Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Social Interactions and Smoking Initiation: The Intergenerational Impact of Cigarette Taxes

This paper explores the role of social interactions on a youth’s decision to begin smoking. Specifically, we estimate the effect of cigarette taxes during early childhood on beginning smoking later in adolescence in a discrete-time hazard model. These taxes do not directly affect children but may change the prevalence of smoking among parents, older relatives, or other adults. We find that a $0.25 cigarette tax increase during childhood decreases smoking initiation by 12.5 percent. Our results suggest that parents and older siblings do not account for the entire intergenerational effect, so other members of the community also likely play a role. Prior work understates the total effect of cigarette taxes by not considering this indirect channel. JEL Classification: H71, I12, I18
Study of clinical profile of patients of bipolar mood disorder with and without substance abuse and clinical course variables in the substance abusing bipolar group in one of the tertiary care centre of North India

Bipolar affective disorder is the sixth leading cause of disability worldwide and has a lifetime prevalence of about 3% in general population. According to DSM-V Bipolar is characterized by occurrence of one or more manic episodes or manic episodes with depressive episodes. Episodes of substance induced mood disorder or of mood disorders due to general medical condition do not count towards a diagnosis of bipolar disorder. DSM-V defines substance abuse as a maladaptive pattern of substance use manifested by recurrent significant adverse consequences related to repeated failure to fulfill major role of obligations, repeated use in situations in which it is physically hazardous, multiple legal problems, and recurrent social and interpersonal problems. The essential feature of substance dependence is a cluster of cognitive, behavioral and physiological symptoms indicating that the individual continues use of substance despite significant substance related problems. ABSTRACT
EQUILIBRIUM ENVIRONMENTAL TAXES ON INTERMEDIATE- GOOD PRODUCTION WHEN MARKETS ARE VERTICALLY RELATED IN OPEN ECONOMIES

The purpose of this research is to examine strategic incentives to distort the use of pollution taxes on intermediate-good production in a successively oligopoly model where both intermediate-good and final-good trade exist. Since the rent capture e#ects of the pollution tax, which depends on the trans-boundary externality(a), operate in opposite directions in the upstream and downstream sectors, the non-cooperative pollution tax level can be stricter or laxer than the cooperative tax level in accordance with the magnitude of the trans-boundary externality(a). If a is relatively small (resp. large), then the non-cooperative pollution tax is necessarily over-corrected (resp. under-corrected) in terms of world welfare. Moreover we also investigate the e#ect of trade liberalization on the equilibrium pollution tax.
Protecting against Inference Attacks on Co-Location Data

The proliferation of location-centric applications results in massive amounts of individual location data that can benefit domains such as transportation, urban planning, etc. However, sensitive personal data can be derived from location datasets. In particular, co-location of users can disclose one's social connections, intimate partners, business associates, etc. We derive a powerful inference attack that makes extensive use of background knowledge in order to expose an individual's co-locations. We also show that existing techniques for location protection, which do not focus specifically on co-locations, distort data excessively, resulting in sanitized datasets with poor utility. We propose three privacy mechanisms that are customized for co-locations, and provide various trade-offs in terms of user privacy and data utility. Our extensive experimental evaluation on a real geo-social network dataset shows that the proposed approaches achieve good data utility and do a good job of protecting against discovery of co-locations, even when confronted with a powerful adversary.
Agency Problems, Firm Performance and Monitoring Mechanisms: The Evidence from Collateralized Shares

This paper indicates that there is an inverse relationship between collateralized shares and firm performance. Furthermore when the entire sample is divided into a sub-sample of conglomerate firms and a sub-sample of non-conglomerate firms, we show that this inverse relationship exists only in conglomerate firms. These findings imply that agency problems resulting from shares used as collateral by boards of directors are more serious in conglomerate firms than in non-conglomerate firms. Moreover, we provide evidence that monitoring by institutional investors, creditors and dividend policy can effectively reduce the agency problems of shares used as collateral and thus can improve firm performance. Empirical findings indicate that institutional holdings, debt ratio and dividend payout ratio can mitigate the negative effect of agency problems on firm performance. In addition, monitoring mechanisms are more beneficial for conglomerate firms than for non-conglomerate
Replacing Workers: Is It a Boon or a Bane for Firm Productivity?

