Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Dynamic Fund Protection

Abstract Dynamic fund protection provides an investor with a floor level of protection during the investment period. This feature generalizes the concept of a put option, which provides only a floor value at a particular time. The dynamic protection feature ensures that the fund value is upgraded if it ever falls below a certain threshold level. Gerber and Pafumi (2000) have recently derived a closed-form expression for the price of this protection when the basic portfolio follows geometric Brownian motion. In this paper we examine the pricing of this feature under the constant elasticity of variance process. Two approaches are used to obtain numerical results. First, we show how to extend the basic Monte Carlo approach to handle the particular features of dynamic protection. When a discrete-time simulation approach is used to value a derivative that is subject to continuous monitoring, there is a bias. We show how to remove this bias. Second, a partial differential equation approach is used to price dynamic protection. We demonstrate that the price of the dynamic protection is sensitive to the investment assumptions. We also discuss a discrete time modification of the dynamic protection feature that is suitable for practical implementation. The paper deals just with pricing and does not consider the important question of reserving for these contracts.
Land tenure and sustainable soil fertility management in central Benin: towards the establishment of a cooperation space among stakeholders

Tenure arrangements were studied in central Benin, with special attention to factors diminishing or enhancing mutual trust between landowners and migrant farmers. Two contrasting tenure arrangement systems occur. The first is found in Ouoghi village, where landowners and villagers are organized around the Association de Développement Economique et Social du Village de Ouoghi (ADESVO). The second is found in the Boubouhou area, where land tenure is managed by landowner lineages. In both systems migrants are not allowed to grow trees, for fear that this will strengthen migrants' ownership rights. Originally, migrant farmers were incorporated through a land-for-labour transaction. Nowadays, this practice has irretrievably changed due to the increasing importance of monetary transactions in agriculture and the presence of economic opportunities outside agriculture, which constrain labour availability. The problem to be overcome is how to change mutual perceptions of tree planting as a covert claim to land ownership, since agroforestry is a potential key to soil fertility maintenance. We facilitated alternative formal written-down land use rules, including adoption of agroforestry and improved soil management practices. Negotiation proved to be more complicated with landowners in Boubouhou because they did not want the existing bilateral relationships with migrants to be changed. But in Ouoghi migrants and owners had already created an institution for collective management of land, which allowed for better interaction and communication among the stakeholders. Here, it was easier to integrate technology components into formal tenurial arrangements. An attempt was made to build soil quality monitoring by scientists into the negotiation process.
Corporate Governance and Corporate Competitiveness: An International Analysis

Empirical studies of corporate governance and corporate competitiveness tend to focus on specific dimensions of these two sets of corporate conditions. The findings on their relationships are mixed and inconclusive. This study uses a questionnaire to survey corporate conditions on a holistic basis, with a sample of international companies. My findings provide strong evidence that firstly, most international companies conform to good corporate governance practices; secondly, the higher such conformance is to good corporate governance practices, the stronger is the firm's competitiveness; thirdly, the relationship between corporate governance and corporate competitiveness is much stronger when corporate governance is evaluated on a holistic basis than on an individual dimension or attribute; and finally, corporate governance attributes are inter-related and it is more appropriate to pursue or study them on a collective basis.
MARKETS FOR INFLATION‐INDEXED BONDS AS MECHANISMS FOR EFFICIENT MONETARY POLICY

We consider a continuous‐time framework featuring a central bank, private agents, and a financial market. The central bank's objective is to maximize a functional, which measures the classical trade‐off between output and inflation over time plus income from the sales of inflation‐indexed bonds minus payments for the liabilities that the inflation‐indexed bonds produce at maturity. Private agents are assumed to have adaptive expectations. The financial market is modeled in continuous‐time Black–Scholes–Merton style and financial agents are averse against inflation risk, attaching an inflation risk premium to nominal bonds. Following this route, we explain demand for inflation‐indexed securities on the financial market from a no‐arbitrage assumption and derive pricing formulas for inflation‐linked bonds and calls, which lead to a supply‐demand equilibrium. Furthermore, we study the consequences that the sales of inflation‐indexed securities have on the observed inflation rate and price level. Similar to the study of Walsh, we find that the inflationary bias is significantly reduced, and hence that markets for inflation‐indexed bonds provide a mechanism to reduce inflationary bias and increase central bank's credibility.
Immunohistochemical distribution of serotonin in spinal autonomic nuclei: I. Fiber patterns in the adult rat

