Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The In-State Equity Bias of State Pension Plans

This paper provides evidence on the investment behavior of 27 state pension plans that manage their own equity portfolios. Even though these state plans typically hold broadly diversified portfolios, they substantially over-weight the equity of companies that are headquartered in-state. The over-weighting of within-state stocks by these plans is three times larger than that of other institutional investors. We explore three possible reasons for this in-state bias: familiarity bias, information-based investing, and political considerations. While there is a substantial preference for in-state stocks, there is no similar tilt toward holding stocks from neighboring states or out-of-state stocks in the state’s primary industry. States generate excess returns through their in-state investment activities, particularly among smaller stocks in the state’s primary industry. We also find that state pension plans are more likely to hold a within-state stock if the headquarters of the firm is located in a county that gave a high fraction of its campaign contributions to the current governor. These politically-motivated holdings yield excess returns for the pension fund.
Bacteriophage T4 head morphogenesis. VII. Terminal stages of head maturation

Several aspects of the terminal stages of T4 head maturation were investigated using ts and am mutants blocked at single steps of the assembly pathway. We had previously found that cells infected with mutants of gene 13, e.g., tsN38 and amE609, accumulated both stable (10 to 20%)- and fragile (80%)-filled head precursors (Hamilton and Luftig, 1972). Here we showed the following for such gene 13-defective, mutant-infected cells. (i) Using thin-section analysis the pool of phage precursor structures observed under nonpermissive conditions was one-third of that observed when the cells were cultured under permissive conditions. (ii) In order for complete conversion of the precursors into viable phage to occur, there were apparent requirements of metabolic energy, protein, and DNA synthesis. (iii) The intracellular DNA pool under nonpermissive conditions exhibited a 50% distribution between 63S (mature size) and 200 S (concatenate size) DNA, with the latter DNA serving as a precursor pool. Further, this DNA pool when spread onto a protein monolayer exhibited a dispersed array of DNA, strands around a core, which was less dense than that found for the greater than 1,000S DNA concatenate isolated from gene 49-defective infected cells. (iv) When precuations were taken to stabilize the head precursors, such as lysis of the cells into glutaraldehyde, there was a 30% increase in the yield of 1,200S filled heads. Correlating these results and previous results concerning gene 49-defective unfilled heads, we propose that there are several forms of gene 13 fragile head precursors which serve as intermediates between gene 49 unfilled heads and gene 13 stable filled heads. We cannot, however, rule out the possibility that all gene 13-defective heads represent a single class of unstable particles, which decay slowly. In either case, we have shown that gene 13-defective particles are unstable to some degree inside the cell and are highly unstable outside the cell; yet all particles can still be efficiently converted to phage in vivo.
Cytogenetic Study of Individuals Suspected of Chromosome Anomalies

This study was assisted under grant 440 of U.S. Public Health Services from the Health Services and Mental Health Administration. From the Department of Pediatrics, Meharry Medical College, Nashville, Tennessee 37208. PATIENTS WERE REFERRED for chromosome analysis from the Medical Center in Charleston and other hospitals throughout South Carolina. These 451 cases were referred by physicians who suspected
Estimating and interpreting models with endogenous treatment effects : The relationship between competing estimators of the union impact on wages

This article examines the relationship between two alternative approaches, instrumental variables and control function procedures, for estimating the impact of endogenous treatment effects. Although it is well known that the two approaches generate comparable estimates, the relationship between the estimators and their accompanying endogeneity tests appears not to be well understood. We show that the two procedures are closely related. We also examine the implications of the two procedures for the underlying economic sorting behavior.
Global adaptive stabilization for a class of feedforward nonlinear systems

In this note, we solve the global adaptive stabilization problem for a class of feedforward nonlinear systems which possesses a much more general feedforward structure than those feedforward nonlinear systems which can be globally adaptively stabilized previously. The design of our adaptive stabilizer takes a two-step procedure: we first design a stabilizer containing a certain tuning parameter and then design a switching logic to tune it online in a switching manner. Global stability results of the closed-loop system have been proved, and a simulation example is given.
A traction stress sensor array for use in high-resolution robotic tactile imaging

