Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Variations in Trading Volume, Return Volatility, and Trading Costs: Evidence on Recent Price Formation Models

Patterns in stock market trading volume, trading costs, and return volatility are examined using New York Stock Excha nge data from 1988. Intraday test results indicate that, for actively traded firms trading volume, adverse selection costs, and return volatility are higher in the first half-hour of the day. This eviden ce is inconsistent with the Admati and Pfleiderer (1988) model which predicts that trading costs are low when volume and return volatilit y are high. Interday test results show that, for actively traded firms , trading volume is low and adverse selection costs are high on Monday , which is consistent with the predictions of the Foster and Viswanath an (1990) model. Copyright 1993 by American Finance Association.
A novel mutation at codon 124 (R124L) in the BIGH3 gene is associated with a superficial variant of granular corneal dystrophy.

OBJECTIVE To identify the mutation in a human transforming growth factor beta-induced gene (BIGH3) in a Japanese family with a severe form of granular corneal dystrophy of early onset associated with recurrent corneal erosions. PATIENTS The tentative clinical diagnosis in this family was Reis-Bücklers corneal dystrophy; 4 persons affected with this disorder have been identified in 4 generations, and 3 of the 4 were examined. The proband underwent keratoplasties in our hospital (Keio University Hospital, Tokyo, Japan). METHODS The BIGH3 gene was examined for a mutation by the polymerase chain reaction and direct sequencing. Corneal buttons of the proband were stained and examined by electron microscopy. RESULTS Three affected persons were shown to have a heterozygous G-->T transversion at the second nucleotide position of codon 124 (Arg-->Leu) of the BIGH3 gene. In the proband, corneal deposits between the epithelium and the Bowman layer stained red with Masson trichrome stain. Electron microscopy revealed numerous electron-dense, rod-shaped bodies next to the epithelial basement membrane but no curly fibers suggestive of Thiel-Behnke dystrophy. CONCLUSION A novel R124L mutation of the BIGH3 gene was associated in this family with a superficial variant of granular corneal dystrophy. CLINICAL RELEVANCE This mutation causes a severe form of superficial granular corneal dystrophy by producing abnormal keratoepithelin between the epithelium and the Bowman layer and thus clinical similarities to Reis-Bücklers corneal dystrophy.
Agile manufacturing in practice ‐ Application of a methodology

An evolutionary transformation of business environment, with change as a main characteristic, is taking place. Manufacturing companies, even those operating in relatively stable conditions with good market positions, are facing rapid and often unanticipated changes in their business environment. Agile manufacturing is proposed in response to the circumstances as a solution and is perceived as a vital characteristic that manufacturing companies need to have in order to maintain their competitive advantages in the new order of world business. Each company will respond in a specific and different way to the changing circumstances by deploying its own agile characteristics. Agility in manufacturing may be achieved through the implementation and integration of appropriate practices which provide the required abilities for a company to respond properly to changes. Based on this concept, a methodology for achieving agility in manufacturing organisations is developed. The methodology is applied in two manufacturing companies and data collected from the applications are used to validate the methodology. This paper provides a brief summary of the methodology and details its implementation and validation in the two case study companies. Practices are proposed to support the achievement of agility in the two organisations.
Characterization of N-acyl homoserine lactones (AHLs) producing bacteria isolated from vacuum-packaged refrigerated turbot (Scophthalmus maximus) and possible influence of exogenous AHLs on bacterial phenotype.

