Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Optimal estimators of the position of a mass extinction when recovery potential is uniform

Abstract Numerous methods have been developed to estimate the position of a mass extinction boundary while accounting for the incompleteness of the fossil record. Here we describe the point estimator and confidence interval for the extinction that are optimal under the assumption of uniform preservation and recovery potential, and independence among taxa. First, one should pool the data from all taxa into one combined “supersample. ” Next, one can then apply methods proposed by Strauss and Sadler (1989) for a single taxon. This gives the optimal point estimator in the sense that it has the smallest variance among all possible unbiased estimators. The corresponding confidence interval is optimal in the sense that it has the shortest average width among all possible intervals that are invariant to measurement scale. These optimality properties hold even among methods that have not yet been discovered. Using simulations, we show that the optimal estimators substantially improve upon the performance of other existing methods. Because the assumptions of uniform recovery and independence among taxa are strong ones, it is important to assess to what extent they are satisfied by the data. We demonstrate the use of probability plots for this purpose. Finally, we use simulations to explore the sensitivity of the optimal point estimator and confidence interval to nonuniformity and lack of independence, and we compare their performance under these conditions with existing methods. We find that nonuniformity strongly biases the point estimators for all methods studied, inflates their standard errors, and degrades the coverage probabilities of confidence intervals. Lack of independence has less effect on the accuracy of point estimates as long as recovery potential is uniform, but it, too, inflates the standard errors and degrades confidence interval coverage probabilities.
An exploratory study of the impact of organizational factors on employee knowledge sharing

Knowledge sharing at work has received increased researcher and practitioner attention in the last decade. However, in the past much of the focus has been on individual and motivational antecedents to knowledge sharing. This study contributes to the existing body of work by examining organizational factors-organizational rewards, organizational mechanisms, and interpersonal support-and their relationship with three measures of knowledge sharing including knowledge sharing attitudes, intentions, and behavior. Data were collected from a sample of 237 salaried employees of a large, Midwest-based manufacturing company. The results indicate knowledge sharing tools had a strong positive relationship with knowledge sharing, while time and effort required had an expected strong negative relationship with knowledge sharing. Analysis also reveals partial support for a positive relationship between intrinsic rewards and knowledge sharing, co-worker support and knowledge sharing, and knowledge sharing training and knowledge sharing. Despite positive correlations, the regression analysis showed no support for extrinsic rewards, supervisor support for knowledge sharing, or pro-sharing organizational norms having a relationship with knowledge sharing. Implications for managers and directions for future research on knowledge sharing are discussed.
Causas do Desmatamento da Amazonia Brasileira

The worldwide concern with deforestation of Brazilian Amazonia is motivated not only by the irreversible loss of this natural wealth, but also by the perception that it is a destructive process in which the social and economic gains are smaller than the environmental losses. This perception also underlies the diagnosis, formulation and evaluation of public policies proposed by government and non-governmental organizations working in the region, including the World Bank. The present work suggests that a fuller understanding is necessary with regard to the motivations and identity of the agents responsible for deforestation, the evaluation of the social and economic benefits from the process and the resulting implications of public policies for the region. The objective of the report is to show that, in contrast to the 1970s and 1980s when occupation of Brazilian Amazonia was largely induced by government policies and subsidies, recent deforestation in significant parts of the region is basically caused by medium- and large-scale cattle ranching. Following a private rationale, the dynamics of the occupation process gradually became autonomous, as is suggested by the significant increase in deforestation in the 1990s despite the substantial reduction of subsidies and incentives by government. Among the causes of the transformation are technological and managerial changes and the adaptation of cattle ranching to the geo-ecological conditions of eastern Amazonia which allowed for productivity gains and cost reductions. The fact that cattle ranching is viable from the private perspective does not mean that the activity is socially desirable or environmentally sustainable. Private gain needs to be contrasted with the environmental (social) costs associated with cattle ranching and deforestation. From the social perspective, it is legitimate to argue that the private benefits from large-scale cattle ranching are largely exclusive, having contributed little to alleviate social and economic inequalities. The study notes, however, that decreases in the price of beef in national markets and increases in exports caused by the expansion of cattle ranching in Eastern Amazonia may imply social benefits that go beyond sectoral and regional boundaries.
Activation and intrinsic γ-secretase activity of presenilin 1

