Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Voyage of the Self: Experiencing the subjective zone of international travel

Abstract International travel not only generates large‐scale human movements across national boundaries, but also facilitates the construction of dynamic and meaningful experiences. This study explored international travel experience by determining, for a selected group of travellers from mainland China who visited the US in the summer of 2005, how the travellers’ identities were shaped by the practice of international travel and, at the same time, how their interpretations of the travel experience were shaped by the emerging identities. The study involved 18 semi‐structured interviews which revealed diverse selfperceptions among the travellers. The narratives of the travellers demonstrated that the overseas travel provided them with an opportunity to define and negotiate alternative identities in the course of interaction with the local community. The findings showed that travel clearly entailed an internal voyage in which the travellers were in the process of discovery of who they and others are. As demonstrated in their narratives, the interviewees mostly reflected on their identities as foreigners, travellers, Chinese nationals, and their experience of developing a renewed sense of self. These categories are clearly a simplification of the complex and multiple identities that each of the travellers might embrace, but they served as a starting point in exploring the diversity of voices revealed in this study. It also appeared that reflection on these forms of identity did not always imply enduring and profound changes to the psyche of the travellers, but rather facilitated a learning process in which they obtained new resources to understand themselves as well as others.
Total ApoE and ApoE4 Isoform Assays in an Alzheimer's Disease Case-control Study by Targeted Mass Spectrometry (n = 669): A Pilot Assay for Methionine-containing Proteotypic Peptides*

Allelic polymorphism of the apolipoprotein E (ApoE) gene (ApoE ε2, ApoE ε3 and ApoE ε4 alleles) gives rise to three protein isoforms (ApoE2, ApoE3 and ApoE4) that differ by 1 or 2 amino acids. Inheritance of the ApoE ε4 allele is a risk factor for developing Alzheimer's disease (AD). The potential diagnostic value of ApoE protein levels in biological fluids (i.e. cerebrospinal fluid, plasma and serum) for distinguishing between AD patients and healthy elderly subjects is subject to great controversy. Although a recent study reported subnormal total ApoE and ApoE4 levels in the plasma of AD patients, other studies have found normal or even elevated protein levels (versus controls). Because all previously reported assays were based on immunoenzymatic techniques, we decided to develop an orthogonal assay based on targeted mass spectrometry by tracking (i) a proteotypic peptide common to all ApoE isoforms and (ii) a peptide that is specific for the ε4 allele. After trypsin digestion, the ApoE4-specific peptide contains an oxidation-prone methionine residue. The endogenous methionine oxidation level was evaluated in a small cohort (n = 68) of heterozygous ε3ε4 carriers containing both healthy controls and AD patients. As expected, the proportion of oxidized residues varied from 0 to 10%, with an average of 5%. We therefore developed a standardized strategy for the unbiased, absolute quantification of ApoE4, based on performic acid oxidization of methionine. Once the sample workflow had been thoroughly validated, it was applied to the concomitant quantification of total ApoE and ApoE4 isoform in a large case-control study (n = 669). The final measurements were consistent with most previously reported ApoE concentration values and confirm the influence of the different alleles on the protein expression level. Our results illustrate (i) the reliability of selected reaction monitoring-based assays and (ii) the value of the oxidization step for unbiased monitoring of methionine-containing proteotypic peptides. Furthermore, a statistical analysis indicated that neither total ApoE and ApoE4 levels nor the ApoE/ApoE4 ratio correlated with the diagnosis of AD. These findings reinforce the conclusions of previous studies in which plasma ApoE levels had no obvious clinical significance.
Stock Price Reactions to The Wall Street Journal's Securities Recommendations

Abstract This paper examines the impact of the “Heard-on-the-Street” (HOTS) column of The Wall Street Journal on common stock prices. The results of the study indicate that the HOTS column appears to have an impact on stock prices on the publication day; however, we also find a smaller, but statistically significant, impact on two days preceding the publication. The significant abnormal returns on these days are associated with higher trading volume. The reaction of stock prices is symmetric with respect to the buy and sell recommendations, and the impact of single-company recommendations is greater than the impact of the multi-company recommendations.
A Test of Perfect Substitutability in the Foreign Exchange Market

