Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Financial Crisis and Quantitative Easing: Can Broad Money Tell Us Anything?

When Bank of England (and the Federal Reserve Board) introduced their quantitative easing (QE) operations they emphasised the effects on money and credit, but much of their empirical research on the effects of QE focuses on long-term interest rates. We use a flow of funds matrix with an independent central bank to show the implications of QE and other monetary developments, and argue that the financial crisis, the fiscal expansion and QE are likely to have constituted major exogenous shocks to money and credit in the UK which could not be digested immediately by the usual adjustment mechanisms. We present regressions of a reduced form model which considers the growth of nominal spending as determined by the growth of nominal money and other variables. These results suggest that money was not important during the Great Moderation but has had a much larger role in the period of the crisis and QE. We then use these estimates to illustrate the effects of the financial crisis and QE. We conclude that it would be useful to incorporate money and/or credit in wider macroeconometric models of the UK economy.
Decision-making Processes in the Context of Ethical Dilemmas: A Study of Accountants in Training

The ability to make sound decisions when faced with ethical dilemmas lies at the heart of being a professional accountant. Yet many of the recent corporate reporting disasters demonstrate that, despite being over a century old, the accounting profession has yet to find a way of dealing effectively with ethics. This is reflected in the ethical training of accountants which tends to follow a rules-based approach to instruction, thereby producing accountants who are often criticized for being rules-followers at a time when many are calling for a more principles-based approach. Within a qualitative framework, the study explored the difficulties trainee accountants confront in constructing a decision-making process whilst seeking to maintain the stance expected of them by, inter alia, professional codes. This is in contrast to mainstream, mainly positivist, research efforts which measure those factors influencing accountants? and accounting trainees? decision-making. Rule-following and deference to one? s profession is regarded as symptomatic of low-level ethical awareness and impedes ethical development (Harris and Brown 1990). The study will therefore be of interest to educators and the profession alike, both of whom seek to have graduates enter the profession with high-level ethical awareness. This study adopts a social constructivist and interpretive research approach informed by structuration theory and uses vignettes to explore accounting trainees? decision-making processes. Semi-structured interviews were held with 12 BA (Honours) Accounting students in their final year of study. Field notes and participant feedback augmented interview data. Thematic analysis, coding and categorization applied through template analysis was used to explore both students? decision-making inclinations and the structural elements reported as impacting on decisions at a particular point in time. A cross-case comparison showed that, contrary to much of the literature, students adopted a principles-based approach to decision-making. This finding, in itself, may have far-reaching implications for the way in which ethics is taught, whether by business schools or by in-house organizational programmes.
Effect of Mutations in the Second Extracellular Loop of CXCR4 on Its Utilization by Human and Feline Immunodeficiency Viruses

ABSTRACT CCR5 and CXCR4 are the principal CD4-associated coreceptors used by human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). CXCR4 is also a receptor for the feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV). The rat CXCR4 cannot mediate infection by HIV-1NDK or by FIVPET(both cell line-adapted strains) because of sequence differences with human CXCR4 in the second extracellular loop (ECL2). Here we made similar observations for HIV-189.6 (a strain also using CCR5) and for a primary HIV-1 isolate. It showed the role of ECL2 in the coreceptor activity of CXCR4 for different types of HIV-1 strains. By exchanging ECL2 residues between human and rat CXCR4, we found that several amino acid differences contributed to the inactivity of the rat CXCR4 toward HIV-189.6. In contrast, its inactivity toward HIV-1NDK seemed principally due to a serine at position 193 instead of to an aspartic acid (Asp193) in human CXCR4. Likewise, a mutation of Asp187 prevented usage of CXCR4 by FIVPET. Different mutations of Asp193, including its replacement by a glutamic acid, markedly reduced or suppressed the activity of CXCR4 for HIV-1NDK infection, indicating that the negative charge was not the only requirement. Mutations of Asp193 and of arginine residues (Arg183 and Arg188) of CXCR4 reduced the efficiency of HIV-1 infection for all HIV-1 strains tested. Other ECL2 mutations tested had strain-specific effects or no apparent effect on HIV-1 infection. The ECL2 mutants allowed us to identify residues contributing to the epitope of the 12G5 monoclonal antibody. Overall, residues with different charges and interspersed in ECL2 seem to participate in the coreceptor activity of CXCR4. This suggests that a conformational rather than linear epitope of ECL2 contributes to the HIV-1 binding site. However, certain HIV-1 and FIV strains seem to require the presence of a particular ECL2 residue.
Prosperity or Blight? A Question of Major League Stadia Locations

