Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Chinese Students' Attitudes Towards the Use of English-Medium Instruction into the Curriculum Courses: A Case Study of a National Key University in Beijing.

This article outlines the necessity for investigating the attitudes of local students towards the use of the English-medium instruction (EMI) strategy in their programs in China. It starts by presenting an overview of English as a global language, how English is emphasized in China, and briefly presents the concept of 'Attitude' and how the motivation factor plays a significant role in the conception processing of attitudes. Semi-structured interviews with six graduate students majoring in different programs are conducted. The analysis of the interviews identified that the participants hold very positive attitudes towards the use of the EMI strategy at their current programs. The participants, furthermore, expressed their complete readiness to join post-graduate programs wherein only the EMI strategy is implemented. In addition to the factors identified in the literature, the current article also recognized new factors that led the participants to conceiving positive attitudes: maintaining a global friendship, obtaining a leadership position, and acquainting with international scholars. Moreover, it is argued that 'quantity' precedes 'quality' in higher education institutions. Finally, the article provides a suggestion for how to meet the students' language needs and maximize the competition in obtaining top world-class university rankings.
A Tax Paradox for Investment Decisions under Uncertainty

In this paper we use a real option model for assessing uncertain investment projects and we show that—due to a flexibility premium—taxes asymmetrically affect the option value of projects that differ in their riskiness. Hence, this may generate distortions. We analytically identify a set of neutral tax rates (a tax regime) that preserve the post-tax investment threshold if taxes change, and determine normal and paradoxical settings for investments. Unlike other tax paradoxes neither depreciation rules nor loss offset restrictions cause these paradoxical reactions. Taxes affect each project individually, depending on the project risks involved. This implies that, for a variety of uncertain projects, taxes cannot be neutral on aggregate.
Liberalism in Contemporary China: ten years after its ‘resurface’

Liberalism is an intellectual discourse in the first place, and secondly, it is a demand in reality. Its philosophical premise is experimentalism as opposed to transcendentalism; its social-historical theory is ‘test-and-error’, as opposed to various forms of historical determinism; its approach towards reform is an expansion of incrementalism, as opposed to radical and artificial creation. Economically it demandsmarket economy against the system of state planning; politically it stands for representative democracy, constitutionalism and legality against one-person orminority autocracy aswell asmass dictatorship of themajority in the name of ‘public will’; ethically it advocates protection of individual values and claims that, while many other values can be compromised under certain circumstances, the individual is the last one that can not be reduced and used asmeans for any abstract purpose.
Exercise-induced skeletal muscle damage and adaptation following repeated bouts of eccentric muscle contractions.

Repeated bouts of eccentric muscle contractions were used to examine indirect indices of exercise-induced muscle damage and adaptation in human skeletal muscle. Twenty-four subjects (18 females, 6 males) aged 20.0 +/- 1.4 years (mean +/- S.D.) performed an initial bout of either 10 (n = 7), 30 (n = 9) or 50 (n = 8) maximum voluntary eccentric contractions of the knee extensors, followed by a second bout of 50 contractions 3 weeks later using the same leg. Muscle soreness was elevated after all bouts (P < 0.05, Wilcoxon test), although the initial bout reduced the soreness associated with the second bout. Force loss and a decline in the 20:100 Hz percutaneous electrical myostimulation force ratio were observed after all exercise bouts (P < 0.01). Serum creatine kinase activity was elevated following the initial bouts of 30 and 50 repetitions (P < 0.01), but there was no increase following 10 repetitions. No increase in serum creatine kinase activity was observed in any group following the second bout of contractions (P > 0.05). We conclude that skeletal muscle adaptation can be brought about by a single bout of relatively few eccentric muscle contractions. Increasing the number of eccentric muscle repetitions did not result in an increased prophylactic effect on skeletal muscle.
The NBA Draft

The National Basketball Association (NBA) has a fixed salary schedule that allows us to examine this labor market to understand the incentives for players to enter the draft. Previous studies have focused on labor as a choice from the team’s perspective. Early entry into the NBA draft is similar to the decision to exercise an American style put option early; the draftee sells his remaining time in college early. Using mock draft and actual draft data, the authors find early exercise to be rational for all class ranks; though the early exercise boundary is considerably different for freshmen and juniors.
Industry effects and micro firms' capital structure determinants empirical evidence from Swedish data

