Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Time Series Stochastic Properties Of Growth Miracles And Growth Disasters

Preliminary findings of this research suggest significant stochastic properties differences between growth miracles and growth disasters. Miracles’ real GDP per capita exhibit at least one unit root whereas disasters’ is either stationary or has a negative unit root. Average growth rates appear to be significantly different. Average population growth rate is stationary for disasters, for miracles the existence of a negative unit root cannot be rejected. Consumption for miracles is either stationary or tends to decline, for disasters is stationary or tends to increase. Investment average and volatility are apparently significantly greater for miracles. Government expenditures for disasters are non stationary, for miracles are stationary with an incipient tendency to decline. Moreover, average government expenditures apparently are greater and more volatile for disasters. Finally, openness is stationary for disasters and for miracles it has at least one unit root.
The COST model for calculation of forest operations costs

Since the late nineteenth century when high-cost equipment was introduced into forestry there has been a need to calculate the cost of this equipment in more detail with respect to, for example, cost of ownership, cost per hour of production, and cost per production unit. Machine cost calculations have been made using various standard economic methods, where costs have been subdivided into capital costs and operational costs. Because of differences between methods and between national regulations, mainly regarding tax rules and subsidies, international comparisons of machine costs are difficult. To address this, one of the goals of the European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) Action FP0902 was to establish a simple format for transparent cost calculations for machines in the forest biomass procurement chain. A working group constructed a Microsoft Excel–based spreadsheet model which is easy to understand and use. Input parameters are easy to obtain or possible to estimate by provided rules of thumb. The model gives users a simultaneous view of the input parameters and the resulting cost outputs. This technical note presents the model, explains how the calculations are made, and provides future users with a guide on how to use the model. Prospective users can view the model in the Supplementary Material linked to this article online.
Functional and molecular characterization of receptor subtypes mediating coronary microvascular dilation to adenosine.

Adenosine is a potent vasodilator of the coronary microvessels and is implicated in the regulation of coronary blood flow during metabolic stress. However, the receptor subtypes and the vasodilatory mechanism responsible for the dilation of coronary microvessels to adenosine remain unclear. In the present study, using an isolated-vessel preparation we demonstrated that porcine coronary arterioles (50-100 microm) dilated concentration-dependently to adenosine, CPA (adenosine A1 receptor agonist) and CGS21680 (adenosine A2A receptor agonist). These vasodilations were not altered by the A1 receptor antagonist CPX, but were abolished by the selective A2A receptor antagonist ZM241385, indicating that activation of A2A receptors mediates these vasodilatory responses. The protein kinase A inhibitor Rp-8-Br-cAMPS abolished coronary arteriolar dilations to adenylyl cyclase activator forskolin and cAMP analog 8-Br-cAMP, but failed to inhibit adenosine- and CGS21680-induced dilations. The calcium-activated potassium channel inhibitor iberiotoxin also did not affect vasodilations to adenosine and CGS21680. In contrast, the ATP-sensitive potassium (K(ATP)) channel inhibitor glibenclamide abolished vasodilations to adenosine and CGS21680 but did not affect vasodilations to forskolin and 8-Br-cAMP. In addition, the cAMP level in coronary microvessels was not increased by adenosine or CGS21680. The results from RT/PCR and in situ hybridization indicated that adenosine A2A receptor mRNA was encoded in coronary arterioles and the left anterior descending (LAD) artery but not in cardiomyocytes, whereas the A1 receptor transcript was detected in the LAD artery and cardiomyocytes but not in arterioles. Similarly, adenosine A1 and A2A proteins were expressed in the LAD artery, but only A2A receptors were expressed in coronary arterioles. Collectively, these functional data suggest that coronary arteriolar dilation to adenosine is primarily mediated by the opening of K(ATP) channels through activation of A2A receptors. This conclusion is corroborated by the molecular data showing that coronary arterioles only express adenosine A2A receptors. Furthermore, the dilation of coronary microvessels to adenosine A2A receptor activation appears to be independent of cAMP signaling.
Statistical method for predicting protein coding regions in nucleic acid sequences

Protein coding regions of a genome fragment can be mathematically predicted by studying variations in the statistical properties or by searching the signals characteristic of the junctions between the coding and non-coding regions. We propose here a new statistical method using correspondence analysis. This method does not use any reference codon set but takes into account the codon usage homogeneity along the studied genome fragment. Comparison with previously published methods especially the 'codon usage method' of Staden has been made, and two examples are presented here. Applications to analysis of prokaryotic operon and eukaryotic split genes are also discussed. Use of the method has also shown two structures not previously described: i) in the human prt gene, a strong triplet structure exists in a non-coding region; ii) in the human tp-a codon usage is not uniform between the different exons.
Importance of FOXP3 in prognosis and its relationship with p16 in tonsillar squamous cell carcinoma.

