Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Deficits, Public Debt Dynamics and Tax and Spending Multipliers

Cutting government spending on goods and services increases the budget deficit if the nominal interest rate is close to zero. This is the message of a simple but standard New Keynesian DSGE model calibrated with Bayesian methods. The cut in spending reduces output and thus — holding rates for labor and sales taxes constant — reduces revenues by even more than what is saved by the spending cut. Similarly, increasing sales taxes can increase the budget deficit rather than reduce it. Both results suggest limitations of “austerity measures” in low interest rate economies to cut budget deficits. Running budget deficits can by itself be either expansionary or contractionary for output, depending on how deficits interact with expectations about the long run in the model. If deficits trigger expectations of i) lower long-run government spending, ii) higher long-run sales taxes, or iii) higher future inflation, they are expansionary. If deficits trigger expectations of higher long-run labor taxes or lower long-run productivity, they are contractionary.
The Mediating Role of Perceived Knowledge Update in the ERP Simulation Game ( Full Paper Submission )

This study explores the mediating role of knowledge update in the context of an ERP simulation game, i.e. a gamified simulation system for ERP training. Based on the expectancy-confirmation model, this study suggests relationships among individual efforts, perceived knowledge update, and involvement, which finally influence willingness to learn ERP systems. The hypotheses were tested using 166 subjects who participated in an SAP ERP simulation game. This study finds the significant effects of individual efforts on perceived knowledge update and involvement. In addition, perceived knowledge update significantly influences involvement and willingness to learn ERP systems.
Innovation management capabilities for start-ups and spin-offs : A literature review

A firm’s ability to innovate is critical to retaining its competitiveness and even survival: in the long run it is the capability to generate a stream of product and process changes that matters. Consequently to secure their position into the future, firms need to be able to develop, maintain and renew their Innovation Management Capability (IMC). In order to improve their firm’s IMC, managers need to know which ‘levers’ to pull. An extensive and diverse body of literature exists that has sought to identify these factors, and several attempts at synthesis have been made which imply that organisations successfully able to innovate exhibit a number of generic characteristics. The contingency perspective presents a challenge to these views and raises questions about their universal applicability, whether or not different contexts demand different IMCs and to what extent there is variation in generic factors across different contexts. This paper presents a literature review on innovation management capability in relation to firms that are at the early stages of development, whether they are starting out or spinning-off from other organisations. Start-ups and spin-outs (SUSOs) constitute important motors for industrial change, and their IMCs are therefore important considerations. The aim of this review is to assess the pertinence of the IMC construct for organisations in the early stages of their development and uncover any contextual contingencies. The paper indicates that SUSOs are heavily reliant networks and connectivity. In the open innovation paradigm, where connectivity and links are essential, this is reinforced. This finding indicates an important area for further research: how SUSOs form their network connections, become part of established networks and/or transform them, and co-evolve and create new innovations with network parties.
Blocking platelet-derived growth factor-d inhibits human lung cancer progression

Platelet-derived growth factor-D (PDGF-D) is a kind of growth chemokine that regulates tumor growth and metastasis in various cancers. However, the function of this gene in lung cancer is little known. Here we found that PDGF-D is overexpressed in lung cancer tissue compared to adjacent tissue. Interestingly, the serum levels of PDGFD in lung cancer patients were significantly decreased after operation. Knockdown of PDGF-D using siRNA in lung cancer cells inhibits cell proliferation in vitro and in vivo and decreased the activation of p-AKT signaling pathway. Moreover, silencing of PDGF-D in A549 cells remarkably reduced cell migration and invasion. Furthermore, PDGF-D knockdown significantly increased E-cadherin expression but decreased the expression of N-cadherin, MMP-2 and MMP-9. Taken together, our findings indicate that PDGF-D is involved in the progression of lung cancer growth, migration and invasion. Targeting PDGF-D with siRNA may provide a novel strategy for lung cancer therapy in patients with over-expressed PDGF-D.
Role of Vocabulary Levels Test (VLT) in Chinese Undergraduate Students' Comprehension of Textbooks

