Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Regional Test of the Heckscher-Ohlin Hypothesis

HERE are currently two important theories of comparative advantage Las a basis for international or interregional trade. The first to be developed is the classical doctrine of comparative costs, which stems from Ricardo (1951, chap. vii) and Mill (1929, pp. 574606). 1 More recently, the so-called Heckscher-Ohlin Theorem has received extensive study as an alternative theoretical basis for trade (Heckscher, 1919, 1949; Ohlin, 1933). 2 Regarded as empirical propositions potentially useful for predicting the course of a nation's (region's) development, the two theories diverge because they offer different explanations of the basis for comparative advantage. Specifically, the comparative-cost doctrine holds that a country (region) possesses a comparative advantage in producing those commodities in whose production its "real" labor costs (in the
Response to Dr. Bogdanos

TO THE EDITOR: We read with interest the results of the study by Bogdanos and collaborators on the prevalence of anti-gp210, anti-sp100, and anti-LBR in 40 Spanish patients with primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC). In contrast to our original report (1), Bogdanos et al. found anti-gp210 more often (33% vs 16%) and not associated to peculiar clinical, biochemical, or histological features.
Negative Regulation of the Forkhead Transcription Factor FKHR by Akt*

The FKHR gene was first identified from its disruption by the t(2;13) chromosomal translocation seen in the pediatric tumor alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma. It encodes for a member of the forkhead family of transcription factors. Recently, a homolog of FKHR in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans was identified called DAF-16, which is a downstream target of two Akt homologs in an insulin-related signaling pathway. We have examined the possible role of Akt in the regulation of FKHR. We find that FKHR can bind in vitro to the insulin-responsive sequence (IRS) in the insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 1 promoter and can activate transcription from a reporter plasmid containing multiple copies of the IRS. Expression of active but not inactive Akt can suppress FKHR-mediated transcriptional activation. Akt can phosphorylate FKHR in vitro on three phosphoacceptor sites, at least a subset of which can also be phosphorylated by Akt in vivo. Importantly, mutation of these three sites to alanine residues enhances the transcriptional activity of FKHR and renders it resistant to inhibition by Akt. Expression of an Akt-resistant mutant of FKHR causes apoptosis in 293T cells in a manner dependent on DNA binding. These results suggest that FKHR may be a direct nuclear regulatory target for Akt in both metabolic and cell survival pathways.
Public Service Reform and Motivation: Evidence From an Employment At-Will Environment

For nearly three decades, traditional public sector management practices have been challenged by proponents of the new public management (NPM). Public human resource management (PHRM) is frequently a target of such reform efforts given the crucial role it plays in the public management function. Traditional civil service systems, based on merit and neutral competence, have frequently been criticized for their intractability, inefficiency, and ineffectiveness. The recent trend of eliminating tenure for public employees through employment at-will (EAW) policies has received considerable attention as a mechanism for improving public sector efficiency. However, recent scholarship suggests that EAW policies have a number of obstacles to overcome. Using a 2005 survey of human resource professionals in the state of Georgia, this article assesses the impact of the EAW environment on public employee motivation. The analysis suggests that EAW policies have a significant negative impact on motivation in the workplace, particularly for minorities. The findings illustrate additional hurdles that decision makers should consider when implementing EAW systems in the public sector.
Neuroanatomical Basis of Acupuncture Treatment for Some Common Illnesses

Dr Cheng is to be commended for his article on the neuroanatomical basis of acupuncture.1 However, Cheng has based his conclusions on the analysis of acupuncture formulae for common illnesses, as prescribed by five acupuncture academies. This approach, using consensus acupoints, is unfortunately vague, since they are surface markings intended as guides for acupuncturists, whereas target receptors are often deeply situated and can vary from person to person. Furthermore, the diagnoses are also vague: for example, “low back pain” is a common unspecific complaint that can be derived from many different causes; likewise, sciatica. In commenting on the Gunn model for pain of radiculopathic origin, he referred to muscle shortening, but neglected the other segmental manifestations of peripheral neuropathy. ‘Neuropathy’ (ie, altered function in the …
Randomized Trial of Endobronchial Ultrasound-Guided Transbronchial Needle Aspiration With and Without Rapid On-site Evaluation for Lung Cancer Genotyping.

