Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Belle Époque of the railways: the Freycinet plan and its effects on the French population and economy

In this paper, I study the impact of the Freycinet plan (1879-1914) on the French population and economy,in the short run.The Freycinet plan was one of the major public works programmes launched by the young Third Republic in 1878-1879, which aimed to massively develop rail way connections across the French territory. I first show that, in accordance with there public an ideology at the time, the plan targeted less served and under privileged areas, there fore contributing to the unification of the French territory. Then, I use a difference-in-differences methodology to assess the impact of the plan on the French population. Since rail road construction is endogenous, I resort to an instrumental variable strategy focusing on the shortest route between the predefined end points of each train line. I find that gaining access to the rail way thanks to the Freycinet plan is associated with are lative increase in the population of connected municipalities by around 30% after the plan was implemented (in the early Interwar period),a result that with stands a series of robustness checks and is mainly explained by population displacement, from unconnected to connected municipalities. Eventually, I find evidence that additional connected municipalities thanks to the Freycinet plan did increase the GDP of French departements, in a non-linear way, but had no effect on farming profits.
THE ACCRETION WIND MODEL OF FERMI BUBBLES. II. RADIATION

In a previous work, we have shown that the formation of Fermi bubbles can be due to the interaction between winds launched from the hot accretion flow in Sgr A* and the interstellar medium (ISM). In that work, we focus only on the morphology. In this paper we continue our study by calculating the gamma-ray radiation. Some cosmic-ray protons (CRp) and electrons (CRe) must be contained in the winds, which are likely formed by physical processes such as magnetic reconnection. We have performed MHD simulations to study the spatial distribution of CRp, considering the advection and diffusion of CRp in the presence of magnetic field. We find that a permeated zone is formed just outside of the contact discontinuity between winds and the ISM, where the collisions between CRp and thermal nuclei mainly occur. The decay of neutral pions generated in the collisions, combined with the inverse Compton scattering of background soft photons by the secondary leptons generated in the collisions and primary CRe, can well explain the observed gamma-ray spectral energy distribution. Other features such as the uniform surface brightness along the latitude and the boundary width of the bubbles are also explained. The advantage of this “accretion wind” model is that the adopted wind properties come from the detailed small-scale MHD numerical simulation of accretion flows and the value of mass accretion rate has independent observational evidences. The success of the model suggests that we may seriously consider the possibility that cavities and bubbles observed in other contexts such as galaxy clusters may be formed by winds rather than jets.
Do Firms Consider Economic Outlook When Determining Payout Policy?

Payout policy is one of the most important policies set by firms and represents a major use of capital by publicly traded corporations. Firms should consider future economic activity and future firm performance when determining payout policy choices, given they are cash outflow commitments from the firm. We empirically examine whether firms use economic outlook when determining payout policy using publicly available data from the Chicago Federal Reserve Bank and Compustat. We find that economic outlook is positively related to firm payout policy. Specifically, we find that firms are more likely to pay out cash dividends and repurchase shares when economic outlook is positive. Furthermore, when examining only firms already paying dividends and/or repurchasing shares, firms pay greater amounts of cash dividends and repurchase more shares when economic outlook is positive. We are the first, to our knowledge, to examine whether firms use economic outlook to determine their payout policy. Our paper motivates future research in corporate finance to examine how firms use economic outlook when making capital planning decisions.
A long and winding road to understand latent autoimmune diabetes in adults

Latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA) describes a ing autoimmune diabetes”, “type 1.5 diabetes”, “adultsubgroup of patients who develop phenotypic type 2 diabetes (T2D) but with markers of islet autoimmunity. It is under debate whether LADA is a subtype of type 1 diabetes (T1D) or a unique disease. LADA comprises about 1.5% to 14.2% in phenotypic T2D depending on ethnicity. It is the most common form of autoimmune diabetes diagnosed in adults, with 3.3to 12.2-fold higher prevalence than that of adult-onset T1D. LADA has similar pathogenesis as classic insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, which is contributed to simultaneously by environmental factors and genetic susceptibility. It is characterized by autoimmune and slow progressive damage in islet b cells. As an important subtype of diabetes, LADA should be recognized, understood, and managed appropriately in clinical practice. Up to now, an increasing number of researches worldwide have depicted and updated the naming, diagnostic criteria, clinical features, pathogenesis, and treatment of LADA. There is a long and winding road to understand LADA. Here, we will discuss the expanding understanding of LADA and update the latest evidence on LADA.
A note on Phillips-Perron-type statistics for cointegration testing

