Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Money–Happiness Relationship in Transition Countries: Evidence from Albania

With an empirical analysis on a panel of individuals living in a transition country (Albania) we document that the impact of money on happiness does not depend only on the pecuniary outcome but also on aspirations and conditions leading to its determination. Additional factors which matter are the self perceived economic status and the share earned from remittances (and, more weakly, from social assistance). By looking at different sides of the phenomenon we find that these factors affect levels, changes in income and the probability of being “frustrated achievers”. Finally, unlike what happens in developed countries, higher income levels are negatively and not positively correlated with the probability of frustrated achievement thereby supporting the hypothesis that individuals in transition countries are not in the upper side of a concave happiness-income relationship.
A General Theory of Tourism Consumption Systems: A Conceptual Framework and an Empirical Exploration

A tourism consumption system (TCS) is defined as the set of related travel thoughts, decisions, and behaviors by a discretionary traveler prior to, during, and following a trip. The central proposition of a theory of TCS is that the thoughts, decisions, and behaviors regarding one activity influence the thoughts, decisions, and behaviors for a number of other activities. Using exit interview travel data and quick clustering analysis, this article empirically examines seven basic TCS propositions pertaining to decisions made once the destination has been selected. The findings support and extend the basic propositions specifically indicating clear patterns in the behaviors of visitors to Prince Edward Island, Canada. The authors conclude by recommending that this approach is useful for tourism marketers and practitioners in general. Suggestions are provided for analyzing TCS to increase the effectiveness of tourism marketing strategies.
FINANCIAL RATIOS, DISCRIMINANT ANALYSIS AND THE PREDICTION OF CORPORATE BANKRUPTCY

ACADEMICIANS SEEM to be moving toward the elimination of ratio analysis as an analytical technique in assessing the performance of the business enterprise. Theorists downgrade arbitrary rules of thumb, such as company ratio comparisons, widely used by practitioners. Since attacks on the relevance of ratio analysis emanate from many esteemed members of the scholarly world, does this mean that ratio analysis is limited to the world of "nuts and bolts"? Or, has the significance of such an approach been unattractively garbed and therefore unfairly handicapped? Can we bridge the gap, rather than sever the link, between traditional ratio "analysis" and the more rigorous statistical techniques which have become popular among academicians in recent years? The purpose of this paper is to attempt an assessment of this issue-the quality of ratio analysis as an analytical technique. The prediction of corporate bankruptcy is used as an illustrative case. ' Specifically, a set of financial and economic ratios will be investigated in a bankruptcy prediction context wherein a multiple discriminant statistical methodology is employed. The data used in the study are limited to manufacturing corporations. A brief review of the development of traditional ratio analysis as a technique for investigating corporate performance is presented in section I. In section II the shortcomings of this approach are discussed and multiple discriminant analysis is introduced with the emphasis centering on its compatibility with ratio analysis in a bankruptcy prediction context. The discriminant model is developed in section III, where an initial sample of sixty-six firms is utilized to establish a function which best discriminates between companies in two mutually exclusive groups: bankrupt and non-bankrupt firms. Section IV reviews empirical results obtained from the initial sample and several secondary samples, the latter being selected to examine the reliability of the discriminant
Buffer-Aided Relaying With Outdated CSI

Adaptive link selection for buffer-aided relaying can provide significant performance gains compared to conventional relaying with fixed transmission schedule, when perfect channel state information (CSI) is available for link selection. However, in practice, link selection may have to be performed based on outdated CSI, because of infrequent feedback of CSI and/or feedback delay. In this paper, we study the effect of outdated CSI on the error rate performance of adaptive link selection for a three node decode-and-forward (DF) relay network with fixed-rate transmission. In particular, we propose two protocols for link selection based on whether the reliability of the CSI estimates is known or not. For both protocols, we provide a unified error-rate analysis in terms of a decision threshold β, which can be adjusted to maintain buffer stability, and derive asymptotic approximations, which reveal the diversity and coding gains. Since packet transmission delay is unavoidable for opportunistic link selection, we analyze the average delay and throughput considering both finite and infinite buffer size. The average delay and throughput are functions of the decision threshold β, which can be optimized to minimize the error rate while satisfying average delay and/or throughput constraints. Numerical results manifest that even with outdated CSI, adaptive link selection provides a significant coding gain advantage over conventional DF relaying. Furthermore, we show that a diversity gain of two can be achieved for perfect CSI and the optimum error rate can be approached with small delay and/or high throughput.
Preneoplastic and Neoplastic Lesions of Rat Hereditary Renal Cell Tumors Express Markers of Proximal and Distal Nephron

