Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The use and definition of Travel-to-Work Areas in Great Britain: Some problems

Ball R. M. (1980) The use and definition of Travel-to-Work Areas in Great Britain: some problems, Reg. Studies 14, 125–139. The Department of Employment delimit Travel-to-Work Areas (groupings of local employment office areas) for the purpose of presenting statistics on unemployment for relatively self-contained areas. Such an approach has also formed the basis of a more general conceptualisation of local labour market areas for use in local and subregional employment analyses, Assisted Area and Local Government boundary delimitation exercises, and studies of migration. In July 1978, the Department subjected the existing Travel-to-Work Areas to a comprehensive review using journey-to-work data from the 1971 Census. In this paper, it is argued that the basis of such a revision, apparent changes in aggregate journey-to-work behaviour over the most recent inter-censal period, must be carefully interpreted in the light of a number of largely undocumented data constraints.
A randomized and controlled study comparing immunoadsorption and plasma exchange in myasthenic crisis

Myasthenic crisis is the most serious life‐threatening event in Myasthenia gravis patients, affecting up to 27% within the first two years after onset of disease. Extracorporeal removal of circulating autoantibodies against the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (AChRAb) by methods of therapeutic apheresis, e.g. plasma exchange (PE) and immunoadsorption (IA) had been demonstrated as effective treatment especially in acute situations of myasthenic crisis. However, controlled data comparing clinical safety and efficacy of both methods in a clinical study were not available. Here the results of a prospective randomized controlled clinical trial are presented, investigating 19 patients with myasthenic crisis, who were randomized to receive either PE (n = 10) or IA (n = 9) in addition to combined drug treatment. Patients received 3 to 5 (mean 3.5 for PE, and 3.4 for IA) treatments over a period of 7 days with a predefined treatment volume of 1.5 l plasma (i.e., 20–25 ml/kg plasma representing 0.5–0.6 patients' plasma volumes). Clinical courses were monitored using disease specific clinical scores. After initiation of IA or PE the mean value of Myasthenia scores decreased equally until Day 14 of the post‐treatment phase. Patients from both treatment groups improved to a stable clinical status of Oosterhuis Classes 1 and 2. Substantial reduction of AChRAb was documented after each session of PE or IA. In the treatment period 16 adverse effects (seven serious adverse events, SAE) in the PE and 10 (1 SAE) in the IA group were observed. In conclusion, IA proved to be equally effective compared with PE treatment in patients with myasthenic crisis. Three to five treatment sessions using low plasma volume dosage of 20–25 ml/kg were adequate to improve clinically relevant symptoms significantly in most patients. J. Clin. Apheresis, 2011. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Strategic Delegation Under Unionised Duopoly: Who Will Bargain with Unions?

This paper investigates the choice of a firm's delegate (either the owner or the manager) bargaining wages and employment with a union under a unionised duopoly. We show that if an owner delegates the task of bargaining to a manager, the owner always compensates the manager for profits by penalising sales, regardless of whether the rival owner delegates or not. Moreover, we show that an owner's decision to delegate the task of bargaining to a manager depends on the incremental benefit of delegating and the cost of hiring a manager. The asymmetric outcome (wherein one owner delegates but the other does not) can occur if there is a sufficiently large disparity of hiring costs between the owners. Finally, we show that the union in an owner-managed firm always earns more than the union in a managerial firm.
Attention-based encoder-decoder model for answer selection in question answering

One of the key challenges for question answering is to bridge the lexical gap between questions and answers because there may not be any matching word between them. Machine translation models have been shown to boost the performance of solving the lexical gap problem between question-answer pairs. In this paper, we introduce an attention-based deep learning model to address the answer selection task for question answering. The proposed model employs a bidirectional long short-term memory (LSTM) encoder-decoder, which has been demonstrated to be effective on machine translation tasks to bridge the lexical gap between questions and answers. Our model also uses a step attention mechanism which allows the question to focus on a certain part of the candidate answer. Finally, we evaluate our model using a benchmark dataset and the results show that our approach outperforms the existing approaches. Integrating our model significantly improves the performance of our question answering system in the TREC 2015 LiveQA task.
Effect of quarterly earnings announcement under different market conditions: An empirical study of companies constituting SENSEX

Purpose – The main purpose of this research study is to investigate the impact of quarterly earnings announcements on stock price movement of the firms constituting the SENSEX under two different market conditions – booming followed by recessionary. Analysis of price effect of quarterly earnings announcements during the five-year period prior to trading suspension, which is also characterized by a booming market condition have been made. Similar analysis during the five-year period following the trading suspension and marked by recessionary market condition has also been carried out side by side. Design/methodology/approach – Event study methodology using daily returns and market model has been used for the purpose of analyzing the quarterly earnings announcement effects on the security prices of the firms. A sign test has also been used along with the event study. Findings – The study reveals that quarterly earnings announcement does not have statistically significant effect on stock returns during the b.
CONDITIONAL HETEROSKEDASTICITY IN ASSET RETURNS: A NEW APPROACH