AIM We examined the relationship between p16, a surrogate marker of human papilloma virus (HPV), and FOXP3, marker of regulatory T-cells, in tonsillar squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC), and assessed their prognostic potential. MATERIALS AND METHODS The tumors of 79 patients with locally advanced TSCC treated from 2000 to 2008 were subjected to immunohistochemistry (IHC) assays for p16 and FOXP3 using tissue microarrays. RESULTS Sixty-three tumors (80%) were p16-positive and 38 (48%) were FOXP3-positive on IHC. FOXP3 correlated positively with p16 (p=0.011). The p16-positive group had a significantly higher 5-year overall survival (OS) rate than the p16-negative group [78% vs. 63%, hazard ratio (HR)=0.347, p=0.025]. The FOXP3-positive group had a significantly higher 5-year OS rate than the - negative group (89% vs. 61%, HR=0.158, p=0.003). Multivariate analysis indicated that FOXP3 is an independent prognostic factor (HR=0.11, p=0.001) but p16 did not reach statistical significance (HR=2.17, p=0.131). CONCLUSION FOXP3 expression is associated positively with p16 expression, and is a favorable prognostic factor for survival in TSCC.
An Empirical Investigation of Budget and Trade Deficits: The Case of Nigeria

This paper uses cointegration and vector error-correction techniques, Granger-causality tests and, generalized impulse response analysis to examine the "twin deficits" phenomenon in Nigeria - a small open but oil dependent economy in Africa. We find evidence of positive relationship between trade and budget deficits in both the short- and long-run. This finding supports the conventional Keynesian twin deficits proposition and refutes the Ricardian Equivalence Hypothesis. Contrary to the conventional proposition that budget deficits cause trade deficits, our results indicate unidirectional causality from trade deficits to budget deficits for Nigeria. An implicit policy implication of our findings is that attempts to reduce budget deficits in Nigeria must begin with reductions in trade deficits which could be achieved through indirect monetary channels.
Effects of curcumin or dexamethasone on lung ischaemia–reperfusion injury in rats

The present study aimed to investigate potential effects of curcumin (CUR) and dexamethasone (DXM) on ischaemia–reperfusion (I/R) induced lung injury in rats. Experimental rats were pre-treated with a single i.p. dose of vehicle, CUR (50 mg·kg−1 or 200 mg·kg−1) or DXM (5 mg·kg−1), 2 h before anaesthesia and subjected to left lung hilus clamping with 90-min ischaemia followed by 4 h of reperfusion. Pre-treatment with CUR (200 mg·kg−1) or DXM markedly attenuated I/R-induced barrier disruption, lung oedema, tissue inflammation, hypoxaemia 4 h after reperfusion, and overactivation of nuclear factor-κB, inflammatory cytokines, myeloperoxidase and malondialdehyde. It appears that curcumin attenuates acute lung injury, probably through improving oxidative stress and inhibiting nuclear factor-κB-mediated expression of inflammatory cytokines. Thus, curcumin may be an alternative therapy for improving the outcomes of ischaemia–reperfusion-induced lung injury.
Humanized Mouse Model of Cooley's Anemia*

A novel humanized mouse model of Cooley's Anemia (CA) was generated by targeted gene replacement in embryonic stem (ES) cells. Because the mouse does not have a true fetal hemoglobin, a delayed switching human γ to β0 globin gene cassette (γβ0) was inserted directly into the murine β globin locus replacing both adult mouse β globin genes. The inserted human β0 globin allele has a mutation in the splice donor site that produces the same aberrant transcripts in mice as described in human cells. No functional human β globin polypeptide chains are produced. Heterozygous γβ0 mice suffer from microcytic anemia. Unlike previously described animal models of β thalassemia major, homozygous γβ0 mice switch from mouse embryonic globin chains to human fetal γ globin during fetal life. When bred with human α globin knockin mice, homozygous CA mice survive solely upon human fetal hemoglobin at birth. This preclinical animal model of CA can be utilized to study the regulation of globin gene expression, synthesis, and switching; the reactivation of human fetal globin gene expression; and the testing of genetic and cell-based therapies for the correction of thalassemia.
Prediction of Success in Post-Communist Societies: Evidence from Latvia and Estonia

