Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Taxation and Housing: Old Questions, New Answers

This paper sketches how the tax reforms of the 1980s affected the incentives and distortions associated with tax policy toward housing markets. There are three principal conclusions. (1) Reductions in marginal tax rates, particularly for high-income households, reduced the tax-induced distortion in the user cost of owner-occupied housing. This lowered the deadweight losses associated with the favorable tax treatment of homeownership. (2) The increase in the standard deduction in the Tax Reform Act of 1986 (TRA86) removed several million middle-income homeowners who previously itemized from the ranks of itemizers. For these households TRA86 raised the marginal cost of owner-occupied housing. These changes also exacerbated the regressive nature of the mortgage interest subsidy. In 1988, more than half of the tax losses associated with mortgage interest deductions accrued to the 8% of taxpayers with the highest economic incomes. (3) TRA86 reduced incentives for rental housing investment, contributing to the decline in new multifamily housing starts from 500,000 per year in 1985 to less than 150,000 in 1991. In the long-run these policies will lead to higher rents.
Genomic and functional map of the chromosome 14 t(12;14) breakpoint cluster region in uterine leiomyoma.

A translocation involving chromosomes 12 and 14 [t(12;14)(q15;24.1)] is commonly seen in benign smooth muscle tumor as uterine leiomyoma (UL). A contig of P1-derived artificial chromosome and bacterial artificial chromosome clones on chromosome 14, encompassing a t(12;14) breakpoint cluster region (BCR) in UL, was generated principally using the recently developed HAPPY map of chromosome 14 as a framework (P. H. Dear et al., 1998, Genomics 48: 232-241). Three UL t(12;14) breakpoints have been localized within this contig, showing that a BCR of at least 400 kb exists on chromosome 14. Other studies of tumors with t(12;14) rearrangements similarly show breakpoints within a 475-kb multiple aberration region on chromosome 12. Thus t(12;14) is an example of a translocation in which the breakpoints are located within a BCR on both chromosome 12 and chromosome 14, justifying the identification of expressed sequences that are altered in these BCR regions. A total of four expressed sequences were identified in the BCR on chromosome 14. Two of these were novel cDNAs (D14S1460E and D14S1461E). The chromosome 14 cDNAs were expressed in multiple adult tissues. The identification of a large breakpoint cluster region on chromosome 14 suggests that translocations in this region mediate their effects at a distance and also that elements that predispose this region to recurrent chromosomal translocation may be widely distributed.
A note on entrepreneurship as an alternative logic to address food security in the developing world

The purpose of this paper is to explore an ongoing application of the entrepreneurial method applied to the problem of food security in the developing world as an alternative logic. Food production and marketing channels in the developing world are often based on scientific logic starting with an ideal outcome and then strategically designing a plan to achieve it. This study is unique in that it describes the application of an entrepreneurial approach to food product and marketing in less developed nations. A field study is used to illustrate how entrepreneurship is being harnessed to help build a more efficient and effective agricultural value chain in Papua New Guinea (PNG) based on a more entrepreneurial approach. Value chain analysis uses effectual logic to leverage innovation and create value for the consumer, the organization and society; thereby enhancing food security for the desperately poor in PNG. The use of the entrepreneurial method is offered as an alternative model for future international aid interventions and policy.
First results from wave tank testing of different control strategies for a point absorber wave energy converter

In recent years many advanced control strategies have been proposed for wave energy converters, which significantly increase the energy conversion rate of the devices. So far most of these control schemes have only been investigated theoretically using simulations, which to a great extend are based on idealized assumptions. On the contrast, far less information regarding the testing of these control schemes in real life environments can be found. Under such circumstances, the control performance might be compromised by many factors such as model uncertainties, measurement noise or -delay.
The Structure of Urban Land Prices

