Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Immigration Policy and the Skills of Immigrants to Australia, Canada, and the United States

Census data for 1990/91 indicate that Australian and Canadian immigrants have higher levels of English fluency, education, and income (relative to natives) than do U.S. immigrants. This skill deficit for U.S. immigrants arises primarily because the United States receives a much larger share of immigrants from Latin America than do the other two countries. After excluding Latin American immigrants, the observable skills of immigrants are similar in the three countries. These patterns suggest that the comparatively low overall skill level of U.S. immigrants may have more to do with geographic and historical ties to Mexico than with the fact that skill-based admissions are less important in the United States than in Australia and Canada.
The role of charities in social tourism

The aim of this paper is to examine the extent to which charities contribute to social tourism activity and the forms which these contributions might take. The needs of those disadvantaged because of personal, economic or social circumstances are central to the enquiry. An earlier piece by Turner, Miller and Gilbert (2001), which explores the broader role of UK charities in the tourism industry, suggesting them to operate outside, within and above the tourism industry, provides a framework for initial consideration. Primary qualitative data collected from 20 charitable organisations are considered next with fundraising, accommodation support and signposting activities, all common areas of charitable involvement, noted. This paper concludes by extending the earlier framework presented by Turner et al. (2001) [The role of UK charities and the tourism industry. Tourism Management, 22, 463–472] to include a surrogate dimension. It also comments upon the piecemeal support offered by charities to disadvantaged consumers, makes the case for the charitable and private sector tourism industry to seek ways of working together in the future and offers some tentative suggestions for future research. These suggestions are linked to both the research methodology employed in the study and the need for further research linked to consumer attitudes towards charitable giving.
Antibacterial activity of ceftriaxone (Ro 13-9904), a beta-lactamase-stable cephalosporin

The in vitro activity of ceftriaxone (Ro 13-9904), a parenteral cephalosporin, was compared with that of other beta-lactam antibiotics. the compound was less active against Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis than was cephalothin or cefamandole, but it was comparable to cefoxitin, cefotaxime, and moxalactam in inhibiting most isolates of S. aureus at 3.1 microgram/ml. Ro 13-9904 inhibited Streptococcus pyogenes and Streptococcus pneumoniae at concentrations below 0.25 microgram/ml, but Streptococcus faecalis required concentrations above 25 microgram/ml. Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Haemophilus influenzae were inhibited at concentrations similar to those of cefotaxime, less than 0.1 microgram/ml. Ro 13-9904 was as active as cefotaxime and moxalactam against most Enterobacteriaceae and was the most active agent tested against Proteus, inhibiting all strains tested at 0.006 microgram/ml. Ro 13-9904 was slightly less active than moxalactam or cefoxitin against Bacteroides fragilis, requiring more than 100 microgram/ml to inhibit 90% of isolates, and it was less active than cefoperazone against Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Presence of serum, alteration of pH, and use of various media did not change the inhibitory levels. Bactericidal concentrations were similar to inhibitory levels. Ro 13-9904 was stable to most plasmid-mediated beta-lactamases, but was hydrolyzed by some Enterobacter, Proteus, and Bacteroides beta-lactamases of chromosomal origin.
Compensating Differentials for Shift Work

A model analyzing the choice of shift is developed and estimated using data from two supplements to the Current Population Survey. The findings show a positive wage premium for shift work that varies with personal characteristics, and there is strong evidence showing the importance of self-selection, as workers with low potential daytime earnings are more likely to choose night work and supplement their earnings. The findings demonstrate that cross-section estimates of wage premiums for union membership and firm size are biased upward because they pick up some of the compensating differential for shift work.
Instabilidade financeira numa economia de mercado de capitais

Hyman Minsky is one of the key authors in the monetary economics field, being a benchmark for many. The Financial Instability Hypothesis that he developed relates the cyclical and unstable behavior of the capitalist economies to the increasing systemic indebtedness necessary to finance investment production. Minsky's theoretical framework was built based on an economy where the banking credit was the bulk of the financing system. However, one of the main characteristics of the contemporary financial system is the increasing fund raising done through securities issuing, both tradable bonds and equities. In other words we have been seeing a transition from an economy where fund raising based on banking credit prevailed to another where funds have been increasingly obtained in the capital markets. Given that, the main goal of this article is to defend the adequateness of the Financial Instability Hypothesis to the new financial system scenario. To do that we discuss the macroeconomic effects - from the point of view of the generation of higher fragility and, consequently, the susceptibility to crisis - that result from the use of the new financial Instruments.
How well does the theory of planned behaviour predict alcohol consumption? A systematic review and meta-analysis

