Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Do Higher Rents Discourage Fertility? Evidence from US Cities, 1940-2000

This paper documents the existence of a negative cross-sectional correlation between the price of living space and fertility using U.S. Census data over the period 1940-2000. This correlation is not spurious, nor does it reflect the tendency of larger families to locate within less-expensive areas of a given metropolitan area. We examine the extent to which the results reflect the sorting of married couples across metropolitan areas on desired fertility. The relationship between the unit price of living space and fertility in fact tends to be more negative for households that have moved recently. However, the probability of migration between metropolitan areas is smaller for larger families, even those originating in more expensive cities. Moreover, Durbin-Wu-Hausman tests reveal only limited evidence of endogeneity. The weaker effects of the price of living space for less mobile couples seems to be at least in part a result of their choosing to live in less-expensive portions within a given metropolitan area.
The Law of One Alpha

Firms that use one valuation model for their core portfolio and different models for subsets of that core may end up with multiple estimates of alpha. But as every asset has only one price, doesn't it follow that the asset should have only one mispricing? It is argued here that it hardly makes sense for a single firm to begin the investment selection process with an approach that allows for the possibility of multiple mispricings for a given stock over a given horizon.
Graduate Entry and Adjustment to Corporate Life

Graduate adjustment to employment is focused on. How expectations are formed and behaviours rehearsed prior to entry, how expectations, illusions and promises are transacted through recruitment, and how first steps are taken into a new world of opportunities, obligations and relationships are analysed. The ways in which the transition might be used and casualties minimised at all stages are highlighted.
TURBULENT DISKS ARE NEVER STABLE: FRAGMENTATION AND TURBULENCE-PROMOTED PLANET FORMATION

A fundamental assumption in our understanding of disks is that when the Toomre Q ≫ 1, the disk is stable against fragmentation into self-gravitating objects (and so cannot form planets via direct collapse). But if disks are turbulent, this neglects a spectrum of stochastic density fluctuations that can produce rare, high-density mass concentrations. Here, we use a recently developed analytic framework to predict the statistics of these fluctuations, i.e., the rate of fragmentation and mass spectrum of fragments formed in a turbulent Keplerian disk. Turbulent disks are never completely stable: we calculate the (always finite) probability of forming self-gravitating structures via stochastic turbulent density fluctuations in such disks. Modest sub-sonic turbulence above Mach number can produce a few stochastic fragmentation or “direct collapse” events over ∼Myr timescales, even if Q ≫ 1 and cooling is slow (tcool ≫ torbit). In transsonic turbulence this extends to Q ∼ 100. We derive the true Q-criterion needed to suppress such events, which scales exponentially with Mach number. We specify to turbulence driven by magneto-rotational instability, convection, or spiral waves and derive equivalent criteria in terms of Q and the cooling time. Cooling times ≳ 50 tdyn may be required to completely suppress fragmentation. These gravo-turbulent events produce mass spectra peaked near ∼(Q Mdisk/M*)2 Mdisk (rocky-to-giant planet masses, increasing with distance from the star). We apply this to protoplanetary disk models and show that even minimum-mass solar nebulae could experience stochastic collapse events, provided a source of turbulence.
Reliability of Real‐time Ultrasound Imaging for the Assessment of Trunk Stabilizer Muscles: A Systematic Review of the Literature

Rehabilitative ultrasound (US) imaging is one of the popular methods for investigating muscle morphologic characteristics and dimensions in recent years. The reliability of this method has been investigated in different studies. As studies have been performed with different designs and quality, reported values of rehabilitative US have a wide range. The objective of this study was to systematically review the literature conducted on the reliability of rehabilitative US imaging for the assessment of deep abdominal and lumbar trunk muscle dimensions. The PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, Google Scholar, Science Direct, Embase, Physiotherapy Evidence, Ovid, and CINAHL databases were searched to identify original research articles conducted on the reliability of rehabilitative US imaging published from June 2007 to August 2017. The articles were qualitatively assessed; reliability data were extracted; and the methodological quality was evaluated by 2 independent reviewers. Of the 26 included studies, 16 were considered of high methodological quality. Except for 2 studies, all high‐quality studies reported intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) for intra‐rater reliability of 0.70 or greater. Also, ICCs reported for inter‐rater reliability in high‐quality studies were generally greater than 0.70. Among low‐quality studies, reported ICCs ranged from 0.26 to 0.99 and 0.68 to 0.97 for intra‐ and inter‐rater reliability, respectively. Also, the reported standard error of measurement and minimal detectable change for rehabilitative US were generally in an acceptable range. Generally, the results of the reviewed studies indicate that rehabilitative US imaging has good levels of both inter‐ and intra‐rater reliability.
Should the US increase subsidies to R&D? Lessons from an endogenous growth theory

In this article we devise an endogenous growth model with RD mainly, subsidies to research are the most welfare-increasing amongst the budget-neutral policies, and the optimal structure of subsidies entails substantially increasing the subsidy to R&D, maintaining a zero subsidy to production, and reducing the subsidy to education, so as to keep the intertemporal government budget balanced. A detailed sensitivity analysis shows the robustness of these results. Copyright 2014 Oxford University Press 2013 All rights reserved, Oxford University Press.
Relation between skin cancer and HLA antigens in renal-transplant recipients.

