Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The dependency between returns from direct real estate and returns from real estate shares

Despite improvements in certain countries in recent years, the provision of performance information on the direct real estate market still suffers from a lack of timeliness and reliability. The latter problem is particularly an issue for higher‐frequency data provision. This paper investigates whether there is information from the indirect market that might be useful in helping us understand better the direct real estate market. Direct real estate indices do not measure the performance of underlying transactions prices properly because they are based on valuations – and therefore may be subject to valuation smoothing. Indirect real estate indices do not properly measure the value investors put on the underlying assets of real estate companies because real estate companies are geared. Compares appropriately adjusted indices, and shows that there is information in indirect index returns that can usefully help us understand the performance of the direct market and an index is produced of de‐geared monthly real estate share returns for the UK.
The Impact of Regulatory Policies on Risk Taking and Scale Efficiency of Commercial Banks in an Emerging Banking Sector

The recent global crisis has highlighted the role of prudent supervision and regulation in the financial system on both a national and a global scale. As an emerging market, the Turkish banking sector experienced the banking reform process almost a decade ago. The legal and institutional structure of the Turkish banking sector changed tremendously after the twin crises of 2000 and 2001. The aim of this study is to assess the impact of the regulatory policies on the efficiency of different-sized commercial banks in the Turkish banking sector during the period 2002-10. We implement a new approach in data envelopment analysis (DEA) that integrates lending quality and apply it to bank efficiency analysis. DEA is used to assess the long-term performance trend in the context of balance sheet and revenue approaches. Empirical results indicate that regulatory policies have a positive effect on the efficiency of banks. Large- and medium-size banks outperform medium-large and small banks. The notable finding is that the efficiency scores are much lower, and the global crisis more apparent, when nonperforming loans are integrated into the DEA Model.
Comparison of Three Epithelial Removal Techniques in PRK: Mechanical, Alcohol-assisted, and Transepithelial Laser.

PURPOSE To compare the visual and refractive results obtained after photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) in patients who underwent one of three different epithelial removal techniques. METHODS The authors reviewed the medical files of consecutive eyes with myopia and myopic astigmatism that were treated during a 10-year period by mechanical PRK, alcohol-assisted PRK, or transepithelial PRK (in the phototherapeutic keratectomy mode), and observed for more than 1 year. RESULTS A total of 3,417 patients (3,417 eyes) were included in this study. At 3 and 6 months postoperatively, the outcome of alcohol-assisted PRK was superior both in efficacy (P < .01) and safety (P < .001) to those of both mechanical PRK and transepithelial PRK, which were similar. At more than 1 year postoperatively, the mean efficacy index was still high for alcohol-assisted PRK, but low for the transepithelial PRK, corresponding to a mean uncorrected visual acuity of more than one Snellen line lower than those of the other two techniques (P < .0001). All three techniques showed a regression toward myopia more than 1 year postoperatively, with significant undercorrection obtained in eyes treated with transepithelial PRK (P < .0001). CONCLUSIONS Significant differences were detected in both the visual outcomes and the refractive results of the three epithelial removal techniques. The long-term outcomes were best for alcohol-assisted PRK.
[Value of postmortem computed tomography in comparison to autopsy].

PURPOSE To assess the diagnostic value of postmortem computed tomography (CT) in comparison to autopsy. MATERIALS AND METHODS Twenty-seven cadavers were examined by sequential cranial CT and helical CT through the neck, thorax and abdomen and subsequently underwent an autopsy with histomorphologic examination of the pathologic specimens. The findings of CT, autopsy and histology were registered and compared by three radiologists and one specialist for forensic medicine, using a data entry form. RESULTS In 19 of 27 cases, the findings explaining the cause of death were concordant for CT and autopsy. Intracranial, intraspinal and intracardiac gas accumulations (n = 12) were registered by CT alone. The detection of skull fractures was equal for both methods (n = 3). CT showed diagnostic problems in the assessment of pneumonic infiltrations (n = 16) and pulmonary edema (n = 21). CONCLUSION CT is a useful and complementary method to autopsy.
A Framework for Understanding the Performance of National Governing Bodies of Sport

Abstract Although much research exists on the performance of organizations little literature exists that allows understanding of the performance of national governing bodies (NGBs) of sport. The research in this paper aims to facilitate this understanding and presents the results of a programme of research carried out with French NGBs. In the main phase of the research, utilizing an adaptation of Lawrence and Lorsch's theoretical framework, case study research was carried out with 11 French NGBs in order to understand their strategy and management practices in relation to their organizational performance. Analysis of these case studies, alongside previous research that has focused on the relationship between strategy/organizational structure and performance, leads to the proposal of a framework through which to explain NGB performance in the field of sport. This framework seeks to accommodate the relationship between strategy, management and operational performance.
Milestones and Rates of Growth in the Development of Biology

