Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
E-Government and Public Financial Reporting

Technology has changed the way public organizations relate to the public. Government's use of the Internet and other associated technologies, known as e-government, could become the instrument that makes regular timely information on public finances more forthcoming. New technologies can improve government responsiveness and empower individual citizens. By making government financial information available, the public could continuously assess a government agency through everyday interaction. The financial accountability of government and its response to public demands for information and services are thus a contribution to government openness. It is therefore relevant to determine whether public organizations are also becoming more aware of the importance of placing financial information on their Web sites to help in decision-making processes. This article focuses on the e-democracy process, specifically the transparency of government information, by analyzing governmental financial disclosures on the Web as a tool for the public to assess its financial accountability. To this end, an empirical study was carried out on regional governments in Spain.
When Does Reducing Union Bargaining Power Increase Productivity? Evidence from the Workplace Relations Act

Despite a large empirical literature, the conditions under which unions have different effects on productivity have not been determined. The Australian Workplace Relations Act 1996 (WRA) provides a natural experiment in which union bargaining power was decreased. We estimate productivity growth before and after the WRA. While the WRA did not increase productivity growth in union firms compared with non-union firms, in industries with more extensive unionisation, productivity growth in union firms was greater post-WRA compared with pre-WRA growth for non-union firms. This suggests unionisation tends to have greater effects on productivity in sectors where it is more extensive.
Environment and investment: the role of personal investment choice in creating sustainability

Traditionally most investors have sought only financial returns from their investments. The idea of reaping environmental benefits from investment is not widely accepted, primarily because ecology and economy have long been considered mutually exclusive by financial markets. However, as social values change growing numbers of investors are beginning to identify the potential role of investment in assisting moves towards ecologically sustainable development (ESD). With a focus on the sizeable Australian investment market, examples are drawn from overseas of recent research and environmentally screened investment funds providing evidence of a positive correlation between environmental and financial performance. The implications of the deregulation of the investment market in Australia and the importance of corporate environmental reporting (CER) and other methods of communicating environmental performance to investors, both individual and institutional 1 , are discussed. The paper concludes that while the trade-off between ecology and economy remains within the dominant paradigm, and despite a lack of widespread CER, changes in investment patterns are occurring. As this gathers momentum, aided by more transparent corporate environmental behaviour, both environmental and financial returns can be achieved. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.
KCS1 deletion in Saccharomyces cerevisiae leads to a defect in translocation of autophagic proteins and reduces autophagosome formation

Inositol phosphates are implicated in the regulation of autophagy; however, the exact role of each inositol phosphate species is unclear. In this study, we systematically analyzed the highly conserved inositol polyphosphate synthesis pathway in S. cerevisiae for its role in regulating autophagy. Using yeast mutants that harbored a deletion in each of the genes within the inositol polyphosphate synthesis pathway, we found that deletion of KCS1, and to a lesser degree IPK2, led to a defect in autophagy. KCS1 encodes an inositol hexakisphosphate/heptakisposphate kinase that synthesizes 5-IP7 and IP8; and IPK2 encodes an inositol polyphosphate multikinase required for synthesis of IP4 and IP5. We characterized the kcs1Δ mutant strain in detail. The kcs1Δ yeast exhibited reduced autophagic flux, which might be caused by both the reduction in autophagosome number and autophagosome size as observed under nitrogen starvation. The autophagy defect in kcs1Δ strain was associated with mislocalization of the phagophore assembly site (PAS) and a defect in Atg18 release from the vacuole membrane under nitrogen deprivation conditions. Interestingly, formation of autophagosome-like vesicles was commonly observed to originate from the plasma membrane in the kcs1Δ strain. Our results indicate that lack of KCS1 interferes with proper localization of the PAS, leads to reduction of autophagosome formation, and causes the formation of autophagosome-like structure in abnormal subcellular locations.
Treatment of advanced breast cancer with sterically stabilized liposomal doxorubicin: results of a multicenter phase II trial.