This paper empirically examines the relevance of the pecking order theory to explain the capital structure determinants of Swedish small- and medium-sized firms (SMEs) within different industries. The study is based on multiple regression models and employs panel data for 10,905 Swedish micro firms from the financial year 2007. The models include the main capital structure determinants identified in the capital structure literature. Generally, the empirical findings show that size, tangibility and profitability are important determinants of both the long- and short-term debt (STD) of micro firms within all industry sectors. The effect of age and tangibility on long- and STD is unstable and shifting, and depends to a large extent on industry affiliation. The findings indicate that the pecking order theory appears to be relevant to explain the capital structure of Swedish micro firms.
Forage for Thought: Mobilizing Codes in the Movement for Grass-fed Meat and Dairy Products

This study illuminates how new markets emerge and how social movements can effect cultural change through market creation. We suggest that social movements can fuel solutions to three challenges in creating new market segments: entrepreneurial production, the creation of collective producer identities, and the establishment of regular exchange between producers and consumers. We use qualitative data on the grassroots coalition movement that has spurred a market for grass-fed meat and dairy products in the United States since the early 1990s. Our analysis shows that the movement's participants mobilized broad cultural codes and that these codes motivated producers to enter and persist in a nascent market, shaped their choices about production and exchange technologies, enabled a collective identity, and formed the basis of the products' exchange value.
A Stakeholder Empire: The Political Economy of Spanish Imperial Rule in America

This paper revises the traditional view of Spain as a predatory colonial state that extracted revenue from natural resources and populations in the Americas while offering little in return. Using 18th century Spanish American treasury accounts we show that local elites not only exerted important control over revenue collection as argued by (Irigoin/Grafe 2006) but also over expenditure allocation. Mirroring Elliot’s characterization of the English empire as a ‘stakeholder empire’ we contend that the Spanish colonial state developed into a stakeholder model, in which local interests were deeply invested in the survival and expansion of empire. The means of co-optation were intra-colonial transfers, as well as credit relations between the state and colonial individuals and corporations, which guaranteed that much of colonial revenue was immediately fed back into the local economy, while minimizing enforcements costs. By allowing stakeholder control of both revenue and expenditure Spain managed to avoid the problems faced by France where royal control of expenditure clashed with at least partial elite control of revenue raising (Velde/Weir 1992, Hoffman/Rosenthal 1997).
Presales, Financing Constraints, and Developers' Production Decisions

This study explores the impacts a presale contract has on a developerâ€™s pricing and production decisions in a game-theoretical framework. In an environment where developers have full capital market access, we find that both developers and buyers are indifferent between a presale and a spot sale method. This is true because a developer will adjust the presale price to compensate for the option value he gives to the buyer. However, in an environment with financing constraints, both developers and buyers are better off when a presale method is used. This is the case because the presale method solves the financing constraint by injecting equity into the development and, hence, reducing financing costs. The latter benefit can then be shared by both developers and buyers. Also, the additional equity the developers receive makes it more feasible for them to increase the size of their developments. This model prediction seems to describe well the real world situations seen in some of the property markets in Asia with nascent financial systems.
P-selectin, tissue factor and CD40 ligand expression on platelet-leucocyte conjugates in the presence of a GPIIb/IIIa antagonist

This study was to investigate the appearance of P-selectin, tissue factor (TF) and CD40 ligand (CD40L) on platelet-leucocyte conjugates in the absence and presence of a GPIIb/IIIa antagonist, MK-852, and the effect of adding EDTA to pre-formed conjugates. The purpose was to find out whether these antigens are displaced from the conjugates along with the platelets, thus providing information on their location. Hirudinized blood was stirred with collagen ((2 μg/mL) in the absence and presence of MK-852 (10 μmol/mL). P-selectin, TF and CD40L were measured on platelet-leucocyte conjugates (CD42a positive monocytes and neutrophils) and on single platelets by flow cytometry. Measurements were also made after subsequent addition of EDTA (4 mmol/L). Platelet-leucocyte conjugate formation was markedly enhanced in the presence of MK-852. P-selectin, TF and CD40L expression on the conjugates was also enhanced. Monocytes bound more platelets and expressed more P-selectin, TF and CD40L than neutrophils. EDTA displaced the majority of platelets from the conjugates and also the P-selectin, TF and CD40L, whereas it did not displaced P-selectin or CD40 ligand from platelets themselves. It is concluded that a GPIIb/IIIa antagonist promotes formation of platelet-leucocyte conjugates, which display P-selectin, TF and CD40L that appears to be associated with the adherent platelets. Platelet-monocyte conjugates are prime candidates for arterial inflammation and thrombosis. Pro-inflammatory and pro-thrombotic effects of CD40L and tissue factor may be an explanation of the negative clinical effects using GPIIb/IIIa antagonists.
Participation in a Professional Association's Annual National Conference: A Phenomenological Inquiry into the Perceptions of Underrepresented Educational Leadership Faculty.

