Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
New ties, old ties and lost ties: the use of the internet in diaspora

The computer represents a new resource in developing social capital that previously did not exist among migrants. The relationship between physical space and cyberspace is discussed using the experience of migrants from Newfoundland who, although dispersed from their homeland, use the computer to maintain ties with both their homeland and others in diaspora. Three phases in the migration cycle are identified (pre-migrant, post-migrant, settled migrant) and four categories of computer usage are linked to each phase. Three types of online relationships can be identified among diasporic peoples that result in developing new ties, nourishing old ties and rediscovering lost ties. The processes of verification, telepresence, hyperreality and attribution are discovered and illustrated from online data and interviews which indicate how computermediated communication is related to both social networking and identity among migrants.
Homelessness and Housing Insecurity Among Former Prisoners

The United States has experienced dramatic increases in both incarceration rates and the population of insecurely housed or homeless persons since the 1980s. These marginalized populations have strong overlaps, with many people being poor, minority, and from an urban area. That a relationship between homelessness, housing insecurity, and incarceration exists is clear, but the extent and nature of this relationship is not yet adequately understood. We use longitudinal, administrative data on Michigan parolees released in 2003 to examine returning prisoners’ experiences with housing insecurity and homelessness. Our analysis finds relatively low rates of outright homelessness among former prisoners, but very high rates of housing insecurity, much of which is linked to features of community supervision, such as intermediate sanctions, returns to prison, and absconding. We identify risk factors for housing insecurity, including mental illness, substance use, prior incarceration, and homelessness, as well as protective “buffers” against insecurity and homelessness, including earnings and social supports.
Delay-dependent H∞ model reduction of time-delay systems

Improvement of an existing method for model reduction of linear continuous time-delay systems is proposed. The method is based on a delay-dependent version of Bounded Real Lemma (BRL), thus providing better error bounds compared to the existing algorithm, which is based on delay-independent BRL. Numerical example shows the advantage of the proposed procedure.
The Dependence between Hourly Prices and Trading Volume

Abstract This study provides evidence on joint characteristics of hourly common stock trading volume and returns on the New York Stock Exchange. Average volume traded shows significant differences across trading hours of the day and across days of the week. Average returns differ across hours of the day, and, to some extent, across days of the week. There is a strong contemporaneous relation between trading volume and returns and also a relation between trading volume and returns lagged up to four hours. Furthermore, the trading volume-returns relation is steeper for positive returns than for nonpositive returns.
Predicting Travelers’ Choice of Information Sources and Information Channels

Disintermediation is often portrayed as a choice between travel agents and the Internet. This simplification ignores the facts that many Web sites marketing travel services are run by travel agents and many businesses offering travel services online also offer these services through other channels. This article considers disintermediation from an information search perspective and explores the issue both as a choice between two information sources (travel agents vs. service providers) and as a choice between two information channels (face to face vs. the Internet). Using binomial logistical regression, sets of variables are identified that seem particularly relevant for predicting the outcome of these choices. Travel style, age, and nationality were found to be particularly good predictors of travelers’ predisposition to search for information from a travel agent face to face rather than consulting a tourism service provider directly online.
QFT design for current-mode PWM buck converters operating in continuous and discontinuous conduction modes

A design method using quantitative feedback theory (QFT) for robust control of current-mode PWM dc-dc converters is described. The proposed method considers both continuous and discontinuous conduction mode models (CCM and DCM respectively), taking into account large load perturbations. This technique results in a robust design insensitive to parameter variations and also to model changes
Bilateral FDI Flows: Threshold Barriers and Productivity Shocks

A positive productivity shock in the host country tends typically to increase the volume of the desired FDI flows to the host country, through the standard marginal profitability effect. But, at the same time, such a shock may lower the likelihood of making any new FDI flows by the source country, through a total profitability effect, derived from the a general-equilibrium increase in domestic input prices. This is the gist of the theory that we develop in the paper. For a sample of 62 OECD and Non-OECD countries over the period 1987-2000, we provide supporting evidence for the existence of such conflicting effects of productivity change on bilateral FDI flows. We also uncover sizeable threshold barriers in our data set and link the analysis to the Lucas Paradox.
Xerotolerant fungi in house dust: taxonomy of Spiromastix, Pseudospiromastix and Sigleria gen. nov. in Spiromastigaceae (Onygenales, Eurotiomycetes)

