Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Margin Regulation and Stock Market Volatility

Using daily and monthly stock returns, the authors find no convincing evidence that Federal Reserve margin requirements have served to dampen stock market volatility. The contrary conclusion, expressed in recent papers by Gikas Hardouvelis (1988), is traced to flows in his test design. The authors do detect the expected negative relation between margin requirements and the amount of margin credit outstanding. They also confirm the recent finding by William Schwert (1988) that changes in margin requirements by the Fed have tended to follow, rather than lead, changes in market volatility. Copyright 1990 by American Finance Association.
R&D Expenditure and Earnings Targets

This paper examines whether firms cut R&D spending in response to short-term earnings pressures and how equity markets interpret such behaviour. Failure to report positive earnings and earnings growth increases the probability of a subsequent cut in R&D spending, while pressure to report positive earnings and earnings growth in the current period leads to contemporaneous cuts in R&D investment. On average, investors place less weight on earnings increases accompanied by unexpected cuts in R&D spending. However, the magnitude of the valuation discount varies according to the perceived reason for the cut and the importance of R&D investment as a driver of firm value.
LAAM maintenance vs methadone maintenance for heroin dependence.

BACKGROUND LAAM and methadone are both full mu opiate agonists and have been shown to reduce dependence on heroin when given continuously under supervised dosing conditions. LAAM has a long duration of action requiring dosing every two or three days compared to methadone which requires daily dosing. LAAM is not as widely available internationally as methadone, and may be withdrawn from the market following ten cases of life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias and an association with QT prolongation. OBJECTIVES To compare the efficacy and acceptability of LAAM maintenance with methadone maintenance in the treatment of heroin dependence. SEARCH STRATEGY We searched MEDLINE (January 1966 to August 2000), PsycINFO (1887 to August 2000), EMBASE (January 1985 to August 2000), and the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register (Issue 2 2000). In addition we hand searched NIDA monographs until August 2000 and searched reference lists of articles. SELECTION CRITERIA All randomised controlled trials, controlled clinical trials and controlled prospective studies comparing LAAM and methadone maintenance for the treatment of heroin dependence and measuring outcomes of efficacy or acceptability were included. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Data on retention in treatment, heroin use, side-effects and mortality were collected by two reviewers independently. A meta-analysis was performed using RevMan. Discrepancies were resolved by consensus. MAIN RESULTS Eighteen studies, (15 RCTs, 3 Controlled prospective studies) met the inclusion criteria for the review. Three were excluded from the meta-analysis due to lack of data on retention, heroin use or mortality. Cessation of allocated medication (11 studies, 1473 participants) was greater with LAAM than with methadone, (RR 1.36, 95%CI 1.07-1.73, p=0.001, NNT=7.7 (or 8)). Non-abstinence was less with LAAM (5 studies, 983 participants; RR 0.81, 95%CI 0.72-0.91, p=0.0003, NNT=9.1 (or 10)). In 10 studies (1441 participants) there were 6 deaths from a range of causes, 5 in participants assigned to LAAM (RR 2.28 (95%CI 0.59-8.9, p=0.2). other relevant outcomes, such as quality of life and criminal activity could not be analysed because of lack of information in the primary studies. REVIEWER'S CONCLUSIONS LAAM appears more effective than methadone at reducing heroin use. More LAAM patients than methadone ceased their allocated medication during the studies, but many transferred to methadone and so the significance of this is unclear. There was no difference in safety observed, although there was not enough evidence to comment on uncommon adverse events.
Novelty encoding networks in the human brain: positron emission tomography data.

Data from positron emission tomography (PET) studies showed novelty activations--higher regional cerebral blood flow associated with perceiving novel rather than familiar stimuli. Regions in the right 'expanded' limbic system--hippocampal formation, parahippocampal gyrus, retrosplenial cortex, thalamus, subcallosal area, the border between cortical areas 32 and 10, anterior and inferior cingulate cortex, putamen, and medial prefrontal cortex--showed such activations for complex pictures. Because novel information is usually encoded for storage in memory, these regions can be seen as constituting components of a visual/spatial novelty encoding network. Insular, opercular and temporal regions (e.g. area 37) showed novelty activations not only for visual pictures but also for auditorily presented sentences, and can be thought of as components of a transmodal novelty encoding network.
Probabilistic Reliability Evaluation for Distribution Systems with DER and Microgrids

This paper presents a method for calculating the reliability of distribution systems with distributed energy resources (DER). The impact of intentional islanding of the DER units on the reliability is studied in detail as well as the impact of different switching devices. A Monte-Carlo-based computer program has been developed to simulate the performance of different typical distribution feeders. Details of the Monte-Carlo simulation and selected simulation results are given in the paper. The presence of circuit breakers and the reliability of the DER unit have a large influence on the supply reliability. The reduction in interruption costs is further determined by the relation between costs and duration
Cellular prion protein expression in astrocytes modulates neuronal survival and differentiation