Recognition of the existence of nonlinear land prices has an impact on the measurement of the rate at which land price declines with distance from the urban center. It is hypothesized that concave parcel prices have given rise to overly large estimates of the rate of price decline with distance, because parcel sizes increase with distance and increased parcel sizes would be associated with lower unit prices as a result of the concavity of the land price function. This hypothesis is empirically tested using vacant residential, commercial, and industrial land sales from within Cook County, Illinois. An important finding is that allowing for concavity greatly reduces, although it does not eliminate, measured rates of price decline with distance.
Assessing the mean reversion behaviour of fiscal policy: the perspective of Asian countries

This article investigates fiscal policy sustainability in 10 Asian countries by adopting a battery of unit root tests. Univariate unit root tests reveal that the fiscal stance in these countries follows a nonstationary process while the opposite conclusion was drawn for the same dataset using the commonly employed panel unit root techniques. By utilizing the series-specific panel unit-root test recently developed by Breuer et al. [2002, SURADF (Seemingly Unrelated Regression Augmented Dickey-Fuller)] that allows testing for the presence of nonstationarity within individual cross sections of the panel, we found that only cross sections four out of 10 countries in the panel are stationary. This means that fiscal deficits in most Asian countries are in violation of their intertemporal budget constraint and that the deficits are too large.
Third Keystone Symposium on Cellular Immunology and the Immunotherapy of Cancer Antigen Processing and Presentation Autologous Human Dendriphages Pulsed with Synthetic or Natural Tumor Peptides Elicit Tumor‐Specific CTLs In Vitro

The recent identification of tumor-associated antigens and tumor-associated antigen-derived peptide epitopes recognized by cytolytic T lymphocytes (CTLs) in the context of major hislocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecules has prompted the development of peptide-based vaccines for the treatment of human cancers, particularly melanoma. The design of such clinical protocols requires an understanding of the inherent immunogenicity of the peptide(s) and a choice of a facilitating adjuvant promoting cellular immunity against these peptidcs. We have evaluated the abilities of a series of defined synthetic peptide epitopes derived from MART-1/Melan-A, gp100, tyrosinase, and MAGE-3 or unfractionatcd peptides natu-rally presented by melanoma MHC molecules to elicit HLA-A2-restricted and melanoma-reactive CTLs from the peripheral blood of normal donors or patients with metastatic melanoma. Autologous peripheral blood dendritic cells (DCs), which were easily generated from all donors when cultured in the presence of recombinant human interleukin-4 and recombinant human granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor were pulsed with melanoma peptides and used to “prime” and/or “boost” CTL cultures in vitro. Our results suggest that antimelanoma CTLs may be reproducibly generated in short-term in vitro cultures in this manner using either a subset of the defined synthetic peptides (MART-1/Melan-A27–35, MART-1/Melan-A32–40, gp100280–288, tyrosinase368–376 and MAGE-3271–279) or unfractionated peptides (containing both idiotypic and shared melanoma epitopes) derived from freshly isolated autologous melanoma lesions. These in vitro data support the use of autologous DCs prepulsed with such peptides as an appropriate antigen adjuvant delivery system in melanoma peptide-based vaccines.
Ragnar Frisch, Editor of Econometrica 1933-1954

This article relates the events that led to the establishment of the journal Econometrica, with particular emphasis on the role played by Ragnar Frisch. The origin of the name of the journal is explained. The editorial views, style, and habits of Ragnar Frisch as Editor of Econometrica is recounted. Copyright 1995 by The Econometric Society.
Rapid detection of group B streptococci in pregnant women at delivery.

