Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Response of Term Rates to Fed Announcements

In February 4, 1994 the Federal Reserve began the practice of announcing changes in the targeted level for the federal funds rate immediately after such decisions were made. This paper investigates to what extent the policy of “the announcement” affected a key ingredient in the monetary transmission mechanism: the term structure of nominally risk-free, Treasury securities. We find that term rates react much more in unison during announcement days than at any other time. Moreover, the practice of circumscribing almost all changes in the federal funds rate target to Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting dates regiments the formation of market expectations in the overnight rate and the price discovery process of term rates, thus facilitating the Fed’s goal of controlling long-term rates. JEL Classification: E4, E5, C5
A Google-Proof Collection of French Winograd Schemas

This article presents the first collection of French Winograd Schemas. Winograd Schemas form anaphora resolution problems that can only be resolved with extensive world knowledge. For this reason the Winograd Schema Challenge has been proposed as an alternative to the Turing Test. A very important feature of Winograd Schemas is that it should be impossible to resolve them with statistical information about word co-occurrences: they should be Google-proof. We propose a measure of Google-proofness based on Mutual Information, and demonstrate the method on our collection of French Winograd Schemas.
High-temperature signatures of quantum criticality in heavy-fermion systems

We propose a new criterion for distinguishing the Hertz–Millis (HM) and the local quantum critical (LQC) mechanism in heavy-fermion systems with a magnetic quantum phase transition (QPT). The criterion is based on our finding that the complete spin screening of Kondo ions can be suppressed by the Ruderman–Kittel–Kasuya–Yosida (RKKY) coupling to the surrounding magnetic ions even without magnetic ordering and that, consequently, the signature of this suppression can be observed in spectroscopic measurements above the magnetic ordering temperature. We apply the criterion to high-resolution photoemission measurements on CeCu6 − xAux and conclude that the QPT in this system is dominated by the LQC scenario.
HPLC with o-phthalaldehyde precolumn derivatization to measure total, oxidized, and protein-bound glutathione in blood, plasma, and tissue.

This HPLC assay with o-phthalaldehyde precolumn derivatization is used to measure the total, oxidized, and protein-bound forms of glutathione in human blood, plasma, and rat tissue. Total glutathione (i.e., sum of reduced, oxidized, and protein-bound fractions) was determined after reduction with dithiothreitol and protein precipitation with perchloric acid (PCA). A preliminary selective blockage of free sulfhydryl groups with N-ethylmaleimide was necessary to evaluate the different oxidized forms. The assay showed high sensitivity (< 0.05 pmol injected) and good precision (within-day CVs of 5.5% to 6.4%), recovery (101% +/- 4%), and linearity (r > 0.999). Samples, after PCA acidification, were stable at room temperature and 4 degrees C for 3 days, and at -20 degrees C and -80 degrees C for > 1 month. The method (involving automated derivatization) not only is very rapid and simple but also allows immediate processing of many different biological samples.
Role of P2X4 receptors in synaptic strengthening in mouse CA1 hippocampal neurons

