Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Expanding New York State's Earned Income Tax Credit Program: The Effect on Work, Income, and Poverty

Given its favourable employment incentives and ability to target the working poor, the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) has become the primary antipoverty programme at both the federal and state levels. However, when evaluating the effect of EITC programmes on income and poverty, governments generally calculate the effect using simple accounting, where the value of the state or federal EITC benefit is added to a person's income. These calculations omit the behavioural incentives created by the existence of these programmes, the corresponding effect on labour supply and hours worked, and therefore the actual effect on income and poverty. This article simulates the full effect of an expansion of the New York State EITC benefit on employment, hours worked, income, poverty and programme expenditures. These results are then compared to those omitting labour supply effects. Relative to estimates excluding labour supply effects, the preferred behavioural results show that an expansion of the New York State EITC increases employment by an additional 14 244 persons, labour earnings by an additional $95.8 million, family income by an additional $84.5 million, decreases poverty by an additional 56 576 persons and increases costs to the State by $29.7 million.
What to show on the wine labels: a hedonic analysis of price drivers of Sicilian wines

Unlike previous literature, we construct a hedonic model of wine price that incorporates all the main categories of variables simultaneously to enable a better evaluation of their importance on wine price formation. A comprehensive model has the advantage of providing more reliable estimates of the attributes' implicit prices thereby facilitating firms' pricing and improving effectiveness of wine production and marketing decisions. We utilize two different datasets of Sicilian wines collecting data from influential wine guides. Our results suggest that wine price strongly depends on objective features such as vintage, alcoholic content, geographical origin, grape variety, producer size and cellaring potential. In addition, use of containers like tonneaux and barrique positively affects prices, whereas use of concrete containers has a negative influence. No univocal indications emerge with regard to the effect of the type of company, type of viticulture and firm age. As for sensorial characteristics, our analysis provides novel evidence of the importance of olfactory variables such as aroma intensity and the presence of particular smells in the wine. Finally, current guides’ grades and firm reputation play a crucial role in determining wine prices as well.
INVOLVEMENT OF VOLUNTEERS IN AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS IN NEW MEXICO

Enrollments in secondary agricultural education programs in New Mexico have steadily increased over the past several years placing more demands on the programs and their resources. A common approach in education is to enlist volunteers to provide assistance and extend resources. The purpose of this descriptive study was to investigate agricultural education teachers’ attitudes toward volunteers, the perceived benefits and limitations of involving volunteers, and the types of roles in which volunteers were engaged. The population of this study was a census of all secondary and middle school agricultural education teachers in New Mexico during the Fall of 1999 (N = 90). A five-part instrument developed by the researchers was used to collect data. Agricultural education teachers strongly agreed that involving volunteers in their programs allowed them to focus on other parts of their programs, and that volunteers were an essential component to a successful agricultural education program. Eighty seven percent of the agricultural education teachers reported using volunteers in their program. Roles most commonly assumed by volunteers included: chaperones, guest speakers in class/lab, coaching CDE events, and assisting with various FFA activities. Of the 13% of the teachers who did not involve volunteers, the majority indicated that it was because they were new to the program, the program was too small, or too much time was required to properly supervise volunteers. Reported benefits of involving volunteers were: expanding the area of expertise and knowledge available to students, adding diversity and variety to t he program, assisting with activities, and freeing the teacher to do other activities or work. Limitations cited were: time needed to train and supervise volunteers, communication breakdowns, personality conflicts, and lack of knowledge/expertise by the volunteer about the program, policies, discipline and/or subject area.
An executive's guide to business transformation

Purpose – The objective of this article is to provide executives with a practical high‐level roadmap to business transformation.Design/methodology/approach – Over the past 20 years in his role as an academic, researcher and consultant, the author and his team have worked with and observed several organizations of varying sizes. This resulted in the identification of patterns associated with failed and successful transformation attempts, which in turn have been summarized into a formula for business transformation.Findings – Any successful business transformation will have to address all eight components of the business transformation model. These are: value streams, strategy, organization, people, processes, systems and resources, leadership and performance measurement. For a transformation attempt to succeed, all eight components must be addressed. Most failed transformation attempts have failed to address one or more of these components.Practical implications – The roadmap for business transformation pr.
New evidence on iron, copper accumulation and zinc depletion and its correlation with DNA integrity in aging human brain regions

