Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Electoral reforms, entry barriers and the structure of political markets: A comparative analysis

This article investigates the impact of electoral reforms on entry barriers in political markets. The discussion starts by delineating the theoretical boundaries of various political markets, such as those for participation, parties and government. By taking a cue from industrial organisation theory, the article offers an analysis of entry barriers, both hard and soft, along with their operationalisation for empirical research. Based on this theoretical framework, a single hypothesis is investigated. It posits that the modification of the entry barriers in the market for parties leads to changes in the concentration of the popular vote for party lists. An observable implication of this relationship would be if an electoral reform that raises entry barriers led to subsequent increases in the Herfindahl index (a measure of market concentration), and vice versa. This proposition is empirically tested by a comparative analysis of a new database covering Czechia, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia. The analysis offers support for the following proposition: in most cases the changes in the entry barriers led to a corresponding change of concentration in the market for parties.
Increased Marijuana Use and Gender Predict Poorer Cognitive Functioning in Adolescents and Emerging Adults

Abstract This study sought to characterize neuropsychological functioning in MJ-using adolescents and emerging adults (ages 18–26) and to investigate whether gender moderated these effects. Data were collected from 59 teens and emerging adults including MJ users (n = 23, 56% female) and controls (n = 35, 50% female) aged 18–26 (M = 21 years). Exclusionary criteria included independent Axis I disorders (besides SUD), and medical and neurologic disorders. After controlling for reading ability, gender, subclinical depressive symptoms, body mass index, and alcohol and other drug use, increased MJ use was associated with slower psychomotor speed/sequencing ability (p < .01), less efficient sustained attention (p < .05), and increased cognitive inhibition errors (p < .03). Gender significantly moderated the effects of MJ on psychomotor speed/sequencing ability (p < .003) in that males had a more robust negative relationship. The current study demonstrated that MJ exposure was associated with poorer psychomotor speed, sustained attention and cognitive inhibition in a dose-dependent manner in young adults, findings that are consistent with other samples of adolescent MJ users. Male MJ users demonstrated greater cognitive slowing than females. Future studies need to examine the neural substrates underlying with these cognitive deficits and whether cognitive rehabilitation or exercise interventions may serve as a viable treatments of cognitive deficits in emerging adult MJ users. (JINS, 2012, 18, 1–11)
The Relationship Between Diabetes Mellitus and Traffic-Related Air Pollution

Objective: Air pollution is associated with an increased risk for cardiovascular events. Many of the biological pathways involved could also promote diabetes mellitus (DM). We therefore investigated the association between DM prevalence and exposure to traffic-related air pollution (nitrogen dioxide [NO 2]). Methods: Study participants were patients who attended two respiratory clinics in Hamilton (n = 5228) and Toronto (n = 2406). The diagnosis of DM was ascertained by linkage to administrative databases of the Ontario universal Health Insurance Plan for patients aged 40 years and above. Geographic Information systems methodology was used to assign individual estimates of NO2 based on a network of samplers in each city. Logistic regression was used to estimate the relations between NO2 exposures and the odds of DM diagnosis. Results: After adjusting for age, body mass index, and neighborhood income there were positive effects in women on the odds ratio for DM for each 1 ppb NO2 exposure in Toronto (OR 1.055, 95% CI: 0.99 to 1.11) and Hamilton (OR 1.029, 95% CI: 0.98 to 1.08). In a meta-analytic model including both cities, there was a significant effect in women (OR = 1.04; 95% CI: 1.00 to 1.08). Across the inter-quartile range (∼4 ppb NO2) there was nearly a 17% increase in the odds of DM for women. There were no positive associations among men. Conclusions: Exposure to NO2, a marker of traffic-related air pollutants, was associated with DM prevalence among women. Exposure estimate errors in men may explain the apparent gender difference. These results suggest that common air pollutants are associated with DM and warrant more investigation to determine if this is a cause-and-effect relationship.
The Potential Active Site of the Lipoprotein-specific (Type II) Signal Peptidase of Bacillus subtilis *