A complex composed of presenilin (PS), nicastrin, PEN-2, and APH-1 is absolutely required for γ-secretase activity in vivo. Evidence has emerged to suggest a role for PS as the catalytic subunit of γ-secretase, but it has not been established that PS is catalytically active in the absence of associated subunits. We now report that bacterially synthesized, recombinant PS (rPS) reconstituted into liposomes exhibits γ-secretase activity. Moreover, an rPS mutant that lacks a catalytic aspartate residue neither exhibits reconstituted γ-secretase activity nor interacts with a transition-state γ-secretase inhibitor. Importantly, we demonstrate that rPS harboring mutations that cause early onset familial Alzheimer’s disease (FAD) lead to elevations in the ratio of Aβ42 to Aβ40 peptides produced from a wild-type APP substrate and that rPS enhances the Aβ42/Aβ40 peptide ratio from FAD-linked mutant APP substrates, findings that are entirely consistent with the results obtained in in vivo settings. Thus, γ-secretase cleavage specificity is an inherent property of the polypeptide. Finally, we demonstrate that PEN2 is sufficient to promote the endoproteolysis of PS1 to generate the active form of γ-secretase. Thus, we conclusively establish that activated PS is catalytically competent and the bimolecular interaction of PS1 and PEN2 can convert the PS1 zymogen to an active protease.
Expanding International Education in Indonesia: An Analytical Map of Government and NGO Construction of Education Policy

This research is aimed to analyze existing international education policies in Indonesia. I specifically conducted a comparative analysis on policies or regulations that a local non-governmental organization, the Putera Sampoerna Foundation (PSF), and the Ministry of Education (MONE) are constructing for their k-12 international education programs. I analyzed PSF and MONE public official documents on international education policies, including MONE legal documents and decrees on education and PSF official guidebook on the organization's educational projects. I compared and contrasted the two actors' frameworks on the type of identity and responsibility that international education should form in students. Using a qualitative research method of space mapping, I located the two actors' position within the three major international education frameworks: 1) neoliberal education, 2) human rights education and 3) environmental education. Through this analysis, I was able to see where the two actors stand in relation to one another, in terms of their goal for international education. Results from this study are expected to facilitate the development of quality international education practices in Indonesia by promoting cooperation between the national government and local organization in providing this education.
Physical Activity, Screen-Based Sedentary Behavior, and Sleep Duration in Adolescents: Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 2011–2013

This study examined the concurrent associations of physical activity and screen-based sedentary behavior with sleep duration among adolescents by using data from the national Youth Risk Behavior Survey 2011–2013. Using latent class analysis, we identified 4 latent subgroups of adolescents with various levels of physical activity and screen-based sedentary behavior. The subgroup with high levels of physical activity and low levels of sedentary behavior generally showed greater odds of having sufficient sleep (≥8 hours/night) than the other subgroups. Findings imply that concurrent achievement of a high level of physical activity and low level of screen-based sedentary behavior is necessary to promote sufficient sleep among adolescents.
Framing analysis: An approach to news discourse

Abstract In the American political process, news discourse concerning public policy issues is carefully constructed. This occurs in part because both politicians and interest groups take an increasingly proactive approach to amplify their views of what an issue is about However, news media also play an active role in framing public policy issues. Thus, in this article, news discourse is conceived as a sociocognitive process involving all three players: sources, journalists, and audience members operating in the universe of shared culture and on the basis of socially defined roles. Framing analysis is presented as a constructivist approach to examine news discourse with the primary focus on conceptualizing news texts into empirically operationalizable dimensions—syntactical, script, thematic, and rhetorical structures—so that evidence of the news media's framing of issues in news texts may be gathered. This is considered an initial step toward analyzing the news discourse process as a whole. Finally, an ex.
The Dólar Blue: The Black Market Exchange Rate for Dollarsin Argentina

At the beginning of October 2011, Argentina saw the emergence of a black market exchange rate for U.S. dollars. This black market exchange rate is known locally as the Dolar Blue. The importance of the Dolar Blue has become so public that it even has its own websites and social media accounts to inform its users of its daily rates as well as how and where to locate the human intermediary aspect of the black market known as the arbolitos. As a whole, black market exchange rates better reflect people’s expectations about the true purchasing power of their currency and the corresponding rate of inflation. Black market exchange rates also provide people with a source of dollars that allow them to avoid inflation taxes levied on domestic currency. Evidence suggests that recent economic policy under the larger plan known as the cepo cambiario implemented by the administration of President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner is driving the black market exchange rate premium. By collecting daily exchange rate data for both the official and black market rates, this thesis tests the hypothesis that Fernandez economic policy drove the black market exchange rate by calculating implied inflation levels. Then by following the methodology of Dornbusch et al. (1983), which supports the evidence that changes in the financial market cause fluctuations in the premium, this thesis analyzes the magnitude of the impact that five specific policies have on the Dolar Blue exchange rate. The results show that the magnitude of each of the five polices under the cepo cambiario have indeed had significant impact on the black market exchange rate, which implies that the Fernandez government is in fact skewing officially reported inflation data.
A base stock inventory model with possibility of rushing part of order

