Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Korean stock prices under price limits: variance ratio tests of random walks

This paper provides tests of the random walk hypothesis for the Korean stock market over the period from March 1988 to December 1998. During this time there are five regimes of daily price limits. We use a sample of 55 actively traded stocks selected to cover a wide range of industries and with a marked number of limit moves and test the random walk hypothesis under each price limit regime. The system of price limits prevents equity prices from following a random walk process and so results in the market being inefficient. As the daily price limits are increased, the proportion of stock prices following a random walk increases. That is, the stock market as a whole approaches a random walk as price limits are relaxed.
Pioneers of European Integration: Citizenship and Mobility in the EU

Contents: 1. Pioneers of European Integration: An Introduction Adrian Favell and Ettore Recchi 2. The Demographics of Movers and Stayers in the European Union Michael Braun and Camelia Arsene 3. Deciding to Move: Migration Projects in an Integrating Europe A"scar Santacreu, Emiliana Baldoni and Maria Carmen Albert 4. The Social Mobility of Mobile Europeans Ettore Recchi 5. Living Across Cultures in a Transnational Europe Antonio Alaminos and Oscar A. Santacreu 6. More Mobile, More European? Free Movement and EU Identity Nina Rother and Tina M. Nebe 7. EU Movers and Politics: Towards a Fully-Fledged European Citizenship? Anne Muxel 8. A Common Information Space? The Media Use of EU Movers Damian Tambini and Nina Rother 9. Internal and External Movers: East-West Migration and the Impact of EU Enlargement Adrian Favell and Tina M. Nebe Appendix A. Methodological Notes Michael Braun and Oscar A. Santacreu Appendix B. EIMSS Questionnaire Appendix C. External Movers' Experiences of Migration and Integration into the EU15: Interview Guideline References
Does delay in starting treatment affect the outcomes of radiotherapy? A systematic review.

PURPOSE The objective of this study was to synthesize what is known about the relationship between delay in radiotherapy (RT) and the outcomes of RT. METHODS A systematic review of the world literature was conducted to identify studies that described the association between delay in RT and the probability of local control, metastasis, and/or survival. Studies were classified by clinical and methodologic criteria and their results were combined using a random-effects model. RESULTS A total of 46 relevant studies involving 15,782 patients met our minimum methodologic criteria of validity; most (42) were retrospective observational studies. Thirty-nine studies described rates of local recurrence, 21 studies described rates of distant metastasis, and 19 studies described survival. The relationship between delay and the outcomes of RT had been studied in diverse situations, but most frequently in breast cancer (21 studies) and head and neck cancer (12 studies). Combined analysis showed that the 5-year local recurrence rate (LRR) was significantly higher in patients treated with adjuvant RT for breast cancer more than 8 weeks after surgery than in those treated within 8 weeks of surgery (odds ratio [OR] = 1.62, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.21 to 2.16). Combined analysis also showed that the LRR was significantly higher among patients who received postoperative RT for head and neck cancer more than 6 weeks after surgery than among those treated within 6 weeks of surgery (OR = 2.89; 95% CI, 1.60 to 5.21). There was little evidence about the impact of delay in RT on the risk of metastases or the probability of long-term survival in any situation. CONCLUSION Delay in the initiation of RT is associated with an increase [corrected] in LRR in breast cancer and head and neck cancer. Delays in starting RT should be as short as reasonably achievable.
Consequences of sea level rise: Implications from the mississippi delta

Abstract Sea level rise is expected to increase worldwide over the coming decades, and its impacts are beginning to be felt in many areas. Two major direct impacts of sea level rise are submergence and salinity increase. Historically, the Mississippi River Delta has experienced a relative sea level rise (RSLR) and thus serves as an analogy or model for what can be expected elsewhere. Despite long‐term RSLR primarily due to subsidence, the Mississippi has grown in size over the past several thousand years since eustatic sea level stabilized. Within this century, the net positive growth rate has been reversed and net wetland loss rates as great as 100 km? per year have occurred. Much of the wetland loss is associated with human activities that have resulted in a reduction of sediment input to wetlands. Because of this reduction, vertical accretion of the wetland surface is less than RSLR and plants are disappearing due to waterlogging and salinity increase. The resulting loss of wetland plant vigor complica.
Local Economic Policy and Job Creation: A Review of Evaluation Studies