P2X4 receptors are calcium‐permeable cation channels gated by extracellular ATP. They are found close to subsynaptic sites on hippocampal CA1 neurons. We compared features of synaptic strengthening between wild‐type and P2X4 knockout mice (21–26 days old). Potentiation evoked by a tetanic presynaptic stimulus (100 Hz, 1 s) paired with postsynaptic depolarization was less in P2X4−/− mice than in wild‐type mice (230 vs. 50% potentiation). Paired‐pulse ratios and the amplitude and frequency of spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) were not different between wild‐type and knockout mice. Prior hyperpolarization (ten 3 s pulses to −120 mV at 0.17 Hz) potentiated the amplitude of spontaneous EPSCs in wild‐type mice, but not in P2X4−/− mice; this potentiation was not affected by nifedipine, but was abolished by 10 mm 1,2‐bis(o‐aminophenoxy)ethane‐N,N,N′,N′‐tetra‐acetic acid (BAPTA) in the recording pipette. The amplitude of N‐methyl‐d‐aspartate EPSCs (in 6‐cyano‐7‐nitroquinoxaline‐2,3‐dione, 10 or 30 μm, at −100 mV) facilitated during 20 min recording in magnesium‐free solution. In wild‐type mice, this facilitation of the N‐methyl‐d‐aspartate EPSC was reduced by about 50% by intracellular BAPTA (10 mm), ifenprodil (3 μm) or 4‐(4‐fluorophenyl)‐2‐(4‐methylsulphinylphenyl)‐5‐(4‐pyridyl)1H‐imidazole (5 μm). In P2X4−/− mice, the facilitation was much less, and was unaffected by intracellular BAPTA, ifenprodil (3 μm) or mitogen‐activated protein (MAP) kinase inhibitor 4‐(4‐fluorophenyl)‐2‐(4‐methylsulphinylphenyl)‐5‐(4‐pyridyl)1H‐imidazole (5 μm). This suggests that the absence of P2X4 receptors limits the incorporation of NR2B subunits into synaptic N‐methyl‐d‐aspartate receptors.
Effects of Cognitive Feedback, Emotional Induction, and Social Pressure on Decisions Related to Cognitive Performance with Economic Reward: Cognitive Feedback, Emotional Induction, and Social Pressure on Decision Making

The main aim of this study was to investigatewhether the effect of induced affective states, obtainedthrough a false (positive vs. negative) feedback in a cognitive task, influenced participants' choices in a consecutive cognitive task. We also investigated a possible effect of 'social pressure' on individual preferences, by introducing information about the percentage of difficulty level choicesprovided by other participants. The 3 x 2 experimental design involved the manipulation of two between-subjects variables: feedback (positive vs. negative) and social pressure (none vs. prudent vs. hazardous), 180undergraduates (90 males), with mean age 23.99 (SD=2.89)participated in the experiment as unpaid volunteers. As expected, results showed that the feedback manipulation washighly effective. Results also showed that participants whoreceived a negative feedback chose less difficult tasks, while those receiving a positive feedback preferred more difficult tasks. Some emotions partially mediated such effect. Instead, social pressure did not affect participants' choices.
Decreasing NO x of a Low-Speed Two-Stroke Marine Diesel Engine by Using In-Cylinder Emission Control Measures

The authors applied one-dimensional (1-D) simulation and 3-D Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulation to evaluate the potential of in-cylinder control methods on a low-speed 2-stroke marine engine to reach the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Tier 3 NO x emissions standards. Reducing the combustion temperature is an important in-cylinder measure to decrease NO x emissions of marine diesel engines. Miller-cycle and Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) are effective methods to reduce the maximum combustion temperature and accordingly decrease NO x emissions. The authors’ calculation results indicate that with a combination of 2-stage turbocharging, a mild Miller-cycle and 10% EGR rate, the NO x emissions can be decreased by 48% without the increased Specific Fuel Oil Consumption (SFOC) penalties; with a medium Miller-cycle and 10% EGR, NO x can be decreased by 56% with a slight increase of SFOC; with a medium Miller-cycle and 20% EGR, NO x can be decreased by 77% and meet IMO Tier 3 standards, but with the high price of a considerable increase of SFOC. The first two schemes are promising to meet IMO Tier 3 standards with good fuel economy if other techniques are combined.
Cigarette smoking and colorectal cancer mortality in the cancer prevention study II.

