Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
China&Apos;S Embrace of Globalization

As China has become an increasingly important part of the global trading system over the past two decades, interest in the country and its international economic policies has increased among international economists who are not China specialists. This paper represents an attempt to provide the international economics community with a succinct summary of the major steps in the evolution of Chinese policy toward international trade and foreign direct investment and their consequences since the late 1970s. In doing so, we draw upon and update a number of more comprehensive book-length treatments of the subject. It is our hope that this paper will prove to be a useful resource for the growing numbers of international economists who are exploring China-related issues, either in the classroom or in their own research.
A Decade of Reconciliations to US GAAP. What have we Learned?

ABSTRACT The discussion on the usefulness of reconciliations disclosed in the Form 20-F that non-US companies are required to prepare is not over. Prior research using different methodologies found mixed results. Potential explanations are (1) companies from different countries in the samples, (2) definition of the regression windows, (3) exact event date, and (4) the development of a coping mechanism and multiprinciple capability by investors. While the first three causes are methodological problems, the last one needs further attention and research. We collected the Forms 20-F of all Spanish companies listed in the US stock markets during the period 1991–2001 and analyzed the reconciliations to NI and SE to US GAAP. We classified all reconciling items into a few categories and studied their frequency, persistence, significance, and materiality. Our main findings show an increasing number of adjustments along the period but only adjustments dealing with Fixed Assets, Business Combinations, Employee Benefits, Deferred Taxes, Investments, Consolidation, and Provisions, were material. From a theoretical viewpoint, we discuss future reconciliations from 2007, when companies in the sample adopt IAS/IFRS.
Associations between sex steroids and the development of metabolic syndrome: a longitudinal study in European men.

CONTEXT Low testosterone (T) has been associated with incident metabolic syndrome (MetS), but it remains unclear if this association is independent of sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG). Estradiol (E2) may also be associated with MetS, but few studies have investigated this. OBJECTIVE To study the association between baseline sex steroids and the development of incident MetS and to investigate the influence of SHBG, body mass index (BMI) and insulin resistance on this risk. METHODS Three thousand three hundred sixty nine community-dwelling men aged 40-79 years were recruited for participation in EMAS. MetS was defined by the updated NCEP ATP III criteria. Testosterone and E2 levels were measured by liquid and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, respectively. Logistic regression was used to assess the association between sex steroids and incident MetS. RESULTS One thousand six hundred fifty one men without MetS at baseline were identified. During follow-up, 289 men developed incident MetS, while 1362 men did not develop MetS. Men with lower baseline total T levels were at higher risk for developing MetS [odds ratio (OR) = 1.72, P < . 001), even after adjustment for SHBG (OR = 1.43, P = .001), BMI (OR = 1.44, P < .001) or homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) (OR = 1.64, P < .001). E2 was not associated with development of MetS (OR = 1.04; P = .56). However, a lower E2/T ratio was associated with a lower risk of incident MetS (OR = 0.38; P < .001), even after adjustment for SHBG (OR = 0.48; P < .001), BMI (OR = 0.60; P = .001) or HOMA-IR (OR = 0.41; P < .001). CONCLUSIONS In men, lower T levels, but not E2, are linked with an increased risk of developing MetS, independent of SHBG, BMI or insulin resistance. A lower E2/T ratio may be protective against developing MetS.
Levels of antiangiogenic factors in preeclamptic pregnancies

Preeclampsia is characterized by systemic maternal endothelial dysfunction that precedes the onset of clinical symptoms. Antiangiogenic factors are associated with preeclampsia. The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between the levels of three antiangiogenic factors in preeclamptic pregnancies with/without fetal growth restriction (FGR), and to compare their level in early onset or late onset preeclampsia. Antiangiogenic factors, soluble endoglin (sEndoglin), sFlt-1, and placental growth factor (PIGF) were analyzed in healthy and preeclamptic women (including seven with FGR) at three different time points. sEndoglin or sFlt-1 but not PIGF levels were significantly higher in women with preeclampsia at admission. The level of sEndoglin was significantly higher in early onset, and higher in preeclamptic pregnancies with FGR compared to those without FGR. The level of sEndoglin was correlated with mean arterial pressure or 24-h urine protein in preeclampsia. Our data potentially suggest that Endoglin level correlates with the clinical symptoms of preeclampsia and preeclamptic pregnancies with FGR.
Do Stock Markets Represent Economies?

