Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Contribution of isoprene to chemical budgets: A model tracer study with the NCAR CTM MOZART-4

[1] We present a study of the sensitivity of isoprene emission calculations in a global chemistry transport model (CTM) to input land cover characteristics and analyze the impacts of changes in isoprene on the tropospheric budgets of atmospheric key species. The CTM Model for Ozone and Related Chemical Species, version 4 (MOZART-4) includes the online calculation of isoprene emissions based on the Model of Emissions of Gases and Aerosols from Nature (MEGAN), which is driven by three different land parameter inputs. We also included a tagging scheme in the CTM, which keeps track of the production of carbon containing species from isoprene oxidation. It is found that the amount of tropospheric carbon monoxide (CO), formaldehyde (HCHO) and peroxyacetylnitrate (PAN) explained by isoprene oxidation ranges from 9–16%, 15–27%, and 22–32%, depending on the isoprene emissions scenario. Changes in the global tropospheric burden with different land cover inputs can reach up to 10% for CO, 15% for HCHO, and 20% for PAN. Changes for ozone are small on a global scale, but regionally differences are as large as 3DU in the tropospheric column and as large as 5 ppbv in the surface concentrations. Our results demonstrate that a careful integration of isoprene emissions and chemistry in CTMs is very important for simulating the budgets of a number of atmospheric trace gases. We further demonstrate that the model tagging scheme has the capability of improving conventional methods of constraining isoprene emissions from space-borne HCHO column observations, especially in regions where a considerable part of the variability in the HCHO column is not related to isoprene.
The long-run real effects of monetary policy: Keynesian predictions from a neoclassical model

In this paper we integrate Diamond's (1965) model of neoclassical production and capital with Wallace's (1984) model of monetary policy in order to study the real effects of two types of monetary policy actions: open market operations and changes in reserve requirements. We show that a permanent easing of open market or reserve policy can produce permanent increases in both the inflation rate and the level (but not the growth rate) of output. We also describe conditions under which the effects of these policies on real interest rates and output can be large relative to their effects on the rate of inflation. When we compare the effects of the two types of policies we find that open market operations are the policy tool that minimizes the change in the inflation rate necessary to achieve a given change in the level of output.
Stroke in Hospitalized Patients: Are There Special Risk Factors?

Background and Purpose: The occurrence of stroke in patients hospitalized for various illnesses remains a particular challenge for neurologists. Determining the potential causes for these particular cerebrovascular events may help to define the population at risk and to take measures in order to prevent stroke during hospitalization. The aim of our study was to evaluate the potential risk factors associated with stroke, which occurred in patients hospitalized for other illnesses. Methods: This retrospective case-control study based on data of patients who underwent an ischemic stroke while being hospitalized not because of stroke and a control group of patients admitted during the same period who were matched for age and sex to the study patients. Common vascular risk factors, e.g. fever, leukocytosis, blood pressure, hemoglobin, cardiac arrhythmia and dehydration, were compared between the study and control groups. Results: Of 2,247 consecutive patients with ischemic stroke, the stroke had occurred during hospitalization not related to any surgical procedure in 80 (3.5%). Six parameters were found as being significant independent risk factors for in-hospital stroke: fever and leukocytosis during hospitalization, elevated diastolic and unstable blood pressure, dehydration and past history of myocardial infarction. Conclusion: Careful monitoring of temperature, blood count, blood pressure, and clinical and laboratory signs of dehydration is needed to prevent in-hospital stroke.
How Can a Q-Theoretic Model Price Momentum?

The answer, of course, is that it can't. Hou, Xue, and Zhang's (2014) empirical model does price portfolios sorted on prior year's performance, but for reasons outside of q-theory---it does so by including a fundamental momentum factor, i.e., a factor based on momentum in firm fundamentals. The ROE factor, which does all the work pricing momentum, is constructed by sorting stocks on the most recently announced quarterly earnings, which tend to be high after positive earnings surprises. A post earnings announcement drift factor prices the model's ROE factor, and subsumes the role the ROE factor plays pricing momentum portfolios when both are included as explanatory variables. The HXZ model also only prices portfolios sorted on gross profitability by conflating earnings profitability, which drives the ROE factor's covariance with gross profitability, with post earnings announcement drift, which drives the ROE factor's high average returns. Controlling for fundamental momentum, the HXZ model also loses its power to explain the performance of gross profitability. These facts are inconsistent with a neoclassical interpretation of the empirical model.
The Effects of Agricultural Liberalization on Sectoral Water Use : a CGE Model for Turkey