Vocabulary knowledge has always been considered crucial in reading comprehension. This paper aims to link Chinese learners’ performance on Vocabulary Levels Test (VLT) to the profiling of their textbook so as to draw pedagogical implications on English teaching. The participants were 108 freshmen in Jiangsu University of Technology, China. All of them took part in the VLT, and their English textbook was profiled to see the lexical level of the vocabulary. Results showed that 81.48% of the participants had mastered the 2,000-word level, and the vocabulary of the textbook was within the vocabulary knowledge of the participants. However, results also indicated that no participants had reached the mastery level of the K-3, K-5 and AWL words. Based on the findings of the research, it was suggested that the language teacher could make use of the textbook to consolidate the participants’ K-1 to K-2 words and at the same time give them more exposure to K-3 to K5 words as well as academic words by exposing them to some extra materials.
Symmetry of solutions of semilinear elliptic problems

We study symmetry properties of least energy positive or nodal solutions of semilinear elliptic problems with Dirichlet or Neumann boundary conditions. The proof is based on symmetrizations in the spirit of Bartsch, Weth and Willem (J. Anal. Math., 2005) together with a strong maximum principle for quasi-continuous functions of Ancona and an intermediate value property for such functions.
RESOLVED SPECTROSCOPY OF M DWARF/L DWARF BINARIES. III. THE “WIDE” L3.5/L4 DWARF BINARY 2MASS J15500845+1455180AB

We report the identification of 2MASS J15500845+1455180 as a 0. ″9 L dwarf visual binary. This source is resolved in Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) images and in near-infrared imaging with the Infrared Telescope Facility SpeX imager/spectrometer. The two components, oriented along a north–south axis, have similar brightnesses in the near-infrared (ΔK ≈ 0.2 mag), although the fainter northern component is redder in J−K color. Resolved near-infrared spectroscopy indicates spectral types of L3.5 and L4, consistent with its L3 combined-light optical classification based on the SDSS data. Physical association is confirmed through common proper motion, common spectrophotometric distances and low probability of chance alignment. The projected physical separation of 2MASS J1550+1455AB, 30 ± 3 AU at an estimated distance of 33 ± 3 pc, makes it the widest L dwarf–L dwarf pair identified to date, although such a separation is not unusual among very low mass field binaries. The angular separation and spectral composition of this system makes it an excellent target for obtaining a precise lithium depletion age and a potential age standard for low-temperature atmosphere studies.
Law, Politics and the Quality of Government in Africa

This paper examines interconnections between law, politics and the quality of government in Africa. We investigate whether African democracies enjoy relatively better government quality compared to their counterparts with more autocratic inclinations. The empirical evidence is based on Instrumental variable Two-Stage-Least Squares and Fixed Effects with data from 38 African countries for the period 1994-2010. Political regimes of democracy, polity and autocracy are instrumented with income-levels, legal-origins, religious-dominations and press-freedom to account for government quality dynamics, of corruption-control, government-effectiveness, voice and accountability, political-stability, regulation quality and the rule of law. Findings show that democracy has an edge over autocracy while the latter and polity overlap. As a policy implication, democracy once initiated should be accelerated to edge the appeals of authoritarian regimes.
No 541 Conditional Cooperation and Disclosure in Developing Countries

Understanding the motivations behind people’s voluntary contributions to public goods is crucial for the broader issues of economic and social development. By using the experimental design of Fischbacher et al. (2001), we investigate the distribution of contribution types in two developing countries with very high collectivism rating – Colombia and Vietnam – and compare our findings with those previously found in developed countries. We also investigate the effect of introducing disclosure of contribution on the distribution of contribution types and on the contribution itself. Overall, our experiments show that the distribution of contribution types remains unaffected by the disclosure of contributions and, on average, is similar both in the two countries and when compared with previous findings with the exception of proportion of free-riders. JEL classification: C72; C92; H41.
New Compounds from Bassia muricata and Fagonia indica Z Research