PURPOSE A multicenter phase II study to determine the activity and toxicity of Caelyx (Doxil; Sequus Pharmaceuticals Inc, Menlo Park, CA) in patients with metastatic breast cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS Seventy-one patients with stage IV breast cancer were treated with Caelyx at doses of 45 to 60 mg/m2 every 3 to 4 weeks for a maximum of six cycles. Twenty-eight patients had received prior chemotherapy with a nonanthracycline regimen. Fifty-two patients had disease at multiple sites. Hepatic and pulmonary disease were the predominant metastatic site in 50 patients. Response was assessable in 64 cases. RESULTS Sixteen patients achieved a partial response and a complete response (overall response rate, 31%; (95% confidence interval, 20% to 43%). Twenty patients (31%) had stable disease on treatment. Neutropenia > or = grade 3 occurred in 10% of cycles (27% of patients) and mucositis > or = grade 3 in 10% of cycles (32% of patients). Significant alopecia was rare and routine prophylactic antiemetics were not required. At doses of 60 mg/m2 every 3 weeks, seven of 13 patients had > or = grade 3 skin toxicity; overall, this toxicity complicated 25% of treatment cycles. The incidence of > or = grade 3 skin toxicity was greatly reduced at doses of 45 mg/m2 every 4 weeks, occurring in five of 32 patients and affecting only 5% of 126 treatment cycles. CONCLUSION Caelyx is an active agent in advanced breast cancer with a safety profile that differs markedly from nonliposomal doxorubicin. A regimen of 45 mg/m2 every 4 weeks was well tolerated in this cohort of women with advanced poor-prognosis breast cancer. The mild myelosuppression seen with this regimen would favor its use in combination chemotherapy.
Recurrent type ANFIS using local search technique for time series prediction

This paper presents an improved adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) for the application of time series prediction. Because ANFIS is based on a feedforward network structure, it is limited to static problem and cannot effectively cope with dynamic properties such as the time series data. To overcome this problem, an improved version of ANFIS is proposed by introducing self-feedback connections that model the temporal dependence. A batch type local search is suggested to train the proposed system. The effectiveness of the proposed system is tested by using two benchmark time series examples and comparison with the various models in time series prediction is also shown. The results obtained from the simulation show an improved performance.
Effect of Variable Rheological Properties of Drilling Muds and Cements on the Temperature Distribution in Geothermal Wells

This paper describes a numerical study of the heat transfer phenomena occurring during fluid circulation in geothermal wells considering the temperature-dependent NonNewtonian behavior of different drilling muds. The computational code employed is fully transient and allows estimation of temperatures of (a) the drilling fluid in the drilling pipe and the annulus, and (b) the surrounding formation. The effect of circulation losses is also accounted for. The viscosity of eleven different drilling mud formulations was evaluated experimentally as function of temperature, and the resulting numerical correlations were implemented in the computer code to evaluate the heat transfer dimensionless numbers and film coefficients, and the mud temperatures in the well as function of circulation time. The results obtained from well LV-3 of the Las Tres Virgenes Mexican geothermal field show that the computed mud temperatures are highly dependent on the particular drilling mud employed, and thus the degree of well cooling varies widely from one drilling mud to another.
Genome wide study of maternal and parent‐of‐origin effects on the etiology of orofacial clefts

