Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Global distribution of rotavirus serotypes/genotypes and its implication for the development and implementation of an effective rotavirus vaccine

A safe and effective rotavirus vaccine is urgently needed, particularly in developing countries. Critical to vaccine development and implementation is a knowledge base concerning the epidemiology of rotavirus G and P serotypes/genotypes throughout the world. The temporal and geographical distribution of human rotavirus G and P types was reviewed by analysing a total of 45571 strains collected globally from 124 studies reported from 52 countries on five continents published between 1989 and 2004. Four common G types (G1, G2, G3 and G4) in conjunction with P[8] or P[4] represented over 88% of the strains analysed worldwide. In addition, serotype G9 viruses associated with P[8] or P[6] were shown to have emerged as the fourth globally important G type with the relative frequency of 4.1%. When the global G and/or P type distributions were divided into five continents/subcontinents, several characteristic features emerged. For example, the P[8]G1 represented over 70% of rotavirus infections in North America, Europe and Australia, but only about 30% of the infections in South America and Asia, and 23% in Africa. In addition, in Africa (i) the relative frequency of G8 was as high as that of the globally common G3 or G4, (ii) P[6] represented almost one‐third of all P types identified and (iii) 27% of the infections were associated with rotavirus strains bearing unusual combinations such as P[6]G8 or P[4]G8. Furthermore, in South America, uncommon G5 virus appeared to increase its epidemiological importance among children with diarrhea. Such findings have (i) confirmed the importance of continued active rotavirus strain surveillance in a variety of geographical settings and (ii) provided important considerations for the development and implementation of an effective rotavirus vaccine (e.g. a geographical P‐G type adjustment in the formulation of next generation multivalent vaccines). Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Internal Migration, Networks and Gender Roles among Domestic Workers in Vietnam

i Acknowledgement ii Table of Content iv List of Figures vii List of Appendices viii List of Table ix Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 Migration and Gender 1 1.2 Migration and Networks 3 1.3 Research Objectives and Thesis Organization 5 Chapter 2: HISTORICAL AND CONCEPTUAL CONSIDERATIONS 8 2.1 Overview of the Economic Reform 8 2.2 Gender Dimensions in Vietnam 11 2.2.1 A General Picture 11 2.2.2 Đổi Mới, the State and Gender 15 2.2.3 Gender among Migrant Women 26 2.3 Overview of Rural-to-Urban Migration in Vietnam 31 2.3. 1 Challenges Faced By Migrant Workers 33 2.3. 2 Networks among Migrant Workers 35 2.4 Domestic Services 40 2.4. 1 The Everyday Politics of Domestic Work 40 2.4. 2 A Brief Historical Overview of Domestic Services in Vietnam 43 2.4. 3 The Current Situation 44 2.4. 4 Different Types of Domestic Workers 47 2.4. 5 The Comeback of Domestic Services 50 2.5 Research Rationale 51 2.6 Research Questions 53
Regional differences in patient characteristics, case management, and outcomes in traumatic brain injury: experience from the tirilazad trials.

OBJECT Regional differences have been shown in patient characteristics and case management within multiple unselected series of patients suffering from traumatic brain injury (TBI). One might expect that such regional heterogeneity would be small in a more selected population of a randomized clinical trial. The goal of this study was to examine what regional differences in patient characteristics, case management, and outcomes exist between continents and among countries within a patient population included in a randomized clinical trial. METHODS Data were extracted from two concurrently conducted randomized clinical trials of the drug tirilazad; the designs of these studies were similar. The studies included 1701 patients with severe and 476 patients with moderate TBI. Differences were primarily investigated between studies performed in Europe and North America, but also among European regions and between Canada and the United States. Associations among regions and outcomes (6-month mortality rate and Glasgow Outcome Scale scores) were studied using multivariable logistic regression analysis. Comparisons between continents and among regions within Europe showed differences in the distribution of patient ages, causes of injury, and several clinical characteristics (motor score, pupillary reactivity, hypoxia, hypotension, intracranial pressure [ICP]). and findings on computerized tomography scans. Secondary referrals occurred 2.5 times more frequently in Europe. Within Europe secondary referral was mainly associated with an increased proportion of patients with mass lesions (46% in the European Study compared with 40% in the North American Study). Therapy for lowering ICP was more frequently applied in North America. After adjustments for case mix and management, mortality and unfavorable outcomes were significantly higher in Europe (odds ratios = 1.58 and 1.46, respectively). Significant differences in outcome between regions within Europe or within North America were not observed. CONCLUSIONS Despite the use of a strict study protocol, considerable differences in patient characteristics and case management exist between continents and among countries, reflecting variations in social, cultural, and organizational aspects. Outcomes of TBI may be worse in Europe compared with North America, but this finding requires further study.
TOTAL FACTOR PRODUCTIVITY ESTIMATION: A PRACTICAL REVIEW

