Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Adding Space to the International Business Cycle

Growth fluctuations exhibit substantial synchronization across countries, which has been viewed as reflecting a global business cycle driven by shocks with worldwide reach, or spillovers resulting from local real and/or financial linkages between countries. This paper brings these two perspectives together by analyzing international growth fluctuations in a setting that allows for both global shocks and spatial dependence. Using annual data for 117 countries over 1970-2016, the paper finds that the cross-country dependence of aggregate growth is the combined result of global shocks summarized by a latent common factor and spatial effects accruing through the growth of nearby countries -- with proximity measured by bilateral trade linkages or geographic distance. The latent global factor shows a strong positive correlation with worldwide TFP growth. Countries' exposure to global shocks rises with their openness to trade and the degree of commodity specialization of their economies. Despite its simplicity, the empirical model fits the data well, especially for advanced countries. Ignoring the cross-country dependence of growth, by omitting spatial effects or common shocks (or both) from the analysis, leads to a marked deterioration of the empirical model's in-sample explanatory power and out-of-sample forecasting performance.
Overexpression of wild‐type RhoA produces growth arrest by disrupting actin cytoskeleton and microtubules

We have investigated the role of Rho GTPase in cell growth by generating stable cells that express the wild‐type RhoA (RhoAwt) under the control of an inducible promoter. Induction of RhoAwt had a biphasic effect on the actin cytoskeleton. At low levels of expression, RhoAwt stimulated the assembly of actin stress fibers without affecting cell growth. At high levels, there was a paradoxical disruption of the actin cytoskeleton accompanied by a growth arrest. Cell cycle analysis revealed a dual block at the G1/S and G2/M checkpoints. The G1/S arrest correlated with the accumulation of p21Cip1, resulting in the inhibition of cdk2 activity, whereas the G2/M block correlated with the loss of microtubules. The cyclin B level and the cdc2 kinase activity, however, were increased, suggesting that the progression through mitosis rather than entry into the G2/M is defective when RhoAwt is overexpressed. Similar cell cycle defects and the loss of microtubules were observed after a cytochalasin D treatment, indicating that the ability of RhoA to regulate the integrity of actin cytoskeleton may be critical for the cell cycle transition through both the G1/S and M phase checkpoints. J. Cell. Biochem. 80:229–240, 2000. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Volatile Anesthetics Depress Glutamate Transmission Via Presynaptic Actions

Background Recent evidence for a presynaptic depression of glutamate release produced by volatile anesthetics prompted the current study of isoflurane and halothane effects on glutamate‐mediated transmission in the mammalian central nervous system. Methods Electrophysiologic recordings from CA1 neurons in rat hippocampal brain slices were used to measure anesthetic effects on glutamate‐mediated excitatory postsynaptic potential (EPSP) amplitudes and paired pulse facilitation. Paired pulse facilitation is known to be altered when the calcium‐dependent release of glutamate is depressed, but not when EPSP amplitudes are depressed by postsynaptic mechanisms. Results Isoflurane depressed EPSP amplitudes over a concentration range of 0.35–2.8 vol %, with a 50% depression (EC50) occurring at 1.0 vol % (0.71 rat minimum alveolar concentration). This depression was accompanied by an increase in paired‐pulse facilitation of approximately 30% at 1.7 vol %, using interpulse intervals of 120 ms. Halothane depressed EPSP amplitudes in a concentration‐dependent manner (0.3–2.4 vol %, EC50 = 1.1 minimum alveolar concentration; 1.3 vol %) and also increased facilitation by approximately 20% at 1.2 vol %. These effects persisted in the presence of 10 micro Meter bicuculline, indicating that enhanced gamma‐aminobutyric acid‐mediated inhibition was not involved. The anesthetic‐induced increase in facilitation and EPSP depression was mimicked by lowering extracellular calcium, which is known to depress glutamate release at these synapses. The postsynaptic glutamate receptor antagonist 6‐cyano‐7‐nitroquinoxaline‐2,3‐dione depressed EPSP amplitudes with no change in facilitation. Conclusions Our results confirm earlier findings that clinically relevant concentrations of volatile anesthetics depress glutamate‐mediated synaptic transmission. The observed increases in synaptic facilitation support recent findings from biochemical and electrophysiologic studies indicating presynaptic sites of action contribute to anesthetic‐induced depression of excitatory transmission. This anesthetic‐induced reduction in glutamate release would contribute to the central nervous system depression associated with anesthesia by adding to postsynaptic depressant actions on glutamate receptors.
Can Consumers Interpret Nutrition Information in the Presence of a Health Claim? A Laboratory Investigation

