Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Price Information and Bidding Behavior in Repeated Second‐Price Auctions

Examining panel data on bidding behavior in over forty second-price auction markets with repeated trials, we observe that (i) posted prices influence the behavior of the median naive bidder; (ii) posted prices do not affect the behavior of the median experienced bidder or the bidder for familiar goods; and (iii) anticipated strategic behavior wanes after two trials. The results suggest that while affiliation might exist in auctions for new goods, the repeated trial design with nonprice information removes the correlation of values and provides the experience that bidders need to understand the market mechanism. Copyright 1999, Oxford University Press.
Alcohol Consumption Decisions Among Nonabusing Drinkers Diagnosed with Hepatitis C

Most studies of decisions to curtail alcohol consumption reflect experiences of abusing drinkers. An exploratory sequential research design is used to explore the applicability of this research to the experience of nonabusing drinkers advised to curtail alcohol consumption after a hepatitis C diagnosis. A qualitative component identified 17 new decision factors not reflected in an inventory of factors based on synthesis of existing scales. Qualitative data were triangulated by supplementing semistructured interviews with Internet postings. A quantitative component estimated prevalence and association with current drinking of these new decision factors. Patients who quit drinking tended to attribute postdiagnosis drinking to occasional triggers, whereas patients who were still drinking were more likely to endorse rationales not tied to specific triggers.
There is No Such Thing as a Free Open Sky: Financial Markets and the Struggle Over European Competences in International Air Transport

Aviation is a prime example of a policy area where the clash over supranational regulatory responsibilities had pronounced economic repercussions. In this article, we examine the economic effects of the European Commission’s struggle to obtain competences in international air transport. Stock market reactions to key events in the political conflict between 1995 and 2004 unravel whether investor beliefs about the distribution of power in the EU follow the basic conjectures of neofunctionalism, intergovernmentalism or institutionalism. The event studies show that particularly judicial proceedings and the involvement of the ECJ send credible integration signals to financial markets. This supports the hypothesis that investors consider the subtleties of the EU’s decision-making apparatus carefully and only react to developments that definitively alter the political regime and thus also the market situation. These findings are in line with an institutionalist interpretation of a reform that has radically changed the international aviation regime.
Career plateauing reactions: the moderating role of job scope, role ambiguity and participation among Canadian managers

The purpose of this study is to investigate the moderating effect and the interactive effect of job scope, role ambiguity and participation in decision-making on relationships between career plateauing and outcomes. A cross-sectional survey of 3,065 Canadian managers shows that these job characteristics can contribute to limiting the negative consequences associated with career plateauing. Moreover, in accordance with the theory of work–situation fit, some double moderating effects are found. The attitudes and behaviours of plateaued managers are significantly more positive when their job is richer and offers an opportunity to participate in decision-making. However, contrary to evidence in the literature, results show that reactions to career plateauing are more positive for managers who perceive that their job is richer and their role more ambiguous. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.
Assessing the Technological Capabilities of Firms: Developing a Policy Tool

The development of technological capabilities results from an extended learning process and external policy agents can play an important role in its development. This paper outlines trends in governmental and non-governmental policy initiatives and the use of concepts such as capability and absorptive capacity, which are positioned within generic-staged models of capability maturity. This paper describes the development of a technology capability assessment/audit tool that has been designed to help locate firms within four archetypes based upon their level of maturity on nine key dimensions of the management of technology. The tool is intended to help bridge the gap between our theoretical understanding of the principles of technology management and policy practice - allowing policy makers to design mechanisms that focus resources in areas of greatest need through the appropriate selection of policy mechanisms and the targeted design of policy. The use of this tool in field experiments is described along with the implications for policy making.
Risk Neutral Probabilities and Option Bounds: A Geometric Approach

In this paper we first present a geometric approach to option bounds. We show that if two risk neutral probability density functions intersect for certain number of times, then comparing the fatness of their tails we can tell which of them gives higher option prices. Thus we can derive option bounds by identifying the risk neutral probability density function which intersects all admissible ones for certain number of times. Applying this approach we tighten the first order stochastic dominance option bounds when the maximum value of the risk neutral density is known. The method present in this paper has wide applications in option pricing problems.
Lost in space: population growth in the American hinterlands and small cities