Type II signal peptidases (SPase II) remove signal peptides from lipid-modified preproteins of eubacteria. As the catalytic mechanism employed by type II SPases was not known, the present studies were aimed at the identification of their potential active site residues. Comparison of the deduced amino acid sequences of 19 known type II SPases revealed the presence of five conserved domains. The importance of the 15 best conserved residues in these domains was investigated using the type II SPase of Bacillus subtilis, which, unlike SPase II of Escherichia coli, is not essential for viability. The results showed that only six residues are important for SPase II activity. These are Asp-14, Asn-99, Asp-102, Asn-126, Ala-128, and Asp-129. Only Asp-14 was required for stability of SPase II, indicating that the other five residues are required for catalysis, the active site geometry, or the specific recognition of lipid-modified preproteins. As Asp-102 and Asp-129 are the only residues invoked in the known catalytic mechanisms of proteases, we hypothesize that these two residues are directly involved in SPase II-mediated catalysis. This implies that type II SPases belong to a novel family of aspartic proteases.
Defect diagnosis algorithms for a field programmable interconnect network embedded in a Very Large Area Integrated Circuit

Algorithms are proposed to diagnose defects in a defect tolerant field programmable interconnection network embedded in a large area integrated circuit. The proposed diagnosis algorithms use a diagonal configuration approach to reduce the cone of influence of individual tests, thus allowing parallel tests according to diagonal patterns. The proposed algorithms avoid redundant diagnosis tests. Efficiency of the proposed diagnosis algorithms are calculated in terms of the number of cycles of a JTAG FSM required to apply the test. Results show a 113-fold test time reduction in the considered interconnection network.
The Plastid-encoded ccsA Gene Is Required for Heme Attachment to Chloroplast c-type Cytochromes (*)

A chloroplast gene, ycf5, which displays limited sequence identity to bacterial genes (ccl1/cycK) required for the biogenesis of c-type cytochromes, was tested for its function in chloroplast cytochrome biogenesis in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Targeted inactivation of the ycf5 gene results in a non-photosynthetic phenotype attributable to the absence of c-type cytochromes. The cloned ycf5 gene also complements the phototrophic growth deficiency in strain B6 of C. reinhardtii. B6 is unable to synthesize functional forms of cytochromes f and c owing to a chloroplast genome mutation that prevents heme attachment. The selected (phototrophic growth) as well as the unselected (holocytochrome c accumulation) phenotypes were restored in complemented strains. The complementing gene, renamed ccsA (for c-type cytochrome synthesis), is expressed in wild-type and B6 cells but is non-functional in B6 owing to an early frameshift mutation. Antibodies raised against the ccsA gene product recognize a 29-kDa protein in C. reinhardtii. The 29-kDa protein is absent in strain B6 but is restored in a spontaneous revertant (B6R) isolated from a culture of B6. Sequence analysis of the ccsA gene in strain B6R indicates that it is a true revertant. We conclude that the ccsA gene is expressed and that it encodes a protein required for heme attachment to c-type cytochromes.
Somatic Mosaicism for Partial Paternal Isodisomy in Wiedemann-Beckwith Syndrome: A Post-Fertilization Event

Genomic imprinting has been implicated in the aetiology of an overgrowth cancer-prone syndrome, the Wiedemann-Beckwith syndrome (WBS). We have demonstrated uniparental disomy (UPD) for paternal chromosome 11p markers in 5 out of 25 sporadic cases (20%). Delineation of the extent of the disomy region may help in understanding the mechanism and the stage, meiotic or mitotic, of disomy formation in this disease and in associated tumours. Our current studies in WBS patients with seventeen 11p and one 11q markers reveal paternal isodisomy, not heterodisomy, in the five cases. For one case we demonstrate unambiguously that partial isodisomy for 11p and somatic mosaicism for UPD resulted from a post-fertilization event. The restriction of isodisomy to part of 11p in another case, and somatic mosaicism for UPD in three other cases, suggest a mitotic recombinational event that must have occurred after fertilization. Mosaic phenotypes reflect the timing of their origin and the fate of the cells involved, as well as the cell-specific pattern of imprinting. Somatic mosaicism for UPD in four cases may thus explain the incomplete forms of WBS, the association of hemihypertrophy in sporadic WBS and even some cases of isolated hemihypertrophy. This is in agreement with a recent report of paternal isodisomy for 11p markers in a patient with hemihypertrophy, Wilms’ tumour and adrenocortical carcinoma. Moreover, the risk of developing a tumour seems higher (50%) for patients with paternal 11p UPD than for WBS patients in general (7.5%).
[The role of collagen fiber in "Zusanli" (ST 36) in acupuncture analgesia in the rat].