This article studies a situation where a firm outsources production to a distant manufacturer. The firm has two possible freight modes; a slow mode and a fast but more expensive mode. We formulate a dynamic model and use it to analyze how the firm can combine these two freight modes to enjoy the lower cost of the slow mode while using the fast mode as a hedge against cases in which the demand during the production lead time is high. The structure of the optimal solution of this dual freight mode strategy is in the form of a nested order-up-to policy. Several properties of the solution are characterized and these are compared to the case of deterministic demand and the two pure mode strategies. The analytical findings are extensively illustrated by numerical investigations throughout the paper.
A Post Keynesian View of Interest Parity Theorems

While the Post Keynesian approach to endogenous credit and money is well developed within the setting of a closed economy, fewer contributions have been made within the framework of an open economy. 1 Post Keynesians believe that, in a closed economy, monetary authorities have the ability to set short-term rates of interest at the level of their choice, given their policy objectives regarding price inflation, labor unemployment, output gaps, or other key economic variables.2 In the open economy, central banks have to consider the impact of two additional variables: the exchange rate and the level of foreign reserves. The crucial question within the framework of an open economy is whether monetary authorities still retain their ability to control short-term rates. My own view is that, even in an open economy with financial mobility, central banks retain the ability to set interest rates of their choice, within a wide spectrum. The purpose of this paper is to provide support for such a view. The mainstream belief, in contrast, is that, notwithstanding various imperfections, such a control over short-term interest rates is impossible within the context of an open economy. More precisely, what is argued is that it is impossible for real interest rates to be any different from those ruling in the rest of the world. Such a belief is based on two theorems: the purchasing power parity (PPP) theorem and the interest parity theorem. In its relative version, PPP says that exchange rates move in line with inflation rate differentials. PPP has been subjected to extensive testing, and while most researchers would conclude that PPP is not a successful explanation of exchange rate
Prevalence and Risk Factors of Hypertension in Myanmar: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

AbstractHypertension (HPT) is the most common condition seen in primary care that can lead to health consequences and death if not detected early and treated appropriately.This study aimed to synthesize the prevalence, awareness, and control of HPT, and investigate the risk factors for HPT in Myanmar.We performed a meta-analysis of observational studies. Relevant studies were searched in electronic databases. The methodological quality of the included studies was assessed in 3 domains: selection bias, measurement bias, and bias related to data analysis. The overall prevalence and proportions was calculated using random-effect model of DerSimonian–Laird method. To identify the risk factors for HPT in Myanmar, we entered the ratio measures of the (adjusted) effect as a log odds ratio (OR) and the standard error of the log OR using generic inverse-variance weighting method. For stability of results, we performed leave-one-study-out sensitivity analysis by omitting individual studies one at a time from the meta-analysis.Seven studies (n = 20,901) were included in this analysis. Overall prevalence of HPT in Myanmar was 22% (95% confidence interval (CI): 14%–31.7%, I2: 99.6%), stratified as 21.5% (95% CI: 14.1%–29.9%, I2: 98.7%) in men and 22.7% (95% CI: 10.8%–34.6%, I2: 99.5%) in women. Overall, prevalence of HPT increased with an advancing age of the participants. The proportions of awareness and controlled HPT were 55% (95% CI: 43%–67%, I2: 97.7%) and 11% (95% CI: 6%–15%, I2: 93.8%), respectively. A weak but significant association was observed between HPT and alcohol drinking (summary OR: 1.38, 95% CI: 1.14%–1.65, I2: 0%) and smoking (summary OR: 1.32, 95% CI: 1.0%–1.74, I2: 50%). In sensitivity analysis, when a study that made confirmation of HPT by the former World Health Organization criteria was dropped, the prevalence increased to 26% (95% CI: 20.8%–32.1%, I2: 98.1%). HPT was considerably prevalent in Myanmar, while the levels of awareness and controlled HPT were low. Health promotion strategy tailored to the education on modifiable risk factors and establishment of blood pressure screening in primary health care context would be of immense value. Upcoming well-powered studies, using the standardized research design and covering more regions of the country are recommended.
Replication Study of ESCC Susceptibility Genetic Polymorphisms Locating in the ADH1B-ADH1C-ADH7 Cluster Identified by GWAS