We introduce two trace statistics for the null hypothesis of no cointegration that nonparametrically correct for serial correlation in the spirit of Phillips-Perron. The limiting distributions are free of nuisance parameters. One of them coincides with the asymptotic distribution of Johansen's trace statistic. Hence, this statistic is applicable without further tabulation of critical values.
Enamel hypoplasia in an early medieval population of Prząsław ( 11-12 th century )

The aim of the study was to determine the frequency of enamel hypoplasia, and to estimate the developmental age at formation of the earliest hypoplastic defect in the permanent teeth of individuals buried at the early medieval cemetery in Prząsław. Analysis included teeth from 41 adult individuals (22 male and 19 female). In total, assessment was performed for 795 permanent teeth. Bone and tooth preservation quality was estimated as satisfactory. Enamel hypoplasia in permanent teeth was found in 34% of adult individuals, which is slightly lower than the frequency rate found in other studies on historic bone materials. The higher frequency of teeth with hypoplastic defects in women compared with men may be explained by the higher ecosensitivity of the male sex, but also by economic, social and cultural preference factors and parental investments. The retrospective analysis of stress episodes in early childhood revealed the increased frequency of factors disturbing ameloblast metabolism, mainly in the post-weaning period. This indicated that the mean age of enamel hypoplasia occurrence was at over 3 years. Findings from the study, despite the non-specific nature of aetiological factors for enamel hypoplasia, may suggest poor health and living conditions in medieval Prząsław.
Corporate Social Responsibility, Internal Controls, and Stock Price Crash Risk: The Chinese Stock Market

As the core of sustainable development strategy, corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a concept that influences business missions, management, operations, finance, and marketing. Studies of the economic consequences of CSR have focused on the theoretical and practical arenas. However, few studies have examined the impact of CSR on the market price fluctuations of company shares. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of CSR on stock price crash risk and its relationship with the role of internal controls in China. After empirical analysis, we found a significantly negative association between CSR and stock price crash risk. Furthermore, we determined that internal controls play a significant and partially mediating role between CSR and stock price crash risk. Internal controls have become an important system for Chinese companies to improve their social responsibility and reduce their operating risk, especially the risk of a stock price crash. We also found that internal controls had a significant and partial moderating effect on the relationship between CSR and stock price crash risk. In certain environments with higher levels of internal controls, CSR prominently reduced the risk of stock price crash. In theory, our study adds to the growing literature about CSR, expands the scope of CSR research, elaborates upon relevant CSR economic consequences, and complements the literature about the determinants of stock price crash risk. In practice, our conclusions provide a reference for Chinese managers, investors, and the related government departments to evaluate the effects of CSR and internal controls, and provides regulators with a method to help control abnormal fluctuations in the stock market. More importantly, the results of this study have reference value for scholars and practitioners in developing countries like China.
The Effect of Mycophenolate Mofetil as First-Line Therapy on the Timing of Urine Protein–to–Creatinine Ratio Reduction in Immunosuppressant-Naive Patients With Lupus Nephritis at a Single Center

Background/Objectives Early response to immunosuppressive therapy predicts good renal outcome in lupus nephritis (LN). The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) on the timing of urine protein–to–creatinine ratio reaching 200 mg or less after starting MMF as initial therapy for class III, IV, or V in immunosuppressant-naive patients with LN. Methods Patients who had a diagnosis of biopsy-proven LN were included in this cohort study. The initial dose of MMF was 1000 mg twice daily. If no improvement, it was increased to 1500 mg twice daily after 1 month. For statistical analysis, exact binomial distribution 95% confidence intervals were calculated. Results Nine patients were identified. There were 3 patients with class III, 3 with class IV, 1 with class III to V, 1 with class II to V, and 1 with class V lupus nephritis. The majority were African Americans (70%). At baseline, proteinuria ranged between 0.41 and 4 g, and 88% had normal estimated glomerular filtration rate. Forty-four percent of patients reached 0.28 g of proteinuria within 8 weeks of starting MMF (95% confidence interval, 14%–79%), all of which maintained the same level of response and normal estimated glomerular filtration rate at 12 months. Thirty-three percent of patients achieved the American College of Rheumatology complete response at 8 weeks. Conclusions This study demonstrates that only a minority of immunosuppressant-naive LN patients achieved the American College of Rheumatology complete response at 8 weeks after initiation of MMF. A rapid decline in the proteinuria to 0.28 g within the first 8 weeks of the treatment correlated strongly with achieving the same level of response at 12 months.
Life Cycles of Firm Disclosures

