Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Foreign Investment in Developing Countries: Does it Crowd in Domestic Investment?

This paper assesses the extent to which foreign direct investment (FDI) in developing countries crowds in or crowds out domestic investment. The core of the paper is the development of a theoretical model for investment that includes a FDI variable and its estimation and testing with panel data for the period 1971–2000 and the three decades involved. The model is run for 12 countries in each of three developing regions (Africa, Asia and Latin America). The results indicate that, in all three developing regions, FDI has, at best, left domestic investment unchanged, and that there are several sub-periods for specific regions where FDI displaces domestic investment. In particular, there seems to be crowding out of domestic investment by FDI in Latin America. If these results are in fact correct, they suggests the need for policies to make FDI more effective in enhancing domestic investment in developing countries. The conclusion is that the effects of FDI on domestic investment are by no means always favourable, that simplistic policies towards FDI are unlikely to be optimal and, foremost, that more attention needs to be paid to economic policies that foster the domestic component of total investment.
The Effect of Price Dispersion on hOtel Performance

Previous studies have concentrated on comparing price dispersion and price level between offline and online channels. The primary objectives of this study are to (a) investigate the relationships between offline price dispersion and a company's performance, (b) examine the relationships between online price dispersion and a company's performance and (c) investigate the effect of price dispersion between offline and online channels on a company's performance. The findings show that a decrease in online price dispersion has a positive impact on a hotel performance. Therefore, to enhance hotel performance, hotel marketers should manage pricing strategies for multiple online channels; in addition, hotel companies should pursue rate parity policies across different online channels. Conversely, the results show a positive relationship between offline price dispersion and hotel performance. It is suggested that customization and bundling strategies for offline channels enhance the overall profitability of hotels. The findings advance knowledge of consumers' purchasing behaviour and sellers' pricing strategies.
An Estimation of Tax Evasion in Iran

The aim of this research is to estimate the size of tax evasion between 1971 and 2007 in Iran. Among the present direct and indirect approaches, the indirect approach presented by Tanzi based on currency demand, is used to estimate the size of the underground economy, then taking the effective tax rate into consideration, the amount of the underground economy taxes. Our results show that the size of the underground economy is increasing in a long-term trend and also the ratio of the underground economy to gross domestic product has increased during the period under consideration. Our findings also indicate that tax evasion has markedly increased during the period. Therefore, policies to alleviate the tax evasion in the country should be implemented by policy makers.
Common Stock Offerings and Earnings Expectations: A Test of the Release of Unfavorable Information

This paper examines the revisions of analysts' forecasts of future earnings around announcements of common stock offerings. The forecasts of the correct year earnings are, on average, decreased when firms announce plans to issue additional common stock. The size of the decrease is significantly related to announcement period abnormal stock returns. In contrast, forecasts of the five-year growth rate of earnings are, on average, unchanged. The authors interpret these results as being consistent with the claim that equity offering announcements convey unfavorable information regarding the firm's short-term, but not its long-term, earnings prospects. Copyright 1992 by American Finance Association.
A Climate Change Course for Undergraduate Students

Abstract For the past 10 years, a climate change course has been offered in a large Midwest university. This course has been focusing on improving college students' scientific knowledge of climate change and human interactions using historical evidence as well as improving their information literacy in science through a course project that requires students to prepare a group presentation and a paper about an example of historical evidence of climate change and human interactions. This study evaluates the course's impact on students' learning of climate change and human interaction and improvement of information literacy in science based on students' responses to several questionnaires and interview data collected through the academic year of 2009. Results show that even if individual students had a different level of background knowledge of climate change and human interactions before the course, their content knowledge improved through the course. The students agreed that the course positively affected their information literacy in science (climate change) and interest. However, they neither disagreed nor agreed that they learned science knowledge relevant to their everyday lives and current socioeconomic issues related to climate change. They also thought that their environmental behavior did not change much as a result of the course.
Cryostat Slice Irregularities May Introduce Bias in Tissue Thickness Estimation: Relevance for Cell Counting Methods

Abstract Stereological techniques using the optical disectors require estimation of final section thickness, but frozen tissue irregularities may interfere with this estimation. Cryostat slices from rodent nerve tissues (dorsal root ganglia, spinal cord, and brain), cut at 16, 40, and 50 μm, were digitized with a confocal microscope and visualized through 3D software. Geometric section thickness of tissue (T geom) was defined as tissue volume/area. Maximal section thicknesses (T max), from the top to the bottom of the section, were measured in a random sample of vertical ZX planes. Irregularities were mostly related to blood vessels traversing the tissue and neuronal somas protruding over the cut surfaces, with other neuron profiles showing a fragmented appearance. Irregularities contributed to increasing the distance between the tops and bottoms of slices sectioned in different laboratories. Significant differences were found between T max and T geom for all thickness studies and counting frames (p<0.01). The T geom/T max average rate was 68.4–85.7% in volumes around cell profiles (∼600–1,200 μm2) and 83.3–91.8% in subcellular samples (∼25–160 μm2). Confocal microscopy may help to assess tissue irregularities, which might lead to an overestimation of tissue volume if section thickness is estimated by focusing on the top and bottom of the sections.
Measuring Polycentricity and its Promises