The authors report the results of a laboratory experiment that investigates whether consumers can evaluate nutrition information in the presence of a health claim. Results show that both health claims and nutrition information influence beliefs about product healthfulness. However, health claims do not influence the processing of nutrition information on a food label. Rather, health claims and nutrition information have independent effects on consumer beliefs. The authors discuss the implications of these findings for the Food and Drug Administration policy on limiting health claims.
Impairments and comorbidities of polyneuropathy revealed by population-based analyses

Objective: To quantify polyneuropathy impairments and comorbidities utilizing the Rochester Epidemiology Project (2010 census = 148,201). Methods: ICD-9-CM coding identified polyneuropathy cases (2006–2010) and their 5:1 age- and sex-matched controls. Mortality and impairments were evaluated while identifying and adjusting for Charlson Index comorbidities. Results: Overall prevalence of polyneuropathy was 1.66%, and markedly rose to 6.6% in persons older than 60 years. Cases (n = 2,892) had more comorbidities than controls (n = 14,435) with higher median Charlson Index (6 vs 3, p < 0.001). Diabetes with end-organ disease represented the largest increased comorbidity in cases compared with controls (46.8% vs 6.5%). Diabetic polyneuropathy was the most common specific subtype (38.2%). Miscoded idiopathic cases and false-negative controls also commonly had diabetic polyneuropathy. Median modified Rankin Scale score was considerably higher for cases than controls (4 vs 1, p < 0.001). Multiple comorbidities were found associated with polyneuropathy after adjusting for diabetes co-occurrence, including pulmonary disease, dementia, and others. Polyneuropathy was an independent contributor to multiple functional impairments including difficulty walking (odds ratio [OR] = 1.9), climbing stairs (OR = 2.0), using an assistive device (OR = 2.0), fall tendency (OR = 2.4), work disability (OR = 4.2), lower limb amputations (OR = 3.9), and opioid use (OR = 2.7). Prevalent cases had a younger median age at death than controls (80 vs 86 years, p < 0.001), and incident cases had a 6-month shorter survival. Conclusions: Polyneuropathies have notable neurologic impairments beyond their identified multiple comorbidities. Life expectancy is shortened. Diabetic polyneuropathy is underidentified. The quantified extent of the disease burden and refined comorbidity associations emphasize that greater research efforts and health care initiatives are needed.
The Dynamic Roots of School Leaders’ Twitter Use

Some postulate that social media tools, such as Twitter, might be used to support educator professional learning. Drawing upon interviews and tweets from 17 school administrators, this study examined the factors and consequences of administrators’ Twitter use. It finds that administrators’ understandings and uses of Twitter changed over time, subject to influences such as interactions with colleagues, one's sense of online visibility, and abilities to develop workarounds for Twitter's limitations. The discussion explores issues relating to the future of educators’ social media use, as well as how to theorize about the implementation and adoption of technologies in education.
Trade Liberalisation, Growth, Employment and Poverty in Bangladesh

