Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
How Does Fuel Taxation Impact New Car Purchases? An Evaluation Using French Consumer-Level Data

This paper sets out to identify the impact of fuel prices on new car purchases, using exhaustive individual-level data of monthly registration of new private cars in France from 2003 to 2007. Detailed information on the car holder enables us to account for heterogeneous preferences across purchasers. We identify demand parameters through the large oil price fluctuations of this period. We find that the sensitivity of short-term demand with respect to fuel prices is generally low. Using these estimates, we assess the impact of a policy equalizing diesel and gasoline taxes, assuming that consumers react similarly to fuel price changes from tax and from oil price variations. Such a policy would slightly reduce the share of diesel in new cars purchases in the short-run (i.e. before supply side adjustments take place), without substantially changing the average fuel consumption or CO2 emission levels of new cars. Alternatively, a carbon tax (at 15 ¬/ton of CO2) could slightly decrease these emissions in the short-run.
Do pleural plaques carry an excess of risk of lung cancer in asbestos-exposed workers?

Poster: "ECR 2012 / B-0026 / Do pleural plaques carry an excess of risk of lung cancer in asbestos-exposed workers? " by: "R. Barbot1, C. Le Marquand2, J.-C. Pairon3, C. Paris4, P. Brochard5, F. Laurent6; 1Villenave d'Ornon/FR, 2Clamart/FR, 3Creteil/FR, 4Vandoeuvre-les-Nancy/FR, 5Bordeaux/FR, 6Pessac/FR"
Differences in body composite and physical match performance in female soccer players according to team position

Milanovic Z, Sporis G, Trajkovic N. Differences in Body Composite and Physical Match Performance in Female Soccer Players According to Team Position. J. Hum. Sport Exerc. Vol. 7, No. Proc1, pp. S67-S72, 2012. The aim of this research was to determine the differences between body composition and physical match performance among female soccer players according to the team’s position. Twenty two elite female soccer players (aged 23.95 ± 4.52, height 168.82 ± 7.19 cm, body mass index 21.5 ± 1.3kg) from Serbian A-national team participated in this study. Players were tested for aerobic endurance, Yo-Yo intermittent recovery test level 1 (YYIRL1), body mass and body height. The percentage of body fat and body mass index (BMI) was determinate according to body height and body weight parameters. The average value of body weight among female soccer players has been 61.4±6.0kg. The biggest average value for body weight has been found among midfielders 62.7±7.7kg, while the smallest values have been found among goalkeepers 59.5±10.6kg. Opposite to the body weight, goalkeepers have been the tallest players with average body high of 172.5±3.5cm, than the defenders with 170.0±7.2cm, while the midfielders (168.7±8.7cm) and the attackers (164.7±5.0cm) have shown the smallest average values. The YYIRL1 test’s results have shown that all positions have similar value within range of 880-930m, which indicates group homogeneity. The average values of the body fat was 25.9±2.0%. Significant difference between the tested variables according to the player’s position in the team could not be established (p<0.05). The selection process and the orientation towards specific team position represent an important aspect of the realization of the top athletic results, but it cannot be based merely on morphological and functional results. According to this research, differences cannot be precisely defined in both morphological and functional abilities of the women soccer players based on their position in the team. Key words: YO-YO TEST, BODY MASS, FEMALE, SOCCER.
On the Same Side of the Faultline: Inclusion in the Leader's Subgroup and Employee Performance

Extending theory on faultlines and subgroups, we argue that faultlines splitting a team into homogeneous subgroups can have different effects on team members' individual performance, depending on different intra-subgroup processes. Specifically, we propose that the effect of faultline strength on individual performance depends on whether a team member's subgroup includes the team leader. Building on the notion of faultline triggers, we further propose that organizational crises exacerbate this interaction because they make social support by the team leader especially important. We tested these assumptions with objective performance data collected over a period of four years from 3263 financial consultants (325 teams) while controlling for the effects of relational demography. Results showed that in teams with strong faultlines, consultants' performance decreased to a lesser extent in crisis years if the consultants shared a subgroup with their team leader. Thus, faultlines had different effects on team members from different subgroups.
Light meson spectroscopy at BESIII