BACKGROUND Recipients of renal allografts are at an increased risk for skin cancer. It is also known that recipients who are homozygous for HLA antigens are at an increased risk for certain cancers, as are those who are mismatched with their donors for these antigens. In a case-control study we assessed the relation between skin cancer in renal-transplant recipients and HLA homozygosity and mismatching. METHODS Of 764 patients who received renal transplants between 1966 and 1988, 66 had squamous-cell carcinoma or basal-cell carcinoma of the skin after transplantation. HLA homozygosity was assessed in all 66 recipients, and HLA mismatching in 39; the results were compared with those in 124 recipients without skin cancer. We also investigated the relation between skin cancer and the use of immunosuppressive drugs. In separate case-control analyses we investigated the influence of exposure to the sun and keratotic skin lesions on the risk of skin cancer. RESULTS The risk of squamous-cell carcinoma was increased in recipients mismatched for HLA-B antigens; the relative risks were 2.6 (95 percent confidence interval, 1.1 to 6.5) and 5.0 (95 percent confidence interval, 1.3 to 19.0) with mismatching for one and two antigens, respectively, as compared with no mismatching. Mismatching for HLA-A or HLA-DR antigens had no effect on the risk of squamous-cell carcinoma, and there was no association between mismatches at any of the HLA loci and the occurrence of basal-cell carcinoma. The total doses of azathioprine and prednisone were not associated with the occurrence of skin cancer or with HLA matching. Exposure to sunlight and keratotic skin lesions were strongly associated with skin cancer but not with HLA mismatching. Homozygosity for HLA-DR was more frequent among the patients with squamous-cell carcinoma (relative risk, 2.5; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.95 to 4.6) and among patients with 100 or more keratotic skin lesions (relative risk, 4.8; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.5 to 15.1). CONCLUSIONS HLA-B mismatching is significantly associated with the risk of squamous-cell carcinoma in renal-transplant recipients, as is HLA-DR homozygosity. An indirect effect on the level of immunosuppression does not appear to explain these findings, nor does exposure to sunlight or the number of keratotic skin lesions account for this observation.
Profitability of the On-Balance Volume Indicator

In the literature, there is a lack of empirical studies documenting the profitability of volume-based technical indicators. This paper evaluates the profitability of the On-Balance Volume (OBV) trading rule. Our result shows that the OBV trading rule is increasingly profitable and rewards investors with notable returns in the stock markets of Greater China.
A VARMA Analysis of the Causal Relations among Stock Returns, Real Output, and Nominal Interest Rates

Previous research has documented a negative relation between common stock returns and inflation. Recently, Fama [3] and Geske and Roll [6] have argued that this relation results from a more fundamental one between real activity and expected inflation. Stock returns, they argue, signal changes in real activity, which in turn affect expected inflation. However, unlike Fama, Geske and Roll argue that changes in real activity result in changes in money supply growth, which in turn affect expected inflation. Empirical tests have analyzed separately each link in the proposed causal chain. In this article, we investigate simultaneously the relations among stock returns, real activity, inflation, and money supply changes using a vector autoregressive moving average (VARMA) model. Our empirical results strongly support Geske and Roll's reversed causality model. THERE HAVE BEEN MANY attempts to explain the negative relations observed between stock returns and expected inflation, changes in expected inflation, and unexpected inflation.1 These phenomena, documented by Fama and Schwert [5], are troublesome because they appear contrary both to Fisher's theory that nominal asset returns are positively--related to expected inflation, and to received wisdom that common stocks are hedges against expected as well as unexpected inflation. Fama [3] suggests an explanation for the observed negative relation between stock returns and inflation based on money demand theory. An increase in anticipated real activity leads, he argues, to an increase in the demand for real money balances. Given the level of nominal money, the increased demand for real money balances must be accommodated by a fall in the price level. Because stock returns are assumed to be positively related to expected future real activity, a negative relation between inflation and stock returns is induced. However, this negative relation is merely a proxy for the more fundamental relation between anticipated real activity and stock returns. Therefore, Fama argues that the observed relation between stock returns and inflation is spurious. As noted by Fama and others, this line of reasoning cannot explain completely the negative relation between stock returns and inflation. Fama finds that measures of unexpected inflation are significant determinants of monthly stock returns in regressions where anticipated real activity is included as an explanatory variable. In addition, the explanatory power of expected inflation is eliminated
Determinants and effects of income diversification amongst farm households in Burkina Faso