The sources of urban agglomeration and the development of the urban system have been studied extensively. Despite the pivotal role of the hinterlands in theories of the development of the urban system, little attention has been paid to the effect of urban agglomeration in a developed, mature economy on growth in the hinterlands. Therefore, this study examines how proximity to urban agglomeration affects contemporary population growth (PopGr) in hinterland U.S. counties. Proximity to urban agglomeration is measured in terms of both distances to higher tiered areas in the urban hierarchy and proximity to market potential (MP). Particular attention is paid to whether periodic changes and trends in underlying conditions (e.g. technology or transport costs) have altered PopGr patterns in the hinterlands and small urban centers. Over the period 1950–2000, we find strong negative growth effects of distances to higher tiered urban areas, with significant, but lesser effects of distance to MP. Further, the costs of distance, if anything, appear to be increasing over time, consistent with a number of recent theories stressing the effect of new technology on the spatial distribution of activity in a mature urban system.
Globalization and China's Economic Development

This paper studies the nature and implications of globalization in China's economic development since 1978. It covers the four aspects of the flows of goods, capital, technology/information and of people to and from China. It also analyzes the role of the exchange rate of renminbi in transmitting the effects of foreign trade and investment to the Chinese macroeconomy. Copyright 2006 The Author Journal compilation 2006 Blackwell Publishing Ltd
The impact of organisational change on public sector employees implementing the UK Government's “Back to work” programme

Purpose – This paper aims to examine the impact of organisational change on public sector employees utilising the implementation of the UK Government's “Back to work” programme (BTW) as a case study example. The paper seeks to explore the employee response to the changes they experience as a result of this new initiative.Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative approach was adopted for this study, employing in‐depth interviews across the UK. The interview strategy sought to focus on the individual experiences and perceptions of those involved in the operation of the programme.Findings – The findings highlight how the interviewees face organisational change as part of their everyday life, with the pace of change increasing and becoming more radical. Many of these organisational changes are related to the introduction of new initiatives that require amendments to existing working practices. It was found that a lack of permanency and constant switching of initiatives, imposed by central government, could .
Long-haul and short-haul outbound all-inclusive package tours

Most long-haul and short-haul outbound travelers in Hong Kong purchase all-inclusive package tours through travel agencies. Thus, it is important for travel agencies to understand the criteria used by travelers to select package tours. This study aims to identify these criteria, and to investigate the differences between these two groups of travelers. The sample size was 200. The results show that personal safety and the guarantee of a promised departure date were the most important selection criteria for the travelers. Prospective long-haul travelers were more concerned with product features and the quality of counseling, and were less sensitive to price than were short-haul travelers.
Lipid peroxidation and antioxidant status in patients with breast cancer.

INTRODUCTION The present study was undertaken to evaluate the status of lipid peroxidation and antioxidants as biomarkers in human plasma. METHODS The extent of lipid peroxidation as evidenced by the formation of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and conjugated dienes (CD) as well as the status of the antioxidants superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), reduced glutathione (GSH), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and glutathione S-transferase (GST) in serum samples of 40 breast cancer patients in and around Coimbatore, India, were studied. Controls consisted of members of the public with no previous history of breast cancer or other cancer-related diseases. RESULTS The plasma samples of the breast cancer patients showed enhanced level of lipid peroxidation when compared to the corresponding controls. This was accompanied by a significant elevation in both enzymic and non-enzymic antioxidants. CONCLUSION These findings indicate the significant increase in lipid peroxidation as evidenced by the level of TBARS and antioxidant status such as elevated SOD, CAT, GPx, GSH and GST in samples from breast cancer patients compared to controls.
A New Assessment of Openness and Inflation: Reply

Terra [1998] argues that my finding [Romer 1993] of a negative relationship across countries between openness and inflation is "actually caused by the severely indebted countries, over the debt crisis period. " She proposes an explanation of the openness-inflation relationship based on indebted countries' need to raise revenue to repay their debts. The smaller a country's trade share, the more depreciated the real value of the currency must be in order to generate a given trade surplus as a share of GDP. And the more depreciated the currency, the greater the pressure on the government's budget-and thus the greater pressure to inflate. In contrast, in my paper I argue that the relationship stems from imperfect commitment in monetary policy. The less open the economy, the greater the benefits of surprise inflation, and thus the higher the level of inflation in the absence of complete commitment. Terra has uncovered interesting variation in the opennessinflation relationship across countries and over time. Nonetheless, I want to make three brief points that suggest that the channel she proposes accounts for only a modest part of the overall relationship. First, Terra's results do not justify her claim that the relationship is a product only of the severely indebted countries (SICs) during the debt crisis. This can be seen from her Table I. For the SICs, the openness-inflation link in the precrisis period, though weaker than during the crisis, is large and statistically significant. The estimates for the moderately indebted countries, although imprecise, suggest a relationship that is very similar to that for the SICs in both periods. And for the less indebted countries, the point estimates again suggest a negative relationship; indeed, for the full sample period the coefficient on openness is significantly different from zero. Only for the high-income countries (Terra's "all other countries") is there no evidence of a negative association between openness and inflation. '
Quality of appraisal practices in Indian PSUs: a case study