The BESIII collaboration has collected a sample of 1.311 billion J/ψ events since 2009. In this talk, we will introduce four recent analyses on light meson spec-troscopy at BESIII, including two studies on the X (1835) and two partial wave analyses that are related to searching for and studying glueball candidates.
Long-run consequences of natural disasters : Evidence from Tangshan By

Exploiting Tangshan 1976 the deadliest earthquake in the 20th century as a source of exogenous variation, we estimate the cohort-specific effects of a historical shock on contemporary socio-economic outcomes. While cohorts born after the earthquake were considerably larger, the adverse post-disaster conditions did not translate into lasting impacts on schooling and labour market outcomes. Cohorts at schooling age during the earthquake, however, exhibit considerably lower education levels today, particularly among the female. Despite lower education, there is no evidence for adverse labour market outcomes. We conduct extensive robustness checks and argue that the effect is causal.
Housework Share between Partners: Experimental Evidence on Gender Identity

Using an experimental design, we investigate the reasons behind the gendered division of housework within couples. In particular, we assess whether the fact that women do more housework may be explained by differences in preferences deriving from differences in gender identity between men and women. We find little evidence of any systematic gender differences in the preference for housework, suggesting that the reasons for the gendered division of housework lie elsewhere.
Options to Increase Adoption of Lowland Rice - Legume Technologies in Morogoro, Tanzania

The main concern in agricultural research is to ensure that research products are adopted by farmers. However, the rate of adoption is low. Most research on adoption rates are post-ante. The values of such research can be added if factors for adoption are ex-ante identified and measures taken to increase adoption. This study was conducted in Morogoro, Tanzania to ex-ante identify socio-economic characteristics that influence adoption of Integrated Lowland Rice Legume Technologies (ILRLT). The ILRLT included integration of rice (SARO variety), legumes (cow pea) water management (irrigation, rainfed and majaruba bunds), tillage (conventional and minimum) and fertilizers (UREA, TSP and MOP). Data were collected through questionnaire interviews to 200 representative farmers and key informants. Descriptive statistics, Multi-Criteria Analysis and a two functions adoption model were used to assess the suitability of ILRLT and analyze the likelihood of farmers to adopt. Results indicated that important criteria for rice variety preference and hence adoption are high prices (7.8%), good taste (6.1%), early maturity (4.8%), disease (3.2%) and drought tolerance (17.4%). ILRLT scored more (26.40%) than farmer’s (17.97%) in fulfilling criteria for rice legume variety preferences. ILRLT have a chance of being adopted to the maximum rate of 89.7%. Adoption is likely to be more with farmers who depend on irrigation than those who depend on rainfed rice farming.
Functional Dyeing of Wool with Natural Dye Extracted from Berberis vulgaris Wood and Rumex Hymenosepolus Root as Biomordant

B: In this study, a functional colorant, Berberine, extracted from Berberis vulgaris wood was applied onto wool fiber using the extract of roots of Rumex Hymenosepolus as biomordant. The effect of treatment variables on the color strength of dyed fibers was examined. The fastness properties of dyed wool against washing, light, dry and wet rubbing were evaluated. Dyed samples were tested for antibacterial activity using AATCC test method 100-2004. Tannin present in the roots of Rumex hymenosepolus when used as a biomordant on wool increased the color strength of the dyed goods. Increase in dyeing time, temperature and pH caused deeper shades. Biomordanting, increased light fastness, rub fastness and wash fastness of dyed samples. The dyed wool represented a high level of antibacterial activity. The extract of the Berberis vulgaris can be considered as a natural dye of acceptable fastness properties together with excellent antibacterial activity for woolen textiles.
Gender and Conditional Support for Torture in the War on Terror