Quorum sensing (QS) is a cell-to-cell communication mechanism through which microbial cells communicate and regulate their wide variety of biological activities. N-acyl homoserine lactones (AHLs) are considered to be the most important QS signaling molecules produced by several Gram-negative bacteria. The present study aimed to screen the AHLs-producing bacteria from spoiled vacuum-packaged refrigerated turbot (Scophthalmus maximus) by biosensor assays, and the profiles of AHLs produced by these bacteria were determined using reversed-phase thin-layer chromatography (RP-TLC) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Effects of exogenous AHLs and QS inhibitor (QSI) on the phenotypes (i.e., extracellular proteolytic activity and biofilm formation) of the AHLs-producing bacteria were also evaluated. Our results demonstrated that eight out of twenty-two isolates were found to produce AHLs. Three of the AHLs-producing isolates were identified as Serratia sp. , and the other five were found to belong to the family of Aeromonas. Two isolates (i.e., S. liquefaciens A2 and A. sobria B1) with higher AHLs-producing activities were selected for further studies. Mainly, RP-TLC and GC-MS analysis revealed three AHLs, i.e., 3-oxo-C6-HSL, C8-HSL and C10-HSL were produced by S. liquefaciens A2, while five AHLs, i.e., C4-HSL, C6-HSL, C8-HSL, C10-HSL, and C12-HSL, were produced by A. sobria B1. Moreover, production of AHLs in both bacterial strains were found to be density-dependent, and the AHLs activity reached a maximum level in their middle logarithmic phase and decreased in the stationary phase. The addition of exogenous AHLs and QSI decreased the specific protease activity both of the Serratia A2 and Aeromonas B1. Exogenous AHLs inhibited the biofilm formation of Serratia A2 while it enhanced the biofilm formation in Aeromonas B1. QSI inhibited the specific protease activity and biofilm formation in both bacterial strains.
Public Service Motivation: A Cross-Country Study

This article addresses the relevance of public sector motivation (PSM) among unemployed workers. Despite the growing research interest among many public management and human resource management (HRM) scholars in employment choice, efforts to understand the “working minds” and motivational factors among the unemployed in their pursuit of a future career choice have been almost non-existent in HR scholarship in the public sector, which is critical considering the growing number of unemployed workers both domestically and internationally. Using data from the International Social Survey Program (ISSP) on Work Orientation modules in 1997 and 2005, this article examines the effects of public service motivation and rewards-based motivation on career decisions among the unemployed in seven countries. Findings indicate that while PSM and extrinsic rewards are positive and significant predictors of choosing to work in the public sector, intrinsic rewards were shown to be in a reversed relationship. Results also indicated that respondents whose previous jobs ended either in dismissal or due to family responsibilities were less likely to choose employment in the public sector compared to those whose previous job ended primarily due to retirement. Implications are discussed.
Quality in NHS hospitals: no one knows better than patients

Purpose – National Health Systems (NHS) experience low trust and lack of public confidence while receiving strong pressure from governments and societies to improve their quality and compete effectively. The purpose of this paper is threefold. First, to investigate how patients perceive service quality in Greek NHS hospitals. Second, to assess patients' perceptions, expectations and the relevant gaps concerning the quality provided by public hospitals. Third, to determine the relative importance of quality dimensions in influencing patients' overall quality perceptions.Design/methodology/approach – Empirical research using the SERVQUAL instrument was conducted in six NHS hospitals located in North Greece. A total of 137 usable questionnaires were collected.Findings – The research results revealed a three‐dimension SERVQUAL construct, which proved to be a valid, reliable and flexible tool for measuring quality in Greek hospitals. The human factor was revealed as being the most critical dimension of quality.
The Grass Roots Connection: Environmental Activists and Senate Roll Calls

Interest groups resort to grass roots lobbying tactics with increasing frequency, but they are unsure when and how such a strategy affects congressional decision making. In analyzing citizen activists who belong to environmental organizations and their influence on Senate roll calls, this paper defines the limits and possibilities of such grass roots pressure. In general, the statistical results indicate that grass roots mobilization has a modest value as a lobbying tool, but they also suggest that certain issues, state conditions, and characteristics of the group members themselves shape the receptivity of senators to organized constituent opinion.
Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy for Lung Metastases from Colorectal Cancer: Prognostic Factors for Disease Control and Survival

