Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Influence of Volunteers, Donations and Public Subsidies on the Wage Level of Nonprofit Workers: Evidence from Austrian Matched Data

In this article we add to the literature analyzing wages in the nonprofit sector by estimating a wage function based on employer-employee matched data for Austria. We concentrate on the influence of voluntary contributions on the wage level of paid workers. By using a quantile regression approach we find that the existence of volunteers reduces the wages of paid employees in nonprofit organizations. The number of volunteers does not have an influence on the wage level. Donations have a small but positive effect for higher income groups only. Public subsidies increase wages of all paid workers in a nonprofit organization. Copyright © 2010 The Authors Journal compilation © CIRIEC 2010.
Government Expenditure Financing in an Endogenous Growth Model: A Comparison

This paper develops a generalized cash-in-advance model of endogenous growth to assess the relative merits of money and income-tax financing of a constant share of government expenditure in GNP. The authors find that money financing (seigniorage) leads to higher growth and inflation rates, pointing out to a trade-off between growth and inflation. Nevertheless, they also find that the financing policy that maximizes welfare is, in general, a mix of the two methods, with the weights depending crucially on the fraction of investment purchases that are subject to the cash-in-advance constraint. Copyright 1995 by Ohio State University Press.
Tau genotype: No effect on onset, symptom severity, or survival in progressive supranuclear palsy

Genetic studies have shown that progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) is associated with inheritance of a specific genotype (H1/H1) in the tau gene. The authors investigated whether the H1/H1 genotype or A0/A0 genotype independently or in conjunction with selected environmental risk factors influences the age at onset, severity, or survival in patients with PSP. Our findings suggest that tau genotyping does not predict the prognosis of PSP.
Effect of abnormal fasting plasma glucose level on all-cause mortality in older patients with acute myocardial infarction: results from the Beijing Elderly Acute Myocardial Infarction Study (BEAMIS).

OBJECTIVE To assess whether the relationship between abnormal fasting plasma glucose (FPG) levels and patient outcomes holds for both older men and older women with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). PATIENTS AND METHODS From April 1, 2004, to October 31, 2006, a total of 2016 consecutive older patients (age ≥65 years) presenting with AMI were screened. Of these patients, 1854 were consecutively enrolled in the study. Patients were categorized into 4 groups: the hypoglycemic group (FPG, ≤90.0 mg/dL [to convert to mmol/L, multiply by 0.0555]; n=443, 23.9%), the euglycemic group (FPG, 90.1-126.0 mg/dL; n=812, 43.8%), the mildly hyperglycemic group (FPG, 126.1-162.0 mg/dL; n=308, 16.6%), and the severely hyperglycemic group (FPG, ≥162.1 mg/dL; n=291, 15.7%). The primary outcomes were rates of in-hospital and 3-year mortality. RESULTS Female patients were older and had a higher incidence of diabetes mellitus but lower rates of smoking and use of invasive therapy. Men tended to have a higher frequency of hypoglycemia, whereas women tended to have a higher frequency of hyperglycemia. No significant difference was found in in-hospital (10.9% vs 9.1%; P=.36) or 3-year (24.5% vs 24.5%; P=.99) mortality between male and female patients, and FPG-associated mortality did not vary significantly by sex. CONCLUSION An increased FPG level was associated with a relatively higher risk of in-hospital mortality in men but not in women. Nonetheless, increased and decreased FPG levels at admission could predict higher mortality rates regardless of sex. There was a striking U-shaped relationship between FPG levels and in-hospital and 3-year mortality. The effect of abnormal FPG level on outcomes among older patients with AMI did not vary significantly by sex.
Option Valuation with Macro-Finance Variables

I propose a model in which the price of an option is partly determined by macro-finance variables. In an application using an index of current business conditions, the new model outperforms existing benchmarks in fitting underlying asset returns and in pricing options. The model performs particularly well when business conditions are deteriorating. Using the recent financial crisis as an out-of-sample experiment, the new model has option-pricing errors that are 18% below those of a nested 2-component volatility benchmark. Results are robust to using alternative business conditions proxies and comparing to different benchmark models.
Motor pudendal nerve characterization in the female rat