The impact of trade liberalisation on growth, poverty and inequality is a much debated and controversial issue. Theoretically, trade liberalisation results in productivity gains through increased competition, efficiency, innovation and acquisition of new technology. Trade policy works by inducing substitution effects in the production and consumption of goods and services through changes in prices. These effects, in turn, change the level and composition of exports and imports. In particular, the changing relative prices induced by trade liberalisation cause a re-allocation of resources from less efficient to more efficient uses. Trade liberalisation is also thought to expand the set of economic opportunities by enlarging the market size and increasing the effects of knowledge spill over. These are the key theoretical components of the effects of trade liberalisation, which together induce growth of output and consequent poverty alleviation. However, empirical evidences to support these theoretical propositions are far from conclusive. In the context of Bangladesh economy there are disagreements among the economists and policy makers regarding this issue. Though, the international financial institutions, such as the World Bank and the IMF have been consistently pursuing that trade liberalisation in Bangladesh is conducive for achieving high economic growth and for alleviating poverty, such claims are not endorsed by all economists in the country. Against this backdrop the objectives of the research are to conduct an assessment of trade liberalisation in Bangladesh and to examine the impact of trade liberalisation on employment, poverty and growth in Bangladesh.
Market Regimes, Investor Sentiment And Stock Classification=Excess Return

There are a number of papers studying on factors that affect stock returns. For forty years, the researchers have tested all of macroeconomic and firm specific factors theoretically and empirically in developed and developing markets. But the results are inconsistent with theories and models based on these theories. For this reason, there have been new concepts to explain stock returns as investor sentiment. Previously, these concepts are used explaining anomalies of efficient market hypothesis. But it has seemed that these concepts explain not only anomalies but also market regimes. In this paper, I investigate whether three factors (market regimes, stock classification and investor sentiment) explain stock’s excess return or not. I classify stocks via market based indicators; Book to Market (B/M) ratio and Return on Equity (ROE), and I suggest that market has two regimes and determine these regimes using Markov Process. Finally, I test my hypothesis that different stock classification and being in different market regimes effect on investor sentiment which is thought to determine stock excess return? I find that all of factors in this paper determine sock excess return strongly.
The Impact of rs3762271 and rs930557 Polymorphisms of ASPM and MCPH1 Genes on the Anatomy and Function of the Brain

The ASPM and MCPH1 genes are involved in early neurogenesis and are thus potential candidates for affecting the formation of the anatomical and functional characteristics of the brain. However, the results of studies to date have been conflicting, an issue for which the factor of ethnicity may be responsible. We aimed to examine whether the rs3762271 and rs930557 polymorphisms of these two genes can influence brain anatomy and function. We enrolled 97 Caucasian neonates, with males predominating (53.6%). The anatomy of the brain was examined using ultrasound, while Doppler ultrasound was used to establish the blood flow indices in particular brain blood vessels. Genetic analysis was carried out using the polymerase chain reaction–restriction fragment length polymorphism method. The CC and AA homozygotes of rs3762271 were more common in males. The CC genotype of rs3762271 was significantly associated with birth weight (pRE = .03) and body length (pRE = .02). One mutant allele of rs3762271 was significantly associated with higher values of maximum (Vmax, p = .04), minimum (Vmin, p = .04), and average (Vmean, p = .02) speed in the pericallosal artery in newborns of both genders. Similar relationships were found in females only (Vmax p = .03, Vmean p = .02). The CC genotype of rs930557 was more frequently observed in male infants, but no impact on any anthropometric indices or anatomical and functional parameters of the brain was established. The ASPM gene may play a role in shaping the functional parameters of the brain in Caucasians.
Regulation of ATP-sensitive K+ channel by membrane-bound protein phosphatases in rat principal tubule cell.