BACKGROUND Experts and scientific society guidelines recommend that rapid on-site evaluation (ROSE) be used with endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) to optimize lung cancer genotyping, but no comparative trial has been carried out to confirm and quantify its usefulness. METHODS To assess the influence of ROSE on the yield of EBUS-TBNA for a multigene molecular analysis of lung cancer samples, consecutive patients with suspected or known advanced lung cancer were randomized to undergo EBUS-TBNA without ROSE (EBUS arm) or with ROSE (ROSE arm). The primary end point was the rate of the successful accomplishment of the institution's clinical protocol for molecular profiling of nonsquamous non-small cell lung cancer (EGFR and KRAS testing, followed by ALK testing for tumors with EGFR and KRAS wild-type status). RESULTS Complete genotyping was achieved in 108 of 126 patients (85.7%) (90.8% in the ROSE arm vs 80.3% in the EBUS arm, P = .09). The patients in the ROSE arm were less likely to have samples that could be used only for pathologic diagnosis because of minimal tumor burden (0 vs 6, P = .05), and were more likely to have the bronchoscopy terminated after a single biopsy site (58.9% vs 44.1%, P = .01). CONCLUSIONS ROSE prevents the need for a repeat invasive diagnostic procedure aimed at molecular profiling in at least one out of 10 patients with advanced lung cancer and significantly reduces the risk of retrieving samples that can be used only for pathologic subtyping because of minimal tumor burden. TRIAL REGISTRY ClinicalTrials.gov; No.: NCT01799382; URL: www.clinicaltrials. gov.
GLOBAL IMBALANCES AND THE GLOBAL SAVING GLUT - A PANEL DATA ASSESSMENT

Since the late 1990s there have been substantial changes in the current account balances of a number of economies, most notably a marked widening in the current account deficit of the United States and increased net lending by many developing nations to developed economies. This paper uses panel data to examine what may have contributed to changes in the current account positions of a wide sample of developing and developed economies. In particular, we aim to assess the ‘global saving glut’ hypothesis that financial crises have contributed to the current account surpluses in developing economies. Overall, we find some support for this argument; there is a significant role for financial crises as well as institutional factors in determining current account balances. However, the model captures the broad trends evident in international capital flows for only some of the major regions in our sample.
A Belief-Based Decision-Making Framework for Spectrum Selection in Cognitive Radio Networks

This paper presents a comprehensive cognitive management framework for spectrum selection in cognitive radio (CR) networks. The framework uses a belief vector concept as a means to predict the interference affecting the different spectrum blocks (SBs) and relies on a smart analysis of the scenario dynamicity to properly determine an adequate observation strategy to balance the tradeoff between achievable performance and measurement requirements. In this respect, the paper shows that the interference dynamics in a given SB can be properly characterized through the second highest eigenvalue of the interference state transition matrix. Therefore, this indicator is retained in the proposed framework as a relevant parameter to drive the selection of both the observation strategy and spectrum selection decision-making criterion. This paper evaluates the proposed framework to illustrate the capability to properly choose among a set of possible observation strategies under different scenario conditions. Furthermore, a comparison against other state-of-the-art solutions is presented.
Psychological distress and experience of sexual and physical assault among Australian prisoners.