The aim of this study is to construct a water-CGE model for Turkey in order to examine the effects of a reduction in agricultural tariff rates on Turkey’s international trade and on agricultural water use. With agricultural trade liberalization Turkey becomes a net importer of the agricultural products. The agricultural production declines resulting in a reduction in the agricultural water use. The same simulation is considered with an increase in agricultural productivity. The trade distortions resulted from tariff reductions are compensated. Water use in fruit sector increases while in other agricultural sectors it declines although the production and net exports in all agricultural sectors increase.
The effect of group affiliation on the risk-taking of Japanese firms

This article examines the role of keiretsu (i.e. business group) affiliation on the risk-taking of Japanese firms. We find that total risk, measured by firm-level stock price volatility, is not significantly affected by keiretsu membership. The reason is that affiliated firms are characterized by lower idiosyncratic risk along with higher systematic risk. However, idiosyncratic risk varies across business groups and appears to depend upon the firm's inclination towards its group. In contrast, the higher systematic risk of group affiliates is significant for each keiretsu and every degree of group inclination. Moreover, this result remains after adjusting risk for firm characteristics and industry effects. Hence, the consequence of group affiliation may more accurately be described by higher systematic risk. This result could reflect the weaker competitive position of keiretsu affiliates.
A Startling New Empirical Finding on the Nexus Between Financial Development and Economic Growth in Kenya

The recent global financial crisis has plunged the Kenyan economy into a substantial economic contraction that has created massive currency depreciation, falling production across most sectors of the economy, reductions in international demand, and stagnation in the tourism industry. It is in reference to these episodes that this study aims to investigate whether the long-run financial development and economic growth prospects of the Kenyan economy have been affected, and to determine empirically the explanatory variable(s) responsible for the slowdown in Kenyan economic growth. To achieve this, we measure the short-run and long-run impact of financial development on economic growth using time series data from 1980 to 2011. The ARDL bounds-testing approach to cointegration was applied because of the I(0) and I(1) nature of the data. Similarly, the U test of Mehlum and Sasbuchi was used for the first time to determine whether the variables had a monotonic or non-monotonic relationship. The finding of the study established that financial development has no contributory effects on Kenyan GDP in both the short-run and the long-run and this is immaterial to the course of the financial crisis. Trade openness was consistently discovered to be the greatest impediment to the improvement of Kenyan economic growth due largely to its negative and insignificant impacts on GDP in both the short-run and the long-run. The study equally discovered that the relationship between finance and GDP is monotonic, meaning that there is no excessive monetary dilation in the Kenyan economy. The most startling empirical finding of this study is that the GDP of continents with evidence of the demand-following hypothesis, as in the case of Kenya, has the fastest error correction model readjustment possibilities despite the crisis and other prevailing macroeconomic vices. The question of why and how opens up another area of empirical research.
Recognition of facial expressions is moderated by Islamic cues

ABSTRACT Recognising emotions from faces that are partly covered is more difficult than from fully visible faces. The focus of the present study is on the role of an Islamic versus non-Islamic context, i.e. Islamic versus non-Islamic headdress in perceiving emotions. We report an experiment that investigates whether briefly presented (40 ms) facial expressions of anger, fear, happiness and sadness are perceived differently when covered by a niqāb or turban, compared to a cap and shawl. In addition, we examined whether oxytocin, a neuropeptide regulating affection, bonding and cooperation between ingroup members and fostering outgroup vigilance and derogation, would differentially impact on emotion recognition from wearers of Islamic versus non-Islamic headdresses. The results first of all show that the recognition of happiness was more accurate when the face was covered by a Western compared to Islamic headdress. Second, participants more often incorrectly assigned sadness to a face covered by an Islamic headdress compared to a cap and shawl. Third, when correctly recognising sadness, they did so faster when the face was covered by an Islamic compared to Western headdress. Fourth, oxytocin did not modulate any of these effects. Implications for theorising about the role of group membership on emotion perception are discussed.
Technology and Economic Performance in the American Economy