This paper develops a series of stock market representativeness indices as a new method for analysing stock market development, and applies this method to data on stock markets and economies of thirty-one European countries, as well as Japan and the USA. The main conclusion is that stock markets poorly represent the underlying economies. Publicly traded companies constitute an absolute minority of the total population of large companies. In this respect the level of stock market representativeness in Europe is much lower than in the USA and Japan. Second, in Europe, the USA, and Japan stock markets are strongly biased towards very large companies, towards high technology companies, and particularly high technology knowledge intensive services, as well as towards companies from financial centres. They are biased against smaller, although still large companies, against lower technology manufacturing and less knowledge intensive services, and against provincial companies. Notwithstanding these general findings, stock market representativeness varies considerably between individual countries, highlighting the significance of country-specific factors. Research and development intensity, venture capital industry, asymmetric information, social networks, and government policy are explored as potential reasons for the stock market biases. Implications are drawn for European policy-makers, researchers, as well as financial firms.
Impact of the Road Pricing Scheme on Commuter Trip Departure Time

Anthony T.H. Chini Traffic congestion in many cities around the world has reached gridlock resulting in the loss of millions of dollars in lost production and time. It is a consequence of limited road capacity and the peak travel phenomena. Traditional responses have focused on adding more capacity and traffic management. However in recent years, authorities have recognized the need to look at the issue from a holistic perspective such as systematic land use planning, investments in efficient public transport and introduction of road user charges (or road pricing). This study addresses the impact of road pricing on travel behavior and in particular its impacts on trip departure time, route and mode choice. The study concludes that substitution will occur as long as there are non-priced roads. Traffic congestion will spillover into the other parts of the road network thus spreading externalities which were at first limited to congested highways. There were relatively few drivers who switched departure times. Even fewer switched to public transport. The study concludes by focusing on the introduction of flexible work schedules, decentralizing employment centers and the use of technology to reduce the need for
Aquatic microfauna alter larval food resources and affect development and biomass of West Nile and Saint Louis encephalitis vector Culex nigripalpus (Diptera: Culicidae)

Abstract Ciliate protists and rotifers are ubiquitous in aquatic habitats and can comprise a significant portion of the microbial food resources available to larval mosquitoes, often showing substantial declines in abundance in the presence of mosquito larvae. This top‐down regulation of protists is reported to be strong for mosquitoes inhabiting small aquatic containers such as pitcher plants or tree holes, but the nature of these interactions with larval mosquitoes developing in other aquatic habitats is poorly understood. We examined the effects of these two microbial groups on lower trophic level microbial food resources, such as bacteria, small flagellates, and organic particles, in the water column, and on Culex larval development and adult production. In three independent laboratory experiments using two microeukaryote species (one ciliate protist and one rotifer) acquired from field larval mosquito habitats and cultured in the laboratory, we determined the effects of Culex nigripalpus larval grazing on water column microbial dynamics, while simultaneously monitoring larval growth and development. The results revealed previously unknown interactions that were different from the top‐down regulation of microbial groups by mosquito larvae in other systems. Both ciliates and rotifers, singly or in combination, altered other microbial populations and inhibited mosquito growth. It is likely that these microeukaryotes, instead of serving as food resources, competed with early instar mosquito larvae for microbes such as small flagellates and bacteria in a density‐dependent manner. These findings help our understanding of the basic larval biology of Culex mosquitoes, variation in mosquito production among various larval habitats, and may have implications for existing vector control strategies and for developing novel microbial‐based control methods.
Effects of vigabatrin, an irreversible GABA transaminase inhibitor, on ethanol reinforcement and ethanol discriminative stimuli in mice

We tested the hypothesis that the irreversible &ggr;-amino butyric acid transaminase inhibitor, &ggr;-vinyl &ggr;-amino butyric acid [vigabatrin (VGB)], would reduce ethanol reinforcement and enhance the discriminative-stimulus effect of ethanol, effectively reducing ethanol intake. The present studies used adult C57BL/6J (B6) mice in well-established operant, two-bottle choice consumption, locomotor activity, and ethanol discrimination procedures to comprehensively examine the effects of VGB on ethanol-supported behaviors. VGB dose-dependently reduced operant responding for ethanol and ethanol consumption for long periods of time. Importantly, a low dose (200 mg/kg) of VGB was selective for reducing ethanol responding without altering the intake of food or water reinforcement. Higher VGB doses (>200mg/kg) reduced ethanol intake, but also significantly increased water consumption and, more modestly, increased food consumption. Although not affecting locomotor activity on its own, VGB interacted with ethanol to reduce the stimulatory effects of ethanol on locomotion. Finally, VGB (200 mg/kg) significantly enhanced the discriminative-stimulus effects of ethanol as evidenced by significant leftward and upward shifts in ethanol generalization curves. Interestingly, VGB treatment was associated with slight increases in blood ethanol concentrations. The reduction in ethanol intake by VGB appears to be related to the ability of VGB to potentiate the pharmacological effects of ethanol.
Brand Management Through Narrowing the Gap Between Brand Identity and Brand Reputation