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) conformation and stability play an important role in brain function. Earlier studies reported alterations in DNA integrity in the brain regions of neurological disorders like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases. However, there are only limited studies on DNA stability in an aging brain and the factors responsible for genomic instability are still not clear. In this study, we assess the levels of Copper (Cu), Iron (Fe) and Zinc (Zn) in three age groups (Group I: below 40 years), Group II: between 41-60 years) and Group III: above 61 years) in hippocampus and frontal cortex regions of normal brains. The number of samples in each group was eight. Genomic DNA was isolated and DNA integrity was studied by nick translation studies and presented as single and double strand breaks. The number of single strand breaks correspondingly increased with aging compared to double strand breaks. The strand breaks were more in frontal cortex compared to hippocampus. We observed that the levels of Cu and Fe are significantly elevated while Zn is significantly depleted as one progresses from Group I to Group III, indicating changes with aging in frontal cortex and hippocampus. But the elevation of metals was more in frontal cortical region compared to hippocampal region. There was a clear correlation between Cu and Fe levels versus strand breaks in aging brain regions. This indicates that genomic instability is progressive with aging and this will alter the gene expressions. To our knowledge, this is a new comprehensive database to date, looking at the levels of redox metals and corresponding strand breaks in DNA in two brain regions of the aging brain. The biological significance of these findings with relevance to mental health will be discussed.
Frequent and systematic unprotected anal intercourse among men using the Internet to meet other men for sexual purposes in France: results from the “Gay Net Barometer 2006” Survey

Abstract For men who have sex with men (MSM), the Internet has imposed itself in the past decade as the place to be to meet other men with similar interests for sex or just to surf in search of excitement. This is a biennial study on the MSM in France. Between December 2005 and February 2006, 15,085 MSM completed an online questionnaire on their social and sexual uses of the Internet. Participants in the “The Gay Net Barometer 2006” study responded to questions related to their sexual and sexual risk behaviours. One third of respondents reported at least one event of unprotected anal intercourse while 11.1% reported frequent or systematic unprotected anal intercourse. These sexual risk behaviours were associated with various sociodemographic and sexual variables in addition to the recruitment website. The study suggests Internet users are not a homogeneous group and intervention targeting of them should be based on an in-depth understanding of the sexual cultures operating within websites.
Mortality among teenagers aged 12-19 years: United States, 1999-2006.

KEY FINDINGS Data from the National Vital Statistics System-Mortality. An average of 16,375 teenagers 12-19 years died in the United States every year from 1999 to 2006. This is less than 1 percent of all deaths that occur every year in the United States. The five leading causes of death among teenagers are accidents (unintentional injuries), homicide, suicide, cancer, and heart disease. Accidents account for nearly one-half of all teenage deaths. As a category of accidents, motor vehicle fatality is the leading cause of death to teenagers, representing over one-third of all deaths. Among teenagers, non-Hispanic black males have the highest death rate (94.1 deaths per 100,000 population). Homicide is the leading cause of death for non-Hispanic black male teenagers. For all other groups, accident is the leading cause.
A new look at the forward premium “puzzle”

We decompose the spot and forward rates into (permanent) nonlinear trend components and (transitory) stationary components. We examine the unbiasedness of the permanent (transitory) component of the forward rate in predicting the permanent (transitory) component of its corresponding future spot rate. The transitory component of the future spot rate under reacts to the transitory component of the forward rate. However, the permanent component of the forward rate is an unbiased predictor of the permanent component of the future spot rate. A robust nonlinear cotrending relation is also found between the forward and future spot rates and the hypothesis of the forward‐rate unbiasedness is sustained in the long run. These results suggest that the forward rate better explains the long‐term behavior of the future spot rate. Simulation analysis shows that if the transitory component of the forward rate fully predicts the transitory component of the future spot rate, the forward premium puzzle disappears. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Jrl Fut Mark 31:599–628, 2011
The influence of religiosity on taxpayers’ compliance attitudes: Empirical evidence from a mixed-methods study in Malaysia

Purpose - – This paper aims to explore the role of religiosity in determining taxpayers’ attitudes towards tax compliance and discusses likely explanations for the findings in the context of the literature. Design/methodology/approach - – A sequential exploratory mixed-methods research design was used in this study. Data were collected using a self-administered survey which involved approximately 300 individual taxpayers in Malaysia, followed by face-to-face interviews with 14 individual taxpayers. Majority of the respondents in both survey and interviews were salaried taxpayers, and the remaining were self-employed taxpayers. Findings - – Religiosity is found to have a minimal but statistically significant positive impact on voluntary tax compliance. This probably can be explained by the strong religious values held by many Malaysians, as well as the concept of giving which has been emphasised in almost all religions. Research limitations/implications - – Because this study did not differentiate between religious values and moral values in measuring the source of respondents’ internal values, there was a possibility that their internal values may be derived from both sources. Hence, comparing the impact of individuals’ religious values with individuals’ moral values that have no influence from religion on tax compliance is suggested for future research. Practical implications - – A new mechanism is suggested to the Malaysian tax authority in regards to the treatment of religious payment to reduce the sense of inequality among citizens and taxpayers. Originality/value - – This study enriches the limited literature of tax compliance from the perspective of developing countries, particularly Malaysia, and adds to the limited literature internationally from a religiosity perspective.
Integrating Time Into Family Business Research