BACKGROUND Group B streptococcal infections are an important cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality. A rapid method for the detection of this organism in pregnant women at the time of delivery is needed to allow early treatment of neonates. METHODS We studied the efficacy of two polymerase-chain-reaction (PCR) assays for routine screening of pregnant women for group B streptococci at the time of delivery. We obtained anal, vaginal, and combined vaginal and anal specimens from 112 pregnant women; in 57 women, specimens were obtained before and after the rupture of the amniotic membranes. The specimens were tested for group B streptococci by culture in a standard selective broth medium, with a conventional PCR assay, and with a new fluorogenic PCR assay. RESULTS Among the 112 women, the results of the culture of the combined vaginal and anal specimens were positive for group B streptococci in 33 women (29.5 percent). The two PCR assays detected group B streptococcal colonization in specimens from 32 of these 33 women: the one negative PCR result was in a sample obtained after the rupture of membranes. As compared with the culture results, the sensitivity of both PCR assays was 97.0 percent and the negative predictive value was 98.8 percent. Both the specificity and the positive predictive value of the two PCR assays were 100 percent. The length of time required to obtain results was 30 to 45 minutes for the new PCR assay, 100 minutes for the conventional PCR assay, and at least 36 hours for culture. CONCLUSIONS Colonization with group B streptococci can be identified rapidly and reliably by a PCR assay in pregnant women in labor both before and after the rupture of membranes.
Imitation or innovation to enhance the performance: an empirical investigation of 258 Chinese firms

This paper is focused on the factors which determined the adoption of innovation or imitation strategies on firm performance in seven different industries in China. Firstly, we delineate and distinguish the concepts of innovation and imitation. Secondly, using the structural equation modelling method, we empirically test the impact of two dimensions of market and entrepreneurial orientations, on the decision to innovate or to imitate. Thirdly, we relate this decision to the company's performance. Based on a survey of 535 companies, 258 responded, our empirical results support the view that proactivity is the most important determinant in deciding whether to innovate or imitate, and we find that the company's performance is not determined by the decision to innovate or imitate, but rather, by the company's proactivity and focus on customers.
Physiological Regulation of ATP Release at the Apical Surface of Human Airway Epithelia*♦

Extracellular ATP and its metabolite adenosine regulate mucociliary clearance in airway epithelia. Little has been known, however, regarding the actual ATP and adenosine concentrations in the thin (∼7 μm) liquid layer lining native airway surfaces and the link between ATP release/metabolism and autocrine/paracrine regulation of epithelial function. In this study, chimeric Staphylococcus aureus protein A-luciferase (SPA-luc) was bound to endogenous antigens on primary human bronchial epithelial (HBE) cell surface and ATP concentrations assessed in real-time in the thin airway surface liquid (ASL). ATP concentrations on resting cells were 1-10 nm. Inhibition of ecto-nucleotidases resulted in ATP accumulation at a rate of ∼250 fmol/min/cm2, reflecting the basal ATP release rate. Following hypotonic challenge to promote cell swelling, cell-surface ATP concentration measured by SPA-luc transiently reached ∼1 μm independent of ASL volume, reflecting a transient 3-log increase in ATP release rates. In contrast, peak ATP concentrations measured in bulk ASL by soluble luciferase inversely correlated with volume. ATP release rates were intracellular calcium-independent, suggesting that non-exocytotic ATP release from ciliated cells, which dominate our cultures, mediated hypotonicity-induced nucleotide release. However, the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) did not participate in this function. Following the acute swelling phase, HBE cells exhibited regulatory volume decrease which was impaired by apyrase and facilitated by ATP or UTP. Our data provide the first evidence that ATP concentrations at the airway epithelial surface reach the range for P2Y2 receptor activation by physiological stimuli and identify a role for mucosal ATP release in airway epithelial cell volume regulation.
Urinary trypsin inhibitor reduces C-X-C chemokine production in rat liver ischemia/reperfusion.