Literature challenges the economic wisdom of major league sports stadia, especially when subsidized, but they continue to be constructed. If officials decide that a new stadium will be built, does it matter where it goes? This article theorizes that when major league stadia locate in the central business district (CBD), the metropolitan statistical area’s share of regional wealth increases and that share rises as more major league teams play there. The reason is that people attending games in the CBD are more likely to spend money before and after games in the CBD than if they attend games at non-CBD locations. By contrast, non-CBD stadia may create opportunity costs. The moat of parking that surrounds many such stadia may discourage development from locating nearby. Investments that could have generated more economic activity are diverted, sometimes outside the metropolitan area. Empirical evaluation supports theoretical expectations.
Correlation between Alt a 1 levels and clinical symptoms in Alternaria alternata-monosensitized patients.

BACKGROUND Alternaria alternata is a risk factor for developing asthma.Alt a 1, which has been described as the major allergen in A alternata, shows a good correlation with A alternata spores only when they have germinated. OBJECTIVES The objective of this study was to determine the correlation between spore counts and clinical symptoms in patients with allergic asthma and/or rhinitis monosensitized to A alternata. METHODS Two types of samplers were used to determine exposure: a Burkard spore trap to collect A alternata spores and a high-volume air sampler to collect airborne particles. A total of 366 air filters were collected. Alt a 1 levels were measured by monoclonal antibody-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Eighteen monosensitized patients were asked to record their daily symptoms throughout the year. RESULTS A alternata spores were detected throughout the year, whereas Alt a 1 was detected only between March and December. Symptoms showed positive and significant correlations with spore counts (r=0.459, P<.001), and Alt a 1 levels (r=0.294, P<.001). The correlation between spores and Alt a 1 was low. The negative binomial model proved that an increase of 10 pg/m3 in Alt a 1 levels increased the number of symptoms at a 3-day lag by 5%. CONCLUSIONS In patients who are allergic to A alternata, Alt a 1 levels can be considered an important marker for predicting the risk of respiratory symptoms.
The Interplay of Inequality and Reference Dependence with Trust an Experimental Study

type="main"> Using a canonical trust game, we investigate whether the inequality of endowment between trustor and trustee and the acquired versus permanent financial state affect trust and trustworthiness. We found that trust and trustworthiness are reference-dependent and that individuals with permanent financial state receive more trust and are more trustworthy than others. In our experiment, unequal endowments do not significantly affect trust, but trustworthiness increases significantly when the trustor is poorer.
Who's on the Line? Indian Call Center Agents Pose as Americans for U.S.-Outsourced Firms

This paper explores the globalization of service work through an analysis of customer service call centers in India for U.S. firms. It reveals a new kind of managerial strategy, “national identity management,” in which employees are asked to subsume different national identities as part of the job. Through interviews with over eighty Indian call center personnel and case studies of three call centers, this paper analyzes how and why ethnicity and citizenship have become crucial elements of the labor process. It builds upon and elaborates seminal theories of managerial control in interactive service work, including Hochschild’s theory of emotion management and Leidner’s theory of scripting. It argues that globalization fundamentally alters the relationship of the actors, the purpose and practice of managerial control, and the outcomes for those involved. In addition, it reflects on theories of advancing information and communication technology (ICT), and global identity. Some scholars argue that the development of ICTs will lead to a homogenization (especially an “Americanization”) of identities, while others see increasing global disjuncture and renegotiation of identities. Instead, this analysis reveals a continuum of responses by workers to the process of national identity management, and the forging of multiple, internally differentiated ethnic identities. It concludes by arguing that customer service work will continue to be globalized, and as a result, issues of “nation” will increasingly surface within interactive service
Non‐N‐methyl‐d‐aspartate glutamate receptors in the lateral hypothalamus modulate cardiac baroreflex responses in conscious rats

