Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The internationalisation of New Zealand forestry companies and the social reappraisal of New Zealand's exotic forest resource

Industrial geographers are beginning to address country-specific changes in the wider setting of restructuring in the world economy. Developments in the New Zealand forestry sector are conceptualised as historically specific responses to structural processes, operating at global, national, and local scales. In this paper the changing state - economy relation associated with afforestation of exotic softwoods in New Zealand are examined, and forest utilisation issues are outlined. The emerging possibilities for the coordination of forestry production in New Zealand are also identified. Evidence is presented on the nature and degree of integration of 'New Zealand' private and state capital into the wood-fibre markets of the Pacific Rim. It is concluded that unprecedented restructuring in the 1980s by organisations, both private and public, engaged in New Zealand's forestry production has made the realisation of forest assets in New Zealand difficult, with significant implications for owners of forests and for labour dependent on various facets of exotic forestry.
Investor Tax Heterogeneity and Ex-Dividend Day Trading Volume - the Effect of Dividend Yield and Institutional Ownership

We demonstrate how the level of institutional ownership as a measure of tax-induced investor heterogeneity impacts the trading volume effect of dividend yield around ex-dividend days. Cross-sectional tests support the tax-motivated trading hypothesis: 1) Ex-day excess trading volume increases in dividend yield and this positive relation is a concave quadratic function of the level of institutional ownership. 2) The volume effect of dividend yield peaks when the level of institutional ownership is at 32.18% - lower than 50%, consistent with the view that institutional investors may be more risk tolerant than individual investors. 3) Across tax regimes, some support is also found for the ex-day tax-motivated trading hypothesis. We contribute to the literature by considering the interaction between payout policy and ownership structure in explaining the variation in ex-day excess trading volume.
From Contract Manufacturing to Own Brand Management: The Role of Learning and Cultural Heritage Identity

While the contract manufacturers in Taiwan take orders from their brand-name buyers, some of them have started to move up to own brand management (OBM). This study examined three factors contributing to the performance of OBM: learning from the key buyer, learning from the key subsidiary and the focal firm's own cultural heritage identity. We found learning from the key subsidiary and one's own cultural heritage identity related positively to OBM performance. Further, there is a counterintuitive negative moderating effect of identity on the relationship between learning from the key buyer and OBM performance. Although preliminary, our results suggest that partners with asymmetric power relationships are prime candidates for future studies to explore the role of identity and pride.
Structure of the Zinc Transporter YiiP

YiiP is a membrane transporter that catalyzes Zn2+/H+ exchange across the inner membrane of Escherichia coli. Mammalian homologs of YiiP play critical roles in zinc homeostasis and cell signaling. Here, we report the x-ray structure of YiiP in complex with zinc at 3.8 angstrom resolution. YiiP is a homodimer held together in a parallel orientation through four Zn2+ ions at the interface of the cytoplasmic domains, whereas the two transmembrane domains swing out to yield a Y-shaped structure. In each protomer, the cytoplasmic domain adopts a metallochaperone-like protein fold; the transmembrane domain features a bundle of six transmembrane helices and a tetrahedral Zn2+ binding site located in a cavity that is open to both the membrane outer leaflet and the periplasm.
Severe hypertension and bradycardia after dexmedetomidine for radiology sedation in a patient with acute transverse myelitis

Med 2004; 30: 302–308. 3 Britto J, Nadel S, Maconochie I et al. Morbidity and severity of illness during interhospital transfer: impact of a specialised paediatric retrieval team. BMJ 1995; 311: 836–839. 4 Bull C. Current and potential impact of fetal diagnosis on prevalence and spectrum of serious congenital heart disease at term in the UK. British Paediatric Cardiac Association. Lancet 1999; 354: 1242–1247. 5 Randolph GR, Hagler DJ, Khandheria BK et al. Remote telemedical interpretation of neonatal echocardiograms: impact on clinical management in a primary care setting. J Am Coll Cardiol 1999; 34: 241–245. 6 Browning Carmo KA, Barr P, West M et al. Transporting newborn infants with suspected duct dependent congenital heart disease on low-dose prostaglandin E1 without routine mechanical ventilation. Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed 2007; 92: F117–F119.
Linear and Nonlinear Monetary Approaches to the Exchange Rate of the Philippines Peso-Japanese Yen

