Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Macroeconomics of Work Time

In this paper we demonstrate that because of stagnating wages and rising job insecurity, there has been a change in the labor supply regime in the U.S. macroeconomy since the 1970s. There is now greater labor supply at any given officially measured unemployment rate. This induced growth in the quantity of labor effort is coming from experienced, incumbent workers and therefore does not show up in the official unemployment rate. While this may diminish family and community life, the increased aggregate labor supply means rising aggregate demand is being absorbed even at unemployment rates of less than 5 percent without sparking inflationary pressures. Because of this upward structural trend in weekly hours, monetary policy authorities must now recognize that standard jobless measures have become a misleading gauge of available labor.
Using Baseball Card Prices to Measure Star Quality and Monopsony

Baseball card prices are used to capture star quality in a new measure of productivity in Major League Baseball. Star quality, which impacts revenues, is determined from a player's baseball card price as the residual in a fit of card prices to performance statistics. This measure is entered into the computation of individual player marginal revenue product and compared to players' salaries using data from the four years leading up to the 1994 MLB strike. Results are examined for monopsonistic exploitation by market size, free agency status, type of player, and other relevant categories. Underpaid and overpaid players are identified. Copyright 2002, Oxford University Press.
Translating Research into Practice: Trans Youth Recommendations for Improving School Systems

ABSTRACT Trans youth are considered one of the most marginalized and oppressed populations. Many experience transphobia and violence based on their gender identity and expression. This qualitative study describes the school experiences of 24 trans youth in Philadelphia and presents their recommendations for school administrators and educators. To effectively provide a safe learning environment for all students, it is imperative that the voices and experiences of trans youth are heard by education professionals and reflected in their policies and practices.
On the impact of market mergers over herding: evidence from EURONEXT

Purpose - – The purpose of this paper is to present and empirically test for the first time the hypothesis that herding in a market increases following the market's merger in an exchange group. Design/methodology/approach - – The hypothesis is tested empirically in EURONEXT's four European equity markets (Belgium, France, the Netherlands and Portugal) on the premise of the Hwang and Salmon (2004) measure which allows us insight into the significance, structure and evolution of market herding. Tests are conducted for each market for the period prior to and after its merger into EURONEXT, controlling for a series of variables (market conditions, common risk factors, size) to gauge the robustness of the findings. Findings - – Results indicate that, with the exception of Portugal, herding grows in significance, yet declines in momentum post-merger. The authors ascribe the findings to EURONEXT's enhanced transparency (which makes it easier for investors to observe their peers’ trades, thus allowing them to infer and free-ride on their information) and its fast-moving informational dynamics that render herding movements shorter-lived. These results are robust when controlling for various market states and common risk factors, with deviations being observed when controlling for size and market volatility. Originality/value - – The study presents results for the first time on the impact of exchange mergers on herd behavior. The authors believe these to constitute useful stimulus for further research on the issue and bear important implications for regulators/policymakers in view of the ongoing proliferation of exchange mergers that has been underway since the 1990s.
Partial pathogen protection by tick-bite sensitization and epitope recognition in peptide-immunized HLA DR3 transgenic mice

Ticks are notorious vectors of disease for humans, and many species of ticks transmit multiple pathogens, sometimes in the same tick bite. Accordingly, a broad-spectrum vaccine that targets vector ticks and pathogen transmission at the tick/host interface, rather than multiple vaccines against every possible tickborne pathogen, could become an important tool for resolving an emerging public health crisis. The concept for such a tick protective vaccine comes from observations of an acquired tick resistance (ATR) that can develop in non-natural hosts of ticks following sensitization to tick salivary components. Mice are commonly used as models to study immune responses to human pathogens but normal mice are natural hosts for many species of ticks and fail to develop ATR. We evaluated HLA DR3 transgenic (tg) “humanized” mice as a potential model of ATR and assessed the possibility of using this animal model for tick protective vaccine discovery studies. Serial tick infestations with pathogen-free Ixodes scapularis ticks were used to tick-bite sensitize HLA DR3 tg mice. Sensitization resulted in a cytokine skew favoring a Th2 bias as well as partial (57%) protection to infection with Lyme disease spirochetes (Borrelia burgdorferi) following infected tick challenge when compared to tick naïve counterparts. I. scapularis salivary gland homogenate (SGH) and a group of immunoinformatic-predicted T cell epitopes identified from the I. scapularis salivary transcriptome were used separately to vaccinate HLA DR3 tg mice, and these mice also were assessed for both pathogen protection and epitope recognition. Reduced pathogen transmission along with a Th2 skew resulted from SGH vaccination, while no significant protection and a possible T regulatory bias was seen in epitope-vaccinated mice. This study provides the first proof-of-concept for using HLA DR tg “humanized” mice for studying the potential tick protective effects of immunoinformatic- or otherwise-derived tick salivary components as tickborne disease vaccines.
PARALLEL IMPORTS, MARKET SIZE AND INVESTMENT INCENTIVE