1 In the present study, we investigated the effects of inhibition of the lateral hypothalamus (LH) neurotransmission with bilateral microinjection of CoCl2, a non‐selective blocker of neurotransmission, on modulation of cardiac baroreflex responses in conscious rats as well as the involvement of LH glutamatergic neurotransmission in this modulation. 2 Reflex bradycardiac and tachycardiac responses to blood pressure increases (following i.v. infusion of phenylephrine) or decreases (following i.v. infusion of sodium nitroprusside) were investigated in conscious male Wistar rats. Responses were evaluated before and after microinjection of 1 nmol/100 nL CoCl2, 2 nmol/100 nL 1,2,3,4‐tetrahydro‐6‐nitro‐2,3‐dioxobenzoquinoxaline‐7‐sulphonamide (NBQX; a selective non‐N‐methyl‐d‐aspartate (NMDA) glutamate receptor antagonist) or different doses (2, 4 or 8 nmol/100 nL) of the selective NMDA glutamate receptor antagonist LY235959. 3 Microinjection of CoCl2 into the LH had no effect on the tachycardiac baroreflex response, but did evoke a decrease in the reflex bradycardia caused by increases in blood pressure. Microinjection of NBQX into the LH had a similar effect on reflex bradycardia as CoCl2, but had no effect on the tachycardiac response. Microinjection of increasing doses of LY235959 into the LH had no effect on the cardiac baroreflex response. 4 In conclusion, the data suggest that the LH has a tonic facilitatory influence on the parasympathetic component of the baroreflex. The results also indicate that this facilitatory influence is mediated by local LH glutamatergic neurotransmission through non‐NMDA glutamatergic receptors.
Fixed Term Employment Contracts in an Equilibrium Search Model

This paper analyzes the effects of fixed-term contracts using a version of the Lucas and Prescott island model with undirected search. A fixed-term contract of length J is modeled as a tax on separations of workers with tenure higher than J . While in principle these policies require a very large state space to analyze the firms and households' problems, we show that equilibrium allocations solve a simple dynamic programming problem. Analyzing this problem we show that equilibrium employment dynamics are characterized by two dimensional inaction sets. Finally, to understand the effect of these contracts, we compare them with two extreme cases: for J = 1 the fixed-term contracts are equivalent to the case of firing taxes, and for large J they are equivalent to the laissez-faire case. In a calibrated version of the model, we find that temporary contracts with J equivalent to three years length close about half of the gap between those two extremes.
The Liberalisation of the German Social Model: Public–Private Pension Reform in Germany since 2001