Local economic policy evaluation is increasing in importance . A growing number of commentators are calling for more evaluation studies of economic development policies to be undertaken (House of Commons Public Accounts Committee, 1986; Robinson and Wren, 1987; National Audit Office, 1988; Moore and Townroe, 1990; Turok, 1990; Bovaird et al., 1991) . At the same time the number of evaluation studies being undertaken is increasing and they are becoming progressively more sophisticated. This paper focuses on a number of leading evaluation studies which have examined major economic policy initiatives such as the Urban Programme, Enterprise Zones and the Regional Enterprise Grant. The types of schemes evaluated during these studies range from large infrastructure projects, such as Albert Dock in Liverpool, to small training projects costing only a few thousand pounds. Throughout this paper, and the majority of evaluation studies completed in this area, the emphasis is primarily on employment growth and job creation . The paper is divided into two parts . The first part (Sections 1 to 3) considers the background to the growth in evaluation studies, the methodological difficulties relating to economic evaluation and the merits of using job creation as a measure of success in evaluation studies . The second part of the paper (Section 4) consists of a review of nine major studies which have been completed in the last eight years . This review is used to highlight the evolution of evaluation methodologies. In addition, it provides an opportunity to consider the effectiveness of major economic development initiatives . Finally, the validity of comparison between evaluation studies using job creation as a measure of success is examined .
Can the PPP stand on the BRICS? The ADL test for threshold cointegration

We apply a newly developed Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ADL) test for threshold cointegration, proposed by Li and Lee (2010) to test the validity of long-run Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) for a sample of BRICS countries (i.e. Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) over January 1996 to July 2010. The empirical results indicate that PPP only holds true for most of these countries under study, with the exception of Brazil. Our results have important policy implications for the BRICS countries under study.
Dividend Policy with Controlling Shareholders

Abstract This Article investigates the determinants of dividend policy in firms with concentrated ownership structures. A review of the empirical literature shows that dividend payout ratios are lower in firms with controlling shareholders. We explain this finding as a consequence of the legal rules governing cash distributions, which leave the dividend decision in the hands of the firm insiders, and the lack of monitoring mechanisms for checking the power of controlling shareholders. The analysis of the empirical evidence on dividend policy points to the existence of an unresolved agency conflict between controlling shareholders and outside investors. We conclude that controlling shareholders are currently using the dividend policy to expropriate minority shareholders.
The Public Capital Stock: Needs, Trends, and Performance

The condition of America's roads, bridges, mass transit systems, and water and sewer facilities has become an issue of increasing controversy. One view holds that deterioration of this "public infrastructure capital" has reached alarming proportions, and that a significant fraction of future national savings will be needed to reverse the damage of past neglect. Another view argues that there has been no sudden acceleration of decay in capital stock performance, that better facility management can often substitute for capital investment, and that attempts to greatly increase the size and condition of the public capital stock would place unsustainable pressure on financial markets, state and local government budgets, and the federal system of grants-in-aid. How extensive is the capital infrastructure problem? How did it arise, given the many federal government subsidies available for state-local capital expenditure? How much of the national capacity for capital formation should be allocated to solving the problem? If there is a divergence between actual and desired infrastructure capital, can the gap be closed without disrupting the growth of other sectors and governmental objectives? These questions are, unfortunately, much easier to pose than to answer. There is only limited information about the size and condition of the stock of public infrastructure capital, and much of the available information has been assembled from the perspective of engineering or planning "needs standards. " Needs assessments typically indicate the fraction of the infrastructure stock that falls below a specified (and somewhat arbitrary) level of performance, or indicate how much spending would be required to bring the existing stock up to the specified standard. While sometimes appropriate as a management tool, infrastructure needs estimates are formulated in isolation from other public and private capital needs and are thus ill-suited to the policy debate over national priorities. Despite significant data problems, some general conclusions about the infrastructure dilemma are possible. As a backdrop for these conclusions, the first section of this paper presents an overview of the historical trends in public sector capital formation and infrastructure condition. The following section discusses the factors shaping these trends, with particular attention to the supply and demand components of the capital spending decision. We then consider the question of whether existing trends will insure an adequate supply of public capital, and address the issue of whether a reduced quantity and quality of infrastructure capital may be expected to reduce private sector productivity growth.
EU actorness, cohesiveness and effectiveness in environmental affairs