The differential distribution of serotonin (5HT) fibers in spinal laminae VII and X is described for the adult rat. The results indicate that descending 5HT fibers preferentially innervate those regions of lamina VII that contain sympathetic and parasympathetic neurons. In lamina X, especially the dorsal commissural nucleus, large numbers of 5HT fibers are observed throughout the spinal cord. Moreover, sympathetic nuclei are more richly innervated with 5HT than the spinal parasympathetic nuclei. Spinal cord hemisections reveal that spinal autonomic nuclei are differentially innervated: ipsilateral serotoninergic projections to the intermediolateral cell column are preferentially interrupted. In addition, a large crossed 5HT projection exists throughout the length of the spinal cord that decussates five to six spinal segments rostral to its termination. Both crossed and uncrossed 5HT fibers span many spinal segments and have large numbers of collaterals. Spinal cord transections show that the vast majority of spinal 5HT descends from the brainstem but that some 5HT fibers are of intrinsic origin.
A comparison of the duration and quality of recovery from isoflurane, sevoflurane and desflurane anaesthesia in dogs undergoing magnetic resonance imaging.

OBJECTIVE To compare the recovery after anaesthesia with isoflurane, sevoflurane and desflurane in dogs undergoing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain. STUDY DESIGN Prospective, randomized clinical trial. ANIMALS Thirty-eight dogs weighing 23.7 +/- 12.6 kg. METHODS Following pre-medication with meperidine, 3 mg kg(-1) administered intramuscularly, anaesthesia was induced intravenously with propofol (mean dose 4.26 +/- 1.3 mg kg(-1)), the trachea was intubated, and an inhalational anaesthetic agent was administered in oxygen. The dogs were randomly allocated to one of three groups: group I (n = 13) received isoflurane, group S (n = 12) received sevoflurane and group D (n = 13) received desflurane. Parameters recorded included cardiopulmonary data, body temperature, end-tidal anaesthetic concentration, duration of anaesthesia, and recovery times and quality. Qualitative data were compared using chi-squared and Fisher's exact tests and quantitative data with anova and Kruskal-Wallis test. Post-hoc comparisons for quantitative data were undertaken with the Mann-Whitney U-test. RESULTS The duration of anaesthesia [mean and standard deviation (SD)] in group I was: 105.3 (27.48) minutes, group S: 120.67 (19.4) minutes, and group D: 113.69 (26.68) minutes (p = 0.32). Times to extubation [group I: 8 minutes, (interquartile range 6-9.5), group S: 7 minutes (IQR 5-7), group D: 5 minutes (IQR 3.5-7), p = 0.017] and to sternal recumbency [group I: 11 minutes (IQR 9.5-13.5), group S: 9.5 minutes (IQR 7.25-11.75), group D: 7 minutes (range 3.5-11.5), p = 0.048] were significantly different, as were times to standing. One dog, following sevoflurane, had an unacceptable quality of recovery, but most other recoveries were calm, with no significant difference between groups. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE All three agents appeared suitable for use. Dogs' tracheas were extubated and the dogs recovered to sternal recumbency most rapidly after desflurane. This may be advantageous for animals with some neurological diseases and for day case procedures.
Influence of water absorption in flexible epoxy resins on the space charge behaviour