This paper introduces an ARCH model (exponential ARCH) that (1) allows correlation between returns and volatility innovations (an important feature of stock market volatility changes), (2) eliminates the need for inequality constraints on parameters, and (3) allows for a straightforward interpretation of the "persistence" of shocks to volatility. In the above respects, it is an improvement over the widely-used GARCH model. The model is applied to study volatility changes and the risk premium on the CRSP Value-Weighted Market Index from 1962 to 1987. Copyright 1991 by The Econometric Society.
A variant of mitochondrial protein LOC387715/ARMS2, not HTRA1, is strongly associated with age-related macular degeneration

Genetic variants at chromosomes 1q31-32 and 10q26 are strongly associated with susceptibility to age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a common blinding disease of the elderly. We demonstrate, by evaluating 45 tag SNPs spanning HTRA1, PLEKHA1, and predicted gene LOC387715/ARMS2, that rs10490924 SNP alone, or a variant in strong linkage disequilibrium, can explain the bulk of association between the 10q26 chromosomal region and AMD. A previously suggested causal SNP, rs11200638, and other examined SNPs in the region are only indirectly associated with the disease. Contrary to previous reports, we show that rs11200638 SNP has no significant impact on HTRA1 promoter activity in three different cell lines, and HTRA1 mRNA expression exhibits no significant change between control and AMD retinas. However, SNP rs10490924 shows the strongest association with AMD (P = 5.3 × 10−30), revealing an estimated relative risk of 2.66 for GT heterozygotes and 7.05 for TT homozygotes. The rs10490924 SNP results in nonsynonymous A69S alteration in the predicted protein LOC387715/ARMS2, which has a highly conserved ortholog in chimpanzee, but not in other vertebrate sequences. We demonstrate that LOC387715/ARMS2 mRNA is detected in the human retina and various cell lines and encodes a 12-kDa protein, which localizes to the mitochondrial outer membrane when expressed in mammalian cells. We propose that rs10490924 represents a major susceptibility variant for AMD at 10q26. A likely biological mechanism is that the A69S change in the LOC387715/ARMS2 protein affects its presumptive function in mitochondria.
Involvement of sperm acetylated histones and the nuclear isoform of Glutathione peroxidase 4 in fertilization

We previously demonstrated that the nuclear form of Glutathione peroxidase 4 (nGPx4) has a peculiar distribution in sperm head, being localized to nuclear matrix and acrosome and that sperm lacking nGPx4 are more prone to decondensation in vitro. In this study we have hypothesized that sperm retained acetylated histones and nGPx4 are implicated in paternal chromatin decondensation and male pronucleus formation at fertilization. Indeed, significant higher amounts of acetylated histone H4 and acetylated histone H3 were observed by both immunofluorescence and western blotting in nGPx4‐KO sperm vs WT ones. In vitro fertilization of zona pellucida‐deprived oocytes by WT sperm in the presence of trichostatin (TSA) also demonstrated that paternal histone acetylation was inversely related to the timing of sperm nucleus decondensation at fertilization. In contrast, TSA had no effect on nGPx4‐KO sperm, indicating they had a maximal level of histone acetylation. Moreover the paternally imprinted gene Igf2/H19 was hypomethylated in KO sperm compared to WT ones. The lack of nGPx4 negatively affected male fertility, causing a marked decrease in total pups and pregnancies with delivery, a significant reduction in pronuclei (PN) embryos in in vitro fertilization assays and an approximately 2 h delay in egg fertilization in vivo. Because the zona pellucida binding and fusion to oolemma of nGPx4‐KO and WT sperm were similar, the subfertility of nGPx4 sperm reflected a decreased sperm progression through egg cumulus/zona pellucida, pinpointing a defective acrosome in line with acrosomal nGPx4 localization. We conclude that paternal acetylated histones and acrosomal nGPx4 are directly involved in fertilization.
Differential Taxation of Nonprofits and the Commercialization of Nonprofit Revenues

The effects of the favorable tax treatment of nonprofit commercial activities are best understood in a framework that explicitly accounts for a number of interactions. these involve differential taxation of nonprofits and for-profits and of nonrprofits' "related" and "unrelated" activities; the preferences of nonprofit executives who may be adverse to commercial activity; donors whose giving may be sensitive to nonprofit organization commercial activity; and cost-complementarities between nonprofit core mission-related activities and their secondary money-raising efforts. Differential taxation encourages nonprofits to pursue otherwise avoided commercial ventures by providing excess financial returns that nonprofits can exploit because of their tax-exempt status. Data from the 1992 Statistics of Income (SOI) public use file of Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Form-990 returns indicate that the propensity of nonprofit organizations to undertake both tax-exempt and taxable activities depends on their primary mission-related output and size, the relative importance of government versus private contributions, and the size of the excess return created by differential taxation of nonprofit and for-profit business. Additional analyses of SOI data also show that organizations that engage in taxable commercial activities are likely to allocate joint costs in ways that reduce, and in most cases eliminate, their taxable income.
Location Factors of FDI and the Growing Services Economy