The main aim of the study is to assess the level of expectation and experience regarding the consideration of the skills relating to internal marketing in performance appraisal report while evaluating performance of human resources in Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) (AOD; Assam Oil Division), Digboi. This study also attempts to assess the level of expectation and experience regarding ideal ‘post-performance-appraisal-scenario’ in IOCL (AOD), Digboi. Furthermore, the study ventures to assess the level of overall satisfaction with performance appraisal system of the company as perceived by the employees, i.e. the internal customers. The study has looked into performance appraisal as a tool of human resource management through the lenses of internal marketing skills in the context of Central Public Sector Undertakings, which have very narrow base of internal Customers. This new approach has the potential to orient the Public Sector Undertakings to the market-driven economy.
Function of Transient Receptor Potential Cation Channel Subfamily V Member 4 (TRPV4) as a Mechanical Transducer in Flow-sensitive Segments of Renal Collecting Duct System*

Background: TRPV4 is a Ca2+-permeable channel that is expressed in a wide range of cells and tissues. Results: TRPV4 is expressed in renal connecting tubule/collecting duct cells and is activated by fluid flow. Conclusion: TRPV4 is critical as a flow transducer in the mammalian collecting duct system. Significance: TRV4 may underlie mechanically sensitive phenomena in the distal nephron. The TRPV4 Ca2+-permeable channel is sensitive to mechanical stimuli. In the current study we have employed immunocytochemical staining in kidney slices and functional assessments (Ca2+ imaging) in isolated, split-opened, tubule segments to define TRPV4 sites of expression and flow-dependent function in the collecting duct system. Staining patterns revealed strong expression of TRPV4 along the entire collecting duct system with highest levels at the apical (luminal)/subapical region of the principal cells (PCs), the dominant cell type, with more diffuse staining in intercalated cells (ICs). Using fluorescence Ca2+ imaging and the selective TRPV4 agonist, GSK1016790A, we demonstrated functional TRPV4 channels in PCs and ICs of split-opened cortical collecting ducts and connecting tubules. The agonist was ineffective in inducing a rise in [Ca2+]i in the absence of extracellular Ca2+ or in tubules from TRPV4-deficient animals. Most importantly, a 10-fold elevation in luminal (apical) fluid flow induced a rapid and sustained influx of Ca2+ that was abolished by the TRPV channel inhibitor, ruthenium red, or in tubules isolated from TRPV4 deficient animals. We concluded that TRPV4 is highly expressed along the entire collecting duct system where it appears to function as a sensor/transducer of flow-induce mechanical stresses.
Spectrum of spine infections in patients with HIV: a case report and review of the literature.

UNLABELLED Because of the increase in patients with human immunodeficiency virus, practitioners are likely to see a concordant increase of infections. Spontaneous spinal infections can result from a variety of organisms. A common pathogen is Staphylococcus aureus, which is the most frequent cause of pyogenic spinal infection in patients who test positive for the human immunodeficiency virus. Human immunodeficiency virus has caused a resurgence of spinal tuberculosis and other infections. The pandemic of human immunodeficiency virus has caused a rise in extremely rare spinal infections caused by fungus, virus, and atypical bacteria that usually are nonpathogenic. As the number of elective and emergent spinal surgeries become more frequent, spinal practitioners also must become more familiar with the particularities of preoperative and perioperative decision making. Patients' CD4 cell counts are a useful preoperative parameter to stratify the risk for postoperative wound infection because counts less than 200/mm3 seem to be a critical threshold. A case of a patient with the human immunodeficiency virus is presented. The patient had a chronic, postoperative infection and posttraumatic post-laminectomy kyphosis; he was successfully treated with staged procedures including debridement, deformity correction, stabilization, and appropriate antibiotic therapy. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Level V (expert opinion). Please see the Guidelines for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
The finance–specialization–growth nexus: evidence from OECD countries

Empirical evidence is increasing by emphasizing the positive influence of financial markets on the level and the rate of growth of a country's per-capita income. Theoretically, the rationale for the finance–growth nexus appears to be straightforward: in imperfect economies, financial markets provide valuable services such as mobilizing savings, diversifying risks, allocating savings to investments and monitoring the allocation of managers. By performing these services financial markets work as a very important catalyst of economic growth. Empirical research has so far paid little attention to the mechanisms through which financial development is related to growth. Using a panel data set covering 22 OECD countries over the period 1970 through 2000, we present empirical evidence which suggest that the finance–growth nexus in industrialized countries is due to a higher degree of specialization made possible by financial advancement.
Lecture Notes: Non-Standard Approach to J.F. Colombeau’s Theory of Generalized Functions