The functions of cellular prion protein (PrPC) are under intense debate and PrPC loss of function has been implicated in the pathology of prion diseases. Neuronal PrPC engagement with stress‐inducible protein‐1 and laminin (LN) plays a key role in cell survival and differentiation. The present study evaluated whether PrPC expression in astrocytes modulates neuron‐glia cross‐talk that underlies neuronal survival and differentiation. Astrocytes from wild‐type mice promoted a higher level neuritogenesis than astrocytes obtained from PrPC‐null animals. Remarkably, neuritogenesis was greatly diminished in co‐cultures combining PrPC‐null astrocytes and neurons. LN secreted and deposited at the extracellular matrix by wild‐type astrocytes presented a fibrillary pattern and was permissive for neuritogenesis. Conversely, LN coming from PrPC‐null astrocytes displayed a punctate distribution, and did not support neuronal differentiation. Additionally, secreted soluble factors from PrPC‐null astrocytes promoted lower levels of neuronal survival than those secreted by wild‐type astrocytes. PrPC and stress‐inducible protein‐1 were characterized as soluble molecules secreted by astrocytes which participate in neuronal survival. Taken together, these data indicate that PrPC expression in astrocytes is critical for sustaining cell‐to‐cell interactions, the organization of the extracellular matrix, and the secretion of soluble factors, all of which are essential events for neuronal differentiation and survival.
Demand for sustainable office space in Poland: the results from a conjoint experiment in Krakow

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to assess the demand and to estimate the willingness to pay for sustainable (certified) office space in Poland. Design/methodology/approach – Due to limited data on sustainable property performance in Poland, the research is based on stated-preference data. The main research tool is conjoint experiment, run on a sample of office tenants in Krakow. Findings – Highest utility for office tenants in Poland is linked to BREEAM certificate (highest willingness to pay for having BREEAM certified office space. Slightly lower propensity to pay was observed for LEED certificate. The lowest willingness to pay was estimated for DGNB certificate. One of possible explanations is connected to tenants awareness (BREEAM is the most common certificate in Poland). Research limitations/implications – The research results suggest increasing demand for sustainable office space in Poland, reflected by willingness to pay for sustainable office space. The main limitations of the research are.
Nonparametric estimates of technical efficiency of Russian banks and crisis impact

The topic of the research is the impact of the financial crisis on Russian banking system. The subject is nonparametric technical efficiency estimates obtained by Date Envelopment Analysis (DEA). Efficiency estimates are compared across different groups of banks: banks with foreign shareholders vs. domestic banks, and Moscow-based banks vs. regional banks. The statistical significance of the estimates is tested through a semi-parametric approach employing bootstrap. The results of the research shed light on the efficiency of Russian banks and their susceptibility to external shocks. Specifically, foreign-owned banks are shown to be generally more efficient than domestic ones, while the difference between Moscow-based and regional banks is indistinct. The research also shows further increased separation of the groups during crisis.
Determining the consequents of bank's service quality with mediating and moderating effects: an empirical study

Customer satisfaction (CS) and customers' continuance intention (CI) (i.e. customer loyalty) are the two most-researched consequents of service quality (SQ); generally, SQ directly influences CS and CI. However, retail marketing and information system (IS) theories do challenge this notion; SQ dimensions are essentially based on expectations or perceptions which need to be judged in an interim stage (i.e. confirmation) in the satisfaction-continuance process. Hence, the current study investigates the role of confirmation – through direct, mediating, and moderating effects – in the SQ context. Applying positivist epistemology and using an empirical approach, this research validates the developed SQ model with partial least squares-based structural equation modelling; data were collected from Australia and Bangladesh. The results show that SQ dimensions are evaluated in the confirmation stage, which eventually affect CS and CI. Also, confirmation moderates the relationship between CS and CI; similarly the mediating effects of confirmation on CS and CI are established. The primary contribution of this study is the application of expectation–confirmation–satisfaction concepts from three popular theories from Marketing and IS in the SQ domain. Moreover, this research presents practical contributions.
The Motivation for Takeovers in the UK

The motives for takeovers in the UK are investigated by examining the correlations between wealth gains for the target and both acquirer wealth gains and total wealth gains. The results are sensitive to whether the gains are measured over a long or short window, the method of measuring abnormal returns, and whether controls are included for the form of the bid consideration and the sign of total bid gains. There is evidence of bids motivated by synergy, but there is also evidence of the presence of hubris and weak evidence of bids with an agency motivation. Once controls for bid consideration and the sign of total gains are introduced the explanatory power of the models increases substantially and diversity of results about bid motivation also increases.
Estimation of Mixture Models Using Cross‐Validation Optimization: Implications for Crop Yield Distribution Modeling

