Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Firm-Specific Assets and the Link Between Exchange Rates and Foreign Direct Investment

Foreign direct investment (FDI) theory and empirical studies have generated mixed support for a link between exchange rates and FDI. This paper argues that exchange rate movements may affect acquisition FDI because acquisitions involve firm-specific assets which can generate returns in currencies other than that used for purchase. Using data on Japanese acquisitions in the United States across three-digit SIC industries from 1975 to 1992, maximum-likelihood estimates from discrete dependent variable models support the hypothesis that real dollar depreciations make Japanese acquisitions more likely in U.S. industries, particularly those which more likely have firm-specific assets. Copyright 1997 by American Economic Association.
Optimal Asymmetric One-Sided Group Sequential Tests

We extend the optimal symmetric group sequential tests of Eales & Jennison (1992) to the broader class of asymmetric designs. Two forms of asymmetry are considered, involving unequal type I and type II error rates and different emphases on expected sample sizes at the null and alternative hypotheses. We discuss the properties of our optimal designs and use them to assess the efficiency of the family of tests proposed by Pampallona & Tsiatis (1994) and two families of one-sided tests defined through error spending functions. We show that the error spending designs are highly efficient, while the easily implemented tests of Pampallona & Tsiatis are a little less efficient but still not far from optimal. Our results demonstrate that asymmetric designs can decrease the expected sample size under one hypothesis, but only at the expense of a significantly larger expected sample size under the other hypothesis.
Somatostatin Derivate (smsDX) Attenuates the TAM-Stimulated Proliferation, Migration and Invasion of Prostate Cancer via NF-κB Regulation

Tumor development and progression are influenced by macrophages of the surrounding microenvironment. To investigate the influences of an inflammatory tumor microenvironment on the growth and metastasis of prostate cancer, the present study used a co-culture model of prostate cancer (PCa) cells with tumor-associated macrophage (TAM)-conditioned medium (MCM). MCM promoted PCa cell (LNCaP, DU145 and PC-3) growth, and a xenograft model in nude mice consistently demonstrated that MCM could promote tumor growth. MCM also stimulated migration and invasion in vitro. Somatostatin derivate (smsDX) significantly attenuated the TAM-stimulated proliferation, migration and invasion of prostate cancer. Immunohistochemistry revealed that NF-κB was over-expressed in PCa and BPH with chronic inflammatory tissue specimens and was positively correlated with macrophage infiltration. Further investigation into the underlying mechanism revealed that NF-κB played an important role in macrophage infiltration. SmsDX inhibited the paracrine loop between TAM and PCa cells and may represent a potential therapeutic agent for PCa.
Serum S100B Is Related to Illness Duration and Clinical Symptoms in Schizophrenia—A Meta-Regression Analysis

S100B has been linked to glial pathology in several psychiatric disorders. Previous studies found higher S100B serum levels in patients with schizophrenia compared to healthy controls, and a number of covariates influencing the size of this effect have been proposed in the literature. Here, we conducted a meta-analysis and meta-regression analysis on alterations of serum S100B in schizophrenia in comparison with healthy control subjects. The meta-analysis followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement to guarantee a high quality and reproducibility. With strict inclusion criteria 19 original studies could be included in the quantitative meta-analysis, comprising a total of 766 patients and 607 healthy control subjects. The meta-analysis confirmed higher values of the glial serum marker S100B in schizophrenia if compared with control subjects. Meta-regression analyses revealed significant effects of illness duration and clinical symptomatology, in particular the total score of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), on serum S100B levels in schizophrenia. In sum, results confirm glial pathology in schizophrenia that is modulated by illness duration and related to clinical symptomatology. Further studies are needed to investigate mechanisms and mediating factors related to these findings.
A unique membrane protein is expressed on early developing limbic system axons and cortical targets