An attempt has been made to examine the exponential rate of increase of the great discoveries, the "milestones," in the rise of biology from the beginning of the seventeenth century, and particularly in the rise to genetics from the beginning of the twentieth century. The biological sciences in general, during the three centuries named, exhibit a doubling of the number of great discoveries in each fifty years. Genetics, in the twentieth century, has risen much faster. Its doubling time for the most significant discoveries has been about twenty-tow and a half years. Either of these rates is of course far slower than the exponential rise in the total output of biological science, the number of scientists, or the cost of science, which have been generally reported to double about every ten years or less. It follows that, as time passes, and until these exponential rates become considerably altered, a relationship of diminishing returns is quite evident. As time passes, even though the most significant discoveries continue to increase exponentially, it takes a greater total output, a greater number of (assisting? ) scientists, and greater amounts of money to yield a set quantity of major new findings. The rapid rise of the life sciences cannot continue its present course into the twenty-first century without meeting ineluctablelimits to expansion. It may be argued that as in other human spheres of activity, so too in natural science there are limits to growth which we are rapidly approaching. From the predictable asymptote only unpredictable breakthroughs might deliver us.
The Benefit of Increasing Sulfonylurea Dose

TO THE EDITOR: I am not convinced by Stenman and colleagues [1] that there is no benefit in increasing the dose of glipizide. Although blood glucose concentrations for the three treatment groups are not statistically different, the average daily blood glucose level is inversely proportional to the glipizide dose: 171 mg/dL for the group receiving 10 mg/d, 166 mg/dL for the group receiving 20 mg/d, and 160 mg/dL for the group receiving 40 mg/d. The mean hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) values for the treatment groups are also not statistically different, but they may lack the sensitivity to detect small but statistically significant changes in blood glucose. The authors do not specify on which days the twice-weekly home glucose measurements were obtained. If the measurements were discretionary, this may be a confounding factor in that patients may have recorded their sugars when most compliant. Moreover, because blood sugars were self-monitored, patients were aware of any difference in their glycemic control and may have altered their diet accordingly. Interestingly, some patients had normal baseline HbA1c values yet experienced no hypoglycemia while receiving maximal doses of glipizide for 3 months. The authors conclude that -cell function decreases in patients receiving higher doses of glipizide by measuring serum insulin levels after a test meal. However, enhancement of insulin secretion by sulfonylureas varies inversely with the underlying glucose concentration. Thus, if the baseline glucose level is lower, less insulin secretion by the -cells would be expected for a given glucose challenge. Finally, the study group was small and heterogeneous and, according to the authors, individual responses to glipizide differed markedly. Given these issues, it might have been more useful to present the outcomes for all patients individually. Because results were presented as a group average, significant responses in some patients may have been diminished when combined with those patients who did not benefit from an increased glipizide dose.
Determinants of the Use of the Internet as a Tourist Information Source

The modelling of usage behaviour of New Information Technologies is of great utility to managers who need to evaluate the probability of success in the introduction of these technologies. The present study empirically contrasts the capacity of Davis's Technology Acceptance Model 1989 to help understand the determinants of the intention to use the Internet to search for holiday information. The findings show that the above theory does explain the intention to use the Internet on the part of the tourist, but it should be expanded to take account of the tourist's satisfaction with previous experiences of searching for holiday information.
Preterm Breech Delivery: Another Retrospective Study

To evaluate the significance of the route of delivery for preterm breech deliveries, a retrospective study was performed on 136 infants in breech presentation, weighing less than 1500 g. Thirty-seven (27%) were delivered vaginally, and the remaining 99 (73%) by cesarean section. Although perinatal mortality was higher in the vaginally delivered infants than in those born by cesarean section (54 versus 37%), statistical significance was not shown. One-fourth of the deaths in the vaginal delivery group occurred intrapartum. Although most previous studies have suggested improved outcome with delivery by cesarean section, the present study fails to demonstrate any statistically significant difference. Whether there is, in fact, no difference in outcome attributable to the route of delivery or a difference exists that is not demonstrable by a retrospective study is an open question. It is concluded that the design of the present retrospective study, as in all published studies on this subject, confounds the results and thereby makes conclusions precarious. The limited value of nonrandomized retrospective studies for the evaluation of a certain obstetric procedure is discussed.
Intrathecal resiniferatoxin in a dog model: efficacy in bone cancer pain

