Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Union Wage Settlements During a Disinflation

This paper examines the role of union wage contracts in the persistence of inflation, and the implication of these contracts for the problem of disinflation in the United States. A quantitative model of overlapping con- tracts explicitly oriented toward the major union sector is developed. The model takes account of expectations of future wage, price, and employment conditions as in more aggregated models that have been used in macroeconomic research. In addition, the distribution of workers according to contract length as well as deferred wage increases and escalator clauses are explicitly used in the model. The main aim of the model is to determine the constraints which these contracts impose on disinflation paths. The model indicates that the maximum speed of disinflation is extremely slow in the early phases -- if a rise in unemployment is to be avoided -- but increases considerably before the new lower rate of inflation is reached. The disinflation path is considerably slower than that observed after hyperinflation periods. However, the existence of a path of inflation reduction raises questions about whether the institution of union wage con- tracts is really the direct cause of costly disinflations, or whether their influence works indirectly by raising credibility problems about a monetary disinflation.
Postacquisition Management and Performance of Cross-Border Acquisitions

This study investigates the impact of the postacquisition management process on the performance of cross-border acquisitions (CBAs) using data from a sample of CBAs made by U.K. firms. We find that knowledge transfer to and from the acquired firm is a significant positive determinant of CBA performance. The findings also indicate that the level of integration positively influences CBA performance. There is limited support for the view that employee retention positively influences CBA performance. There is also limited support for the view that organizational cultural differences negatively influence CBA performance.
Evolution of the ventilatory function of professional divers over 10 years.

INTRODUCTION The study was aimed at assessing changes in respiratory function after 10 years of professional diving. MATERIAL AND METHODS A retrospective study was performed on divers who underwent an initial visit and a visit 10 years later at the same medical center. Pulmonary function tests were performed in the same laboratory with the same operating standards and using a Jaeger MasterBody plethysmograph. Each subject acted as his own control. The data were analyzed by Student's t-test and Spearman's correlation coefficient. RESULTS Thirty-three divers were included. Changes over 10 years included: decreases in the forced expiratory flow rates at 75% (-0.65 liters/second) (p < 0.01) and at 50% (-0.51 L/s) (p < 0.01) of forced vital capacity; significant decrease of the FEV1/FVC ratio (-3.4) (< 0.01); significant increases in total lung capacity (+0.32 L) (p = 0.03). The lung transfer factor for carbon monoxide (TL(CO)) had decreased significantly (-1.16 mmol/minute/kPa) (p = 0.02). The amount of smoking was significantly correlated with changes in slow vital capacity (R = 0.89; (p < 0.01). Changes in the FEV1/ FVC ratio were correlated with the mean duration of the dives (R = -0.59; (p < 0.01) and with the number of dives during the 10 years (R = -0.42; p = 0.04). CONCLUSION With increasing length of diving activities service, the pulmonary function displays a trend toward both a decrease in TL(CO) and a bronchial obstruction, extending to bronchi of increasing size.
Biomarker-calibrated dietary energy and protein intake associations with diabetes risk among postmenopausal women from the Women's Health Initiative.