China was one of the countries with highest esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) incidence and mortality worldwide. Alcohol drinking has been identified as a major environmental risk-factor related to ESCC. The alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) family are major enzymes involved in the alcohol-metabolizing pathways, including alcohol dehydrogenase 1B (ADH1B) and ADH1C. Interestingly, ADH1B and ADH1C genes locate tandemly with ADH7 in a genomic segment as a gene cluster, and are all polymorphic. Several ESCC susceptibility single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the ADH1B-ADH1C-ADH7 cluster have been identified previously through a genome-wide association study (GWAS). In the study, we examined the association between five ADH1B-ADH1C-ADH7 cluster SNPs (rs1042026, rs17033, rs1614972, rs1789903 and rs17028973) and risk of developing ESCC. Genotypes were determined in two independent case-control sets from two regions of China. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated by logistic regression. Our data demonstrated that these ADH1B-ADH1C-ADH7 cluster SNPs confer susceptibility to ESCC in these two case-control sets, which were consistent to results of the previous GWAS.
A Closer Look at Life Goals across Adulthood: Applying A Developmental Perspective to Content, Dynamics, and Outcomes of Goal Importance and Goal Attainability

It is well established that goals energize and direct behaviour across the lifespan. To better understand how goals are embedded in people's lives across adulthood, the present research examined life goals’ content (health, personal growth, prosocial engagement, social relations, status, work), dynamics (interplay between goal importance and goal attainability), and outcomes (subjective well–being) from a developmental perspective. We argue that people rate those goals as important and attainable that enable them to master developmental tasks, that they adapt their goals to personal capacities, and that goals predict subjective well–being after 2 and 4 years. The sample included 973 individuals (18–92 years old, M = 43.00 years) of whom 637 participated 2 years later and 573 participated 4 years later. Goal importance and well–being were assessed at all occasions and goal attainability at the first two occasions. Results indicated that age was negatively associated with importance and attainability of personal–growth, status, and work goals but positively associated with importance and attainability of prosocial–engagement goals. The association between goal importance and attainability was largely bidirectional over time; and goal attainability, rather than goal importance, was positively linked to later well–being. Implications of these findings are discussed in light of adult lifespan development. © 2019 European Association of Personality Psychology
DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMICS AND FINANCE COLLEGE OF BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS UNIVERSITY OF CANTERBURY CHRISTCHURCH, NEW ZEALAND The Timeless Perspective vs. Discretion: Theory and Monetary Policy Implications for an Open Economy

Compared to the standard Phillips curve, an open-economy version that features a real exchange rate channel leads to a markedly different target rule in a New Keynesian optimizing framework. Under optimal policy from a timeless perspective (TP) the target rule involves additional history dependence in the form of lagged inflation. The target rule also depends on more parameters, notably the discount factor as well as two IS and two Phillips curve parameters. Stabilization policy in this open economy model is no longer isomorphic to policy in a closed economy. Because of the additional history dependence in an open economy target rule price level targeting is no longer consistent with optimal policy. The gains from commitment are smaller in economies where the real exchange rate channel exerts a direct effect on inflation in the Phillips curve.
Study Abroad as a Transformational Experience and Its Effect upon Study Abroad Students and Host Nationals in Santiago, Chile.

In the last decade, increasing numbers of students have chosen to study abroad. An underlying premise of many of these programs to “nontraditional destinations” is that exposure to these often quite different cultures and living conditions promotes a more positive understanding of the “other. ” To date, however, there has been little analysis of the actual impact of the study abroad experience upon participants’ cultural perceptions and personal values. What aspects of values appear to change the most as a result of study abroad? How do interactions with host nationals affect the students’ views of both themselves and the “other”? Does the presence of foreign students affect members of the host society who have extended contact with them? Is the outcome of the exchange experience in terms of cross-cultural understanding any different for participants in study abroad programs located in countries with lower living standards than their home? The purpose of this study is to examine the questions raised above in one specific setting—Santiago, Chile. It explores the effect that the study abroad experience has had upon three distinct groups’ cultural perceptions and personal values: the study abroad students themselves, their Chilean host families, and selected university professors. In 1988, all three groups were asked to fill out a questionnaire drafted by a bi-national
Simplicity is not Truth-Indicative

In this paper I will argue that, in general, where the evidence supports two theories equally, the simpler theory is not more likely to be true and is not likely to be nearer the truth. In other words simplicity does not tell us anything about model bias. Our preference for simpler theories (apart from their obvious pragmatic advantages) can be explained by the facts that humans are known to elaborate unsuccessful theories rather than attempt a thorough revision and that a fixed set of data can only justify adjusting a certain number of parameters to a limited degree of precision. No extra tendency towards simplicity in the natural world is necessary to explain our preference for simpler theories. Thus Occam's razor eliminates itself (when interpreted in this form).