Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Satisfaction Guaranteed or Money (Partially) Refunded: Efficient Refunds Under Asymmetric Information

Refunds are modelled as a market response to asymmetric information. A firm's choice of product reliability is private information, and not verifiable. Firms compete by offering price-refund contracts; consumers draw inferences about quality from the observed contracts. In equilibrium, quality is revealed by the contracts, prices, refunds and (unobserved) quality are predicted to be positively correlated with income when consumers care about quality. The paper then discusses "new and improved" products when consumers cannot observe technology. Without additional sources of information, product quality may be too high in equilibrium.
Effects of ursodeoxycholic acid (ursodiol) treatment on chronic viral hepatitis in heart transplant patients: results of a prospective, double-blind, placebo-randomized study

Background. Chronic viral hepatitis averages 15% to 20% in heart transplant patients. Several studies have shown that ursodiol may improve liver biochemistry in patients with chronic hepatitis. We used a double-blind randomized controlled trial to evaluate the effect of ursodiol in heart transplant patients with chronic viral hepatitis. Methods. Thirty heart patients with chronic viral hepatitis B, C, or non-A-G received ursodiol, 800 mg per day (group 1), and 30 received placebo (group 2) for 12 months. Endpoints were improvement in liver biochemical tests and in total Knodell score. Intent-to-treat and per-protocol analyses were performed. Results. At entry, both groups were comparable for all of the studied parameters. During the study period, serum alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, and &ggr;-glutamyl transpeptidase variations were not different between group 1 and group 2 patients. Knodell score improved in 20% of group 1 patients and in 43% of group 2 patients (NS). Adverse events or mortality were not different in the two groups during the study period. Similar results were observed by intent-to-treat and per-protocol analyses. Conclusions. A 12-month course of ursodiol therapy had no effect on liver enzymes or liver histology in heart transplant patients with chronic hepatitis.
Short- and Long-Term Performance of Polish IPOs

The paper documents short- and long-run performance of initial public offerings on the Warsaw Stock Exchange from 1998 to 2008. The study reveals positive initial market-adjusted returns of 13.95 percent and significant long-term underperformance with mean of -22.62 percent for the three-year buy-and-hold strategy. We introduce ordinary least squares regressions to find determinants of initial returns. Our findings document strong explanatory power of early aftermarket volatility, issuer's size, growth opportunities, and profitability before the offering. Moreover, those variables that can partly explain differences in initial returns can also help to shed light on the long-term underperformance issue. Our results are thus consistent with Miller's (1977) divergence of opinion hypothesis.
Osteopontin is a novel marker of pancreatic ductal tissues and of undifferentiated pancreatic precursors in mice

Matricellular proteins mediate both tissue morphogenesis and tissue homeostasis in important ways because they modulate cell–matrix and cell–cell interactions. In this study, we found that the matricellular protein osteopontin (Opn) is a novel marker of undifferentiated pancreatic precursors and pancreatic ductal tissues in mice. Our analysis also underscored a specific, dynamic profile of Opn expression in embryonic pancreatic tissues that suggests the participation of this protein's function in processes involving cell migration, cell–cell interactions, or both. Surprisingly, our analysis of Opn‐deficient pancreata did not reveal obvious alterations in the morphology or differentiation of these tissues. Therefore, in embryonic pancreatic tissues, it is possible that other proteins act redundantly to Opn or that this protein's function is dispensable for pancreas development. Finally, the maintenance of Opn expression in pancreatic tissues of adults argues for a possible function of this protein in injury and pathologic responses. Developmental Dynamics 235:1659–1667, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Diabetes Distress Among Persons With Type 1 Diabetes

Purpose The purpose of this study is to evaluate associations between diabetes distress and a range of psychological health behaviors and concerns among persons with type 1 diabetes for the benefit of enhancing early identification and intervention of at-risk individuals. Methods Persons with type 1 diabetes (n = 268; 57.1% female, 91.0% white, 76.8% <18 years of age, average A1C 8.4%) completed the 2-item Diabetes Distress Screening Scale (DDS2) and a battery of psychometrically sound instruments measuring satisfaction with life, self-esteem, self-efficacy, depression, perfectionism, body image satisfaction, dietary restraint and eating, and shape and weight concerns. Each subscale score was compared within age groups (<18 years vs ≥18 years) between groups (diabetes distress level [low, moderate, high]) using analysis of variance (with Bonferroni correction or the Kruskal-Wallis test if the variables were not normally distributed). Results For both age groups, high diabetes distress was independently associated with greater A1C values, higher depression scores and eating, and shape and weight concerns than those with low or moderate distress. For patients <18 years of age, those with high diabetes distress scored lower on measures of satisfaction with life, self-esteem, and self-efficacy and higher on dietary restraint and several areas of perfectionism than those with low or moderate distress. Conclusions Individuals with type 1 diabetes who have high diabetes distress also report higher A1C values and poorer psychological health concerns. A brief diabetes distress questionnaire can help to identify those who need additional screening, education and support, and treatment for overall health and well-being.
International Competition and Exchange Rate Shocks: A Cross-Country Industry Analysis of Stock Returns