The aim of the current work is to achieve a better understanding of the influence of water uptake in flexible epoxy resins on the space charge dynamics at high electric fields. The space charge behaviour was studied using pulsed electroacoustic (PEA) technique. The samples were prepared from Araldite CY1311, which is a bisphenol-A epoxy resin. This particular resin was chosen because its glass transition is 0°C and hence it is in a flexible state at room temperature. All samples were conditioned in containers with saturated salt solutions or de-ionised water so that various water uptake levels were obtained. It was found that the space charge dynamics was correlated with the amount of absorbed water in the samples and this is consistent with the dielectric measurements made on the same material where ion transport was identified as the main charge transport process from the observed QDC behaviour.
Strategic Users of Culture: German Decisions for Military Action

This article looks at cases in which political leaders have engaged in seemingly inconsistent behaviour and explores how they framed and justified their decisions. After showing that strategic culture is composed of different facets, I argue that when faced with conflicting pressures from the international environment and their own national constituencies, political leaders intentionally manipulate facets of their own strategic culture to legitimate a decision, made for contingent reasons, to participate (or not) in a military operation. I illustrate this argument by analysing in depth the decision-making process and public justifications of the German participation in the European and Security Defence Policy (ESDP) mission EUFOR Congo in 2006 and its refusal to militarily participate in a similar mission in Chad in 2007. This conception of strategic culture as both a constraint and a resource for policymakers reinforces our understanding of the boundaries of strategic culture's explanatory power, and provides an explanation of seemingly inconsistent foreign policy behaviours.
The 2007–2008 U.S. Recession: What Did the Real‐Time Google Trends Data Tell the United States?

type="main" xml:id="coep12074-abs-0001"> In the extant literature of business cycle predictions, the signals for business cycle turning points are generally issued with a lag of at least 5 months. In this paper, we make use of a novel and timely indicator—the Google search volume data—to help to improve the timeliness of business cycle turning point identification. We identify multiple query terms to capture the real-time public concern on the aggregate economy, the credit market, and the labor market condition. We incorporate the query indices in a Markov-switching framework and successfully “nowcast” the peak date within a month that the turning occurred. (JEL E37, G17)
Combination therapy of intraarterial 5‐fluorouracil and systemic interferon‐alpha for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma with portal venous invasion

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with portal venous invasion (PVI) has a very poor prognosis, with a median survival of 3 months and virtually no survival at 1 year. The combination of intraarterial 5‐fluorouracil (FU) and systemic interferon‐α (IFNα) was recently reported to be effective against HCC with PVI, but these were small pilot studies.
Empirical Testing of Auction Theory

Given the state of affairs in auction theory -there is at least one model, for instance, to support any position one would care to take concerning the revenue of sealed-bid vs. open auctions-it should not come as a surprise that a fair amount of empirical work in auctions is underway. This paper reports the results of some recently completed research. I first discuss papers in which the predictions being tested derive directly from the pure theory of auctions, and then papers in which the predictions arise out of an application of auction theory to a related institution.
Endoscopic approach to tensor fold in patients with attic cholesteatoma

Conclusion. The endoscopic approach to attic cholesteatoma allows clear observation of the tensor fold area and consequently, excision of the tensor fold, modifying the epitympanic diaphragm. This permits good removal of cholesteatoma and direct ventilation of the upper unit, preventing the development of a retraction pocket or attic cholesteatoma recurrence, with good functional results. Objectives. An isthmus block associated with a complete tensor fold is a necessary condition for creation and development of an attic cholesteatoma. During surgical treatment of attic cholesteatoma, tensor fold removal is required to restore ventilation of the attic region. Use of a microscope does not allow exposure of the tensor fold area and so removal of the tensor fold can be very difficult. In contrast, the endoscope permits better visualization of the tensor fold area, and this aids understanding of the anatomy of the tensor fold and its removal, restoring attic ventilation. Patients and methods. In all, 21 patients with limited attic cholesteatoma underwent an endoscopic approach with complete removal of the disease. Patients with a wide external ear canal were operated through an exclusively endoscopic transcanal approach; patients with a narrow external ear canal or who were affected by external canal exostosis were operated through a traditional retroauricular incision and meatoplasty followed by the endoscopic transcanal approach. Results. In 18/21 patients, the endoscope permitted the discovery of different anatomical morphologies of the tensor fold. Sixteen patients presented a complete tensor fold (one with an anomalous transversal orientation), one patient presented an incomplete tensor fold and one patient presented a bony ridge in the cochleariform region. In all 16 cases of complete tensor tympani fold, the fold was removed and anterior epitympanic ventilation was restored. The ridge bone over the cochleariform process was also removed with a microdrill.
Enterprise risk management implementation in construction firms