A high resolution large-area array capable of resolving the three independent components of a 2D triaxial contact stress profile has been developed. The array, composed of 4096 (64/spl times/64) individual stress sensing elements, was constructed with a fully CMOS-compatible fabrication process, allowing integration of the sensing structures with digital control circuitry. The individual array elements have been shown to demonstrate linear responses to both applied normal stress (1.59 mV/kPa, 0-35 kPa) and applied shear stress (0.32 mV/kPa, 0-60 kPa). A spatial resolution comparable to the spacing of the papillary ridges of the human dermis (/spl ap/300 /spl mu/m) has been achieved within the 1.92/spl times/1.92 cm active sensing area of the array. Descriptions of the sensor structure, the required signal conditioning, and the array architecture are presented in this paper. The results of electrical and mechanical characterization studies are also outlined.
Commonplace diversity and the ‘ethos of mixing’: perceptions of difference in a London neighbourhood

The London Borough of Hackney is one of the most diverse places in Britain. It is characterised by a multiplicity of ethnic minorities, different migration histories, religions, educational and economic backgrounds both among long-term residents and newcomers. This article describes attitudes towards diversity in such a ‘super-diverse’ context. It develops the notion of ‘commonplace diversity’, referring to cultural diversity being experienced as a normal part of social life. While many people mix across cultural differences in public and associational space, this is rarely translated into private relations. However, this is not perceived as a problem, as long as people adhere to a tacit ‘ethos of mixing’. This comes to the fore in relation to groups who are blamed to ‘not want to mix’ in public and associational space. The article discusses the fine balance between acceptable and unacceptable social divisions in relation to specific groups who are seen to lead separate lives.
Immunohistochemical Composition of the Human Lunotriquetral Interosseous Ligament

Purpose:The human lunotriquetral ligament (LTL) is a functionally important intrinsic hand ligament, which is assumedly subjected to insertion angle changes at the entheses during movement. To clarify whether the current model of the ligament’s mechanical environment is reflected in its structural composition, we determined the regional distribution of extracellular matrix-related antigens. Methods:The extracellular matrix was immunohistochemically investigated in 12 LTLs from both wrists of 6 human donors (Mean age: 60 y). Results:The dorsal, proximal, and volar portions of the ligament immunolabeled for type I, III collagen and versican. Both entheses labeled strongly for type II collagen, aggrecan, and link protein and were distinctly cartilaginous. The ligament midsubstance was positive for collagen II in 30%, for aggrecan in 40%, and for keratocan and lumican in 100% of specimens. In contrast, keratocan and lumican were absent from the fibrocartilaginous entheses and the articular cartilage. Ligament insertion at a carpal bone occurs either directly through fibrocartilage or indirectly through a bilayered configuration of fibrocartilage and hyaline-like cartilage. The hyaline-like cartilage is continuous with the neighboring articular cartilage. Conclusions:The LTL has an extracellular matrix comparable with that of ligaments experiencing a combination of tensile and shear/compressive load at the attachment sites. All regions of the LTL exhibit fibrocartilaginous entheses; purely fibrous attachment sites are rare. The ligament midsubstance shows a more fibrous phenotype than the entheses and expresses keratocan and lumican, which previously have not been recorded in any human hand ligament.
Corruption and Private Domestic Investment: evidence from developing countries

While there is a large number of empirical studies on the effects of corruption on economic growth, studies on the relationship between corruption and Private Domestic Investment (PDI) are scared. Therefore, the main purpose of this study is to examine empirically the effects of corruption on the rate of PDI. We apply system Generalised Method of Moments (GMM) to cope with the potential simultaneity between PDI and corruption and we estimate the model based on panel data from 71 developing countries over the period 1984-2000. The empirical results show that corruption has a robust negative effect on the rate of private investment.
The Multicultural Workforce: The Role of Employers as Gatekeepers