BACKGROUND Self-report of dietary energy and protein intakes has been shown to be systematically and differentially underreported. OBJECTIVE We assessed and compared the association of diabetes among postmenopausal women with biomarker-calibrated and uncalibrated dietary energy and protein intakes from food-frequency questionnaires (FFQs). DESIGN The analyses were performed for 74,155 participants of various race-ethnicities from the Women's Health Initiative. Uncalibrated and calibrated energy and protein intakes from FFQs were assessed for associations with incident diabetes by using HR estimates based on Cox regression. RESULTS A 20% increment in uncalibrated energy consumption was associated with increased diabetes risk (HR) of 1.03 (95% CI: 1.01, 1.05), 2.41 (95% CI: 2.06, 2.82) with biomarker calibration, and 1.30 (95% CI: 0.96, 1.76) after adjustment for BMI. A 20% increment in uncalibrated protein (g/d) resulted in an HR of 1.05 (95% CI: 1.03, 1.07), 1.82 (95% CI: 1.56, 2.12) with calibration, and 1.16 (95% CI: 1.05, 1.28) with adjustment for BMI. A 20% increment in uncalibrated protein density (% of energy from protein) resulted in an HR of 1.13 (95% CI: 1.09, 1.17), 1.01 (95% CI: 0.75, 1.37) with calibration, and 1.19 (95% CI: 1.07, 1.32) with adjustment for BMI. CONCLUSIONS Higher protein and total energy intakes (calibrated) appear to be associated with a substantially increased diabetes risk that may be mediated by an increase in body mass over time. Diet-disease associations without correction of self-reported measurement error should be viewed with caution. This trial is registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00000611.
A Study on Possibility of Clinical Application for Color Measurements of Shade Guides Using an Intraoral Digital Scanner

PURPOSE To assess if color measurement with intraoral scanner correlates with digital colorimeter and to evaluate the possibility of application of a digital scanner for shade selection. MATERIALS AND METHODS The L*a*b* values of the five shade tabs (A1, A2, A3, A3.5, and A4) were obtained with an intraoral scanner (TRIOS Pod) and a colorimeter (ShadeEye). Both devices were calibrated according to the manufacturer's instructions before measurements. Color measurement values were compared with paired t-test, and a Pearson's correlation analysis was performed to evaluate the relationship of two methods. RESULTS The L*a*b* values of the colorimeter were significantly different from those of the digital scanner (p < 0.001). The L* and b* values of both methods were strongly correlated with each other (both p < 0.05). The device repeatability in both methods were reported to be excellent (p < 0.05). Within the limitations of this study, color measurements with digital intraoral scanners and computer-assisted image analysis were in accordance with those of the colorimeter with respect to L* and b* values; however, all the coordinates of shade tabs were significantly different between two methods. CONCLUSIONS The digital intraoral scanner may not be used as the primary method of color selection in clinical practices, considering significant differences in color parameters with colorimeter. The scanner's capability in shade selection should be further evaluated.
Host Plant Associations of an Entomopathogenic Variety of the Fungus, Colletotrichum acutatum, Recovered from the Elongate Hemlock Scale, Fiorinia externa

Abstract A fungal epizootic has been detected in populations of the scale Fiorinia externa Ferris (Hemiptera: Diaspididae) in the eastern hemlock, Tsuga canadensis (L.) Carrière (Pinales: Pinaceae), of several northeastern states. Colletotrichum acutatum Simmonds var. fioriniae Marcelino and Gouli var. nov. inedit (Phyllachorales: Phyllachoraceae), a well-known plant pathogen, was the most commonly recovered fungus from these infected scales. This is the second report of a Colletotrichum sp. infecting scale insects. In Brazil C. gloeosporioides f. sp. ortheziidae recovered from Orthezia praelonga is under development as a biopesticide for citrus production. C. acutatum was detected growing endophytically in 28 species of plants within the epizootic areas. DNA sequences of the High Mobility Box at the MAT 1–2, mating type gene indicate that Colletotrichum sp. isolates recovered from scale insects and plants within epizootic areas were identical. Results from plant bioassays showed that this entomopathogenic Colletotrichum variety grew endophytically in all of the plants tested without causing external symptoms or signs of infection, with the exception of strawberry plants where mild symptoms of infection were observed. The implications of these findings with respect to the use of this fungus as a biological control agent are discussed.
Dynamic Investment Opportunities and the Cross-Section of Hedge Fund Returns : Implications of Higher-Moment Risks for Performance