BACKGROUND Prison populations are made up of individuals from disadvantaged, often abusive backgrounds, who are more likely to suffer from psychological problems than the general community. AIM This study aimed to determine associations between current psychological distress and history of having experienced sexual coercion and/or physical assault among prisoners in two Australian states (Queensland and New South Wales). METHODS We conducted a random sample survey of prisoners by computer-assisted telephone interview. Prisoners were asked about forced sexual encounters in or outside prison, and physical assault in prison. Psychological distress was estimated using a dichotomised score obtained from the Kessler 6-Item Psychological Distress Scale (K6), and a logistic regression analysis was employed to investigate associations. RESULTS A total of 2426 prisoners were interviewed of 3055 prisoners invited to participate, a response rate of 79%. We categorised 236 men (12%) and 63 women (19%) as 'severely' psychologically distressed according to the K6, and 13% of the men and 60% of the women reported that they had been sexually coerced prior to imprisonment. Physical assault in prison was common, reported by 34% of the men and 24% of the women. On multivariate analysis, prisoners were more likely to be psychologically distressed if they had ever been threatened with sexual assault in prison or physically assaulted in prison. Sexual coercion outside prison was an important associate of psychological distress among men but not among women. CONCLUSIONS As psychological distress and experiences of assault are closely statistically linked among male prisoners and both are very common among female prisoners, their screening for psychological distress should include efforts to find out about sexual and violent assaults against them both before and during imprisonment. Further, longitudinal research with prisoners is required to establish causal relationships.
Market stability: backward-bending supply in a laboratory experimental market. 1999 Presidential address Western Economic Association

This article investigates the stability properties of markets with backward-bending supply curves. Parameters are chosen so that the two classic models of price dynamics, the Walrasian model and the Marshallian model, give opposite predictions. The results are (1) market instability can be observed, and (2) in the backward-bending case stability is captured by the Walrasian model and the Marshallian model of dynamics is rejected. Previous experiments have demonstrated that the Marshallian model works in the forward-falling case. Thus, which theory of dynamics is appropriate for a market depends on the underlying reasons for demand and supply shapes. Copyright 2000 by Oxford University Press.
A peptide fragment of ependymin neurotrophic factor uses protein kinase C and the mitogen‐activated protein kinase pathway to activate c‐Jun N‐terminal kinase and a functional AP‐1 containing c‐Jun and c‐Fos proteins in mouse NB2a cells

Ependymin (EPN) is a goldfish brain neurotrophic factor previously shown to function in a variety of cellular events related to long‐term memory formation and neuronal regeneration. CMX‐8933, an 8‐amino‐acid synthetic peptide fragment of EPN, was designed for aiding an investigation of the biological properties of this glycoprotein. We reported from previous studies that treatment of mouse neuroblastoma (NB2a) cultures with CMX‐8933 promotes activation of transcription factor AP‐1, a characteristic previously associated with the following full‐length neurotrophic factors: nerve growth factor, neurotropin‐3, and brain‐derived neurotrophic factor. The CMX‐8933‐activated AP‐1 specifically bound an AP‐1 consensus probe and appeared to contain c‐Jun and c‐Fos protein components in antibody supershift experiments. Because AP‐1 influences a variety of positive and negative cellular processes, determined in part by its exact protein composition and mechanism of activation, we extended these initial AP‐1 observations in the current study to confirm the identity of the CMX‐8933‐activated c‐Jun and c‐Fos components. CMX‐8933 increases the enzymatic activity of c‐Jun N‐terminal kinase (JNK), increases the phosphorylation of JNK and c‐Jun proteins, and increases the cellular titers of c‐Jun and c‐Fos mRNAs. Furthermore, the AP‐1 activated by CMX‐8933 is functional, insofar as it transactivates both synthetic and natural AP‐1‐dependent reporter plasmids. Inhibition studies indicate that activation of the 8933‐induced AP‐1 occurs via the mitogen‐activated protein kinase pathway. These data are in agreement with the recently proposed model for the conversion of short‐ to long‐term synaptic plasticity and memory, in which a JNK‐activated transcription factor AP‐1, containing c‐Jun and c‐Fos components, functions at the top of a hierarchy of transcription factors known to regulate long‐term neural plasticity. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Impact of Tick-Size Reduction on the Market Liquidity — Evidence from the Emerging Order-Driven Market