In these lecture notes we present an introduction to non-standard analysis especially written for the community of mathematicians, physi­ cists and engineers who do research on J. F. Colombeau’ theory of new generalized functions and its applications. The main purpose of our non-standard approach to Colombeau’ theory is the improvement of the properties of the scalars of the varieties of spaces of generalized functions: in our non-standard approach the sets of scalars of the func­ tional spaces always form algebraically closed non-archimedean Can­ tor complete fields. In contrast, the scalars of the functional spaces in Colombeau’s theory are rings with zero divisors. The improve­ ment of the scalars leads to other improvements and simplifications of Colombeau’s theory such as reducing the number of quantifiers and possibilities for an axiomatization of the theory. Some of the algebras we construct in these notes have already counterparts in Colombeau’s theory, other seems to be without counterpart. We present applica­ tions of the theory to PDE and mathematical physics. Although our approach is directed mostly to Colombeau’s community, the readers who are already familiar with non-standard methods might also find a short and comfortable way to learn about Colombeau’s theory: a new branch of functional analysis which naturally generalizes the Schwartz theory of distributions with numerous applications to partial differen­ tial equations, differential geometry, relativity theory and other areas of mathematics and physics. MSC: Functional Analysis (46F30); Generalized Solutions of PDE (35D05).
Trading Around Macroeconomic Announcements: Are All Traders Created Equal?

This paper examines the effects of macroeconomic announcements on equity index markets using high frequency transactions data for the regular and E-mini S&P 500 index futures contracts. For ten types of announcements that significantly affect prices, we analyze the price adjustment process and the trading patterns of exchange locals and off-exchange customers around the announcements. We find a large increase in trading activity immediately after the announcement. The results also show that during this initial surge in trading activity, locals are able to time their trades better than off-exchange traders even when locals do not have the advantage of access to the order flow. The trading strategy followed by exchange locals in the first 20 seconds after the announcement tends to be profitable, while off-exchange traders tend to make losing trades over the same time period. These results lend evidence that local traders tend to react to the macroeconomic information faster than off-exchange traders.
How Does Intragroup Financing Affect Leverage? Belgian Evidence

We hypothesize that the lower costs of asymmetric information and financial distress and the potentially higher tax benefits associated with intragroup debt will cause firms with access to such funds to have higher leverage. The presence of intragroup debt could worsen the relations between the firm and nongroup creditors, resulting in lower nongroup debt levels. Intragroup guarantees could improve these relationships and thus lead to higher debt levels. We examine how the presence and the amount of intragroup debt are related to total leverage and nongroup leverage for 958 large nonfinancial Belgian firms. Belgian firms provide an interesting case for research on this relationship, as internal capital markets play an important role in their financing. We also analyze the relationship between the presence of intragroup guarantees and the leverage of these firms. Our empirical analysis confirms the hypotheses.
Mitochondrial oxidative stress and CD95 ligand: A dual mechanism for hepatocyte apoptosis in chronic alcoholism

Apoptosis plays an important role in the progression of alcohol‐induced liver disease to cirrhosis. Oxidative stress is an early event in the development of apoptosis. The major aim of this study was to study the conditions in which oxidative stress occurs in chronic alcoholism and its relationship with apoptosis of hepatocytes. We have found that oxidative stress is associated with chronic ethanol consumption in humans and in rats, in the former independently of the existence of alcohol‐induced liver disease. Ethanol or acetaldehyde induces apoptosis in hepatocytes isolated from alcoholic rats, but not in those from control rats. Inhibition of aldehyde dehydrogenase, but not of cytochrome P450 2E1, prevents ethanol‐induced cell death. Ethanol‐induced apoptosis is caused by increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) driven by increased availability of the reduced form of nicotinamide‐adenine dinucleotide (NADH) owing to mitochondrial acetaldehyde metabolism and it is prevented by blocking the opening of mitochondrial permeability transition (MPT) pores with cyclosporine A. Inhibition of nitric oxide (NO) synthase or addition of antioxidant vitamins C and E completely prevented ethanol‐induced apoptosis. Mitochondrial oxidative stress, which occurs during chronic alcoholism, renders hepatocytes susceptible to apoptosis. On the other hand, the CD95 ligand expression was up‐regulated by acetaldehyde. In conclusion, ethanol induces apoptosis via 2 different pathways: MPT and up‐regulation of the expression of CD95‐Fas ligand. The overproduction of ROS by mitochondria, driven by acetaldehyde metabolism, is a common trigger of both mechanisms.