Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The European Union as a conflicted trade power

Abstract The EU is a formidable power in trade. Structurally, the sheer size of its market and its more than forty-year experience of negotiating international trade agreements have made it the most powerful trading bloc in the world. Much more problematically, the EU is also becoming a power through trade. Increasingly, it uses market access as a bargaining chip to obtain changes in the domestic arena of its trading partners, from labour standards to development policies, and in the international arena, from global governance to foreign policy. Is the EU up to its ambitions? This article examines the underpinnings of the EU's power through trade across issue-areas and across settings (bilateral, inter-regional, global). It then analyses the major dilemmas associated with the exercise of trade power and argues that strategies of accommodation will need to be refined in each of these realms if the EU is to successfully transform its structural power into effective, and therefore legitimate, influence.
How little does non-exact recovery help in group testing?

We consider the group testing problem, in which one seeks to identify a subset of defective items within a larger set of items based on a number of tests. We characterize the information-theoretic performance limits in the presence of list decoding, in which the decoder may output a list containing more elements than the number of defectives, and the only requirement is that the true defective set is a subset of the list, or more generally, that their overlap exceeds a given threshold. We show that even under this highly relaxed criterion, in several scaling regimes the asymptotic number of tests is no smaller than the exact recovery setting. However, we also provide examples where a reduction is provably attained. We support our theoretical findings with numerical experiments.
In Vivo and In Vitro Antimalarial Activity of 4‐Nerolidylcatechol

4‐Nerolidylcatechol (4‐NC) isolated from Piper peltatum L. (Piperaceae) was evaluated for in vitro antiplasmodial activity against Plasmodium falciparum (cultures of both standard CQR (K1) and CQS (3D7) strains and two Amazonian field isolates) and for in vivo antimalarial activity using the Plasmodium berghei‐murine model. 4‐NC exhibits significant in vitro and moderate in vivo antiplasmodial activity. 4‐NC administered orally and subcutaneously at doses of 200, 400 and 600 mg/kg/day suppressed the growth of P. berghei by up to 63% after four daily treatments (days 1–4). Also, 4‐NC exhibited important in vitro antiplasmodial activity against both standard and field P. falciparum strains in which 50% inhibition of parasite growth (IC50) was produced at concentrations of 0.05–2.11 μg/mL and depended upon the parasite strain. Interestingly, healthy (non‐infected) mice that received 4‐NC orally presented (denatured) blood plasma which exhibited significant in vitro activity against P. falciparum. This is evidence that mouse metabolism allows 4‐NC or active metabolites to enter the blood. Further chemical and pharmacological studies are necessary to confirm the potential of 4‐NC as a new antimalarial prototype. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Methodological issues in comparing injury incidence across countries

The primary objective was to describe the methodological challenges and devise solutions to compare injury incidence across countries. The research design was a mixed methods study, consisting of a consultation with an expert group and comparison of injury surveillance systems and data from ten European countries. A subset of fractures, selected radiologically verifiable fractures and a method of checking the national representativeness of sample emergency department data were devised and are proposed for further development.These methodological considerations and developments will be further refined and tested and should prove useful tools for those who need to compare injury incidence data across countries.
Determination of a quantitative relationship between hepatic CYP3A5*1/*3 and CYP3A4 expression for use in the prediction of metabolic clearance in virtual populations

The creation of virtual populations allows the estimation of pharmacokinetic parameters, such as metabolic clearance in extreme individuals rather than the ‘average human’. Prediction of variability in metabolic clearance within genetically diverse populations relies on understanding the covariation in the expression of enzymes. A number of statistically significant positive correlations have been observed in the hepatic expression of cytochrome P450 drug metabolising enzymes. However, these rarely provided a quantitative description of the relationships which is required in creating virtual populations. Collation of data from 40 human liver microsomal samples in the current study indicated a significant positive relationship between hepatic microsomal CYP3A5*1/*3 and CYP3A4 content. Having developed a model describing the relationship between hepatic CYP3A4 and CYP3A5*1/*3, the Simcyp Population‐based Simulator® was used to investigate the consequences of either incorporating or ignoring the relationship between the two enzymes on estimates of drug clearance. Simulations indicated that for a compound with greater metabolism by CYP3A5 than CYP3A4, such as tacrolimus, incorporation of the correlation between CYP3A4 and CYP3A5 does have an impact on the prediction of oral clearance. Failure to consider the relationship between CYP3A4 and CYP3A5 when creating the virtual population led to a 32% lower estimate of oral clearance in individuals possessing both the CYP3A5*1/*3 genotype and high basal concentrations of CYP3A4. Potential clinical implications may include an inadequate dose estimation during clinical study design, the consequences of which may include organ rejection in transplant recipients using immunosuppressants such as tacrolimus or toxicity due to elevated concentrations of circulating metabolites. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Prevalence of 3-rooted primary mandibular second molars among chinese patients.

PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of 3-rooted primary mandibular second molar teeth in Chinese patients via vertical bitewing radiography. METHODS Vertical bitewing radiographs of 227 patients previously obtained from the Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung City, Taiwan, from June 2004 to July 2007 were retrospectively screened and examined. Images of 185 patients (92 boys and 93 girls; mean age=5.6 [range=2.5-11.9] years old) with bilateral primary mandibular second molars were studied. The gender, symmetry, and frequencies of occurrence of 3-rooted primary mandibular second molars were compared. RESULTS Eighteen (9%) 3-rooted primary mandibular second molars were found in the 185 patients, with a bilateral incidence of a symmetrical distribution of 28% (5/18). The prevalence of 3-rooted primary second molars did not differ significantly between the mandible's right and left sides (P<.41), or with gender (P<.31). CONCLUSIONS The data presented here indicate that approximately one tenth of Chinese individuals have a 3-rooted primary mandibular second molar and that this condition is bilaterally symmetric in approximately one third of such individuals in a Taiwan hospital.
Effects of Database Choice on International Accounting Research

Data availability is one of the traditional obstacles confronting researchers carrying out international empirical studies in accounting. In recent years several databases have claimed to offer comprehensive coverage of accounting and financial data of firms worldwide. We analyse whether the choice of database has an effect on the results of empirical studies. We find that the results of a simple empirical adaptation of the Ohlson (1995) model for fourteen member states of the European Union change significantly depending on the database chosen (Datastream, Global Vantage, Company Analysis, Worldscope, Thomson Financial, Financials and BvD Osiris). These differences are mainly attributable to differences in the samples across databases. When we match observations across all databases the differences persist but are much less pronounced. Our main conclusion is that database choice matters, as it leads to different results when the same research design is used.
The Impact of Direct Democracy on Public Education: Evidence for Swiss Students in Reading, Mathematics and Natural Science

Empirical analyses for the US suggest that stronger people’s control over the school budget is deleterious to student performance. Using Swiss data on ninth graders in mathematics, reading and natural science collected jointly with the PISA study 2000, this paper tests this hypothesis for Switzerland, exploiting inter-cantonal variation in political institutions. For both student performance in reading and mathematics, stronger popular rights appear to lower educational achievement through the school budget channel. In particular, the qualification of teachers is identified as most influential determinant of student achievement, which is shown to be linked to educational spending.
Evaluation of robustness of maximum likelihood cone-beam CT reconstruction with total variation regularization

The objective of this paper is to evaluate an iterative maximum likelihood (ML) cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) reconstruction with total variation (TV) regularization with respect to the robustness of the algorithm due to data inconsistencies. Three different and (for clinical application) typical classes of errors are considered for simulated phantom and measured projection data: quantum noise, defect detector pixels and projection matrix errors. To quantify those errors we apply error measures like mean square error, signal-to-noise ratio, contrast-to-noise ratio and streak indicator. These measures are derived from linear signal theory and generalized and applied for nonlinear signal reconstruction. For quality check, we focus on resolution and CT-number linearity based on a Catphan phantom. All comparisons are made versus the clinical standard, the filtered backprojection algorithm (FBP). In our results, we confirm and substantially extend previous results on iterative reconstruction such as massive undersampling of the number of projections. Errors of projection matrix parameters of up to 1° projection angle deviations are still in the tolerance level. Single defect pixels exhibit ring artifacts for each method. However using defect pixel compensation, allows up to 40% of defect pixels for passing the standard clinical quality check. Further, the iterative algorithm is extraordinarily robust in the low photon regime (down to 0.05 mAs) when compared to FPB, allowing for extremely low-dose image acquisitions, a substantial issue when considering daily CBCT imaging for position correction in radiotherapy. We conclude that the ML method studied herein is robust under clinical quality assurance conditions. Consequently, low-dose regime imaging, especially for daily patient localization in radiation therapy is possible without change of the current hardware of the imaging system.
Sell in May and Go Away: Still Good Advice for Investors?