This paper examines higher-moment market risks in the cross-section of hedge fund returns to make several contributions. First, it is shown that hedge funds, but not mutual funds, are substantially exposed to volatility, skewness, and kurtosis risks. We find significant cross-sectional variation in the intensity of higher-moment exposures across hedge fund styles and across hedge funds within a particular style, suggesting potential for neutralizing higher-moment risks. Corroborating this result, when funds of hedge funds are investigated as a separate investment category they do not show aggressive loading on higher-moment risks. Second, we provide evidence on economically significant premiums being embedded in hedge fund returns on account of their exposures to higher-moment risks. Third, we uncover a set of higher-moment factors that are not strongly associated with factors in benchmark models that are currently used for evaluating hedge fund performance. Finally, the addition of higher-moment factors to benchmark models can better explain the behavior of hedge fund returns. Bearing on issues of practical consequence, benchmark models augmented with higher-moment factors can considerably alter the hedge funds’ alpha-based rankings.
The Effect of Monopoly on Price

FEW topics in economics are treated with the unanimity characteristic of the discussion of price under monopoly and oligopoly.2 Nearly all writings agree that price under monopoly is higher than under competition, and the usual condemnation of monopoly rests on this conclusion. There are some heretics, however, and their nagging questions cannot be rejected out of hand. A. D. H. Kaplan, a prominent dissenter, suggests that monopoly does not exist: the identification of markets as monopolistic depends on excessively narrow definitions of markets.3 He also denies the behavioral premise that describes firms as maximizing their profits; they frequently aim only at a "fair" return on investment.4 Moreover, it may be maintained that, for oligopoly to produce high prices, collusion of some sort is required, and, in the shadow of the Sherman Act, collusion requires a highly improbable combination of uniform costs, product homogeneity, foresight, and lack of greed. Monopoly theory suggests not only a distinction between monopoly and competition but also a varying degree of monopoly: as the number of sellers increases, collusion becomes progressively more difficult, and price tends to be lower.5 The criticisms of the distinction between monopoly and competition, which were mentioned above, deny the relevance of the number of firms to price determination and thus apply as well to this aspect of monopoly theory. Besides, it is uncertain whether the strength of the tendency to collude fades with each small increment to the number of sellers. The only systematic test of monopoly theory is J. S. Bain's, which showed that industries in which the eight leading firms accounted for more than 70 per cent of value product were characterized by higher profit rates than other industries. On the other hand, Bain did not find that profit rates varied continuously with the degree of concentration.6 Bain thus confirmed the monopoly-competition distinction but not the idea of a continuous variation in the degree of monopoly. One would expect defenders of the monopoly-competition dichotomy to have confronted skeptics with the results of this test. Perhaps squeamishness about such theoretically imperfect instruments as census industry classifications, interindustry comparisons, and accounting profit rates explains their reluctance. In any case, other tests should be welcome. I I am grateful for very helpful criticisms of earlier drafts by Gary S. Becker, Phillip J. Nelson, and George J. Stigler. 2 Hereafter "monopoly" alone refers both to monopoly and to oligopoly. 3 Big Enterprise in a Competitive System (Washington: Brookings Institution, 1954), pp. 236-37.
How Good are Multinationality–Performance (M‐P) Empirical Studies?

We critically evaluate strong views in the scholarly literature that suggest a linkage between multinationality (M) and performance (P). Building upon this critical analysis, we propose a new M-P conceptual approach as well as a testing framework, consisting of 12 subtests, to assess the quality of the M-P empirical literature to date. We observe that many of the most cited studies were poorly conceived and simply cannot lead to reasonable conclusions on possible M-P linkages. The single most important flaw is the neglect of the multinational enterprise's firm-specific advantages as the main driving force behind internationalization strategies and related effects on performance.
The analysis of characteristics of elderly people with high VSC level.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to examine the characteristics of elderly subjects who had objectionable levels of volatile sulfur compound (VSC). SUBJECTS AND METHOD In 2002, a total of 115 85-year-old persons in Japan were subjected to oral examinations, tongue coat collections, measurements of VSCs levels inside the mouth using a portable gas chromatography (Oral Chroma, Abilit, Japan), and assessments of quality of life (QOL) using an SF-36 questionnaire. RESULTS Sixty-six of the subjects were edentulous and 49 were dentulous. They were divided into two groups by VSC levels, those with oral malodor (both H2S > 112 ppb and CH3SH > 26 ppb; subjects with oral malodor, OM group; n = 7) and those without (n = 108). Our results showed that tongue coat deposit amounts and proportion of dentulous subjects were significantly higher in the OM group. Further, in an analysis of QOL, the SF-36 scores for vitality, social functioning and mental health were significantly higher in OM. CONCLUSION We found that elderly subjects with oral malodor tended to be dentulous and had large deposits of tongue coating. However, oral malodor in the OM group subjects did not appear to cause a disadvantage in their social lives.
Research Article: Preferences for Government Investment in Energy Programs: Support for New Energy Production vs. Energy Conservation