This paper examines the sources of the U. S. macroeconomic miracle of 1995-2000 and attempts to distinguish among permanent sources of American leadership in high-technology industries, as contrasted with the particular post-1995 episode of technological acceleration, and with other independent sources of the economic miracle unrelated to technology. The core of the American achievement was the maintenance of low inflation in the presence of a decline in the unemployment rate to the lowest level reached in three decades. The post-1995 technological acceleration, particularly in information technology (IT) and accompanying revival of productivity growth, directly contributed both to faster output growth and to holding down the inflation rate, but inflation was also held down by a substantial decline in real non-oil import prices, by low energy prices through early 1999, and by a temporary cessation in 1996-98 of inflation in real medical care prices. In turn low inflation allowed the Fed to maintain an easy monetary policy that fueled rapid growth in real demand, profits, and stock prices, which fed back into growth of consumption in excess of growth in income. The technological acceleration was made possible in part by permanent sources of American advantage over Europe and Japan, most notably the mixed system of government- and privately-funded research universities, the large role of U. S. government agencies providing research funding based on peer review, the strong tradition of patent and securities regulation, the leading worldwide position of U.S. business schools and U. S. -owned investment banking, accounting, and management-consulting firms, and the particular importance of the capital market for high-tech financing led by a uniquely dynamic venture capital industry. While these advantages help to explain why the IT boom happened in the United States, they did not prevent the U. S. from experiencing a dismal period of slow productivity growth between 1972 and 1995 nor from falling behind in numerous industries outside the IT sector. The 1995-2000 productivity growth revival was fragile, both because a portion rested on unsustainably rapid output growth in 1999-2000 in the growth rate of computer investment after 1995 that could not continue forever. The web could only be invented once, Y2K artificially compressed the computer replacement cycle, and some IT purchases were made by dot-coms that by early 2001 were bankrupt. As an invention, the web provided abundant consumer surplus but no recipe for most dot-coms to make a profit from providing free services. High
Knowledge, Attitudes, and Instructional Practices of Michigan Community College Math Instructors: The Search for a KAP Gap in Collegiate Math

Numerous efforts in math education have attempted to convince instructors to shift their instructional practices from lecture to alternative student-centered practices, but these have not been successful on a large scale, despite professional development that focuses on increasing awareness and improving instructor attitudes about studentcentered instructional practices. This may be due to a knowledge-attitude-practice gap (KAP Gap), which exists when knowledge and favorable attitude do not lead toward adoption of a practice. This study uses a quantitative approach (author-created electronic survey, response rate 21.2%) to measure knowledge, attitudes, and instructional practices of Michigan community college mathematics faculty, with the purpose of identifying the existence of a possible KAP Gap and the factors that might be influencing its existence. The analysis includes a breakdown about how community college math faculty acquire their knowledge of instructional practices and their level of participation in a variety of formal and non-formal professional development activities. General faculty attitudes about teaching and the teaching environment are measured using survey instruments developed by Trigwell and Prosser (2004, 2008). Attitudes towards three instructional practices (collaborative learning, inquiry-based learning, and the lecture
Linkages between investment flows and financial development

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to introduce previously missing financial components (efficiency, activity and size) in the assessment of the finance-investment nexus. Design/methodology/approach – Vector autoregressive models in the perspectives of Vector Error Correction Model and short-run Granger causality are employed. There is usage of optimally specified econometric methods as opposed to purely discretionary model specifications in mainstream literature. Findings – Three main findings are established: first, while finance led investment elasticities are positive, investment elasticities of finance are negative; second, but for Guinea Bissau, Mozambique and Togo, finance does not seem to engender portfolio investment; and finally, contrary to mainstream literature, financial efficiency appears to impact investment more than financial depth. Practical implications – Four policy implications result: first, extreme caution is needed in the use of single equation analysis for economic forecasts; .
East Meets West? Board Characteristics in an Emerging Market: Evidence from Turkish Banks

The presence of duality in the form of duly empowered members/executive directors is very problematic, leading to potential principal-principal conflict. Strategic investors and portfolio managers should challenge this arrangement before making sizable outlays in the Turkish financial sector. Our study shows that Turkish banks are following a number of recommended governance practices, but the prevalence of some arrangements may exacerbate principal-principal conflict. Whether this holds in other more closed sectors of the economy is an area worthy of further investigation. This study investigates the association of board independence, CEO duality, board size, and board tenure with bank performance in Turkey. These relationships are examined for all 27 Turkish banks operating in the market between the years 2001-2004. Our findings suggest that the presence of insiders has a positive impact on return on assets, while duality and board tenure are negatively associated with performance. The aim of this study is to uncover whether prescribed western style governance practices surface in the characteristics of board of directors in Turkish banks, and to see if these characteristics influence firm performance. Turkey is an emerging market drawing large amounts of foreign investment but board composition issues have rarely been analyzed.
RELATIONSHIPS AMONG MERCURY CONCENTRATIONS, HORMONES, AND NESTING EFFORT OF WHITE IBISES (EUDOCIMUS ALBUS) IN THE FLORIDA EVERGLADES