Abstract Some commentators view reforms to the German political economy since the 1990s as constituting a broad liberalisation of a previously coordinated market economy (e.g., Streeck, 2009). Others argue that by maintaining protection for core workers the reforms represent a dualisation rather than liberalisation (e.g., Palier and Thelen, 2010). This debate has paid little attention to public–private pension reform since 2001. This paper argues that pensions have been a crucial component of the German social model since 1957 and demonstrates why comprehensive analysis of its development must consider them. After summarising how public and occupational pensions have supported core German workers since 1957, the paper calculates core workers’ projected net pensions and those of less privileged employees before and after recent reforms. On this basis, it concludes that pension reforms have created a system more characteristic of a liberal than a dualised political economy. Since the reform, the projected pensions of today's young workers are closer to the poverty line, and the gap between the projected benefits of core and peripheral workers has narrowed. Increasingly, as young core workers age, they will thus have less incentive to invest in employer specific skills, a development that threatens the model as a whole.
Copy Number Variation Analysis of 100 Twin Pairs Enriched for Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Hundreds of penetrant risk loci have been identified across different neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs), and these often involve rare (<1% frequency) copy number variations (CNVs), which can involve one or more genes. Monozygotic (MZ) twin pairs are long thought to share 100% of their genomic information. However, genetic differences in the form of postzygotic somatic variants have been reported recently both in typically developing (TD) and in clinically discordant MZ pairs. Here, we sought to investigate the contribution of CNVs in 100 twin pairs enriched for NDD phenotypes with a particular focus on MZ pairs discordant for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) using the PsychChip array. In our collection, no postzygotic de novo CNVs were found in 55 MZ twin pairs, including the 13 pairs discordant for ASD. When analyzing the burden of rare CNVs among pairs concordant and discordant for ASD/NDD in comparison with typically developed (TD) pairs, no differences were found. However, we did detect a higher rate of CNVs overlapping genes involved in disorders of the nervous system in MZ pairs discordant and concordant for ASD in comparison with TD pairs (p=0.02). Our results are in concordance with earlier findings that postzygotic de novo CNV events are typically rare in genomic DNA derived from saliva or blood and, in the majority of MZ twins, do not explain the discordance of NDDs. Still, studies investigating postzygotic variation in MZ discordant twins using DNA from different tissues and single cells and higher resolution genomics are needed in the future.
The acquisition of agricultural technology: Its determinants and effects

The central theme of this paper is that the causes of changes in inequality lie only partly in the nature of innovations, and that to understand the mechanism producing such changes one must place the innovation process in the context of the prevailing economic and social system. After a general treatment of technical change, the precise nature of the ‘Green Revolution’ crop technology and its diffusion are described in detail. Against this background, the core of the paper is devoted to analysing the mechanism whereby such technical change alters the pattern of inequality among broadly defined interest groups. Finally, there is a speculative appraisal of the longer term consequences of the ‘Green Revolution’ for the economic and social organization of South Asian agriculture.
A Durable Replacement Model for Symbolic versus Utilitarian Consumption: An Integrated Cultural and Socio-economic Perspective

Abstract The accumulated knowledge on durable consumption has traditionally been premised upon identifying personal factors (e.g. demographics or psychographics) underlying the purchase decision. On a broader scope, however, consumer behavior is shaped by cultural and social factors, and our understanding would be incomplete without these considerations. To this end, this study sets out to provide an integrative framework on durable consumption. Specifically, the proposed framework explores whether cultural differences do exist in the perception of a selected durable (e.g. automobile) on the symbolic/utilitarian dimension, which in turn, may affect the length of the replacement cycle, likelihood of upgrading to a higher status model, as well as, inertia towards remaining within the same product-type in the category (e.g. sedan, SUV, minivan, pickup truck). Applying a multinomial logit model to Korean and US automobile transaction data, the finding reveal that Korean consumers tend to have shorter replacement cycles, engage in more upgrades but are less likely to change the product-type than American consumers. Considerations of cultural and socio-economic factors as key drivers of the differences in perception and behavior are put forward. Managerial implications and directions for future research are also discussed.
The effect of adult day care services on time to nursing home placement in older adults with Alzheimer's disease.

PURPOSE This longitudinal study examined whether the use of adult day care services delayed time to nursing home placement in persons with Alzheimer's disease. DESIGN AND METHODS Two hundred and eighteen adult day care clients with Alzheimer's disease were recruited from 16 adult day programs in a large metropolitan area. Two hundred and ninety eight persons with Alzheimer's disease but not using adult day care were recruited from a federally funded Alzheimer's diagnostic center and frequency matched to adult day care users on age, gender, race, and level of cognitive impairment. Participants were followed at 3-month intervals for up to 48 months. Cox proportional hazards models were used to examine the effects of adult day care and other fixed and time-varying factors on risk of nursing home placement. RESULTS Risk of nursing home placement increased significantly with the number of days of adult day care attendance, with this effect being substantially greater for men (hazard ratio or HR = 1.33; confidence interval or CI = 1.18-1.49) than for women (HR = 1.09; CI = 1.00-1.18). Participant disability and hospitalizations and caregiver age and burden were independent predictors, but their inclusion in the model did not alter the risk associated with adult day care. IMPLICATIONS More severe disease and greater caregiver burden did not explain the increased risk of nursing home placement among adult day care users with Alzheimer's disease. Rather, it appears that other unmeasured factors, such as a proclivity to institutionalize, may account for the association of adult day care to nursing home risk.
Thermophilic bacteria from Mexican thermal environments: isolation and potential applications