During a global investigation of fungi in house dust, we isolated six novel arthroconidial fungi. Phylogenies from combined analysis of nuc rDNA 18S, 28S and internal transcribed spacers sequences demonstrated that these fungi and two species preserved in culture collections represent undescribed species of Spiromastigaceae, Onygenales. Seven of the eight species lacked sexual states and only characters of asexual states and growth rates on different media could be used to characterize them. The eighth species produced ascomata only on water agar. We introduce six new species and one new combination in Spiromastix and validate the recently proposed family Spiromastigaceae, genus Pseudospiromastix and combination Ps. tentaculata. The new genus Sigleria is proposed for two new species that differ from Spiromastix by conidiophore branching patterns, slower growth and a limited ability to utilize nitrate as a sole N source. A key to the three genera of Spiromastigaceae, Spiromastix, Pseudospiromastix and Sigleria, is provided. Phylogenetic analyses support the placement of Spiromastigaceae within Onygenales.
Discreteness and the Welfare Cost of Labor Supply Tax Distortions

We discuss the role played by discrete labor supply (leisure consumption) choice in" affecting measures of the welfare cost of labor supply tax distortions. We construct comparable" continuous and discrete choice models, each calibrated to have similar aggregate" (uncompensated) labor supply elasticities. In the former, there is a single representative" consumer; in the latter there is a distribution of individuals across preference parameters. In the" discrete model, taxes induce a large response from a subset of the population of the population shows unchanged behavior. Welfare costs of similar taxes in continuous" models can substantially exceed those in discrete models or vice versa formulation used. Experiments are also reported for a two labor type household model with one" continuous variable (secondary labor) and one discrete variable (primary labor) are also made using an empirically based model specification calibrated to UK data. Model" results clearly show that discrete choice matters in the assessment of the cost of labor supply tax" distortions.
Living with chronic heart failure: a review of qualitative studies of older people.

AIM This paper is a report of a systematic review of qualitative studies of how older people live with chronic heart failure. BACKGROUND Chronic heart failure is a global epidemic mainly affecting an ageing population. Understanding how older people live with this disease is important to help promote their adjustment to the distressing illness experience. DATA SOURCES Eligible studies published in 1997-2007 were identified from several databases (Medline, CINAHL, PsycINFO and Sociological Abstracts). A manual search was conducted of bibliographies of the identified studies and relevant journals. REVIEW METHODS Two researchers independently reviewed the studies and extracted the data. Key concepts from the papers were compared for similarities and differences. The transactional model of stress was used to guide data synthesis. FINDINGS Fourteen qualitative studies were identified. Most described the illness experiences of older people with chronic heart failure and associated coping strategies. There was some emerging work exploring the adjustment process. The findings indicated that living with chronic heart failure was characterized by distressing symptoms, compromised physical functioning, feelings of powerlessness and hopelessness, and social and role dysfunction. There were gender differences in the way the disease was conceived. Adjustment required patients to make sense of the illness experience, accept the prognosis, and get on with living with the condition. CONCLUSION Empowering older people to manage chronic heart failure, instilling hope and bolstering support system are means of promoting successful adjustment to the disease. Further research needs to explore the cultural differences in the adjustment process.
Agency Fever? Analysis of an International Policy Fashion

In the last 15 years, the governments of many OECD countries have transferred a wide range of functions to new, agency-type organizations. Allowing for the fact that, for comparative purposes, it is difficult precisely to define agencies, and further acknowledging that in many countries agencies are far from being new, it nevertheless remains the case that there seems to have been a strong fashion for this particular organizational solution.This article investigates the apparent international convergence towards “agencification. ” It seeks to identify the reasons for, and depth of, the trend. It asks to what extent practice has followed rhetoric. The emerging picture is a complex one. On the one hand, there seems to be a widespread belief, derived from a variety of theoretical traditions, that agencification can unleash performance improvements. On the other hand, systematic evidence for some of the hypothetical benefits is very patchy. Furthermore, the diversity of actual practice in different countries has been so great that there must sometimes be considerable doubt as to whether the basic requirements for successful performance management are being met.
Lazy Investors, Discretionary Consumption, and the Cross Section of Stock Returns

When consumption betas of stocks are computed using year-over-year consumption growth based upon the fourth quarter, the CCAPM explains the cross-section of stock returns as well as the Fama and French (1993) three-factor model. The CCAPM's performance deteriorates substantially when consumption growth is measured based upon other quarters. For the CCAPM to hold at any given point in time, investors must make their consumption and investment decisions simultaneously at that point in time. We suspect that this is more likely to happen during the fourth quarter, given investors' tax year ends in December
Some Pitfalls in Loan Subsidy Valuation