BACKGROUND AND AIM Protease inhibitors attenuate ischemia/reperfusion injury. However, the underlying mechanisms by which protease inhibitors prevent reperfusion injury remain obscure. Neutrophils play an important role in reperfusion injury. We studied the effects of urinary trypsin inhibitor (UTI) on production of the C-X-C chemokine, cytokine-induced neutrophil chemoattractant (CINC), by Kupffer cells during ischemia/reperfusion of the liver. METHODS Liver ischemia was induced in rats by occlusion of the portal vein for 30 min. UTI (50,000 U/kg) was injected intravenously 5 min before vascular clamping. Serum CINC concentrations were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Levels of CINC mRNA in the liver were determined by Northern blot analysis. We also examined the inhibitory effects of UTI on in vitro CINC production by peritoneal macrophages in response to neutrophil elastase (NE). RESULTS Serum CINC concentrations increased and peaked 6 h after reperfusion. However, pretreatment of animals with UTI blunted this increase in CINC and significantly reduced CINC mRNA levels in the liver after ischemia/reperfusion. UTI also decreased neutrophil accumulation in the liver 24 h after reperfusion. In vitro CINC production by Kupffer cells from rats pretreated with UTI 3 h after ischemia/reperfusion was significantly decreased compared to those from untreated animals. UTI reduced NE activity in vitro in a dose-dependent manner, and UTI significantly reduced in vitro CINC production by peritoneal macrophages stimulated with NE. CONCLUSION UTI reduces the production of CINC by Kupffer cells stimulated with NE, attenuating ischemia/reperfusion injury of the liver.
Uric acid and incident chronic kidney disease in a large health check‐up population in Taiwan

Aim: Uric acid (UA) is strongly associated with the confirmed chronic kidney disease (CKD) risk factors, such as hypertension, diabetes and metabolic syndrome (MS); however, whether higher UA is independently associated with CKD is still debatable. Other studies found that low UA level may reflect inadequate protection against oxidant‐mediated stress; it is also unknown whether hypouricemia may have a harmful effect on the kidney. No studies have examined whether there is a J‐shaped relationship between UA and incident CKD.
Evaluation of ultrasonic estimates of carcass fat thickness and longissimus muscle area in beef cattle.

Yearling crossbred feedlot steers (n = 495) and heifers (n = 151) were ultrasonically measured at the 12-13th rib interface 24 h before slaughter to evaluate the accuracy of ultrasonic measurements of fat thickness (BFU) and longissimus muscle area (LMAU) for prediction of actual carcass measures. Isonification was with an Aloka 210DX ultrasound unit equipped with a 12.5-cm, 3.0-MHz, linear array transducer by two technicians. Carcass fat thickness (BFC) and longissimus muscle area (LMAC) were measured 48 h postmortem. Differences between ultrasonic and actual carcass measures were expressed in actual (BFDIFF and LMADIFF) and in absolute (magnitude of BFDIFF and magnitude of LMADIFF) terms for backfat and longissimus muscle area, respectively. When expressed as percentages of the actual carcass measures, the average absolute differences indicated error rates of 20.6% for backfat and 9.4% for longissimus muscle area. Average actual differences (BFDIFF and LMADIFF) indicated that underprediction occurred more often than overprediction for both measures. The BFU was within . 25 cm of BFC 70% of the time, and LMAU was within 6.5 cm2 of LMAC 53% of the time. Ultrasound measurements BFU and LMAU more accurately predicted BFC and LMAC in thinner and more lightly muscled cattle, respectively. Simple correlation coefficients between ultrasonic and carcass measures were . 75 (P less than .01) for BF and . 60 (P less than .01) for LMA. Analyses of variance of absolute differences between ultrasonic and carcass measures indicated no significant differences to exist between technicians. Predictive accuracy of ultrasonic measures did not change as the level of experience of technicians increased during the study. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Optimal Monetary Policy at the Zero-Interest-Rate Bound

What should a central bank do when faced with a weak aggregate demand even after reducing the short-term nominal interest rate to zero? To address this question, we solve a central bank's intertemporal loss minimization problem, in which the non-negativity constraint on nominal interest rates is explicitly considered. We find that the optimal path is characterized by policy inertia, in the sense that a zero interest rate policy should be continued for a while even after the natural rate of interest returns to a positive level. By making such a commitment, the central bank is able to achieve higher expected inflation, lower long-term nominal interest rates, and a weaker domestic currency in the adverse periods when the natural rate of interest significantly deviates from a steady-state level.
Comparison of Long-Term Outcomes in Real-World Patients Between Resolute Zotarilumus-Eluting and Paclitaxel-Eluting Stents in Small Vessel