I. Motivations for the Test The question of whether or not domestic bonds are perfect substitutes for foreign bonds in investors' portfolios, implying that the expected rates of returns must be equalized across currencies, is an important one for two reasons. The question is crucial, first, for choosing among various asset-market models of exchange rate determination and, second, for evaluating tests of efficiency in the forward exchange market. To illuminate the first motivation, a brief discussion of models of exchange rate determination is necessary. All "asset-market" models share the assumption that there are no significant transactions costs, capital controls, or other impediments to the international flow of capital. Thus actual portfolios adjust instantaneously to equal desired portfolios. This implies, for example, covered interest parity: the domestic interest rate should differ from the foreign interest rate by an amount exactly equal to the forward discount rate. Perfect substitutability between domestic and foreign bonds is the stronger assumption that market participants are indifferent as to the currency composition of their portfolio. It implies uncovered interest parity: the domestic interest rate must differ from the foreign interest rate by an amount exactly equal to the expected rate of depreciation. The perfect substitutability assumption is far from standard. In fact, exchange rate models within the asset-market view can be classified into those that belong to the "monetary approach," defined by the assumption of perfect substitutability, and those that belong to the "portfolio-balance approach," defined by the assumption of imperfect substitutability. In the portfolio-balance approach, investors hold well-defined proportions of their wealth in the form of each country's assets, with the proportions depending on the expected rates of return, as in equation (1):
Optimal forest management for timber value and carbon sequestration benefits in tropical planted forests: a case study of household foresters in Vietnam

Abstract Enhancing carbon sequestration is crucial to mitigate rising global levels of greenhouse gases, and for developing countries, carbon sequestration may also provide economic benefits via international carbon trading schemes. This study aimed to determine the optimal management strategy for tropical planted forests when timber and carbon sequestration are valued. The survey data were collected from 291 household foresters, who were growing Eucalyptus urophylla and Acacia mangium in Yen Bai Province, Vietnam. The regression exercise suggests that financial status was negatively correlated with forest management practices, and ethnicity and financial status were correlated with carbon sequestration management. The survey results suggest that the mean rotation age employed by household foresters is five years. However, the optimization modelling suggests that the optimal rotation age for maximizing net present value is greater than nine years. The differences between current practices and optimal practices therefore favour a role for government policy interventions.
Environmental Sustainability in Sport Facility Management: A Delphi Study

Abstract This Delphi study examines environmental sustainability (ES) in sport facility management. The study includes three questionnaire iterations with 31 expert participants from 16 major North American sport facilities. The results reveal the state of sport facility ES, including the reported value, financial support, best practices, challenges and delineated competencies for students seeking to enter the field. In addition, emerging trends are discussed based on a vision of ES in the sport facility industry by the year 2015. The results of this study are applied to sport management education in an effort to guide educators to initiate classroom discussions and debates that can shape discourse on ES. It is hoped that this discourse can provide insights, assumptions, values, options, theory and foster the development of student competencies for ES.
Capital Requirements, Business Loans, and Business Cycles: An Empirical Analysis of the Standardized Approach in the New Basel Capital Accord

In the current regulatory framework, capital requirements are based on risk-weighted assets, but all business loans carry a uniform risk weight, irrespective of variations in credit risk. The proposed new Capital Accord of the Bank for International Settlements provides for a greater sensitivity of capital requirements to credit risk, raising the question of whether, and to what extent, the new capital standards will intensify business cycles. In this paper, we evaluate the potential cyclical effects of the "standardized approach" to risk evaluation in the new Accord, which involves the ratings of external agencies. We combine Moody's data on changes in U.S. borrowers' credit ratings since 1970 with estimates of the risk profile of business loans at commercial banks from the Survey of Terms of Business Lending, and also a risk profile estimated by Treacy and Carey (1998). We find that the level of required capital against business loans would be noticeably lower under the new Accord compared with the current regime. We do not find evidence of any substantial additional cyclicality in required capital levels under the standardized approach of the new Accord relative to the current regime.
Refractive and ocular biometric profile of children with a history of laser treatment for retinopathy of prematurity

Purpose: Indian children belong to a diverse socioeconomic strata with retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) developing in mature, higher birth weight babies as well. The purpose of our study is to analyze the long-term status of refractive errors and its relationship with ocular biometry in children with ROP who were laser treated at a tertiary center in North India. Methods: Cross sectional study. Children (<16 years) enrolled from January 2014 to December 2014 with a history of laser treatment for ROP and examined for refractive and biometric status. Results: Thirty-six children presenting to us at the mean age of 7.37 ± 3.07 years (6–15 years) were included. Mean spherical equivalent (SE) was −4.05 D ± 5.10. 75% were myopic, with high astigmatism in 31%. Higher lens thickness (P = 0.03) and higher SE (P = 0.002) at 1 year postnatal age were predictors of larger SE. 79.4% achieved a favorable functional outcome (visual acuity ≥20/40). 5.88% achieved unsatisfactory outcome (<20/200) despite having a favorable structural outcome. Conclusion: There are a substantial number of children who develop myopia and high astigmatism while undergoing laser treatment for ROP. We found myopia in our cohort to be lenticular and greater axial length contributing to the development of high myopia. An initial large refractive error predicts the future development of myopia in these children. Nearly 6% of patients with good structural outcome have unexplained subnormal vision. Our threshold for prescribing glasses in these children should be low.
Norepinephrine Infused into the Basolateral Amygdala Posttraining Enhances Retention in a Spatial Water Maze Task