This study examines whether the “Sell in May and Go Away” (or Halloween) trading strategy still offers an opportunity to earn abnormal returns. In contrast to prior studies, we consider sample periods during which adequate investment instruments were available for an effective implementation of the Halloween strategy. In addition, we account for when the first study confirming the Halloween effect was published in a top academic journal. To use the limited data in the most efficient way, and to avoid possible data-snooping biases, we implement a bootstrap simulation approach. We find that the Halloween effect strongly weakened or even disappeared in recent years. Our results are robust across different markets and against various parameter variations. Overall, our findings support the theory of efficient capital markets.
Inventory Management of Platelets in Hospitals: Optimal Inventory Policy for Perishable Products with Regular and Optional Expedited Replenishments

Platelets are short-life blood components used in hospital blood transfusion centers. Excluding time for transportation, testing, and arrangement, clinically transfusable platelets have a mere three-day life span. This paper analyzes a periodic review inventory system for such a perishable product under two replenishment modes. Regular orders are placed at the beginning of a cycle. Within the cycle, the manager has an option of placing an additional order, referred to as an expedited order, characterized by an order-up-to level policy. For this platelet inventory problem, we prove the existence and uniqueness of an optimal policy that minimizes the expected cost. We then derive the necessary and sufficient conditions for the policy, based on which an algorithm is developed. Using real-life data, we provide a numerical illustration and a sensitivity analysis followed by extensive simulation experiments to examine the dynamics of platelet inventory management. It is shown that the optimal cost is significantly affected by demand uncertainty, lead times, seasonality, and vintage of expedited orders. Given a hospital's demand profile and the cost parameters, we are able to determine whether the hospital should order daily or every other day (i.e., adopting a combined use of regular and optional expedited orders). We also show that the analytical solution is a good approximation of the optimal policy obtained from simulation experiments, where more realistic features are incorporated. This inventory research problem can be classified as a fixed-lifetime perishable problem with dual modes of replenishments.
Privatization, Regulation and Industrial Relations

The article examines the consequences of privatization for the industrial relations of former public corporations. Three effects of privatization are explored: the ending of direct political control, the creation of a regulatory framework for the major utilities, and the replacing of a ‘political’ orientation by a ‘shareholder’ orientation in privatized companies. It is argued that each may have significant consequences for management strategies and industrial relations, although these may not be what either protagonists or opponents of privatization have anticipated.
An Empirical Analysis of Working-Hours Constraints in Twenty-one Countries

The aim of this paper is to analyze working-hour constraints in an international setting. We use data from the latest Work Orientations data set of the International Social Survey Program (ISSP). The survey was conducted in 1997 and, in this paper, data for twenty-one countries are used. Our main results are: (1) In most countries the majority of workers do not face hours constraints; (2) Of the workers that are constrained, the largest portion is underemployed. Only in Denmark, Norway, and Switzerland is this not the case; (3) Workers in the five Eastern European countries considered here are among the most constrained; (4) A comparison with the 1989 ISSP data set reveals that hours constraints have increased in Israel, the United States, and West Germany and decreased in Great Britain and Norway in the 1990s; (5) GDP per capita and unemployment levels are correlated with hours constraints; (6) A multivariate analysis shows that certain socio-demographic characteristics and work conditions influence hours constraints and that these factors differ across countries.
Audit of the use of benzathine penicillin, post-treatment syphilis serology and partner notification of patients with early infectious syphilis

Recent increases in the incidence of early infectious syphilis have been particularly noted in men who have sex with men (MSM). Case-notes of 40 consecutive patients with infectious syphilis and follow-up data for one year were audited. Of the 40 patients, six were HIV co-infected. In all, 31 men received benzathine penicillin as first line while the remaining had other treatments. About 17 (42.5%) failed to attend for any post-treatment serological tests. Of the remainder, 17 (42.5%) attended for the first appointment and only 13 (32.5%) attended for the full one year follow-up. In all, 40 men in the study had 362 sexual contacts of which only 44 (12.2%) elected to be screened. This study illustrates the successful use of benzathine penicillin as first-line treatment, lack of patient compliance with post-treatment serological follow-up and difficulty with partner notification.
Decomposing the U.S. External Returns Differential

We decompose the returns differential between U.S. portfolio claims and liabilities into the composition, return, and timing effects. Our most striking and robust finding is that foreigners exhibit poor timing when reallocating between bonds and equities within their U.S. portfolios. The poor timing of foreign investors--caused primarily by deliberate trading, not a lack of portfolio rebalancing--contributes positively to the U.S. external returns differential. We find no evidence that the poor timing is driven by mechanical reserve accumulation by emerging market countries; rather, it is driven almost entirely by the poor timing of rich, developed (mainly European) countries. Finally, while poor foreign timing appears to be persistent across subsamples, other terms in our decomposition (the composition and return effects and U.S. timing abroad), as well as the overall differential, are sometimes negative, sometimes positive, and usually indistinguishable from zero.
Long-term risk of false-positive screening results and subsequent biopsy as a function of mammography use.