This study aimed to quantify correlations between theory of planned behaviour (TPB) variables and (i) intentions to consume alcohol and (ii) alcohol consumption. Systematic literature searches identified 40 eligible studies that were meta-analysed. Three moderator analyses were conducted: pattern of consumption, gender of participants and age of participants. Across studies, intentions had the strongest relationship with attitudes (r+ = .62), followed by subjective norms (r+ = .47) and perceived behavioural control (PBC; r+ = .31). Self-efficacy (SE) had a stronger relationship with intentions (r+ = .48) compared with perceived control (PC; r+ = −.10). Intention had the strongest relationship with alcohol consumption (r+ = .54), followed by SE (r+ = .41). In contrast, PBC and PC had negative relationships with alcohol consumption (r+ = −.05 and −.13, respectively). All moderators affected TPB relationships. Patterns of consumption with clear definitions had stronger TPB relations, females reported stronger attitude–intention relations than males, and adults reported stronger attitude–intention and SE–intention relations than adolescents. Recommendations for future research include targeting attitudes and intentions in interventions to reduce alcohol consumption, using clear definitions of alcohol consumption in TPB items to improve prediction and assessing SE when investigating risk behaviours.
Excess Lead in "Rusty Rock" 66095 and Implications for an Early Lunar Differentiation

Apollo 16 breccia 66095 contains a remarkably high amount of lead (15 parts per million), 85 percent of which is not supported by uranium and thorium in the rock. An acid leach experiment coupled with separate analyses of the whole rock and mineral fractions for uranium, thorium, and lead indicate that the excess lead has a lunar source and was apparently introduced about 4.0 x 109 years ago. The data also suggest that a major lunar crustal differentiation occurred about 4.47 x 109 years ago.
Do public pensions crowd out private transfers to the elderly?: evidence from South Korea*

Abstract We investigate the impact of receiving a public pension on total expenditures, food expenditures, and private transfers of the elderly in South Korea. Using a natural experiment that occurred in 1999, we are able to explore the impacts of a large public pension program expansion which newly incorporated people who had been self-employed, unemployed, and out of the labor force. We find that receipt of a public pension did not allow the elderly to increase total expenditures or food expenditures because the expansion of public pensions largely crowded out financial transfers from adult children and/or own siblings.
Understanding the burnout experience: recent research and its implications for psychiatry

The experience of burnout has been the focus of much research during the past few decades. Measures have been developed, as have various theoretical models, and research studies from many countries have contributed to a better understanding of the causes and consequences of this occupationally‐specific dysphoria. The majority of this work has focused on human service occupations, and particularly health care. Research on the burnout experience for psychiatrists mirrors much of the broader literature, in terms of both sources and outcomes of burnout. But it has also identified some of the unique stressors that mental health professionals face when they are dealing with especially difficult or violent clients. Current issues of particular relevance for psychiatry include the links between burnout and mental illness, the attempts to redefine burnout as simply exhaustion, and the relative dearth of evaluative research on potential interventions to treat and/or prevent burnout. Given that the treatment goal for burnout is usually to enable people to return to their job, and to be successful in their work, psychiatry could make an important contribution by identifying the treatment strategies that would be most effective in achieving that goal.
The index of narrative microstructure: a clinical tool for analyzing school-age children's narrative performances.

PURPOSE This research was conducted to develop a clinical tool-the Index of Narrative Microstructure (INMIS)-that would parsimoniously account for important microstructural aspects of narrative production for school-age children. The study provides field test age- and grade-based INMIS values to aid clinicians in making normative judgments about microstructural aspects of pupils' narrative performance. METHOD Narrative samples using a single-picture elicitation context were collected from 250 children age 5-12 years and then transcribed and segmented into T-units. A T-unit consists of a single main clause and any dependent constituents. The narrative transcripts were then coded and analyzed to document a comprehensive set of microstructural indices. RESULTS Factor analysis indicated that narrative microstructure consisted of 2 moderately related factors. The Productivity factor primarily comprised measures of word output, lexical diversity, and T-unit output. The Complexity factor comprised measures of syntactic organization, with mean length of T-units in words and proportion of complex T-units loading most strongly. Principal components analysis was used to provide a linear combination of 8 variables to approximate the 2 factors. Formulas for calculating a student's performance on the 2 factors using 8 narrative measures are provided. CONCLUSIONS This study provided a method for professionals to calculate INMIS scores for narrative Productivity and Complexity for comparison against field test data for age (5- to 12-year-old) or grade (kindergarten to Grade 6) groupings. INMIS scores complement other tools in evaluating a child's narrative performance specifically and language abilities more generally.
Exchange Rate Variability and Foreign Direct Investment – Consequences of EMU Enlargement