Classical models of brand management pay insufficient attention to staff as brand builders, placing more emphasis on external issues such as image. This paper explores the significant contribution from employees and considers the need to align their values and behaviours with the brand's desired values. It clarifies the importance of culture in brand building and discusses how an adaptive, strategically appropriate culture, consistently apparent throughout an organisation is likely to be associated with healthy brand performance. A model is proposed, suggesting that stronger brands result from a homogeneous brand identity, with congruent identity components. It argues that reputation is a more appropriate external assessment of a brand than image. By auditing the gaps between brand identity and brand reputation, managers can identify strategies to minimize incongruency and develop more powerful brands. It is concluded that brand reality is an important aspect of branding.
Super resolution reconstruction based on block matching and three-dimensional filtering with sharpening

Super resolution (SR) reconstruction is often considered to be an inverse problem in the sense that unknown high resolution images are sought for giving low resolution images. Recent studies have shown that the sparsity regularisation used in compressed sensing (CS) reconstruction improves the performance of SR reconstruction. Furthermore, under the assumption that mutually similar regions exist within a natural image, non-local (NL) estimation produces accurate estimates for given degraded images. The incorporation of this NL estimation in SR reconstruction has been shown to yield better reconstructions. In this study, the authors propose the use of block matching and three-dimensional filtering with sharpening estimation as the regularisation constraint under the CS-based SR framework. This estimation collects similar blocks and adaptively filters them by the shrinkage of the transform coefficients. It recovers detailed structures while attenuating ringing artefacts. In addition, a sharpening technique used in the estimation also emphasises edges. As a result, the proposed SR algorithm searches for the solution that is similar to this enhanced estimate from among all feasible solutions. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method provides high-quality SR images, both numerically and subjectively.
GnRH-immunoreactive neuronal system in the presumptive ancestral chordate, Ciona intestinalis (Ascidian).

Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) of the vertebrate brain, which has originally been identified as a peptidergic hypophysiotropic hormone, is now believed to act also as a neuromodulator. It has recently been shown that a vertebrate-like GnRH-gonadotropin system occurs in the urochordates, which are considered to be the presumptive ancestral chordate. In this paper, we examined the morphology of the GnRH neuronal system of ascidian, Ciona intestinalis, by immunocytochemistry and found many GnRH-immunoreactive neuronal cells and fibers in a specific surface area of the cerebral ganglion, along the inner wall of the dorsal blood sinus, as well as on the anterior surface of the ovary.
Arbitrage Opportunities in Major Gold Futures Markets: Evidence from High Frequency Data

This study investigates cross-market arbitrage opportunities under synchronous trading time, and uses 5-minute intraday data that mitigates the stale price problem. Three major gold futures markets: COMEX, MCX, and TOCOM, and spot gold are examined using a modified interval pricing model. The evidence reveals both futures-spot and futures-futures arbitrage opportunities, especially in the more recently established markets. Moreover, the average profits of futures-futures arbitrage exceed those of futures-spot arbitrage. Finally, the evidence highlights differences among markets in both speed of price adjustment and lead-lag relationship.
Reduction in cardiovascular related hospitalization with nocturnal home hemodialysis.

BACKGROUND Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death among patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Nocturnal home hemodialysis (NHD) (5 - 6 sessions per week; 6 - 8 hours per session) is a novel form of home-based renal replacement therapy, which has been shown to improve several cardiovascular risk factors. The impact of NHD on hospitalization rate has remained unclear. We hypothesized that augmentation of small and middle molecular clearance by NHD would result in a reduction of dialysis related or cardiovascular specific hospitalizations. METHODS AND RESULTS In this controlled cohort study, we studied 32 NHD patients (age: 43 +/- 2 [mean +/- SEM]) 1 year before and 2 years after conversion to NHD and 42 CHD patients (mean age: 44 +/- 2) (matched for age, dialysis vintage and controlled for comorbidities) during the same time period. The primary outcome was the change in a composite of dialysis or cardiovascular related admissions rate before and after conversion to NHD. Secondary outcomes included changes in all cause hospitalization rate, visits to emergency, reasons and duration of hospitalization and dialysis-related biochemical parameters. During the study period, dialysis or cardiovascular-related admission rate was stable for the CHD control cohort (from 0.48 +/- 0.14 [baseline] to 0.40 +/- 0.12 [end of study] admission per patient year, p = NS). In contrast, conversion to NHD is associated with a decrease in our composite endpoint (from 0.50 +/- 0.15 to 0.17 +/- 0.06 admission per patient year, p = 0.04). Cardiovascular disease (37%) was the principal cause for hospitalization in the control population. In comparison, vascular access related admission was the primary cause of admission for the NHD cohort (56%), p = 0.001. Of the biochemical parameters, NHD is associated with a decrease in plasma phosphate (from 1.7 +/- 0.1 to 1.3 +/- 0.1 mM, p = 0.01) and an improved control of anemia (from 114 +/- 2 to 122 +/- 3 g/l, p = 0.02). CONCLUSION Conversion to NHD is associated with a decrease in dialysis and cardiovascular-related hospital admission. The clinical and mechanistic relevance in uremic patients of improved phosphate and anemia management requires further examination.
The future role of bank branches and their managers: comparing managerial perceptions in Canada and Spain