Purpose – The purposes of this paper are to: first, identify the critical drivers for and hindrances to enterprise risk management (ERM) implementation in Singapore-based Chinese construction firms (CCFs); second, interpret the critical drivers and hindrances in tandem with organizational change theories; and third, provide possible strategies to strengthen the drivers and overcome the hindrances. Design/methodology/approach – A questionnaire survey was conducted and responses were received from 35 experienced managers in CCFs operating in Singapore. Findings – A total of 13 drivers and 25 hindrances with significant influence were identified. Of them, “improved decision-making” was the top driver, while “insufficient resources (e.g. time, money, people, etc.)” was the most influential hindrance. Research limitations/implications – As the survey was performed with the Singapore-based CCFs, there may be geographical limitation on the identification of the critical drivers for and hindrances to ERM implemen.
Strong Relationship Between Heart Rate Deflection Point and Ventilatory Threshold in Trained Rowers

Mikulic, P, Vucetic, V, and Sentija, D. Strong relationship between heart rate deflection point and ventilatory threshold in trained rowers. J Strength Cond Res 25(2): 360-366, 2011-The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between heart rate deflection point (HRDP) and ventilatory threshold (VT) to the physiological and performance variables in a relatively large group of trained men rowers. We proposed the hypothesis that physiological and performance variables corresponding to HRDP are not significantly different from corresponding variables at VT, which would justify the use of HRDP as a simple, affordable, and noninvasive method of anaerobic threshold assessment in trained rowers. Eighty-nine trained men rowers (mean ± SD: age 21.2 ± 4.1 years; stature 1.89 ± 0.06 m; body mass 89.2 ± 8.4 kg; &OV0312;o2max [maximum oxygen uptake] 5.39 ± 0.62 L/min−1) completed an incremental rowing ergometer exercise test to exhaustion. Three independent, experienced observers determined both HRDP and VT. HRDP was determined by visual and computer-aided regression analyses and was evident in all rowers. The main findings include (a) there is a strong relationship among all observed physiological and performance variables corresponding to HRHRDP and HRVT (r = 0.79-0.96; p < 0.001) and (b) power output, oxygen uptake, ventilation, tidal volume and breathing rate corresponding to HRHRDP and HRVT were not significantly different (p ≥ 0.011), whereas HRHRDP was slightly but significantly higher than HRVT (174.5 vs. 172.8 beats·min−1; p = 0.003). The standard error of the estimate in predicting the HRVT based on HRHRDP was 5.1 beats·min−1. The subsequent data suggest that, in general, trained rowers may be able to periodically assess their aerobic endurance and evaluate the effects of training programs using the HRDP method.
THE EFFECTS OF DEMOGRAPHIC TRENDS ON ECONOMIC GROWTH IN THE EUROPEAN UNION

The aim of this article is to assess the influence of demographic age shares on changes in economic growth in the EU from 1996 to 2013 using a fixed effects model. The authors hypothesise the demographic variable having a statistically significant effect on the macroeconomic variable. Conclusions and suggestions stemming from the analysis are expected to benefit policymakers and provide guidance to public institutions.
Evidence for genetic homogeneity of Setleis' syndrome and focal facial dermal dysplasia

Summary A healthy 14‐month‐old boy had multiple, circular, scar‐like depressions on both temples, which had been present since birth. Delivery had been normal, and had not required the use of forceps or other instruments. His mother and one sister had similar, but less obvious, lesions on the temples. The three affected family members had similar facial features, with laterally deficient eyebrows, and a prominent upper lip with down‐turned mouth. Additional features in the baby were sparse lower eyelashes, medial epicanthal folds, and skin dimpling on one side of the chin.
Australian Employer Response to the Study‐Migration Pathway: The Quantitative Evidence 2007‐2011