The limbic system-associated membrane protein (LAMP) is a 64 kDa protein that, in the adult brain, is present in cortical and subcortical regions comprising the limbic system (Levitt, 1984). The developmental expression of LAMP was studied in fetal rat brains to determine the specific patterns of distribution and the cellular elements that exhibit LAMP immunoreactivity. Light microscopic immunocytochemical analysis revealed that LAMP is expressed on neurons and their growing axons early in fetal development, at a time coincident with pathway formation and differentiation of limbic system nuclei. In the forebrain, where limbic system structures are heavily concentrated, immunoreactivity appears on subpopulations of axons in a temporal sequence that correlates with the time of formation of pathways carrying limbic system axons. Thus, staining is evident first at embryonic day (E) 15 on fibers within the internal capsule coursing from the diencephalon to cortex. LAMP immunoreactivity appears over the next 3 d in the anterior commissure, fornix, and corpus callosum. Ultrastructural immunocytochemical analysis reveals dense surface staining of fascicles of developing axons and growth cones. The axonal staining is transient, disappearing during the second postnatal week of development. In cerebral cortex, cells in presumptive limbic cortical regions such as lateral perirhinal sulcal cortex and prefrontal cortex are LAMP immunoreactive from the inception of the cortical plate. These cortical regions are clearly delineated from surrounding unstained nonlimbic areas as early as E15. Thus, LAMP expression in the cortex may represent one of the earliest markers of specific cytoarchitectonic areas. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Gravity-mode pulsations in subdwarf B stars: a critical test of stellar opacity

The identification of non-radial g-mode oscillations as the cause of variability in cool subdwarf B stars (PG1716 variables) has been frustrated by a 5000K discrepancy between the observed and theoretical blue edge of the instability domain (Fontaine et al. 2003). A major component in the solution to this problem has been identified by (a) using updated OP instead of OPAL opacities and (b) considering an enhancement of nickel, in addition to that of iron, in the driving zone. The reason for this success is that, in OP, the “Fe-bump” contributions from iron and nickel occur at higher temperatures than in OPAL. As well as pointing to a solution of an important problem in stellar pulsation theory, this result provides a critical test for stellar opacities and the atomic physics used to compute them.
Do Endowment Funds Select the Optimal Mix of Active and Passive Risks

The investment decision confronting managers of multi-asset class portfolios can be characterized in terms of the passive (i.e., benchmark or policy) and active (i.e., market timing and security selection) strategies they adopt. In this paper, we investigate whether managers select the appropriate combination of active and passive allocations in their portfolios. Noting that this issue is ultimately a risk management question, we adapt a simple framework for establishing what constitutes the optimal level of active and passive risk exposures.We then examine the question empirically using a database consisting of the allocation decisions and investment performance of a large set of university endowment funds over the period from 1989 to 2005. Our findings show that (i) the average endowment had too little active risk exposure in its portfolio, (ii) endowment funds could have significantly increased their risk-adjusted performance by enhancing the scale of the alpha-generating strategies they were already employing, and (iii) this tendency to under-utilize active management skills was more pronounced for larger endowments than for smaller ones. We conclude that the typical endowment fund could have improved its performance by increasing the commitment to its active management skills.
Change in level of positive mental health as a predictor of future risk of mental illness.

OBJECTIVES We sought to describe the prevalence of mental health and illness, the stability of both diagnoses over time, and whether changes in mental health level predicted mental illness in a cohort group. METHODS In 2009, we analyzed data from the 1995 and 2005 Midlife in the United States cross-sectional surveys (n = 1723), which measured positive mental health and 12-month mental disorders of major depressive episode, panic, and generalized anxiety disorders. RESULTS Population prevalence of any of 3 mental disorders and levels of mental health appeared stable but were dynamic at the individual level. Fifty-two percent of the 17.5% of respondents with any mental illness in 2005 were new cases; one half of those languishing in 1995 improved in 2005, and one half of those flourishing in 1995 declined in 2005. Change in mental health was strongly predictive of prevalence and incidence (operationalized as a new, not necessarily a first, episode) of mental illness in 2005. CONCLUSIONS Gains in mental health predicted declines in mental illness, supporting the call for public mental health promotion; losses of mental health predicted increases in mental illness, supporting the call for public mental health protection.
A current view of Alzheimer's disease

Several genes that influence susceptibility to Alzheimer's disease (AD) have been known for over two decades. Recent advances have elucidated novel candidate genes and the pathogenetic mechanisms underlying neurodegeneration in AD. Here, we summarize what we have learned from studies of the known AD genes with regard to the causes of AD and emerging therapies. We also review key recent discoveries that have enhanced our understanding of the etiology and pathogenesis of this devastating disease, based on new investigations into the genes and molecular mechanisms underlying AD.
The Impact of Foreign Aid on Economic Growth in Cambodia: A Co-integration Approach

