Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Tourist Information Matrix – Differentiating Between Sources and Channels in the Assessment of Travellers' Information Search

Knowing where and how travellers acquire the information they need to plan their trip is essential for the development of any tourism organization's marketing communication strategy. For this communication to be as precise and targeted as possible, tourism marketers would benefit from having a clear understanding of which communication channels or methods travellers use to access which information providers. This paper establishes a clear distinction between information channels and information sources and introduces a tourist information matrix as a way of visualizing and measuring how travellers use various combinations of sources and channels when planning their travels. The matrix is tested in a survey of 480 international travellers, and a number of effects are identified for measuring the importance of sources and channels in combination as opposed to separately.
Socioeconomic disadvantage in childhood and across the life course and all-cause mortality and physical function in adulthood: evidence from the Alameda County Study

Objective: To measure the childhood and life course socioeconomic exposures of people born between 1871 and 1949, and then to estimate the probability of death between 1965 and 1994, the probability of functional limitation in 1994, and the combined probability of dying or experiencing functional limitation during this period. Setting, participants and design: Data were from the Alameda County Study (California) and pertained to people aged 17–94 years (n = 6627) in 1965 (baseline). Socioeconomic position (SEP) in childhood was based on respondent’s reports of their father’s occupation, and life course disadvantage was measured by cross-classifying childhood SEP and the respondent’s education and household income in 1965. The health outcomes were all-cause mortality (n = 2420) and functional limitation measured using the Nagi index (n = 453, 17.4% of those alive in 1994). Relationships were examined before and after adjustment for changed socioeconomic circumstances after 1965. Results: Those from a low SEP in childhood, and those exposed to a greater number of episodes of disadvantage over the life course before 1965, were subsequently more likely to die, to report functional limitation and to experience the greatest health-related burden. Conclusions: All-cause mortality, functional limitation and overall health-related burden in middle and late adulthood are shaped by socioeconomic conditions experienced during childhood and cumulative disadvantage over the life course. The contributions made to adult health by childhood SEP and accumulated disadvantage suggest that each constitutes a distinct socioeconomic influence that may require different policy responses and intervention options.
An Assessment of the Consistency of ECB Communication Using Wordscores

Wordscores uses word frequencies to extract information from texts with known policy positions. Wordscores uses this information to estimate the unknown policy positions of so - called virgin texts. We apply Wordscores to the ECB President's introductory statements following Governing Council meetings. We code policy positions of statements from the first three years of the Economic and Monetary Union (our reference texts) using various indicators of ECB communication as well as actual rate decisions. Treating introductory statements from 2002 to July 2009 as virgin texts, Wordscores is able to present a fairly accurate picture of ECB policy decisions during that period. The results also suggest changes in ECB communications occurred: using more introductory statements as reference texts improves the match between estimated positions and actual policy. Overall, we would characterize ECB communication during the first decade of EMU as internally consistent. At the same time, communication was flexible enough to adapt to changed circumstances.
Contracting or Public Delivery? The Importance of Service, Market and Management Characteristics

Analysis of local government contracting decisions typically focuses on transactions costs related to service characteristics, especially asset specificity and difficulty of contract management. This analysis expands the focus to include market characteristics (competition), citizen characteristics (public interest in the service delivery process), and place characteristics (metro status and public management) and finds these are the more important factors. A 2007 survey of US city managers’ rankings of 67 services by transactions costs, competition, and citizen interest is combined with a 2007 national survey of city managers’ sourcing decisions (direct public, intergovernment cooperation, for-profit and nonprofit contracting). Multinomial logit models of service delivery sourcing choice find that metro status and competition are key explanatory variables. Intergovernmental cooperation represents an important public market alternative when contract management is difficult and competition is low. For profit contracting is less common when citizen interest is high and competition is low. Governments with professional managers appear more effective in addressing these broader transactions costs of citizen interests, political and labor opposition, and market management.
The Effect of Short-term Cold and Hot Exposure on Total Plasma Ghrelin Concentrations in Humans

Ghrelin is one of the peptides involved in the gut−brain axis. This 28−aminoacid peptide is primarily produced in the stomach and small intestine [1]. The first role of ghrelin to be determined in− volved the release of growth hormone [2], but later, the focus was placed on the role of this peptide in eating behavior and weight regulation [3,4]. Ghrelin is upregulated during fasting; suggestions have been made that ghrelin is a signal of meal in− itiation [5]. Ambient temperature has been known to be a power− ful metabolic regulator since the forties ± a high environmental temperature results in decreased food intake, while a low envi− ronmental temperature leads to increased food intake [6]; how− ever, the regulatory mechanism responsible for this phenome− non is still unclear. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investi− gate the relationship between plasma ghrelin levels and environ− mental temperature.
Psychomotor speed as a marker for overtraining in athletes