Using four years of household data from three agroecological zones in Burkina Faso ‐ Sahelian, Sudanian, and Guinean ‐ the article examines the determinants and effects of household income diversification. Harvest shortfalls and terms of trade are found to drive diversification, but land constraints do not. Income diversification is associated with higher incomes and food consumption, and more stable income and consumption over years.
Light-harvesting Complex II Binds to Several Small Subunits of Photosystem I*

Mobile light-harvesting complex II (LHCII) is implicated in the regulation of excitation energy distribution between Photosystem I (PSI) and Photosystem II (PSII) during state transitions. To investigate how LHCII interacts with PSI during state transitions, PSI was isolated from Arabidopsis thaliana plants treated with PSII or PSI light. The PSI preparations were made using digitonin. Chemical cross-linking using dithio-bis(succinimidylpropionate) followed by diagonal electrophoresis and immunoblotting showed that the docking site of LHCII (Lhcb1) on PSI is comprised of the PSI-H, -L, and -I subunits. This was confirmed by the lack of energy transfer from LHCII to PSI in the digitonin-PSI isolated from plants lacking PSI-H and -L. Digitonin-PSI was purified further to obtain an LHCII·PSI complex, and two to three times more LHCII was associated with PSI in the wild type in State 2 than in State 1. Lhcb1 was also associated with PSI from plants lacking PSI-K, but PSI from PSI-H, -L, or -O mutants contained only about 30% of Lhcb1 compared with the wild type. Surprisingly, a significant fraction of the LHCII bound to PSI in State 2 was not phosphorylated. Cross-linking prior to sucrose gradient purification resulted in copurification of phosphorylated LHCII in the wild type, but not with PSI from the PSI-H, -L, and -O mutants. The data suggest that migration of LHCII during state transitions cannot be explained sufficiently by different affinity of phosphorylated and unphosphorylated LHCII for PSI but is likely to involve structural changes in thylakoid organization.
Women in City Hall

This study examines gender dimensions of managerial values at the local level of government. We test for alternative explanations, in particular whether the organization and profession are socializing forces with similar or larger influence on managerial values. The data for this study come from Phase IV of the National Administrative Studies Project (NASP IV). The dataset includes the U.S. senior local government managers in communities with populations over 50,000. We expect the values of men and women managers to differ even when we account for professional and organizational forces. Preliminary findings support this hypothesis. Women not only differed from men on the values of equity, long-term outlook, sense of community, and representation, but also differed with respect to the values of efficiency, effectiveness, and expertise. We discuss these findings and their implications.
ADMISSIBLE PORTFOLIOS FOR ALL INDIVIDUALS

FOR THE PORTFOLIO SELECTION problem, Markowitz ([1 1], [ 13]) and Tobin ([27] [28]) proposed for risk-averse individuals the following mean-variance selection rule: From among a given set of investment alternatives (which includes the set of securities available in the market as well as all possible linear combinations of these basic securities), the admissible set of alternatives is obtained by discarding those investments with a lower mean and a higher variance than a member of the given set. Markowitz ([12], [13]) showed that the mean-variance rule is a computationally feasible rule and the mean-variance admissible set can be obtained using Markowitz's critical line algorithm that solves the underlying quadratic programming problem subject to linear constraints. Sharpe [24] showed, using an index model, that the computation of the admissible boundary can be further simplified and he provided an algorithm to obtain the admissible set that is efficient even when there are a large number of securities. It is well known (see, for example, Bawa [2] and references therein) that when the distribution of portfolio returns is normal, the mean-variance selection rule is the optimal selection rule in that the admissible set of portfolios for afl risk-averse individuals with increasing and concave utility functions is given by the meanvariance selection rule. We have also shown in [2] that for all risk-averse individuals with increasing, concave and decreasing absolute risk-averse utility functions, where absolute risk aversion is as defined by Arrow [1] and Pratt [16], the admissible set is still given by the mean-variance selection rule when the distributions of portfolio returns are normal. Samuelson [21] has shown that for all distributions, the mean-variance rule is a reasonable selection rule when the "riskiness" of returns is limited. Ross [19] has shown that the mean-variance rule is a reasonable selection rule when the number of securities (n) is large in that under certain conditions it is the asymptotically optimal selection rule as n-*oo. Thus, for risk-averse individuals, Markowitz-Tobin mean-variance selection rule may be viewed as a computationally feasible selection rule that is either optimal (when the distribution of portfolio returns are normal) or a reasonable approximation to the optimal selection rule under certain conditions. We are interested in obtaining the admissible set of portfolios for all individuals with utility functions monotonically increasing in wealth, including risk-averse, risk-neutral and risk-preferring individuals. Such an admissible set eliminates inferior alternatives for all individuals and may be used, for example, to identify the set of portfolios selected by all risk-preferring individuals. It may also be used to identify the set of portfolios selected by a group of individuals who are neither
Optimal Zoning Systems for Spatial Interaction Models