The role of membrane-bound protein serine/threonine phosphatases (PP) in modulating the renal ATP-sensitive K+ (KATP) channel was examined using the patch-clamp technique in principal cells of rat cortical collecting duct. In the absence of ATP, channel activity rapidly (11.2 s) declines (channel "rundown") upon excision of the membrane patches into control bath solutions (1 mM Mg2+, Ca2+ free). Both orthovanadate (5 mM), a broad-spectrum inhibitor of phosphatases except for Ca(2+)-dependent PP (PP-2B), and okadaic acid (OA, 1 microM), a potent inhibitor of PP types 1 and 2A (PP-1 and PP-2A), significantly slowed channel rundown. Removal of Mg2+ from the bath also slowed the rundown process. Incubation of cells with OA in the absence of Mg2+ or with orthovanadate in ATP-free solution maintained channel activity at levels of approximately 70% of control values for 3 min after membrane excision. In contrast, Ca2+ (0.1 mM) and calmodulin (1 microM) in the presence of 1 mM Mg2+, a condition in which PP-2B is stimulated, had no significant effect on the channel activity that persisted in the presence of OA and orthovanadate. Application of exogenous PP-2A (1 U/ml) to the cytosolic side of membrane in inside-out patches significantly inhibited channel activity to 35.0% of control, but the inhibitory-effects of PP-1 (1 U/ml) and PP-2B (20 micrograms/ml) were minor. These results suggest that rundown of the renal KATP channel after membrane excision results mainly from dephosphorylation of the channel or an associated protein by membrane-bound phosphatases. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Acquired aortic stenosis

Aortic stenosis is the most commonly encountered valvular disease in the elderly, with approximately 2–3% of individuals over 65 years of age afflicted [1]. The most common cause of acquired aortic stenosis is calcific degeneration, characterized by a slowly progressive, asymptomatic period which can last decades. Once symptomatic, the clinical manifestation of aortic stenosis is from functional obstruction of left ventricular outflow and the additional hemodynamic effects on the left ventricle and vasculature. With advances in echocardiography, individuals with aortic stenosis are increasingly diagnosed in the asymptomatic latent period. However, echocardiographic measures alone cannot identify clinically significant outflow obstruction as there is considerable overlap in hemodynamic severity between symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals. Current clinical guidelines predicate the timing of surgical valve replacement on the presence or absence of symptoms [2]. Management for symptomatic, significant stenosis is surgical valve replacement as there are no current medical therapies reliably proven to decrease aortic stenosis severity or improve long-term outcomes. However, recent retrospective studies have demonstrated an association between atherosclerotic disease risk factors, such as hyperlipidemia and aortic stenosis [35]. Given these findings, there are now advocates for prospective primary prevention trials for aortic stenosis in patients with mild or moderate valvular disease [6]. The following paper will discuss etiology, diagnostic evaluation and therapeutic options of acquired aortic stenosis. This review will discuss etiology, diagnostic evaluation, and therapeutic options of acquired aortic stenosis.
Intracerebral clysis in a rat glioma model.

OBJECTIVE Intracerebral clysis (ICC) is a new term we use to describe convection-enhanced microinfusion into the brain. This study establishes baseline parameters for preclinical, in vivo, drug investigations using ICC in a rat glioma model. METHODS Intracranial pressure was measured, with an intraparenchymal fiber-optic catheter, in male Fischer rats 10, 15, 20, and 25 days after implantation of C6 glioma cells in the right frontal lobe (n = 80) and in control rats without tumor (n = 20), before and during ICC. A 25% albumin solution (100 microl) was infused through an intratumoral catheter at 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, and 4.0 microl/min. Infusate distribution was assessed by infusion of fluorescein isothiocyanate-dextran (Mr 20,000), using the aforementioned parameters (n = 36). Brains were sectioned and photographed under ultraviolet light, and distribution was calculated by computer analysis (NIH Image for Macintosh). Safe effective drug distribution was demonstrated by measuring tumor sizes and apoptosis in animals treated with N,N'-bis(2-chloroethyl)-N-nitrosourea via ICC, compared with untreated controls. Magnetic resonance imaging noninvasively confirmed tumor growth before treatment. RESULTS Intracranial pressure increased with tumor progression, from 5.5 mm Hg at baseline to 12.95 mm Hg on Day 25 after tumor cell implantation. Intracranial pressure during ICC ranged from 5 to 21 mm Hg and was correlated with increasing infusion volumes and increasing rates of infusion. No toxicity was observed, except at the higher ends of the tumor size and volume ranges. Fluorescein isothiocyanate-dextran distribution was greater with larger infusion volumes (30 microl versus 10 microl, n = 8, P < 0.05). No significant differences in distribution were observed when different infusion rates were compared while the volume was kept constant. At tolerated flow rates, the volumes of distribution were sufficient to promote adequate drug delivery to tumors. N,N'-Bis(2-chloroethyl)-N-nitrosourea treatment resulted in significant decreases in tumor size, compared with untreated controls. CONCLUSION The C6 glioma model can be easily modified to study aspects of interstitial delivery via ICC and the application of ICC to the screening of potential antitumor agents for safety and efficacy.
Cucurbitacin B, a novel in vivo potentiator of gemcitabine with low toxicity in the treatment of pancreatic cancer