Abstract The events of September 11 have clearly changed the way that Americans think about politics and policy and may have changed attitudes about the treatment of America's perceived enemies. At the same time, revelations about American interrogation techniques in the war on terror have forced a national dialogue on human rights during a time of war. Americans do tend to oppose a variety of harsh interrogation techniques, but opposition appears to be conditioned by gender, partisanship, and the context in which an interrogation might take place. We explore how conditions shape attitudes on interrogation techniques in the war on terror, with a particular focus on gender and contextual framing. We analyze data from a unique 2004 national survey of American adults to test several hypotheses. Our results suggest that gender strongly shapes opposition to harsh interrogation techniques, but contextual framing also shapes opposition. Partisanship and contextual framing also mediate the influence of gender on attitudes.
Quality of Life Satisfaction among Workers and Non-Workers in Uruguay

In this paper we use data from a population survey on quality of life dimensions conducted in Uruguay to analyze the self reported well-being among workers and non workers. Along with the literature, we find that the probability of being happy is greater for workers than non-workers. Specifically, we find evidence that workers tend to be more satisfied with their economic situation and heath, but less content with their leisure time. A number of personal and family characteristics were identified to play a role in explaining the differences in reported satisfaction between the two groups: age, gender, family size, having a life partner. Although, the self reported satisfaction with the family situation seems to be similar for workers and non-workers.
Deep Alignment with Country Shrinks the Moral Gap Between Conservatives and Liberals

Moral foundations theory suggests that relative to liberals, conservatives care more about values that are believed to bind group members together: loyalty/betrayal, authority/subversion, and purity/degradation. In contrast, we propose that individuals who are deeply aligned (“fused”) with their group should display elevated commitment to group-oriented moral values, regardless of their political orientation. The results of three studies supported this hypothesis. The tendency for conservatives to endorse the binding foundations more than liberals only emerged among weakly and moderately fused Americans. In fact, liberals strongly fused with the United States endorsed “binding” foundations more than average conservatives and to the same extent as strongly fused conservatives. These results indicate that to fully understand moral prerogatives, one must consider the nature of the connections people form to the group, as well as their political orientation.
Impact of Acute Bronchiolitis on Cardiac Functions and Serum microRNA-122 and 499

Bronchiolitis is an acute inflammatory injury of the bronchioles that is usually caused by a viral infection, most commonly Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV). This study aimed to verify the direct injurious effect of acute bronchiolitis on the myocardium and serum level of microRNA-122 and 499 (miR-122 and miR-499) of infected infants. Serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), creatine phosphokinase-isoenzyme MB (CK-MB) and cardiac troponin I (cTp I) were significantly elevated in mild to moderate group as well as severe group except cTp I which showed non-significant elevation in mild to moderate group, compared to control group. Quantitative Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR) was carried out to evaluate the serum level of miR-122 and miR-499. Sharp elevation in serum miR-122 was observed in severe cases, while miR-499 was statistically non-significant as compared to both normal and mild to moderate groups. The flow velocities across the pulmonary, tricuspid and mitral valves were recorded using standard echocardiographic techniques. Echocardiographic data showed significant reduction in pulmonary At/Et ratio in severe bronchiolitis group, compared to both normal and mild to moderate groups, respectively. Parallel reduction was also observed in tricuspid and mitral E/A ratios, compared to both normal and mild to moderate groups, respectively. Severe bronchiolitis causes cardiac dysfunction due to hypoxia, cardiac strain and pulmonary hypertension in addition to up-regulation of serum miRNA-122.
Component 1: Current and Future Methods for Representing and Interacting with Qualitative Geographic Information