Using a uniquely rich longitudinal matched employer-employee data set, this paper is the first to investigate the impact of replacing workers, as measured by excess worker turnover, on firm productivity. Using a modified version of the method proposed by Ackerberg et al. (2006), that allows to take into account unobserved heterogeneity, an augmented production function with excess worker turnover entering as the regressor of interest is estimated. The main result is that replacing workers is beneficial to firm productivity. A 1 standard deviation increase in the excess worker turnover rate is estimated to increase productivity by 0.81%. The possibility of finding more suitable employer-employee matches and the presence of knowledge spillover effects are seen as the main determinants of the impact. Robustness checks indicate that the impact has an inverted U-shape, suggesting that, beyond a certain point, replacing workers ends up being harmful. However, since about 90% of firms lie before this point, increases in excess worker turnover are beneficial for the vast majority of them. They also suggest that the effect is diversified across different categories of firms. High-tech firms and firms belonging to industrial districts benefit the most from excess worker turnover. On the contrary, young and very small firms seem to even suffer from it.
Cross-front variations in adult abundance and recruitment of Patagonian scallop (Zygochlamys patagonica) at the SW Atlantic Shelf Break Front

Mauna, A. C. , Franco, B. C. , Baldoni, A. , Acha, E. M. , Lasta, M. L. , and Iribarne, O. O. 2008. Cross-front variations in adult abundance and recruitment of Patagonian scallop (Zygochlamys patagonica) at the SW Atlantic Shelf Break Front. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 65. We studied cross-front variations in adult abundance and recruitment of Patagonian scallop (Zygochlamys patagonica) and their relationship with the Shelf Break Front and satellite-derived chlorophyll a in the Southwest Atlantic between 388S and 39830 0 S. Integrated data from commercial fleets (CF, 1996 – 2005), research cruises (RC, 1998 –2005), sea surface temperature (SST; 1985 – 1997), and satellite-derived chlorophyll a (CSAT; 1998 –2004) were included in the analysis. One-way ANOVA was used to assess differences in recruitment and scallop abundance in a cross-front direction. The abundance of scallops was greatest (RC . 200 kg h 21 ) closer to the onshore side of the front or beneath it, and the East– West extension of scallop beds (40 km) matched the seasonal zonal displacement of the front (37 km). The highest CSAT gradients were west of or matched the position of the front. The annual mean position of the front correlated with the spatial variability in recruitment within areas where the species recruited successfully (RC . 2000 h 21 ). The spatial variability in adult abundance and recruitment of scallops is strongly related to the spatial variability in the position of the front and with the high CSAT concentrations associated with it.
Effects of Second Step Curriculum on Behavioral and Academic Outcomes in 5th and 8th Grade Students: A Longitudinal Study on Character Development.

School-based programs designed to reduce problem behaviors, increase prosocial behaviors, and improve academic achievement have often been characterized as social-emotional learning or character development (education) programs. This longitudinal study investigated effects of such a program, called Second Step, on observed problem behaviors, observed prosocial behaviors, and school grades across 4 school semesters for 5 to 8 grade students. A sample of 5,189 from 35 schools (16 control and 19 treatment schools) in an open-enrollment charter school system participated. Results from a three-level longitudinal growth model analysis indicated that students in the treatment schools (with Second Step curriculum) attained higher school grades and exhibited fewer problem behaviors than students in the control schools across 4 school semesters. Students in the treatment schools also exhibited more prosocial behaviors, but this increase was marginally significant or approaching significance. The findings have implications for promoting a positive classroom or school climate that supports engagement and achievement.
Aligning strategic orientation with local market conditions

Purpose – One role of a foreign subsidiary within a multinational corporation’s (MNC’s) global portfolio is to connect the MNC to foreign customers. To examine this key customer contact point, this study aims to examine the linkages between local market conditions and strategic orientation, and how strategic orientation influences knowledge management capabilities of MNC subsidiaries, employing the Miles and Snow strategic orientation perspective. Design/methodology/approach – A survey was conducted of 112 managers in foreign MNC subsidiaries in Croatia. Data were analyzed with both discriminant analysis and MANCOVA. Findings – The results indicate that in highly dynamic and competitively intense markets, MNC subsidiaries primarily employ a Prospector orientation. Furthermore, the results indicate that there is a significant difference in knowledge management capabilities among subsidiaries depending on their strategic orientation, with the Prospector orientation most closely aligned with knowledge acquisition, knowledge conversion and knowledge application. Practical implications – The findings highlight the importance of strategic orientation in MNC subsidiaries tailoring to local market conditions. The results suggest that MNC subsidiaries undertaking a Prospector strategic orientation develop greater knowledge acquisition, conversion and application capabilities. Originality/value – This study conceptualizes the MNC subsidiary as a key marketing element of the global MNC whole and examines the nuanced relationships between the host environment and MNC foreign subsidiary strategic orientation as well as MNC subsidiary strategic orientation and knowledge management relationship.
Regional human capital inequality in Europe in the long run, 1850 – 2010

