Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Impacts of the World Recession and Economic Crisis on Tourism: Forecasts and Potential Risks

In the face of the world recession, this article concentrates on analyzing and forecasting demand for outbound traveling in Australia, Canada, United States, Japan, and the EU-15 countries in terms of tourism imports at constant prices and exchange rates. Drawing on an analysis of the macroeconomic effects of the global recession and its impact on tourism demand for outbound traveling, the article develops forecasts for the period from 2009 to 2010. For 2010, two scenarios are created to project demand for foreign travel. The study is rounded off by a discussion of forecast uncertainties and open questions.
Waiting time and decision making: is time like money?

Time is a resource. As such, consumers have to make decisions regarding their use of time in the purchase and consumption of goods and services. Using prospect theory and mental accounting as theoretical frameworks, this article investigates whether consumers treat time like money when they make decisions. In a series of studies, we found that the value of consumers' time is not constant but depends on contextual characteristics of the decision situation. Our results also suggest that in deterministic situations, people make decisions involving time losses in a manner consistent with the convex loss function proposed by prospect theory. However, in decision making under conditions of risk, people seem to make risk-averse choices with respect to decisions in the domain of time in contrast to the risk-seeking behavior often found with respect to decisions involving losses of money. We discuss the nonfungibility of time as an explanation for the discrepancy between decisions involving time and those involving money.
Estimating Philippine Bank Efficiencies Using Frontier Analysis

Frontier method is used to estimate the ‘best-performing frontier’ to compute for the relative efficiencies of different bank groups (e.g., universal, commercial, thrift, rural and cooperative) in the Philippines over the period 1999-2009. As bank groups are used as decision-making units (DMUs), window analysis is utilized considering the few number of DMUs per period. Results from Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA), a non-parametric technique, indicate a generally declining trend in technical efficiency. Results also do not seem to fully support the hypothesis that bigger banks on the average are more efficient than smaller banks. Decomposing total factor productivity using the DEA-Malmquist TFP Index allows identification of sources of productivity and direction of its changes. Results indicate that Philippine banks have undergone technological progress but this did not necessarily increase total factor productivity because of the decline in technical efficiencies (TEs). These findings, however, cannot be conclusive because differences in efficiencies and changes in total factor productivity are not supported statistically. The researcher suggests the use of individual banks’ data for each of the bank groups to possibly validate these results.
National Parliaments in the European Union: Are there Any Benefits to Integration?

Scholars and observers alike agree that the European Union has weakened national parliaments. This article posits that such a view, while generally accurate, ignores ways in which the EU has helped national parliaments in their function as regulators of society. It identifies two key mechanisms: precedent setting and policy transfer. First, the EU has produced laws on topics considered beyond the traditional remit of national parliaments. The EU's intervention has justified the production of unprecedented domestic laws that go well beyond the incorporation of EU principles. This has expanded the legislative reach of national parliaments. The article considers the experiences of Italy and The Netherlands in the area of antitrust. Second, the EU has fostered an environment conducive to cross-national lesson drawing. The resulting knowledge has helped the design of more effective domestic legislative frameworks. This has confirmed the viability of national parliaments as regulatory institutions. The article examines the Open Method of Co-ordination and its application to the areas of employment and social inclusion. It concludes with a discussion of parliaments in future Member States and in Mercosur.
Thermal Energy Storage and Phase Change Materials: An Overview

The storage of thermal energy in the form of sensible and latent heat has become an important aspect of energy management with the emphasis on efficient use and conservation of the waste heat and solar energy in industry and buildings. Latent heat storage is one of the most efficient ways of storing thermal energy. Solar energy is a renewable energy source that can generate electricity, provide hot water, heat and cool a house, and provide lighting for buildings. Paraffin waxes are cheap and have moderate thermal energy storage density but low thermal conductivity and, hence, require a large surface area. Hydrated salts have a larger energy storage density and a higher thermal conductivity. In response to increasing electrical energy costs and the desire for better lad management, thermal storage technology has recently been developed. The storage of thermal energy in the form of sensible and latent heat has become an important aspect of energy management with the emphasis on the efficient use and conservation of the waste heat and solar energy in the industry and buildings. Thermal storage has been characterized as a kind of thermal battery.
Toward Healthy Balance Sheets: Are Savings Accounts a Gateway to Young Adults' Asset Diversification and Accumulation?