This paper proposes a vertical control model that features two-part tariff pricing, leader-fringe-follower competition, and investment to characterize the conditions under which parallel imports will (or will not) occur when such activities are legally permitted. In addition, we analyze the effects of parallel imports on the incentive of an authorized distributor to invest in market development. We find that parallel imports cannot arise if the target and the source market either differ too greatly or are too similar in size. Two results are worth emphasizing. First, parallel imports can arise even if the IP owner has the ability to deter parallel imports. Second, the presence of parallel imports and even the threat posed by parallel imports can reduce the domestic distributor's market development investment.
Festival Innovation: Complex and Dynamic Network Interaction

Abstract This article argues that festival innovation is a highly cooperative endeavour among many actors in an inter‐organizational network. The aim is to understand how collaborative festival innovation is performed and who takes part in the process. Material from case studies of three Swedish festivals showed that innovation takes place in complex networks involving many actors having various interests. Innovation networks are often highly dynamic and changing: innovation often takes place in new partnerships. The innovation work is hard to plan: it is to a large degree an emergent process and sometimes innovation originates from improvisation. Some innovation can, however, become institutionalized and embedded in the routines of the partnership interaction. Festival organizers need to reflect on their network and relate strategically to how their partners can contribute to successful festival innovation.
Unit Ipos: The Who, When and Why of Warrant Amendment

Although unit initial public offering (IPO) firms reserve the right to amend the original terms of their warrants, only some choose to extend the exercise period, lower the exercise price, or both. We examine the extent of warrant amendment among unit IPOs and find that the decision to amend is related to the need for cash and is generally employed when share prices are closer to the original warrant exercise prices. Furthermore, extension is less likely when the firm is riskier, whereas higher levels of insider ownership significantly reduce the likelihood that a firm will lower the exercise price. 2004 The Southern Finance Association and the Southwestern Finance Association.
Constraints and determinants of compliance with EurepGap standards: a case of smallholder french bean exporters in Kirinyaga district, Kenya

The authors identify constraints and critical factors that influence compliance with EurepGap standards among French bean smallholder exporters in Kirinyaga District, Kenya. A probit model was used to determine the factors influencing the EurepGap compliance decision while descriptive statistics were used to identify the major constraints to compliance. Results indicate that the high initial cost of compliance is a major constraint on compliance. This arises from the need to purchase recommended agro-chemicals and fertilizers, and the hiring of additional labor. The key factors that are likely to enhance compliance with the standards include socioeconomic and farm characteristics such as area under French beans, household size, total number of farm enterprises and access to extension services. However, compliance is also negatively influenced by access to off‐farm income. The authors make several policy recommendations that could be implemented to enhance and upscale compliance with EurepGap standards in the study area. [EconLit citations: D230; Q130; Q180]. (C) 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Uptake of galacturonic acid in Erwinia chrysanthemi EC16

Uptake of [14C]galacturonic acid in Erwinia chrysanthemi was found to be stimulated during growth on pectin and its degradation products, saturated digalacturonic acid and galacturonic acid. Cells isolated from macerated potato tissue also showed increased levels of uptake activity for this molecule compared with those showed by glycerol-grown cells. Uptake was found to be an active process, and it displayed saturation kinetics. An Escherichia coli galacturonic acid transport mutant harboring the E. chrysanthemi exuT gene(s) for galacturonic acid uptake was able to transport galacturonic acid but unable to take up the dimer [3H]digalacturonic acid.
A business process management capabilities perspective on organisation performance

The resource-based view of the organisation has argued that organisations are unlikely to yield superior performance if they operate business process management (BPM) resources in isolation. As organisations attempt to boost their performance, the question becomes how to configure BPM resources to continuously improve organisation performance. In this paper, we posit that managerial BPM capabilities based on managers commitment and employee involvement have a positive impact on technical BPM capabilities (i.e. comprised of strategic alignment and IT infrastructure), which in turn drives an organisation's ability to enhance its performance. Using data from matched surveys of 182 organisations, we find that technical capabilities mediate the relationship between managerial capabilities and organisations' performance. Furthermore, we reveal that organisation culture moderates the relationship between managerial and technical capabilities. This paper contributes to the theory of BPM by showing that it can be separated into managerial and technical capabilities, and this forms the essential governance model for delivering superior performance.
The Similarity Between Aspirin Treatment and the Lack of Response to Epinephrine and the Frequency of Aspirin Resistance in Healthy Males