Om de top te bereiken in sport is het nodig veel en hard te trainen. Soms trainen sporters te hard. Dit kan tot gevolg hebben dat de sportprestaties achteruit gaan en dat de sporter voortdurend vermoeid is. Dit wordt overtraining genoemd. Het is van belang overtraining te voorkomen om optimaal te presteren. In het eerste hoofdstuk van mijn proefschrift beschrijf ik dat reactiesnelheid mogelijk een vroege indicator van overtraining zou kunnen zijn. Reactiesnelheid wordt gemeten op een computer. Op een beeldscherm verschijnen verschillende stimuli die allemaal een andere reactie op een toetsenbord vragen. Ik heb dus complexe reactietijd gemeten. In de volgende hoofdstukken beschrijf ik studies waarbij ik getest heb of reactiesnelheid verandert in verschillende fases van sportieve training. Een enkele training heeft een positief effect op reactiesnelheid. Na een maximale inspanning op een lopende band reageren sporters sneller op stimuli op het beeldscherm dan voor de inspanning. Een zwaar trainingskamp heeft een negatief effect op reactiesnelheid. De sporters die vermoeid terugkwamen van trainingskamp en minder goede sportprestaties leverden, reageerden trager. Binnen een normaal sportseizoen wordt reactiesnelheid lager naarmate sporters het gevoel hebben minder goed te presteren. En ook sporters die bij een sportarts komen wegens overtraining lijken minder goed te kunnen presteren op reactiesnelheidtests. Uit de resultaten blijkt dat reactiesnelheid inderdaad een vroege indicator zou kunnen zijn voor overtraining in (top)sporters. Er zijn echter nog veel onzekerheden die eerst opgelost zullen moeten worden, voordat het in de praktijk gebruikt kan worden.
Use of small stents for rehabilitation of hypoplastic pulmonary arteries in pulmonary atresia with ventricular septal defect

Branch pulmonary artery stenosis frequently occurs in pulmonary atresia with ventricular septal defect (PA/VSD). Balloon dilation alone is often unsuccessful in patients with severely hypoplastic pulmonary arteries with residual stenoses after surgical repair. In an attempt to promote distal pulmonary artery growth, 17 stents were placed in 12 severely stenotic pulmonary artery lesions in 10 patients with PA/VSD. All had prior surgery, including pulmonary artery repair, right ventricle to pulmonary artery homograft, and, in 6 of 10, closure of VSD. Median age at stent placement was 16.8 months (range, 13.2–56). Stents were placed using 3.0, 3.5, or 4.0 mm balloons in all but one lesion, in which a 7 mm balloon was used. Following stent placement, there was an increase in the lesion diameter from 1.5 to 3.4 mm (P < 0.05) and an increase in flow to the affected lung from 27% to 34% (P < 0.05). Repeat catheterization 2 to 6 months after stenting in six patients revealed complete occlusion in two of eight lesions. In the other six vessels, there was an increase in distal vessel diameter from 2.96 to 3.94 mm (P < 0.05) even though four had severe restenosis requiring restenting. Two patients underwent surgical pulmonary artery reconstruction and stent removal because of adequate distal vessel growth. Stenting of hypoplastic pulmonary arteries in PA/VSD results in immediate improvement in vessel size and blood flow. Stent restenosis is common although distal vessel growth can be achieved. Stenting of these lesions should be reserved only for those patients unresponsive to other interventions. Cathet Cardiovasc Intervent 2002;55:78–82. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
[Drug resistance profile of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, 2000-2006].

OBJECTIVE To determine the drug resistance profile of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, between 2000 and 2006. METHODS Descriptive study of reported tuberculosis cases in the Brazilian Case Registry Database. We included only those cases in which M. tuberculosis culture was positive and sensitivity to drugs (rifampicin, isoniazid, streptomycin and ethambutol) was tested. Löwenstein-Jensen and Ogawa-Kudoh solid media were used for cultures, as was an automated liquid medium system. Sensitivity tests were based on the proportion method. RESULTS Among the 783 cases evaluated, males predominated (69.7%), as did patients in the 20-49 year age bracket (70%), a diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis (94.4%) and positive HIV serology (8.6%); 645 (82.4%) were new cases, and 138 (17.6%) had previously been treated. Resistance to at least one drug was found in 143 cases (18.3%). The primary resistance (PR) rate was, respectively, 8.1%, 1.6%, 2.8% and 12.4%, for monoresistance, multidrug resistance (MDR), other patterns of resistance and resistance to at least one drug, whereas the acquired resistance (AR) rate was 14.5%, 20.3%, 10.9% and 45.7%, respectively, and the combined resistance (CR) rate was 9.2%, 4.9%, 4.2% and 18.3%, respectively. In PR, streptomycin was the most common drug, whereas isoniazid was the most common in AR and CR (7.2% and 3.7%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS These high levels of resistance undermine the efforts for tuberculosis control in Mato Grosso do Sul. Acquired MDR was 12.7 times more common than was primary MDR, demonstrating that the previous use of drug therapy is an indicator of resistance. These levels reflect the poor quality of the health care provided to these patients, showing the importance of using the directly observed treatment, short course strategy, as well as the need to perform cultures and sensitivity tests for the early diagnosis of drug resistance.
Industrial Research During the 1980s: Did the Rate of Return Fall?