BACKGROUND Recent studies suggest that long-term cigarette smoking is associated with an increased risk of colorectal cancer. Whether the association is causal or due to confounding remains unclear. METHODS We examined cigarette smoking in relation to colorectal cancer mortality, evaluating smoking duration and recency and controlling for potential confounders in the Cancer Prevention Study II. This prospective nationwide mortality study of 1 184 657 adults (age > or =30 years) was begun by the American Cancer Society in 1982. After exclusions, our analytic cohort included 312 332 men and 469 019 women, among whom 4432 colon or rectal cancer deaths occurred between 1982 and 1996 among individuals who were cancer free in 1982. Rate ratios (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated by fitting Cox proportional hazards models. All statistical tests were two-sided. RESULTS Multivariate-adjusted colorectal cancer mortality rates were highest among current smokers, were intermediate among former smokers, and were lowest in lifelong nonsmokers. The multivariate-adjusted RR (95% CI) for current compared with never smokers was 1.32 (1.16-1.49) among men and 1.41 (1.26-1.58) among women. Increased risk was evident after 20 or more years of smoking for men and women combined as compared with never smokers. Risk among current and former smokers increased with duration of smoking and average number of cigarettes smoked per day; risk in former smokers decreased significantly with years since quitting. If the multivariate-adjusted RR estimates in this study do, in fact, reflect causality, then approximately 12% of colorectal cancer deaths among both men and women in the general U.S. population in 1997 were attributable to smoking. CONCLUSIONS Long-term cigarette smoking is associated with increased risk of colorectal cancer mortality in both men and women. Clear reduction in risk is observed with early smoking cessation.
Psychosocial Care Needs of Melanoma Survivors: Are They Being Met?

Patients who have survived malignant melanoma for more than five years may lack the opportunity to talk about their burden. As a consequence their psychosocial care needs remain undetected and available supportive interventions may not be utilised. Therefore, the psychosocial burden of this patient group needs to be assessed using specific screening instruments. The aim of this study was to investigate the psychosocial burden of long-term melanoma survivors, their psychosocial care needs and the determinants of these needs. We wanted to find out if the use of professional support corresponds to the care needs defined by experts. Using the cancer registry of Rhineland-Palatinate, melanoma patients diagnosed at least 5 years before the survey were contacted by physicians. N = 689 former patients completed the Hornheide Questionnaire (short form HQ-S) to identify psychosocial support need (scale cut off ≥ 16 or item-based cut-off score) and the potential psychosocial determinants of these needs. Additionally, they were asked about their utilisation of the professional support system. More than one third (36%) of them was in need for professional psychosocial support. The highest burden scores concerned worry about tumour progression. Younger age (< 50), higher general fatigue, higher symptom burden, lower general health, negative social interactions and unfulfilled information needs were significant predictors of the need for psychosocial intervention. Related to the percentage of survivors identified as ‘in need’, the professional support system was underused. Further studies should investigate whether using the HQ-S to routinely identify burdened melanoma patients could lead to better fulfilment of their intervention needs, ultimately enhancing health-related quality of life.
Numerical simulations of acoustically generated gravitational waves at a first order phase transition

We present details of numerical simulations of the gravitational radiation produced by a first order thermal phase transition in the early universe. We confirm that the dominant source of gravitational waves is sound waves generated by the expanding bubbles of the low-temperature phase. We demonstrate that the sound waves have a power spectrum with a power-law form between the scales set by the average bubble separation (which sets the length scale of the fluid flow Lf) and the bubble wall width. The sound waves generate gravitational waves whose power spectrum also has a power-law form, at a rate proportional to Lf and the square of the fluid kinetic energy density. We
The German Research Network on Schizophrenia-impact on the management of schizophrenia

The German Research Network On Schizophrenia (GRNS) is a nationwide network currently comprising 16 psychiatric university departments and 14 state and district hospitals, as well as six local networks of psychiatric practices and general practitioners collaborating on about 25 interrelated, multicenter projects on schizophrenia research. The GRNS aims to intensify collaboration and knowledge exchange betvi/een leading research institutions and qualified routine care facilities, both within (horizontal network) and between (vertical network) the two levels of research and care, in order to create the scientific preconditions for optimization of the management of schizophrenia. The concept and the first results of studies aiming at the investigation of(i) strategies for early detection and early intervention in the prodromal stage of psychosis; (ii) treatment in first-episode schizophrenia; (iii) quality management; and (iv) destigmatization, are described as examples of this effort.
A Theory of Foreign Policy