Background and purpose: Pancreatic cancer is a highly aggressive malignancy, and improvement in systemic therapy is necessary to treat this frequently encountered metastatic disease. The current targeted agents used in combination with gemcitabine improved objective response rates, but with little or no improvements in survival and also increased toxicities in pancreatic cancer patients. Recently, we showed that the triterpenoid cucurbitacin B inhibited tumour growth in pancreatic cancer cells by inhibition of the JAK/STAT pathway, and synergistically increased antiproliferative effects of gemcitabine in vitro.
Regional labour flows between manufacturing and business services: Reciprocal integration and uneven geography

This article uses Statistics Sweden’s full-population geo-coded register data for Swedish workers and their labour market moves, between 2010 and 2014, to analyse regional flow patterns of employees between manufacturing, general business services and knowledge-intensive business services (KIBS). The findings generally show that labour flows between manufacturing and services have important bi-directional features, even with manufacturing generally declining. There is no staff exodus from manufacturing to services, but rather an exchange suggesting skill interdependencies, especially between high-tech manufacturing and KIBS. However, there are strong geographical dimensions to this, emphasising a reinforcement of the spatial division of labour patterns. In trend terms, the decline of manufacturing is rather similar across all regional types; however, business services are growing much faster in metropolitan regions. The labour flow between manufacturing and KIBS is more likely in metropolitan regions, but far more often additionally involves geographical mobility, either between or towards the metropolitan regions. Thus, the major challenge facing less dense and peripheral regions is not necessarily the decline of manufacturing per se, but that (a) the low levels of transition into business services are insufficient to make up for employment losses in manufacturing and (b) the fact that there is considerable out-migration of experienced and skilled workers from manufacturing, who are joining the growing numbers of business services in metropolitan regions.
Incidence of HIV infection in a cohort of homosexually active men

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to estimate the incidence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in a cohort of homosexually active men in Sydney. In 1984–85 the Sydney AIDS Prospective Study enrolled homosexually active men, who were followed by six–monthly visits, although regular contact with most participants ceased in the early 1990s. In 1993–94 a major effort was made to establish the HIV status of all participants who had attended more than once. Of the 1075 men enrolled, 528 (49 per cent) were negative at enrolment and had at least one further documented HIV test. The annual incidence rate of HIV infection was highest in the early years of the study, 1984 (9.6 per cent) and 1986 (5.0 per cent), and remained low from 1987 (1.9 per cent) to 1994 (0.0 per cent). The incidence of HIV infection was higher among men aged under 34 years at enrolment and men who reported more than four sexual partners in the six months before enrolment, but these associations disappeared by 1987. The decrease in HIV incidence is consistent with findings from other cohorts followed for this length of time. (Aust N Z J Public Health 1997; 21: 587–9)
Subtle expressivity for making humans estimate certain attitudes

Can we assign attitudes to a computer based on its represented information, such as beep sounds and simple animations? If so, which kinds of beep sounds or simple animations are perceived as specific attitudes, such as "disagreement", "hesitation" or "agreement"? To examine this issue, I carried out two experiments to observe and clarify how participants perceive or assign an attitude to a computer according to beep sounds of different durations and FO contour's slopes (experiment 1) or simple animations of different durations and objects' velocities (experiment 2). The results of these two experiments revealed that (1) the presented information with increasing intonations (Experiment 1) or velocities (Experiment 2) were perceived by participants as "disagreement", (2) flat intonations and velocities with longer duration were interpreted as "hesitation", and 3) decreasing intonations and velocities with shorter duration were taken as "agreement".