By William Patrick MacLean, Ph.D. Washington State University May 2010 Chair: Forrest W. Parkay: Researchers have noted the persistent challenges that underrepresented faculty still encounter in higher education. For example, female and ethnic minority faculty members continue to experience barriers in achieving tenure and promotion. In spite of efforts to increase their presence and visibility, structural barriers account for the continued under representation of these minority faculty. Within this context, this study investigated the perceptions of underrepresented faculty regarding their participation in annual national conferences conducted by the leading professional association for Educational Leadership faculty. Three research questions guided this study: (1) What are the perceptions of underrepresented Educational Leadership faculty members regarding their experiences at their Association’s annual national conferences? (2) How do these perceptions relate to their career advancement and professional development as professors of Educational Leadership? (3) What differences, if any, are reflected in the perceptions of assistant, associate, and full professors; and what factors are associated with these differences?
Effectiveness of R&D tax incentives in small and large enterprises in Québec

In this paper we evaluate the effectiveness of R&D tax incentives in Quebec, using manufacturing firm data from 1997 to 2003 originating from R&D surveys, annual surveys of manufactures and administrative data. The estimated price elasticity of R&D is –0.10 in the short run and –0.14 in the long run, with slightly higher elasticities for small firms than for large firms. We show that there is a deadweight loss associated with level-based R&D tax incentives that is particularly acute for large firms. For small firms it is not sizeable enough to suppress the R&D additionality, at least not for quite a number of years after the initial tax change. Incremental R&D tax credits do not suffer from this deadweight loss and are from that perspective preferable to level-based tax incentives.
Occupation Choice: Family, Social and Market Influences

The advance of knowledge-based societies has modified the labor markets and qualification requirements. In this sense, and considering that individual choices about careers and occupations have pervasive social effects, there is a growing interest from both academics and policy makers in understanding and influencing the process of education choice. Specifically, there is a worldwide renewed concern on achieving higher levels of graduation from scientific and technological disciplines. Available evidence shows that mobilizing individual wills towards these highly priority careers is not an easy nor mechanical task. Thus, it is necessary to expand the standard view about the process of occupation choice by adding non pecuniary factors, influence of social networks and the role of information and guidance policies. With these objectives in mind, and after reviewing the theoretical literature about occupation choice in economics, the present paper analyzes the effects that diverse personal, family, social and economic aspects have in the selection of an university career. Based on the empirical findings, some policy recommendations are put forward.
One-Hit Effects and Cancer

This perspective on Bellacosa et al. (beginning on p. 48 in this issue of the journal) discusses the important biology of microscopically normal tissues in carriers of germ-line BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations. The work of Bellacosa et al. is an important step toward discerning which pathways may be altered when one BRCA allele is inactivated. Cancer Prev Res; 3(1); 12–5
Confidence and the Real Value of Money in an Overlapping Generations Economy

We demonstrate that stochastic bubbles which have a constant, exogenous, probability of collapsing may exist, in general equilibrium, on an intrinsically useless and unbacked asset (money). This may happen provided that the probability q that the bubble will persist next period is large enough and exceeds a threshold level Q which we call the minimum rate of confidence. This condition is always violated when the economy without bubble is dynamically efficient. It is more likely to be satisfied, in dynamically inefficient economies, the larger the "size" of the inefficiency (as measured by the excess of the growth rate over the no-bubble interest rate). We study both exchange and production economies.
Does Voluntary Disclosure Improve Stock Price Informativeness

"According to theory, comovement in stock prices reflects comovement in the fundamental factors underlying the values of stocks. Recent theory contends that stock price comovement can be driven by information markets or the informational opacity of the firm. To the extent that voluntary disclosure reduces information acquisition cost and enhances firm transparency, we predict that enhanced voluntary disclosure reduces stock price comovement. We provide evidence in support of this prediction using analyst evaluation of firm disclosure policy. Overall, our evidence supports the effectiveness of firm disclosure policy in increasing the amount of firm-specific information contained in stock returns. " Copyright (c) 2008 Financial Management Association International.
Measuring the Permanent Income of a Household: An Experiment in Methodology

A common method of estimating permanent income is to classify households into groups and then take the average income as an estimate. This has two weaknesses: (1) no account is taken of expected future receipts, and (2) households in the same group may have different permanent incomes because of differences in factors other than those used in forming the groups. The present study suggests a method of correcting for these defects by using a two-stage procedure. Empirical results indicate that irrespective of the choice of variables used to group households, the method suggested yields better results than the common method of using the mean values.
Equestrian-related brain injuries presenting to emergency departments, Canada, 1990-2014