Objectives: To evaluate disease control and survival after stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) for lung metastases from colorectal cancer and to identify prognostic factors after treatment. Methods: Patients with metastatic colorectal cancer to the lungs treated with SBRT from 2002 to 2013 were identified from a prospectively maintained database. Patients may have received prior systemic therapy, radiotherapy to nonthoracic sites and/or resection of thoracic and/or nonthoracic metastases. Endpoints were timed from end of SBRT and included overall survival (OS), progression-free survival, distant metastases-free survival, and local failure-free survival. Univariate and multivariate analysis using Cox proportional hazard modeling was used to identify prognostic factors. Results: Sixty-five patients were identified. Before SBRT, 69.2% and 33.8% of patients received systemic therapy and lung-directed local therapy, respectively, for metastatic disease. At the time of SBRT, 64.6% had lung-only involvement. Median survivals were: OS of 20.3 months (95% confidence intervals [CI], 15.9-27.0 mo), progression-free survival of 5.7 months (95% CI, 3.2-7.0 mo), distant metastases-free survival of 5.8 months (95% CI, 3.2-7.6 mo), and local failure-free survival of 15.4 months (95% CI, 8.5-21.1 mo). Nearly all (98%) patients developed distant progression. Extra lung and liver involvement at the time of initial metastases (hazard ratios [HR] 2.10) and extra lung involvement at SBRT (HR 2.67) were the only independent predictors of OS. Net gross target volume of >14.1 mL (HR 2.49) was the only independent predictor of local failure-free survival. Conclusions: Reasonable survival and local control can be achieved with SBRT. We identified several prognostic factors testable in future prospective trials that may help improve patient selection.
Visual Attention Deficits are Associated with Driving Accidents in Cognitively-Impaired HIV-Infected Individuals

Previous research has found HIV-associated neuropsychological (NP) dysfunction to be associated with impaired driving skills. To determine whether specific impairments in visual attention impart an increased accident risk, we assessed 21 HIV seronegative (HIV-) and 42 seropositive (HIV+) participants on NP tests and the Useful Field of View (UFOV), a computerized test of visual attention. HIV+ participants performed significantly worse than the HIV- participants on the UFOV, particularly on the Divided Attention subtest. Poor UFOV performance was associated with higher accident rates in the past year, with a trend for NP impairment to also predict more accidents. The highest number of accidents occurred in the group with a “high risk” UFOV designation and NP impairment; this category correctly classified 93% of HIV+ participants as to who did, and did not, have an accident. Clinicians should attend to visual attention as well as general cognitive status in estimating which patients are at risk for impaired driving.
Tsunami Recovery

A survey of travelers to Thailand’s Andaman Coast, now recovering from the December 2004 tsunami, reveals three overall travel motivators, relating to nature (the area’s beauty), people (the residents’ welcoming attitude), and value for money. Curiosity to see tsunami debris ranked a poor last, and despite Thailand’s cut-rate “fun package” promotion, most tourists were neutral toward low-cost tour packages as a reason for their travel. In that regard, hoteliers who were interviewed for this case study believed that low-cost tour packages are ineffective tools for long-term marketing promotion.
Creating prodynorphin-expressing stem cells alerted for a high-throughput of cardiogenic commitment.