In recent years OECD countries have prioritized international students as a human capital resource. To assess their labour migration outcomes, this article defines Australian employment rates the year after graduation by two measures. Our first in-depth case study (drawing on the Graduate Destination Survey) compares international students' work status to that of domestic students in 11 professions, from 2007 to 2011. Our second case study (based on the Immigration Department's Continuous Survey of Australia's Migrants) reports the employment rates achieved from 2009 to 2011 by international students who have secured skilled migrant status in Australia, compared with those of skilled category applicants selected off-shore. Empirical analyses such as these are rare in the existing study-migration literature, which is dominated by policy and qualitative perspectives. The findings are relevant to international students as well as policymakers, in a context where governments frame migration policy but employers maintain the power to offer/withhold work.
Substrate Specificity and Colorimetric Assay for Recombinant TrzN Derived from Arthrobacter aurescens TC1

ABSTRACT The TrzN protein, which is involved in s-triazine herbicide catabolism by Arthrobacter aurescens TC1, was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli as a His-tagged protein. The recombinant protein was purified via nickel column chromatography. The purified TrzN protein was tested with 31 s-triazine and pyrimidine ring compounds; 22 of the tested compounds were substrates. TrzN showed high activity with sulfur-substituted s-triazines and the highest activity with ametryn sulfoxide. Hydrolysis of ametryn sulfoxide by TrzN, both in vitro and in vivo, yielded a product(s) that reacted with 7-chloro-4-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazole (NBD-Cl) to generate a diagnostic blue product. Atrazine chlorohydrolase, AtzA, did not hydrolyze ametryn sulfoxide, and no color was formed by amending those enzyme incubations with NBD-Cl. TrzN and AtzA could also be distinguished by reaction with ametryn. TrzN, but not AtzA, hydrolyzed ametryn to methylmercaptan. Methylmercaptan reacted with NBD-Cl to produce a diagnostic yellow product having an absorption maximum at 420 nm. The yellow color with ametryn was shown to selectively demonstrate the presence of TrzN, but not AtzA or other enzymes, in whole microbial cells. The present study was the first to purify an active TrzN protein in recombinant form and develop a colorimetric test for determining TrzN activity, and it significantly extends the known substrate range for TrzN.
Not invented here: how institutionalized socialization practices affect the formation of negative attitudes toward external knowledge

Management literature highlights several potential benefits of institutionalized socialization practices that attempt to increase cohesiveness among employees. This article posits that such practices might also contribute to a biased perception of internally generated knowledge and therefore to a greater reluctance to adopt external knowledge, enhancing the so-called not-invented-here (NIH) syndrome. Drawing on multi-informant survey data, the authors find that institutionalized socialization practices are associated with the NIH syndrome. This association is, however, muted in highly technologically specialized companies.
Revoking the Privilege: Targeting HER2 in the Central Nervous System

Pharmacologic agents developed for cancer therapy have traditionally relied on a therapeutic ratio of effects between tumors and normal tissue. Over the past decade, this concept has been refined through the development of agents that are intended to specifically target tumor cells. The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) (ErbB) family of receptor tyrosine kinases is an intensely studied target in many cancer cell types, and several successful therapeutic agents have been developed to block the growth promoting functions of these receptors. However, with their success has come the evolution of novel clinical scenarios by which tumor cells can evade these targeted therapies. Trastuzumab, a monoclonal antibody to Her2/ErbB2 that is used in breast cancer, has been shown to provide a survival benefit for patients whose tumors express this receptor but it does not have activity in the central nervous system because of the blood-brain barrier. In this issue of Molecular Pharmacology, Emanuel et al. (p. 328) report on a tyrosine kinase inhibitor that targets Her2/neu and also crosses the blood-brain barrier. Efforts to improve current strategies of targeting this receptor may lead not only to benefits in the treatment of breast cancer but also to advances in the treatment of other central nervous system malignancies, such as gliomas and medulloblastoma.