ABSTRACT This contribution analyses the actorness, cohesiveness and effectiveness of the European Union (EU) in international environmental negotiations and examines the impact of the external context on the relationship between cohesiveness and effectiveness. Based on comparative data of nine international negotiations resulting in a multilateral environmental agreement, the paper shows that the EU's cohesiveness is higher in global negotiations than in regional ones. It argues that the relationship between cohesiveness and effectiveness is not straightforward, but is affected by the relative bargaining power and the relative position of the EU. When the EU's relative bargaining power is high, cohesiveness can be counterproductive for effectiveness, but a lack of cohesiveness is not a necessary condition for effectiveness. Furthermore, not having the most reformist position increases the likelihood of effectiveness for the EU; yet effectiveness can also be achieved with the most reformist position if the EU succeeds in making that position externally feasible.
The Link between Advanced Placement Experience and Early College Success

The Advanced Placement (AP) Program was originally designed to provide students a means to earn college credit and/or advanced placement for learning college-level material in high school. Today the program serves an equally important role as a signal in college admissions. This paper examines the extent to which AP course-taking predicts early college grades and retention. Controlling for a broad range of student, school, and curricular characteristics, we find that AP experience does not reliably predict first semester college grades or retention to the second year. We show that failing to control for the student’s non-AP curricular experience, particularly in math and science, leads to positively biased AP coefficients. Our findings raise questions about recent state policies mandating AP inclusion in all school districts or high schools and the practice of giving preference to students with AP course experience in the university admissions process.
Development and psychometric evaluation of sport stadium atmosphere scale in spectator sport events

Abstract The effect of store atmosphere on consumer behavior has been extensively examined. However, literature investigating sport stadium atmosphere (SSA) in spectator sporting events remains limited. This research aims to develop a SSA scale in order to measure the elements that contribute to SSA in spectator sporting events. This research is accomplished through three studies. Study I generates scale items while Study II and Study III refine, confirm, and cross-validate the scale. The results indicate that the one-factor second-ordered model with 10 subdimensions is the best-fit model. Furthermore, SSA positively influences intention to attend spectator sporting events both directly and indirectly through satisfaction. Additionally, this research uses the SSA scale to segment sport spectators. Finally, both theoretical and practical implications are provided.
Reduction of Power Electronic Components in Multilevel Converters Using New Switched Capacitor-Diode Structure

In this paper, a new structure for symmetric and cascade multilevel converter is presented. This structure requires the least power electronic components, gate driver circuits, power diode, and dc voltage source. The number of output levels is high. Reduction of the number of power electronic switches against voltage levels is an important factor in multilevel converters due to safety in switches, circuit size, cost, installation area, and complexity in control. To maximize the number of output level in the proposed optimized structure in order to attain different goals, such as reduction of stress on switches, the result of comparing the proposed structure and other structures present. The proposed method is robust against the switching faults in multilevel converter for dc source and the equipment. The simulation and experimental results presented in this paper show the performance of the proposed method.
Economics from a Biological Viewpoint

THE field variously called population biology, sociobiology, or ecology is concerned to explain the observed interrelations among the various forms of life--organisms, species, and broader groupings and communities-and between forms of life and their external environments. The subject includes both material aspects of these interrelations (the geographical distributions of species in relation to one another, their respective numbers, physical properties like size differences between the sexes) and behavioral aspects (why some species are territorial while others flock, why some are monogamous and others polygamous, why some are aggressive and others
Estimating the cost of equity for private firms using accounting fundamentals

Finance literature suggests the use of the Accounting Beta (BACC) as a proxy for the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) market beta to estimate the cost of equity capital when the stock price is not available. Previous researchers have aimed to achieve this objective by determining the correlation between accounting variables and the market beta. However, the magnitude of the resulting error in this correlation has remained unknown. The current study is an attempt to test the performance of the BACC as a proxy measure for the market risk and to examine the extent of the statistical error in the correlation between these two measures. Our findings indicate that BACC overestimates the market beta by between 20% and 50%. Applying some corrective measures, such as operational earnings scaled by equity, may lessen this difference to a range of 22%–25%; however, it does not eliminate the error. Our output also suggests that the BACC might be biased when used to assess the risk of small firms.
Infant dietary experience and acceptance of solid foods.