The aim of our study was to provide quantitative data on pudendal motor neuron cell bodies and axons in the female rat. To confirm earlier studies, fluorescent retrograde tracers were used to label the motor neurons for correlation with myelinated axon counts along the length of the motor pudendal nerve. The external urethral sphincter of female rats was injected with diamidino yellow and the external anal sphincter with fast blue. The L6 spinal cord revealed labeled motor neurons. Those in the dorsolateral column (60.8 ± 10.6) had nuclei labeled yellow from the external urethral sphincter and those in the dorsomedial column (31.7 ± 8.5) had cytoplasm labeled blue from the external anal sphincter. Double labeling was not present, suggesting that pudendal motor neurons in each column innervate separate sphincters. The motor pudendal nerve in the ischiorectal fossa was also characterized by light microscopy. The mean myelinated axon count (151.4 ± 17.0) was highly correlated (r = 0.995) in the proximal fascicles and the sum of distal fascicles. This indicated that myelinated axons do not branch at the point where the main motor pudendal nerve branches into separate fascicles. Axon counts between sides were not as well correlated (r = 0.883). The ratio of motor neurons to myelinated axons is 56%, suggesting that some myelinated axons either innervate other muscles or are sensory. This reproducible characterization of the normal pudendal nerve anatomy provides an excellent basis for experimental studies associated with pudendal nerve denervation as a model for neurogenic incontinence. Anat Rec 266:21–29, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Automatic mapping of user tags to Wikipedia concepts: The case of a Q&A website – StackOverflow

The uncontrolled nature of user-assigned tags makes them prone to various inconsistencies caused by spelling variations, synonyms, acronyms and hyponyms. These inconsistencies in turn lead to some of the common problems associated with the use of folksonomies such as the tag explosion phenomenon. Mapping user tags to their corresponding Wikipedia articles, as well-formed concepts, offers multifaceted benefits to the process of subject metadata generation and management in a wide range of online environments. These include normalization of inconsistencies, elimination of personal tags and improvement of the interchangeability of existing subject metadata. In this article, we propose a machine learning-based method capable of automatic mapping of user tags to their equivalent Wikipedia concepts. We have demonstrated the application of the proposed method and evaluated its performance using the currently most popular computer programming Q&A website, StackOverflow.com, as our test platform. Currently, around 20 million posts in StackOverflow are annotated with about 37,000 unique user tags, from which we have chosen a subset of 1256 tags to evaluate the accuracy performance of our proposed mapping method. We have evaluated the performance of our method using the standard information retrieval measures of precision, recall and F1. Depending on the machine learning-based classification algorithm used as part of the mapping process, F1 scores as high as 99.6% were achieved.
Correction of electrode polarization contributions to the dielectric properties of normal and cancerous breast tissues at audio/radiofrequencies

Spurious contributions from electrode polarization (EP) are a major nuisance in dielectric measurements of biological tissues and hamper accurate determination of tissue properties in the audio/radiofrequencies. Various electrode geometries and/or treatments have been employed traditionally to reduce EP contributions, although none succeeded to completely remove EP from measurements on tissues for all practical frequency ranges. A method of correction for contributions of EP to the dielectric properties of tissues is proposed. The method is based on modeling the electrode impedance with suitable functions and on the observation that certain parameters are only dependent on electrodes properties and can thus be determined separately. The method is tested on various samples with known properties, and its usefulness is demonstrated with samples of normal and cancerous human female breast tissue. It is observed that the dielectric properties of the tissues over the frequency range 40 Hz–100 MHz are significantly different among different types of breast tissue. This observation is used further to demonstrate that, by scanning the tip of the measuring dielectric probe (with modest spatial resolution) across a sample of excised breast tissue, significant variations in the electrical properties are detected at a position where a tumor is located. This study shows that dielectric spectroscopy has the potential to offer a viable alternative to the current methods for detection of breast cancer in vivo.
Political Legitimacy in Ireland During Economic Crisis: Insights from the European Social Survey†

