Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Transnational Romantics: The Case of Opposition to Genetically Modified Crops in India and its Implications for Transnational Activism

Transnational Romantics: The Case of Opposition to Genetically Modified Crops in India and its Implications for Transnational Activism Richard Bownas Ph.D Cornell University 2012 This dissertation explores in detail the case of one transnational advocacy network (TAN). The purpose of the case study is twofold: firstly to propose a new category of advocacy network, which I term ‘romantic’ and contrast this category with other kinds of activist/advocacy network, and secondly to contribute to the broader literature on TANs and critically assess the hopes some have had for bottom up transnational mobilization. The dissertation argues that a type of activist network has developed, across various issues areas and various locations that is neither a bottom up movement of the dispossessed and marginalized nor a facilitator of the smooth functioning of global governance. Rather, what is seen in these ‘romantic activist networks’ is the growth of a transnationally oriented elite of professional activists, bound together, firstly by the imperatives of organizational growth through linkages with global media and donor groups, and secondly, by a ‘world view’ that can broadly be characterized as ‘romantic’, that is a world view that emphasizes threats to an imagined harmonious community, outside of modern institutions, markets and technologies. The dissertation takes the anti GMO network in India as exemplary of transnational romanticism, showing how domestic activists have forged linkages with global media and elite organizations around a narrative that emphasizes romantic themes about rural India and excludes ‘modernist’ or ‘developmentalist’ alternatives. The network could be said to ‘select’ for certain types of activism, therefore altering the field of contention in rural India in ways that may not benefit the agriculturalists the network claims to represent.
Seasonality research: the state of the art

The paper reviews progress in the area of tourism seasonality research and is intended as a guide to the literature. The emphasis is on recent advances in this field. Amongst the various aspects considered are the definitions of seasonality, its causes and impacts, policy-related issues, studies into consumer behaviour and approaches to measuring seasonality. The paper concludes that considerable gaps still exist in published research in this area and it argues that the field lacks a sound theoretical framework. It also suggests that adopting a more exacting quantitative perspective might facilitate and accelerate progress. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Technical Change, Job Tasks, and Rising Educational Demands: Looking outside the Wage Structure

Empirical work has been limited in its ability to directly study whether skill requirements in the workplace have been rising and whether these changes have been related to technological change. This article answers these questions using a unique data set from West Germany that enabled me to look at how skill requirements have changed within occupations. I show that occupations require more complex skills today than in 1979 and that the changes in skill requirements have been most pronounced in rapidly computerizing occupations. Changes in occupational content account for about 36% of the recent educational upgrading in employment.
Determinants of Trade Union Membership in Australia

This paper uses Australian cross-sectional data to examine the determinants of individual union membership. It analyses the separate effect of three groups of variables on the probability of unionisation: personal attributes, occupational and industry-related characteristics, and social and attitudinal factors. While the personal attributes of an employee were found to have little effect on union status, the other two groups of variables added significantly to the explained variance in union membership. An important finding of the study was that certain attitudes, ideologies and social values were clearly associated with variations in union status.
MODELING HIGH-FREQUENCY FOREIGN EXCHANGE DATA DYNAMICS

This paper shows that high-frequency, irregularly spaced, foreign exchange (FX) data can generate nonnormality, conditional heteroskedasticity, and leptokurtosis when aggregated into fixed-interval calendar time, even when these features are absent in the original DGP. Furthermore, we introduce a new approach to modeling these high-frequency irregularly spaced data based on the Poisson regression model. The new model is called the autoregressive conditional intensity model and it has the advantage of being simple and of maintaining the calendar timescale. To illustrate the virtues of this approach, we examine a classical issue in FX microstructure: the variation in information content as a function of fluctuations in the intensity of activity levels.
Catastrophic payments for health care among households in urban Tamil Nadu, India

Urban residents in India face important health problems due to unhygienic conditions, excessive crowding and lack of proper sanitation. The private sector has started occupying the centre stage of the health system and households are burdened with increasing levels of health expenditure. This paper aims to study out-of-pocket expenditure (OOPE) and the extent of catastrophic payments for health care among households in a highly urbanised state, Tamil Nadu. The study used data on morbidity and health care for the year 2004 collected by the National Sample Survey Organization, India. Care was sought for 84 per cent of illness episodes in urban areas, and the majority used private sector providers (67 per cent for inpatients and 78 per cent for outpatients). Mean OOPE for inpatients and outpatients was higher for households with higher income. The average cost burden per visit was higher among those who sought care from private providers for inpatient services (29 per cent of household consumption expenditure) and outpatient services (20% of household consumption expenditure) compared with the burden associated with public health service use (3-4 per cent of consumption expenditure). About 60 per cent of households which used private health services faced catastrophic payments at the 10 per cent threshold level. To avoid catastrophic expenditure, greater use of the public sector which is providing services at an affordable cost is needed. Improving access to public health services, better gate-keeping systems, stronger controls on drug prices and increasing the quality of services are required to reduce the incidence of catastrophic expenditure both on inpatients and outpatients. Greater use of risk pooling mechanisms would encourage the poor to seek health care and also to protect households from all socio-economic groups from catastrophic expenditure. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Modelling trade in processed food products: an econometric investigation for France