With energy legislation pending in Congress, research is urgently needed on the public's preferences for environmental policies. This study investigated preferences for government investment in new energy production relative to energy conservation and the variables that influence these preferences among members of the general public and those who live near nuclear and/or coal energy facilities (site-specific sample). A survey using random digit dialing assessed preferences for new energy production relative to energy conservation, beliefs about coal and nuclear energy, cultural worldview, trust in nuclear and coal agencies, environmental activism, and demographics among a general public sample (n = 800) and a site-specific sample (n = 2,400). Results showed that fewer than half of the participants desired more than half of the funding to be invested in new energy production relative to energy conservation. The general public sample's preferences were driven primarily by beliefs about coal, hierarchical values, environmental concern, and gender. The model of the site-specific sample's preferences was more complex and showed that preferences were driven primarily by coal and nuclear beliefs, hierarchical values, environmental concern, age, and race. Overall, the results underline the importance of investigating the underpinnings of beliefs of different groups and being cognizant of the unique factors that influence energy preferences among these groups.
Restricted Mobilities: Access to, and Activities in, Public and Private Spaces

Privatization of public spaces in the contemporary city has increased over the past few decades, but only a few studies have approached this trend from a mobility perspective. Therefore, this article seeks to make a contribution to the field by exploring two Australian examples of private spaces in the city, gated communities and shopping centres, through the ‘mobility’ lenses. The article illustrates how different mobility systems enable and/or restrict public access to private–public spaces, and it points out that proprietary communities create an unequal potential for human movement and access in the city. The main argument in the article is that many mobility systems enable specialization of places that are targeted at a special section of the population. This means that various forms of mobilities (e.g. automobility, virtual mobile communication technologies) not only create new opportunities for urban life, but also serve as one of the most critical components in the production of new exclusion and stratification. In conclusion, the article therefore suggests that future urban research and planning also need to apply the mobility perspective in order to understand the mechanisms between flows of movement and the understanding fixed spaces in the cities, and how different mobility systems play an important role in sustaining the exclusiveness that often characterizes private/public spaces. Likewise, from a mobility perspective, the specific consequences that the proprietary communities have on the surrounding communities seem to be an important further question for research and planning.
Modifiable lifestyle factors and the metabolic syndrome in older men: Effects of lifestyle changes.

OBJECTIVES To examine the influence of lifestyle factors and changes in these factors on risk of the metabolic syndrome in elderly men. DESIGN Cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses of cohort study. SETTING General practices in 24 British towns. PARTICIPANTS Three thousand fifty-one men aged 60 to 79 with no diabetes mellitus or diagnosis of coronary heart disease. MEASUREMENTS Lifestyle factors (smoking, physical activity, alcohol intake, body weight, dietary fat and carbohydrate intake) including recent changes in the previous 3 years (physical activity and body weight); metabolic syndrome. RESULTS After adjustment for each of the other modifiable lifestyle factors, overweight/obesity and physical inactivity were associated with a significantly higher risk of the metabolic syndrome, as were cigarette smoking and a high-carbohydrate diet (>57% of energy). Alcohol intake and dietary fat intake were not related to the metabolic syndrome. Long-term ex-smokers showed similar risk to never smokers. Taking up physical activity and losing weight in the previous 3 years were associated with a reduction in risk of the metabolic syndrome. CONCLUSION Overweight/obesity, physical inactivity, a high-carbohydrate diet, and cigarette smoking are associated with higher risk of the metabolic syndrome in elderly men. Modification of lifestyle factors, even later in life, has considerable potential for primary prevention of the metabolic syndrome.
Long-term survival of Medicare patients with head injury.