The purpose of foreign aid is to stimulate economic growth in aid-recipient countries; yet, literature review reveals mixed results: inconclusive or often controversial findings. By using time series annual data from 1991 to 2012, and applying Johansen�s multivariate co-integration test with vector error correction model (VECM) and the innovative accounting (variance decomposition and impulse response function analysis) techniques, this study aims to examine the long run and short run impact of foreign aid on Cambodia�s aid-dependent economy; two other variables such as inflation, and government consumption expenditure are also included in the model. The results of the model show that foreign aid has a significantly positive impact on economic growth in the long run in Cambodia. In addition, foreign aid also has an influence on inflation and may cause it to rise in the short run and in the long run. The model also confirms that foreign aid and inflation positively affect government expenditure in the long run.
A bilateral reactive power injection method for islanding detection of grid-connected converters in distributed generation units

In this paper, a bilateral reactive power injection method is proposed for islanding detection of grid-connected converters in distributed generation units. The proposed method injects capacitive and inductive reactive power periodically with half of the grid frequency to perturb the frequency of point of common coupling (PCC). The magnitude of the injected reactive power is derived in order to remove the non-detection zone and the frequency of the injected reactive power is determined by considering parallel operation of the converters with no communication. In addition, the distortion of the currents by the proposed detection method is analyzed. The effectiveness of the proposed method is experimentally verified through the operation of two converters used for a 10kW battery energy storage system.
International Entrepreneurship: The Current Status of the Field and Future Research Agenda

The authors gratefully acknowledge the support of the Kauffman Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership as well as the comments of the SMS-Kauffman conference participants. The constructive comments of the editors, especially Michael Hitt, have also improved this chapter significantly. We have received many helpful suggestions from seminar participants in Helsinki University of Technology, Jonkoping International Business School, and Norwegian School of Management. The chapter was written when the second author was affiliated with Syracuse University.
Seeing Red: Anger Increases How Much Republican Identification Predicts Partisan Attitudes and Perceived Polarization

We examined the effects of incidental anger on perceived and actual polarization between Democrats and Republicans in the context of two national tragedies, Hurricane Katrina (Study 1) and the mass shooting that targeted Representative Gabrielle Giffords in Arizona (Study 2). We hypothesized that because of its relevance to intergroup conflict, incidental anger exacerbates the political polarization effects of issue partisanship (the correlation between partisan identification and partisan attitudes), and, separately, the correlation between conservative partisan identification and perceived polarization between Democrats and Republicans. We further hypothesized that these effects would be strongest for Republican identification because Republican leaders were targets of public criticism in both tragedies and because conservative (Republican) ideology tends to be more sensitive to threat. In the studies, participants first completed an emotion induction procedure by recalling autobiographical events that made them angry (Studies 1 & 2), sad (Studies 1 & 2), or that involved recalling emotionally neutral events (Study 2). Participants later reported their attitudes regarding the two tragedies, their perceptions of the typical Democrat’s and Republican’s attitudes on those issues, and their identification with the Democratic and Republican parties. Compared with incidental sadness (Studies 1 and 2) and a neutral condition (Study 2), incidental anger exacerbated the associations between Republican identification and partisan attitudes, and, separately between Republican identification and perceived polarization between the attitudes of Democrats and Republicans. We discuss implications for anger’s influence on political attitude formation and perceptions of group differences in political attitudes.
Demographics and savings: can we reconcile the evidence?

It is well known that over the next few decades there will be significant changes in the demographic structures of nearly all developed countries; in the absence of massive immigration, or of catastrophic new fatal illnesses, by the middle of the next century the ratio of people of working age to those of retirement age will, in many countries, be only around one half the current level. Such dramatic demographic change could have a powerful impact upon saving behaviour in both the public and private sectors and upon asset prices and wages. But estimates of how great the effects will be differ substantially depending on what kind of evidence is used. This paper first shows that projections based on a calibrated, overlapping generations model of the economy where agents display life-cycle savings behaviour are similar in broad shape to projections based on panel data estimates of the relation between demographics and saving. But the implications for the impact of demographic change of evidence from household data sets are strikingly different. This paper presents an explanation of this and assesses how far alternative pieces of evidence can be reconciled. The implications for asset prices, savings rates, capital accumulation and labour productivity over the next fifty years are explored.
Retinal-Image Quality and Night-Vision Performance after Alcohol Consumption