A critical issue in identifying an appropriate characterization of crop yield distributions is that the best-fitting distribution in an in-sample framework is not necessarily the best choice out-of-sample. This study provides a methodology for estimating flexible and efficient mixture models using cross-validation that alleviates many of these associated model selection issues. The method is illustrated in an application to the rating of group risk insurance products. Results indicate that nonparametric models often fit best in-sample but are inefficient and consistently overstate true rates, and vice versa for parametric models. The proposed model provides unbiased rates and also has desirable efficiency properties. Copyright 2011, Oxford University Press.
Interdisciplinary Climate: The Case of the First 50 Years of British Observations in Australia

AbstractThis paper presents the case for improved interdisciplinarity in climate research in the context of assessing and discussing the caution required when utilizing some types of historical climate data. This is done by a case study examining the reliability of the instruments used for collecting weather data in Australia between 1788 and 1840, as well as the observers themselves, during the British settlement of New South Wales. This period is challenging because the instruments were not uniformly calibrated and were created, repaired, and used by a wide variety of people with skills that frequently remain undocumented. Continuing significant efforts to rescue such early instrumental records of climate are likely to be enhanced by more open, interdisciplinary research that encourages discussion of an apparent dichotomy of view about the quantitative value of early single-instrument data between historians of physics (including museum curators) and climate researchers.
Strategic management tools and public sector management

Abstract This article highlights the applicability and effectiveness of two well established strategic management tools, value chain and stakeholder analyses, in the context of seven public sector strategic consultancy projects. The article provides a strong justification for the use of both models, when used independently, but particularly in conjunction, as powerful strategic analytical frameworks that can significantly encourage and illuminate strategic discourses in public sector organizations. The article establishes that strategic tools such as value chain analysis, when applied in the public sector context, require significant adaptation to maximize their contribution to understanding a given situation. This study proposes that the strategic analysis of relationships that build or contribute to concepts of organizational value are of limited importance if the complex web of interdependent relationships themselves are not clearly demonstrated. This work therefore makes a clear case for applying two strategic models, value chain analysis and stakeholder analysis, in an analogous way to demonstrate how strategic understanding in the public sector is enhanced as a result of such symbiosis.
Dihydroxythiophenes Are Novel Potent Inhibitors of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Integrase with a Diketo Acid-Like Pharmacophore

ABSTRACT We have identified dihydroxythiophenes (DHT) as a novel series of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) integrase inhibitors with broad antiviral activities against different HIV isolates in vitro. DHT were discovered in a biochemical integrase high-throughput screen searching for inhibitors of the strand transfer reaction of HIV-1 integrase. DHT are selective inhibitors of integrase that do not interfere with virus entry, as shown by the inhibition of a vesicular stomatitis virus G-pseudotyped retroviral system. Moreover, in quantitative real-time PCR experiments, no effect on the synthesis of viral cDNA could be detected but rather an increase in the accumulation of 2-long-terminal-repeat cycles was detected. This suggests that the integration of viral cDNA is blocked. Molecular modeling and the structure activity relationship of DHT demonstrate that our compound fits into a two-metal-binding motif that has been suggested as the essential pharmacophore for diketo acid (DKA)-like strand transfer inhibitors (Grobler et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 99:6661-6666, 2002.). This notion is supported by the profiling of DHT on retroviral vectors carrying published resistance mutations for DKA-like inhibitors where DHT showed partial cross-resistance. This suggests that DHT bind to a common site in the catalytic center of integrase, albeit with an altered binding mode. Taken together, our findings indicate that DHT are novel selective strand transfer inhibitors of integrase with a pharmacophore homologous to DKA-like inhibitors.
Valuing unpaid labour in community Fair Trade products: a Nicaraguan case study from The Body Shop International

This article discusses insights from a research study of an innovative community Fair Trade initiative which has a pricing model that recognises the unpaid work of women. It argues that women's unpaid work represents an important input into production and should be valued and renumerated. This initiative is a joint project between The Body Shop International and its partner, Cooperativa Juan Francisco Paz Silva, a sesame-producing co-operative in Nicaragua. By recognising the unpaid work of women, which has always been taken for granted, the project highlights gender equality and calls it into question. The findings of the research study show that despite the uneven impact of Fair Trade on gender and the household, the recognition of the unpaid work of women in the price, coupled with other enabling factors, can have a positive impact. This has implications for governments, companies, and development policymakers and practitioners.
Gesundes Kinzigtal Integrated Care: improving population health by a shared health gain approach and a shared savings contract