BACKGROUND An increasing number of older patients are being hospitalized with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Knowledge of their expected long-term survival may be useful in making clinical decisions. METHODS Patients age 65 or older admitted for the first time with head injury (ICD-9 800-804 or 850-854) during 1999 were identified in a complete national sample of fee-for-service Medicare hospitalization and denominator data. Cases were categorized by age, sex, maximum Abbreviated Injury Score (AISmax), and Charlson comorbidity score. Survival was determined at hospital discharge, and (using the denominator file) at 1, 6, 12, and 24 months after the initial hospital admission. RESULTS For all cases (n = 30,684), the hospital mortality was 14.3%, but was cumulatively 19.75%, 30.5%, 36.1%, and 44.9% at successive times up to 24 months. Long-term mortality was higher with increased age, comorbidity, or AISmax, and higher in men. These effects persisted with multivariate logistic regression analysis and were used to construct a simplified prediction score for clinical use. CONCLUSIONS The mortality for older patients with TBI is much higher than for an uninjured control population. The relative risk for death remains elevated after hospital discharge and for at least 2 years. Awareness of the expected prognosis may help family members and health care providers make appropriate clinical decisions during acute hospitalization.
Perfect Competition in the Continuous Assignment Model

Abstract This paper provides a rigorous formalization, in the context of the transferable utility assignment model, of perfect competition as the inability of individuals to (favorably) influence prices. The central tool for the analysis is the social gains function; the central issue is differentiability of the gains function with respect to the population. Seven conditions are shown to be equivalent to perfect competition. Perfect competition and imperfect competition are possible for both finite and continuum assignment economies, but most finite economies are imperfectly competitive, while most continuum economies are perfectly competitive. However, most large finite assignment economies are approximately perfectly competitive. Journal of Economic Literature Classification Numbers: C61, C62, C78.
Perceiving Racism in Ambiguous Situations: Who Relies on Easy-to-Use Information?

Abstract In situations that are ambiguous with regard to the presence of discrimination, how do people arrive at their conclusions that discrimination has (or has not) taken place? This question was examined from a motivated social cognition perspective via the interaction of two factors: the prototype effect—the notion that ambiguously discriminatory behavior is more likely to be perceived as discriminatory when the executor is prototypical and the need for cognitive closure—the tendency to jump hastily to and seize on an answer. Results provided replicating evidence of the prototype effect among European American participants but not among African American participants. Specifically, European Americans were likely to perceive ambiguously racist behavior enacted by a prototypical executor (i.e., a White person) as more discriminatory than the same behavior exhibited by a non-prototypical executor (i.e., a Black person). African American participants, on the other hand, showed no reliance on this simple cognitive heuristic. Furthermore, results showed that European Americans with a higher need for cognitive closure were more likely to rely on the easy-to-use information offered by prototypes. These findings are discussed from a motivated social cognition perspective.
The determinants of a cross market arbitrage opportunity: theory and evidence for the European bond market

This paper examines the determinants of cross-platform arbitrage profits. We develop a structural model that enables us to decompose the likelihood of an arbitrage opportunity into three distinct factors: the fixed cost to trade the opportunity, the level at which one of the platforms delays a price update and the impact of the order flow on the quoted prices (inventory and asymmetric information effects). We then investigate the predictions from the theoretical model for the European Bond market with the estimation of a probit model. Our main finding is that the results found in the empirical part corroborate strongly the predictions from the structural model. The event of a cross market arbitrage opportunity has a certain degree of predictability where an optimal ex ante scenario is represented by a low level of spreads on both platforms, a time of the day close to the end of trading hours and a high volume of trade.