Objectives: The lack of response of platelets against epinephrine has been discovered with a frequency of 14% to 40% in previous studies. There are studies that have demonstrated the effect of aspirin on platelets may resemble the lack of response to epinephrine. In this study, the extent of the effects of aspirin treatment on aggregation and secretion in healthy males with a lack of response to epinephrine and the frequency of aspirin resistance were investigated. Methods: Blood samples were collected at the beginning and at the end of a 10-day aspirin usage in 52 healthy males. Epinephrine, adenosine diphosphate (ADP), collagen, arachidonic acid (AA) and thrombin aggregations, and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) secretion were studied. Participants were assigned to nonresponder (<20%), semiresponder (20%-60%), and responder (>60%) groups, depending on their maximum aggregation responses to epinephrine. Participants who displayed an aggregation to AA at the end of the aspirin treatment were accepted to be aspirin resistant. Results: Of the 52 participants, 4 were found to be nonresponders and 3 of 52 of the participants were found to be semiresponders. Although the lack of response to epinephrine and aspirin treatment displayed similarities in aggregations using epinephrine, ADP, collagen, and thrombin, they differed in aggregations using AA and for ATP secretion. The ratio of aspirin resistance was determined to be 4:52. Conclusions: The observation of AA aggregation in the participants with a lack of response to epinephrine demonstrates that epinephrine nonresponse cannot substitute aspirin treatment. The fact that aspirin resistance is observed in healthy males supports the view that aspirin resistance exists even before the first usage.
Differential Electrophysiological Changes in Striatal Output Neurons in Huntington's Disease

There is considerable evidence that alterations in striatal medium-sized spiny neurons (MSSNs) giving rise to the direct (D1 receptor-expressing) and indirect (D2 receptor-expressing) pathways differentially contribute to the phenotype of Huntington's disease (HD). To determine how each subpopulation of MSSN is functionally affected, we examined spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic currents (sEPSCs) and dopamine (DA) modulation in two HD mouse models, the YAC128 and the BACHD (a bacterial-artificial chromosome). These mice also expressed enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) under the control of the promoter for either DA D1 or D2 receptors to identify neurons. In early symptomatic YAC128 and BACHD mice, glutamate transmission was increased in both D1 and D2 MSSNs, but in different ways. D1 cells displayed increased sEPSC frequencies and decreased paired-pulse ratios (PPRs) while D2 cells displayed larger evoked glutamate currents but no change in sEPSC frequencies or PPRs. D1 receptor modulation of sEPSCs was absent in D1-YAC128 cells at the early symptomatic stage but was restored by treating the slices with tetrabenazine. In contrast, in fully symptomatic YAC128 mice, glutamate transmission was decreased specifically in D1 cells, and D1 receptor modulation was normal in D1-YAC128 cells. Behaviorally, early symptomatic mice showed increased stereotypies that were decreased by tetrabenazine treatment. Together, these studies support differential imbalances in glutamate and DA transmission in direct and indirect pathway MSSNs. Stereotypic behavior at an early stage could be explained by increased glutamate activity and DA tone in direct pathway neurons, whereas hypokinesia at later stages could result from reduced input onto these neurons.
TorsinA immunoreactivity in brains of patients with DYT1 and non-DYT1 dystonia

A mutation of the DYT1 gene, which codes for torsinA, has been identified as the cause of one form of autosomal dominantly inherited dystonia. TorsinA immunohistochemistry was used to examine a case of DYT1, and several cases of non-DYT1, dystonia. No evidence was found for alterations of immunoreactivity at the light microscopic level, specifically neither cytoplasmic aggregations nor colocalization of torsinA immunoreactivity with a marker for endoplasmic reticulum. These findings contrast with results of recent cell culture studies of torsinA.
Tracking Decision Makers under Uncertainty

Eye tracking is used to investigate the procedures that participants employ in choosing between two lotteries. Eye movement patterns in problems where the deliberation process is clearly identified are used to substantiate an interpretation of the results. The data provide little support for the hypothesis that decision makers rely exclusively upon an expected utility type of calculation. Instead eye patterns indicate that decision makers often compare prizes and probabilities separately. This is particularly true when the multiplication of sums and probabilities is laborious to compute. (JEL D81, D87)
Real estate development industry structure: Consequences for urban planning and development