We propose that the product life cycle is important in understanding the firm's disclosure policy and test this hypothesis using a 4-dimensional text-based life cycle model. Mature-stage life cycle firms disclose more, consistent with an outward-focused investment strategy that lowers search costs for finding synergistic alliance partners. Early-stage life cycle firms are secretive, consistent with inward-focused organic investment and mitigating competitive threats. These results obtain across disclosure measures relating to intellectual property, redaction of contracts, and readability. A quasi-natural experiment based on waves of rapid depreciation of protected intellectual property, and analysis of pairwise co-search of peer filings on the SEC EDGAR website, reinforce this interpretation.
Evaluation on Hydnophytum formicarum Tuber from Setiu Wetland ( Malaysia ) and Muara Rupit ( Indonesia ) for Antibacterial and Antioxidant activities , and anti-cancer Potency against MCF-7 and HeLa Cells

1 Institute of Marine Biotechnology, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 21030, Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu, Malaysia. 2 Food Sciences and Technology, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 21030, Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu, Malaysia. 3 School of Marine and Environmental Sciences, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 21030, Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu, Malaysia. 4 Educational Chemistry Program, Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, Bengkulu University, Bengkulu, Indonesia.
SDS-Stabilized CuInSe2/ZnS Multinanocomposites Prepared by Mechanochemical Synthesis for Advanced Biomedical Application

The CuInSe2/ZnS multiparticulate nanocomposites were first synthesized employing two-step mechanochemical synthesis. In the first step, tetragonal CuInSe2 crystals prepared from copper, indium and selenium precursors were co-milled with zinc acetate dihydrate and sodium sulfide nonahydrate as precursors for ZnS in different molar ratios by mechanochemical route in a planetary mill. In the second step, the prepared CuInSe2/ZnS nanocrystals were further milled in a circulation mill in sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) solution (0.5 wt.%) to stabilize the synthesized nanoparticles. The sodium dodecyl sulphate capped CuInSe2/ZnS 5:0-SDS nanosuspension was shown to be stable for 20 weeks, whereas the CuInSe2/ZnS 4:1-SDS one was stable for about 11 weeks. After sodium dodecyl sulphate capping, unimodal particle size distribution was obtained with particle size medians approaching, respectively, 123 nm and 188 nm for CuInSe2/ZnS 5:0-SDS and CuInSe2/ZnS 4:1-SDS nanocomposites. Successful stabilization of the prepared nanosuspensions due to sodium dodecyl sulphate covering the surface of the nanocomposite particles was confirmed by zeta potential measurements. The prepared CuInSe2/ZnS 5:0-SDS and CuInSe2/ZnS 4:1-SDS nanosuspensions possessed anti-myeloma sensitizing potential assessed by significantly reduced viability of multiple myeloma cell lines, with efficient fluorescence inside viable cells and higher cytotoxic efficacy in CuInSe2/ZnS 4:1-SDS nanosuspension.
Identi ¢ cationand characterizationofanautolysingene , atlg , from Streptococcus sobrinus

AtlA is a major cell-lytic enzyme called autolysin in Streptococcus mutans. In this study, we identified the atlg gene-encoding autolysin (Atlg), consisting of 863 residues from Streptococcus sobrinus 6715DP, and confirmed lytic activity of recombinant Atlg by zymography of S. sobrinus cells. An atlA-inactivated mutant was constructed in S. mutans Xc, and the atlg gene product was characterized by plasmid complementation. Microscopic analysis, saliva-induced aggregation assay and autolysis assay of static cultures in air revealed that the atlg gene product partially complemented the role of AtlA. Furthermore, the capability of biofilm formation of the atlA-deficient mutant cultivated in air was restored by plasmid comprising the atlg gene. These findings suggest that Atlg may be involved in cell separation and biofilm formation in S. sobrinus.
Financial Media as a Money Doctor: Evidence from Refinancing Decisions

We find that the viewership of business television raises the propensity of households to refinance their homes when doing so is financially advantageous. To estimate the effect of business TV, we exploit the staggered entry of Fox Business Network (FBN) into zip codes across the U.S. Exposure to FBN is associated with a 14% increase in local refinancing volume in response to a 100 bps drop in mortgage interest rates. We confirm the media effect on refinancing by using an instrument for TV viewership, which exploits exogenous variation in the channels’ ordinal positions. The media influence is stronger for minority and lower-income applicants. Overall, business TV likely raises financial awareness and serves as a nudge against inertia.
Quantized Feedback Control Design of Nonlinear Large-Scale Systems via Decentralized Adaptive Integral Sliding Mode Control

A novel decentralized adaptive integral sliding mode control law is proposed for a class of nonlinear uncertain large-scale systems subject to quantization mismatch between quantizer sensitivity parameters. Firstly, by applying linear matrix inequality techniques, integral-type sliding surface functions are derived for ensuring the stability of the whole sliding mode dynamics and obtaining the prescribed bounded gain performance. Secondly, the decentralized adaptive sliding mode control law is developed to ensure the reachability of the sliding manifolds in the presence of quantization mismatch, interconnected model uncertainties, and external disturbances. Finally, an example is shown to verify the validity of theoretical results.
Determinants of Private Investment in Malaysia: What Causes the Postcrisis Slumps?