Long-Evans (Eker) rats carry a mutation that predisposes them to develop spontaneous renal cell tumors of two morphologic patterns: solid chromophilic masses or cystic lesions lined by eosinophilic cells. Previous studies have suggested that these tumors arise from the proximal tubules. In the present study, lectin-binding characteristics and cytokeratin expression of various stages of hereditary rat renal epithelial neoplasia were examined to localize the portion of the nephron from which tumors arise. Lectin-binding histochemistry has been used as a marker of cell surface glycoprotein expression, thought to be important in the differentiation of benign from malignant epithelial lesions and in the determination of their cell of origin. The presence or absence of keratin intermediate filaments in the rat nephron has been used to identify nephron segments. The polyclonal antibody to high- and low-molecular-weight cytokeratin stained the cells of the collecting ducts but not the proximal or distal tubules. Binding to the proximal tubules by the lectins Conavalia ensiformis (Con A), Dolichas biflorus, Ricinus communis (RCA-1), and Triticum vulgare and to the distal tubules by Con A, RCA-1, Arachis hypogaea (PNA) with and without neuraminidase, and the antibody for cytokeratins was demonstrated. The lectin binding and cytokeratin staining patterns of rat hereditary renal cell carcinoma, adenoma and the preneoplastic lesions of atypical tubules and hyperplasias suggest that cystic adenomas arise from the distal nephron, principally the collecting duct, whereas the solid atypical tubules, hyperplasias, and adenomas arise from the proximal nephron, principally the proximal tubule.
Measuring knowledge spillovers in the new economy firms in Belgium using patent citations

This paper conducts a comprehensive study of patent citations in patents granted to new economy firms in Belgium by the US and the EU Patent Offices using general qualitative response variable analysis, allowing for asymmetries in size and other characteristics. The citation data studied provide evidence of very industry-specific inter-, intra-firm and inter-, intra-industry knowledge spillovers. No general high-tech or new economy knowledge spillovers pattern was observed in the data. Therefore, we advocate for considering the industry-specific situation when analysing knowledge spillovers in the new economy.
T Cell Receptor Binding to a pMHCII Ligand Is Kinetically Distinct from and Independent of CD4*

Immune recognition of pMHCII ligands by a helper T lymphocyte involves its antigen-specific T cell receptor (TCR) and CD4 coreceptor. We have characterized the binding of both molecules to the same pMHCII. The D10 αβ TCR heterodimer binds to conalbumin/I-Ak with virtually identical kinetics and affinity as the single chain VαVβ domain module (scD10) (K d = 6–8 μm). The CD4 ectodomain does not alter either interaction. Moreover, CD4 alone demonstrates weak pMHCII binding (K d = 200 μm), with no discernable affinity for the αβ TCR heterodimer. Hence, rather than providing a major contribution to binding energy, the critical role for the coreceptor in antigen-specific activation likely results from transient inducible recruitment of the CD4 cytoplasmic tail-associated lck tyrosine kinase to the pMHCII-ligated TCR complex.
Parkinsonism and basal ganglia infarcts

A subacute parkinsonian syndrome was seen in three patients with CT evidence of basal ganglia infarcts. The clinical picture improved spontaneously, making the diagnosis of idiopathic Parkinson's disease untenable, and other causes of parkinsonism were not detected. This extrapyramidal syndrome was therefore compatible with “vascular parkinsonism,” even though it lacked features often ascribed to this syndrome, such as a history of previous strokes and the presence of dementia and corticospinal tract signs.
Do Gender Quotas Foster Women’s Political Engagement?

Gender quotas have been held to have more far-reaching consequences than increasing women’s political representation. Some scholars claim that they foster women’s overall political engagement. After elaborating a theoretical framework on how affirmative action policies to legislative bodies might be beneficial to constituents of the targeted group, the author tests this hypothesis on women in seventeen Latin American countries. Contrasting previous claims, the author shows that there is no general proof of attitudinal or behavioral effects. The analysis represents an initial attempt to theorize and use large-scale data to examine the more long-term consequences of quota policies on female constituents’ political involvement.
Household‐Level Education Borrowing Constraints: Evidence Using the College Attendance of the Sisters of Vietnam Draft Avoiders

Most studies of U.S. education borrowing constraints are based on an individual male household member and find that they have little effect on educational attainment. We argue that the correct unit of analysis is the attainment of all sibling intrahousehold resource rivals. We use the male college attendance return shock associated with Vietnam War conscription risk as a quasi‐natural experiment. In credit‐constrained households, scarce education resources should shift toward at‐risk males and manifest in lower attainment by resource rival sisters. We find significantly lower attendance among rival sisters. Our findings cast doubt on assertions that borrowing constraints do not affect attainment.
The Internationalizing Smaller Craft Firm