Foreign direct investment (FDI) has increasingly shifted toward the service sector. This change in the industrial composition of FDI and the non- tradable nature of services may have altered the importance of location factors for investment decisions. To capture potential changes in FDI determinants, a contrasting sectoral analysis is performed. Based on FDI stock data from eight new EU member states for the period 1998–2004, we implement a dynamic panel approach allowing the speed of adjustment to the equilibrium investment level to vary across sectors. Results support our assumption that investment into the service sector, which is characterized by low installation costs, adjusts much faster to its desired level than manufacturing FDI. Thus, government interventions to attract FDI are likely to boost the service sector immediately while having a slower impact on manufacturing FDI. Furthermore, as services are mostly non-tradable, FDI into this sector is largely based on market-seeking motives while FDI in the manufacturing sector is also driven by international price competitiveness measured by real unit labour costs.
Transferts monétaires "inter vivos" et cycle de vie

Résumé Deux comportements principaux sont avancés en économie pour expliquer les transferts inter vivos versés aux enfants, l'altruisme et l'échange. Si le modèle altruiste est valide, on s'attend à ce qu'un accroissement du revenu du bénéficiaire de l'aide diminue franc pour franc le montant du transfert financier reçu de ses ascendants. Cette propriété de neutralité est testée à partir d'une enquête sur les solidarités familiales entre trois générations adultes. L'analyse distingue les aides reçues par les jeunes de leurs parents de celles reçues par ces derniers de leurs propres parents. Les résultats économétriques, qui mettent en évidence un effet anticompensatoire des montants transmis et une différence des dérivées par rapport aux revenus négative, ne sont pas favorables à l'hypothèse altruiste.
Fiscal decentralization and economic growth in the OECD

What impact, if any, does Fiscal Decentralization (FD) have on economic growth? Further investigations of the inter-relationships between FD and economic growth are timely given that government decentralization remains at the forefront of many Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) policy agendas. This study incorporates a range of measures of FD to better account for the direct impact of different levels of subnational fiscal autonomy on economic growth. The analysis also considers the impact of previously omitted public sector decentralization variables that provide further indication of the extent to which Subnational Governments (SNG) are ‘closer to the people’ and potentially better able to account for local preferences in fiscal decision-making. Whilst little evidence of a direct relationship between FD and output growth is found, some evidence is found to suggest that federal systems tend to have lower growth rates than do unitary states, independent of their degree of decentralization, and that countries with more elected tiers of government generally have lower economic growth.
Myofibroblasts Exhibit Enhanced Fibronectin Assembly That Is Intrinsic to Their Contractile Phenotype*

Background: Myofibroblasts have heightened expression of contractile genes and drive extracellular matrix formation during pulmonary fibrosis. Results: Enhanced fibronectin assembly by myofibroblasts requires smooth muscle α-actin expression. Conclusion: This study demonstrates a linkage between contractile gene expression and increased assembly of fibronectin fibrils by myofibroblasts. Significance: Targeting contractile gene expression in myofibroblasts may attenuate fibronectin matrix formation during fibrosis. Myofibroblasts have increased expression of contractile proteins and display augmented contractility. It is not known if the augmented contractile gene expression characterizing the myofibroblast phenotype impacts its intrinsic ability to assemble fibronectin (FN) and extracellular matrix. In this study we investigated whether myofibroblasts displayed increased rates of FN fibril assembly when compared with their undifferentiated counterparts. Freshly plated myofibroblasts assemble exogenous FN (488-FN) into a fibrillar matrix more rapidly than fibroblasts that have not undergone myofibroblast differentiation. The augmented rate of FN matrix formation by myofibroblasts was dependent on intact Rho/Rho kinase (ROCK) and myosin signals inasmuch as treatment with Y27632 or blebbistatin attenuated 488-FN assembly. Inhibiting contractile gene expression by pharmacologic disruption of the transcription factors megakaryoblastic leukemia-1 (MKL1)/serum response factor (SRF) during myofibroblast differentiation resulted in decreased contractile force generation and attenuated 488-FN incorporation although not FN expression. Furthermore, disruption of the MKL1/SRF target gene, smooth muscle α-actin (α-SMA) via siRNA knockdown resulted in attenuation of 488-FN assembly. In conclusion, this study demonstrates a linkage between increased contractile gene expression, most importantly α-SMA, and the intrinsic capacity of myofibroblasts to assemble exogenous FN into fibrillar extracellular matrix.
A review of the early discharge experiences of stroke survivors and their carers.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES Understanding the experiences of stroke patients and their carers during the early days following discharge from hospital is an important aspect of providing appropriate care during this crucial time. BACKGROUND Due to the diverse changes that can result from a stroke, adjustment to returning home may raise many issues for those involved. A review of research was undertaken with the aim of identifying what is already known about experiences at this time. DESIGN Systematic review. METHOD Search of electronic databases. RESULTS The review revealed that recognition of the impact of stroke on patients and carers is improving, with many studies focussing on the longer-term aspects of stroke recovery. Research into the early discharge experiences of stroke patients and/or their carers is often limited to retrospective, longitudinal studies. With the continuing shift towards care in the community, patients and carers can increasingly expect more recovery to be taking place at home at an even earlier stage. Earlier discharge may have important implications for those involved. The review also highlighted that patients with aphasia have frequently been excluded from stroke research and that social roles are important aspects in stroke recovery. CONCLUSIONS To prepare patients and carers better for the impact of returning home, further research is needed into their experiences at this significant time, particularly in the UK. There is also a need to facilitate the inclusion of those with aphasia in stroke research. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE An improved understanding of the issues facing stroke patients and carers during their early days at home should facilitate the preparation for discharge in the hospital setting and allow more focussed follow-up services in the community.
The Diffusion of New Industrial Processes. An International Study.