Six compounds were isolated and identified from Bassia muricata and Fagonia indica, two compounds are new natural products. Three metabolites, 3,4-dimethoxytoluene (1), 3′-methylquercetin (2) and a new flavonoid glycoside, 3-O-[α-L-arabinopyranosyl(1→2)-L-α-arabinopyranosyl)]-3′-methylquercetin (3) were isolated from Bassia muricata. From Fagonia indica one flavonoid glycoside; 3-O-[α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→6)-β-D-glucopyranosyl]-kaempferol (4) along with a new triterpenoid saponin; 28-O-[β-Dglucopyranosylester-(1→3)β-D-glucopyranosyl] oleanolic acid (5) and known quinovic acid-3-O-(α-L-rahmnopyranosyl-)-28-O-β-Dglucopyranosly ester (6) have been isolated. The structure elucidation was performed by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopic and mass spectrometric methods. Antioxidant activities of pure compounds were measured by DPPH (1,1-diphenyle2-picryl-hydrazyl) and Xanthine – xanthine oxidase assays.
Different Teachers, Different Peers

The authors use administrative data from three large urban school districts to describe student sorting within schools. Students are linked to each of their teachers and students’ classmates are identified. There are differences in the average achievement levels, racial composition, and socioeconomic composition of classrooms within schools. This sorting occurs even in self-contained elementary school classrooms and is much larger than would be expected were students assigned to classrooms randomly. Much of the racial and socioeconomic sorting is accounted for by differences in achievement, particularly at the high school level. Classrooms with the most low-achieving, minority, and poor students are more likely to have novice teachers. Sorting students by achievement level exposes minority and poor students to lower quality teachers and less resourced classmates.
Assessing the Possible Effect of Gamma Irradiation on the Reduction of aflatoxin B1, and on the Moisture Content in Some Cereal Grains

Aflatoxin B1 is the most potent hepatocarcinogen known in animals and it is classified by the International Agency of Research on Cancer (IARC) as Group I carcinogen meaning that it is a proven cancer-inducing agent. It also occurs in the environment contaminating a lot of different food and feed commodities. The aim of this study was to assess the possible effect of gamma irradiation on the reduction of aflatoxin B1 in some cereal grains and the impact on nutritive values including, ash, &moisture. It was found that maize samples contain the highest level of aflatoxin B1 than wheat and rice. Gamma irradiation is a suitable technique which reduces the levels of aflatoxin B1 in cereal samples without affecting the nutritive values, at 4 KGy the reduction percents of aflatoxin B1 were 15.54%, 22.25%, and 27.46% for maize, wheat, and rice respectively whereas at 6 KGy the reduction percents of aflatoxin B1 were 32.39%, 43.84%, and 56.38% respectively and the 8 KGy radiation dose remove about 60.26% of the toxin in maize, 64.68% in rice and 69.29% in wheat samples. Higher radiation doses than 8 KGy are required to remove the toxin until it reaches the legal limit (5ppb) according to FAO.
Proposal of Three Subspecies of Fusobacterium nucleaturn Knorr 1922 : Fusobacterium nucleatum subsp . nucleatum subsp . nov .

Heterogeneity among isolates of Fusobacteriurn nucleaturn has been recognized for many years. The phenotypic properties of 340 strains considered to be F. nucleaturn were examined. While these strains were phenotypically similar and fit the description of F. nucleaturn, they could be differentiated into three groups on the basis of electrophoretic patterns of whole-cell proteins and DNA homology. Strains in groups I and I1 showed >80% DNA homology within groups and <75% similarity between groups. Strains of group In demonstrated >85% DNA homology to each other and 4 5 % similarity to strains in groups I and 11. We propose that Fusobacteriurn nucleaturn be divided into the following three subspecies: Fusobacteriurn nucleaturn subsp. nucleaturn, with type strain ATCC 25586; Fusobacteriurn nucleaturn subsp. polyrnorphum, with type strain ATCC 10953; and Fusobacterium nucleaturn subsp. vincentii, with type strain ATCC 49256.
The Geography of Conflicts and Regional Trade Agreements