We performed a genome wide association analysis of maternally‐mediated genetic effects and parent‐of‐origin (POO) effects on risk of orofacial clefting (OC) using over 2,000 case‐parent triads collected through an international cleft consortium. We used log‐linear regression models to test individual SNPs. For SNPs with a P‐value <10−5 for maternal genotypic effects, we also applied a haplotype‐based method, TRIMM, to extract potential information from clusters of correlated SNPs. None of the SNPs were significant at the genome wide level. Our results suggest neither maternal genome nor POO effects play major roles in the etiology of OC in our sample. This finding is consistent with previous genetic studies and recent population‐based cohort studies in Norway and Denmark, which showed no apparent difference between mother‐to‐offspring and father‐to‐offspring recurrence of clefting. We, however, cannot completely rule out maternal genome or POO effects as risk factors because very small effects might not be detectable with our sample size, they may influence risk through interactions with environmental exposures or may act through a more complex network of interacting genes. Thus, the most promising SNPs identified by this study may still be worth further investigation. Published 2012. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.
Finance and economic growth - a review of theory and the available evidence

The EU's structural reform agenda attaches a considerable weight to the establishment of efficiently working and integrated EU financial markets. While there is a firm consensus that a well-functioning financial sector is a precondition for the efficient allocation of resources and the exploitation of an economy's growth potential, the economic literature is less consensual on how and to what extent finance affects economic growth. Â This paper reviews the economic theory and available evidence with particular focus on three questions:Â how does financial development affect economic growth;Â what are the features of a growth supportive financial structure;Â how are financial structures related to structural change and technical progress? Â
Knowledge-intensive business services: does dual embeddedness matter?

Building on network theory, this study investigates knowledge development in subsidiaries in the knowledge-intensive business service (KIBS) sector. Foreign subsidiaries’ internal and external networks are divided into three main categories: relations with (1) the local environment (external embeddedness), (2) parent firms (subsidiary–parent firm embeddedness and autonomy), and (3) sister subsidiaries (subsidiary–subsidiary embeddedness). Hypotheses are tested using a sample of 184 subsidiaries, located in the UK, whose parent firms are based outside the UK. While our results indicate that external embeddedness, subsidiary–parent embeddedness, and autonomy are main determinants of knowledge development within KIBS multinational companies, they show no association between subsidiary–subsidiary embeddedness and knowledge development.
Nasal carriage of Mycobacterium leprae DNA in healthy individuals in Lega Robi village, Ethiopia

The number of registered leprosy patients world-wide has decreased dramatically after extensive application of WHO recommended Multiple Drug Therapy (MDT). The annual number of new cases has, however, been almost unchanged in several populations, indicating that the infection is still present at community level. Nasal carriage of Mycobacterium leprae DNA was studied in Lega Robi village in Ethiopia. MDT had been applied for more than ten years, and 718 residents over 5 years old were eligible for the study. During the first survey nasal swab samples were collected from 664 (92·5%) individuals. The results of a Peptide Nucleic Acid-ELISA test for M. leprae DNA interpreted by stringent statistical criteria were available for 589 (88·7%) subjects. Thirty-five (5·9%) individuals without clinical signs of leprosy were positive for M. leprae DNA. Seven PCR positive individuals lived in a household where one or two other members were also positive for M. leprae DNA. During a second survey 8 (4·6%) of 175 interpretable PNA-ELISA tests were positive. Of 137 individuals tested twice, only two were positive on both occasions whereas 10 were PCR positive only once. The study confirms the widespread distribution of M. leprae DNA in healthy individuals. The feasibility of curbing possible transmission of subclinical infection needs further consideration.
Essays on the Role of Trade Frictions in International Economics