Understanding the balance sheets of today’s young adults—particularly the factors that set them on a path to financial security through asset diversification and accumulation—lends some insight into the balance sheets they will have when they are older. This study uses panel data from the Census Bureau’s 1996 Survey of Income and Program Participation to investigate the acquisition of a savings account as a gateway to asset diversification and accumulation for young adults. Two avenues were considered: The first emphasized ownership of a diverse portfolio of financial products, and the second emphasized the accumulated value of liquid assets. Almost half of the surveyed young adults owned a savings account (43 percent) and approximately 3 percent acquired a savings account over the course of the panel. (Older, nonwhite, or unemployed participants were significantly less likely to acquire an account.) Those who owned or acquired a savings account also had more diverse asset portfolios. Evidence suggests that young adults who acquire a savings account and diversify their asset portfolios may also accumulate more liquid assets over time, which can be leveraged in the future to strengthen their balance sheets.
Myth of Diffuse Ownership in the United States

This article offers evidence on the ownership concentration at a representative sample of U.S. public firms. Ninety-six percent of these firms have blockholders; these blockholders in aggregate own an average 39% of the common stock. The ownership of U.S. firms is similar to and by some measures more concentrated than the ownership of firms in other countries. These findings challenge current thinking on a number of issues, ranging from the nature of the agency conflict in domestic corporations to the relationship between ownership concentration and legal protections for investors around the world. The Author 2007. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Society for Financial Studies. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org, Oxford University Press.
Quantifying the Exposure to Antibiotic-Resistant Pathogens Among Patients Discharged From a Single Hospital Across All California Healthcare Facilities

OBJECTIVE To assess the time-dependent exposure of California healthcare facilities to patients harboring methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE), extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)–producing Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) upon discharge from 1 hospital. METHODS Retrospective multiple-cohort study of adults discharged from 1 hospital in 2005–2009, counting hospitals, nursing homes, cities, and counties in which carriers were readmitted, and comparing the number and length of stay of readmissions and the number of distinct readmission facilities among carriers versus noncarriers. RESULTS We evaluated 45,772 inpatients including those with MRSA (N=1,198), VRE (N=547), ESBL (N=121), and CDI (N=300). Within 1 year of discharge, MRSA, VRE, and ESBL carriers exposed 137, 117, and 45 hospitals and 103, 83, and 37 nursing homes, generating 58,804, 33,486, and 15,508 total exposure-days, respectively. Within 90 days of discharge, CDI patients exposed 36 hospitals and 35 nursing homes, generating 7,318 total exposure-days. Compared with noncarriers, carriers had more readmissions to hospitals (MRSA:1.8 vs 0.9/patient; VRE: 2.6 vs 0.9; ESBL: 2.3 vs 0.9; CDI: 0.8 vs 0.4; all P<.001) and nursing homes (MRSA: 0.4 vs 0.1/patient; VRE: 0.7 vs 0.1; ESBL: 0.7 vs 0.1; CDI: 0.3 vs 0.1; all P<.001) and longer hospital readmissions (MRSA: 8.9 vs 7.3 days; VRE: 8.9 vs 7.4; ESBL: 9.6 vs 7.5; CDI: 12.3 vs 8.2; all P<.01). CONCLUSIONS Patients harboring antibiotic-resistant pathogens rapidly expose numerous facilities during readmissions; regional containment strategies are needed. Infect. Control Hosp. Epidemiol. 2015;36(11):1275–1282
Recommendation-Forecast Consistency and Earnings Forecast Quality

SYNOPSIS: We investigate the implications of recommendation-forecast consistency for the informativeness of stock recommendations and earnings forecasts and the quality of analysts' earnings forecasts. Stock recommendations and earnings forecasts are often issued simultaneously and evaluated jointly by investors. However, the two signals are often inconsistent with each other. Defining a recommendation-forecast pair as consistent if both of them are above or below their existing consensus, we find that 58.3 percent of recommendation-forecast pairs are consistent in our sample. We document that consistent pairs result in much stronger market reactions than inconsistent pairs. We show that analysts making consistent recommendation forecasts make more accurate and timelier forecasts than do analysts making inconsistent recommendation forecasts, suggesting that consistent analysts make higher-quality earnings forecasts. We extend the literature on informativeness of analyst research by showing that recommenda.
Gains from Corporate Headquarters Relocations: Evidence from the Stock Market

This paper provides empirical evidence on investors' perceptions of the relative advantages and costs of spatial agglomeration. Specifically, we examine the stock price effects of headquarters relocations. The stock market reaction is significantly positive when relocation decisions are attributed to cost savings, indicating that cost savings available at less centralized locations outweigh any loss of enhancements associated with spatial clustering at urban centers. In contrast, decisions prompted by managerial self-interest and desire for luxurious offices elicit an adverse reaction from investors.
Impaired glucose tolerance and metabolic syndrome in idiopathic neuropathy