Organizational ambidexterity refers to a firm’s ability to pursue both exploitation and exploration orientations. Despite research that suggests ambidexterity is a critical phenomenon in family firms, few studies directly examine the role of ambidexterity over time in family business. This study examines how family firm ambidexterity changes over time as a result of temporal-, firm-, and industry-level factors. We find that family firm ambidexterity is stable over time, punctuated by dramatic changes. We also find that the level of innovation required to compete in an industry is a predictor of changes in exploration versus exploitation over time among family firms.
Equal opportunities, true options or hidden unemployment? A comparative perspective on labour-market marginality

Previous studies have shown that women generally adjust to unemployment better than men. This study shows that young women value work equally as highly as men, and have negative feelings when unemployed, which indicates the existence of a closed gender gap. However, children have a different influence on men’s and women’s unemployment experiences. Being a parent increases job-search activity and work involvement among men. On the other hand, children moderate negative experiences of unemployment among women, and they decrease their job-search activity and work involvement. Being a parent increases labour-market marginality among young unemployed women. For young men it is a motivational factor for searching for and getting a job. The comparison shows furthermore that patterns of re-employment vary in the involved countries: Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Scotland. They reflect differences in the overall unemployment situation in the countries and the welfare strategies applied.
What is Service Quality When ‘Service’ Equals Regulation?

A econometric model was developed to study Japanese tourist arrivals in British Columbia. Based on quarterly tourist arrival statistics, this study also examined the stability of the parameters of the model over nine holding periods. It was found that the income and habit variables were significant in all the nine holding periods while the exchange rate variable only contributed to the explanation of the dependent variable in two particular periods. The study also found that the number of Japanese tourists has reached full capacity in the summer season, but there is still potential for growth in the winter season. Implications of the findings to the development of the Japanese tourists market in British Columbia were discussed.
Probing Single Vacancies in Black Phosphorus at the Atomic Level

Utilizing a combination of low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy (STM/STS) and electronic structure calculations, we characterize the structural and electronic properties of single atomic vacancies within several monolayers of the surface of black phosphorus. We illustrate, with experimental analysis and tight-binding calculations, that we can depth profile these vacancies and assign them to specific sublattices within the unit cell. Measurements reveal that the single vacancies exhibit strongly anisotropic and highly delocalized charge density, laterally extended up to 20 atomic unit cells. The vacancies are then studied with STS, which reveals in-gap resonance states near the valence band edge and a strong p-doping of the bulk black phosphorus crystal. Finally, quasiparticle interference generated near these vacancies enables the direct visualization of the anisotropic band structure of black phosphorus.
Quantification of Lumbar Stability by Using 2 Different Abdominal Activation Strategies

Physiotherapeutischer Hintergrund In der Rehabilitation lumbopelviner Beschwerden zeigen Stabilisations bungen eine gewisse Effektivit t. Die tieferen Mechanismen und Wirkungsweisen der „stabilisierenden Strategien“ sind jedoch bislang nicht richtig gekl rt. Der Weg, wie Patienten ihre Bauchmuskulatur aktivieren sollen, stellt bei der Stabilisation in der Rehabilitation von R ckenbeschwerden ein zentrales Thema dar. Untersuchungen bei R ckenschmerzpatienten ergaben, dass der M. transversus abdominis verzçgert rekrutiert [3]. Dies f hrte zu der Annahme, dass derartige Auff lligkeiten mit einer instabilen Wirbels ule korrelieren und damit Beschwerden verursachen kçnnen [3]. Hodges und Richardson [2] stellten 1996 die Abdominal-hollowing-Technik als effektive Technik zur Rehabilitation dieser Dysfunktion vor. Seither dominieren in physiotherapeutischen Konzepten schonende Bauchmuskel bungen mit dem Ziel, den M. transversus abdominis selektiv, ohne eine begleitende Kontraktion der oberfl chlichen Muskeln zu aktivieren und damit die segmentale Stabilit t zu erhçhen. Richardson et al. [5] untersuchten den Einfluss von Atmung (Bracing) im Vergleich zur Abdominal-hollowing-Technik auf die ISG-Stabilit t. Die Autoren stellten eine erhçhte Stabilit t fest, folgerten aber trotzdem, dass Abdominal hollowing effektiver sei [5]. Das Ziel dieser Studie bestand deshalb darin, die Wirkung des gezielten Abdominal hollowing mit der Kontraktion des gesamten Bauches zu vergleichen und den Einfluss der jeweiligen Strategie auf die mechanische Wirbels ulenstabilit t zu untersuchen?
Nowcasting and predicting data revisions using panel survey data