List of Figures ix List of Tables x Preface: A Theory of Foreign Policy xi Chapter 1: Introduction 1 Chapter 2: The Two-Good Theory Presented 14 Chapter 3: American Foreign Policy since World War II from the Two-Good Perspective 43 Chapter 4: Three Applications of the Two-Good Theory 69 Chapter 5: The Two-Good Theory Formalized 96 Chapter 6: Tests of the Two-Good Theory 114 Conflict, Foreign Aid, and Military Spending Chapter 7: Substitutability and Alliances 137 Chapter 8: Conclusion 173 What We Have Learned Appendix 183 Bibliography 191 Index 207
Relationships Between the Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test and Anaerobic Performance Tests in Adolescent Handball Players

Abstract The aim of the present study was to investigate relationships between a performance index derived from the Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test level 1 (Yo-Yo IR1) and other measures of physical performance and skill in handball players. The other measures considered included peak muscular power of the lower limbs (Wpeak), jumping ability (squat and counter-movement jumps (SJ, CMJ), a handball skill test and the average sprinting velocities over the first step (VS) and the first 5 m (V5m). Test scores for 25 male national-level adolescent players (age: 17.2 ± 0.7 years) averaged 4.83 ± 0.34 m·s-1 (maximal velocity reached at the Yo-Yo IR1); 917 ± 105 Watt, 12.7 ± 3 W·kg-1 (Wpeak); 3.41 ± 0.5 m·s-1 and 6.03 ± 0.6 m·s-1 (sprint velocities for Vs and V5m respectively) and 10.3 ± 1 s (handball skill test). Yo-Yo IR1 test scores showed statistically significant correlations with all of the variables examined: Wpeak (W and W·kg-1) r = 0.80 and 0.65, respectively, p≤0.001); sprinting velocities (r = 0.73 and 0.71 for VS and V5m respectively; p≤0.001); jumping performance (SJ: r = 0.60, p≤0.001; CMJ: r= 0.66, p≤0.001) and the handball skill test (r = 0.71; p≤0.001). We concluded that the Yo-Yo test score showed a sufficient correlation with other potential means of assessing handball players, and that intra-individual changes of Yo-Yo IR1 score could provide a useful composite index of the response to training or rehabilitation, although correlations lack sufficient precision to help in players’ selection.
Specific Investments, Holdup, and the Outside Option Principle: An Experimental Study

According to the outside option principle the holdup problem can be lifted by structuring the post-investment bargaining stage in such a way that the non-investing party has a binding outside option. The investor then becomes residual claimant and has the appropriate incentives to invest. Theory predicts that investments increase when non-investors' outside options increase from a non-binding low level to a binding high level. Investments in the latter case are then equal to the socially efficient level. Further, it is also predicted that this mechanism does work when breakdown is optional (outside option game) and does not work when there is only forced breakdown of the bargaining (threat point game). This paper reports about an experiment designed to test these predictions. We find that investment levels do not increase with the value of the non-investor's outside option. When the outside option is binding investment levels fall short of the socially efficient level. But, in outside option games investment levels tend to be higher than in threat point games. Actual investment levels can be explained by actual bargaining results which also deviate from the predictions based on subgame perfectness. When theory predicts investors to receive half of the surplus created by the investment, the agreed amount exceeds the predicted amount. When theory predicts investors to be residual claimant, the agreed amount falls short of the predicted amount. The main difference between the outside option game and the threat point game appears not to be the operation of the outside option principle, but rather that agreement is reached sooner. Overall, our experiment suggests that the effectiveness of contractual solutions to holdup that rely on the outside option principle is rather limited in practice.
After the Great Complacence: Financial Crisis and the Politics of Reform

What is the relationship between the financial system and politics? In a democratic system, what kind of control should elected governments have over the financial markets? What policies should be implemented to regulate them? What is the role played by different elites - financial, technocratic, and political - in the operation and regulation of the financial system? And what role should citizens, investors, and savers play? These are some of the questions addressed in this challenging analysis of the particular features of the contemporary capitalist economy in Britain, the USA, and Western Europe. The authors argue that the causes of the financial crisis lay in the bricolage and innovation in financial markets, resulting in long chains and circuits of transactions and instruments that enabled bankers to earn fees, but which did not sufficiently take into account system risk, uncertainty, and unintended consequences. In the wake of the crisis, the authors argue that social scientists, governments, and citizens need to re-engage with the political dimensions of financial markets. This book offers a controversial and accessible exploration of the disorders of our financial capitalism and its justifications. With an innovative emphasis on the economically 'undisclosed' and the political 'mystifying', it combines technical understanding of finance, cultural analysis, and al political account of interests and institutions.
Immunohistochemical expression of EGFR in oral leukoplakia: Association with clinicopathological features and cellular proliferation