Although it was predicted that bank branches would quickly become obsolete in a computerized society, the reality is that many full‐service branches are not closing but rather evolving to meet changing needs. The role of the branch manager is crucial, and is also changing. In particular, managers are expected to take a lead in marketing activities. A questionnaire study was carried out to examine managers’ changing roles, using two samples of branch managers, one from Canada and one from Spain. Managers were asked to rate 21 function variables on their importance in bank management and in facing new market trends. Differences were found between the two samples, as were similarities: both identified managerial ability, strategic autonomy of the branch and business development through increased marketing ability, as important building blocks for the future role of branches and their managers.
5‐Hydroxytryptamine type 7 receptor neuroprotection against NMDA‐induced excitotoxicity is PDGFβ receptor dependent

The serotonin (5‐HT) type 7 receptor is expressed throughout the CNS including the hippocampus. Long‐term (2–24 h) activation of 5‐HT7 receptors regulates growth factor receptor expression, including the expression of platelet‐derived growth factor (PDGF) β receptors. Direct activation of PDGFβ receptors in primary hippocampal and cortical neurons inhibits NMDA receptor activity and attenuates NMDA receptor‐induced neurotoxicity. Our objective was to investigate whether the 5‐HT7 receptor‐induced increase in PDGFβ receptor expression would be similarly neuroprotective. We demonstrate that 5‐HT7 receptor agonist treatment in primary hippocampal neurons also increases the expression of phospholipase C (PLC) γ, a downstream effector of PDGFβ receptors associated with the inhibition of NMDA receptor activity. To determine if the up‐regulation of PDGFβ receptors is neuroprotective, primary hippocampal neurons were incubated with the 5‐HT7 receptor agonist, LP 12, for 24 h. Indeed, LP 12 treatment prevented NMDA‐induced neurotoxicity and this effect was dependent on PDGFβ receptor kinase activity. Treatment of primary neurons with LP 12 also differentially altered NMDA receptor subunit expression, reducing the expression of NR1 and NR2B, but not NR2A. These findings demonstrate the potential for providing growth factor receptor‐dependent neuroprotective effects using small‐molecule ligands of G protein‐coupled receptors.
Recognition, Recall, and Rating Scales

ABSTRACT This paper is one of 18 selected by the Editorial Review Board of The Journal of Advertising Research to be a ‘classic’ - an article that has withstood the test of time. First published in 1964, Wells shows that, in evaluating advertising, the recognition method (Starch) does not really measure recognition, and recall measures do not measure memorability. He concludes that recognition methods gauge the interest in an advertisement; recall methods, the meaningfulness of the message and brand name registration; but to predict subsequent sales, just ask people to rate the ad. And if all else is equal run the ad that consumers like least.
The Effects of Firm Experience and Relational Resources on Firm Product Development Capabilities

Given that the focus of strategic management research is understanding the determinants of firm performance, and that product development capabilities have been shown to influence firm performance, the research question this dissertation attempts to answer is: what factors influence a firm’s product development capabilities? Building on the resource based view and evolutionary theory, this dissertation proposes that firms leverage knowledge generating resources to modify or develop their routines. Firm level routines are theorized to influence the capabilities of the firm. This dissertation focuses on two firm-level product development capabilities: effectiveness and efficiency. Effectiveness refers to a firm’s ability to develop desirable products and efficiency refers to the firm’s ability to develop those products quickly. The knowledge generating resources this dissertation examines is the firm’s prior experience in product development and the firm’s relational resources pertinent to product development. Specifically, this dissertation develops theory on four types of experience: market niche, component technology, platform technology, and general product development. Additionally, theory is developed regarding the effects of platform relational resources, as well as the breadth and depth of co-developers a firm utilizes in the development of their products. Using the videogame development industry as the empirical context, few hypothesized relationships are statistically or substantively significant. Prior experience with component technologies lowered the effectiveness of a firm’ product development capabilities, but were found to increase efficiency. In addition, older firms tended to create more desirable products iii despite controlling for the four types of experience which may suggest that the age of the firm contributes something to the firm’s ability to create desirable products beyond specific types of experience. This dissertation makes contributions to the theory on how capabilities are developed and enhanced by introducing mechanisms regarding how firms can leverage knowledge generating resources to improve their capabilities. More specifically, this dissertation provides contributes to the product development literature as well as the literatures on how experience and relational resources influence a firm’s product development capabilities.