a critical role in vacuolar trafficking of soluble proteins in plant cells. However, the mechanism of action of BP80 is not well understood. Here, we investigate the action mechanism of AtVSR1, a member of BP80 proteins in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), in vacuolar trafficking. AtVSR1 exists as multiple forms, including a high molecular mass homomeric complex in vivo. Both the transmembrane and carboxyl-terminal cytoplasmic domains of AtVSR1 are necessary for the homomeric interaction. The carboxyl-terminal cytoplasmic domain contains specific sequence information, whereas the transmembrane domain has a structural role in the homomeric interaction. In protoplasts, an AtVSR1 mutant, C2A, that contained alanine substitution of the region involved in the homomeric interaction, was defective in trafficking to the prevacuolar compartment and localized primarily to the trans-Golgi network. In addition, overexpression of C2A, but not wild-type AtVSR1, inhibited trafficking of soluble proteins to the vacuole and caused their secretion into the medium. Furthermore, C2A:hemagglutinin in transgenic plants interfered with the homomeric interaction of endogenous AtVSR1 and inhibited vacuolar trafficking of sporamin:green fluorescent protein. These data suggest that homomeric interaction of AtVSR1 is critical for its function as a vacuolar sorting receptor.
Global careers: a social capital paradox

Global careers, typically defined as involving multiple international relocations including various positions and assignments in several countries, have recently received increasing research attention. This interest is driven by a growing corporate need for managers who are able to deal with global integration and co-ordination in large multinational corporations. An important aspect of the competency of a global manager is his or her social capital, i.e. the network relationships he or she possesses. However, while the concept of social capital has been widely used in a number of research fields recently, it has received relatively little attention thus far in the IHRM context. This paper contributes to this research gap, and seeks to answer the empirical research question of how multiple international relocations affect the social capital of a manager. Our qualitative interviews of 20 Finnish MNC managers with global careers identified that such careers represent a ‘social capital paradox’. Global careers are characterized by a broad and diverse network of both internal and external ties. This breadth and diversity relate to (1) the managers' internal contact networks of weak ties (2) their internal support networks of strong ties and (3) their external networks of both strong and weak ties. These typical characteristics represent three major social capital paradoxes in the sense that they carry both significant social–capital-related benefits as well as potential risks.