Objectives: to investigate the immunoexpression of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in a sample of oral leukoplakias (OL) and to determine the receptor’s association with dysplasia, tobacco consumption, lesion site, and proliferation rate. Although EGFR should be overexpressed in some oral leukoplakias, the factors that may interfere with this expression and the influence of this receptor on epithelial proliferation have yet to be investigated. Study Design: Samples of oral leukoplakias (48) and of normal oral epithelium (10) were immunohistologically examined for expression of EGFR. Immunohistochemistry for Ki-67, and p27 were also performed in leukoplakias. EGFR expression was associated with clinical and pathological features. Results: EGFR was positive in 62.5% of the leukoplakias and 50% of normal oral epithelium. The number of EGFR positive OL located in high-risk sites was significantly higher than EGFR positive OL located in low-risk sites. Most of the p27 negative leukoplakias were EGFR positive, and the p27 index in the parabasal layer was diminished in the presence of dysplasia. Positivity for EGFR was not associated with dysplasia, tobacco exposure, or Ki-67. Conclusion: EGFR is expressed in leukoplakia regardless of dysplasia, but EGFR positivity should be more frequent in lesions sited in areas of high cancer risk. The association between EGFR and p27 may represent an important mechanism in the control of cellular proliferation and malignant progression of oral epithelium and therefore warrants further investigation. Key words:Oral leukoplakia, EGFR, p27, Ki-67, epithelial dysplasia.
Corporate Vision and Rapid Technological Change: The Evolution of Market Structure

This book examines the role of strategic visions of future technological development in the evolution of market structure. This perspective offers a novel way of resolving some of the puzzles that have arisen in understanding the effects of rapid technology change and market structure. Strategic visions are seen to play a central role in corporate strategy, and industrial policy. The authors develop some theoretical tools to study these questions, and present 5 case studies of high technology industries, with conclusions for policy. The book will be of interest to industrial economists concerned with the effects of rapid technological change, and to those interested in technology management. It will also be of interest to economists and others working in high technology industries, and in government.
The Effects of Legal Institutions on Access to Credit: Evidence from American Indian Reservations

This paper examines the relationship between credit markets and legal institutions by exploiting exogenous variation in jurisdiction over debt contracts on American Indian reservations. The variation is due to federal legislation, passed in 1953, giving states jurisdiction on some reservations while tribes retained their jurisdiction on other reservations. Based on evidence from historical and modern data, state jurisdiction increased per capita credit for American Indians, and their probability of having a home loan application accepted, by over 50 percent. The sovereignty that tribes have struggled long and hard to retain appears to be a liability for Native Americans seeking loans.
The probability distribution of cluster formation times and implied Einstein radii

We provide a quantitative assessment of the probability distribution function of the concentration parameter of galaxy clusters. We do so by using the probability distribution function of halo formation times, calculated by means of the excursion set formalism, and a formation redshift-concentration scaling derived from results of N-body simulations. Our results suggest that the observed high concentrations of several clusters are quite unlikely in the standard A cold dark matter (ACDM) cosmological model, but that due to various inherent uncertainties, the statistical range of the predicted distribution may be significantly wider than commonly acknowledged. In addition, the probability distribution function of the Einstein radius of A1689 is evaluated, confirming that the observed value of ∼45 ± 5 arcsec is very improbable in the currently favoured cosmological model. If, however, a variance of ∼20 per cent in the theoretically predicted value of the virial radius is assumed, then the discrepancy is much weaker. The measurement of similarly large Einstein radii in several other clusters would pose a difficulty to the standard model. If so, earlier formation of the large-scale structure would be required, in accord with predictions of some quintessence models. We have indeed verified that in a viable early dark energy model large Einstein radii are predicted in as many as a few tens of high-mass clusters.