Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Product Market Regulation in OECD Countries: 1998 to 2003

This paper describes trends in product market regulation in OECD countries over the period 1998 to 2003. The analysis is based on summary indicators of product market regulation that measure the degree to which policies promote or inhibit competition. The results suggest that regulatory impediments to competition have declined in all OECD countries in recent years. Regulation has also become more homogenous across the OECD as countries with relatively restrictive policies have, in some areas, moved towards the regulatory environment of the more liberalized countries. Within some countries product market policies have become more consistent across different regulatory provisions, although relatively restrictive countries still tend to have a more heterogeneous approach to competition. In general, domestic barriers to competition tend to be higher in countries that have higher barriers to foreign trade and investment, and high levels of state control and barriers to competition . Ce document decrit les evolutions de la reglementation encadrant les marches de produits dans les pays de l'OCDE sur la periode 1998-2003. L'analyse est basee sur des indicateurs synthetiques de la reglementation des marches de produits qui mesurent l’intensite avec laquelle les politiques favorisent ou restreignent la concurrence. Les resultats suggerent que les entraves a la concurrence resultant de la reglementation ont decline dans tous pays de l’OCDE ces dernieres annees. La reglementation est aussi devenue plus homogene a travers l'OCDE, les pays disposant de politiques relativement restrictives, s’etant rallies, dans certains domaines, a l’environnement reglementaire des pays plus liberaux. Dans certains pays, les politiques concernant les marches de produits sont devenues plus coherentes au regard des differents dispositifs reglementaires, meme si les pays relativement restrictifs ont toujours tendance a disposer d’une approche plus disparate de la concurrence. De facon .
Citric Acid Cycle Metabolites Predict the Severity of Myocardial Stunning and Mortality in Newborn Pigs

Objectives: Myocardial infarction and chronic heart failure induce specific metabolic changes in the neonatal myocardium that are closely correlated to outcome. The aim of this study was to examine the metabolic responses to noninfarct heart failure and inotropic treatments in the newborn heart, which so far are undetermined. Design: A total of 28 newborn pigs were instrumented with a microdialysis catheter in the right ventricle, and intercellular citric acid cycle intermediates and adenosine metabolite concentrations were determined at 20-minute intervals. Stunning was induced by 10 cycles of 3 minutes of ischemia, which was performed by occluding the right coronary artery, followed by 3 minutes of reperfusion. Animals were randomized for treatment with epinephrine + milrinone, dopamine + milrinone, dobutamine, or saline. Setting: University hospital animal laboratory. Main Results: Ischemia-reperfusion induced right ventricular stunning and increased the concentrations of pyruvate lactate, succinate, malate, hypoxanthine, and xanthine (all, p < 0.01). During inotrope infusion, no differences in metabolite concentrations were detected between the treatment groups. In nonsurviving animals (n = 8), concentrations of succinate (p < 0.0001), malate (p = 0.009), and hypoxanthine (p = 0.04) increased compared with survivors, while contractility was significantly reduced (p = 0.03). Conclusions: Accumulation of citric acid cycle intermediates and adenosine metabolites reflects the presence of myocardial stunning and predicts mortality in acute noninfarct right ventricular heart failure in newborn pigs. This phenomenon occurs independently of the type of inotrope, suggesting that citric acid cycle intermediates represent potential markers of acute noninfarct heart failure.
Image segmentation of an adaptive threshold algorithm using watershed transform and fuzzy c-means clustering on level set method

A new method for image segmentation is proposed in this paper, which combines the adaptive threshold algorithm, watershed transform, FCM and level set method. When using thresholding method to segment an image, a fixed threshold is not suitable if the background is rough here, we propose a new adaptive thresholding method using level set theory. The method requires only one parameter to be selected and the adaptive threshold surface can be found automatically from the original image. The watershed transform is first used to presegment the image so as to get the initial partition of it. Some useful information of the primitive regions and boundaries can be obtained. The fuzzy c-means (FCM) was used to generate an initial contour curve which overcomes leaking at the boundary during the curve propagation. FCM algorithm computes the fuzzy membership values for each pixel. On the basis of FCM the edge indicator function was redefined. Using the edge indicator function of a image was performed to extract the boundaries of objects on the basis of the presegmentation. Therefore, the proposed method is computationally efficient. Moreover, the algorithm can localize the boundary of the regions exactly due to the edges obtained by the watersheds. The efficiency and accuracy of the algorithm is demonstrated by the experiments on the images. The above process of segmentation showed a considerable improvement in the evolution of the level set function.
Buffers or Boosters? The Role of HRM Practices in Older Workers' Experience of Stereotype Threat