In addition to standard trade gains, regional trade agreements (RTAs) can promote peaceful relations by increasing the opportunity cost of conflicts. Country pairs with large trade gains from RTAs and a high probability of conflict should be more likely to sign an RTA. Using data from 1950 to 2000, we show that this complementarity between economic and politics determines the geography of RTAs. We disentangle trade gains from political factors by a theory-driven empirical estimation and find that country pairs with higher frequency of past wars are more likely to sign RTAs, the more so the larger the trade gains. (JEL D72, D74, F15, N70)
Nasopharyngeal Angiofibroma — Staging and Selecting a Surgical Approach: Changing Trends

Objective: The purpose of this study was to propose a new staging system which would allow for an accurate preoperative tumor assessment, appropriate surgical planning and to look for any changing trends in the surgical management of JNA. Study design and methods: Retrospective chart review of 91 patients operated between Jan.1998 to Dec. 2007 at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh. The tumor location and extent was based on preoperative imaging reports and operative notes to review the staging system and surgical approaches. Results: All patients were initially staged according to the modified sessions staging system. The revised staging system led to the reclassification of 36 (39.6%) in stage I A, I B and II A in the old staging system to stage I according to the new staging. Before 2003, none of the patients had undergone an endoscopic excision of the JNA, whereas 32 (35%) of patients underwent an endoscopic excision in group II (after 2002) with acceptable recurrence rates. Conclusions: The choice of the surgical approach should be based on precise tumor location and in young patients the approach should be tailored to minimize potential for facial growth retardation. We recommend endoscopic resection for tumors confined to nasopharynx, nasal cavities, sinuses and minimal extension to PMF. Excision via lateral rhinotomy and its extensions and modifications is recommended for tumors having significant involvement of pterygomaxillary fossa, infratemporal fossa, cavernous sinus or minimal intracranial extension according to the surgeon’s comfort and expertise.
Integration of gis technology, remote sensing and multivariate analysis in the delimitation of physiographic units for pedological mapping

This study was based on an association of techniques and equipment that could lead to the delimitation of physiographic units not merely restricted to the photointerpreter's criteria. A data matrix was evaluated which was obtained from the crossing, by means of Geographic Information System (GIS), of a regular grid with cells 300 x 300 meters and a drainage base map of the study area and bands 3, 4, 5 and 7 from TM-LANDSAT and a slope map generated in a GIS. The variables collected in each cell of the regular grid were: long, medium and short channels from the first to the seventh order, weighted slope and the grey levels (DNs) in bands, resulting in a matrix with 1167 individuals with 27 variables, whose data were subjected to cluster analysis. This analysis provided dendrograms which enabled the separation of groups of individuals represented by cells from the regular grid, aiming at creating pictograms to serve as "guides". These guides overlaid upon properly treated and handled orbital HRV-SPOT images oriented the discrimination of physiographic units on the color monitor of the image processing system. Among the variables used, those referring to drainage network were best for cluster analysis of regular grid cells. The variables relief and grey levels of TM-LANDSAT image also presented satisfactory results with the methodology applied.
The joint effects of parenting styles and the child's temperamental characteristics in children's social-emotional development