It is widely accepted that, for some industries, competition across countries is" economically important and that this competition is strongly affected by exchange rate changes. " This paper explores the validity of this view using weekly stock return data on 320 industry pairs" in six countries from 1975 to 1997. It is found that common shocks to industries across countries" are more important than competitive shocks. Weekly exchange rate shocks explain almost" nothing of the relative performance of industries. Using returns measured over longer horizons the importance of exchange rate shocks increases slightly and the importance of common shocks" to industries increases more substantially. Both industry and exchange rate shocks are more" important for industries that produce goods traded internationally, but the importance of these" shocks is economically small for these industries as well.
Managing Underwriters and the Marketing of Seasoned Equity Offerings

Abstract Using a sample of 2,281 seasoned equity offerings (SEOs) from 1995 to 2004, we show that the marketing of securities is important to issuers. The number of managing underwriters for an SEO is negatively related to the offer price discount, especially when the relative offer size is large and the stock return volatility is high. Larger investor networks of comanaging underwriters also lower offer price discounts. We argue that the evidence is supportive of the marketing hypothesis: The underwriters’ marketing efforts can lower the offer price discount by shifting up and flattening the demand curve of an SEO.
Accounting for the Source of Exchange Rate Movements: New Evidence

This paper analyses the role of the real exchange rate in a structural vector autoregression framework for the United Kingdom, euro area, Japan and Canada versus the United States. A new identification strategy is proposed building on sign restrictions. The results are compared to the benchmark conventional approach of Clarida and Gali based on long-run zero restrictions. Although the restrictions are derived from the same theoretical model, the results are strikingly different. In contrast to the benchmark model, an important role for nominal shocks in explaining real exchange rate fluctuations is found.
A conserved neutralizing epitope on gp41 of human immunodeficiency virus type 1

Vaccination against human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) requires an immunogen which will elicit a protective immunity against viruses that show a high degree of genetic polymorphism. Therefore, the identification of neutralizing epitopes which are shared by many strains would be useful. In previous studies, we established a human monoclonal antibody (2F5) that neutralizes a variety of laboratory strains and clinical isolates of HIV-1. In the present report, we define the amino acid sequence Glu-Leu-Asp-Lys-Trp-Ala (ELDKWA) on the ectodomain of gp41 as the epitope recognized by this antibody. The sequence was found to be conserved in 72% of otherwise highly variable HIV-1 isolates. Escape mutants were not detected in cells infected with HIV-1 isolates MN and RF in the presence of antibody 2F5. Since sequence variability of neutralizing epitopes is considered to be a major obstacle to HIV-1 vaccine development, the conserved B-cell epitope described here is a promising candidate for inclusion in a vaccine against AIDS.
Impact of Financial Crisis on Firms’ Capital Structure in UK, France, and Germany

This study examines the impact of the recent financial crisis on the capital structure decision of UK, French and German firms. The results show that overall leverage ratios increase from pre-crisis (2006 and 2007) to crisis (2008 and 2009) years and then decrease in the post-crisis (2010 and 2011) years. Both equity and debt levels change during the crisis and post-crisis years. The findings further reveal that firms with lower than industry average capital structure ratios in the pre-crisis period experience a gradual increase in their leverage during crisis and post-crisis periods. However, firms with higher than industry average capital structure ratios in the pre-crisis periods experience a significant decrease in the leverage ratios particularly in the post-crisis period mainly due to changes in their equity levels.
Metabolic allometric scaling model: combining cellular transportation and heat dissipation constraints