Abstract Since the 2008 economic crisis, there has been upheaval across Europe. In Ireland, the collapse of the banking, construction and property sectors, and the 2010 EU/International Monetary Fund loan and attached austerity conditions resulted in a dramatic election in 2011 that saw the removal of the dominant political party from power. Ireland provides an important case study to examine political legitimacy given the perceived culpability of political authorities in the recession and the effects of austerity on the population's welfare. In this article, we examine data from the European Social Survey over a ten-year period (2002–2012) to ascertain the impact of the crisis on political legitimacy. We measure change in trust in political institutions, satisfaction with government and the link between social trust and political legitimacy. The analysis is repeated separating ‘winners’ (those who voted for the parties in power) from ‘losers’ (those who did not vote for the parties in power). We find that trust in political institutions and satisfaction with government has declined since 2008. However, while satisfaction with government is increasing since the 2011 election, trust in government continues to decline. Social trust is only declining for those who did not vote for the parties in power.
The Age of Hiring and Deferred Compensation: Evidence from Australia

The factors affecting age of hiring are estimated using Australian establishment data. Lower ages of new hires are associated with training and with workplaces using steeper tenure-wage profiles. Lower ages of hires are associated with steeper profiles throughout the age of hire distribution, whereas lower ages of hires are associated with the provision of training only among younger hires. Moreover, the evidence confirms that larger employers are more likely to hire younger workers but that lower ages of hire continue to be associated with steeper tenure-wage profiles even among larger employers. The robust role of the tenure-wage profile suggests that it is too early to conclude, as some have, that specific training is the paramount reason for the reduced hiring prospects of the old. Copyright © 2007 The Economic Society of Australia.
Design for Health: The Relationship Between Design and Noncommunicable Diseases

The authors explore the relationship between design and noncommunicable diseases, first by highlighting how design knowledge and practice can have a direct and indirect effect on these diseases. They then review the literature on the link between the physical environment (e.g., dwellings, the neighborhood, cities) and noncommunicable diseases. Last, they illustrate the links between design and noncommunicable diseases by exploring in greater detail how designers and the design of the urban environment can play a positive role in the reduction of noncommunicable diseases.
Ultrastructural Study of Normal and Degenerating Nerve Fibers in the Protocerebral Tract of the Crab Ucides cordatus

Wallerian degeneration is a very well described phenomenon in the vertebrate nervous system. In arthropods, and especially in crustaceans, nerve fiber degeneration has not been described extensively. In addition, literature shows that the events do not follow the same patterns as in vertebrates. In this study we report, by qualitative and quantitative ultrastructural analyses, the features and time course of the protocerebral tract degeneration following extirpation of the optic stalk. No remarkable changes were observed seven days after lesion. After 28 days the protocerebral tracts presented apparently preserved small and large diameter axons and some degenerating medium axons, with irregular contours and empty-looking aspect of the axoplasm. Forty days after the ablation of the optic stalks, both small (type I) and medium (type II and III) axons revealed signs of partial or total degeneration, but large nerve fibers (type IV) were still intact. After 45 days, the tract showed signs of advanced stage of degeneration and, apart from large axons, normal-looking fibers were almost absent. At these 3 last time points, degenerating axons displayed different electron densities and aspects, probably correlating to different onset times of the process. In addition, cells with granules in their cytoplasm, possibly hemocytes, were quite distinct, especially at 40 and 45 days after axotomy. These cells might share with glial cells the function of phagocytosis of cellular debris during the protocerebral tract degeneration. Quantitative analysis showed that the number of degenerating fibers increased significantly from 28 to 40 days after lesion, whereas the number of normal fibers decreased accordingly. Measurements of cross-sectional areas of normal and degenerating axons showed that types II and III (medium) start to degenerate before type I (small). Type IV (large) axons do not degenerate, even after 40 days. Therefore, we can conclude that degeneration in these afferent fibers starts late after axotomy, but proceeds at a faster rate afterwards until the complete degeneration of small and medium axons.
Habit Formation, Work Ethics and Technological Progress