Even a decade after the concept of polycentric development became popular and increasingly widespread in Europe as a normative policy stance allegedly leading to cohesion and competitiveness, its empirical basis is still rather weak. This is partly due to a lack of conceptual clearness, which makes its measurement difficult. This research briefing synthesises the results of two recent ESPON projects that aim to create a quantitative measurement of the extent of polycentricity of national urban systems, as well as the links they find between polycentricity and economic and social objectives. Both approaches have their limits and have been, and can be criticized from various perspectives. Some suggestions on how to proceed with this research agenda are presented.
Electoral Systems and Public Spending

We study the effects of electoral institutions on the size and composition of public expenditure in OECD and Latin American countries. We emphasize the distinction between purchases of goods and services, which are easier to target geographically, and transfers, which are easier to target across social groups. We present a theoretical model in which voters anticipating government policymaking under different electoral systems have an incentive to elect representatives more prone to transfer (public good) spending in proportional (majoritarian) systems. The model also predicts higher total primary spending in proportional (majoritarian) systems when the share of transfer spending is high (low). After defining rigorous measures of proportionality to be used in the empirical investigation, we find considerable support for our predictions.
Issues in “Ahuja” frequency compensation technique

This paper provides accurate analysis for the so-called “Ahuja” frequency compensation technique explaining why it performs poorly in certain cases. Analyses for two circuit variations are provided. From the understanding gained of the analyses, ways to improve the performance are looked into and finally the improvements claimed are verified by calculations and simulation results.
Evolutionary conservation of genes coding for meta pathway enzymes within TOL plasmids pWW0 and pWW53

Pseudomonas putida MT53 contains a TOL plasmid, pWW53, that encodes toluene-xylene catabolism. pWW53 is nonconjugative, is about 105 to 110 kilobase pairs (kbp) in size, and differs significantly in its restriction endonuclease digestion pattern and incompatibility group from the archetypal TOL plasmid pWW0. An RP4::pWW53 cointegrate plasmid, pWW53-4, containing about 35 kbp of pWW53 DNA, including the entire catabolic pathway genes, was formed, and a restriction map for KpnI, HindIII, and BamHI was derived. The entire regulated meta pathway genes for the catabolism of m-toluate were cloned into pKT230 from pWW53 on a 17.5-kbp HindIII fragment. The recombinant plasmid supported growth on m-toluate when mobilized into plasmid-free P. putida PaW130. A restriction map of the insert for 10 restriction enzymes was derived, and the locations of xylD, xylL, xylE, xylG, and xylF were determined by subcloning and assaying for their gene products in both Escherichia coli and P. putida hosts. Good induction of the enzymes by m-toluate and m-methylbenzyl alcohol but not by m-xylene was measured in P. putida, but little or no regulation was found in E. coli. The restriction map and the gene order showed strong similarities with published maps of the DNA encoding both the entire meta pathway operon (xylDLEGFJIH) and the regulatory genes xylS and xylR on the archetype TOL plasmid pWW0, suggesting a high degree of conservation in DNA structure for the catabolic operon on the two different plasmids.
Regulation, Productivity and Growth

In this paper, we relate the scope and depth of regulatory reforms to growth outcomes in OECD countries. By means of a new set of quantitative indicators of regulation, we show that the cross-country variation of regulatory settings has increased in recent years, despite extensive liberalisation and privatisation in the OECD area. We then look at the regulation-growth linkage using data that cover a large set of manufacturing and service industries over the past two decades. We focus on multifactor productivity (MFP), which plays a crucial role in GDP growth and accounts for a significant share of its cross-country variance. We find evidence that reforms promoting private governance and competition (where these are viable) tend to boost productivity. Both privatisation and entry liberalisation are estimated to have a positive impact on productivity. In manufacturing the gains are greater the further a given country is from the technology leader, suggesting that regulation limiting .
Informed Options Trading Prior to Takeovers – Does the Regulatory Environment Matter?

