Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Anmerkungen zur Methodik der DSGE-Modelle

Die Kluft zwischen den professionellen Makroökonomen und der (Fach-)Öffentlichkeit ist nicht zuletzt angesichts der Finanzund Wirtschaftskrise größer geworden. Vordergründig mag dies in dem Vorwurf münden, die Makroökonomen hätten mit ihren Modellen die Krise nicht vorhergesehen, aber dies ist mehr Reflex der Unkenntnis darüber, was Modelle leisten oder eben nicht leisten können. Etwas tiefer geht der Vorwurf, die in der Forschung dominierenden DSGE (Dynamic Stochastic General Equilibrium)-Modelle seien „blutleer“, die Makro reduziere sich weitgehend auf das Hantieren mit griechischen Buchstaben, die ökonomische Intuition ginge verloren. Wenn selbst solide ausgebildete Diplom-Volkswirte die Grundmechanismen von Schocks und/oder Politikmaßnahmen nicht mehr nachvollziehen können, dann geht die Akzeptanz und damit die notwendige Bedingung für eine Umsetzung in die Wirtschaftspolitik verloren. Ziel dieses Beitrags ist es zu verdeutlichen, warum wir auf der einen Seite solche abstrakten Modelle für die Forschungsfront benötigen, warum wir aber gleichwohl im Hörsaal an dem Verwenden kleiner handlicher Modelle festhalten sollten.
RESEARCH ARTICLE: Clinical Anesthesia Causes Permanent Damage to the Fetal Guinea Pig Brain

Exposure of the immature brain to general anesthesia is common. The safety of this practice has recently been challenged in view of evidence that general anesthetics can damage developing mammalian neurons. Initial reports on immature rats raised criticism regarding the possibly unique vulnerability of this species, short duration of their brain development and a lack of close monitoring of nutritional and cardiopulmonary homeostasis during anesthesia. Therefore, we studied the neurotoxic effects of anesthesia in guinea pigs, whose brain development is longer and is mostly a prenatal phenomenon, so that anesthesia‐induced neurotoxicity studies of the fetal brain can be performed by anesthetizing pregnant female pigs. Because of their large size, these animals made invasive monitoring of maternal and, indirectly, fetal well‐being technically feasible. Despite adequate maintenance of maternal homeostasis, a single short maternal exposure to isoflurane, whether alone or with nitrous oxide and/or midazolam at the peak of fetal synaptogenesis, induced severe neuroapoptosis in the fetal guinea pig brain. As detected early in post‐natal life, this resulted in the loss of many neurons from vulnerable brain regions, demonstrating that anesthesia‐induced neuroapoptosis can cause permanent brain damage.
Dynamical System Design from Control Perspective

This talk is concerned with dynamical system design from the view point of control toward design integration, and it is divided into analysis and synthesis parts. The analysis part is focused on characterization of easily controllable systems under physical constraints in practice. The synthesis part provides a computationally tractable algorithm for designing a plant which satisfies the gain/phase properties, and the effectiveness is confirmed by several design examples.
Studies on Microorganisms in Simulated Room Environments

In an earlier report (Buchbinder, Solowey and Phelps, 1941) it was shown that both daylight and sunlight after passing through a window are lethal for streptococci maintained in a simulated room environment. Tests of the effect of diffuse daylight on one short chain strain of alpha hemolytic streptococcus yielded reproducible data which indicated a geometric death rate. Similar findings were obtained with a short chain strain of Group B beta hemolytic streptococcus. Tests on a long chain strain of Group A beta hemolytic streptococcus, however, yielded non-geometric death rates during the usual one and two'hour test periods. It was calculated from the data that daylight would destroy 50 per cent of the very short chains of the alpha hemolytic strain in 45 minutes, whereas 200 minutes would be required for the same effect on the Group A strain. This divergence in death rates, as well as the non-geometric course of death for the'Group A strain, were explained by the difference in average chain length of the two strains. It was also found that the lethal power of diffuse daylight varied with its spectral distribution and intensity. Light from clear blue skies seemed to be most effective per foot-candle, whereas that from very cloudy skies was least effective. However, 'light from cloudy skies on all but the grayest days had the greatest overall killing effect, evidently because of increased intensity due to reflection from the clouds. Direct sunlight (through glass), as might be expected, was much more lethal than daylight, the median survival time2 of the strain of alpha hemolytic strepto-
Feature Selection for Varying Coefficient Models With Ultrahigh-Dimensional Covariates