Empirical studies on the influence of tick-size reduction towards market liquidity have focused almost exclusively on quote-driven markets in developed nations, and generally their findings are based on time periods of less than one year. This work investigates the influence of tick-size reduction and the relaxations of binding-constraint probability on market liquidity in the Taiwanese stock market, an emerging order-driven market, starting on March 1, 2005. The empirical results show that the spread, depth, market liquidity, and binding-constraint probability all decrease following the tick-size reduction, especially for low-priced stocks. These results can be attributed to relaxation of binding constraints. Additionally, stocks that are frequently traded, have larger market capitalization, or have restrictive binding constraints, experience considerable declines in spread, depth, and market liquidity following tick-size reduction. Trading activity plays an important role in explaining changes in spread, depth, market liquidity, and binding constraints. Thus, tick-size reduction in the Taiwanese Stock Market can increase market efficiency and reduce the investors' trading costs.
Is the Feldstein-Horioka Puzzle History?

A country's intertemporal budget constraint implies current account stationarity or that its saving and investment rates should cointegrate. However, such behaviour may not pertain in finite sample spans where the current account could be subject to persistent shocks. Accordingly, this paper reconsiders the Feldstein-Horioka puzzle for a panel of 12 OECD economies 1980I-2000IV using a mean group regression approach that is robust to persistent innovations and accounts for country heterogeneity and cross-sectional dependence. The mean group estimates are notably smaller than that from the conventional cross-section estimator and are statistically insignificant. Our findings support the view that capital is highly mobile in the long run for OECD economies despite persistence in the current account. Copyright Blackwell Publishing Ltd and The Victoria University of Manchester, 2004.
Coronary risk factors in maintenance hemodialysis patients: Who is the culprit – hemodialysis or chronic renal failure?

Objective: Dyslipidemia, common in uremic patients subjected to maintenance hemodialysis (HD), represents an independent risk factor for atherosclerosis; but the association between long-term HD and uremic dyslipidemia is not crystal clear. The present study was aimed to ascertain any association. Materials and Methods: The effects of chronic renal failure (CRF) and HD duration on serum lipids, lipoproteins and homocysteine (HC) were studied in 84 patients suffering from CRF subjected to maintenance HD and were compared with 68 healthy, age-, sex- and race-matched control cohorts. Results: Increase in serum free cholesterol (FC), triglycerides, very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and HC levels, and decrease in esterified cholesterol (EC), EC/FC ratio, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels were highly significant (P < 0.001) in pre-dialysis patients compared to controls. Further disturbances were observed (P < 0.05) by repeated HD, resulting in further significant increase in FC, and decrease in EC/FC ratio and HDL-C levels after 40 dialysis schedules. Conclusion: Levels of HDL-C, plasma FC, and ratio of EC/FC appeared to be clearly altered by HD duration, submitting patients to a greater risk of atherosclerosis due to maintenance HD.
The Dating Game: Do Managers Designate Option Grant Dates to Increase Their Compensation?

We provide evidence of two variants of a dating game that entails picking a grant date ex post, that is, after the board's compensation decision is made: back-dating (picking a date before the board decision date), and forward-dating (waiting after the board decision date to observe the stock price behavior). Consistent with back-dating, we find stock return behavior around the grant date to be positively related to reporting lag. In the promptly reported sample, we find stock return behavior and the pattern of reporting lags consistent with forward-dating. Our calculations show that managers can obtain economically significant benefits by playing the dating game.
The valuation of abnormal accruals and corporate governance

For the most part the extant literature considers abnormal accruals to be opportunistic and discounted by the market. However, an alternative view is that abnormal accruals signal manager’s private information of firm value and profitability so are valued positively by the market. In addition, there is evidence that effective corporate governance mitigates opportunistic earnings manipulation. While prior studies have tested for the impact of corporate governance on the value relevance of earnings this study is different in that it focuses on the impact of governance on the value relevance of that part of earnings that are likely to be manipulated: abnormal accruals. Using a sample that is comprised exclusively of accounting data reported under IFRS evidence is provided that the market views abnormal accruals as being on average opportunistic. However, it also perceives this opportunism to be mitigated by effective corporate governance. These findings are robust to alternative ways of measuring abnormal ac.
Associations of school violence with physical activity among U.S. high school students.