The article reports results from a four-wave international longitudinal study “Paths of a Generation”representative of young adults in Estonia and Latvia. We looked especially at individual and structural factors predicting success and failure in these transitional societies taken together. We conceptualised success and failure as success group (or status group) membership. By doing so we attempted to capture different channels of “winning”(e.g., entrepreneurial activity or taking managerial positions) and “losing” (e.g., unemployment or employment in the primary sector of economy). The new social stratification structure in those societies is in the stage of formation. On the one hand, it is still influenced by the communist legacy; on the other hand, hierarchies typical for Western market economies are taking shape. Male gender, longer education career and belonging to the titular nation are among major predictors of success. Success group membership, especially being an entrepreneur, is also predicted by high self-evaluation and ambitions recorded as the respondents were 17 years old, as well as by early economic activity. The “losers” among young adults are generally less educated; they tend to have more children, live in smaller settlements and belong to the non-titular nation. Failure is predicted mainly by objective personal characteristics and not by subjective self-evaluation or life plans.
AUDITOR'S SKILL, AUDITING STANDARDS, LITIGATION, AND AUDIT QUALITY

This paper introduces a model of the market for audit services in which auditors differ in their levels of skill, which may or may not be observable and capture differences in ability. The model captures the interplay amongst auditing standards, litigation, and auditors’ levels of skill, which determines auditors’ responses to auditing standards. The paper shows that the quality of audit supplied by any auditor is increasing in the auditor's level of skill regardless of whether or not auditors’ levels of skill are observable. An increase in the quality of audit prescribed by auditing standards is shown to induce some auditors endowed with low levels of skill to decrease the quality of their audits so that the average quality of audit and economic welfare may actually decline as auditing standards are raised. Auditors’ choices of audit quality are furthermore shown to be increasing in trial awards. Incentives for trials and out-of-court settlements are shown to depend crucially on whether or not auditors’ levels of skill are observable. Only when auditors’ levels of skill are unobservable do trials obtain with some probability. When auditors’ levels of skill are unobservable, the introduction of either restrictions on costs awarded by the courts or an imperfection in the courts’ technology is shown to lead the most skilled auditors to supply audits of a quality strictly exceeding the quality prescribed by the prevailing auditing standards. When the courts err often enough, the most skilled auditors having exercised due care furthermore make offers to settle when sued.
Religious Experience and Attitude toward Christianity among Protestant and Catholic Adolescents in Northern Ireland

W. Hood (1995), demonstrates the growing importance of this area of study within the psychology of religion. This comprehensive review also highlights some of the major weaknesses in the current basis of empirical knowledge about the incidence and correlates of religious experience. In particular two problems frustrate the synthesis and evaluation of the empirical studies conducted in the field. The first problem concerns the definition of religious experience and the operationalisation of the construct in ways appropriate to empirical investigation. As long as different surveys concerned with religious experience elicit information by asking a variety of different questions it remains problematic to integrate the findings from such surveys. For example, the study by Hoge and Smith (1982) was driven by the question ‘Has there been any particular event or experience in your life which has changed your feelings about God and the Church? ’ The study by Hay and Morisy (1985) was driven by the somewhat different question ‘Have you ever been aware of or influenced by a presence or a power, whether you call it God or not, which is different from your everyday self? ’ The second problem concerns the different methods of sampling, the different populations studied, and the different techniques employed for eliciting information by different projects. For example, the original data assembled by the Religious Experience Research Unit in Oxford and discussed by Robinson (1977a, b, 1978) was elicited by requests published in the national press, Hoge and Smith (1982) administered questionnaires to churchgoers, and Hay and Morisy (1985) interviewed a random sample of adult residents in Nottingham. One helpful response to these two problems is demonstrated by John E. Greer’s programme of research in Northern Ireland, which has employed the same question in a series of studies among well defined cross-sectional samples of secondary school pupils. These studies have consistently employed the question ‘Have you ever had an experience of God, e.g. his presence or his help or anything else? ’ Greer’s first study employing this question was conducted in 1978 among 1 Religious experience and attitude toward Christianity among Protestant and Catholic adolescents in Northern Ireland
Change and the development of entrepreneurial networks over time: a processual perspective

Although it is now well established that networks contribute to entrepreneurship by extending the individual entrepreneurial asset base of human, social, market, financial and technical capacity, little work, empirical or theoretical, has examined the dynamics of networking processes in a temporal framework. Drawing on evidence from three longitudinal case studies of entrepreneurs operating in the oil industry in the North East of Scotland, this paper presents an extensive empirical investigation into network transformation over time. We are thus able to chart networks in their historical contingency. This chronological lens allows us to view patterns in network continuity and change and enables us to develop a rich conceptual framework. The study demonstrates that networks are vital living organisms, changing, growing and developing over time. Yet set in their history, networks are much more than an extension of the entrepreneurial asset base. Our data shows how a reconceptualization of the nature of networking is called for; one which privileges an understanding of the relational dynamic as a structural configuration representing the social construction of the entrepreneurial environment. Thus our conceptualization proposes that networks actually create the environment, as it is understood and operated by the entrepreneur, and that consequently the networking process is the enactment of the environment.
Do internationalized companies have better governance? Lessons from Brazil