Human capital is an important factor for economic and social development, as has been underlined by recent theoretical models. A range of contributions has focused on the international evolution of human capital over the last decades and beyond. However, the regional dimension of human capital in Europe remains insufficiently explored, particularly in a long-run perspective. For this reason, this paper addresses this gap in the literature and highlights the regional evolution of human capital in Europe between 1850 and 2010 by using numeracy, literacy and educational attainment proxies. The results show that intranational inequalities in human capital have always been important and are in a number of cases more important than international differences.
Investigating the pyrolysis kinetics of Pinus sylvestris using thermogravimetric analysis

Thermogravimetric analyses of Pinus sylvestris from Xinxiang were performed to investigate its kinetic characteristics, which could provide information for industrial applications. Thermal degradation experiments were conducted at various heating rates of 10 °C/min, 20 °C/min, and 60 °C/min using a thermogravimetric analysis-differential scanning calorimetry (TG-DSC) analyzer with an inert environment. The peak pyrolysis temperatures of the three major components (hemicellulose, cellulose, and lignin) were predicted by the Kissinger-Kai method, and activation energy values (Eα) were calculated. The Eα of Pinus sylvestris was also estimated by two model-free methods. The decomposition reactions of hemicellulose, cellulose, and lignin at different temperatures were the main reason for fluctuations in Eα. The time for heat transfer was less sufficient at a high heating rate compared with that at a low heating rate, which caused the temperature gradients in the samples. Therefore, the temperature of maximum exothermic peaks was higher than the maximum pyrolysis temperature. This kinetic study could be useful for providing guidance for optimizing the biomass pyrolysis process.
Synthesis and catalytic, antimicrobial and cytotoxicity evaluation of gold and silver nanoparticles using biodegradable, Π-conjugated polyamic acid

We hereby report a rapid, simple, and one pot synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) using conductive, electroactive and biodegradable poly(amic)acid (PAA) polymer as both the reductant and the stabilizer. The synthesized AgNPs and AuNPs were characterized using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution TEM (HRTEM), energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy. UV-vis spectra exhibit major peaks at 440 and 535 nm for AgNPs and AuNPs, respectively. The XRD patterns revealed four diffraction peaks at 38.12°, 44.07°, 64.27°, and 77.22° that can be indexed to the (111), (200), (220), and (311) planes of face-centered cubic (fcc) silver crystallites, respectively. The size of the crystallites along the [111] direction was estimated to be 4.2 ± 0.5 nm, which is in agreement with the TEM result. The effect of temperature on the formation of AgNPs in the presence of PAA was investigated and found to be significant at 100 °C, resulting in a silver–polyamic acid nanocomposite without altering the fcc crystal pattern. The prepared AuNPs and AgNPs were found to exhibit catalytic activity towards 4-nitrophenol and methylene blue with a rate constant of 5.2 × 10−3 s−1 and 1.09 × 10−2 s−1, respectively. Finally, the synthesized AgNPs exhibit excellent antibacterial activity against Gram negative (E. coli DH5 Alpha, E. coli 25922, Aeromonas hydrophila and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) and Gram positive (Listeria monocytogenes strains F2365 and HCC7 and S. epidermidis) bacteria in addition to modest cytotoxicity against non-cancerous immortalized IEC-6 and cancerous Caco-2 cell lines.
Social Capital, Resource Constraints and Low Growth Communities: Lifestyle Entrepreneurs in Nicaragua

In the context of the connections between lifestyle entrepreneurship and sustainability, we discuss the way in which social capital may partially substitute or compensate for manufactured and natural capital. In terms of methods we use a case study community of lifestyle entrepreneurs in Nicaragua, operating under conditions of material resource constraints and weak formal institutions. We find that social capital is highly important in such a community, with the entrepreneurs adopting a range of effectuation or coping practices that enable them to function. We document these practices and consider the broader implications of such capital substitution, noting the particularities of the case study but also the implications for sustainability and the economics of a materially resource-constrained world. We draw particularly on Bourdieu’s conception of social capital, which posits that societies inherently organize for multi-capital accumulation, a proposal that itself has implications for sustainability. We conclude that while significant substitution of social for manufactured and natural capital is feasible in communities with values that are supportive of this, it remains to be seen whether this would be attractive to the wider, consumer society.
Application of hepatic cytochrome b 5 / P 450 reductase null ( HBRN ) mice to study the role of cytochrome b 5 in the cytochrome P 450-mediated bioactivation of the anticancer drug