ABSTRACT Building on the social identity approach and the HRM literature, this two-wave cross-sectional study examined the effects of negative age-based metastereotypes on the age-based stereotype threat experience of older workers and on organizational disidentification. The moderator role of HRM practices in the relationship between negative age-based metastereotypes and age-based stereotype threat was also investigated. Older workers survey results (n = 469) from 14 manufacturing companies indicated that negative age-based metastereotypes correlate positively with stereotype threat. Moderation results showed that age-awareness HRM practices (training for older workers) reinforced age-based stereotype threat, whereas general HRM practices (recognition and respect) impaired it. The article suggests that the combination of age-based metastereotypes with a stereotype threat framework contributes to further understand older workers' beliefs and attitudes. It also indicates that to be effective, HRM practices should emphasize positive social identities older workers share with their colleagues, rather than giving older workers special treatment that may, after all, reinforce stigmatization.
Notice of RetractionThe Oxidative Stress and DNA Damage of Blood Cells Induced by Exercise Fatigue

To discuss the effect of DNA damage and its mechanism on blood cells induced by exercise fatigue. 24 male Kunming mice were randomized into four groups: control group (CG) and exercise group (EG) was subdivided to three subgroups respectively indicating as 0EG, 24EG, 48EG (N=6/group). We built up the exercise fatigue model for mice through the protocol of repeated exhaustive treadmill running and use the single cell gel electrophoresis (SCGE) to detect the DNA damage of blood cells in different groups. We also measured the changes of SOD, GSH and MDA in plasma. Our studies showed that DNA damage of OEG and 24EG were significantly higher than CG. DNA damage reached the highest at 24h and dropped to the pre-exercise level at 48h. The activity of SOD and the content of MDA in plasma of OEG and 24EG significantly increased compared with CG. Those changes in 24EG significantly decreased compared with OEG. GSH concentration in OEG reduced significantly compared with CG. Either the 24EG or 48EG of GSH did not change obviously compared with CG. Those results have leaded to conclusions that exercise fatigue can induce the oxidative injury and DNA damage on blood cells which exists some characters in different time after exercise. Exercise induced oxidative stress is one of the mechanism of DNA damage on blood cells.
Acute hypertension after nitric oxide synthase inhibition is mediated primarily by increased endothelin vasoconstriction

Objective To determine the quantitative roles played by the different vasoconstrictor systems in the acute pressor response in conscious rats before and after inhibition of nitric oxide synthase with Nw-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME). Methods In conscious male Sprague-Dawley rats, previously instrumented with aortic and venous catheters, the contributions of the different systems were assessed by maximal cumulative pharmacological blockade of α1-adrenoceptors (1 mg/kg prazosin intraperitoneally), AT1 receptors (30 mg/kg losartan intraperitoneally) and V1/V2 receptors (10 mg/kg [(β-mercapto-β,β-cyclopenta-methyl-enepropionyl1, O-Et-Tyr2-Val4-Arg8]-vasopressin per min intravenously). In addition, the contribution of endothelin-1-induced vasoconstriction in response to 100 mg/kg L-NAME intraperitoneally to the hypertension was assessed by administering 5–100 mg/kg ETA/ETB receptor antagonist PD145 065 intravenously under three different conditions: as the last step of a series of antagonists in the cumulative pharmacological blockade after having induced the L-NAME pressor response; alone before L-NAME treatment; and alone after the full development of the L-NAME pressor response. A separate group of rats was treated acutely with 30 mg/kg losartan intraperitoneally or pretreated for 3 days with 30 mg/kg angiotensin I converting enzyme inhibitor enalapril via drinking water alone or in combination with 1 % salt was used to assess the role of the renin-angiotensin system in the L-NAME-induced hypertension. Results Short-term administration of the combined ETA/ETB receptor antagonist PD 145 065 did not change the arterial pressure under control conditions. Inhibition of the reninangiotensin system, α1-adrenoceptors or vasopressin receptors alone or in combination did not alter the magnitude of the L-NAME pressor response. In contrast, our results show that both treatments before and during acute nitric oxide synthase blockade hypertension using the ETA/ETB receptor antagonist PD 145 065 abolished almost completely (approximately 85%) the pressor response. Conclusions These studies indicate that the predominant mechanism of hypertension, at least in the acute phase, after acute nitric oxide synthase blockade with L-NAME is associated with a marked increase in ETA/ETB receptor activation rather than with increases in α1, AT1 and V1/V2 receptor activation. It remains to be determined whether endothelin participates also in the chronic phase of nitric oxide-deficient hypertension.
DNA insertions in the ‘silent’ regions of the 2 μm plasmid of Saccharomyces cerevisiae influence plasmid stability