Notwithstanding his exhaustive treatment of alternative loan subsidy valuation methods, Jennergren entertains only one type of loan structure in his paper, to wit, bond-type arrangements that entail only interest payments during the life of the debt and the repayment of the entire principal at maturity. The effects of this loan structure specificity are illustrated in the context of Jennergren's dual interpretations of his first loan subsidy valuation method. It is shown that, absent a restriction that the loan must satisfy, the two interpretations result in different valuations. This cautionary note argues that future research must develop loan subsidy valuation methods that are loan structure robust by addressing the more fundamental issue that remains unresolved, namely, how to calculate the amount of the unsubsidized loan that is replaced by the subsidized loan.
Multi-Unit Ownership Strategy in Franchising: Development of an Integrative Model

In this article, we examine the evolution of multi-unit franchising (MUF) research and develop an integrative model for the franchisor's choice of ownership strategy between single-unit and multi-unit franchising. Although several empirical studies were published on MUF in the last two decades, the research deficit primarily results from the lack of theoretical foundation of this ownership strategy. We extend the literature in the following way: First, based on the transaction cost view of governance mechanism, we examine the influence of environmental uncertainty on the choice of ownership strategy. Second, we develop hypotheses based on the resource-based and organizational capabilities view. Third, we investigate the influence of contractibility of resources and organizational capabilities on the choice of ownership strategy. Finally, we apply the screening theory and argue that specific investments of MUF have an ex-post bonding function, based on transaction cost reasoning, and an ex ante screening function.
Differential Localization and Regulation of Death and Decoy Receptors for TNF-Related Apoptosis-Inducing Ligand (TRAIL) in Human Melanoma Cells1

Induction of apoptosis in cells by TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL), a member of the TNF family, is believed to be regulated by expression of two death-inducing and two inhibitory (decoy) receptors on the cell surface. In previous studies we found no correlation between expression of decoy receptors and susceptibility of human melanoma cells to TRAIL-induced apoptosis. In view of this, we studied the localization of the receptors in melanoma cells by confocal microscopy to better understand their function. We show that the death receptors TRAIL-R1 and R2 are located in the trans-Golgi network, whereas the inhibitory receptors TRAIL-R3 and -R4 are located in the nucleus. After exposure to TRAIL, TRAIL-R1 and -R2 are internalized into endosomes, whereas TRAIL-R3 and -R4 undergo relocation from the nucleus to the cytoplasm and cell membranes. This movement of decoy receptors was dependent on signals from TRAIL-R1 and -R2, as shown by blocking experiments with Abs to TRAIL-R1 and -R2. The location of TRAIL-R1, -R3, and -R4 in melanoma cells transfected with cDNA for these receptors was similar to that in nontransfected cells. Transfection of TRAIL-R3 and -R4 increased resistance of the melanoma lines to TRAIL-induced apoptosis even in melanoma lines that naturally expressed these receptors. These results indicate that abnormalities in “decoy” receptor location or function may contribute to sensitivity of melanoma to TRAIL-induced apoptosis and suggest that further studies are needed on the functional significance of their nuclear location and TRAIL-induced movement within cells.
Developing equitable education systems

1. The challenge of equity in education 2. Using evidence to promote more equitable practice in schools 3. The development of an equity research network 4. Making schools more equitable 5. Making sense of the process 6. Assessing the impact 7. Drawing out the lessons 8. Rethinking the tasks
Impact of relationship marketing tactics on relationship quality and customer loyalty: A case study of telecom sector of Pakistan

In today’s hyper competitive market, it is very essential for all the companies to have a long term and profitable relationship with their clients and to reach a maximum level of loyalty. In the early nineties, relationship marketing has been seen as a very important factor. It became an integral part of the industry and most importantly in the service sector. Companies use many tactics to retain their customers. Many of the tactics fail or are ineffective on the customers. As a result, target customer shows a behavior called switching. This study is aimed at investigating the relationship of these marketing tactics on trust and satisfaction of customer, which ultimately increases customer loyalty in telecom sector of Pakistan. An analytical model is developed to test the relationship between these tactics and customer loyalty. Key words: Relationship marketing tactics, relationship quality, trust, satisfaction, customer loyalty, telecom sector.
Economic evaluation of an integrated diagnostic approach for psychogeriatric patients: results of a randomized controlled trial.

CONTEXT Because of the increasing number of elderly people with dementia, the costs of dementia and dementia care are expected to grow rapidly in the coming decades. Cost-effectiveness results are relevant for decision making about new strategies in dementia care. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of an integrated multidisciplinary diagnostic facility for diagnosing dementia in ambulatory psychogeriatric patients. DESIGN Randomized controlled trial with an economic evaluation component. SETTING The Maastricht Evaluation of a Diagnostic Intervention for Cognitively Impaired Elderly, Maastricht University Hospital, Maastricht, the Netherlands. PATIENTS A total of 137 patients who received care in the multidisciplinary diagnostic facility and 93 who received usual care. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) as the main outcome measure and cognition and behavioral problems as secondary outcome measures. RESULTS Compared with patients receiving usual care, patients who visited the diagnostic facility gained a mean 0.05 QALY at the extra cost of euro65. The incremental cost per QALY amounted to euro1267. This point estimate lies beneath commonly accepted thresholds and is within an acceptable range of uncertainty. With regard to the secondary analyses, cost-effectiveness results showed a substantial amount of uncertainty and were therefore indecisive. CONCLUSION On the basis of the main cost-per-QALY analysis, the use of the integrated multidisciplinary diagnostic facility is cost-effective for the diagnosis and management of dementia in ambulatory patients.
Economic analysis of different options in integrated pest and soil fertility management in maize systems of Western Kenya