The design of zoning systems for spatial interaction models is a major problem which affects both the interpretation and acceptability of these models. This paper demonstrates that zoning-system effects on parameter values and model performance are nontrivial, and that their magnitude is far larger than was previously thought likely. An approach which is most appropriate in an applied context, where there is also the problem of poor model performance, is to identify a zoning system which will approximately optimise model performance. The paper gives details of how this may be achieved. This method is demonstrated by a series of empirical studies. Finally, there is a brief discussion of the general implications for spatial model building.
Liquidity, Business Cycles, and Monetary Policy

This paper presents a model of a monetary economy where there are differences in liquidity across assets. Money circulates because it is more liquid than other assets, not because it has any special function. The model is used to investigate how aggregate activity and asset prices fluctuate with shocks to productivity and liquidity and to examine what role government policy might have through open-market operations that change the mix of assets held by the private sector.
Determinants of schooling in Botswana: do family background and location matter?

Education is a key development goal that is critical in the fight against poverty through the creation of human capital. For this reason, the Botswana Government has prioritised the provision of free basic education to its citizens as part of the strategy to achieve the millennium development goals (MDGs). However, not all school going age children are in school despite the free basic education. This motivated the study to investigate the determinants of schooling in Botswana using the HIES 2002/2003 and LFS 2005/2006 datasets and the probit model. The probit regression results indicate that children's current schooling is positively and significantly influenced by the age of the children themselves; education level of the household head; having at least one of the parents alive; urban location; employment status of household head and household income.
Academic researchers as 'agents' of science policy

This paper focuses on the interests and strategies of the academic researcher as agent in the research and science policy system. It looks in particular at the UK context, and the structural and operational features that mitigate principal-agent tensions and allow academic ‘agents’ considerable freedom of action. It examines how academics themselves perceive their role, whether they exhibit classic agent behaviour and what they are observably doing. This latter includes some strategies to deal with problems (complementary to those besetting the principal) inherent to the situation of agent. Possible implications are discussed for the conduct of research and the sustainability of the system. Copyright , Beech Tree Publishing.
The use of molecular methods in infectious diseases.

IN recent years a large number of articles have appeared in clinical journals describing contemporary molecular methods and their applications in clinical medicine. This review addresses four applications of molecular techniques in infectious diseases: they can be used to demonstrate relatedness between strains for epidemiologic investigations, to shed light on the pathogenesis or virulence of a strain, to facilitate the clinical diagnosis, and to identify the agents of syndromes whose causes are unknown. Molecular Epidemiology To find the cause of an infectious-disease outbreak, epidemiologists need to determine early on whether a single strain (or type) of microorganism is responsible for .
Evaluation of the serum zinc level in patients with vitiligo

Introduction Vitiligo is an acquired, idiopathic disorder characterized by circumscribed depigmented macules and patches, which affects approximately 0.1–2% of the general population worldwide. Zinc is an essential trace element that is necessary for growth and development at all stages of life. Some studies have reported an association between serum zinc levels and vitiligo. Aim To measure the serum zinc level in patients with vitiligo compared to healthy subjects. Material and methods One hundred patients with vitiligo and 100 healthy controls were referred to our clinic. The two groups were matched for age and sex. Atomic absorption spectrophotometry was used to measure serum zinc levels. The statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software. Results The mean serum level of zinc in vitiligo patients and controls was 80.11 ±17.10 μg/dl and 96.10 ±16.16 μg/dl, respectively. The serum zinc level in patients with vitiligo was significantly lower than in healthy controls (p = 0.0001). Conclusions The results of our study revealed a significant association between vitiligo and serum zinc levels. A relative decrease in the serum zinc level in vitiligo patients can highlight the role of zinc in the pathogenesis of vitiligo, and large-scale studies need to be conducted to confirm these findings and assess the effect of oral zinc supplements in patients with low zinc levels.
Adaptive Sampling Probabilities for Non-Smooth Optimization

Standard forms of coordinate and stochastic gradient methods do not adapt to structure in data; their good behavior under random sampling is predicated on uniformity in data. When gradients in certain blocks of features (for coordinate descent) or examples (for SGD) are larger than others, there is a natural structure that can be exploited for quicker convergence. Yet adaptive variants often suffer nontrivial computational overhead. We present a framework that discovers and leverages such structural properties at a low computational cost. We employ a bandit optimization procedure that "learns" probabilities for sampling coordinates or examples in (non-smooth) optimization problems, allowing us to guarantee performance close to that of the optimal stationary sampling distribution. When such structures exist, our algorithms achieve tighter convergence guarantees than their non-adaptive counterparts, and we complement our analysis with experiments on several datasets.