The 2 μm plasmid of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is in principle a suitable vector for expression of foreign genes, due to high copy number and extreme stability. However, the cloning of genes into 2 μm often results in a reduced copy number and/or reduced stability. One reason for this observed instability could be that the inserts in general were made in one of the several open reading frames (ORFs) of the plasmid. Therefore we studied the effect on stability of insertions in the silent regions of 2 μm without interrupting any known essential regions or ORFs. Using the SnaBI site, a yeast‐integrating plasmid (Yip5) was introduced into the region between the ARS and STB locus in two possible orientations. The resulting plasmids could be stably maintained in the cells without the need for complementation by the wild‐type 2 μm plasmid. However, the stability of these plasmids in a cir° host was still one to two orders of magnitude lower (0·2% and 0·8% respectively) as reported for the wild‐type 2 μm (0·01%). Removal of 2 kb of the bacterial sequences from Yip5 did not increase stability. The stability was dependent on the orientation of the insert. We found that in the less stable orientation, transcription originating from the insert was running into the STB region.
A Study of Undergraduate Personal Finance Courses at Public Universities in the Pacific Northwest Using an Action Research Approach

ii Dedication.iii Acknowledgments.iv Chapter 1: Introduction. 1 Background, Context, History, and Conceptual Framework for the Problem. 1 Statement of Problem.3 Purpose of the Study. 4 Research Question. 4 Rationale, Relevance, and Significance of the Study. 4 Definition of Terms.5 Delimitations and Limitations.6 Chapter 1 Summary. 7 Chapter 2: Literature Review. 8 Conceptual Framework. 13 Review of Methodological Issues. 27 Synthesis of Research Findings. 28 Critique of Previous Research. 31 Chapter 2 Summary. 32 Chapter 3: Methodology. 33 Research Question. 33 Purpose and Design of Study. 34 Research Population and Sampling Method. 38
Business-family interface and the performance of women entrepreneurs: The moderating effect of economic development

Purpose:The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationships between women entrepreneurs’ firm performance and two dimensions (enrichment and interference) of the business-family interface (BFI) in the moderating context of the level of economic development in two emerging countries – Morocco and Turkey. The enrichment perspective was operationalized as family instrumental (financial) and affective (moral) support, while interference was operationalized as gender-related personal problems.Design/methodology/approach:The study drew upon the work-family interface (WFI) theory from the family embeddedness perspective in the context of institutional economics. In Morocco, a purposive sample of 116 women entrepreneurs completed a self-administered questionnaire using field collection, mail, and phone surveying methods. In Turkey, 147 women entrepreneurs completed the questionnaire online and through personal contacts in business organizations.FindingsThe findings indicated a positive relationship of family financial support with business performance of female entrepreneurs in Morocco, a less economically advanced country. However, family moral support is related to better firm performance in Turkey, a more advanced economy. Gender-related personal problems of women entrepreneurs appear to hamper their business performance in Turkey; while in Morocco, the performance of women entrepreneurs seems to improve in the face of such impediments.Practical implications:The results provide initial evidence that female entrepreneurs benefit from the linkages of family-to-business enrichment in different ways, depending on the country’s level of economic development. In less economically developed countries, women entrepreneurs benefit more from instrumental rather than affective components of the enrichment dimension of the BFI. Conversely, in more economically advanced countries, female entrepreneurs benefit more from affective rather than the instrumental elements of this dimension. Likewise, the components of the interference dimension of the BFI affect female entrepreneurs differently depending on the economic development of the countries. Women in the less-developed country of Morocco are less impeded by their personal problems compared to their counterparts in Turkey, a more developed economy. Actually, Moroccan women entrepreneurs improved their business performance when facing obstacles, most likely due to their increased inner strength and resilience acquired when battling adversarial institutional conditions.Originality/value:The present study makes three unique contributions to the entrepreneurship literature. First, the study links the two BFI dimensions (enrichment and interference) to firm performance with an exclusive focus on female business owners. Second, within the construct of enrichment, the study employs both family instrumental and emotional support. Third, the study shows that the country’s level of economic development moderates the relationships between the BFI dimensions and firm performance.
Older Partners and STD Prevalence Among Pregnant African American Teens

Background Several recent studies have addressed the question of whether adolescent females who have sex with older partners have a greater risk of sexually transmitted disease (STD) acquisition. Goal The goal was to identify differences in STD prevalence and selected measures of behavioral risk between unmarried pregnant African American adolescent females reporting sex with older partners and those reporting sex with similar-age partners. Study Design Adolescents (n = 169) were recruited during their first prenatal visit. Adolescents completed a self-administered survey and a face-to-face interview and provided urine specimens for nucleic acid amplification assays. Results Approximately 65% of adolescents reported that their male sex partners were ≥2 years older, while 35% reported having similar-age male sex partners. In age-adjusted analyses, adolescents with older partners were four times more likely to test positive for chlamydia (P < 0.04) and were more than twice as likely to report that their partner was also having sex with other women (P < 0.04). With use of a 30-day recall period, the mean number of unprotected vaginal sexual encounters among adolescents with older partners was 4.1, as compared to a mean of 6.9 among those reporting similar-age partners; this difference approached significance (P = 0.051). Prevalence of trichomoniasis as well as scale measures of adolescents’ self-efficacy for condom negotiation and frequency of sexual communication with partners did not differ between those adolescents with older or similar-age male sex partners. Conclusion In resource-constrained clinical settings, one implication of these findings is that pregnant adolescents reporting older partners may be a priority for targeted delivery of partner services. More frequent screening for chlamydia may also be cost-effective for pregnant adolescents with older partners.
El oro como disputa: prácticas de resistencia en Marmato frente a la economía extractiva