Idiopathic neuropathy is one of the most common clinical problems encountered in general medical and neurological practices, accounting for up to 40% of all neuropathies in referral series. Several groups have reported an elevated prevalence of impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) in idiopathic neuropathy subjects, although the only carefully conducted case–control study suggested hypertriglyceridemia was a more important risk factor. The nature of the relationship between IGT and neuropathy is a subject of active debate. An evolving literature suggests metabolic syndrome, particularly dyslipidemia and obesity, are potent neuropathy risk factors for both idiopathic and diabetic neuropathy patients. Once established, diabetic neuropathy is likely to be very difficult to reverse. IGT‐associated neuropathy, however, may be more amenable to therapy and could represent an ideal population in which to examine potential therapies for diabetes and obesity related neuropathies. Further research is needed to better define the epidemiological relation between IGT, metabolic syndrome, and neuropathy, its underlying pathophysiology, and to develop appropriate surrogate measures and clinical trials strategies.
Skill Bias and Employment Frictions in the U.S. Labor Market 1970-1990

This article studies simultaneous changes in four labor market variables: the unemployment rates for college and high-school graduates, the education wage premium, and the level of college participation. It develops an equilibrium search and matching model of the labor market where education is endogenously determined. Then the model is used to investigate quantitatively whether the change in the above labor market variables from 1970 to 1990 in the United States can be traced to changes in the environment. A skill-biased change in technology together with an increase in employment frictions can explain much of the observed variation in these variables.
Role of nitric oxide in acetaminophen‐induced hepatotoxicity in the rat

Acetaminophen is a mild analgesic and antipyretic agent known to cause centrilobular hepatic necrosis at toxic doses. Although this may be due to a direct interaction of reactive acetaminophen metabolites with hepatocyte proteins, recent studies have suggested that cytotoxic mediators produced by parenchymal and nonparenchymal cells also contribute to the pathophysiological process. Nitric oxide is a highly reactive oxidant produced in the liver in response to inflammatory mediators. In the present studies we evaluated the role of nitric oxide in the pathophysiology of acetaminophen‐induced liver injury. Treatment of male Long Evans Hooded rats with acetaminophen (1 g/kg) resulted in damage to centrilobular regions of the liver and increases in serum transaminase levels, which were evident within 6 hours of treatment of the animals and reached a maximum at 24 hours. This was correlated with expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) protein in these regions. Hepatocytes isolated from both control and acetaminophen‐treated rats were found to readily synthesize nitric oxide in response to inflammatory stimuli. Cells isolated from acetaminophen‐treated rats produced more nitric oxide than cells from control animals. Production of nitric oxide by cells from both control and acetaminophen‐treated rats was blocked by aminoguanidine, a relatively specific inhibitor of iNOS. Arginine uptake and metabolism studies revealed that the inhibitory effects of aminoguanidine were due predominantly to inhibition of iNOS enzyme activity. Pretreatment of rats with aminoguanidine was found to prevent acetaminophen‐induced hepatic necrosis and increases in serum transaminase levels. This was associated with reduced nitric oxide production by hepatocytes. Inhibition of toxicity was not due to alterations in acetaminophen metabolism since aminoguanidine had no effect on hepatocyte cytochrome P4502E1 protein expression or N‐acetyl‐p‐benzoquinone‐imine formation. Taken together, these data demonstrate that nitric oxide is an important mediator of acetaminophen‐induced hepatotoxicity.
The Empirical Implications of the Cox, Ingersoll, Ross Theory of the Term Structure of Interest Rates

The one-factor version of the Cox, Ingersoll, and Ross model of the term structure is estimated using monthly quotes on U.S. Treasury issues trading from 1952 through 1983. Using data from a single yield curve, it is possible to estimate implied short and long term zero coupon rates and the implied variance of changes in short rates. Analysis of residuals points to a probable neglected tax effect. THE TERM STRUCTURE of interest rates is important to economists because the relationship among the yields on default free securities that differ in their term to maturity reflects the information available to the market about the future course of events. The Expectations Hypothesis, the Liquidity Preference Hypothesis (Hicks [10]) and the Market Segmentation Hypothesis (Culbertson [6]) are theories of the term structure that predict little more than that the implied forward rate is either equal to or not equal to the expectation of future spot rates. Cox, Ingersoll and Ross [5] (CIR) model the term structure of interest rates in a competitive equilibrium context. Their model has elements in common with the earlier hypotheses of the term structure. However, the CIR model has a rich class of empirical implications, not only for the pricing of default free securities, but also for the pricing of bond options, callable bonds and other types of financial claims. This paper examines the extent to which the model (in its simplest one-factor form) is descriptive of the prices of U.S. Treasury Bills, Bonds and Notes traded from 1952 to 1983. Section I describes the model, and the parsimonious representation of bond prices which it implies. Section II describes the data and Section III outlines the preliminary results obtained by fitting the model to observed data. The final section outlines directions for future research.
Kissing-loop model of HIV-1 genome dimerization: HIV-1 RNAs can assume alternative dimeric forms, and all sequences upstream or downstream of hairpin 248-271 are dispensable for dimer formation.