This study provides evidence of nonlinear long-run relationship between peso-yen exchange rate and its monetary determinants implied by the reduced-form flexible-price monetary model for the Philippines, using Breitung’s (2001) nonlinear cointegration testing procedures. The existence of such relationship is probably resulted from the strong and consistent bilateral trade relationship between the Philippines and Japan. Results from various monetary restrictions tests suggest that other forms of the related monetary model are not suitable in the determination of the peso-yen exchange rate.
Assisting the Poor with Cash: Design and Implementation of Social Transfer Programs

Cash transfers can be defined as the provision of assistance in the form of cash to the poor or those who face a probable risk, in the absence of the transfer, of falling into poverty. Cash transfers, broadly defined, can be given in the form of social assistance, insurance, near-cash tax benefits, and private transfers. This note focuses on government programs, recognizing that private transfers and public programs serve multiple objectives, of which social safety net protection is just one.
Inflation Targeting, Reserves Accumulation, and Exchange Rate Management in Latin America †

This paper examines whether central banks in Latin America have implemented conventional inflation targeting (IT) prescriptions, with a focus on foreign exchange intervention and official reserves accumulation policies. To this end, the paper reviews the experiences of Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Peru, and finds significant departures from the dominant theory of IT. Foreign exchange intervention has often been used to prevent excessive financial volatility, bubbles, and panics. Ongoing patterns of reserves accumulation have been the outcome of an effort to build "war chests" against speculative attacks and, more recently, of a fight against real exchange appreciation. Possible justifications of the discrepancies between conventional IT theory and practice are discussed and generally found unsatisfactory.
Left upper quadrant approach in gynecologic laparoscopic surgery

Objective. To review the use of the left upper quadrant approach in benign gynecologic laparoscopic surgery over a nine‐year period. Design. Retrospective review. Setting. University‐affiliated hospital. Population. Women who underwent laparoscopic gynecologic surgery the upper quadrant approach between January 2002 and December 2010. Methods. Medical records were reviewed. Main outcome measures. Demographic data, past surgical histories, indications for surgery and the use of the left upper quadrant approach, intraoperative findings, diagnosis and any complications. Results. 143 patients were identified, accounting for 4.9% of all gynecologic laparoscopic surgery. The indications for using the left upper quadrant approach were: previous open abdominal surgery (113, 79.0%), surgery in the second trimester of pregnancy (16, 11.1%), presence of large pelvic mass (9, 6.2%), previous transverse rectus abdominis myocutaneous flap for breast reconstruction (3, 2.0%), previous periumbilical hernia repair (1, 0.6%) and previous laparoscopic umbilical wound dehiscence (1, 0.6%). In women with previous abdominal surgery, the overall incidence of adhesions between omentum and/or bowel to the anterior abdominal wall in the umbilical region was 58.4%. Twelve (8.3%) patients required conversion to laparotomy. One patient had subcutaneous surgical emphysema over the left upper quadrant entry site. Conclusions. The left upper quadrant approach is an effective, safe and easy technique for peritoneal cavity access in women undergoing laparoscopic gynecologic surgery and should be considered in women with risk factors of periumbilical adhesions and in the presence of a large pelvic mass.
The Lega Nord Back in Government

Following the 2008 general election, the Italian regionalist populist party Lega Nord returned to government as part of a centre-right coalition led by Silvio Berlusconi. Since then, the party has been able to thrive thanks to its holding of key ministries and its consolidation of ‘issue ownership’ over its main themes of federal reform and immigration/law and order. In this period, it has also made major gains in the 2009 European Parliament and 2010 regional elections. This article analyses the Lega's success since 2008 by considering the actions of the party (in particular the legislation it has sponsored and the narrative offered of its time in government) as well as the reactions of mid-ranking leaders and activists. The authors argue that, contrary to the expectations of scholars, populists serving as junior coalition partners are not necessarily destined to tame their rhetoric, face splits or see their electoral support decline. On the contrary, by focusing on selected themes and policies and adopting effective communication strategies, the Lega has continued to enjoy electoral success and seen its membership grow. The article concludes, therefore, that claims about populists being inherently unable to survive in government and enjoy success seem to have been premature.
Insulin resistance improvement by cinnamon powder in polycystic ovary syndrome: A randomized double‐blind placebo controlled clinical trial