Hall (1993b) found that the market value of corporate RD relative to ordinary capital investment fell precipitously during the 1980s. The present paper examines this result more closely and finds that it was due both to an increase in the value of ordinary capital and to a steep decline in the absolute value of RD assets. The latter was concentrated in the electrical, scientific instruments, electronics, and computing sectors. Firm-level productivity results show that the contribution of RD to sales or output growth was low during the 1970s and the first half of the 1980s but has increased recently, except in the electrical industry and in the large firm part of the computing, machinery, metals, and motor vehicle industries. The overall explanation for these findings is that the very substantial restructuring of the manufacturing sector during the 1980s raised the valuation of ordinary capital (and of RD capital in the medium-technology sectors). At the same time entry by smaller firms and new technology coupled with a speed-up in product cycles eroded the profits in the electrical and computing sectors, leading to a substantial decline in the valuation of these profits.
R&D intensity and exports: a study of Indian pharmaceutical firms

The export intensity of Indian pharmaceutical firms has increased substantially in the period after 1995 when the new, more restrictive patent regime was introduced in India. The hike in export intensity has been accompanied by an increase in R&D intensity of Indian pharmaceutical firms. The results of the econometric analysis presented in the paper indicate that increased R&D efforts of Indian pharmaceutical firms were responsible in a major way for the observed increase in export intensity. The econometric results suggest that the impact of R&D intensity on exports depends on the level of productivity already reached by the firms.
In and Out of the Revolving Door: Making Sense of Regulatory Capture

ABSTRACT The concept of regulatory capture is multidimensional according to data from Australian nursing home inspectors. There are three empirically distinct forms of capture: identification with the industry, sympathy with the particular problems that regulated firms confront in meeting standards, and absence of toughness. Inspectors who have prior senior management experience in the industry tend to be less tough in their attitudes to regulatory enforcement. For the other two types of capture, it is not coming in the revolving door (from an industry job), but aspirations to go out of the revolving door (to an industry job) that predicts capture. Captured regulatory attitudes and revolving door variables have little power, however, in explaining the toughness of actual enforcement practices. We do find that over time tougher inspectors are more likely to leave the regulatory agency than softer inspectors. These data are used to inform a policy analysis of capture and corruption. It is concluded that there is limited analytical merit in a conception of capture as an enduring unitary character trait that is structurally determined by a history of interest group affiliations. Capture, we attempt to show, is instead a situational problem that requires situational solutions. Constraining the free movement of the revolving door by restricting regulatory appointments from or to the regulated industry is an example of a flawed policy grounded in an overdrawn structural determinism.
Recovery of Time on Limits of Stability From Functional Fatigue in Division II Collegiate Athletes

Ishizuka, T, Hess, RA, Reuter, B, Federico, MS, and Yamada, Y. Recovery of time on limits of stability from functional fatigue in division II collegiate athletes. J Strength Cond Res 25(7): 1905-1910, 2011—Health and fitness professionals working with athletes could establish effective and safe practice and training programs if recovery time on dynamic balance from exertion was available. Research investigating the time needed to recover dynamic limits of stability (LOS) from exertion has not been reported. The purpose of this study was to determine the recovery timeline on LOS from functional fatigue in collegiate athletes. Eighteen athletes (11 men, 7 women) from Division II collegiate soccer team who passed prescreening tests to identify their fitness levels were randomly tested on 2 different days by condition (fatigue or nonfatigue). Functional fatigue was determined by using the Borg 15-point rating of perceived exertion (RPE) scale. Subjects were tested on LOS on the Biodex Balance System pre, post, 10, 15, and 20 minutes for each condition. The main effect for condition was not significant (F(1,16) = 0.004, p = 0.948), whereas the main effect for time was significant (F(4,64) = 6.167, p < 0.001). The RPE scoring revealed the significant main effect in FATIGUE (F(2.69, 45.73) = 234.8, p < 0.001). In conclusion, 20 minutes of functional activity will likely have a negative influence on dynamic balance, with balance recovery occurring within 10 minutes after the cessation of exercise in Division II collegiate soccer athletes. Moreover, the level of exertion measured by RPE would correspond to athletes' ability to control their center of mass.
Informative Advertising with Differentiated Products