The genome of all retroviruses consists of two identical RNAs noncovalently linked near their 5' end. Dimerization of genomic RNA is thought to modulate several steps in the retroviral life cycle, such as recombination, translation, and encapsidation. The kissing-loop model of HIV-1 genome dimerization [Laughrea, M. , & Jetté, L. (1994) Biochemistry 33, 13464-13474; Skripkin et al. (1994) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 91, 4945-4949] posits that the 248-270 region of the HIV-1 genome, by forming a hairpin and initiating dimerization through a loop-loop interaction, is the full or at least the core dimerization domain of HIV-1 RNA. Here, we show by nested deletion analysis that the 3' boundary of the HIV-1 dimerization domain is immediately downstream of hairpin 248-270 and that the isolated region 248-271 dimerizes at least as readily as longer RNAs. Among various HIV-1Lai RNA transcripts containing hairpin 248-270, all form two types of dimer, as is implicit in the kissing-loop model. The high-stability dimer resists semidenaturing conditions and the low-stability dimer cannot, which is consistent with the model. At physiological temperatures, low-stability dimers are usually formed, as if dimerization without nucleocapsid proteins corresponded to loop-loop interaction without switching from intra- to interstrand hydrogen bonding. Our results show that the 3' DLS (a sequence immediately 3' from the 5' splice junction and originally thought to be the dimerization domain of the HIV-1 genome) and adjacent nucleotides are not necessary for efficient dimerization of HIV-1Lai RNA at low and high ionic strength. Upstream of hairpin 248-270 exists another "DLS-like" sequence that we name 5' DLS: like the isolated 3' DLS, the isolated 5' DLS forms an apparently nonphysiological structure that can become substantially dimeric at high ionic strength.
Trade Openness and FDI Inflows in Turkey

Turkey’s politics after the decisions on January 24, 1980, have been a milestone in terms of the opening up of the economy. This external trade openness process of Turkey has also attracted multinational companies and has led to further important steps in foreign direct investments (FDI). In this study, we aim to examine the relationship between FDI and openness over the period 1986–2010. We examine not only the relationships between the two variables, but also the impact of leading macroeconomic variables on the FDI. Openness is also used among the variables to explain FDI and the impact of openness on the FDI in the estimated model has been determined. Granger causality analysis has been performed to determine the relationship between the variables in the model and it is concluded that the cause of FDI is trade openness. On the other hand, the effect of openness in the framework of Turkey's economy created with the model obtained, the findings are discussed along with other variables.
African farm dynamics and the sub-continental food crisis – the case of maize

Abstract This is a longitudinal study of smallholder farm dynamics in eight African countries, drawing on a sample of more than 3000 farm households. It deals with influences on smallholder maize production at three different levels: micro, meso and macro. Although the study points to inadequately exploited production potentials and a production system based primarily on self-provisioning the drivers behind dynamism in this context are clear. Dynamic production patterns are closely associated with smallholder access to modern crop technologies in combination with commercial incentives as expressed both at the meso and macro levels.
Development of a Measure of the Characteristics of Family Business

In Australia and, for that matter, globally, family business represents the most significant form of company ownership and is the largest employer group (Department of Industry, Science & Technology, 1995; Lank, 1995). Despite the significance of family business, few investigations have evaluated issues relating to the reliability and validity of measures used to collect data. This study is part of a larger evaluation that aims to develop a reliable and valid measure of family business. Findings from this research will help establish a reliable and valid measure of family businesses that may be used in other studies in this area.
Effortful and automatic cognitive inhibition in adults with Tourette's syndrome.

OBJECTIVE Inhibition has been widely investigated in Tourette's syndrome (TS), but some inhibitory processes have received more attention than others. This study examined the relatively underresearched construct of cognitive inhibition in adults with TS and no comorbidities (TS-alone), using tasks thought to tap automatic (without conscious intent) and effortful (with deliberate intent) inhibitory processes. METHOD Adult participants with TS-alone (n = 20) and healthy controls (n = 21) were compared on a retrieval-induced forgetting task thought to tap automatic cognitive inhibition and a directed forgetting task thought to tap effortful cognitive inhibition. Both tasks involved effortful memory as well as the key inhibitory effects. RESULTS Both the TS-alone and control groups showed typical inhibitory effects on both tasks, but the TS-alone group showed generally poorer effortful memory on both tasks. CONCLUSIONS The findings appear to indicate intact cognitive inhibition in adults with TS-alone, with some evidence of impairment in effortful processing. This highlights the importance of using tasks related to different inhibitory processes to explore cognitive performance in TS-alone, and suggests that any inhibitory impairment associated with TS-alone is mild and relatively circumscribed.