Most firms in Auckland are characterised by a structure which has broad, largely Polynesian base with a smaller totally white executive peak. Employers, as the principal gatekeepers controlling access to the resource of employment, have contributed to this imbalance by limiting the job opportunities available to the Pacific Islander. In relation to th1s, management needs to reassess its attitudes and practices, and the new Human Rights Commission Act may be a suitable incentive.
Isolation and Chondrogenic Differentiation of Porcine Perichondrial Progenitor Cells for the Purpose of Cartilage Tissue Engineering

In vivo, cartilage has a limited regenerative capacity. Clinical replacement strategies require a suitable cell source to provide a stable chondrocyte phenotype without hypertrophic cartilage development, while being broadly available, and harboring a high proliferative potential. Thus, the aim of this study was to analyze the proliferation and chondrogenic differentiation capacity of porcine perichondrial progenitor cells (PPC) isolated from auricular (ePPC) and tracheal cartilage (tPPC) as an alternative cell source to mesenchymal stem cells (MSC). The proliferative potential of these cell types was analyzed by means of doubling times. Cell pellets were cultured in chondrogenic differentiation medium for 4 weeks. Potential chondrogenic differentiation was investigated by histology and immunohistology in addition to gene expression analysis of the cartilage markers collagen II, aggrecan, cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP), the precartilage marker collagen I, and the hypertrophic cartilage marker collagen X. PPC showed a proliferative behavior comparable to that of MSC. Chondrogenic stimulation resulted in a higher expression of collagen II, aggrecan, and COMP in ePPC as compared to tPPC and MSC, whereas the expression of collagen I was comparable in all cell types independently of differentiation stimulation. Collagen type X, however, could not be detected. The production of cartilage-like extracellular matrix components in PPC pellets was confirmed by histological and immunohistological stains. Elastin, a component of auricular cartilage, however, was not detected in ePPC-derived pellets. Thus, PPC present a promising cell source for tissue engineering of cartilage. Furthermore, ePPC may be more convenient than tPPC due to their higher chondrogenic potential and better accessibility.
The effect of abomasal infusion of casein and recombinant somatotropin hormone injection on nitrogen balance and amino acid fluxes in portal-drained viscera and net hepatic and total splanchnic blood in Holstein steers.

Six Holstein steers, 6 mo of age, with a BW range of 180 to 200 kg were used to determine effects of abomasal casein infusion and recombinant bovine somatotropin on amino acid absorption and metabolism in the gut and liver. Catheters were positioned in the hepatic vein, the hepatic portal vein, two mesenteric veins, and a mesenteric artery. Using the same basal diet, treatments consisted of 1) basal diet only (Control), 2) abomasal casein infusion of 300 g/d (Casein), and 3) abomasal casein infusion plus daily injection of 20 mg of bovine somatotropin (ST). All steers were fed the basal diet at a rate of 24 g/kg of BW on a DM basis, in 12 equal meals at 2-h intervals. Initially, Casein and ST treatments were in a balanced cross-over design, and then all steers received the Control treatment. Casein infusion tended to increase BW gain but did not affect BW gain per unit of N intake. The ST treatment increased weight gain (P < .01) and efficiency of dietary DM (P < .01) and N (P < .01) utilization by more than 40% and increased the percentage of absorbed N retained. Nonessential, essential, and total amino acid fluxes in portal-drained viscera (PDV) and their net removal by the liver were not affected by casein infusion. However, ST tended to reduce PDV flux of essential, nonessential, and total amino acids by approximately 30%, and their removal by the liver (P < .08). As a result, ST increased, compared with casein, release of essential (P < .06) and total (P < .10) amino acids from the total splanchnic pool (TSP) into peripheral blood. The ST treatment increased the availability of absorbed amino acids to peripheral tissues, but it did not affect the amino acid profile delivered from splanchnic tissues, especially that of essential amino acids.
A new methodology for collision risk assessment of autonomous vehicles