OBJECTIVE To probe into the mechanism of acupuncture analgesia. METHODS Type-I collagenase was injected to destroy the structure of collagen fibers in the acupoint. Paw withdrawing latency and mast cell degranulation rate in the acute adjuvant arthritis rat were investigated. Effects of acupuncture at "Zusanli" (ST 36) with twirling or thrusting-lifting manipulation on acupuncture analgesia and mast cells were compared when the structures of collagen fibers in the acupoint were destroyed or not. RESULTS When the structures of collagen fiber were destroyed, the analgesic effects of both acupuncture manipulations were attenuated and the degranulation rate of mast cells caused by acupuncture were significantly inhibited. CONCLUSION Collagen fibers and mast cells in the acupoint play an important role in acupuncture analgesia. Collagen fibers participate in transmission and transform process of acupuncture signs from the acupoint to the target organ, and the degranulation of mast cells is positively correlated with acupuncture analgesia.
Rebalancing strategies and the performance of balanced portfolios: 1925–2001

The results of a study of the performance of balanced portfolios in South Africa over the last 77 years are presented. Using the asset classes South African equities, bonds and cash, five portfolios of widely varying composition were formed. In addition two portfolios containing a portion of the equity allocation in the US market were created. Three rebalancing periods of a month, a quarter and a year and a strategy of rebalancing whenever the equity proportion of the portfolio moved more than five percentage points from its target were tested. The compound annual returns of the portfolios were largely unaffected by the choice of rebalancing period. A small increase in portfolio standard deviation was found as the rebalancing period increased. In the absence of transactions costs it appears that an annual rebalancing strategy would have been the best choice. However annual rebalancing resulted in large deviations in the portfolio equity proportions during the rebalancing period, particularly for portfolios with low proportions of equity.
Malignant mesothelioma: Facts, Myths, and Hypotheses

Malignant mesothelioma (MM) is a neoplasm arising from mesothelial cells lining the pleural, peritoneal, and pericardial cavities. Over 20 million people in the US are at risk of developing MM due to asbestos exposure. MM mortality rates are estimated to increase by 5–10% per year in most industrialized countries until about 2020. The incidence of MM in men has continued to rise during the past 50 years, while the incidence in women appears largely unchanged. It is estimated that about 50–80% of pleural MM in men and 20–30% in women developed in individuals whose history indicates asbestos exposure(s) above that expected from most background settings. While rare for women, about 30% of peritoneal mesothelioma in men has been associated with exposure to asbestos. Erionite is a potent carcinogenic mineral fiber capable of causing both pleural and peritoneal MM. Since erionite is considerably less widespread than asbestos, the number of MM cases associated with erionite exposure is smaller. Asbestos induces DNA alterations mostly by inducing mesothelial cells and reactive macrophages to secrete mutagenic oxygen and nitrogen species. In addition, asbestos carcinogenesis is linked to the chronic inflammatory process caused by the deposition of a sufficient number of asbestos fibers and the consequent release of pro‐inflammatory molecules, especially HMGB‐1, the master switch that starts the inflammatory process, and TNF‐alpha by macrophages and mesothelial cells. Genetic predisposition, radiation exposure and viral infection are co‐factors that can alone or together with asbestos and erionite cause MM. J. Cell. Physiol. 227: 44–58, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Protective Effect of Harmalol and Harmaline on MPTP Neurotoxicity in the Mouse and Dopamine‐Induced Damage of Brain Mitochondria and PC12 Cells