Abstract Resiniferatoxin (RTX) is the most potent among all known endogenous and synthetic agonists for the transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) receptor, which is a calcium-permeable nonselective cation channel, expressed on the peripheral and central terminals of small-diameter sensory neurons. Prolonged calcium influx induced by RTX causes cytotoxicity and death of only those sensory neurons that express the TRPV1 ion channel leading to selective targeting and permanent deletion of the TRPV1-expressing C-fiber neuronal cell bodies in the dorsal root ganglia. The goal of this project was to provide preclinical efficacy data, that intrathecal RTX could provide effective pain relief and improve function in dogs with bone cancer without significant long-term side effects. In a single-blind, controlled study, 72 companion dogs with bone cancer pain were randomized to standard of care analgesic therapy alone (control, n = 36) or 1.2 &mgr;g/kg intrathecal RTX in addition to standard of care analgesic therapy (treated, n = 36). Significantly more dogs in the control group (78%) required unblinding and adjustment in analgesic protocol or euthanasia within 6 weeks of randomization, than dogs that were treated with RTX (50%; P < 0.03); and overall, dogs in the control group required unblinding significantly sooner than dogs that had been treated with RTX (P < 0.02). The analgesic effect was documented in these dogs without any evidence of development of deafferentation pain syndrome that can be seen with neurolytic therapies.
The Economic Logic of Persistent Informality: Artisanal and Small‐Scale Mining in the Southern Philippines

This article critically evaluates existing causal explanations for the persistence of informality in artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM). These explanations share a legalistic focus on entry barriers and political impediments that prevent or discourage the formalization of poverty-driven ASM operators: however, they fail to fully explain cases such as that of the Philippines, where ASM is characterized by differentiation between a poverty-driven workforce and a dominant stratum of ASM entrepreneurs. Even where limited formalization frameworks provide ASM with a degree of legal recognition, this recognition is usually restricted to these more powerful ASM interests, while excluding the workforce at large. This article therefore proposes an integrative approach to analysing informality in ASM, which complements the existing legalistic focus on entry barriers with a structuralist concern over the exploitation of informal labour. Seen from this perspective, the massive expansion of ASM in the Philippines can be seen as the product of a transition away from capital-intensive large-scale mining to a flexible regime of accumulation built around the exploitation of informal ASM labour. This observation highlights the need to pay more critical attention to the economic logic and the vested interests underlying the (selective) persistence of informality in the workforce.
A Copula‐Based Quantile Risk Measure Approach to Estimate the Optimal Hedge Ratio

We propose an innovative theoretical model to determine the optimal hedge ratio (OHR) with futures contracts as the minimizer of a quantile risk measure. This class of measures is very large and allows to recover the minimum‐VaR and the minimum‐expected shortfall hedge ratios as special cases. The copula representation of quantiles yields an accurate and flexible estimation of the dependence structure between the spot and the futures position. Employing data for the main UK and US indices, and EUR/USD and EUR/GBP exchange rates, we investigate the hedging effectiveness of our model compared to that of existing approaches. We document that our model improves upon the hedging performance of minimum‐VaR and minimum‐expected shortfall hedge ratios, provided that the copula shows an acceptable fit to the data. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Jrl Fut Mark 34:658–675, 2014
The portfolio of knowledge required by industry specialist auditors

Abstract While a number of studies have shown the superior performance of industry specialist auditors, prior research has not examined the underlying knowledge categories reflective of a specialist. This study aims to identify the range of knowledge required to be a successful industry specialist auditor, and the ways in which this knowledge is and might best be acquired. A multi-method approach was employed, including the use of a free-list task to identify important categories of knowledge, and a structured questionnaire. The questionnaire examined several issues including current knowledge of specific items, extent to which specialist knowledge is reflected in the firm's support systems, and methods by which this knowledge was, and could be, acquired. Participants, designated insurance industry specialists from a Big 4 firm, identified a large range of knowledge items, and there was a large degree of consensus between the results arising from the two knowledge identification research methods utilised. The results also revealed a number of perceived deficiencies in the level of current knowledge and the extent to which specialised knowledge is reflected in support systems. Few differences were found in the knowledge requirements of the two industry sub-specialisations, life insurance, and property and casualty insurance. Except for industry and economic factors, on-the-job experience was found to be the most prevalent method of gaining industry specialist knowledge. However, there was support for greater formal training and improved firm support systems for several specific knowledge items.
The Influence of Person Traits on Lawyer Selection Among British Adults

ABSTRACT The present study examined selection criteria for lawyers among British adults, which begins to overturn a dearth of studies examining this issue among legal professions. A total of 122 participants were asked to rate eight lawyers dichotomized along lawyer origin (Britain versus South Asia), gender (women versus men), and age (younger versus older). A mixed-design analysis of variance showed that there was a main effect of lawyer origin, with British lawyers preferred over the South Asian counterparts. There were also a number of significant interactions between lawyer variables, as well as participant gender and age. The effect sizes of these interactions were generally smaller (ηp 2 = .07−.24) than the main effect lawyer origin (ηp 2 = .54). Limitations and practical implications are discussed in conclusion.
Strategic Distortion of the Objectives of Trade Policy

Abstract By employing a simple three-country model in which there are two exporting countries and one consuming country, this paper analyses the consequences of one-country strategic distortion of the objectives of trade policy. It finds that although an exporting country can benefit from strategic distortion, it would be preferred that the importing country distorts its policy. Furthermore, it is found that preferential trading agreements can emerge endogenously.
On multiple personality: comments on diagnosis, etiology, and treatment.