Extremophiles are microorganisms that possess application possibilities in several industrial fields, including agricultural, chemical, laundry, pharmaceutical, food, petroleum and bioremediation. This work reports the isolation of 19 thermophilic, alkalitolerant and halotolerant bacterial strains from two thermal sites in Veracruz, México: El Carrizal thermal pool and Los Baños hot spring. These strains belong to the Geobacillus, Anoxybacillus and Aeribacillus genera. The strains produce lipases, proteases, and amylases under thermophilic conditions. They may have good potential for application in microbial enhanced oil recovery, since they are thermophilic and halotolerant, produce exopolymers (up to 11.8 mg/mg) and acids, show emulsifying activity (E24 up to 7.5%), and are able to grow in kerosene as carbon source; these strains may also be used in biodesulphurization since they can grow in dibenzothiophene producing 2‐hydroxybiphenyl under thermophilic conditions (up to 2.9 mg/L).
Service quality and satisfaction measurements in Nigerian ports: an exploration

The object of this paper is to identify and assess the key determinants of port service quality and to determine the quality of service offered by two ports in Nigeria using SERVQUAL model and a Customer Satisfaction Index to measure port users’ level of satisfaction at these ports. Relevant literatures in port service quality were reviewed to give relevance to the survey. Data for the study were collected via a well-structured questionnaire, analysed, and perception and expectation gap scores evaluated. The findings of this survey reveal that service offered at Port Harcourt port had a favourable influence on actual perceptions of quality of service and that there is improved service at the port in comparison with Lagos. Also, the study reveals that there is a very strong relationship between the core and relational dimensions of service quality and satisfaction. The study also reveals that port managers should focus on those dimensions where customers perceive receiving a different service than expected and that managers should be in regular contact with employees to assess their service experiences. The survey shows how using SERVQUAL and Customer Satisfaction Index to identify important attributes of port service quality that could be used as an early warning system for port, thus being an important tool for port managers.
Identification of Human Oral Keratinocyte Stem/Progenitor Cells by Neurotrophin Receptor p75 and the Role of Neurotrophin/p75 Signaling

This study was undertaken to determine whether human oral keratinocyte stem cells characteristically express higher levels of the low‐affinity neurotrophin receptor p75 and to elucidate the function of p75 in oral keratinocytes. Examination of their expression patterns and cell‐cycling status in vivo showed that p75 was exclusively expressed in the basal cell layer of both the tips of the papillae and the deep rete ridges. These immunostaining patterns suggest a cluster organization; most p75(+) cells did not actively cycle in vivo. Cell sorting showed that cells in the p75(+) subset were smaller and possessed higher in vitro proliferative capacity and clonal growth potential than the p75(−) subset. Clonal analysis revealed that holoclone‐type (stem cell compartment), meroclone‐type (intermediate compartment), and paraclone‐type (transient amplifying cell compartment) cells, previously identified in skin and the ocular surface, were present in human oral mucosal epithelium. Holoclone‐type cells showed stronger p75 expression at both the mRNA and protein level than did meroclone‐ and paraclone‐type cells. Among the several neurotrophins, nerve growth factor (NGF) and neurotrophin‐3 stimulated p75(+) oral keratinocyte cell proliferation, and only NGF protected them from apoptosis. Our in vivo and in vitro findings indicate that p75 is a potential marker of oral keratinocyte stem/progenitor cells and that some neurotrophin/p75 signaling affects cell growth and survival.