Our aim is to assess the effect of cinnamon powder capsules on insulin resistance, anthropometric measurements, glucose and lipid profiles, and androgens of women with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). Out of 80 women that were diagnosed as PCOS by Rotterdam Criteria, 66 were enrolled in this randomized double‐blind placebo‐controlled clinical trial. All of the PCOS women were taking medroxy progesterone acetate 10 mg/day for the last 10 days of their menstrual cycles. The cases were randomly allocated to 2 groups. The women in the first group were treated by cinnamon powder capsules 1.5 g/day in 3 divided doses for 12 weeks and the second group by similar placebo capsules. Anthropometric measurements, fasting blood sugar, fasting insulin, blood glucose 2 hr after taking 75 g oral glucose, HbA1c, testosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate, homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance, triglyceride, and cholesterol (low‐density lipoprotein, high‐density lipoprotein, and total) before and after the intervention were evaluated and compared as outcome measures. Fasting insulin (p = .024) and homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (p = .014) were reduced after 12 weeks in the cinnamon group compared with the placebo. There was also a significant decrease in low‐density lipoprotein in cinnamon group (p = .004) as compared with baseline that caused significant difference with placebo (p = .049). However, changes in other outcome measurements did not lead to statistically significant difference with placebo. The present results suggest that complementary supplementation of cinnamon significantly reduced fasting insulin and insulin resistance in women with PCOS.
Streptococcus pneumoniae burden and nasopharyngeal inflammation during acute otitis media

Streptococcus pneumoniae (Spn) is a common respiratory pathogen and a frequent cause of acute otitis media (AOM) in children. The first step in bacterial pathogenesis of AOM is the establishment of asymptomatic colonization in the nasopharynx. We studied Spn bacterial burden in conjunction with neutrophil recruitment and inflammatory gene transcription and cytokine secretion in samples of nasal wash collected from normal and otitis-prone children during health, viral upper respiratory infection without middle ear involvement (URI) and AOM. We found no significant associations between otitis-prone status and any of the measured parameters. However, Spn bacterial burden was significantly correlated with neutrophil recruitment, transcription of IL-8, TNF-α and SOD2, and secretion of TNF-α. We also found that transcription of IL-8 and TNF-α mRNA by neutrophils was significantly correlated with the secretion of these cytokines into the nasopharynx. We conclude that Spn bacterial burden in the NP is a major determinant of neutrophil recruitment to the NP and activity during URI and AOM, and that neutrophils are contributors to the secretion of IL-8 and TNF-α in the NP when the Spn burden is high.
Origin-Based Algorithm for the Traffic Assignment Problem

We present an origin-based algorithm for the traffic assignment problem, which is similar conceptually to the algorithm proposed by Gallager and Bertsekas for routing in telecommunication networks. Apart from being origin-based, the algorithm is different from other algorithms used so far for the traffic assignment problem by its restriction to acyclic solutions and by the use of approach proportions as solution variables. Projected quasi-Newton search directions are used to shift flows effectively and to eliminate residual flows. Experimental results comparing the proposed algorithm with the state-of-the-practice algorithm of Frankand Wolfe demonstrate the algorithm's excellent convergence performance, especially when highly accurate solutions are needed. Reasonable memory requirements make this algorithm applicable to large-scale networks. The resulting solution has an immediate route flow interpretation, thus providing equivalent detail to route-based solutions.
Transcriptional Regulation of Apolipoprotein C-III Gene Expression by the Orphan Nuclear Receptor RORα*