Abstract Relevant diagnostic and etiologic aspects of multiple personality are discussed, with particular emphasis on the range of the underlying character structure of the “main” Personality. The concept of “high level” and “low level” multiple personality organization is proposed and 2 clinical examples are described to illustrate this. Treatment issues which are examined and explored include (a) uses and misuses of hypnosis, (b) general as well as some specific treatment strategies, and (c) countertransference feelings which these patients elicit in the therapist.
The effectiveness of socially responsible investment: a review

Over the past two decades, an increasing number of shareholders have begun to consider non-financial criteria, such as social and environmental criteria, in making investment decisions and executing shareholders rights. Investing based on such criteria is often labelled socially responsible investment (SRI). This article reviews the actors in SRI, the motives for SRI, relevant theoretical frameworks and the effectiveness of SRI in changing environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) performance of public companies. Various actors with different motives engage in SRI through distinct strategies. Although the effects of SRI strategies are difficult to identify and quantify, overall, SRI does not yet play a major role in changing ESG performance. Several factors can be identified that impede SRI in improving ESG performance, together forming an action agenda for SRI researchers and practitioners. The research agenda for SRI studies should include examining poorly studied engagement strategies; identifying the factors that govern SRI effectiveness; elucidating the relationship between shareholders and other actors, such as NGOs, governments and media; and building theoretical frameworks to understand and analyse SRI, for which the theory of stakeholder salience and ecological modernisation theory provide promising starting points.
Comparing Measures of Attachment: “To Whom one Turns in Times of Stress,” Parental Warmth, and Partner Satisfaction

ABSTRACT The Attachment and Clinical Issues Questionnaire (ACIQ; M. A. Lindberg & S. W. Thomas, 2011), was developed over an 18-year period containing 29 scales. The purpose of the present study was to test (a) the validity of the attachment scales in terms of how they predict to whom one turns in times of stress and for affective sharing, and (b) how the attachment scales compared with the Experiences in Close Relationship Questionnaire (ECR) in terms of concurrent, convergent, and discriminant evidence. The relevant secure scales of the ACIQ predicted to whom one turned in Study 1, and Study 2 demonstrated good convergent evidence with the ECR, but superior concurrent evidence in predicting partner satisfaction, and superior discriminant evidence in differentially correlating with mother and father warmth. Thus, the ACIQ passed essential validity and psychometric tests and was a more robust measure than the ECR with these defining characteristics of attachment.
Thyroid function and exposure to styrene.

BACKGROUND Many natural substances and drugs have long been known to cause goiter or thyroid dysfunction. More recently, several environmental pollutants, such as pesticides and industrial compounds, have been investigated for their thyroid-disrupting activity and related adverse effects on human health. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of styrene on the thyroid axis in occupationally exposed workers. METHODS Thirty-eight exposed (E) and 123 nonexposed (NE) male workers (controls) were assessed. Serum concentrations of thyrotropin (TSH; basal and after thyrotropin-releasing hormone [TRH] administration.), free thyroxine (FT(4)), free triiodothyronine (FT(3)), anti-thyroglobulin, thyroid peroxidase antibody, and calcitonin were measured. Thyroid ultrasound examination was also performed. In E workers, urinary creatinine, mandelic acid (MA), and phenylglyoxylic acid (PGA) were also measured. RESULTS No significant differences between E and NE workers were demonstrated, as far as thyroid volume, nodularity, serum thyroid antibodies, and calcitonin were analyzed. However, in the E group a positive correlation between duration of exposure and thyroid volume was detected. After exclusion of subjects with nodular or autoimmune thyroid diseases, serum concentrations of FT(4), FT(3), and TSH did not differ between the two groups. In E workers there was a positive correlation between the urinary concentrations of styrene metabolites (MA plus PGA) and FT(4) or FT(4)/FT(3) ratio (p < 0.05; r = 0.45 and p < 0.005; r = 0.61, respectively), while no correlation was observed between urinary concentrations of MA plus PGA and serum TSH (either basal and stimulated). CONCLUSIONS Chronic exposure to styrene is not associated with an increase in nodular or autoimmune thyroid diseases. However, styrene could interfere with peripheral metabolism of thyroid hormones by inhibiting T(4) to T(3) conversion. Whether this is a direct effect on iodothyronine deiodinases or a consequence of a general distress, such as in nonthyroidal illnesses, remains to be established. Further studies in a larger population of exposed workers are needed to confirm these preliminary observations.