BACKGROUND This study investigated associations of violence-related behaviors with physical activity (PA)-related behaviors among U.S. high school students. METHODS Data from the 2009 national Youth Risk Behavior Survey, a cross-sectional survey of a nationally representative sample of 9th-12th grade students, were analyzed. Sex-stratified, adjusted odds ratios (aORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated for associations between violence-related behaviors and being physically active for ≥60 minutes daily, sports participation, TV watching for ≥3 hours/day, and video game/computer use for ≥3 hours/day. RESULTS Among male students, at-school bullying victimization was negatively associated with daily PA (aOR: 0.72; 95% CI: 0.58-0.87) and sports participation; skipping school because of safety concerns was positively associated with video game/computer use (1.42; 1.01-2.00); and physical fighting was positively associated with daily PA. Among female students, at-school bullying victimization and skipping school because of safety concerns were both positively associated with video game/computer use (1.46; 1.19-1.79 and 1.60; 1.09-2.34, respectively), and physical fighting at school was negatively associated with sports participation and positively associated with TV watching. CONCLUSIONS Bullying victimization emerged as a potentially important risk factor for insufficient PA. Schools should consider the role of violence in initiatives designed to promote PA.
How Does Democratic Accountability Shape International Cooperation?

In democratic societies, citizens can hold their government politically accountable for the consequences of international cooperation. Can democratic accountability shape international cooperation under strategic interdependence, and if so, to what effect? I show formally that citizens can endow a government with incentives to promote the public good by conditioning political support on the consequences of international cooperation. Contravening the conventional wisdom, democratic accountability effectively shapes international cooperation. Since international cooperation is reciprocal, domestic democratic accountability also influences the behavior of foreign governments, even if they are autocratic. Empirically, democratic accountability in one country increases the expected dyadic level of international cooperation if and only if the expected social benefits to that country are substantial enough. However, the analysis also reveals that democracies might sometimes obtain a higher payoff from cooperation with autocracies that do not have democratic accountability mechanisms. These findings indicate that the democratic propensity for international cooperation is a contingent phenomenon.
Resource Curse and Power Balance: Evidence from Iran

Abstract Empirical research shows that natural resources have a detrimental effect on economic growth, a phenomenon known as the “resource curse”. Competition between influence groups for access to the resource rents, that is, rent-seeking, is often blamed for this curse. In this article, we dig deeper into the link between political competition and the resource curse by studying the case of Iran from 1960 to 2007. We present a theoretical model demonstrating how the effect of rents on the economy depends on the balance of political power. The model shows that an increase in rents may lead to a sharp reduction in income when the distribution of power between influence groups is relatively balanced. The empirical evidence confirms the predictions of the model.
Purification and characterization of tannin acyl hydrolase from Aspergillus niger MTCC 2425

The present investigation was carried out for increasing the yield of tannase of Aspergillus niger and the physico‐chemical characterization of this enzyme. Homogenization and detergent pretreatments did not have any remarkable effect on the extraction of enzyme protein. However, extraction of fungal pigments and proteins was observed to have high pH dependence, and maximum enzyme extraction was obtained at pH 5.5. The two‐step purification protocol gave 51‐fold purified enzyme with a yield of 20%. The total tannase activity was made up of nearly equal activity of esterase and depsidase. Sodium dodecyl sulphate‐polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of purified tannase protein indicated it to be made up of two polypeptides of molecular weight 102 and 83 kDa. Based on the Michaelis‐Menten constant (Km) of tannase for three substrates tested, tannic acid was the best substrate with Km of 2.8 × 10−4 M, followed by methyl gallate and propyl gallate. The inhibition was maximum for CaCl2 (58%) whereas EDTA had no modulatory effect on tannase activity. The inhibitor binding constant (KI) of CaCl2 was 5.9 × 10−4 M and the inhibition was of noncompetitive type.