This article is concerned with feature screening and variable selection for varying coefficient models with ultrahigh-dimensional covariates. We propose a new feature screening procedure for these models based on conditional correlation coefficient. We systematically study the theoretical properties of the proposed procedure, and establish their sure screening property and the ranking consistency. To enhance the finite sample performance of the proposed procedure, we further develop an iterative feature screening procedure. Monte Carlo simulation studies were conducted to examine the performance of the proposed procedures. In practice, we advocate a two-stage approach for varying coefficient models. The two-stage approach consists of (a) reducing the ultrahigh dimensionality by using the proposed procedure and (b) applying regularization methods for dimension-reduced varying coefficient models to make statistical inferences on the coefficient functions. We illustrate the proposed two-stage approach by a real data example. Supplementary materials for this article are available online.
Fate of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella enterica in the manure-amended soil-plant ecosystem of fresh vegetable crops: A review

Abstract Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) and Salmonella enterica have been implicated in several disease outbreaks linked to consumption of fresh vegetables. Both ruminant and non-ruminant animals carry EHEC and S. enterica in their gastrointestinal tracts and can shed the pathogens in the faecal matter both in symptomatic and asymptomatic states. Application of animal waste in soil fertility management and irrigation of crops with contaminated waste water has been recognised as an important route through which EHEC and S. enterica can contaminate fresh vegetables during primary production. The behavior of E. coli O157:H7 and S. enterica in the agricultural environment has been extensively studied in the last decades. Several microbiological detection methods have been applied. This review therefore puts together current knowledge on the behavior of E. coli O157:H7 and S. enterica in the manure-amended soil-plant ecosystem of fresh vegetable crops during cultivation under various environmental conditions. The review focuses on methodological issues involved in undertaking survival studies and makes comparative analysis of experimental results obtained from studies conducted under controlled environmental conditions integrating results obtained from field experiments. Finally, a theoretical discussion on the potential likely impact of climate change on pre-harvest safety of field-cultivated vegetables is highlighted.
ST2/IL-33-Dependent Microglial Response Limits Acute Ischemic Brain Injury

ST2, a member of the interleukin (IL) 1 receptor family, and its ligand IL-33 play critical roles in immune regulation and inflammatory responses. This study explores the roles of endogenous IL-33/ST2 signaling in ischemic brain injury and elucidates the underlying mechanisms of action. The expression of IL-33 rapidly increased in oligodendrocytes and astrocytes after 60 min transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO). ST2 receptor deficiency exacerbated brain infarction 3 d after tMCAO as well as distal permanent MCAO. ST2 deficiency also aggravated neurological deficits up to 7 d after tMCAO. Conversely, intracerebroventricular infusions of IL-33 after tMCAO attenuated brain infarction. Flow cytometry analyses demonstrated high levels of ST2 expression on microglia, and this expression was dramatically enhanced after tMCAO. The absence of ST2 enhanced the expression of M1 polarization markers on microglia/macrophages, and impaired the expression of M2 polarization markers after tMCAO. In vitro studies on various types of cultures and coculture systems confirmed that IL-33/ST2 signaling potentiated expression of IL-10 and other M2 genes in primary microglia. The activation of ST2 on microglia led to a protective phenotype that enhanced neuronal survival against oxygen glucose deprivation. Further in vitro studies revealed that IL-33-activated microglia released IL-10, and that this was critical for their neuroprotective effects. Similarly, intracerebroventricular infusions of IL-33 into IL-10 knock-out mice failed to provide neuroprotection against tMCAO in vivo. These results shed new light on the IL-33/ST2 axis as an immune regulatory mechanism that serves as a natural brake on the progression of ischemic brain injury. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT This is the first study to identify the function of interleukin (IL) 33/ST2 signaling in poststroke microglial responses and neuroprotection against ischemia. Using two models of ischemic stroke, we demonstrate here that ST2 deficiency shifted microglia/macrophages toward a M1-like phenotype, thereby expanding brain infarcts and exacerbating long-term behavioral deficits after stroke. Using stroke models and various in vitro culture and coculture systems, we further characterized a previously undefined mechanism whereby IL-33/ST2 engagement stimulates the production of IL-10 from microglia, which, in turn, enhances neuronal survival upon ischemic challenge. These results shed light on endogenous IL-33/ST2 signaling as a potential immune regulatory mechanism that serves to promote beneficial microglial responses and mitigate ischemic brain injury after stroke.
Heterogeneity in alkaline phosphatase isozyme expression in human testicular germ cell tumours: An enzyme‐/immunohistochemical and molecular analysis