Abstract Mercury, a common wetland pollutant, can affect wildlife populations through acute toxicity or through physiological effects that modify behavior and negatively influence reproductive success. We compared body-feather mercury concentrations of free-living male and female adult White Ibises (Eudocimus albus) during three breeding seasons in the Florida Everglades and examined the relationships among mercury, hormone concentrations, and body-condition scores. Female White Ibises consistently had lower mercury concentrations than males. Prebreeding females' estradiol concentrations were negatively correlated with mercury concentrations. However, we found no relationship between mercury and female testosterone, progesterone, and corticosterone concentrations. Incubating male White Ibises showed a significant positive relationship between testosterone and mercury concentrations, but no other significant hormonal correlations with mercury concentrations. We used a seven-year standardized data set of Great Egret (Ardea alba) chick-feather mercury concentrations as a measure of temporal changes in mercury bioavailability in the Everglades and related that measure to annual numbers of White Ibis nests. White Ibis nesting was negatively correlated with the mercury exposure index. Low numbers of nesting White Ibises may have been the result of fewer birds nesting or high abandonment rates. Our results suggest that mercury exposure may cause fewer birds to nest or more birds to abandon nests because of subacute effects on hormone systems. However, the results are correlative; they call for further investigation in free-living populations and in the laboratory. Relaciones entre las Concentraciones de Mercurio, Hormonas y el Esfuerzo de Nidificación de Eudocimus albus en los Everglades, Florida
Clinical relevance of testing for antineutrophil cytoplasm antibodies (ANCA) with a standard indirect immunofluorescence ANCA test in patients with upper or lower respiratory tract symptoms.

BACKGROUND--Reports from specialist nephrological centres have suggested that the antineutrophil cytoplasm antibody (ANCA) test is highly specific and sensitive for patients with Wegener's granulomatosis. To determine the usefulness of the ANCA test in everyday respiratory practice the results of the test were audited in all patients in the south west of England with respiratory symptoms who underwent the test. METHODS--The results of all 335 patients who had presented with upper or lower respiratory tracts symptoms, or both, and were tested for ANCA by the indirect ANCA test in 1990, as recommended in the broadsheet of the British Association of Clinical Pathologists, were audited. Case notes and necropsy reports were available for review in 231 cases (69%), and in the remainder information was obtained by a standard questionnaire. RESULTS--There were 106 positive results, 45 (44%) from patients with Wegener's granulomatosis. The sensitivity and specificity of a positive ANCA test result in this study were 65% and 77% respectively. For a diagnosis of Wegener's granulomatosis the sensitivity and positive predictive accuracy of a positive cytoplasmic ANCA (c-ANCA) test were greater than of a positive perinuclear ANCA (p-ANCA) test. There were 61 positive tests in 266 patients who did not have Wegener's granulomatosis (23%); of these 27 were from patients with infection, 10 with fibrotic lung disease, nine with underlying connective tissue disease, seven with malignancy, and five following pulmonary emboli. Most of these positive ANCA results were p-ANCA (69%) rather than c-ANCA (31%). Serial ANCA requests were made in 15 cases of patients without Wegener's granulomatosis who had an initial positive ANCA test result. In all cases the ANCA tests subsequently became negative. CONCLUSIONS--In this study the sensitivity and specificity of a positive ANCA test result were less than that reported from specialised centres. However, the test was found to be useful in clinical practice, especially c-ANCA, in conjunction with clinical symptoms of respiratory pathology and evidence of renal disease.
The Latino Education Crisis: The Consequences of Failed Social Policies

Will the United States have an educational caste system in 2030? Drawing on both extensive demographic data and compelling case studies, this powerful book reveals the depths of the educational crisis looming for Latino students, the nation's largest and most rapidly growing minority group.Richly informative and accessibly written, "The Latino Education Crisis" describes the cumulative disadvantages faced by too many children in the complex American school systems, where one in five students is Latino. Many live in poor and dangerous neighborhoods, attend impoverished and underachieving schools, and are raised by parents who speak little English and are the least educated of any ethnic group.The effects for the families, the community, and the nation are sobering. Latino children are behind on academic measures by the time they enter kindergarten. And while immigrant drive propels some to success, most never catch up. Many drop out of high school and those who do go on to college - often ill prepared and overworked - seldom finish.Revealing and disturbing, "The Latino Education Crisis" is a call to action and will be essential reading for everyone involved in planning the future of American schools.
Recognition memory signals in the macaque hippocampus

The hippocampus plays a critical role in recognition memory in both monkeys and humans. However, neurophysiological studies have rarely reported recognition memory signals among hippocampal neurons. The majority of these previous studies used variants of the delayed match-to-sample task; however, studies of the effects of hippocampal damage in monkey and humans have shown that another task of recognition memory, the visual paired-comparison, or visual preferential looking task (VPLT), is more sensitive to hippocampal damage than the delayed matching tasks. Accordingly, to examine possible recognition memory signals in the hippocampus, we recorded the activity of 131 hippocampal neurons in two monkeys performing the VPLT. Eighty-eight neurons (67%) responded significantly to stimulus presentation relative to the baseline prestimulus period. A substantial proportion of these visually responsive neurons (36%) showed significant firing-rate modulations that reflected whether stimuli were novel or familiar. Additionally, these firing-rate modulations were correlated with recognition memory performance on the VPLT such that larger modulations by stimulus novelty were associated with better performance. Together, these results provide evidence for a neural signal in the hippocampus that may support recognition memory performance.