This paper presents an econometric study of trade in processed food products based on French data. We use a differentiated-product model, which captures non-homothetic consumer preferences but also allows for testable restrictive structures such as homogeneity, homogeneous weak separability and the Armington specification. The model framework adopted is based on the constant difference of elasticities (CDE) function. The Armington assumption is rejected for the majority of products. Econometric results suggest that French consumers distinguish not only between home-produced and imported food products but also between supplies originating from elsewhere in the European Union and imports from the rest of the world. Copyright 2002, Oxford University Press.
Bad Loans and De Novo Banks: Evidence from Italy

The existing empirical evidence suggests that there is a ‘winner's curse’ for banks entering new markets. Actually, it has been assessed that de novo banks generally experience higher bad loans rates than mature banks for about 10 years. We investigate whether this persistence has characterised the Italian banking industry in the period 1995–2010, and find that theory predictions are confirmed by empirical results only for popular and commercial banks, while new cooperative credit banks (CCBs) outperform compared to mature ones due to their distinctive presence and focus on local markets.
Trazodone for the Treatment of Neuroleptic-Induced Acute Akathisia: A Placebo-Controlled, Double-Blind, Crossover Study

Introduction:Neuroleptic-induced acute akathisia (NIA) is a common and distressing extrapyramidal symptom usually resulting from the use of antipsychotic medication.Despite its high incidence (20%-45%), the underlying mechanism of NIA has not yet been adequately explained. Although treatment strategies for NIA have traditionally included anticholinergic agents, &ggr;-aminobutyric acid agents, dopamine enhancers, and the &bgr;-adrenergic antagonists, many patients fail to respond. Trazodone (Trz) is an antidepressant agent demonstrating prominent serotonergic antagonistic properties. In a recent pilot open-label trial, Trz demonstrated to be strongly effective in the treatment of NIA in 9 female schizophrenic patients. Objective:On the basis of the results of this pilot study, we investigate further the efficacy of Trz in the treatment of NIA in a double-blind, placebo (Pla)-controlled, crossover design. Methods:Thirteen inpatients with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition schizophrenia or schizo-affective disorder and with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition NIA with a severity of at least mild akathisia according to the Barnes Akathisia Rating Scale participated in the study. Patients were randomly assigned to either the order Trz-Pla or the order Pla-Trz in the treatment periods. Each period lasted for 3 consecutive days (days 1-3 and 4-6). Eight patients were treated with the Trz-Pla order (100 mg/d before bedtime); and 5, with the opposite order (Pla-Trz). Results:Statistically significant improvement in most symptoms of NIA, as measured by the Barnes Akathisia Rating Scale, was detected with Trz compared with Pla treatment. Conclusions:The findings of this double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study indicate the efficacy of Trz in the management of NIA, corroborating the results of a preliminary pilot study. We suggest that Trz's property of serotonin 2A postsynaptic receptor antagonism may be its principal mechanism for the improvement of NIA.
Effects of Health on Wages of Australian Men

This study uses the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey to investigate the effect of health on wages of working-age Australian men. A simultaneous equation model of health and wages is estimated to account for the endogeneity of health. The results confirm the findings in the literature that health has a significant and positive effect on wages; it is also found that treating health as exogenous underestimates the effect substantially. Although the reverse effect of wages on health is found to be insignificant, there is evidence on the endogeneity of health arising from unobserved factors.
Double fatal outcome after ruptured vasa previa in monochorionic twins: case report and review of the literature

Abstract Vasa previa is a condition in which one or more fetal blood vessels run through the amniotic membranes and cross or run near the external orifice of the uterus. Rupture of membranes can lead to tearing of these vessels and cause acute fetal exsanguination. In monochorionic twin (MC) pregnancies, acute exsanguination in one twin can lead to severe complications in the co-twin due to the presence of inter-twin placental vascular connections. We report a MC pair with severe perinatal asphyxia due to acute exsanguination after prenatally undetected ruptured vasa previa. This resulted in severe hemorrhagic shock in both twins with double fatal outcome. Antenatal detection of vasa previa is of paramount importance to prevent severe morbidity and mortality, especially in MCs. A review of the literature is presented.
Wage Theories for the Swedish Labour Market