Zarra-Nezhad, Maryam The joint effects of parenting styles and the child’s temperamental characteristics in children’s social-emotional development Jyväskylä: University of Jyväskylä, 2016, 68 p. (Jyväskylä Studies in Education, Psychology and Social Research ISSN 0075-4625; 565) ISBN 978-951-39-6825-0 (nid.) ISBN 978-951-39-6826-7 (PDF) Diss. This research examined the joint effects of parenting and the temperamental characteristics of children on their social-emotional development during their early school years. Three studies, focusing on different aspects of social-emotional development as well as on different temperamental characteristics, were carried out. The first study investigated the extent to which mothers' and fathers' parenting styles differently impact their children's social-emotional development, based on the children's tendency to show signs of social withdrawal. The second study focused on the different impacts of parenting styles on children's emotional expression, depending on the children's temperament type. The third study examined the different impacts of parenting styles on children's development of pro-social behaviors among shy and non-shy children. Three longitudinal Finnish data sets were used: 1) 378 children and their parents, followed from Grades 1 to 3; 2) 153 first-grade children and their parents, followed through the first grade; and 3) 200 children and their parents followed from 3 years of age to Grade 3. The results showed, first, that, during the transition to primary school, socially withdrawn, shy, or inhibited children overall benefited from parental—particularly maternal— affection more than other children in terms of their social and emotional development. Second, children with difficult temperaments were found to benefit from maternal behavioral control more than others in terms of decreased negative emotions during Grade 1. Third, although maternal psychological control increased first graders' negative emotions independently of temperament type, socially withdrawn children suffered more under parental psychological control than nonwithdrawn children in terms of increased internalizing problem behaviors. Forth, interestingly, among children showing signs of social withdrawal, maternal psychological control was positively associated with pro-social skills and negatively with externalizing problem behaviors. Overall, the results suggested that parenting styles play a role in children's social-emotional development, particularly among temperamentally vulnerable children, such as those showing signs of social withdrawal, shyness, or difficult or inhibited temperament.
4 Yukon Taiga – Past , Present and Future

Primeval Yukon Beringia comprises subalpine taiga over mountainous landscape extending from the Alaska border south-eastward to Mount Nansen and northward to the Arctic Ocean. It is proposed that persistence of populations of Picea glauca, P. mariana and Pinus contorta on subarctic permafrost soils of this never-glaciated region has its explanation in in situ ancestries and physio-genetic constitutions, the exceptional morphological diversity and survival fitness tracing back to ancient stock and successive periods of climate change. Based on preliminary chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) evidence, Yukon Beringia’s upland conifers were a source of post-glacial reinstatement of subarctic boreal conifers of northwestern North America.
Empirical calibration of the near-infrared Ca II triplet — IV. The stellar population synthesis models

We present a new evolutionary stellar population synthesis model, which predicts spectral energy distributions for single-age single-metallicity stellar populations (SSPs) at resolution 1.5 Angstrom (FWHM) in the spectral region of the near-infrared Ca II triplet feature. The main ingredient of the model is a new extensive empirical stellar spectral library that has been recently presented by Cenarro et al., which is composed of more than 600 stars with an unprecedented coverage of the stellar atmospheric parameters. Two main products of interest for stellar population analysis are presented. The first is a spectral library for SSPs with metallicities -1.7<[Fe/H]<+0.2, a large range of ages (0.1-18 Gyr) and initial mass function (IMF) types. They are well suited to modelling galaxy data, since the SSP spectra, with flux-calibrated response curves, can be smoothed to the resolution of the observational data, taking into account the internal velocity dispersion of the galaxy, allowing the user to analyse the observed spectrum in its own system. We also produce integrated absorption-line indices (namely CaT*, CaT and PaT) for the same SSPs in the form of equivalent widths. We find the following behaviour for the Ca II triplet feature in old-aged SSPs: (i) the strength of the CaT* index does not change much with time for all metallicities for ages larger than similar to3 Gyr; (ii) this index shows a strong dependence on metallicity for values below [M/H]similar to-0.5; and (iii) for larger metallicities this feature does not show a significant dependence either on age or on the metallicity, being more sensitive to changes in the slope of power-like IMF shapes. The SSP spectra have been calibrated with measurements for globular clusters by Armandroff & Zinn, which are well reproduced, probing the validity of using the integrated Ca II triplet feature for determining the metallicities of these systems. Fitting the models to two early-type galaxies of different luminosities (NGC 4478 and 4365), we find that the Ca II triplet measurements cannot be fitted unless a very dwarf-dominated IMF is imposed, or if the Ca abundance is even lower than the Fe abundance. More details can be found in work by Cenarro et al.