This paper analyzes theoretically and empirically the likely impact of the reduction in exchange rate uncertainty, due to European Monetary Union accession, on the intensity of foreign direct investment (FDI) inflow into candidate countries. Theoretical models give an ambiguous picture of how exchange rate uncertainty and volatility affect the direction and magnitude of such inflows. This paper finds that exchange rate uncertainty and volatility--and nominal exchange rate uncertainty in particular--may negatively influence the decision to locate investment in transition and accession countries. Euro adoption, on the other hand, is likely to positively influence FDI inflows in accession countries.
A Unifying Theory of Value Based Management

We identify four alternative performance metrics used in value based management (VBM). (1) Basic is an intrinsic value analysis (IVA), the discounted cash flow (DCF) methodology. (2) We show that this framework will be consistent with returns to shareholder (RTS, capital gains plus dividends) measured over appropriate time horizons. (3) Economic profit (EP) [also called economic value added (EVA®)] takes from the DCF free cash flow valuation, net operating profits after taxes (NOPAT), divided by invested capital to obtain the return on operating invested capital (ROIC) less a cost of capital estimate (k); the difference multiplied times operating capital. (4) The relationship between the market value of the firm’s financial instruments and the book value of the firm’s operating assets can be expressed equivalently as market value added (MVA), the q ratio, and the market-to-book ratio. We test the relationships of alternative financial accounting performance metrics versus market metrics on a historical basis as well as on a prospective basis. We find that the alternative financial performance metrics – discounted cash flow valuation, returns to shareholders, economic profit, the market to book ratio [equivalently, the q ratio and market value added (MVA)] are highly correlated. We also find that standard financial ratio analysis as expressed in the DuPont formulation are also significantly related to market performance metrics and in the implementation of VBM. In implementation, each approach to value based management (VBM) starts with strategic planning processes, ties performance to incentive compensation, requires top management involvement, as well as information and training programs for employees. The four approaches to VBM also take into account other stakeholders (employees, consumers, community). VBM must also evaluate changing economic, cultural, and political environments. The strategic planning process analyzes long term trends, cyclical economic changes, competitive forces, and effective development of managerial capabilities and other resources. Our clinical analysis centers on Hershey Foods Corporation.
A Generalized Hybrid Approach for the Synthesis of Uniform Amplitude Pencil Beam Ring-Arrays

A generalized hybrid algorithm for the synthesis of uniform amplitude ring-arrays is introduced. The method exploits the analytical properties of the field radiated by a circular array in order to get advantages from the use of convex programming techniques. The method, aimed to the synthesis of circularly symmetric patterns, is very flexible and allows the use of different kind of feeds as well as stepped excitations. The synthesis procedure is demonstrated in the case of high-directivity pencil beam patterns.
Journal of International Agricultural and Extension Education Scholarship: Passport to the World

The Journal of International Agricultural and Extension Education (JIAEE) has been a constant product of the Association for International Agricultural and Extension Education since 1994. Research topics and the journal’s importance to researchers have changed over time, but its seminal obligation as a contributor to the body of scholarly knowledge has not; its purpose is to enhance the research and knowledge base of agricultural and extension education from an international perspective. The JIAEE serves as the AIAEE’s passport to the world, when considering the many unknown audiences who first learn about the AIAEE through digital library searches for international agricultural and extension education periodicals. From that basic premise, the goal for the JIAEE should be to publish only high quality, relevant, focused research for international agricultural and extension education. However, much of the scholarship reported in the JIAEE is fragmented, thereby having minimal impact or significance to the body of scholarly knowledge. The AIAEE needs to adapt, adopt, or create its own international research agenda. Persistent, rigorous investigations of our research agenda’s priority areas will produce a body of scholarly knowledge that distinguishes international agricultural and extension education as a discipline.
The ileocolonic sphincter