Triglyceride-rich remnant lipoproteins are considered as major risk factors contributing to the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Because apolipoprotein (apo) C-III is a major determinant of plasma triglyceride and remnant lipoprotein metabolism, it is important to understand how the expression of this gene is regulated. In the present study, we identified the orphan nuclear receptor RORα1 as a regulator of human and mouse apo C-III gene expression. Plasma triglyceride and apo C-III protein concentrations instaggerer (sg/sg) mice, homozygous for a deletion in the RORα gene, were significantly lower than in wild type littermates. The lowered plasma apo C-III levels were associated with reduced apo C-III mRNA levels in liver and intestine of sg/sg mice. Transient transfection experiments in human hepatoma HepG2, human colonic CaCO2, and rabbit kidney RK13 cells demonstrated that overexpression of the human RORα1 isoform specifically increases human apo C-III promoter activity, indicating that RORα1 enhances human apo C-III gene transcription. RORα1 response elements were mapped by promoter deletion analysis and gel shift experiments to two AGGTCA half-sites located at positions −83/−78 (within the C3P site) and −23/−18 (downstream of the TATA box) in the human apo C-III promoter, with the −23/−18 site exhibiting the highest binding affinity. Transfection of site-directed mutated constructs in HepG2 cells indicated that the RORα1 effect is predominantly mediated by the −23/−18 site. This site is conserved in the mouse apo C-III gene promoter. Moreover, RORα binds to the equivalent mouse site and activates constructs containing three copies of the mouse site cloned in front of an heterologous promoter. Taken together, our data identify RORα as a transcriptional regulator of apo C-III gene expression, providing a novel, physiological role for RORα1 in the regulation of genes controlling triglyceride metabolism.
The Pressures for Protection

Japan's Unequal Trade, by Edward J. Lincoln. The Brookings Institution, Washington, 1990. xiii+223 pp. $26.95. ISBN 0–8157–5262–8. Japan's Quest for a Role in the World: Roles ascribed to Japan Nationally and Internationally, by Bert Edstrom. Institute of Oriental Languages, University of Stockholm, Stockholm, 1988. xiii+325 pp. ISBN 91–7146–585–5. Japan at the Summit: Its Role in the Western Alliance and Asian‐Pacific Cooperation, by Shiro Saito. Routledge for RIIA, London, 1990. xii + 220 pp. £30. ISBN 0–415–04271–2. Made in Japan And Other Japanese ‘Business Novels’, translated and edited by Tamae K. Prindle. M. E. Sharpe, Armonk, NY and London, 1990. xviii+203 pp. $24.95, ISBN 0–87332–529‐X. Trade and Investment Relations Among the United States, Canada and Japan, edited by Robert M. Stern. University of Chicago Press, Chicago and London, 1989. viii+448 pp. £47.25 ($43.95). ISBN 0–226–77317–5. International Economic Pluralism: Economic Policy in East Asia and the Pacific, by Peter Drysdale. Allen and .
Education and Maori Relative Income Levels over Time: The Mediating Effect of Occupation, Industry, Hours of Work and Locality

This paper examines ethnic differences in the relationship between educational attainment and income in New Zealand over the period 1986 to 1996. In particular, it uses a 50% sample from the Census in each of those years to determine how far ethnic differences in income are explained by educational qualifications, access to higher paying occupations and industries, hours of work, locality of residence and marital status. The study is restricted to all those employed. Over the period under study, the gap between Maori and European incomes increased. This reflects Maori lower educational qualifications and concentration in occupations and industries that experienced low employment growth at a time when income returns to educational qualifications increased. Those with higher educational qualifications also experienced growth in hours of work, reflecting increasing demand for skills. Nevertheless income returns to qualifications were higher for Maori than for non-Maori in both years. This reflects the particular and increasing disadvantage faced by Maori with no qualifications compared to Europeans with no qualifications and the fact that the gap between mean incomes of Maori and Europeans reduces as qualifications rise. Maori participation in higher education increased strongly over the period. Controlling for a wide range of characteristics, Maori residing in rural areas are more disadvantaged than any other group. Maori are also less likely to be married. Not being married is associated with lower incomes for males. By 1996 there was little difference among ethnic groups in access to managerial and professional occupations for people with higher educational qualifications. Overall, most of the ethnic gap in incomes can be explained by differences in the characteristics of the groups, rather than by differences in the way in which these characteristics are translated into income.
The Tracking of Environmental Costs: Motivations and Impacts