In this paper we study the role of promotional expenditures by sellers in a model of product differentiation. Advertising conveys full and accurate information about the characteristics of products. Heterogeneous consumers, who have no source of information other than advertisements, seek to purchase the products that best fit their needs. Despite the roles played by advertising in improving the matching of products and consumers, and in increasing the elasticity of demand faced by each firm, we find that the market-determined Jevels of advertising are excessive, given the extent of diversity in the market. We derive a promotional equilibrium based on a specific information transmission technology, paying explicit attention to the structure of consumer information and its impact on firms' demand curves. This allows us to study the effects of changes in the advertising technology, including an increased ability to target messages to specific groups of consumers, on the equilibrium in the product market. We find that decreased advertising costs may reduce profits by increasing the severity of price competition.
Association of walkability with obesity in Baltimore City, Maryland.

OBJECTIVES To investigate the association between walkability and obesity, we studied adults residing in Baltimore City, Maryland, in neighborhoods of varying racial and socioeconomic composition. METHODS We conducted a cross-sectional study of 3493 participants from the study Healthy Aging in Neighborhoods of Diversity across the Life Span. We used the Pedestrian Environment Data Scan to measure neighborhood walkability in 34 neighborhoods of diverse racial and socioeconomic composition in which the study participants lived. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to determine walkability scores. Multilevel modeling was used to determine prevalence ratios for the association between walkability and obesity. RESULTS Among individuals living in predominately White and high-socioeconomic status (SES) neighborhoods, residing in highly walkable neighborhoods was associated with a lower prevalence of obesity when compared with individuals living in poorly walkable neighborhoods, after adjusting for individual-level demographic variables (prevalence ratio-[PR] = 0.58; P = <.001 vs PR = 0.80; P = .004). Prevalence ratios were similar after controlling for the perception of crime, physical activity, and main mode of transportation. The association between walkability and obesity for individuals living in low-SES neighborhoods was not significant after accounting for main mode of transportation (PR = 0.85; P = .060). CONCLUSIONS Future research is needed to determine how differences in associations by neighborhood characteristics may contribute to racial disparities in obesity.
Portfolio Optimization with Structured Products under Return Constraint

A new approach for optimizing risk in a portfolio of financial instruments involving structured products is presented. This paper deals with a portfolio selection model in which optimization methodologies are used to minimize Conditional Value-at-Risk () under return constraint. It focuses on minimizing rather than minimizing value-at-Risk, as portfolios with low necessarily have low as well. We consider a simple investment problem where besides stocks and bonds, the investor can also include structured products into the investment portfolio. Due to possible intermediate payments from structured product , we have to deal with a re-investment problem which in this paper is modeled as a linear optimization problem.
The UK supermarket industry: an analysis of corporate social and financial performance

In a previous paper (Moore, 2001), the headline findings from a study of social and financial performance over three years of eight firms in the UK supermarket industry were reported. These were based on the derivation of a 16-measure social performance index and a 4-measure financial performance index. This paper discusses the formulation of the indices and then reports on: discussions with two supermarket firms concerning the overall results; inter-relationships between individual financial performance measures; inter-relationships between individual social performance measures; stakeholder group analysis; and inter-relationships between turnover, age and gearing with social performance measures. The paper discusses these inter-relationships, incorporating comments from the interviews with the two supermarket firms, and reports on both factor and cluster analysis. The interviews lend support for Preston and O’Bannon’s (1997) Available Funding Hypothesis in both its positive and negative form. The findings show that there are individual or combinations of related measures that could be used as surrogate measures for social and financial performance, instead of deriving a full index. However, the recommendation is that a full index continues to be used until there is further corroboration of these results. The findings also provide statistically significant support for the Negative Synergy Hypothesis (Preston and O’Bannon, 1997), show a statistically significant association between pre-tax profits (both lagged and contemporaneous) with community contributions, and show that all statistically significant associations between individual social performance measures are positive – suggesting that they are mutually reinforcing. The association of size with social performance, noted in the previous paper, is also reinforced. Findings in relation to the proportion of women managers and the number of women on the Board and positive associations with other social and environmental performance measures raise interesting gender issues for business ethics. Factor analysis leads to no clear conclusions but cluster does show two or three clear clusters of firms, where size would seem to be the main but not sole factor. Further areas of research are noted.