This paper reviews the empirical literature on tests of different wage theories of relevance in particular to the Swedish labour market. The empirical results are confronted with the institutional changes in the Sweden during the last twenty years. Not much empirical support can be found for the competitive model, the shirking model or the insider-outsider model. The fair wage version of efficiency wage setting receives support, however. Efficiency wage setting appears to have become more important also for Sweden as a consequence of decentralisation of wage bargaining giving scope for firms to differentiate wages. Due to the obvious institutional importance, bargaining models of wage formation continues to play an important role for Swedish wage setting. Bargaining models combined with fair wage setting appear to capture much of present day wage setting in Sweden.
Remission induction comparing infliximab and high-dose intravenous steroid, followed by treat-to-target: a double-blind, randomised, controlled trial in new-onset, treatment-naive, rheumatoid arthritis (the IDEA study)

Objectives In disease modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD)-naive early rheumatoid arthritis (RA), to compare the efficacy of methotrexate (MTX) and infliximab (IFX) with MTX and intravenous corticosteroid for remission induction. Methods In a 78-week multicentre randomised controlled trial, double-blinded to week 26, 112 treatment-naive RA patients (1987 American College of Rheumatology classification criteria) with disease activity score 44 (DAS44)>2.4 were randomised to MTX + IFX or MTX + single dose intravenous methylprednisolone 250 mg. A treat-to-target approach was used with treatment escalation if DAS44>2.4. In the IFX group, IFX was discontinued for sustained remission (DAS44<1.6 for 6 months). The primary outcome was change in modified total Sharp-van der Heijde score (mTSS) at week 50. Results The mean changes in mTSS score at week 50 in the IFX and intravenous steroid groups were 1.20 units and 2.81 units, respectively (adjusted difference (95% CI) −1.45 (−3.35 to 0.45); p=0.132). Radiographic non-progression (mTSS<2.0) occurred in 81% vs 71% (OR 1.77 (0.56 to 5.61); p=0.328). DAS44 remission was achieved at week 50 in 49% and 36% (OR 2.13 (0.91 to 5.00); p=0.082), and at week 78 in 48% and 50% (OR 1.12 (0.47 to 2.68); p=0.792). Exploratory analyses suggested higher DAS28 remission at week 6 and less ultrasound synovitis at week 50 in the IFX group. Of the IFX group, 25% (14/55) achieved sustained remission and stopped IFX. No substantive differences in adverse events were seen. Conclusions In DMARD-naive early RA patients, initial therapy with MTX+high-dose intravenous steroid resulted in good disease control with little structural damage. MTX+IFX was not statistically superior to MTX+intravenous steroid when combined with a treat-to-target approach.
How business angel groups work: Rejection criteria in investment evaluation

In this article, we study the decision-making criteria that business angels (BAs) adopt when screening business opportunities in the different assessment phases (pre-screening, screening and due diligence). We exploit an original dataset of 1942 ventures that sought angel investment from 2008 to 2014 from the members of Italian Angels for Growth (IAG). Results have shown that the emphasis that BAs place on rejection criteria and contact channels varies along the three considered stages of the investment process. In particular, we found that business proposals brought to the attention of BAs by venture capitalists are more likely to get through the pre-screening stage, suggesting an important quality certification role played by venture capitalists. Moreover, at the screening stage (in comparison with the pre-screening stage), proposals are rejected more often for reasons related to the characteristics of the entrepreneur and management team and less often for the lack of business innovativeness. Finally, business proposals showing lower levels of profitability are more likely to be rejected after the due diligence.
Trading Volume and Asset Liquidity

The existence of a centralized market does not in itself guarantee that an asset can be readily liquidated at no loss: if the market is not deep enough, traders will experience adverse changes in the market price in response to their transactions. Market depth, however, is a function of the entry decisions of all potential traders. Each trader will therefore judge the absorptive capacity of the market on the basis of his conjectures about the behaviour of the others. This creates an externality, and as often happens in situations where externalities are at work, multiple (rational expectations) equilibria are possible. The nature of the equilibrium which results depends on the initial conjectures that each trader forms about the choices of the others. If conjectures are "pessimistic", for instance, a market may remain trapped at an inefficient equilibrium, characterized by low trading volume and low liquidity.
Application of the uniform source‐and‐sink scheme to molecular dynamics calculation of the self‐diffusion coefficient of fluids

A uniform source‐and‐sink scheme was developed by Cao and Li [J. Chem. Phys. 133 (2010), 024106] to calculate the thermal conductivity of solid argon. Now, we aim to apply this scheme to the calculation of the self‐diffusion coefficient. We divide the particles into equal halves, and label them with A or B. By exchanging the labels of individual atoms from the right and left half systems, we can produce an internal matter flux, and hence the internal matter source and sink can be realized. The density profile is piecewise quadratic throughout the system and the self‐diffusion coefficient can be easily extracted from the mean densities of the right and left half systems rather than by fitting the density profile. In particular, this is a nonequilibrium molecular dynamics method but established on an equilibrium system. The scheme is applied to calculate the self‐diffusion coefficient by taking a Lennard–Jones fluid as a case, examining its homogeneity, convergence, label exchange interval, and dependence on density, temperature, and system size. The uniform source‐and‐sink scheme is demonstrated to be able to give accurate results with fast convergence. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Price-cost margins, prices and concentration in US manufacturing: a panel study