The anticancer drug ellipticine exerts its genotoxic effects after metabolic activation by cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes. The present study has examined the role of cytochrome P450 oxidoreductase (POR) and cytochrome b5 (Cyb5), electron donors to P450 enzymes, in the CYP-mediated metabolism and disposition of ellipticine in vivo. We used Hepatic Reductase Null (HRN) and Hepatic Cytochrome b5/P450 Reductase Null (HBRN) mice. HRN mice have POR deleted specifically in hepatocytes; HBRN mice also have Cyb5 deleted in the liver. Mice were treated once with 10mg/kg body weight ellipticine (n=4/group) for 24 h. Ellipticine-DNA adduct levels measured by P-postlabelling were significantly lower in HRN and HBRN livers than in wild-type (WT) livers; however no significant difference was observed between HRN and HBRN livers. Ellipticine-DNA adduct formation in WT, HRN and HBRN livers correlated with Cyp1a and Cyp3a enzyme activities measured in hepatic microsomes in the presence of NADPH confirming the importance of P450 enzymes in the bioactivation of ellipticine in vivo. Hepatic microsomal fractions were also utilised in incubations with ellipticine and DNA in the presence of NADPH, cofactor for POR, and NADH, cofactor for Cyb5 reductase (Cyb5R), to examine ellipticineDNA adduct formation. With NADPH adduct formation decreased as electron donors were lost which correlated with the formation of the reactive metabolites 12and 13-hydroxy-ellipticine in hepatic microsomes. No difference in adduct formation was observed in the presence of NADH. Our study demonstrates that Cyb5 contributes to the P450-mediated bioactivation of ellipticine in vitro, but not in vivo.
Working Paper WP / 16 / 041 Determinants of Property Rights Protection in Sub-Saharan Africa

This article complements existing literature by assessing determinants of property rights protection with particular emphasis on history, geography and institutions in Sub-Saharan Africa. The empirical evidence is based on a sample of 47 countries for the period 2000-2007. Random effects GLS regressions are employed using property rights measurements from the Mo Ibrahim and Heritage foundations. The results broadly show that ethnic fractionalisation, Polity IV and GDP per capita have positive effects on property rights institutions while the following have negative effects: military rule, the Protestant religion, maturity from colonial independence and population density. The findings have relevant policy implications for countries in the sub-region currently on the path to knowledge-based economies. JEL Classification: F42; K42; O34; O38; O57
In Quest of the Political: The Political Economy of Development Policy Making

This paper explores some of the central debates in the application of political economy to development policy making. It is particularly concerned with the connection between theory, empirical observation, and the practice of policy decision making. It explores distinct traditions of political economy, some drawn from economics, others based in sociological theory, that generate distinct insights about why and when change is likely to occur in policies and institutions. The paper then raises the question of whether such traditions provide effective guidance about the politics of decision making and the process of policy reform and whether they generate helpful insights for reformers interested in encouraging such processes. It suggests that current approaches to political economy present a stark tradeoff between parsimony and elegance on the one hand and insight into conflict and process on the other. Both both traditions of political economy borrow assumptions about political interactions from contexts that may not be fully relevant to developing and transitional countries. In addition, when theory is compared to the extensive empirical literature that now exists about experiences for policy and institutional change, it fails to provide convincing explanations for some of the most important characteristics of real world politics--leadership, ideas, and success. Further, much theoretical and empirical work in political economy has fallen far behind in exploring the policy agendas that now confront developing and transitional countries.
Self-Regulating Active Chilled Beams

By designing comfort cooling systems to operate with higher chilled water temperatures, electricity driven chillers may be replaced by natural sources of free cooling. It also enables the possibility of self-regulation which, due to simplicity and robustness, brings cost-savings both during installation and maintenance of the building. Active chilled beams is one technology especially well suited for this high temperature cooling. The objective of this thesis is to investigate the function of self-regulating active chilled beams in order to improve design and operation of such systems. Based on experience from existing systems, a hypothesis is that current models and knowledge do not fully capture the behavior of self-regulating active chilled beams. The work has been carried out through measurements in an experimental facility, building performance simulations and analysis of operational data from an actual building. The purpose of the measurements was to develop a model of an active chilled beam and also to validate a modified zone model used to simulate the thermal climate in a room equipped with an active chilled beam. The purpose of the simulations was to determine the peak shaving effect of self-regulating active chilled beams and to study the influence of central control of the chilled water temperature. The purpose of the analysis of operational data was to study the performance of an actual self-regulating active chilled beam system with respect to energy use and indoor air temperatures. The results show that a higher chilled water temperature generates more induction of room air in the active chilled beam, which is beneficial for the cooling capacity. Induction of room air also increases the internal convective heat transfer in the room, which reduces the required heat transfer area of the active chilled beam. As a consequence of self-regulation, buildings are precooled prior to the peak cooling load, further reducing the required heat transfer area. By increasing the chilled water temperature outside of the summer season, overcooling is avoided without causing thermal discomfort. The analysis of operational data demonstrates the ability to achieve the desired indoor temperatures with self-regulating active chilled beams without the use of a chiller.