ABSTRACT Living organisms need energy to be ‘alive’. Energy is produced by the biochemical processing of nutrients, and the rate of energy production is called the metabolic rate. Metabolism is very important from evolutionary and ecological perspectives, and for organismal development and functioning. It depends on different parameters, of which organism mass is considered to be one of the most important. Simple relationships between the mass of organisms and their metabolic rates were empirically discovered by M. Kleiber in 1932. Such dependence is described by a power function, whose exponent is referred to as the allometric scaling coefficient. With the increase of mass, the metabolic rate usually increases more slowly; if mass increases by two times, the metabolic rate increases less than two times. This fact has far-reaching implications for the organization of life. The fundamental biological and biophysical mechanisms underlying this phenomenon are still not well understood. The present study shows that one such primary mechanism relates to transportation of substances, such as nutrients and waste, at a cellular level. Variations in cell size and associated cellular transportation costs explain the known variance of the allometric exponent. The introduced model also includes heat dissipation constraints. The model agrees with experimental observations and reconciles experimental results across different taxa. It ties metabolic scaling to organismal and environmental characteristics, helps to define perspective directions of future research and allows the prediction of allometric exponents based on characteristics of organisms and the environments they live in. Summary: A predictive metabolic allometric model unites energy costs for transporting substances at a cellular level, discovered to be an important mechanism influencing metabolism of living organisms, with heat dissipation constraints.
Controlling the Bandlimits of TE-Surface Wave Propagation Along a Modulated Microstrip-Line-Based High Impedance Surface

A hybrid numerical-analytical method for the characterization of the propagation of the transverse-electric surface waves along a high impedance surface (HIS) is presented. The HIS is obtained by a 2-D periodic repetition of a rectangular unit cell on a Cartesian grid. The unit cell consists of a microstrip line with variable width immersed in a grounded multilayer dielectric substrate. Inside the unit cell, the effective value of the dielectric is sinusoidally modulated along the direction of the microstrip line, and the dimension of the unit cell is equal to the period of the modulation. On the basis of the modulation parameters, limits of the stop/pass bands are determined analytically employing Mathieu's functions. The synthesis of the shape of the microstrip line that guarantees the desired modulation requires the numerical determination of the phase velocity - line width relationship which is not known in closed form for the considered unbounded open structure. The limits of the pass/stop bands determined analytically are in very good agreement with those found numerically and measured values for different modulation parameters.
Genetic Structure of Rhizobium leguminosarum biovar trifolii and viciae Populations Found in Two Oregon Soils under Different Plant Communities

An investigation was carried out to determine the genetic structure in soil populations of Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. trifolii and viciae at each of two Oregon sites (A and C) that were 1 km apart. Although the soils were similar, the plant communities were quite different because grazing by domestic animals had been allowed (site A) or prevented (site C). Analysis of allelic variation at 13 enzyme-encoding loci by multilocus enzyme electrophoresis delineated 202 chromosomal types (ETs) among a total of 456 isolates representing two populations of R. leguminosarum bv. trifolii (AT and CT) and two populations of R. leguminosarum bv. viciae (AV and CV). Regardless of their site of origin or biovar affiliation, isolates of the same ET were confirmed to be more closely related to each other than to isolates of other ETs by repetitive extragenic palindromic and enterobacterial repetitive intergeneric consensus sequences and the PCR technique. Despite the wide range in densities of the Rhizobium populations (<102 to >105/g of soil), their overall genetic diversities were similar (mean genetic diversity, 0.45 to 0.51), indicating that low-density populations of soil-borne bacterial species are not necessarily of little genetic diversity. Linkage disequilibrium analysis revealed significant multilocus structure (nonrandom associations of alleles) within each of the four populations. From a combination of cluster and linkage disequilibrium analyses, a total of eight distinct groups of ETs were defined in the four populations. Two groups (I and III) contributed significant numbers of ETs and isolates to each population. The two populations of R. leguminosarum bv. viciae (AV and CV) exhibited similar genetic structures despite existing at different densities, in different plant communities, and in the presence (CV) or absence (AV) of their local Vicia hosts. In contrast, total linkage disequilibrium was partitioned differently in two biovar populations occupying the same soil (AV and AT), with disequilibrium in the latter being due entirely to the presence of group V.
Labour standards, democracy and wages: some cross-country evidence

The international community is divided over labour standards. Opponents claim that standards are protectionist. Proponents say they benefit developing economies by improving governance and income distribution. This paper presents evidence supporting the case for labour standards. Using cross-country data from the second half of the 1980s and the first half of the 1990s, it shows that labour standards are associated with improved governance and reduced corruption. Labour standards also improve income distribution and raise wages. The results qualify Rodrik's (1999) findings about democracy and wages. Labour standards rather than democracy cause higher wages, but democracy may still matter indirectly by promoting labour standards. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Molecular Links Between Obesity and Cardiovascular Disease