This dissertation consists of three essays. The first essay examines the effects of tax differentials on the trade balance across countries. Given that intrafirm trade accounts for the sizable share of the world’s international trade, it is expected that income-shifting activities of multinational firms can bias the trade balance in many countries. Specifically, an increase in the relative tax liability in one country is expected to decrease the trade balance of that country. Using proxies to the effective tax liability of 19 OECD countries, the cointegrating regressions show significantly negative relationships between tax differentials and the trade balance among relatively small industrial countries. The second essay asks whether the empirically observed home biases in international trade are accounted for by a standard international business cycle model. It has been pointed out by some studies that trade among individual Canadian provinces is much larger than the trade between individual Canadian provinces and individual U.S. states. There is a similar tendency in the trade among the OECD member countries. Obstfeld and Rogoff (2000) claim that such a bias can be explained if one takes into account the interaction between transaction costs and the elasticity of substitution. This study tests their claim, using a dynamic general equilibrium model where agents pay proportional transaction costs for imported goods. The simulation results show that the bias levels generated by the plausible values for transaction cost and elasticity are not particularly inconsistent with the observed levels in the US — Canada relationship. The third essay tests a version of international real business cycle model aimed at examining the effect on the exchange rate volatility of market segmentation generated by a trade friction across countries. Obstfeld and Rogoff (2000) argue that segmentation in international goods market can explain the empirically observed real exchange rate volatility. In this study, a trade cost in goods market combined with income heterogeneity of consumers endogenously generates market segmentation by preventing a fraction of consumers from participating in international trade. Under such a circumstance, the volatility of exchange rate rises considerably. However, the volatility is still below the observed reality, suggesting that trade cost alone cannot explain the anomalous exchange rate behaviors.
Measuring Persistence in Volatility Spillovers

This paper analyzes volatility spillovers in multivariate GARCH-type models. We show that the cross-effects between the conditional variances determine the persistence of the transmitted volatility innovations. In particular, the effect of a foreign volatility innovation on a conditional variance is even more persistent than the effect of an own innovation unless it is offset by an accompanying negative variance spillover of sufficient size. Moreover, ignoring a negative variance spillover causes a downward bias in the estimate of the initial impact of the foreign volatility innovation. Applying the concept to portfolios of small and large firms, we find that shocks to small firm returns affect the large firm conditional variance once we allow for (negative) spillovers between the conditional variances themselves.
Explications of political market orientation and political brand orientation using the resource-based view of the political party

Abstract This paper adopts the resource-based view of the firm as a platform for an examination of three important political party capabilities: proactive political market orientation, responsive political market orientation, and political brand orientation. We develop a theoretical argument outlining the importance of the complementarity between these capabilities. The approach taken illustrates the links between political market orientation, using what we label as responsive political market orientation, proactive political market orientation, and political brand orientation by building on the marketing literature. We suggest that our treatment of political market orientation is important in helping to understand better its role within the resource-based view of the party. Further, it also aides in understanding political market orientation and branding in political marketing by parties within the context of competitive strategies and electoral performance.
Co-receptor Tropism in Subtype D HIV-1 : High Prevalence of CXCR 4 Tropism and Heterogeneous Composition of Viral Populations

word count: 205 20 Text word count: 3820 Running title: Non-subtype B HIV-1 and co-receptor tropism AC CE PT ED Copyright © 2007, American Society for Microbiology and/or the Listed Authors/Institutions. All Rights Reserved. J. Virol. doi:10.1128/JVI.00218-07 JVI Accepts, published online ahead of print on 16 May 2007 on O cber 3, 2017 by gest http/jvi.asm . rg/ D ow nladed fom
The last resort of political regionalism: electoral blocs in Russia's regional legislative elections, 2003–2005

A key element of the agenda of re-centralisation launched by the Russian authorities in the early 2000s was the territorial penetration of national political parties. This analysis empirically demonstrates that despite all efforts at institutional engineering, political regionalism survived and flourished in the form of regional electoral coalitions (blocs) in 2003–2005, which created a crucial obstacle to the pro-government party's monopolistic control over regional legislatures. While this obstacle was removed during the process of authoritarian transformation, recent developments in Russian politics suggest that there is a potential for the return of political regionalism.
Unfinished Business: Building Equality for Women in the Construction Trades

Document Type Research Report Publication Date 4-2011 Abstract This review and analysis of over one hundred and twenty published and unpublished sources on the unfinished business of increasing women’s participation in the construction workforce over the past thirty-plus years aims to: Provide a definitive assessment of the consistency of evidence on the daunting challenges facing women who seek to enter and advance in the construction workplace and Examine the failure of a critical social policy intended to address occupational segregation and ensure access to high-paying jobs to women.
Mice with astrocyte‐directed inactivation of connexin43 exhibit increased exploratory behaviour, impaired motor capacities, and changes in brain acetylcholine levels