Recent evidence indicates that the amygdala plays a role in modulating memory processes in other brain regions. For example, posttraining intra-amygdala infusions of amphetamine enhanced memory in both spatial and cued training water maze tasks; these tasks are known to depend on the integrity of the hippocampus and caudate nucleus, respectively. To determine whether this modulation is dependent on noradrenergic activation within a subregion of the amygdala (the basolateral nucleus), the present study examined the effects of posttraining microinfusions (0.2 microl) of norepinephrine or propranolol into the basolateral amygdala immediately following training in a spatial version of the water maze task. Rats received a four-trial training session on each of 2 consecutive days. On the third day, rats were given a 60-s probe test in the absence of a platform. Retention latencies obtained on the second training day revealed that norepinephrine dose-dependently enhanced retention for the location of the hidden platform. In contrast, propranolol significantly impaired retention. Probe trial analysis revealed that rats treated with 0.25 microg norepinephrine demonstrated a selective spatial bias for the training platform location relative to all other groups. These findings are consistent with others and support the view that the basolateral amygdala has a role in modulating memory storage by interacting with other brain regions.
Fine‐needle aspiration cytology of intraductal papillary mucinous tumors of the pancreas

Intraductal papillary mucinous tumors (IPMT) account for 5% of pancreatic neoplasms. Preoperative identification is important because of their frequent multifocal or diffuse involvement in pancreatic ducts, which makes extensive surgery necessary even in benign cases. To the authors' knowledge, the cytologic features of this entity in fine‐needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) specimens have seldom been described and are poorly standardized.
Evidence for an Accessory Protein Function for Toll-Like Receptor 1 in Anti-Bacterial Responses1

Members of the Toll-like receptor (TLR) family are components of the mammalian anti-microbial response, signaling with a domain closely related to that of IL-1 receptors. In this report the expression and function of TLR1, a TLR of unknown function, are examined. TLR1 is expressed by monocytes, as demonstrated using a novel mAb. Monocytes also express TLR2. TLR1 transfection of HeLa cells, which express neither TLR1 nor TLR2, was not sufficient to confer responsiveness to several microbial extracts. However, cotransfection of TLR1 and TLR2 resulted in enhanced signaling by HeLa cells to soluble factors released from Neisseria meningitidis relative to the response with either TLR alone. This phenomenon was also seen with high concentrations of some preparations of LPS. The N. meningitidis factors recognized by TLR1/TLR2 were not released by N. meningitidis mutant in the LpxA gene. Although LpxA is required for LPS biosynthesis, because cooperation between TLR1 and TLR2 was not seen with all LPS preparations, the microbial component(s) TLR1/2 recognizes is likely to be a complex of LPS and other molecules or a compound metabolically and chemically related to LPS. The functional IL-1R consists of a heterodimer; this report suggests a similar mechanism for TLR1 and TLR2, for certain agonists. These data further suggest that mammalian responsiveness to some bacterial products may be mediated by combinations of TLRs, suggesting a mechanism for diversifying the repertoire of Toll-mediated responses.
The Dynamic Impacts of Monetary Policy: An Exercise in Tentative Identification

It is currently popular to identify monetary policy shocks with innovations in some measure of reserves or in the federal funds rate. These assumptions about the interest elasticity of the supply of or demand for reserves imply monetary policy shocks that produce dynamic responses of macroeconomic variables that are anomalous relative to traditional monetary analyses. This paper tentatively identifies supply and demand shocks in the markets for reserves and M2 for the 1980s and contrasts them with results for the 1970s. In the later period, identified monetary policy shocks have dynamic impacts that are fully consistent with traditional analyses.
A Cohort Analysis of Consumption and Earnings in Iran: 1984-2002

Iran has experienced a multitude of changes in recent decades. Revolution, war, peace, more mundane macroeconomic shocks, as well as dramatic changes in fertility and household structure. The conventional description of these events uses aggregate data such as GDP per capita, household size, and total fertility rate (TFR) to show how these events have been translated to average behavior. Household surveys can tell us more about these events that we can glean from changes in mere averages from one survey to the next. Due to the fact that consumption, earnings, and household formation depend on the age of the person, when he was born, and what particular year we are looking at, we consider the evolution of consumption and earnings of cohorts of individuals or households. By grouping individuals or households into cohorts, as opposed to aggregating all of them, we are able to obtain separate age, cohort, and time profiles. The time effects pick up the trends noticeable in the macro data, whereas the age profiles show the typical inverted U-shape. The cohort profiles show that, after taking into account the age of head of the household and year of survey, the younger generation in Iran has fared better than the older generation in the post-revolution transition.
Corporate Governance and Performance: Evidence from the Italian Listed Local Public Utilities (2000–2008)