In some economic sectors, such as media, agriculture (agribusiness), transport (especially airlines) and retail food outlets, industry structure and its consequences are the subject of policy, media and scholarly attention. By contrast, there has been little policy or scholarly interest in the structure of the (real estate) development industry even though it is a highly regulated, high value industry that shapes the built environment. Little is known about the makeup of the industry and its implications for matters such as efficiency, the structure of the built environment, and the relationship of the industry with planners. This neglect is lamentable and the article aims to show that development industry structure is an important topic demanding attention. It does this by drawing on existing literature to outline some possible or likely implications of industry structure, for urban development and planning, emphasizing particularly the consequences of a concentrating industry. These potential consequences are serious and wide ranging, concerning, amongst other things; the price and nature of the built environment; the nature of planning; power relations between planners and developers; sustainability and even the viability of planning as a public sector activity. This article makes no claim to be an exhaustive or definitive statement on these issues. Instead, the hope is to draw attention to this issue, to stimulate research and debate, and to encourage both practitioners and scholars to reflection upon the implications of inaction.
Does Relative Income Matter? Are the Critics Right?

Do other peoples' incomes reduce the happiness which people in advanced countries experience from any given income? And does this help to explain why in the U.S., Germany and some other advanced countries, happiness has been constant for many decades? The answer to both questions is 'Yes'. We provide 4 main pieces of evidence. 1) In the U.S. General Survey (repeated samples since 1972) comparator income has a negative effect on happiness equal in magnitude to the positive effect of own income. 2) In the West German Socio-Economic Panel since 1984 the same is true but with lifesatisfaction as the dependant variable. We also use the Panel to compare the effect of income comparisons and of adaptation as factors explaining the stable level of life-satisfaction: income comparisons emerge as much the more important. 3) When in our U.S. analysis we introduce "perceived" relative income as a potential explanatory variable, its effect is as large as the effect of actual relative income - further supporting the view that comparisons matter. 4) Finally, for a panel of European countries since 1973 we estimate the effect of average income upon average lifesatisfaction, splitting income into two components: trend and cycle. The effect of trend income is small and ill-defined. Our conclusions relate to time series and to advanced countries only. They differ from those drawn in recent studies by Deaton and Stevenson/Wolfers, but those studies are largely cross-sectional and mostly include non-advanced as well as advanced countries.
Allogeneic stem-cell transplantation provides excellent results in advanced stage chronic myeloid leukemia with major cytogenetic response to pre-transplant imatinib therapy

To determine the impact of imatinib therapy prior to allogeneic stem-cell transplantation in advanced stage chronic myelogenous leukaemia (CML), 30 CML patients who had received imatinib as part of pre-transplant treatment were analysed, with special emphasis on the cytogenetic response to imatinib therapy shortly before transplantation. Median patient age was 51 years (range, 24 – 64). At the time of transplantation all patients were in second or higher chronic phase (CP). The median follow-up after allogeneic transplantation was 360 days (range, 24 – 1524). Cox regression analysis revealed that the quality of cytogenetic response was a prognostic factor for transplant-related mortality (p = 0.050), relapse incidence (p = 0.015), leukaemia-free survival (p = 0.002) and overall survival (p = 0.006). A cytogenetic response with <35%BCR-ABL-positive interphase nuclei in FISH analysis from bone marrow was associated with a probability of overall survival of 81% at 3 years. In conclusion, our data suggest that advanced stage CML has an excellent outcome after allogeneic haematopoietic stem-cell transplantation when transplanted in the phase of cytogenetic response to imatinib.
Social Capital Stocks, Giving Flows and Welfare Outcomes

Giving is a quintessentially relational activity. Giving time and money to meet the needs of persons other than oneself fosters interpersonal trust, social cohesion and collaboration; relational factors that are foundational to productivity and life-satisfaction. Citizenship Survey data from the UK is used to provide empirical evidence for the link between this ‘social capital’ and giving, and giving and welfare outcomes. Welfare is measured in private terms (life-satisfaction and income) as well as in communal terms (trust, crime and deprivation). We find that giving levels interact with all expressions of welfare on a similar scale to big social issues like unemployment, race, education, ill-health and low incomes. People who give only when constrained to do so by social pressures have less association with positive welfare outcomes than those who give freely. We propose that giving flows link social capital stocks to welfare outcomes, and that positive welfare outcomes also incentivize time and money investments back into the relational (social) capital stock. Understanding social capital and its benefits through the prism of giving flows clarifies how one might invest in the relational stock. It also bypasses many measurement complexities by targeting the flow to and from the stock rather than the stock itself.