BACKGROUND The development of cell therapy for the rescue of damaged heart muscle is a major area of inquiry. Within this context, the establishment of a cardiogenic cell line may remarkably facilitate the molecular dissection of cardiac fate specification, a low-efficiency and still poorly understood process, paving the way for novel approaches in the use of stem cells for cardiac repair. METHODS & RESULTS We used GTR1 cells, a derivative of mouse R1 embryonic stem cells bearing the puromycin-resistance gene driven by the cardiomyocyte-specific alpha-myosin heavy chain promoter, affording a gene trapping selection of a virtually pure population of embryonic stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes. Third-generation lentiviral vectors were used to overexpress the prodynorphin gene, previously shown to orchestrate a dynorphinergic system acting as a major conductor of embryonic stem cell cardiogenesis. Lentiviral prodynorphin transduction remarkably enhanced the transcription of GATA-4 and Nkx-2.5, two cardiac lineage-promoting genes, resulting in a dramatic increase in the number of spontaneously beating cardiomyocytes. Transduced cells also exhibited a subcellular redistribution patterning of protein kinase C-beta, -delta and -epsilon, a major requirement in cardiac lineage commitment. This activation resulted from a sustained increase in the transcription of targeted protein kinase C genes. Prodynorphin transduction was selective in nature and failed to activate genes responsible for skeletal myogenesis or neuronal specification. CONCLUSIONS The cell line developed in this study provides a powerful in vitro model of cardiomyogenesis that may help clarify the cascade of transcriptional activation and signaling networks that push multipotent cells to take on the identity of a cardiac myocyte.
Core foods of the US food supply

The core food dietary intake/exposure model may be used to assess the average intake of nutrients, contaminants and other food components by a population group and various subgroups of the population. The core food model is a mechanism that allows for the selection of the most important foods in a population's food supply so that these foods can be obtained and analysed in the laboratory. The core foods for a population change over time as food consumption patterns are altered by changes in the food supply and/or changes in the demographics of the population. Core foods of the US diet were selected using food consumption data from the 1994–96 US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Continuing Survey of the Food Intake of Individuals (CSFII). The 304 core foods were identified by placing the 5722 foods consumed by survey participants into about 300 groups. The groupings were based on food type, food use and similarity of nutrient composition. The foods within each grouping were ranked in terms of frequency of use and weight of intake, and one food item within each group was selected to become a core food and represent its group. In the model, each core food assumes the full dietary intake (by weight) for all the foods in its group. Daily mean intakes of the 304 selected core foods are presented for women and men of 19–30 years of age. If the food components of interest to investigators using this model are found in selected foods or food types, then only these foods need be analysed. The list of 304 core foods may be shortened by further aggregation to match the needs of different investigators. For example, limited data on food composition may warrant use of a shorter core food list. A shortened food list with average daily intakes of 78 core foods for women and men of 19–30 years of age is provided as an example.
The balance of payments constraint, capital flows and growth rate differences between developing countries

THIS paper starts from the proposition that for most countries the major constraint on the rate of growth of output is likely to be the balance of payments position because this sets the limit to the growth of demand to which supply can adapt. Most countries, apart from the oil producing countries of the Middle East, can absorb foreign exchange without difficulty; and most cannot earn enough. It is true, of course, that the world as a whole cannot be balance of payments constrained, but it only requires one country or bloc of countries not to be constrained, for all the rest to be so. There cannot be many less developed countries that could not utilise resources more fully given the greater availability of foreign exchange. In a previous paper (Thirlwa]l, 1979) it was shown how closely the actual growth experience of several developed countries over the post-war period has approximated to the rate of growth of export volume (x) divided by the income elasticity of demand for imports (Xr). This ratio defines the balance of payments constrained growth rate on the assumptions that balance of payments equilibrium on current account is preserved and that the real terms of trade remain unchanged. The fact that the growth rate of so many advanced countries seemed to approximate to this simple rule suggested that for most countries capital flows are relatively unimportant in contributing to deviations of a country's growth rate from that consistent with current account equilibrium, and that relative price changes between countries measured in a common currency play only a minor role in balance of payments adjustment and in relaxing the balance of payments constraint on growth. It is largely real income (and employment) that adjusts to bring the value of imports and exports into line with one another to preserve balance of payments equilibrium. The simple growth rule, that growth approximates to y x/ir in the long run, is the dynamic analogue of the Harrod trade multiplier (Harrod, 1933), which has been recently revived by Kaldor (1975), and the workings of which have been explored by Kennedy and Thirlwall (1979). The empirical evidence suggests, therefore, that the Harrod trade multiplier works, at least for a range of advanced countries. The original Harrod trade multiplier assumes that the terms of trade are constant; that there is no saving and investment, and no government activity. Output or income is generated by the production of consumption goods (C) and exports (X), and all income is
The effects of gymnastics training on bone mineral density.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of 27 wk of gymnastics training on bone mineral density (BMD), body composition, insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I), and osteocalcin. Subjects were 11 female intercollegiate gymnasts and 11 controls. Dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (Lunar DPX) was used to determine BMD (L2-L4 and femur) and to assess body composition. The gymnasts were significantly lower in weight (53.9 and 60.8 kg) and % body fat (22.6 and 30.6) compared with controls. After training, body weights of gymnasts remained the same but there was a significant increase in lean tissue mass of 2.9 kg (6.7%, P < 0.05). No changes in body composition were observed in the controls. The gymnasts had significantly higher mean lumbar (1.321 vs 1.225), and femoral neck (1.163 vs 1.079) BMD (g.cm-2) than the controls. Lumbar BMD increased significantly (1.3%) in gymnasts following training but femoral neck BMD did not increase. No BMD changes occurred in the control group. Regarding serum IGF-I, no differences were seen between the groups or across time. Serum osteocalcin values were significantly higher in the gymnasts than the controls, but no differences were found across time. In conclusion, gymnasts had significantly higher BMDs than controls, and a significant increase in lumbar BMD was seen in the gymnasts following 27 wk of training.
Intestinal absorption and analgesic activity of aminopeptidase‐resistant cellobiose‐coupled leucine enkephalinamide