Work ethics affect labour supply. This idea is modelled assuming that work is habit forming. We introduce working habits in a neoclassical growth model and compare its outcomes with a model without habit formation. In addition, we analyse the impact of different forms of technical progress. The findings are that (i) labour supply in the habit formation case is higher than in the neoclassical case; (ii) unlike in the neoclassical case, labour supply in the presence of habit formation depends on the kind of technical progress; and (iii) the kind of technical progress will hence affect the steady-state levels of consumption, capital stock and output.
Cross‐sectional effects in community disclosure

Purpose – This paper seeks to address a gap in the literature in that it explores community disclosures in annual reports examining annual reports for 5 UK FTSE 100 sectors between, 1974 and 2000. Design/methodology/approach – The sample was bifurcated into types – those with higher public profile and those with lower public profile based on a measure of “proximity to end user”. Two approaches were adopted in the paper: longitudinal volumetric word count mean and frequency of disclosure by company. Findings – The two approaches demonstrated that community disclosure was positively associated with public profile. The findings are consistent with reporting behaviour found in other categories of voluntary disclosure, where disclosure has been found to be associated with the presumed information demands of specific stakeholders. Additionally the research supported a legitimacy theory-based explanation of cross-sectional variability in community disclosures. Illustrative disclosures from a number of companies are also presented in the paper. Research limitations/implications – Further areas of research are suggested by these findings. In addition to articulating the potential value of examining community disclosure patterns in other contexts (e.g. in other sectors and other national situations), and in other media (e.g. internet studies), the findings in this study suggest that there may be value in exploring the ways in which voluntary disclosure responds to other external structural variables. Originality/value – The contribution of this paper has been to show that a hitherto less-analysed category of voluntary social disclosure (community disclosure) is cross-sectionally responsive to the structural vulnerability of companies to issues associated with “general” social concern.
Further evidence of excess sensitivity of consumption? Nonseparability among goods and heterogeneity across households

The standard theoretical framework for analysing households’ intertemporal decisions is the life-cycle/permanent income model. Among its implications, testing the model allows to analyse the response of consumption to fiscal policy. However, the empirical literature with microdata has yielded mixed results. This article examines the sensitivity of the results to the assumption of separability among goods and of homogeneity across households. For that purpose, we test a rational expectations permanent income model with household data drawn from the Spanish Family Expenditure Survey. This survey contains detailed information on total expenditure and the income presents large, exogenous quarterly changes due to an institutional feature. The article shows that assuming separability among commodities biases the test against the model. When separability is not imposed, we show that the rejection of the model depends on heterogeneity across households in terms of their members being unemployed or not. For those households permanently employed, the model cannot be rejected whatever their income status.
Association of Fluconazole Pharmacodynamics with Mortality in Patients with Candidemia