PURPOSE To retrospectively determine the long-term risk of false-positive mammographic assessments and to evaluate the effect of screening regularity on the risk of false-positive events. MATERIALS AND METHODS Institutional review board approval was obtained, and informed consent was waived. Retrospective analysis was performed for the occurrence of false-positive assessments among 83,511 women who underwent 314,185 mammographic examinations from January 1, 1985, to February 19, 2002. Data were collected from a database that had been assembled prospectively. Two categories of false-positive events were examined: biopsies that did not reveal cancer and false-positive mammographic assessments. Rates of false-positive events were compared by using a chi2 analysis, and 95% confidence limits were calculated. Because comparisons of multiple pairs were considered, all P values that demonstrated statistical significance exceeded the requirement of the Bonferroni correction. RESULTS While the overall rates of biopsies that did not reveal cancer and of false-positive mammographic assessments were similar to those found in other studies, most of the burden of false-positive events was borne by women who underwent intermittent screening. Long-term rates of false-positive events were lower among women who underwent regular screening than among those who underwent intermittent screening. In the 5-year group, 2.9% of women who underwent five mammographic examinations over the next 5 years had biopsy results that did not reveal cancer, whereas 4.6% of women who underwent three mammographic examinations over the next 5 years had biopsy results that did not reveal cancer. For women who underwent regular screening, the risk of undergoing biopsies that did not reveal cancer declined over time to 0.25% per year after several years of screening, a value that is lower than the risk of these events among women who did not undergo screening. The rate of false-positive mammographic assessments was also lower for women who underwent regular screening than for those who underwent intermittent screening. CONCLUSION Prompt annual attendance for mammographic screening reduces the occurrence of false-positive mammographic results.
Prices, Expectations and the Changing Housing Market: a Commentary and Discussion

Abstract The last decade of housing price fluctuation, crises of housing affordability and the turmoil of housing foreclosures brought housing, and housing markets, closer to centre stage in the debates over the future of the global economy. As part of the renewed interest in housing some recent papers have questioned whether we have an adequate model for understanding housing prices and housing market behaviour more broadly. Specifically, is the expected utility model of housing market behaviour, and the associated hedonic housing price model, still relevant in an increasingly uncertain housing market? Certainly the recent rapid escalation in housing prices and the behaviour of agents in the housing market has further stimulated rethinking of our models of housing markets. Analysts are asking about the future behaviour of and in housing markets, and how the housing market will function in the post housing market bubble decade. It is a useful time to take another look at how the housing market behaves and what underpins housing prices. Even to ask the question: do we need a new model of housing market behaviour?
RECIPIENTS OF PUBLIC SECTOR ANNUAL REPORTS: THEORY AND AN EMPIRICAL STUDY COMPARED☆☆☆

Abstract Government-led radical reforms have occurred in New Zealand since 1984. In the public sector, these have encompassed extensive changes to published annual reports. These changes have been explained by their proponents in terms of improving organizational accountability and improving decision-making by Parliament and the public about these organizations. Among the organizations affected by the changes are tertiary education institutions [TEI]. The study traced 797 1992 reports to their recipients and received 260 questionnaires containing data. These covered relationships respondents had with TEIs, their opinions about actual reports in relation to 14 qualities (e.g., the report was timely) and 20 disclosures (e.g., from the report I know what research the staff are engaged in), and their expectations about these qualities and disclosures. The results are compared with espoused theory and the regulatory framework in New Zealand, and with several works on public sector annual report audiences from Australia, Canada, UK and US. It was found that, by contrast with the reviewed literature, the most significant category of report recipients were people located on TEI campuses, including employees of similar TEIs; the numbers of Members of Parliament and other remote, general recipient groups are small. It was also found that qualities and disclosures of actual reports scored between 3·76 and 5·30 on a one-point (negative) to seven-point (positive) Likert scale; and expectations ranged from 4·62 to 6·27 on the same scale. There was an average «expectations gap» of almost one point in qualities and two-thirds of one point in disclosures, and the biggest gaps were in decision usefulness, future plans and their financial implications and neutrality. Further analysis showed that of six recipient categories of any significance, students were the smallest and their expectations gaps were about twice those of other recipients.
Vegetable Spirits and Energy Policy

This study investigates the extent to which the 2005 Energy Policy Act, specifically the ethanol mandate, contributed to the rise in farmland values. We use the location of new ethanol plants to identify the capitalization effect of the mandate by these spatially advantaged operations. We use a difference-in-difference propensity score matching estimator to control for the non-random selection of ethanol production facilities. The empirical strategy uses farmland parcel values from the 2001--7 June Agriculture Survey. We find that new ethanol facilities had no effect on nearby farmland values prior to the mandate but had statistically significant effects after the policy. Copyright 2013, Oxford University Press.