In humans, alkaline phosphatases are encoded by one tissue‐non‐specific alkaline phosphatase (TNAP) gene and three tissue‐specific alkaline phosphatase genes, intestinal, placental (PLAP), and germ cell‐specific alkaline phosphatase (GCAP). Although the presence of alkaline phosphatases in testicular germ cell tumours (TGCTs) of adolescents and adults has been utilized for both detection and patient monitoring, it is not known in detail which isozymes are expressed. Since alkaline phosphatase is detected in carcinoma in situ (CIS), the common precursor of all TGCTs, it might provide a marker for the early diagnosis of TGCTs. Testicular cancers of germ cell and non‐germ cell origin along with testicular parenchyma with and without CIS have been analysed for the expression of the different alkaline phosphatase isozymes. Antibodies to TNAP and PLAP/GCAP showed positivity in CIS, seminoma, and embryonal carcinoma. The heterogeneous staining pattern detected in frozen tissue sections was similar to the pattern found in formalin‐fixed, paraffin‐embedded material, indicating a biological phenomenon and not a handling artefact. Since PLAP and GCAP cannot be distinguished using immunohistochemistry, the expression of these isozymes was studied at the molecular level using a reverse transcriptase‐polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR) approach, in combination with a primer extension assay. The results show that CIS and seminoma predominantly express GCAP, while in embryonal carcinoma the expression of GCAP versus PLAP varies. Due to the presence of alkaline phosphatase transcripts in normal testicular parenchyma, an RT‐PCR‐based analysis of alkaline phosphatase is not informative for the early detection of TGCTs in biopsy samples. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Fine Needle Aspiration of Oncocytic Variants of Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumor: A Report of Three Misdiagnosed Cases

Objectives: An oncocytic variant of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PanNET) is exceedingly rare. Here we report cytomorphological features of the oncocytic variant of PanNET and discuss how to avoid diagnostic pitfalls. Study Design: A computerized search of our laboratory information system was performed over an 18-year period to identify all cytology and surgical pathology cases where a diagnosis of PanNET was made or considered in the differential diagnosis. Three cases of the oncocytic variant of PanNET were identified. Results: Endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration (FNA) smears showed cohesive clusters of large atypical cells with abundant eosinophilic granular cytoplasm, anisonucleosis, nuclear enlargement and overlapping, prominent nucleoli, and a relatively smooth nuclear membrane. Nuclei were round to oval with finely granular chromatin. Additional features included rare isolated cells and glandular formation. Some of these morphological features, such as anisonucleosis, nuclear enlargement, and overlapping, prominent nucleoli, are also commonly seen in the pancreatic adenocarcinoma. All these cases were misclassified by FNA as adenocarcinoma (2 cases) or suspicious for carcinoma (1 case) and were histologically confirmed to be oncocytic variants of PanNET. Conclusions: Useful salient features of the oncocytic variant of PanNET include abundant eosinophilic granular cytoplasm, finely granular chromatin, and relatively smooth nuclear membrane. The awareness of this variant will help to avoid misdiagnosis.
Carbon dioxide requirement of Neisseria gonorrhoeae growing on a solid medium

A survey of 120 isolations of Neisseria gonorrhoeae from male patients showed that 47 (39%) isolates were unable to produce visible colonies without a supply of exogenous carbon dioxide. Of 63 strains, 25 strains required CO2 for isolation but none exhibited a CO2 requirement beyond subculture 4. CO2-requiring strains deprived of CO2 appeared to lose their colony-forming ability exponentially in an environment otherwise conductive to growth. The CO2 requirement was found to be linked to the initiation of growth. An agar-to-agar replica-plating device was used to study the early stages of colonial growth. The CO2 requirement was also found to correlate with the various phases of the colony growth cycle, such that it was required during lag phase, not required during the phase of rapid growth, and returned as colonies aged. These results are discussed.
Time-multiplexed test access architecture for stacked integrated circuits