Abstract : Geographically-grounded text information is an increasingly common data type that has the potential to increase our ability to understand place-based activities and processes dramatically if methods can be developed to extract, process, and represent that information as well as to connect the information with more traditional geographic data organized within GIS and related technologies. A variety of approaches exist for visual exploration and analysis of text media, and this report highlights and categorizes known approaches towards handling text information in information visualization and geographic information technologies. In addition, we describe the most common techniques for interacting with textual data and its derivatives in geographic and non-geographic visualization systems. Finally, we propose several graphical methods for using text itself to represent different dimensions of geographic information. These methods, as well as others we review from previous work, help elaborate a path forward for future geographic information technologies that can more effectively leverage geographically-grounded text.
Stochastic Vestibular Stimulation in Dopamine Related Disorders

Dopamine related disorders usually respond to dopaminergic drugs, but not all symptoms are equally responsive. In Parkinson’s disease (PD) in particular, axial symptoms resulting in impaired gait and postural control are difficult to treat. Stochastic vestibular stimulation (SVS) has been put forward as a method to improve CNS function in dopamine related disorders, but the mechanisms of action are not well understood. This thesis aimed to investigate the effects of SVS on neuronal brain activity and to evaluate the possible enhancing effect of SVS on motor control in PD and on cognitive functions and motor learning in Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Behavioural tests were conducted in the 6-OHDA rat model of PD using the accelerating Rotarod and the Montoya skilled reach test to evaluate the effect of SVS on motor control. The effect of SVS on brain activity was assessed using in vivo microdialysis and immunohistochemistry. We evaluated the effect of SVS on postural control and Parkinsonism in patients with PD and the effect of SVS on cognitive function in people with ADHD. The behavioural animal studies indicate that SVS may have an enhancing effect on locomotion, but not skilled forepaw function. SVS increased GABA transmission in the ipsilesional substantia nigra (SN) and may have a rebalancing effect on dysfunctional brain activity. SVS increased c-Fos activity more than levodopa and saline in the vestibular nucleus of all animals. c-Fos expression was also higher in this region in the 6-OHDA lesioned than in shamlesioned animals, supporting the theory that SVS may have larger effects in the dopamine depleted brain. SVS increased c-Fos expression in the habenula nucleus substantially more than levodopa did. Furthermore, SVS and levodopa had similar effects on many brain regions, including the striatum, where saline had no effect. The clinical studies revealed improvement of postural control in PD during SVS. There was a trend towards reduced Parkinsonism during SVS when off levodopa. No substantial effects were found on cognitive performance in ADHD. In PD, SVS may improve motor control by inhibiting the overactive SN, possibly through a non-dopaminergic modulatory pathway involving increased neurotransmission in the habenula nucleus. SVS could be trialled in larger studies to evaluate long-term effects on treatment resistant axial symptoms associated with PD.
Corruption, Government Subsidies, and Innovation: Evidence from China

Governments are important financiers of private sector innovation. While these public funds can ease capital constraints and information asymmetries, they can also introduce political distortions. We empirically explore these issues for China, where a quarter of firms’ R&D expenditures come from government subsidies. Using a difference-in-differences approach, we find that the anticorruption campaign that began in 2012 and the departures of local government officials responsible for innovation programs strengthened the relationship between firms’ historical innovative efficiency and subsequent subsidy awards and depressed the influence of their corruption-related expenditures. We also examine the impact of these changes: subsidies became significantly positively associated with future innovation after the anti-corruption campaign and the departure of government innovation officials.
The Role of Positivity and Connectivity in the Performance of Business Teams

Connectivity, the control parameter in a nonlinear dynamics model of team performance is mathematically linked to the ratio of positivity to negativity (P/N) in team interaction. By knowing the P/N ratio it is possible to run the nonlinear dynamics model that will portray what types of dynamics are possible for a team. These dynamics are of three types: point attractor, limit cycle, and complexor (complex order, or “chaotic” in the mathematical sense). Low performance teams end up in point attractor dynamics, medium perfomance teams in limit cycle dynamics, and high performance teams in complexor dynamics.
Association of 5 0 estrogen receptor alpha gene polymorphisms with bone mineral density, vertebral bone area and fracture risk