We investigate the prevalence of informed options trading prior to takeover announcements, when the legal prohibition against insider trading is strictest. Although insider trading laws apply equally to the options and stock markets, the options market is considerably more transparent than the equity market, which makes insider trading in options more easily detectable. We find that privately informed investors trade in the options market prior to takeover announcements; however, their transactions are limited to liquid call options and options with high inherent leverage. Furthermore, we find that prior to takeover announcements, informed investors trade on their private information in the options market only when a SEC investigation of insider trading is unlikely to occur. Our results suggest that even prior to takeover announcements informed investors are attracted to the options market, which increases profit making potential due the greater leverage it affords, although they trade in a way which minimizes the likelihood of detection.
SSX Cancer Testis Antigens are Expressed in Most Multiple Myeloma Patients: Co-Expression of SSX1, 2, 4, and 5 Correlates With Adverse Prognosis and High Frequencies of SSX-Positive PCs

Cancer testis antigens (CTAs) are tumor-specific antigens that may be useful targets for cancer vaccines. Here, CTA expression was examined in multiple myeloma (MM), a B-cell cancer characterized by malignant plasma cells (PCs) in the bone marrow (BM), and monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS), a condition that can progress to MM. We screened a panel of patient BMs at different stages of malignancy for CTA expression by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction RT-PCR. Here, SSX (synovial sarcoma, X chromosome) emerged as a promising candidate for an MM vaccine, having a profile similar to currently studied CTA, NY-ESO-1, and MAGE. SSX1, 2, 4, and 5 expression was studied further in 114 MM (total SSX, 61% of patients; SSX1, 42%; SSX2, 23%; SSX4, 38%; SSX5, 35%), 45 MGUS (total SSX, 24% of patients; SSX1, 9%; SSX4, 20%), and 12 control (0/12, 0%) subjects. Several expression patterns were observed, the most predominant being co-expression of SSX1, 2, 4, and 5 (called group A expression, in 20% of MM), which correlated with reduced survival (P = 0.0006). Of the four genes, SSX2 had the strongest association with reduced survival (P = 0.0001). SSX protein expression ranged from 13.5% of PCs in an SSX1/SSX4 co-expressor to as high as 88% of PCs in group A expressor, exceeding reported frequencies of NY-ESO-1 and MAGE in MM. In single PCs from group A patients, we detected variable degrees of SSX co-expression, emphasizing the heterogeneity of CTA expression within tumor cell populations. These results demonstrate that SSX is a frequently expressed CTA in MM and highlight its potential as an MM vaccine candidate.
Reliability of the Washington University in St. Louis Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (WASH-U-KSADS) mania and rapid cycling sections.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the reliability of the Washington University in St. Louis Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (WASH-U-KSADS) mania and rapid cycling sections. METHOD The 1986 version of the KSADS was modified and expanded to include onset and offset of each symptom for both current and lifetime episodes, expanded prepubertal mania and rapid cycling sections, and categories for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and other DSM-IV diagnoses. To optimize diagnostic research, skip-outs were minimized. Subjects participated in the ongoing "Phenomenology and Course of Pediatric Bipolar Disorder" study. Mothers and children were interviewed separately by research nurses who were blind to diagnostic group status. In addition, ratings of off-site child psychiatrists, made from the narrative documentation given for each WASH-U-KSADS item, were compared with research nurse ratings. This work was performed between 1995 and 2000. RESULTS There was 100% interrater reliability, five consecutive times, as both interviewer and observer after 10 to 15 trials. The kappa values of comparisons between research nurse and off-site blind best-estimate ratings of mania and rapid cycling sections were excellent (0.74-1.00). High 6-month stability for mania diagnoses (85.7%) and for individual mania items and validity against parental and teacher reports were previously reported. CONCLUSIONS The WASH-U-KSADS mania and rapid cycling sections have acceptable reliability.
Is Information Risk Priced? Evidence from the Price Discovery of Large Trades

We develop an information risk measure that is based on the price discovery of large trades. This is motivated by the observation that informed traders prefer to trade in large size, hence the price discovery of large trades would yield a more precise measure of the information risk than would price discovery of small trades. As the price series of large trades and small trades are co‐integrated, the price discovery of trades can be easily estimated via the vector error‐correction model (VECM). Intuitively, we use VECM to study how a temporary gap between the large trade price and small trade price of the same stock is going to be closed. If closing the gap is mostly done through small trade price with little movement in large trade price, then it means that large trade price has been closer to the long‐run equilibrium price, hence that it has a greater price discovery function for this particular stock. Using this new measure, we show that not only is the information risk priced, but its price impact subsumes those of both PIN and Amihud’s (2002) ILLIQ. These results demonstrate the effectiveness of our information risk measure, and suggest that the liquidity effect captured by ILLIQ has its origin in the information asymmetry.
PARAMETRIC OPTIMIZATION FOR AN X-RAY FREE ELECTRON LASER WITH A LASER WIGGLER