Due to ever-increasing gap between (1) the tester-channel and scan-shift frequencies, and (2) the wafer-level and package-level test frequencies, the tester-channel frequency is underutilized for stacked-ICs. Thus, we present a novel time-multiplexed test access architecture for SICs that complies with P1838 and it significant reduces test time, which reduction is observed on a synthetic SIC based on ITC’02 benchmark SoCs.
Nomogram for predicting lymph node metastasis rate of submucosal gastric cancer by analyzing clinicopathological characteristics associated with lymph node metastasis.

BACKGROUND To combine clinicopathological characteristics associated with lymph node metastasis for submucosal gastric cancer into a nomogram. METHODS We retrospectively analyzed 262 patients with submucosal gastric cancer who underwent D2 gastrectomy between 1996 and 2012. The relationship between lymph node metastasis and clinicopathological features was statistically analyzed. With multivariate logistic regression analysis, we made a nomogram to predict the possibility of lymph node metastasis. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was also performed to assess the predictive value of the model. Discrimination and calibration were performed using internal validation. RESULTS A total number of 48 (18.3%) patients with submucosal gastric cancer have pathologically lymph node metastasis. For submucosal gastric carcinoma, lymph node metastasis was associated with age, tumor location, macroscopic type, size, differentiation, histology, the existence of ulcer and lymphovascular invasion in univariate analysis (all P<0.05). The multivariate logistic regression analysis identified that age ≤50 years old, macroscopic type III or mixed, undifferentiated type, and presence of lymphovascular invasion were independent risk factors of lymph node metastasis in submucosal gastric cancer (all P<0.05). We constructed a predicting nomogram with all these factors for lymph node metastasis in submucosal gastric cancer with good discrimination [area under the curve (AUC) =0.844]. Internal validation demonstrated a good discrimination power that the actual probability corresponds closely with the predicted probability. CONCLUSIONS We developed a nomogram to predict the rate of lymph node metastasis for submucosal gastric cancer. With good discrimination and internal validation, the nomogram improved individualized predictions for assisting clinicians to make appropriated treatment decision for submucosal gastric cancer patients.
Cardiovascular disease risk reduction by raising HDL cholesterol – current therapies and future opportunities

Since the first discovery of an inverse correlation between high‐density lipoprotein‐cholesterol (HDL‐C) levels and coronary heart disease in the 1950s the life cycle of HDL, its role in atherosclerosis and the therapeutic modification of HDL‐C levels have been major research topics. The Framingham study and others that followed could show that HDL‐C is an independent cardiovascular risk factor and that the increase of HDL‐C of only 10 mg·L−1 leads to a risk reduction of 2–3%. While statin therapy and therefore low‐density lipoprotein‐cholesterol (LDL‐C) reduction could lower coronary heart disease considerably; cardiovascular morbidity and mortality still occur in a significant portion of subjects already receiving therapy. Therefore, new strategies and therapies are needed to further reduce the risk. Raising HDL‐C was thought to achieve this goal. However, established drug therapies resulting in substantial HDL‐C increase are scarce and their effect is controversial. Furthermore, it is becoming increasingly evident that HDL particle functionality is at least as important as HDL‐C levels since HDL particles not only promote reverse cholesterol transport from the periphery (mainly macrophages) to the liver but also exert pleiotropic effects on inflammation, haemostasis and apoptosis. This review deals with the biology of HDL particles, the established and future therapeutic options to increase HDL‐C and discusses the results and conclusions of the most important studies published in the last years. Finally, an outlook on future diagnostic tools and therapeutic opportunities regarding coronary artery disease is given.
Microbial Production of Aliphatic (S)-Epoxyalkanes by Using Rhodococcus sp. Strain ST-10 Styrene Monooxygenase Expressed in Organic-Solvent-Tolerant Kocuria rhizophila DC2201