Purpose. To evaluate the influence of alcohol consumption on the retinal-image quality and visual performance under surrounding low-illumination conditions. Methods. A volunteer sample of 67 subjects was analyzed. Optical quality of the eye was evaluated by means of the Strehl ratio, the Objective Scattering Index (OSI), and the tear-film quality. We used the visual disturbance index (VDI) to evaluate visual performance under low-illumination conditions and we measured the pupil size under these conditions. The tear-film volume was also measured. All measurements were made before and after alcohol consumption and patients were classified into two groups depending on their breath alcohol content (BrAC): low-alcohol (BrAC < 0.25 mg/L) and high-alcohol content (BrAC ≥ 0.25 mg/L). Results. The VDI was significantly higher after alcohol consumption: the higher the BrAC, the higher the deterioration of the visual discrimination capacity. The pupil size increased significantly for the high-BrAC group. Parameters evaluating optical quality deteriorated after alcohol consumption. Conclusion. The visual performance under low-illumination conditions and the retinal-image quality were deteriorated after alcohol consumption, especially for the high-alcohol group. Furthermore, some physiological changes were observed under effects for high-alcohol contents, such as an increase in the pupil size and disturbances in the tear film, which deteriorated optical quality.
Mean Reversion in Stock Prices? a Reappraisal of the Empirical Evidence

The paper re-examines the empirical evidence for mean-reverting behaviour in stock prices. Comparison of data before and after World War II shows that mean reversion is entirely a pre-war phenomenon. Using randomization methods to calculate significance levels, we find that the full sample evidence for mean reversion is weaker than previously indicated by Monte Carlo methods under a Normal assumption. Further, the switch to mean-averting behaviour after the war is about to be too strong to be compatible with sampling variation. We interpret these findings as evidence of a fundamental change in the stock returns process and conjecture that it may be due to the resolution of the uncertainties of the 1930's and 1940's.
Stimulation of the sphenopalatine ganglion (SPG) for cluster headache treatment. Pathway CH-1: A randomized, sham-controlled study

Background The pain and autonomic symptoms of cluster headache (CH) result from activation of the trigeminal parasympathetic reflex, mediated through the sphenopalatine ganglion (SPG). We investigated the safety and efficacy of on-demand SPG stimulation for chronic CH (CCH). Methods A multicenter, multiple CH attack study of an implantable on-demand SPG neurostimulator was conducted in patients suffering from refractory CCH. Each CH attack was randomly treated with full, sub-perception, or sham stimulation. Pain relief at 15 minutes following SPG stimulation and device- or procedure-related serious adverse events (SAEs) were evaluated. Findings Thirty-two patients were enrolled and 28 completed the randomized experimental period. Pain relief was achieved in 67.1% of full stimulation-treated attacks compared to 7.4% of sham-treated and 7.3% of sub-perception-treated attacks (p < 0.0001). Nineteen of 28 (68%) patients experienced a clinically significant improvement: seven (25%) achieved pain relief in ≥50% of treated attacks, 10 (36%), a ≥50% reduction in attack frequency, and two (7%), both. Five SAEs occurred and most patients (81%) experienced transient, mild/moderate loss of sensation within distinct maxillary nerve regions; 65% of events resolved within three months. Interpretation On-demand SPG stimulation using the ATI Neurostimulation System is an effective novel therapy for CCH sufferers, with dual beneficial effects, acute pain relief and observed attack prevention, and has an acceptable safety profile compared to similar surgical procedures.
Micro-assembly using optically controlled bubble microrobots in saline solution

Bubbles in saline solution were controlled by optically induced heating, and made to function as microrobots for micromanipulation and micro-assembly. Using a 980-nm laser, bubble microrobots in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) were used to manipulate glass microbeads and cell-laden hydrogel beads. Micro-assembly of glass beads in PBS was also demonstrated. Bubble microrobot actuation in saline solution was demonstrated at velocities of up to 4 mm/s.
Volatility and Correlation Timing in Active Currency Management

This chapter examines how dynamic volatilities and correlations in exchange rate returns affect the optimal portfolio choice of a risk-averse investor engaging in international asset allocation. We take a Bayesian approach in estimation and asset allocation that accounts for parameter and model uncertainty, and find substantial economic value in both volatility and correlation timing. This result is robust to reasonable transaction costs, parameter and model uncertainty, and alternative specifications for volatilities and correlations.
AMIFS: adaptive feature selection by using mutual information

An adaptive feature selection method based on mutual information, called AMIFS, is presented. AMIFS is an enhancement over Battiti's MIFS and MIFS-U methods. In AMIFS the tradeoff between eliminating irrelevance or redundancy is controlled adoptively, instead of using a fixed parameter. The mutual information is computed by discrete probabilities in the case of discrete features or by using an extended version of Fraser's algorithm in the case of continuous features. The performance of AMIFS is compared with that of MIFS and MIFS-U on artificial and benchmark datasets. The simulation results show that AMIFS outperforms both MIFS and MIFS-U, specially for high-dimensional data with many irrelevant and/or redundant features.