This paper aims to provide empirical researchers with an overview of the methodological issues that arise when estimating total factor productivity at the establishment level, as well as of the existing (parametric and semi-parametric) techniques designed to overcome them. Apart from the well-known simultaneity and selection bias, attention is given to methodological issues that have emerged more recently and that are related to the use of deflated values of inputs and outputs (as opposed to quantities) in estimating productivity at the firm level, as well as to the endogeneity of product choice. In discussing the estimation procedures applied in the literature, attention is given to recent developments in the field. Using data on single-product firms active in the Belgian food and beverages sector, the most commonly applied estimators are illustrated, allowing for comparison of the obtained productivity estimates by way of a simple evaluation exercise.
Knowledge Neighbourhoods: Urban Form and Evolutionary Economic Geography

Spencer G. M. Knowledge neighbourhoods: urban form and evolutionary economic geography, Regional Studies. This paper examines connections between the urban form of neighbourhoods in relation to the evolutionary economic geography of knowledge-intensive industries. The data presented show that firms in ‘creative’ industries tend to be located in dense, mixed-use neighbourhoods near the city core, while ‘science-based’ industries tend to be concentrated in low-density, single-use neighbourhoods in the suburbs. It is argued that these spatial patterns are related to the fact that inter-firm networks are more important in the ‘creative’ industries, while ‘science-based’ industries rely more heavily on intra-firm interactions and learning.
Studies on the Degradation Behavior of Chitosan-g-Poly (acrylic acid) Copolymers

Graft copolymers of Chitosan and poly(acrylic acid) were synthesized with a redox initiator, cerium ammonium nitrate. After 2 h of reaction at 70 o C, a gel product was obtained. The swelling ratio of the copolymer in water depends on the pH value and has a maximum in the buffer solution at pH 7. This is because the morphological structure of the copolymers in the water changes with the pH values. In addition, the swelling ratio of the copolymer increases with the feeding amount of acrylic acid monomer. The degradation behavior of the copolymers was observed both in a lysozyme solution and an active slurry solution. The degradation rate was higher in the lysozyme solution and depended on the composition of the copolymers.
The first European family with tibial muscular dystrophy outside the Finnish population

We report the first European tibial muscular dystrophy (TMD) family outside the Finnish population. Clinical examination showed late onset distal leg myopathy similar to the description of TMD. A molecular genetic study was made owing to the very recent TMD linkage findings on chromosome 2q31. All five clinically affected patients segregated a specific haplotype for the locus, whereas two unaffected patients had different haplotype. The results of this family without Finnish ancestors show that TMD exists outside the Finnish population.
Systematic Liquidity Risk and Stock Price Reaction to Shocks

This study examines the relationship between systematic liquidity risk and stock price reaction to large 1-day price changes (or shocks). We base our analysis on a yearly updated constituents list of the FTSE All share index. Our overall results are consistent with the price continuation hypothesis, which suggests that positive (negative) shocks will be followed by positive (negative) abnormal returns. However, further analysis indicates that stocks with low systematic liquidity risk react efficiently to both positive and negative shocks, whereas stocks with high systematic liquidity risk underreact to both positive and negative shocks. Our results are valid irrespective of various robustness tests such as size of the shock, size of the firm, month-of-the-year and day-of-the-week effects. We conclude that trading on price patterns following shocks may not be profitable, as it involves taking substantial liquidity exposure.
Entrepreneurship and Institutions

In this paper entrepreneurs are defined as agents who bring about economic change by combining their own effort with other factors of production in search of economic rents. The institutional setup is argued to determine both the supply and direction of entrepreneurial activity. Four key institutions are explored more closely: property rights protection, savings policies, taxation, and the regulation of labor markets. Institutions have far-reaching effects on entrepreneurship, and they largely determine whether or not entrepreneurial activity will be socially productive. Due to the responsiveness of entrepreneurship to the institutional setup it is maintained that in-depth analyses of specific institutions are required in order to further our understanding of the determinants of entrepreneurial behavior and the economic effects of entrepreneurship. The paper also demonstrates that it is problematic to use self-employment as an empirical proxy for productive entrepreneurship.
What's Globalization Got to Do with It? Economic Interdependence and the Future of European Welfare States 1

Abstract The appeal to globalization as a non-negotiable external economic constraint plays an increasingly significant role in the linked politics of expectation suppression and welfare reform in contemporary Europe. Yet, although it threatens to become something of a self- fulfilling prophecy, the thesis that globalization entails welfare retrenchment and convergence is empirically suspect. In this paper it is argued that there is little evidence of convergence amongst European social models and that, although common trajectories can be identified, these have tended to be implemented more or less enthusiastically and at different paces to produce, to date, divergent outcomes. Second, I suggest that it is difficult to see globalization as the principal agent determining the path on which European social models are embarked since the empirical evidence points if anything to de-globalization rather than globalization. The implications of this for the future of the welfare state in Europe and for the USA as a model welfare state regime are explored.
Chronic epididymitis: a practical approach to understanding and managing a difficult urologic enigma.