Separate chapters by different authors from the participating Institutes contain the case studies of the eight processes selected for detailed investigation—numerically controlled machine tools, special presses in paper-making, tunnel kilns in brick-making, basic oxygen steelmaking, float glass, gibberellic acid in malting, the continuous casting of steel and shuttleless looms. There is also an introduction and a summary of the interim report on the project (made in the Review in May 1969) by G. F. Ray; the conclusions are by L. Nabseth.
A News Chain Evaluation Methodology along with a Lattice-based Approach for News Chain Construction

Chain construction is an important requirement for understanding news and establishing the context. A news chain can be defined as a coherent set of articles that explains an event or a story. There’s a lack of well-established methods in this area. In this work, we propose a methodology to evaluate the “goodness” of a given news chain and implement a concept lattice-based news chain construction method by Hossain et al. The methodology part is vital as it directly affects the growth of research in this area. Our proposed methodology consists of collected news chains from different studies and two “goodness” metrics, minedge and dispersion coefficient respectively. We assess the utility of the lattice-based news chain construction method by our proposed methodology.
Property price indices in the Commonwealth: Construction methodologies and problems

This paper examines commonly used property price indices in several Commonwealth countries. It finds that many of the measures may be flawed owing to two issues relating to the index construction methodology: the quality change problem and the choice of an index number algorithm. Using data that comprises the universe of transactions for the Singapore residential market, alternative indices based on more rigourous estimation models are constructed that aim to mitigate these problems. When compared to the official benchmark indices, deviations in time series price behaviour are evident particularly for short‐run dynamics. A key implication of the results is the importance of explicitly recognizing the biases that can arise from using extant indices. Otherwise, a reliance on flawed index signals for decision‐making may result in distorted allocations.
Influence of PLC and MLCK inhibitors and the role of L-calcium channels in the cat pulmonary vascular bed.

The effects of U-73122, a phospholipase C (PLC) inhibitor, on pressor responses to angiotensin II (ANG II), norepinephrine (NE), serotonin (5-HT), BAY K 8644, and the thromboxane A2 (TxA2) mimic, U-46619, were studied in the pulmonary vascular bed of the intact-chest cat. Under conditions of constant lobar blood flow, injections of ANG II, NE, 5-HT, U-46619, and the calcium channel opener, BAY K 8644, into the lobar arterial perfusion circuit caused dose-related increases in lobar arterial pressure, which were reproducible with respect to time. Infusion of U-73122, a PLC inhibitor, into the perfused lobar artery at 10-100 micrograms/kg for 10 min significantly reduced responses to ANG II, serotonin, and NE; however, U-73122 did not alter responses to BAY K 8644 or to U-46619. In a separate series of animals, the effects of the myosin light chain kinase inhibitor, KT-5926, were investigated, and after infusion of KT-5926 into the perfused lobar artery at 1-2 micrograms/kg for 10 min, responses to ANG II, NE, 5-HT, BAY K 8644, and U-46619 were reduced significantly. In a final series of experiments, the effects of the L-type calcium channel blocker, nicardipine, were investigated, and infusion of the L-type calcium channel blocker into the perfused lobar artery at 0.5-1 microgram/kg for 10 min reduced responses to ANG II, BAY K 8644, and NE. However, nicardipine did not alter pressor responses to 5-HT or the TxA2 mimic, U-46619. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)