Multinational enterprises (MNEs) have grown and expanded their presence significantly in recent years. Governing MNEs’ activities in different countries is complex and demand efficient governance arrangements. Although there is an extensive literature on both MNEs and corporate governance, the relationship between MNEs and governance remains largely unexplored. This article analyses multiple aspects of governance of MNEs by using broad firm-level governance indices. We use comprehensive Brazilian data and find that MNEs have better governance in Brazil. Overall, MNEs have better disclosure, board and shareholder practices. We also report that ownership and control are less concentrated in MNEs than in local firms, and that the governance of MNEs is positively (negatively) associated with cash flow (voting) rights held by large shareholders. The results are robust to alternate measures of governance and to controlling for endogeneity and self-selection.
Six Sigma: hints from practice to overcome difficulties

Six Sigma has proven to be a powerful system for improving quality and productivity. However, the successful implementation of the methodology is not simple, and it is therefore normal – especially in the early phases – to experience problems that may impede taking full advantage of the methodology. We have grouped some of the most frequent ones into four main areas: implementation and organisational aspects, adherence to DMAIC methodology, tools and statistical techniques and implementation of improvements and project closure. For each of them, the paper discusses some of the difficulties and issues that should be taken into account.
Regulatory and Institutional Determinants of Credit Risk Taking and a Bank's Default in Emerging Market Economies

Regulatory and institutional environment is not without effect on a bank's risk taking and therefore on a bank's default. In this article, we investigate regulatory and institutional determinants of credit risk taking and bank's default probability in emerging market economies. Using a two step logit model applied to a database of banks from emerging economies, we confirm the role of the institutional and regulatory environment as a source of excess credit risk, which increases a bank's default risk. In particular, the rule of law appears to be a crucial element of an efficient regulatory environment, which may reduce excessive risk taking incentives.
Study Exploring the Effects of Daily Supplementation with 400 μg of Folic Acid on the Nutritional Status of Folate in Women of Reproductive Age.

BACKGROUND This investigation determines the nutritional state of serum and red blood cell (RBC) folate concentration and their relation with intake of folate, B6 ,and B12 , with serum vitamin B12 , and with genetic variants after provision of 400 μg/day of folic acid for 3 months to a group of 34 Colombian women of reproductive age. METHODS We evaluated nutrient intake using 24-hr recall, assessing the levels of serum folate, RBC folate, serum B12 , and homocysteine, as well as determining genetic variants of the enzyme MTHFR (C677T and A1298C) and CβS (844ins68pb). RESULTS The results show that following intake of 400 μg/day of folic acid, the risk of folate deficiency as seen in regular dietary intake disappears and the nutritional status of this nutrient is increased (p < 0.001). With respect to vitamin B12, the risk of serum deficiency with folic acid consumption increased slightly, and those that were found to be B12 deficient after supplementation also had decreased levels of serum homocysteine. Genetic factors did not influence the nutritional status of folate, although an association was found between the intake of nutrients and biochemical indicators. CONCLUSION Given the results of our study, subsequent studies evaluating folic acid supplementation should also consider evaluating the status of B12 and B6 , and serum and RBC folate, as they participate interdependently in the cycle of folate and methionine and in homocysteine metabolism.Birth Defects Research 109:564-573, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Reduced deforestation and the carbon market: the role of market regulations and future commitments

Abstract Reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD) has been proposed as an economic and extensive source of emission abatement to supplement other long-term climate policies. However, critics suggest an excess supply of REDD credits may disrupt emerging carbon markets and raise north–south equity concerns. In this context, we investigate the economic implications of REDD regulations and future emissions reduction commitments. Numerical model simulations show that unrestricted exchange of REDD units reduces the international carbon price by half and cuts compliance costs by roughly one-third. Developed nations’ requirements for policy supplementarity, which restrict demand for REDD credits, reduce such price impacts but go at the expense of both economic efficiency and benefits to rainforest areas. Instead, unlimited REDD access facilitates climate policy targets to be tightened by almost a quarter at constant compliance cost, tripling the environmental ambition of the Kyoto Protocol and providing considerable wealth transfers to developing countries.
Market-wide Herding and the Impact of Institutional Investors in the Indian Capital Market

The article tries to identify the presence of ‘market-wide herding’ in the Indian capital market and whether institutional investors impact such herding. In particular, the article looks at the impact of Foreign Institutional Investors flows as well as mutual funds on herding. The work also looks at the the impact of index return and volatility on herding. JEL Classification: G140, G180, C580, G120