Abstract Despite a lively research commitment, convergent results on the relationship between corporate governance and performance are still missing in the literature to date. This is particularly true for those firms which, either fully or partially, changed their nature from public to private in the last few years. Thus, this article aims at contributing to fill this gap by presenting the findings of a multiple case study analysis conducted on the Italian local public utilities listed at the Milan Stock Exchange in the years between 2000 and 2008. The ongoing privatization process of these firms allows this sample to be considered as a particularly interesting research vehicle. From our analysis, the main results are not wholly conclusive. This seems to support those theses that argue that understanding the real impact of corporate governance practices on the performance of firms still needs further improvement. The article is primarily intended for board members, managers, and scholars who want to enhance public governance, strategy, and decision making by improving the comprehension of the possible relationships among the boards' structure and composition, governance practices and corporate performance.
Vector-Borne Diseases, Surveillance, Prevention Spatial and Temporal Variation in Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) Numbers in the Yogyakarta Area of Java, Indonesia, With Implications for Wolbachia Releases

Novel approaches to suppress dengue and other mosquito-borne diseases involve changing the composition of mosquito vector populations, particularly through Wolbachia endosymbionts. The success of these strategies depends on understanding the dynamics of vector populations. In preparation for Wolbachia releases around Yogyakarta, we have studied Aedes populations in five hamlets. Adult monitoring with BioGentSentinel (BG-S) traps indicated that hamlet populations had different dynamics across the year; while there was an increase in Aedes aegypti (L.) and Aedes albopictus (Skuse) numbers in the wet season, species abundance remained relatively stable in some hamlets but changed markedly (>2 fold) in others. Local rainfall a month prior to monitoring partly predicted numbers of Ae. aegypti but not Ae. albopictus. Site differences in population size indicated by BG-S traps were also evident in ovitrap data. Egg or larval collections with ovitraps repeated at the same location suggested spatial autocorrelation (<250 m) in the areas of the hamlets where Ae. aegypti numbers were high. Overall, there was a weak negative association (r< 0.43) between Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus numbers in ovitraps when averaged across collections. Ae. albopictus numbers in ovitraps and BG-S traps were positively correlated with vegetation around areas where traps were placed, while Ae. aegypti were negatively correlated with this feature. These data inform intervention strategies by defining periods when mosquito densities are high, highlighting the importance of local site characteristics on populations, and suggesting relatively weak interactions between Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus. They also indicate local areas within hamlets where consistently high mosquito densities may influence Wolbachia invasions and other interventions.
Do Foreign Direct Investment and Gross Domestic Investment Promote Economic Growth?

The paper attempts to show causal relationships between economic growth and FDI and GDI in 80 countries over the period 1971-95, by using a panel VAR model. The results show that FDI Granger-causes economic growth, and vice versa; however, the effects are rather more apparent from growth to FDI than from FDI to growth. Also, GDI does not Granger-cause economic growth, but economic growth robustly Granger-causes GDI. These findings suggest that strong positive associations between economic growth and FDI inflows or GDI rates do not necessarily mean that high FDI inflows or GDI rates lead to rapid economic growth. Copyright Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2003
Development of genetic evaluations for fertility traits in Austrian and German Dairy cattle

As reported in many countries decreased reproductive performance is the main reason for involuntary culling of dairy cows in Austria and Germany (ADR, 2005; ZuchtData, 2006). Low reproductive performance of dairy cows results in additional insemination costs and costs for veterinary treatments and prolonged calving intervals. Hence, a high fertility is of great importance with regard to economic efficiency of cattle breeding. To improve the joint genetic evaluation for fertility in Austria and Germany the project ‘Development of genetic evaluations for fertility traits in cattle’ was implemented in November 2004. Overall aims are the increase of economic efficiency and a longterm genetic improvement of fertility.
Welfare Cost of Business Cycles in Economies with Individual Consumption Risk

The welfare cost of random consumption fluctuations is known from De Santis (2007) to be increasing in the level of individual consumption risk in the economy. It is also known from Barillas et al. (2009) to increase if agents in the economy care about robustness to model misspecification. In this paper, we combine these two effects and calculate the cost of business cycles in an economy with consumers who face individual consumption risk and who fear model misspecification. We find that individual risk has a greater impact on the cost of business cycles if agents already have a preference for robustness. Correspondingly, we find that endowing agents with concerns about a preference for robustness is more costly if there is already individual risk in the economy. The combined effect exceeds the sum of the individual effects.
New evidence on export expansion, economic growth and causality in China

This paper extends the work by Mah (2005) on the causality between export expansion and economic growth in China by adding imports as additional variable in a trivariate framework. Interestingly, this paper has empirically found no long-run relationships among exports, real Gross Domestic Product, and imports. This paper further shows no long- and short-run causality, at least in Granger's sense, between export expansion and economic growth in China, but economic growth does Granger-cause imports in the short run.