Background: Horse riding is a hazardous activity with the potential for serious injury. Equestrian-related injuries account for a higher rate of injury per number of riding hours than motorcyclists and automobile racers. There is a lack of literature pertaining to equestrian-related brain injuries. The objectives of this study were to describe the incidence, characteristics, and mechanisms of equestrian-related brain injuries sustained amongst Canadians between 1990 and 2014. Methods: Data were obtained from the Canadian Hospitals Injury Reporting and Prevention Program (CHIRPP) database. The study population consisted of individuals who sustained equestrian-related brain injuries between the years 1990 and 2014 and presented to one of 15 participating emergency departments. Results: Brain injuries accounted for 13.3% (N=1060) of all equestrian-related injuries. The greatest proportion of injuries occurred amongst individuals aged 15-19 years, followed by individuals aged 0-4 years. The predominant mechanism of injury was falls. 17.9% of individuals were admitted to hospital. Normalized rates of injury increased from 1990 to 2010. Conclusions: Brain injuries sustained while participating in equestrian are often of a greater severity than injuries sustained while participating in other recreational activities. A clear understanding of the epidemiology and mechanisms of equestrian-related brain injuries must be achieved in order to effectively implement prevention efforts.
Immune priming and experimental glaucoma: the effect of prior systemic lipopolysaccharide challenge on tissue outcomes after optic nerve injury

Microglial activation is a prominent feature throughout the optic pathway in experimental glaucoma. Pro‐inflammatory microglial activation may contribute to neurodegeneration through the release of pro‐inflammatory cytokines and other inflammatory mediators. Systemic administration of lipopolysaccharide stimulates microglia to produce pro‐inflammatory cytokines and chemoattractants. A preliminary investigation demonstrated pro‐inflammatory microglial activation throughout the optic pathway following systemic lipopolysaccharide challenge. The aim of the current work was to investigate whether microglial priming with lipopolysaccharide would exacerbate optic nerve injury in rats following experimental glaucoma.
Loss of Polysialic Residues Accelerates CNS Neural Precursor Differentiation in Pathological Conditions

Using the model of lysolecithin-induced demyelination of the corpus callosum in wild-type, NCAM-deficient, and endoneuraminidase-injected mice, we have analyzed the consequences of the loss of expression of NCAM or PSA residues on the migration and proliferation capacities of neural precursors of the subventricular zone (SVZ). We showed that the absence of PSA or NCAM delayed migration of neural precursors to the olfactory bulb and consequently enhanced their recruitment at the lesion site. Moreover, after demyelination, the lack of NCAM but not PSA promoted proliferation in the SVZ and the lesion while the lack of PSA favored the differentiation of the traced cells into the oligodendroglial fate both in the SVZ and in the lesion. As previously demonstrated in vitro (L. Decker et al., 2000, Mol. Cell. Neurosci. 16, 422-439), these data illustrate the involvement of PSA and NCAM in neural precursor motility and differentiation in the normal and injured central nervous system, suggesting distinct roles for these two molecules under pathophysiological conditions.
The Platelet Inhibitory Effects and Pharmacokinetics of Prasugrel After Administration of Loading and Maintenance Doses in Healthy Subjects

Prasugrel (CS-747, LY640315), a novel thienopyridine, is a potent and orally active antiplatelet agent in vivo. The aims of this double-blind, double-dummy, placebo-controlled, randomized, parallel group phase 1 study were to investigate the antiplatelet effects of prasugrel after oral administration of a loading dose (LD) and subsequent 20 days of once-daily maintenance dosing (MD), to characterize the pharmacokinetics of prasugrel metabolites with an LD/MD regimen, and to assess the safety and tolerability of prasugrel in healthy subjects. Subjects were randomly assigned in a 1:1:1 ratio to prasugrel 40 mg LD/7.5 mg MD (n=11), prasugrel 60 mg LD/15 mg MD (n=10), or placebo LD/placebo MD (n=11). Prasugrel 40 and 60 mg LDs provided rapid and consistent inhibition of 20 μM adenosine diphosphate (ADP)-stimulated platelet aggregation. Prasugrel 7.5 and 15 mg MDs maintained inhibition in a dose-dependent manner. The pharmacokinetic data indicate that exposure to prasugrel metabolites occurs rapidly after dosing and is consistent with dose proportionality. Within the limitations of this study, the safety and tolerability results suggest that prasugrel is well tolerated when dosed as an initial LD followed by a lower daily MD for 20 days. Prasugrel LDs and MDs provide rapid and sustained inhibition of ADP-mediated platelet aggregation.