Risk assessment methods of autonomous vehicles (AVs) have recently begun to treat the motion of the vehicles as dependent on the context of the traffic scene that the vehicle resides in. In most of the cases, Dynamic Bayesian Network (DBN) models are employed for interaction aware motion models (i.e. models that take inter-vehicle dependencies into account). However, communications between vehicles are assumed and the developed models require a lot of parameters to be tuned. Even with these requirements, current approaches cannot cope with traffic scenarios of high complexity. To overcome these limitations, the current study proposes a new methodology that integrates real-time collision prediction as studied by traffic engineers with an interaction-aware motion model for autonomous vehicles real-time risk assessment. Results from a random forest classifier for real-time collision prediction are used as an example for the estimation of probabilities required for the DBN model. It is shown that a well-calibrated collision prediction classifier can provide a supplementary hint to already developed interaction-aware motion models and enhance real-time risk assessment for autonomous vehicles.
Structural Change and U.S. Energy Use: Recent Patterns

The role of structural change in energy use patterns is evaluated using a recently developed data set based upon the NAICS codes for the United States. Shifts between 65 industries in the commercial, industrial and transportation sectors account for almost 40 percent of the reduction in the US economy’s aggregate energy intensity over the 1997-2006 period. Excluding the transportation industries, these shifts account for 54 percent of the total effect. These estimates are more than twice the magnitude of those due to shifts between five major sectors of the economy. Since all these estimates use the preferred Fisher index, the results are more likely due to the most recently available data than to methodological issues like the decomposition approach.
Expression of Interferon Receptor Subunits, IFNAR1 and IFNAR2, in the Ovine Uterus1

Abstract Interferon-τ (IFN-τ) is the antiluteolytic factor released by concepti of ruminant ungulate species prior to implantation. All type I interferons, including IFN-τ, exert their action through a common receptor, which consists of two subunits, IFNAR1 and IFNAR2c, but the distribution of the two polypeptides in uterine endometrium has not been examined. In situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry on sections from pregnant and nonpregnant ovine uteri at Days 14 and 15 after estrus and mating showed that both IFNAR1 and IFNAR2 mRNA and protein were strongly expressed in endometrial luminal epithelium (LE), superficial glandular epithelium (GE), and stromal cells, within but not outside caruncles. Similar staining patterns were noted in pregnant and nonpregnant uteri for both subunits. Western blot analysis of membrane fractions from cell lines derived from endometrial LE, GE, and stromal cells, and affinity cross-linking experiments with radioactively labeled IFN-τ performed on crude endometrial membranes indicated the presence of both high (∼110 kDa) and low (75–80 kDa) molecular mass forms of the two receptor subunits. To localize where IFN-τ binds when it is introduced into the uterine lumen, immunohistochemistry with an antiserum against IFN-τ was performed on sections of uteri from Day 14 nonpregnant ewes whose uteri had previously been infused with IFN-τ. Staining was concentrated on the LE and superficial GE cells, and was absent from the deeper regions of the glands and from the stromal tissues. These studies demonstrate the heavy concentration of IFNAR1 and IFNAR2 in cells of the LE and superficial GE, which appear to be the main targets for IFN-τ.
NEREx: Named‐Entity Relationship Exploration in Multi‐Party Conversations

We present NEREx, an interactive visual analytics approach for the exploratory analysis of verbatim conversational transcripts. By revealing different perspectives on multi‐party conversations, NEREx gives an entry point for the analysis through high‐level overviews and provides mechanisms to form and verify hypotheses through linked detail‐views. Using a tailored named‐entity extraction, we abstract important entities into ten categories and extract their relations with a distance‐restricted entity‐relationship model. This model complies with the often ungrammatical structure of verbatim transcripts, relating two entities if they are present in the same sentence within a small distance window. Our tool enables the exploratory analysis of multi‐party conversations using several linked views that reveal thematic and temporal structures in the text. In addition to distant‐reading, we integrated close‐reading views for a text‐level investigation process. Beyond the exploratory and temporal analysis of conversations, NEREx helps users generate and validate hypotheses and perform comparative analyses of multiple conversations. We demonstrate the applicability of our approach on real‐world data from the 2016 U.S. Presidential Debates through a qualitative study with three domain experts from political science.
Measuring Consumers' Willingness to Pay at the Point of Purchase