The present study elucidated the protective effect of β‐carbolines (harmaline, harmalol, and harmine) on oxidative neuronal damage. MPTP treatment increased activities of total superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase and levels of malondialdehyde and carbonyls in the basal ganglia, diencephalon plus midbrain of brain compared with control mouse brain. Coadministration of harmalol (48 mg/kg) attenuated the MPTP effect on the enzyme activities and formation of tissue peroxidation products. Harmaline, harmalol, and harmine attenuated both the 500 μM MPP+‐induced inhibition of electron flow and membrane potential formation and the 100 μM dopamine‐induced thiol oxidation and carbonyl formation in mitochondria. The scavenging action of β‐carbolines on hydroxyl radicals was represented by inhibition of 2‐deoxy‐d‐ribose degradation. Harmaline and harmalol (100 μM) attenuated 200 μM dopamine‐induced viability loss in PC12 cells. The β‐carbolines (50 μM) attenuated 50 μM dopamine‐induced apoptosis in PC12 cells. The compounds alone did not exhibit significant cytotoxic effects. The results indicate that β‐carbolines attenuate brain damage in mice treated with MPTP and MPP+‐induced mitochondrial damage. The compounds may prevent dopamine‐induced mitochondrial damage and PC12 cell death through a scavenging action on reactive oxygen species and inhibition of monoamine oxidase and thiol oxidation.
Effect of a clinical pathway to reduce hospitalizations in nursing home residents with pneumonia: a randomized controlled trial.

CONTEXT Nursing home residents with pneumonia are frequently hospitalized. Such transfers may be associated with multiple hazards of hospitalization as well as economic costs. OBJECTIVE To assess whether using a clinical pathway for on-site treatment of pneumonia and other lower respiratory tract infections in nursing homes could reduce hospital admissions, related complications, and costs. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS A cluster randomized controlled trial of 680 residents aged 65 years or older in 22 nursing homes in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Nursing homes began enrollment between January 2, 2001, and April 18, 2002, with the last resident follow-up occurring July 4, 2005. Residents were eligible if they met a standardized definition of lower respiratory tract infection. INTERVENTIONS Treatment in nursing homes according to a clinical pathway, which included use of oral antimicrobials, portable chest radiographs, oxygen saturation monitoring, rehydration, and close monitoring by a research nurse, or usual care. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Hospital admissions, length of hospital stay, mortality, health-related quality of life, functional status, and cost. RESULTS Thirty-four (10%) of 327 residents in the clinical pathway group were hospitalized compared with 76 (22%) of 353 residents in the usual care group. Adjusting for clustering of residents in nursing homes, the weighted mean reduction in hospitalizations was 12% (95% confidence interval [CI], 5%-18%; P = .001). The mean number of hospital days per resident was 0.79 in the clinical pathway group vs 1.74 in the usual care group, with a weighted mean difference of 0.95 days per resident (95% CI, 0.34-1.55 days; P = .004). The mortality rate was 8% (24 deaths) in the clinical pathway group vs 9% (32 deaths) in the usual care group, with a weighted mean difference of 2.9% (95% CI, -2.0% to 7.9%; P = .23). There were no significant differences between the groups in health-related quality of life or functional status. The clinical pathway resulted in an overall cost savings of US 1016 dollars per resident (95% CI, 207 dollars-1824 dollars) treated. CONCLUSION Treating residents of nursing homes with pneumonia and other lower respiratory tract infections with a clinical pathway can result in comparable clinical outcomes, while reducing hospitalizations and health care costs. TRIAL REGISTRATION clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00157612.
On Hannan and Blackwell's Approachability and Options - A Game Theoretic Approach for Option Pricing

We study the link between the game theoretic notion of approachability or “regret minimization” and robust option pricing. We demonstrate how trading strategies that are based on approachability and minimize regret over finite horizon also imply robust upper bounds for the prices of European call options. These bounds are based on no arbitrage and are robust in that they require only minimal assumptions regarding the stock price process. We then focus on the optimal bounds and solve for the optimal volatility-based bounds in closed-form, which in turn implies the optimal regret-minimizing trading strategy. The bounds we obtain seem to be empirically relevant as they resemble option price patterns observed in practice.
Estimating azimuth and elevation angles when mutual coupling is significant [direction finding]