ABSTRACT Recent studies of nonneutropenic patients with candidemia or candidiasis suggest that fluconazole pharmacodynamic parameters correlate with clinical outcomes; however, additional data of correlation to mortality in patients with candidemia would be valuable. We assessed the impact of MICs for Candida, fluconazole pharmacodynamics, and patient characteristics on all-cause mortality with use of a prospective cohort of 96 hospitalized patients with candidemia. Among 84 patients for whom Candida isolates were available for testing, the most frequent Candida species isolated were Candida albicans (44%), followed by Candida parapsilosis (20.2%), and Candida glabrata (20.2%). Fluconazole resistance (MIC of ≥64 μg/ml) was present in 7 (8.3%) to 10 (11.9%) of 84 isolates, depending on the MIC endpoint determination method (50% or 80% inhibition read at 24 or 48 h). Overall mortality occurred in 27 (28.1%) of 96 patients, and nonsurvivors were more likely to have fluconazole-resistant isolates (25% versus 6.7%; P = 0.02). Multivariable analysis demonstrated an association between fluconazole resistance and mortality, but it did not reach statistical significance (odds ratio, 5.3; 95% confidence interval, 0.8 to 33.4; P = 0.08). By pharmacodynamic analysis, a fluconazole area under the concentration-time curve/MIC of <11.5 or MIC of ≥64 was associated with increased patient mortality (P ≤ 0.09). These data support previous findings of an antifungal exposure-response relationship to mortality in patients with candidemia. In addition, similar MICs were obtained using a 24- or 48-h MIC endpoint determination, thus providing the opportunity to assess earlier the impact of isolate susceptibility on therapy.
The Marginal Cost of Public Funds in OECD Countries; Hours of Work Versus Labor Force Participation

A central finding of the modern labor market literature is that labor supply responses tend to be concentrated along the extensive margin (labor force participation) rather than the intensive margin (hours of work). Yet, the literature on the marginal cost of public funds (MCF) focuses solely on the intensive margin. In this paper we demonstrate that it is important to incorporate extensive labor supply responses into the analysis. Firstly, MCF becomes a function of average taxes, rather than just marginal taxes. Secondly, participation decisions and thus MCF depend on the magnitude of transfers for those out of work. Our calculations for 23 OECD countries reveal that the MCF becomes substantially higher once the participation e.ect is accounted for. This is especially the case for continental European countries where average taxes are high and benefit systems are generous.
Photoselective vaporization of prostate vs. transurethral resection of prostate: A prospective, randomized study with one year follow-up

Objectives: To evaluate in a prospective, randomized study, the efficacy and safety profile of photoselective vaporization of prostate (PVP) using a 80W potassium titanyl phosphate (KTP) laser when compared to standard transurethral resection of prostate (TURP) in patients with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) due to benign prostatic enlargement (BPE). Materials and Methods: Between February 2009 and August 2009, 117 patients satisfying the eligibility criteria underwent surgery [60 PVP{Group A}; 57 TURP{Group B}]. The groups were compared for functional outcome (both subjective and objective parameters), perioperative parameters and complications, with a follow up of one year. P value<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The baseline characteristics of the two groups were comparable. Mean age was 66.68 years and 65.74 years, mean IPSS score was 19.98 and 20.88, mean prostate volume was 44.77 cc and 49.02 cc in Group A and B, respectively. Improvements in IPSS, QOL, prostate volume, Q max and PVRU at 12 months were similar in both groups. PVP patients had longer operating time, lesser perioperative blood loss, shorter catheterization time and a higher dysuria rate when compared to TURP patients. The overall complication rate was similar in the two groups. Conclusions: In patients with LUTS due to BPE, KTP-PVP is an equally efficacious alternative to TURP with durable results at one year follow up with additional benefits of lesser perioperative blood loss, lesser transfusion requirements and a shorter catheterization time. Long term comparative data is awaited to clearly define the role of KTP-PVP in such patients.
Advancing Destination Competitiveness Research

Abstract This paper presents findings of a completed research project on the competitive position of Turkey vis-à-vis five countries in the Mediterranean basin: Spain, Italy, Greece, France and Cyprus. These partner countries are self-selected by foreign tourists and service providers (hoteliers, travel agents or tour guides) as the direct competitor to Turkey. The discussion of findings is based upon the analysis of data gathered from 1,086 respondents through a six-week period in the summer of 2004. Findings obtained from the two groups were then compared to each other using t-test. Results suggest that both foreign tourists and service providers are homogeneous to suggest that Turkey is stronger on the friendliness of local people, but is weaker on the physical distance to the target markets and the effective using of methods for promotion and advertising. The detailed assessment of findings and implications is also discussed.