Gap junctions mediate communication between many cell types in the brain. Gap junction channels are composed of membrane‐spanning connexin (Cx) proteins, allowing the cell‐to‐cell passage of small ions and metabolites. Cx43 is the main constituent of the brain‐spanning astrocytic gap junctional network, controlling activity‐related changes in ion and glutamate concentrations as well as metabolic processes. In astrocytes, deletion of Cx43‐coding DNA led to attenuated gap junctional coupling and impaired propagation of calcium waves, known to influence neuronal activity. Investigation of the role of Cx43 in behaviour has been impossible so far, due to postnatal lethality of its general deletion. Recently, we have shown that deletion of Cx30, which is also expressed by astrocytes, affects exploration, emotionality, and neurochemistry in the mouse. In the present study, we investigated the effects of the astrocyte‐directed inactivation of Cx43 on mouse behaviour and brain neurochemistry. Deletion of Cx43 in astrocytes increased exploratory activity without influencing habituation. In the open field, but not in the elevated plus‐maze, an anxiolytic‐like effect was observed. Rotarod performance was initially impaired, but reached control level after further training. In the water maze, Cx43 deficient mice showed a steeper learning course, although final performance was similar between groups. Cx43 inactivation in astrocytes increased acetylcholine content in the frontal cortex of water maze‐trained animals. Results are discussed in terms of altered communication between astrocytes and neurons, possible compensation processes, and differential effects of Cx30‐ and astrocyte‐specific Cx43 deletion.
Predictors of mortality and end stage renal disease in Saudi patients with lupus nephritis

The purpose of this study was to investigate the presentation and factors affecting outcome over a 9-year period in 99 consecutive Saudi patients with biopsy proven lupus nephritis (LN), 35.5% of whom had nephrotic range proteinuria, 46.8% had estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) <60 ml/min/1.73 m2 and 65.5% had histological class IV. The female:male ratio was 3.7:1. During the observation period, there were significant rises in eGFR (p = 0.005), C4 (p = 0.000) and significant decrease in 24-h urine protein (p = 0.028). No correlation was found between final eGFR and baseline 24-h protein, anti-DNA, C3 or C4. Female patients had a significantly higher rise in eGFR (p = 0.05). During follow-up (FU), 28.2% required dialysis. The survival rates at 5, 10 and 15 years were 92%, 77% and 77% respectively. Baseline C3 and C4 levels were significantly lower in the patients who died (p = 0.0001 and 0.02 respectively). Those who required dialysis were more likely to die (p < 0.000) (risk ratio = 4.46; 95% confidence interval 2.8–7.2). Hypertension at presentation was associated with lower baseline eGFR (p = 0.01) and final eGFR (p = 0.002) but did not affect the baseline proteinuria. Baseline eGFR of <60 ml/min/1.73 m2 at presentation was associated with lower eGFR at end of FU (p = 0.000), higher activity score (p = 0.0001) and chronicity scores (p = 0.017).
The Structure of Technology over Time: A Model for Testing the "Putty-Clay" Hypothesis

This paper develops an econometric model of production technology in terms of the "ex ante-ex post" description of production possibilities. Ex ante and ex post substitution characteristics are allowed to differ from one another and parametric representations are derived which provide arbitrary second-order approximations to the true underlying characteristics. Nested in the maintained model are the specialized "putty-putty", "puttyclay", and "clay-clay" structures of technology; and hypothesis tests are developed to test for the applicability of these specialized structures. An example is provided in which the hypotheses that fossil fuel electricity generation can be characterized by putty-clay or clay-clay technologies are tested using data drawn from individual United States electricity generating plants.