The undesirable effects of mutual coupling in the context of direction finding, and a means of mitigating them, are shown in this paper. The arriving rays are received at the elements of a cross array. These elements consist of a half-wavelength crossed dipoles. Errors introduced by mutual coupling are diminished by adding dummy elements to the original cross array.
Calibration of Multiple Poliovirus Molecular Clocks Covering an Extended Evolutionary Range

ABSTRACT We have calibrated five different molecular clocks for circulating poliovirus based upon the rates of fixation of total substitutions (Kt), synonymous substitutions (Ks), synonymous transitions (As), synonymous transversions (Bs), and nonsynonymous substitutions (Ka) into the P1/capsid region (2,643 nucleotides). Rates were determined over a 10-year period by analysis of sequences of 31 wild poliovirus type 1 isolates representing a well-defined phylogeny derived from a common imported ancestor. Similar rates were obtained by linear regression, the maximum likelihood/single-rate dated-tip method, and Bayesian inference. The very rapid Kt [(1.03 ± 0.10) × 10−2 substitutions/site/year] and Ks [(1.00 ± 0.08) × 10−2] clocks were driven primarily by the As clock [(0.96 ± 0.09) × 10−2], the Bs clock was ∼10-fold slower [(0.10 ± 0.03) × 10−2], and the more stochastic Ka clock was ∼30-fold slower [(0.03 ± 0.01) × 10−2]. Nonsynonymous substitutions at all P1/capsid sites, including the neutralizing antigenic sites, appeared to be constrained by purifying selection. Simulation of the evolution of third-codon positions suggested that saturation of synonymous transitions would be evident at 10 years and complete at ∼65 years of independent transmission. Saturation of synonymous transversions was predicted to be minimal at 20 years and incomplete at 100 years. The rapid evolution of the Kt, Ks, and As clocks can be used to estimate the dates of divergence of closely related viruses, whereas the slower Bs and Ka clocks may be used to explore deeper evolutionary relationships within and across poliovirus genotypes.
Analysis of social networking services organizations' profit model based on Web2.0

Web2.0 is a new internet application focusing on the interaction with customs and user involvement in the foundation of Web1.0. Social Networking Services (SNS) has been a representative of Web2.0 applications. This paper intends to shed light on reasons of SNS deficit and the way to gain margin by referring to various scholars' research. Two suggestions were made as a conclusion - focusing on targeted clients, and creating diversified investment returns mechanism. And providing the success story of a worldwide famous business network organization - Linkedin as a support evidence, and coming up with some recommendations to the Chinese enterprises in this field.
RpoS-Dependent Stress Response and Exoenzyme Production in Vibrio vulnificus

ABSTRACT Vibrio vulnificus is an estuarine bacterium capable of causing rapidly fatal infections through both ingestion and wound infection. Like other opportunistic pathogens, V. vulnificus must adapt to potentially stressful environmental changes while living freely in seawater, upon colonization of the oyster gut, and upon infection of such diverse hosts as humans and eels. In order to begin to understand the ability of V. vulnificus to respond to such stresses, we examined the role of the alternate sigma factor RpoS, which is important in stress response and virulence in many pathogens. An rpoS mutant of V. vulnificus strain C7184o was constructed by homologous recombination. The mutant strain exhibited a decreased ability to survive diverse environmental stresses, including exposure to hydrogen peroxide, hyperosmolarity, and acidic conditions. The most striking difference was a high sensitivity of the mutant to hydrogen peroxide. Albuminase, caseinase, and elastase activity were detected in the wild type but not in the mutant strain, and an additional two hydrolytic activities (collagenase and gelatinase) were reduced in the mutant strain compared to the wild type. Additionally, the motility of the rpoS mutant was severely diminished. Overall, these studies suggest that rpoS in V. vulnificus is important for adaptation to environmental changes and may have a role in virulence.