Abstract Most accounting systems separately capture and accumulate one portion of the overall environmental costs of firms, while the remainder is embedded in other cost pools, such as general overhead costs or administrative costs. Little empirical evidence has been provided to explain the impacts of cost accounting systems that make a larger portion of firms' total environmental costs visible. The aim of this study is to conceptually and empirically examine the relationships among the tracking of environmental costs (TEC) by firms, their environmental motivations, and the impacts in terms of environmental and economic performance. Using survey data from a large sample of manufacturing firms, the results suggest two main conclusions. First, the TEC has an indirect influence on economic performance through environmental performance. Second, this indirect effect is influenced by the environmental motivations of the firm. More specifically, this indirect effect is greater (lesser) for firms whose motivations are predominately business-oriented (sustainability-oriented).
Foreign investments in real estate, economic growth and property prices: evidence from OECD countries

The last two decades have witnessed a growth in foreign direct investments (FDI) in the real estate sector in most of the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) countries. It is argued that FDI in the real estate sector may improve economic growth in recipient economies. On the other hand, property prices have increased considerably in OECD countries in recent years and some argue that FDI in real estate is one of the driving forces of high property prices in these countries. The purpose of this study is to analyze the interrelationship between FDI in the real estate sector, economic growth, and property prices while controlling for interest rate and inflation. We use observations from a set of OECD countries for the period between 1995 and 2008. The dynamic interrelationship is analyzed by applying a panel cointegration technique. Our empirical results show that FDI in real estate do not cause property price appreciations and also do not contribute to economic growth in OECD countries in the short run and the long run.
Regulation and Properties of PstSCAB, a High-Affinity, High-Velocity Phosphate Transport System of Sinorhizobium meliloti

ABSTRACT The properties and regulation of the pstSCAB-encoded Pi uptake system from the alfalfa symbiont Sinorhizobium meliloti are reported. We present evidence that the pstSCAB genes and the regulatory phoUB genes are transcribed from a single promoter that contains two PhoB binding sites and that transcription requires PhoB. S. meliloti strain 1021 (Rm1021) and its derivatives were found to carry a C deletion frameshift mutation in the pstC gene (designated pstC1021) that severely impairs activity of the PstSCAB Pi transport system. This mutation is absent in RCR2011, the parent of Rm1021. Correction of the pstC1021 mutation in Rm1021 by site-directed mutagenesis revealed that PstSCAB is a Pi-specific, high-affinity (Km, 0.2 μM), high-velocity (Vmax, 70 nmol/min/mg protein) transport system. The pstC1021 allele was shown to generate a partial pho regulon constitutive phenotype, in which transcription is activated by PhoB even under Pi-excess conditions that render PhoB inactive in a wild-type background. The previously reported symbiotic Fix− phenotype of phoCDET mutants was found to be dependent on the pstC1021 mutation, as Rm1021 phoCDET mutants formed small white nodules on alfalfa that failed to reduce N2, whereas phoCDET mutant strains with a corrected pstC allele (RmP110) formed pink nodules on alfalfa that fixed N2 like the wild type. Alfalfa root nodules formed by the wild-type RCR2011 strain expressed the low-affinity orfA-pit-encoded Pi uptake system and neither the pstSCAB genes nor the phoCDET genes. Thus, metabolism of alfalfa nodule bacteroids is not Pi limited.
Evidence on the Flexibility of Prices

We consider two competing theories that provide potentially important explanations of price rigidity. The first theory argues that prices are sticky at the aggregate level because of the cumulative effects of relatively short adjustment lags at the firm level. In contrast, the second theory argues that aggregate prices are slow to adjust because individual prices are slow to adjust. We estimate a structural model in which imperfectly competitive firms set prices in order to maximize profits subject to quadratic costs of price adjustment. The results suggest that to the extent that aggregate price rigidity exists, it can be explained by sluggishness of individual price adjustment. However, prices at both the aggregate and individual level are found to adjust rapidly to nominal cost innovations. Copyright 1994 by MIT Press.