This study investigates the inﬂuence of genetic variation of the estrogen receptor alpha (ESR1) gene locus on several bone parameters in 2042 individuals of The Rotterdam Study, a prospective population-based cohort study of elderly subjects. We analysed three polymorphic sites in the 5 0 region of the ESR1 gene; a (TA) n repeat in the promoter region, and molecular haplotypes of the Pvu II and Xba I RFLPs in intron 1, and inferred long-range haplotypes (LRH) thereof. We observed only three of the possible four Pvu II– Xba I haplotypes in our population. A comparison with other Caucasian populations showed similar haplotype frequencies, while in Asian and African populations these were different. Linkage disequilibrium (LD) analysis between the Pvu II– Xba I haplotype and the (TA) n repeat showed strong LD between the two sites. Reconstruction of long range haplotypes over the entire 5 0 region, revealed six frequent LRH. In men, we did not observe an association between the ESR1 polymorphisms studied and bone parameters. In women, we demonstrated an allele dose effect of haplotype ‘px’ ( P ¼ 0.003) and a low number of (TA) n repeats ( P ¼ 0.008) with decreased lumbar spine bone mineral density (BMD) (4.8% lower BMD in women homozygous for haplotype ‘px’, representing 28% of the population, compared with homozygous non-carriers) and decreased vertebral bone area (2.3% difference between extreme genotypes; P ¼ 0.016). Most importantly, we found an increased vertebral fracture risk with evidence for an allele dose effect with an odds ratio of 2.2 (95%CI 1.3–3.5) for haplotype ‘px’, and 2.0 (1.5–3.2) for a low number of (TA) n repeats. The ESR1 genotype dependent fracture risk is largely independent of BMD and bone area. Combination of risk alleles at both loci by long-range haplotyping improved the associations slightly, but because of the strong LD between the two polymorphic sites, we were unable to determine if any particular polymorphic site is driving the associations found. We conclude that ESR1 polymorphism in the 5 0 (promoter) region is associated with vertebral fracture risk, lumbar spine BMD and vertebral bone area in postmenopausal women, but not in men. The molecular mechanism underlying this association needs further study.
Quality-related constituents in tea (Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze) as affected by the form and concentration of nitrogen and the supply of chloride

Free amino acids, polyphenols and caffeine are particularly important groups of compounds for taste and quality of green tea infusions. The influence of nutrient supply on their accumulation in tea plants was investigated under controlled conditions. Plants supplied with NO3- grew much slower than those receiving NH4+ or NH4++NO3-. Concentrations of free amino acids in young tea shoots were considerably larger in NH4+- than in NO3--fed plants, attributing to the larger absorption rate of NH4+ than NO3- and their compartmental assimilation. Biosynthesis of catechins was reduced by the highest N supply due to more carbon resources were allocated to N metabolism. With the highest N supply, relatively more absorbed N was allocated to synthesis of arginine and glutamine with low C : N ratios to improve carbon economy. Application of Cl reduced the concentrations of total free amino acid and theanine in young shoots but did not affect theanine in roots, NH4+ uptake rate and GS activity. It is suggested that Cl might influnce translocation of theanine from root to shoot and its further catabolism in the young shoots.
Predicting safe sex practices from gender-related interpersonal variables

ABSTRACT This study investigated whether safe sex practices, including condom use and partner communication, may be predicted from the interpersonal traits of agency, unmitigated agency, communion, and unmitigated communion. Participants were 375 college students (77% women, 23% men), who completed an online questionnaire assessing the variables of interest. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that high-agency individuals employed greater safe sex practices (p = .001) and had greater communication with their partners about safe sex (p < .001) than low-agency individuals, whereas high-unmitigated agency individuals employed fewer safe sex practices (p = .009) and used condoms less often (p = .017) than low-unmitigated agency individuals. Furthermore, high-communion individuals had better partner communication about safe sex (p = .013) than low-communion individuals. These findings are consistent with past research showing the positive impact of agency and communion, as well as negative impact of unmitigated agency, on risky health behaviors.