"This paper examines the determinants of private investment in Malaysia, with an emphasis on the postcrisis investment slumps. A static private investment function is derived from the neoclassical framework, with appropriate modifications to account for the structural features observed in the country. To introduce dynamics into the model, we adopt a cost minimization problem, which assumes firms optimize investment levels with respect to a quadratic loss function. The results suggest that the availability of financial resources in the economy has a significant positive impact on private investment. Macroeconomic uncertainty exerts a negative influence on the investment climate in the private sector. Both foreign direct investment and public investment are found to have a complementary effect on private investment. Consistent with the prediction of the neoclassical model, a higher level of aggregate output raises private investment, whereas the user cost of capital has the opposite impact. " ("JEL" O"16", O"53") Copyright (c) 2009 Western Economic Association International.
GAMMA-RAY SIGNAL FROM EARTH-MASS DARK MATTER MICROHALOS

Earth-mass dark matter microhalos with a size of ∼100 AU are the first structures formed in the universe, if the dark matter of the universe is made of neutralinos. Here, we report the results of ultra-high-resolution simulations of the formation and evolution of these microhalos. We found that microhalos have the central density cusps of the form ρ ∝ r−1.5, much steeper than the cusps of larger dark halos. The central regions of these microhalos survive the encounters with stars except in the very inner region of the galaxy down to the radius of a few hundreds parsecs from the galactic center. The annihilation signals from the nearest microhalos are observed as gamma-ray point sources (radius less than 1′), with unusually large proper motions of ∼0.2 deg yr−1. Their surface brightnesses are ∼10% of that of the galactic center. Their signal-to-noise ratios might be better if they are far from the galactic plane. Luminosities of subhalos are determined only by their mass, and they are more than one order of magnitude more luminous than the estimation by Springel et al.: a boost factor can be larger than 1000. Perturbations to the millisecond pulsars by gravitational attractions of nearby Earth-mass microhalos can be detected by the observations of Parkes Pulsar Timing Array.
Growth and innovation in the presence of knowledge and R&D accumulation dynamics

ABSTRACT This article develops a modeling framework for growth and innovation in which accumulation dynamics of knowledge and R&D are explicitly considered. The framework is based on a more general knowledge production process than commonly used in Endogenous Growth Theory and R&D productivity literatures, reconciling as special cases disparate analytical approaches. The proposed model of knowledge dynamics highlights the role of human and physical capital accumulation in the creation of innovations and cautions against their omission in empirical models. Econometric analysis largely supports the model's predictions.
Balancing inventory levels and setup times - An analysis and outline of a decision-making model

Background and Research Question Historically, Lindab has largely focused its efforts on the production, but as a part of recent development in company strategy, supply chain management has gained more attention. In this regard, more attention has been given to stock reduction and minimizing total setup times to get a leaner production. Therefore, the company wants to investigate the current production scheduling and sequencing in two well-defined production lines to analyze parameters influencing inventory management and production planning decisions. Furthermore, based on the findings, a model is outlined to support planners in decision making within production. Methodology The presented analysis and model outline was conducted in cooperation with Lindab AB. The study followed an abductive research approach and focused on collecting qualitative as well as quantitative data through several methods. The quantitative data collected originated from several databases and was supplemented with semi-structured interviews. Theoretical Framework This study is based upon the established theory on inventory management and production scheduling and sequencing. Furthermore, approaches described in theory are used to investigate the company and outline a production planning model. Conclusion Throughout the analysis, it could be shown that the company bases their inventory management as well as production scheduling and sequencing on the most relevant parameters. However, the values of these parameters are often not optimal and improvements could be made to further reduce the costs associated with this area. Although, the current approach of utilizing the experience of production operators to improve a production lines performance shows some potential, the obtained results vary between operators and could be improved by further structuring their approach to production scheduling and sequencing. A standardized approach is suggested by this study, to increase savings in the areas of average inventory levels and total setup time.
Pathways to digital literacy and engagement

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