Many patients with unilateral or bilateral testicular, epididymal, or scrotal pain as their sole presenting symptom receive a diagnosis of "chronic epididymitis. " This common clinical entity is diagnosed and treated by practicing urologists but essentially ignored by academic urologists. This article defines chronic epididymitis, reviews current knowledge regarding its etiology, and describes appropriate physical examination and clinical testing for patients with the condition. The recently developed Chronic Epididymitis Symptom Index is presented, which can be used for baseline evaluation and follow-up of patients with chronic epididymitis, both in clinical practice and in research treatment trials. Treatment options, from watchful waiting to medical therapy to epididymectomy, are reviewed.
Effects of neck coordination exercise on sensorimotor function in chronic neck pain: a randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effect of neck coordination exercise on sensorimotor function in women with neck pain compared with best-available treatment and sham treatment. DESIGN Observer-blinded randomized controlled trial with short-term and 6-month follow-ups. SUBJECTS Women with chronic non-specific neck pain were randomized to 3 groups: neck coordination exercise with a novel training device; strength training for the neck and shoulders; or massage. Each group had 36 participants. METHODS The intervention period was 11 weeks with 22 individually supervised sessions. Primary outcomes were postural sway measures and precision of goal-directed arm movements. Secondary outcomes were range of motion for the neck, peak speed of axial rotation, and neck pain. A repeated measures multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was conducted separately on the primary outcomes for the short-term and 6-month evaluations and on the sensorimotor secondary outcomes for the 6-month effect. The 6-month effect on pain was analysed with a repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA). RESULTS No significant treatment effects in favour of neck coordination exercise were found for short-term or 6-month evaluations. CONCLUSION Neck coordination exercise is no better than strength training and massage in improving sensorimotor function. Further research should investigate the use of cut-offs for sensorimotor dysfunctions prior to proprioceptive or coordinative training.
Accuracy of Analysts' Earnings Forecasts: A Comparison of Non‐U.S. Cross‐Listed Firms and U.S. Multinationals

Among other properties of earnings forecasts, Das and Saudagaran (1998) document a difference in analyst forecast accuracy between non‐U.S. incorporated firms listed in U.S. capital markets and U.S. incorporated domestic firms. In this paper we replicate their analysis using an extended sample period (1984–1993) and a control sample of U.S. incorporated multinational firms and conclude that the results reported in Das and Saudagaran (1998) are not driven by their use of a control sample comprised of domestic firms nor are their results specific to the sample period used. We also extend their analysis to demonstrate that the differences in forecast accuracy documented in Das and Saudagaran (1998) do not extend to firms listed on the NYSE. This result that differences in analyst forecast accuracy between non‐U.S. firms listed in the U.S. and U.S. firms vary by U.S. exchange has not been examined in prior research. More importantly, we extend Das and Saudagaran (1998) by documenting the existence of cross‐co.
Disclosure effects, carbon emissions and corporate value

Purpose – The main purpose of this study is to examine the impact of corporate carbon emissions and disclosure on corporate value, especially regarding whether disclosure helps to reduce uncertainty in valuation as predicted by carbon emissions using a unique data set on Japanese companies. Design/methodology/approach – Empirical analysis of the relations between corporate carbon emissions using compulsory filing data to Japanese Government covering more than 1,000 firms, corporate carbon management disclosure (CDP disclosure), and the market value of equity. Findings – The authors find that corporate carbon emissions have a negative relation with the market value of equity, the disclosure of carbon management has a positive relation with the market value of equity, and the positive relation between the disclosure of carbon management and the market value of equity is stronger with a larger volume of carbon emissions. Practical implications – The results may be important when considering the inclusion of .
The Effect of Bankruptcy Protection on Investment: Chapter 11 as a Screening Device

Asymmetric information and conflicts of interest between equity and debt holders can force a distressed but efficient firm to liquidate and may enable a distressed inefficient firm to continue. In the extreme, if it is costless for an inefficient firm to mimic an efficient firm in a debt restructuring, efficient and inefficient firms are equally likely to continue or liquidate. This article shows that Chapter 11 procedures impose costs on inefficient firms that would otherwise mimic efficient firms. This separation induces voluntary filing for bankruptcy by inefficient firms and consequently enables efficient firms to continue when they would otherwise be liquidated. Copyright 1994 by American Finance Association.
Three Essays in Macroeconomics and International Finance