Introduction Integrated care solutions need supportive financial incentives. In this paper, we describe the financial architecture and operative details of the integrated pilot Gesundes Kinzigtal. Description of integrated care case Located in Southwest Germany, Gesundes Kinzigtal is one of the few population-based integrated care approaches in Germany, organising care across all health service sectors and indications. The system serving around half of the population of the region is run by a regional health management company (Gesundes Kinzigtal GmbH) in cooperation with the physicians' network in the region (MQNK), a German health care management company with a background in medical sociology and health economics (OptiMedis AG) and with two statutory health insurers (among them is the biggest health insurer in Southwest Germany: AOK Baden-Württemberg). Discussion and (preliminary) conclusion The shared savings contract between Gesundes Kinzigtal GmbH and the two health insurers, providing financial incentives for managers and health care providers to realize a substantial efficiency gain, could be an appropriate contractual base of Gesundes Kinzigtal's population health gain approach. This approach is based on the assumption that a more effective trans-sector organization of Germany's health care system and increased investments in well-designed preventive programmes will lead to a reduction in morbidity, and in particular to a reduced incidence and prevalence of chronic diseases. This, in turn, is to lead to a comparative reduction in health care cost. Although the comparative cost in the Kinzigtal region has been reduced from the onset of Gesundes Kinzigtal Integrated Care, only future research will have to demonstrate whether—and to what extent—cost reduction may be attributed to a real population health gain.
Anatomy of a Newsvendor Decision: Observations from a Verbal Protocol Analysis

An exploratory analysis of verbal protocols from a think-aloud newsvendor experiment provided deeper insights into the decision-making process, enabling us to formulate a number of questions that are worth answering in future research. In a think-aloud experiment, subjects verbalize their cognitions while performing a task; responses are then recorded, transcribed, and analyzed. A majority of the subjects struggled with the abstractness of the business setting and were keen to know information on the product type, industry setting, decisions taken in the past, competitor's situation, etc. A large portion of the participants correctly identified the overage and underage costs, but failed to convert that information into the optimal order quantity. Finally, the bias in the order quantity was significantly influenced by the specific type of risk (overage or underage) that was identified closer to the decision, alluding to the presence of a recency effect. As a first application of verbal protocol analysis to inventory decision making, this study gives us an opportunity to highlight the strengths and weaknesses of this research methodology.
Arsenic Detoxification by Geobacter Species

ABSTRACT Insight into the mechanisms for arsenic detoxification by Geobacter species is expected to improve the understanding of global cycling of arsenic in iron-rich subsurface sedimentary environments. Analysis of 14 different Geobacter genomes showed that all of these species have genes coding for an arsenic detoxification system (ars operon), and several have genes required for arsenic respiration (arr operon) and methylation (arsM). Genes encoding four arsenic repressor-like proteins were detected in the genome of G. sulfurreducens; however, only one (ArsR1) regulated transcription of the ars operon. Elimination of arsR1 from the G. sulfurreducens chromosome resulted in enhanced transcription of genes coding for the arsenic efflux pump (Acr3) and arsenate reductase (ArsC). When the gene coding for Acr3 was deleted, cells were not able to grow in the presence of either the oxidized or reduced form of arsenic, while arsC deletion mutants could grow in the presence of arsenite but not arsenate. These studies shed light on how Geobacter influences arsenic mobility in anoxic sediments and may help us develop methods to remediate arsenic contamination in the subsurface. IMPORTANCE This study examines arsenic transformation mechanisms utilized by Geobacter, a genus of iron-reducing bacteria that are predominant in many anoxic iron-rich subsurface environments. Geobacter species play a major role in microbially mediated arsenic release from metal hydroxides in the subsurface. This release raises arsenic concentrations in drinking water to levels that are high enough to cause major health problems. Therefore, information obtained from studies of Geobacter should shed light on arsenic cycling in iron-rich subsurface sedimentary environments, which may help reduce arsenic-associated illnesses. These studies should also help in the development of biosensors that can be used to detect arsenic contaminants in anoxic subsurface environments. We examined 14 different Geobacter genomes and found that all of these species possess genes coding for an arsenic detoxification system (ars operon), and some also have genes required for arsenic respiration (arr operon) and arsenic methylation (arsM).
Estimating baselines for climate change for less developed countries: the case of the Sahel

Abstract The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Kyoto Protocol provide mechanisms for assisting less developed countries that are adversely affected by climate change. Such assistance would need a baseline, which ideally would set a precise date for specific impacts of climate change. This article presents the results of statistical tests that we carried out and, for the African region of the Sahel, finds that for precipitation (affecting food supply), impacts due to climate change can be ‘dated’ to the year 1967, when precipitation fell drastically, affecting the local food supply. Such a statistically robust benchmark would be useful to the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) of the UNFCCC. The method illustrates how other baselines may be established for the important work of the SBSTA.