ABSTRACT We describe the development of biocatalysis for producing optically pure straight-chain (S)-epoxyalkanes using styrene monooxygenase of Rhodococcus sp. strain ST-10 (RhSMO). RhSMO was expressed in the organic solvent-tolerant microorganism Kocuria rhizophila DC2201, and the bioconversion reaction was performed in an organic solvent-water biphasic reaction system. The biocatalytic process enantioselectively converted linear terminal alkenes to their corresponding (S)-epoxyalkanes using glucose and molecular oxygen. When 1-heptene and 6-chloro-1-hexene were used as substrates (400 mM) under optimized conditions, 88.3 mM (S)-1,2-epoxyheptane and 246.5 mM (S)-1,2-epoxy-6-chlorohexane, respectively, accumulated in the organic phase with good enantiomeric excess (ee; 84.2 and 95.5%). The biocatalysis showed broad substrate specificity toward various aliphatic alkenes, including functionalized and unfunctionalized alkenes, with good to excellent ee. Here, we demonstrate that this biocatalytic system is environmentally friendly and useful for producing various enantiopure (S)-epoxyalkanes.
La programacion economico-financiera en um sistema de currency board

La elaboración de un programa económico se encuentra condicionada por la estructura económica subyacente y por la magnitud y naturaleza de los desequilibrios económicos presentes. La elección dei régimen cambiario constituye el primer elemento del programa que debe ser definido, debido a Ia influencia que ejerce -de manera directa o indirectasobre el resto de sus componentes. Cuando las autoridades económicas deciden adoptar un régimen cambiario determinado están tomando implicitamente una decisión sobre el tipo de anda nominal que desean para la economia. En general, la optimalidad del sistema de tipos de cambio dependerá de las perturbaciones que afecten al sistema. El modelo estándar de la macroeconomia de una economia abierta (modelo Mundell-Fleming) muestra Ias limitaciones de la flexibilidad cambiaria para aislar a la economia de un shock financiero externo. Y la teoria de la elección óptima de los instrumentos de la política monetaria -basada en la extensión del análisis de Poole (1970) para una economia cerrada al caso de economias abiertassehala que un tipo de cambio fijo es preferible si la economia se ve afectada fundamentalmente por perturbaciones aleatorias sobre ia demanda de dinero, mientras que la flexibilidad del tipo de cambio es más adecuada en presencia de shocks reales -por ejemplo, fluctuaciones aleatorias de la inversión-, dado que el tipo de cambio funciona en esas circunstancias como un estabilizador automático que compensa en parte los efectos dei shock sobre la demanda de bienes.
Comparative Transcriptome Analysis of Three Oil Palm Fruit and Seed Tissues That Differ in Oil Content and Fatty Acid Composition1[C][W][OA]

Tissue-specific transcriptional regulation determines the differences in oil content and fatty acid composition of oil palm fruit and seed tissues. Oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) produces two oils of major economic importance, commonly referred to as palm oil and palm kernel oil, extracted from the mesocarp and the endosperm, respectively. While lauric acid predominates in endosperm oil, the major fatty acids (FAs) of mesocarp oil are palmitic and oleic acids. The oil palm embryo also stores oil, which contains a significant proportion of linoleic acid. In addition, the three tissues display high variation for oil content at maturity. To gain insight into the mechanisms that govern such differences in oil content and FA composition, tissue transcriptome and lipid composition were compared during development. The contribution of the cytosolic and plastidial glycolytic routes differed markedly between the mesocarp and seed tissues, but transcriptional patterns of genes involved in the conversion of sucrose to pyruvate were not related to variations for oil content. Accumulation of lauric acid relied on the dramatic up-regulation of a specialized acyl-acyl carrier protein thioesterase paralog and the concerted recruitment of specific isoforms of triacylglycerol assembly enzymes. Three paralogs of the WRINKLED1 (WRI1) transcription factor were identified, of which EgWRI1-1 and EgWRI1-2 were massively transcribed during oil deposition in the mesocarp and the endosperm, respectively. None of the three WRI1 paralogs were detected in the embryo. The transcription level of FA synthesis genes correlated with the amount of WRI1 transcripts and oil content. Changes in triacylglycerol content and FA composition of Nicotiana benthamiana leaves infiltrated with various combinations of WRI1 and FatB paralogs from oil palm validated functions inferred from transcriptome analysis.