Obesity is a recognized risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Because the prevalence of obesity is rising in industrialized as well as developing nations, it is important to understand the mechanisms by which obesity targets the vascular system. A metabolic syndrome of insulin resistance is provoked by obesity, and this results in the dysregulation of a number of adipocyte-derived factors, which favors atherosclerosis. This review focuses on how products of the adipocyte, including free fatty acids and “adipo”-cytokines, may mediate the effect of obesity on insulin resistance and atherosclerosis.
Chemical composition and crude protein fractions of Coastcross grass under grazing on winter, spring and summer in Southern Brazil

The objective of this study work was to assess crude protein fractions in structural components (leaves, stem and dead material) of Coastcross grass (Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers) under grazing, on winter, spring and summer seasons, in the Northwestern of Parana, South of Brazil. Were determined CP, NDF, ADF contents and protein fractions, A, B1, B2, B3 and C. The analysis of CP showed great differences among months, but there was no difference among seasons. NDF and ADF in the stem were lower (p 0.05) protein fractions A, B1, B2, B3 and C of leaves. However, it was observed that the highest proportions of CP were B3 and A fractions. For the stem, the most important crude protein fraction is A, and it was observed that B1 fraction was lowest (p < 0.05) in the spring. Considering crude protein fractions of the Coastcross grass, in this study conditions, we can conclude that Coastcross grass presents adequate protein value for beef cattle production on pasture.
Network Based Social Capital and Individual Loan Repayment Performance

Abstract This study analyses the effects of social capital on the repayment behaviour of borrowers in Thailand. In the context of agricultural economics, an innovative data collection approach is used that originates from the field of sociology. A personal network survey is carried out to measure the individual social capital of borrowers. Social capital variables are defined according to: tie strength (bonding/bridging) and social distance (linking) between the respondent and his/her network member. Bonding social capital has a significant and positive influence on repayment performance. However, we find no significant evidence for an effect of bridging and linking social capital.
Measuring service quality trade-offs in Asian distribution channels: A multi-layer perspective

In international marketing channels customer service has become an important factor in supplier and purchase decisions. In evaluating supplier performance several trade-offs are taken into account by actors operating at various channel levels. These are trade-offs among customer service elements and between customer service elements and costs. With the help of conjoint analysis, these trade-offs were analyzed for different layers of the Asian distribution system of a global marketer of fast-moving consumer goods. Results suggest that considerable differences occur with regards to the various perspectives on customer service between channel members.
Ironies of State Building: A Comparative Perspective on the American State

This review of new directions in the American and comparative literatures on the state reveals important intellectual trends that parallel each other quite closely. Both comparativists and Americanists address similar questions about the sources of state authority, and both propose similar answers. Collectively, these scholars and others are retheorizing the state-developing a suppler, multidimensional picture of the state's origins, structure, and consequences-to shed light on the reasons for the state's stubborn refusal to cede the stage. The emerging understanding of the state that the authors describe provides a framework not only for revisiting the state in the international realm but also, in dialogue with recent Americanist studies, for revising and deepening the understanding of the state's paradoxical role in American political development and finally setting aside the assumption of the United States as stateless. In this emerging view, American state building, strength, and institutional capacity form through links with society, not necessarily through autonomy from society. But such distinctive patterns provide insights for comparative studies, too, for instance, in respect to the relationship between the state and welfare policy across nations.
Averting the Construction Skills Crisis: A Regional Approach

The East Midlands construction industry is currently suffering from a severe skills shortage across its craft, professional and managerial occupations. The lack of available capacity within the regional labour market coupled with the poor image of the sector, call into question the industry's ability to cope with the levels of new orders and output growth predicted over the next few years. In this paper, it is argued that the casualised nature of the industry's labour market has rendered national, ‘top-down’ labour market policy measures ineffective in addressing the industry's skills concerns. This hypothesis has been explored through research that canvassed the opinions of key industry stakeholders as to the actions necessary to avert the region's skills crisis. This was achieved through a series of focus groups and workshops involving over 150 individuals with a vested interest in the region's construction skills situation. The insights emerging from the analysis suggested that bespoke regional and sub-regional labour market policies are required to avert the current skills shortage. The recommendations provided by the participants were used as the basis for a strategic package of measures that are currently being implemented across the region's five counties. This strategy aims to join-up hitherto disparate labour market measures within a single centrally coordinated framework. Nevertheless, overcoming the industry's fragmented structure remains an obstacle to resolving successfully the East Midlands' construction skills shortage.