Economists, psychologists, and marketing researchers rely on measures of consumers' willingness to pay (WTP) in estimating demand for private and public goods and in designing optimal price schedules. Existing market research techniques for measuring WTP differ in whether they provide an incentive to consumers to reveal their true WTP and in whether they simulate actual point-of-purchase contexts. The authors present an empirical comparison of several procedures for eliciting WTP that are applicable directly at the point of purchase. In particular, the authors test the applicability of Becker, DeGroot, and Marschak's (1964) well-known incentive-compatible procedure for assessing the utility of lotteries to measuring consumers' WTP. In three studies, the authors explore the reliability, validity, and feasibility of the procedure and show that it yields lower WTP estimates than do non-incentive-compatible methods such as open-ended and double-bounded contingent valuation. They show experimentally that differences in WTP estimates arise from the incentive constraint rather than the cognitive effort required in responding. They also control for strategic response behavior.
Formation and expansion of a new organizational field in experimental science

This paper examines the formation and expansion of a new organizational field in experimental science: synchrotron radiation laboratories. These labs were once peripheral servants of some specialisms of solid-state physics, but over the 40 years studied they have grown into a worldwide generic resource for tens of thousands of users in a broad spectrum of disciplines. The paper uses insights primarily from historical institutionalism, but also neo-institutional theory, to analyze the formation and expansion of the organizational field of synchrotron radiation laboratories, and thus contributes to the analysis of the rather dramatic growth of this tool for experimental science from a small-scale lab curiosity to a generic research technology. But the key contribution of the paper is to provide insights into multi-level and multi-dimensional change in science systems by analyzing the emergence and expansion of a new organizational field in experimental science, which has implications not least for science policy.
Long-run relationship between income inequality and financial development in China

This article aims at investigating the long-run relationship between financial development and income inequality in China using Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) model from 1978 to 2006. The results suggest that there exists a strong relationship between the Gini coefficient and financial development, and that financial development leads to a reduction in the income inequality.
Proximal tubule Na+-K+-ATPase activity is inhibited during high-salt diet: evidence for DA-mediated effect.

Locally produced dopamine (DA) causes a reversible and dose-dependent inhibition in Na+-K+-ATPase activity in rat proximal tubule (PT) segments [A. Aperia, A. Bertorello, and I. Seri. Am. J. Physiol. 252 (Renal Fluid Electrolyte Physiol. 21): F32-F45, 1987. ]. To examine whether this effect might be of physiological importance, rats were given normal-salt (NS) or high-salt (HS) diet for 10 days. HS diet significantly increased Na excretion but did not alter glomerular filtration rate (GFR). Benserazide (Bz), an inhibitor of the enzyme L-aromatic amino acid decarboxylase (AADC) that converts L-dopa to DA, significantly attenuated the natriuresis in HS rats but had no effect on GFR. By use of immunofluorescence (IF) studies AADC was localized to the PT. Specific AADC IF was not observed in the medulla. In AADC-positive PT segments, Na+-K+-ATPase activity was significantly lower in HS rats than in NS rats (P less than 0.001). In AADC-negative medullary thick ascending limb, Na+-K+-ATPase activity was the same in NS and HS rats. If HS rats were given Bz just before study, PT Na+-K+-ATPase activity increased significantly and was not different from Na+-K+-ATPase activity in PT segments from NS rats. Bz had no significant effect on PT Na+-K+-ATPase activity in NS rats. In PT segments from Bz-treated rats, DA inhibited Na+-K+-ATPase activity already at a dose of 10(-8) M, whereas in segments from NS rats, significant inhibition of Na+-K+-ATPase activity was not observed until DA was increased to 10(-7) M. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)