Leucine enkephalinamide (LEamide), aminopeptidase‐degradable opioid peptide, was coupled with cellobiose (cellobiose‐coupled LEamide, CcpLEamide). CcpLEamide was absorbed from the rat small intestine in vitro, whereas LEamide was not. CcpLEamide on the mucosal side was more stable than aminopeptidase‐resistant cellobiose‐coupled leucine enkephalin (CcpLE) in the presence of inhibitors of enkephalinase and angiotensin converting enzyme, and much more stable than LEamide. The absorption rate (clearance) of CcpLEamide was comparable with that of CcpLE in the presence of these peptidase inhibitors. Analgesic activities of these enkephalins were tested by the acetic acid writhing assay and hot‐plate assay after subcutaneous administration to mice. Both assays indicated CcpLEamide‐induced analgesia. On the other hand, the analgesic activity of LEamide was not observed, but pretreatment with amastatin (a peptidase inhibitor) produced LEamide‐induced analgesia. These results indicate that CcpLEamide is stable in the body and has analgesic effects without pretreatment with peptidase inhibitors, and was stable enough to be absorbed from the small intestine. We propose CcpLEamide as an orally active analgesic peptide candidate. Copyright © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Making a Weak Instrument Set Stronger: Factor-Based Estimation of the Taylor Rule

The problem of weak identification has recently attracted attention in the analysis of structural macroeconomic models. Using robust methods can result in large confidence sets making inference difficult. We overcome this problem in the analysis of a forward-looking Taylor rule by seeking stronger instruments. We suggest exploiting information from a large macroeconomic data set by generating factors and using them as additional instruments. This approach results in a stronger instrument set and hence smaller weak-identification robust confidence sets. It allows us to conclude that there has been a shift in monetary policy from the pre-Volcker regime to the Volcker-Greenspan tenure.
Inflation, Tax Rules, and the Long Term Interest Rates

Although the return to capital is a focus of research in both macroeconomics and public finance, each specialty has approached this subject with an almost total disregard for the other's contribution. Macroeconomic studies of the effect of inflation on the rate of interest have implicitly ignored the existence of taxes and the problems of tax depreciation. Similarly, empirical studies of the incidence of corporate tax changes have not recognized that the effect of the tax depends on the rate of inflation and have ignored the information on the rate of return that investors receive in financial markets. Our primary purpose in this paper is to begin to build a bridge between these two approaches to a common empirical problem.