Craft sector analysis was carried out in order to determine the range of factors impinging upon domestic and export market behaviour. Existing craft sector research is practitioner specific, with little evidence of theoretical rigour. Internationalization theories are discussed, and the conclusion made that the majority of these frameworks fail to readily explain smaller firm internationalization behaviour generally and craft firm behaviour in particular. A pluralistic research methodology was followed. Quantitative results identified the majority of firms as micro-enterprises with those firms exhibiting entrepreneurial flair achieving significant amounts of turnover, despite severe resource constraints. The main export markets were European Union countries and North America. Combining the qualitative and quantitative results enabled profiling of craft firm types. Four orientations were uncovered: the entrepreneur, the idealist, the ‘lifestyler’ and the latecomer. Implications include promotion of the belief that the Marketing/Entrepreneurship interface paradigm provides additional understanding of smaller firm internationalization.
Circadian Rhythm Disorders and Melatonin Production in 127 Blind Women with and without Light Perception

Light is the major environmental time cue that synchronizes the endogenous central circadian pacemaker, located in the suprachiasmatic nuclei of the hypothalamus, and is detected exclusively by the eyes primarily via specialized non-rod, non-cone ganglion cell photoreceptors. Consequently, most blind people with no perception of light (NPL) have either nonentrained or abnormally phased circadian rhythms due to this inability to detect light. Conversely, most visually impaired participants with some degree of light perception (LP) exhibit normal entrainment, emphasizing the functional separation of visual and “nonvisual” photoreception. The aims of the study were to identify the prevalence of circadian disorders in blind women, with the further aim of examining how eye disease may relate to the type of circadian disorder. Participants (n = 127, age 50.8 ± 13.4 years) completed an 8-week field study including daily sleep diaries and sequential 4 to 8 hourly urine collections over 48 h on 2 to 3 occasions separated by at least 2 weeks. Circadian type was determined from the timing and time course of the melatonin rhythm measured by cosinor-derived urinary 6-sulfatoxymelatonin rhythm peak. Of the participants with NPL (n = 41), the majority were abnormally phased (24%) or nonentrained (39%), with 37% classified as normally entrained. Of the participants with LP (n = 86), the majority were normally entrained (69%). Eighteen LP participants (21%) were abnormally phased (8 advanced, 10 delayed). Nine LP participants (10%) were nonentrained. The eye conditions most associated with abnormal phase and/or nonentrained circadian rhythms were bilateral enucleation (67%) and retinopathy of prematurity (57%). By contrast, 84% of participants with retinitis pigmentosa and 83% of those with age-related macular degeneration were normally entrained. These findings suggest that the etiology of blindness in addition to LP status is related to an individual’s ability to process the circadian light signal.
Psychological Mediators of the Sport Injury—Perceived Risk Relationship

Drawing upon both heuristic‐ and threat‐based approaches, we sought to examine whether perceived similarity with injury‐prone people and perceived control over injury occurrence would directly contribute to perceived risk and whether these variables would mediate the previous injury–perceived risk relationship. Judokas (n = 207) reported the number of injuries experienced in the past year and then completed measures of perceived similarity, perceived control, and injury risk perception. Analyses revealed that perceived similarity and perceived control directly contributed to perceived risk of injury; only perceived similarity acted as a partial mediator of the injury–perceived risk relationship. These findings are discussed in relation to the potential influence of the sport context, which universally involves the acceptance of a high risk of injury.
Charged residues are involved in membrane fusion mediated by a hydrophilic peptide located in vesicular stomatitis virus G protein

Membrane fusion is an essential step of the internalization process of the enveloped animal viruses. Vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) infection is mediated by virus spike glycoprotein G, which induces membrane fusion at the acidic environment of the endosomal compartment. In a previous work, we identified a specific sequence in VSV G protein, comprising the residues 145 to 164, directly involved in membrane interaction and fusion. Unlike fusion peptides from other viruses, this sequence is very hydrophilic, containing six charged residues, but it was as efficient as the virus in catalyzing membrane fusion at pH 6.0. Using a carboxyl-modifying agent, dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCCD), and several synthetic mutant peptides, we demonstrated that the negative charges of peptide acidic residues, especially Asp153 and Glu158, participate in the formation of a hydrophobic domain at pH 6.0, which is necessary to the peptide-induced membrane fusion. The formation of the hydrophobic region and the membrane fusion itself were dependent on peptide concentration in a higher than linear fashion, suggesting the involvement of peptide oligomerization. His148 was also necessary to hydrophobicity and fusion, suggesting that peptide oligomerization occurs through intermolecular electrostatic interactions between the positively-charged His and a negatively-charged acidic residue of two peptide molecules. Oligomerization of hydrophilic peptides creates a hydrophobic region that is essential for the interaction with the membrane that results in fusion.
Whole exome sequencing of a dominant retinitis pigmentosa family identifies a novel deletion in PRPF31.