Marmato has been a municipality with a vocation for mining exploitation. However, the Colombian State has been imposing a concept of development embodied in the advance of the mining-energy locomotive of the Santos government based primarily on Foreign Direct Investment, under a legislative framework and economic and environmental policies that respond to a model of extractive production that excludes artisanal mining and communities that have traditionally derived their livelihoods and that of their families from this type of activity. The purpose of this article is to approach the forms of resistance of the inhabitants of Marmato from the organization and social mobilization, as well as to the conflicts generated around the dynamics of territorial reconfiguration from the changes in the politics and the institutional mining in the new role of the State determined by the current model.
Local SVD/ICA for Signal Enhancement of Pre-Stack Seismic Data

We propose a data reconstruction based on a combination of migration Kirchhoff-style algorithm that migrates coefficients obtained by curvelet decomposition of seismic traces over time and a demigration scheme that generate data to the desire location. Curvelet data reconstruction involves four steps: Curvelet decomposition of the seismic data, thresholding of the resulting curvelet coefficients, multiscale Kirchhoff like migration, and demigration or data reconstruction from the multiscale images. The migration procedure applied to each curvelet scale is the same as conventional Kirchhoff migration but operates on curvelet coefficients. Since only the curvelet coefficients are migrated, the cost of curvelet-based migration is reduced compared to that of conventional Kirchhoff migration.
Association between NADPH oxidase (NOX) and lung cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND Lung cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide. Considerable studies have reported that NADPH oxidase (NOX) expression or activity may play an important role in the tumorigenesis of lung cancer. However, the results are inconsistent. Thus, a systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted in this study. METHODS A systematic search of electronic databases was performed. Statistical analysis was performed using the Comprehensive Meta-Analysis software (Version 3). The pooled Hedges's g with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) or rate ratio with 95% CIs was adopted to assess the effect size. Fixed or random effect model was separately used based on the heterogeneity between the studies. RESULTS A total of ten eligible studies were included in the current systematic review and overall meta-analysis showed that NOX/DUOX activity and mRNA were significantly in favor of lung cancer (Hedges's g =1.216, P=0.034). Suppression of NOX function by pharmacologic inhibitor or expression by siRNA resulted in significant inhibition of lung cancer cell invasion and migration in in vitro experiments (Hedges's g =2.422, P<0.001) and lung cancer formation in vivo studies (rate ratio =0.366, P=0.002). CONCLUSIONS Findings of this systematic review indicate that NOX activity and expression is associated with tumorigenesis of lung cancer and inhibition of NOX function or mRNA expression significantly blocks lung cancer formation and invasion. Suppressing NOX up-regulation or interfering NOX function in tumor microenvironment may be one important approach to prevent oxidative-stress-related carcinogenesis in the lung.
Enhanced gene targeting efficiency by siRNA that silences the expression of the Bloom syndrome gene in human cells

Gene targeting via homologous recombination is a powerful tool for studying gene function, but the targeting efficiency in human cell lines is too low for generating knockout mutants. Several cell lines null for the gene responsible for Bloom syndrome, BLM, have shown elevated targeting efficiencies. Therefore, we reasoned that gene targeting would be enhanced by transient suppression of BLM expression by RNA interference. To test this, we constructed a gene correction assay system to measure gene targeting frequencies using a disrupted hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase (HPRT) locus in the human HT1080 cell line, and examined the effect of small interfering RNA (siRNA) for BLM on gene targeting. When HPRT‐null cells pretreated with BLM siRNA were co‐transfected with the siRNA and a gene correction vector, the gene targeting frequency was elevated three‐fold, while the random integration frequency was marginally affected. Remarkably, in BLM heterozygous (+/–) cells derived from HPRT‐null cells, the BLM siRNA treatment gave more than five‐fold higher targeting frequencies, even with one‐tenth the amount of BLM siRNA used for BLM+/+ cells. Furthermore, in the human pre‐B cell line Nalm‐6, the siRNA treatment enhanced gene targeting 6.3‐fold and > 5.8‐fold at the HPRT and adenine phosphoribosyltransferase (APRT) loci, respectively. These results indicate that transient suppression of BLM expression by siRNA stimulates gene targeting in human cells, facilitating a further improvement of gene targeting protocols for human cell lines.