Abstract The human ileocolonic sphincter (ICS) develops a sustained tone mainly due to propagated and not propagated phasic motor activity. The ileocaecocolonic segment is also able to behave, yet uncommonly, as a synchronized segment involving propagated contractions originating from the ileum and migrating to the proximal colon. The ICS motor activity alone has a limited role towards forward flow. On the contrary, the functional entity corresponding to the distal ileum and the ICS provides a clearance mechanism for reflux of colonic contents into the small intestine. The presence of short chain fatty acids (SCFA) in the distal ileum, sensed either by endocrine cells or chemo‐sensitive vagal afferents, is an important actor in triggering this clearance mechanism. The ICS tone is in part myogenic but a neuronal nitrergic component is also involved. Reflex excitatory and inhibitory responses of the ICS originating from ileal or colonic distension involve primarily spinal nitrergic and adrenergic pathways.
Effectiveness of simple technical trading rules in the Hong Kong futures markets

Weak-form market efficiency states that past information cannot be used to consistently generate excess returns. So, technical analysis which uses past information on securities should not help generate abnormal profits consistently in a weak-form efficient market. In the present study, two simple technical trading strategies - Moving-Average-Oscillator and Trading Range Break-Out - are implemented to test whether they result in excess returns. The study is performed on the Hang Seng Futures Index, traded at the Hong Kong Futures Exchange. It is found that the moving average strategy does not produce significant excess returns, but four out of the six Trading Range Break-Out rules resulted in significant positive returns for the buy signal.
A Review of Anti-Angiogenic Targets for Monoclonal Antibody Cancer Therapy

Tumor angiogenesis is a key event that governs tumor progression and metastasis. It is controlled by the complicated and coordinated actions of pro-angiogenic factors and their receptors that become upregulated during tumorigenesis. Over the past several decades, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) signaling has been identified as a central axis in tumor angiogenesis. The remarkable advent of recombinant antibody technology has led to the development of bevacizumab, a humanized antibody that targets VEGF and is a leading clinical therapy to suppress tumor angiogenesis. However, despite the clinical efficacy of bevacizumab, its significant side effects and drug resistance have raised concerns necessitating the identification of novel drug targets and development of novel therapeutics to combat tumor angiogenesis. This review will highlight the role and relevance of VEGF and other potential therapeutic targets and their receptors in angiogenesis. Simultaneously, we will also cover the current status of monoclonal antibodies being developed to target these candidates for cancer therapy.
The role of international trade and financial integration in the development model of the BRIC economies

This study aims at examining the role of the international trade and financial integration behind the impressive economic growth rates of the BRIC economies. It employs a Barro-type growth model encompassing several robust correlates of economic growth and alternative measures of international trade and financial openness. The estimation rests on a testing down procedure applied to a dynamic panel model based on four-year non-overlapping averages for 88 countries during the 1973-2008 period. The empirical results provide consistent evidence of growth-conducive effects of the international trade integration in addition to the conventional determinants. However, no statistically discernible effect on economic growth of the de facto measures of international financial integration is identified, lending support to the argument that the benefits may be indirect.
High School Exit Exams and Dropout in an Era of Increased Accountability

A key form of student-level accountability is the requirement for students to pass high school exit exams (HSEEs) in order to receive a diploma. In this paper, we examine the impact of HSEEs on dropout during a period when these exams became more common and rigorous. Further, we study whether offering alternate pathways to graduation for students who cannot pass HSEEs moderates any dropout effects. Using a district-grade-level panel assembled from the Common Core of Data, we exploit the fact that new exit exam policies first affect a particular graduating class, so we can isolate the impact of exposure to HSEEs for students in one grade in a district separate from other unaffected grades in the same district. We estimate dropout effects by grade for all students, and by race, sex, and urbanicity. We find that HSEEs increase dropout rates for students in the 12th grade, with especially large effects for African-American students. Dropout effects are uniformly larger in states that do not provide alternate pathways to receive a diploma or alternative credentials for students that cannot pass exit exams. We estimate that 1.25 percent of 12th graders in these states do not graduate with their high school class, likely due to having a diploma withheld because of inability to pass the requisite HSEE. © 2013 by the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management.
Pathology of vascular sensorineural hearing impairment

Circulatory disorders, which are well documented in most parts of the human body, are not well documented in the inner ear, although they are expected to occur. It has been previously shown that experimental occlusion of the labyrinthine artery in animals results in severe degenerative changes, fibrosis, and new bone formation in the cochlea. Accordingly, this paper presents presumptive evidence that depriving the human cochlea of its blood supply after surgical removal of an acoustic tumor results in severe degenerative changes that progress to total ossification of the cochlear spaces. This paper also discusses similar changes seen in temporal bones of two patients with sudden sensorineural hearing impairment.