This study tries to separate the efficiency and market power effects of higher concentration for a panel of 253 US manufacturing industries covering the years 1963 to 1992. To do so, two fixed effects estimations of price equations are introduced. The first includes, among the independent variables, average variable cost and a mark-up term dependent on the four firm concentration ratio and isolates the partial effect of concentration on price holding cost constant (the market power effect). The second omits average cost and uses the bias induced to make inferences about the efficiency effect. The results suggest both market power and efficiency effects exist, with the latter dominating. Specifically, for given average cost, higher concentration leads to higher prices, but when average cost are relegated to the error term, higher concentration leads to lower prices.
Polycystic kidney disease: a 2011 update

Purpose of reviewThe review will examine clinically relevant advances in the area of polycystic kidney disease (PKD), mainly focusing on autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD). Discussion will focus on predicting the course of ADPKD, clinical trials and new research endeavors. Recent findingsDuring the past several years PKD research has been one of the most prolific areas in investigative nephrology. Research endeavors have focused on decreasing cyst proliferation and cyst fluid formation based on an understanding of the pathophysiology of these processes. If cysts can be prevented from growing, kidney function can be better preserved. SummaryProgression of this most common inherited kidney disorder can be altered by understanding that cysts are the disease in ADPKD. Assessing total kidney volume and noting its relationship to glomerular filtration rate is key in predicting the course of the disease and will aid in the evaluation of the new research initiatives that are designed to stop cyst proliferation and fluid secretion into the kidney cysts. The role of biomarkers is an advancement in predicting PKD progression and can potentially be used in evaluation of treatments for this disease. Complications of PKD alter the course and prognosis; hence management approaches will be addressed.
Prediction of the Adaptability of Pseudomonas putida DOT-T1E to a Second Phase of a Solvent for Economically Sound Two-Phase Biotransformations

ABSTRACT The strain Pseudomonas putida DOT-T1E was tested for its ability to tolerate second phases of different alkanols for their use as solvents in two-liquid-phase biotransformations. Although 1-decanol showed an about 10-fold higher toxicity to the cells than 1-octanol, the cells were able to adapt completely to 1-decanol only and could not be adapted in order to grow stably in the presence of a second phase of 1-octanol. The main explanation for this observation can be seen in the higher water and membrane solubility of 1-octanol. The hydrophobicity (log P) of a substance correlates with a certain partitioning of that compound into the membrane. Combining the log P value with the water solubility, the maximum membrane concentration of a compound can be calculated. With this simple calculation, it is possible to predict the property of an organic chemical for its potential applicability as a solvent for two-liquid-phase biotransformations with solvent-tolerant P. putida strains. Only compounds that show a maximum membrane concentration of less than 400 mM, such as 1-decanol, seem to be tolerated by these bacterial strains when applied in supersaturating concentrations to the medium. Taking into consideration that a solvent for a two-liquid-phase system should possess partitioning properties for potential substrates and products of a fine chemical synthesis, it can be seen that 1-decanol is a suitable solvent for such biotransformation processes. This was also demonstrated in shake cultures, where increasing amounts of a second phase of 1-decanol led to bacteria tolerating higher concentrations of the model substrate 3-nitrotoluene. Transferring this example to a 5-liter-scale bioreactor with 10% (vol/vol) 1-decanol, the amount of 3-nitrotoluene tolerated by the cells is up to 200-fold higher than in pure aqueous medium. The system demonstrates the usefulness of two-phase biotransformations utilizing solvent-tolerant bacteria.
PROFESSIONAL BETTORS, ODDS-ARBITRAGE COMPETITION, AND BETTING MARKET EQUILIBRIUM

A slew of empirical evidence on horse racetrack betting markets points to betting biases and market inefficiency. More recent empirical work has documented the absence of betting biases in racetrack betting markets characterized by a high volume of betting. This paper offers a competition-based model of betting behavior that is consistent with the pattern of betting biases reported in the literature. We postulate the existence of professional bettors who, being better informed and/or having different objectives than the general betting population, engage in odds arbitrage when doing so is profitable. We evaluate the case of a single odds-arbitraging bettor first in order to establish the fundamental properties of odds arbitrage. We then examine the effects of entry of professional bettors who play a Nash game in odds arbitrage; the results show that professionals' participation causes the final track odds to converge to the level implied by the horses' true win probabilities when there is a high volume of betting.