PURPOSE Mutations at some retinitis pigmentosa (RP) loci are associated with variable penetrance and expressivity, exacerbating diagnostic challenges. The purpose of this study was to dissect the genetic underpinnings of nonsyndromic RP with variable age of onset in a large Mexican family. METHODS We ascertained members of a large, multigenerational pedigree using a complete ophthalmic examination. We performed whole exome sequencing on two affected first cousins, an obligate carrier, and a married-in spouse. Confirmatory sequencing of candidate variants was performed in the entire pedigree, as well as genotyping and mRNA studies to investigate expression changes in the causal locus. RESULTS We identified a 14-base pair (bp) deletion in PRPF31, a gene implicated previously in autosomal dominant (ad) RP. The mutation segregated with the phenotype of all 10 affected females, but also was present in six asymptomatics (two females and four males). Studies in patient cells showed that the penetrance/expressivity of the PRPF31 deletion allele was concordant with the expression levels of wild-type message. However, neither the known PRPF31 modulators nor cis-eQTLs within 1 Mb of the locus could account for the variable expression of message or the clinical phenotype. CONCLUSIONS We have identified a novel 14-bp deletion in PRPF31 as the genetic driver of adRP in a large Mexican family that exhibits nonpenetrance and variable expressivity, known properties of this locus. However, our studies intimate the presence of additional loci that can modify PRPF31 expression.
Diplomacy and Other Forms of Intervention in Civil Wars

Much of the empirical literature suggests that outside interventions tend to lengthen the expected duration of civil wars; conversely, the policy community often acts as if it holds the opposite expectation for the outcome of intervention. The authors argue that the divergence can be found in how models of intervention are specified in the literature. They propose a model with two novel contributions. First, they incorporate mediations as the key to resolving the strategic problems that the civil war parties face. Second, they account for the decaying effect of interventions over time. Their results suggest that diplomacy is critical for understanding the duration of civil conflicts. They find that mediation has a dramatic effect on the expected duration of a civil war and that when controlling for diplomatic efforts, economic interventions can also reduce the expected duration.
Enhancement of value portfolio performance using data envelopment analysis

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to examine the applicability of data envelopment analysis (DEA) as a basis of value portfolio selection criterion. Design/methodology/approach - The portfolios are composed of the comprehensive sample of Finnish non-financial stocks based on their DEA scale efficiency scores. The performance of portfolios is evaluated on the basis of average return and several risk-adjusted performance metrics. Moreover, the impact of holding period length on the results is examined by varying the portfolio reformation frequency from one to five years at annual frequency. Findings - The results show that the DEA scale efficiency scores add value to portfolio selection. Though outperformance of the DEA value portfolios in contrast to both comparable glamour portfolio and the stock market average is most evident for shorter (i.e. annual and biannual) holding periods, the absolute performance of the DEA value portfolio can be enhanced by using longer reformation intervals. Research limitations/implications - The sample of stocks is not large in spite of its comprehensiveness from the local stock market aspect. Future studies can apply DEA approach to other stock markets to examine whether the results are parallel to this study. Practical implications - The DEA is particularly useful as a multicriteria methodology in cases in which the number of stocks in the sample is large. Originality/value - This paper is the first attempt to form value portfolios using DEA models. The proposed methodology provides an interesting alternative to detect undervalued stocks by capturing several dimensions of relative value simultaneously. It provides also useful implications in portfolio management.
Empirical analysis of determinants of adoption of proactive environmental strategies in India

Proactive environmental strategies are beyond extant laws and it is important to understand why companies go beyond compliance. The paper discusses motivations behind their adoption of proactive environmental strategies in India. The research results show that institutional pressure is the most significant determinant of adoption of proactive environmental strategies. Other factors such as managerial attitude, business case of environmental investments and productivity enhancement initiatives are also significant. Based on the research findings, the paper proposes some important managerial implications in connection with adoption of proactive environmental strategies. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.
Measuring Corporate Bond Mortality and Performance

This study develops an alternative way to measure default risk and suggests an appropriate method to assess the performance of fixed-income investors over the entire spectrum of credit-quality classes. The approach seeks to measure the expected mortality of bonds and the consequent loss rates in a manner similar to the way actuaries assess mortality of human beings. The results show that all bond ratings outperform riskless Treasuries over a ten-year horizon and that, despite relatively high mortality rates, B-rated and CCC-rated securities outperform all other rating categories of the first four years after issuance, with BB-rated securities outperforming all others thereafter. Copyright 1989 by American Finance Association.