The qualitative responses that firms give to business survey questions regarding changes in their own output provide a real-time signal of official output changes. The most commonly used method to produce an aggregate quantitative indicator from business survey responses-the net balance or diffusion index-has changed little in 40 years. This paper investigates whether an improved real-time signal of official output data changes can be derived from a recently advanced method on the aggregation of survey data from panel responses. We find, in a New Zealand application, that exploiting the panel dimension to qualitative survey data gives a better in-sample signal about official data than traditional methods. Out-of-sample, it is less clear that it matters how survey data are quantified, with simpler and more parsimonious methods hard to improve. It is clear, nevertheless, that survey data, exploited in some form, help to explain revisions to official data. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Does tropical weather condition affect investor behaviour? Case of Indonesian stock market

Several studies have been employed to discuss the link between weather and market returns. However, our research is different in three ways. We employed in tropical country, added extreme condition, and covering the entire Indonesia weather proportionally. This paper revisits the weather-induced moods effect on economic behaviour and found that weather condition, namely temperature level, and clouds cover has no influences on market returns and trading volume over period from 1999 to 2012. This research does not find any evidence of a link between temperature and market return because the tropical situation in Indonesia. However, cloud cover has an effect on the market; implying a role of affection bias in investor behaviour.
Identification of homozygous lipoprotein lipase gene mutation in a woman with recurrent aggravation of hypertriglyceridaemia induced by pregnancy

Shigeki Suga, Naoki Tamasawa, Ichiro Kinpara, Hiroshi Murakami, Nobuhiko Kasai, Tomio Onuma, Yasuyuki Ikeda, Atsuko Takagi, Toshihiro Suda (Hirosaki University School of Medicine, Aomori; and National Cardiovascular Center Research Institute, Osaka, Japan). Identification of homozygous lipoprotein lipase gene mutation in a woman with recurrent aggravation of hyperglyceridaemia induced by pregnancy (Case Report). J Intern Med 1998; 243: 317–21.
Monocyte Adhesion, Migration, and Extracellular Matrix Breakdown Are Regulated by Integrin αVβ3 in Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infection

In tuberculosis (TB), the innate inflammatory immune response drives tissue destruction, morbidity, and mortality. Monocytes secrete matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), which have key roles in local tissue destruction and cavitation. We hypothesized that integrin signaling might regulate monocyte MMP secretion in pulmonary TB during cell adhesion to the extracellular matrix (ECM). Adhesion to type I collagen and fibronectin by Mycobacterium tuberculosis–stimulated monocytes increased MMP-1 gene expression by 2.6-fold and 4.3-fold respectively, and secretion by 60% (from 1208.1 ± 186 to 1934.4 ± 135 pg/ml; p < 0.0001) and 63% (1970.3 ± 95 pg/ml; p < 0.001). MMP-10 secretion increased by 90% with binding to type I collagen and 55% with fibronectin, whereas MMP-7 increased 57% with collagen. The ECM did not affect the secretion of tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases-1 or -2. Integrin αVβ3 surface expression was specifically upregulated in stimulated monocytes and was further increased after adhesion to type I collagen. Binding of either β3 or αV integrin subunits increased MMP-1/10 secretion in M. tuberculosis–stimulated monocytes. In a cohort of TB patients, significantly increased integrin β3 mRNA accumulation in induced sputum was detected, to our knowledge, for the first time, compared with control subjects (p < 0.05). Integrin αVβ3 colocalized with areas of increased and functionally active MMP-1 on infected monocytes, and αVβ3 blockade markedly decreased type I collagen breakdown, and impaired both monocyte adhesion and leukocyte migration in a transwell system (p < 0.0001). In summary, our data demonstrate that M. tuberculosis stimulation upregulates integrin αVβ3 expression on monocytes, which upregulates secretion of MMP-1 and -10 on adhesion to the ECM. This leads to increased monocyte recruitment and collagenase activity, which will drive inflammatory tissue damage.
Peddling Influence through Intermediaries

A sender may communicate with a decision maker through intermediaries. In this model, an objective sender and intermediary pass on information truthfully, while biased ones favor a particular agenda but also have reputational concerns. I show that the biased sender and the biased intermediary's reporting truthfulness are strategic complements. The biased sender is less likely to use an intermediary than an objective sender if his reputational concerns are low, but more likely to do so if his reputational concerns are moderate. Moreover, the biased sender may be more likely to use an intermediary perceived to be more biased. (JEL D82, D83)