OBJECTIVE To examine the effects of dietary experience and milk feeding regimen on acceptance of their first vegetable by 4- to 6-month-old infants. DESIGN Longitudinal study, of 26-days duration, observing infants aged 4 to 6 months at the start of the study. Random assignment to treatments, within-subject control. SETTING General community in a medium-sized midwestern town. SUBJECTS Thirty-six infants and their mothers. Subjects were solicited through birth records and advertisements in local newspapers. INTERVENTIONS Infants were randomly assigned to be fed one vegetable on 10 occasions, either salted or unsalted peas or green beans, for a 10-day period. OUTCOME MEASURES Infant intake of the vegetable consumed during the 10-day exposure period; intake of salted and unsalted versions: (1) before the 10-day exposure period, (2) immediately after the exposure period; and (3) after a 1-week period of delay. Intake of a control food was also measured before and after repeated consumption of the vegetable. Adult ratings of the infants' videotaped responses during test feedings were also obtained before and after the exposure period. RESULTS After 10 opportunities to consume the vegetable, all infants significantly increased their intake (P < .001). Although they did not differ initially, infants fed breast milk showed greater increases in intake of the vegetable after exposure and had an overall greater level of intake than formula-fed infants. Adult ratings of the infants' nonverbal responses correlated positively with infant intake. CONCLUSIONS Infants increase their acceptance (reflected both in changes in intake and in behavioral response) of a novel food after repeated dietary exposure to that food. Relative to formula-feeding, breast-feeding may facilitate the acceptance of solid foods.
Management of Chronic Hepatitis B: Status and Challenges beyond Treatment Guidelines

Several national and international guidelines have been published in the last years focusing on the problem of how to best treat patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. Therapy with interferon or nucleos(t)ide analogues has been shown to be most effective in suppressing HBV deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) levels and preventing fibrosis progression herby also reducing the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However even suppression of viral replication below the limit of detection does not prevent HCC development although fibrosis can be stopped. Thus, improvement of therapeutic strategies and the establishment of more sensitive markers that may help to decide when therapy should be initiated and stopped remain important goals in hepatitis research. The present review discusses several major issues in this respect such as strategies to identify the optimal time point for treatment indication and end of therapy. It also concentrates on questions and queries that have to do with the interpretation of viral parameters like HBsAg quantification, HBV genotypes, and HBeAg, or the characterization of risk patients prone to develop fatal sequel of the HBV infection.
The Impact of Buyer-Type on House Price: Some Evidence from the USA

Purpose – This paper aims to report the results of a study conducted to determine whether investors systematically pay less for single‐family houses than do buyer/residents.Design/methodology/approach – Data from 3,443 single‐family house transactions were subjected to regression analysis.Findings – Investors in this study paid 13.24 percent less, on average, than buyers who reside in the property.Research limitations/implications – The study was limited to transactions occurring during a single year in one American city. Future research could test whether the results apply in other locations. The study did not consider the influence of seller‐type on transaction price. Future studies could incorporate this facet of the transaction. The results have implications for property tax authorities and fee appraisers because the presence of investors in a housing market may introduce a two‐tiered transaction set which could distort the assessment process and/or the indicated value calculated by fee appraisers usi.
Mild maternal thyroid dysfunction at delivery of infants born ≤34 weeks and neurodevelopmental outcome at 5.5 years.

CONTEXT Mild maternal thyroid dysfunction during early pregnancy is associated with poor neurodevelopment in affected offspring. Most studies are population based or are smaller populations of term/late preterm infants. No studies were found that focused on more preterm infants. OBJECTIVE Our objective was to describe the relationship between mild maternal thyroid dysfunction at delivery of infants born ≤34 wk and neurodevelopment at 5.5 yr. DESIGN The study design was follow-up of women and children recruited in Scotland between 1998 and 2001. MAIN OUTCOME We evaluated delivery levels of maternal TSH, free T(4) (FT(4)), and T(4) and the association with McCarthy Scale scores adjusted for 26 confounders of neurodevelopment. RESULTS Maternal serum levels and McCarthy scores were available for 143 women and 166 children. After adjustment for confounders, there were significant 3.2, 2.1, and 1.8 point decrements, respectively, in general cognitive index, verbal subscale, and the perceptual performance subscale for each milliunit per liter increment in maternal TSH. Maternal FT(4) levels were variably associated with neurodevelopment. After adjustment, significant associations were found for the general cognitive index, motor scale, and quantitative subscale; each picomole per liter decrease in FT(4) was associated with an increase of 1.5, 1.7, and 0.9 points, respectively. Maternal T(4) levels showed little relationship with neurodevelopment. None of the women in this analysis had overt hypothyroidism, but mild hypothyroidism was evident in 27%; thyroglobulin antibody (TgAb) was ≥ 40 U/ml in 28% of the women. CONCLUSIONS Higher maternal levels of TSH at delivery of infants born preterm were associated with significantly lower scores on the general cognitive index at 5.5 yr.