The major biotic constraints to the production of maize, the major staple food in Western Kenya, are field pests such as "Striga" and stem borers, and low soil fertility. To counter these constraints, new cropping systems have been developed, including "push-pull," rotations with promiscuous soybean varieties and green manure crops, and imidazolinone resistant- (IR-) maize. To analyze the technical and economic performance of these technologies, both with and without fertilizer, on-farm researcher-managed long-term trials were implemented over six seasons in two sites each in Vihiga and Siaya districts of Western Kenya. The economic results, based on marginal analysis using a multioutput, multiperiod model, show that the new cropping systems with fodder intercropping (push-pull) or soybean rotations were highly profitable. Push-pull is more profitable but requires a relatively high initial investment cost. Green manure rotation, IR-maize, and fertilizer all increased yields, but these investments were generally not justified by their increased revenue. We argue that research on rotation and cropping systems to tackle pest and soil fertility problems in Africa deserve more attention. This will require increased collaboration between agronomists and economists to set up long-term experiments with new cropping systems to develop proper economic models. Copyright (c) 2010 International Association of Agricultural Economists.
Stationary Fuzzy Fokker–Planck Learning and Stochastic Fuzzy Filtering

The application of nonlinear optimization to the estimation of fuzzy model parameters is well known. To do the reverse of this, the concept of stationary fuzzy Fokker-Planck learning (SFFPL) is introduced, i.e., SFFPL applies the fuzzy modeling technique in nonlinear optimization problems. SFFPL is based on the fuzzy approximation of the stationary cumulative distribution function of a stochastic search process associated with the nonlinear optimization problem. A carefully designed algorithm is suggested for SFFPL to locate the optimum point. This paper also considers the variational Bayes (VB)-based inference of a stochastic fuzzy filter whose consequents, as well as antecedents, are random variables. The problem of VB inference of stochastic antecedents, because of the nonlinearity of the likelihood function, is analytically intractable. The SFFPL algorithm for high-dimensional nonlinear optimization that does not require the derivative of the objective function can be used to numerically solve the stochastic fuzzy filtering problem.
Teachers’ networks in and out of school

A ‘mapping task’ was used to explore the networks available to head teachers, school coordinators and local authority staff. Beginning from an ego‐centred perspective on networks, we illustrate a number of key analytic categories, including brokerage, formality, and strength and weakness of links with reference to a single UK primary school. We describe how teachers differentiate between the strength of network links and their value, which is characteristically related to their potential impact on classroom practice.
Iterative Learning Control With Predictive Trial Information: Convergence, Robustness, and Experimental Verification

Iterative learning control (ILC) is a control design method for high-performance trajectory tracking. Most existing results achieve this by learning from information collected over the past executions of the task (named trials). This brief proposes a novel ILC design framework that updates the control input by learning not only from the past trials but also from the predicted future trials using knowledge of the plant model. It is shown that by including information from the predicted future trials, the designed ILC controller is less short sighted, and therefore better performance can be achieved. Analysis of the algorithm's properties reveals potentially substantial benefit in terms of convergence speed; the proposed algorithm also possesses distinct robustness features with respect to model uncertainty. Both numerical simulations and experimental results using a nonminimum phase test facility are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
DOMINANT NATIONAL CENTERS: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE HEADQUARTERS COMMUNITIES OF NEW YORK AND TORONTO

This paper analyzes and compares the headquarters communities of the two dominant, national corporate centers in North America. As the pre-eminent cities of their respective countries, New York and Toronto fulfill an important role within their national urban and economic systems. Both cities host businesses and institutions that determine and symbolize the direction of their respective national economies. The analysis of Toronto and New York examines recent trends in the growth and change of the headquarters hosted by the two cities. The results show that the cities are comparable in some ways, such as in their common dominance among the financial institutions of their countries. However, in other ways the headquarters community in each appears to be following distinct paths, as in the distinctive location tendencies of the most rapidly-growing firms in the two cities. The paper presents an analysis and comparison of the corporate community in each city, and provides some interpretation as to the meaning of the results for further development of theory in economic geography.