This dissertation includes three chapters. The first chapter studies the question of whether countries with different fiscal capacity should optimally have different ex-ante minimum bank capital requirements. In an environment with endogenously incomplete markets and overinvestment because of moral hazard and pecuniary externalities, I show that countries with larger fiscal capacity should have lower minimum ex-ante bank capital requirements. I also show that, in addition to the minimum capital requirement, regulators in countries with a concentrated financial sector and large fiscal capacity (which are also countries with strong moral hazard) should impose a limit on the amount of liquidity pledged by financial institutions in a crisis state (for example, restrict the amount of put options/CDS contracts sold by financial institutions). The second chapter studies the welfare implications of a concentrated, imperfectly competitive banking sector, which faces a bank net worth constraint in a small open economy (SOE) environment. There are two standard sources of ineffi ciency – pecuniary externalities, which lead to overinvestment, and a standard monopolistic underinvestment force. I show that the optimal policy instruments include subsidies on firm borrowing costs in certain periods and capital account controls in others, which is a good proxy for the behavior of emerging markets. For every country, there exists a financial sector with a particular banking sector concentration, for which the ineffi ciencies offset each other and no government intervention is required in some periods. Furthermore, this paper documents a novel theoretical result – the interaction between future binding bank net worth constraints and dynamic (future) underinvestment could lead to ex-ante overinvestment even in economies with a single monopolistic bank where there are no pecuniary externalities. The last third chapter, which is coauthored with Kenneth Rogoff, evaluates a new class of exchange rate forecasting studies, which claim that structural models are getting closer to being able to forecast exchange rates at short horizons. We argue that misinterpretation of some new out-of-sample tests for nested models, over-reliance on asymptotic test statistics, and failure to suffi ciently check robustness to alternative time windows have led many studies to overstate even the relatively thin positive results that have been found.
Too Many Cooks in the Kitchen

This study examines the connection between innovative capacity and small family firm performance and how that relation is moderated by collaborative network orientation and family firm ownership. Using regression analyses of survey data, we found support for a link between innovative capacity and performance that was moderated by the collaborative network orientation and the dispersal of ownership of the family firm. Furthermore, our findings indicate that two configurations enhance this link: (a) concentrated ownership combined with high collaborative network orientation and (b) dispersed ownership and low collaborative network orientation.
Interest on Equity and Capital Structure in the Brazilian Context

Purpose - – The interest paid on own capital can benefit companies in the Brazilian capital market as it can be considered a business expense and is, therefore, deductible as a corporate tax. The purpose of this paper is to assess the impact of interest on equity (IOE) on capital structure decisions. Design/methodology/approach - – The initial sample consisted of 524 publicly traded companies from different industries in the Brazilian capital market that were listed on Bovespa. Companies in the finance, insurance and funds industries were excluded from the sample due to the unique features of these financial intermediaries. Some companies in the initial sample were excluded due to a lack of published data, inactivity during the sample period, etc. Thus, the paper excluded those companies that did not have valid observations or failed to publish them. The final sample included 370 companies and covered the nine-year period from 1998 through 2006. Findings - – To this end, the authors identified the main determinants of capital structure and analyzed, through panel data, the relationship of IOE in addition to other determinants of capital structure, such as size, profitability, investment opportunities, risk, sales growth, real interest rate and real exchange rate, in corporate debt. The novel contribution of this study is the inclusion and analysis of the IOE in studies on the determination of capital structure of Brazilian companies. A new capital structure scenario was created when Law No. 9.249/95 required changes in legislation, ceasing the restatement of balance sheets and allowing companies to compensate their stockholders through IOE. Before this change, companies could only benefit from the tax benefits of debt, using debt capital. Now, they can also benefit from the use of equity because, by requiting equity through the IOE, deductions of income tax and social contributions on net income are allowed by tax law because the IOE may be considered a financial expense. Originality/value - : The authors were not able to find any other publication of a similar study in a review of the extant empirical literature.
The value relevance of comprehensive income under IFRS and US GAAP: empirical evidence from Germany

The IASB and FASB are currently conducting a project on performance reporting which broadly addresses the definition and presentation of income in financial statements. This study examines and compares the current practice of performance reporting under IFRS and US GAAP within a homogenous institutional setting. Therefore, it uses a sample of companies which were listed in the major segments of the German stock exchange during the period 2001? 2004 and which voluntarily applied IFRS or US GAAP. The major results of our study are that: comprehensive income appears to provide no incremental value relevant information beyond net income in explaining stock returns; comprehensive income under IFRS provides more incremental value relevant information than comprehensive income under US GAAP; concerning the components of other comprehensive income, only unrealised gains and losses from available-for-sale financial assets in the IFRS sample are clearly incremental value relevant.