In this paper we optimize the experimental parameters to operate a Free Electron Laser with a laser wiggler in the Angstrom region. We show that the quantum regime of the Self Amplified Spontaneous Emission (Quantum SASE) may be reached with realistic parameters. The classical SASE regime is also discussed and compared with the quantum regime.
Bronchiectasis: Still a problem

The prevalence of bronchiectasis (BR) has decreased significantly in industrialized countries, but is still commonplace in developing countries. We evaluated the causes and clinical features of BR in 23 children (13 boys (57%) and 10 girls (43%), with a mean age of 8.45 ± 4.02 years).
High-speed rail transport valuation and conjecture shocks

In this paper, we derive the optimal investment policy in a high-speed rail transport (HSR) project. We assume that the source of uncertainty comes from the annual demand, and that it follows a geometric Brownian motion with jumps of random magnitude, occurring in random times, according to a Poisson process. We assess the impact of these shocks on the demand threshold, along with the investment opportunity value and option to differ. We consider several distributions for these jumps, and we compare with the no-jumps case. Numerical results are presented, showing the importance of assumptions about the underlying stochastic process.
Are the Insider Trades of a Large Institutional Investor Informed?

We use a unique data set to consider whether a large institution's (Fidelity funds) insider trades are informed. Theoretical studies of large informed traders suggest that their information advantage could be greater for buy trades than sell trades, be short- or long-lived, and be exploited by varying the pace of trade execution. Although there is evidence of each of these, Fidelity seems to be informed only for quickly executed buy trades. Other trades outperform a stock market index but not a four-factor return model. This performance profile is consistent with Fidelity's fees, which depend on performance compared to an index.
Sorry, Wrong Number: The Use and Misuse of Numerical Facts in Analysis and Media Reporting of Energy Issues*

▪ Abstract Students of public policy sometimes envision an idealized policy process where competent data collection and incisive analysis on both sides of a debate lead to reasoned judgments and sound decisions. Unfortunately, numbers that prove decisive in policy debates are not always carefully developed, credibly documented, or correct. This paper presents four widely cited examples of numbers in the energy field that are either misleading or wrong. It explores the origins of these numbers, how they missed the mark, and how they have been misused by both analysts and the media. In addition, it describes and uses a three-stage analytical process for evaluating such statistics that involves defining terms and boundaries, assessing underlying data, and critically analyzing arguments.
Big laws, small catches: global ocean governance and the fisheries crisis

The world's fisheries are perceived to be in crisis, leading to livelihood and nutritional insecurity in fishery-dependent areas of developing countries. This paper reviews institutional responses to this crisis. Within the last decade, there has been a shift from emphasis on 'hard laws' regulating fisheries in sovereign-states' territorial waters, towards governance through 'soft' global voluntary codes of conduct, market incentives and partnerships between fisherfolk and governments. The new governance regime inherits daunting problems and will require sustained international political commitment to succeed. Given this political will, new enabling institutions and the ecological resilience of many marine species could restore and sustain the fisheries. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Early stage and locally advanced (non-metastatic) non-small-cell lung cancer: ESMO Clinical Practice Guidelines for diagnosis, treatment and follow-up.

Lung cancer represents the leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide, accounting for ∼1.2 million deaths each year. Improving survival in lung cancer is a major challenge for modern oncology considering that 5-year survival remains <15%, across all stages of disease and with <7% of patients alive 10 years after diagnosis. Because of the difficulties in significantly improving survival in locally advanced and metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), diagnosis and treatment of early stages theoretically represent the most consistent possibility of modifying the outcome of NSCLC in terms of disease-free and overall survival.
Ethnic diversity and social capital in Europe: Tests of Putnam's thesis in European countries

This article focuses on the core theory recently proposed by Putnam on the relationship between ethnic diversity and dimensions of social capital. Hypotheses are derived from this theory, but also from other theories that propose competing hypotheses on relationships between national characteristics and dimensions of social capital. Essentially, the authors propose more rigorous empirical tests of Putnam’s hypotheses by including these competing hypotheses: tests of these hypotheses provide possibilities to evaluate Putnam’s and these other theories in terms of general (i.e. cross-national) tenability for the European continent. The general question is: To what extent do national-level characteristics like ethnic diversity, next to other national characteristics, actually affect dimensions of social capital of individual citizens in European countries? The authors set out to answer this question by testing hypotheses on cross-national data from 28 European countries. These data contain valid measurements of a number of dimensions of social capital. The individual-level data are enriched with contextual- (i.e. national-) level characteristics to be included in more advanced multilevel analyses. The main finding is that Putnam’s hypothesis on ethnic diversity must be refuted in European societies. Instead, it is found that economic inequality and the national history of continuous democracy in European societies turn out to be more important for explaining cross-national differences in social capital in Europe.