Objective: To compare the long-term clinical outcomes between Resolute zotarolimus-eluting stent (R-ZES) and paclitaxel-eluting stent (PES) in patients with small coronary artery disease. Background: Patients with a small vessel diameter are independently associated with increased risk of adverse cardiac events after drug-eluting stent implantation. Methods: A cohort of 265 patients treated with R-ZES (185 patients with 211 lesions) or PES (80 patients with 100 lesions) in small vessel (≤2.5 mm) lesions were retrospectively analyzed. The primary end point of the study was the composite of major adverse cardiac events. The secondary end points included target lesion revascularization (TLR), target vessel revascularization (TVR), and stent thrombosis at 3 years. Results: The baseline characteristics were similar between the 2 groups. In the R-ZES group, the mean stent diameter was smaller and the total stent length per lesion was longer. Major adverse cardiac events occurred in 8 (10%) patients who had received PES and in 7 (3.8%) patients who had received R-ZES (P = .07). The rates of 3-year TLR (2.2% vs 2.5%; P = 1.00) and TVR (5.4% vs 10.0%; P = .17) showed no statistically significant difference between the R-ZES and PES groups. The rate of stent thrombosis was 0.5% in the R-ZES group and 2.5% in the PES group (P = .21). Conclusion: The rates of major adverse cardiac events and cardiac death were similar in the R-ZES-treated group compared with the PES-treated group.
Quasi-Static AC FORC Measurements for Soft Magnetic Materials and Their Differential Interpretation

A detailed analysis of the first-order reversal curve (FORC) measurements offers the possibility to separate the different magnetic interactions in multiphase or composite magnetic materials, and then to attain a precise interpretation of the role played by those interactions. In this paper, we present a modified setup based on a classical inductive magnetometer optimized for FORC measurements in soft magnetic materials, together with an improved differential method for the data analysis in order to get an accurate interpretation of the experimental results.
Toward a Behavioral Corporate Governance Theory: An Exploratory View

(VF)L’objectif de cet article est de montrer l’interet des approches comportementales, notamment de la finance comportementale, pour construire une theorie de la gouvernance permettant de remedier aux nombreuses lacunes de la theorie juridico-financiere dominante. La reflexion entreprise montre les problemes souleves par la notion de biais comportemental et son integration dans la theorie de la gouvernance. (VA)The objective of this article is to show how behavioral theories, in particular behavioral finance, can help to build a corporate governance theory allowing to fill the many gaps of the dominant law and finance theory. In particular, we underline the problems raised by the concept of behavioral bias and its integration in the corporate governance theory.
Inflation Uncertainty and the Cost of Inflation

In this paper, the authors develop a measure of the cost of inflation uncertainty where a risk premium can be interpreted as the amount of real consumption that a representative agent is willing to forgo in order to be guaranteed a perfectly anticipated path of inflation. This premium can be calculated based on the estimation of a utility function that takes into account portfolio adjustment costs with respect to money balances and bonds, subject to a budget constraint that includes the after-tax returns on savings. With Canadian and U.S. data, it is shown that economic agents' preferences are such that the uncertainty of unexpected inflation was not big enough to induce a large premium. (This abstract was borrowed from another version of this item.)
Alginate-polylysine-alginate microcapsules: effect of size reduction on capsule properties

Alginate-polylysine-alginate capsules containing insulin-producing cells have been used as a bio-artificial pancreas in the treatment of diabetes mellitus. In a search for microcapsules with improved diffusion characteristics, a high voltage system was developed that produces 250 000 beads/min with a diameter of 160 #181;m #45 3-5%. The diameter of the beads could be varied between 160-700 #181;m depending on the needle diameter and construction, the voltage, the distance between the electrodes and the flow of alginate solution. Ca-alginate beads with diameters of 200 and 500 #181;m were produced by the high voltage electrostatic system. The 200 #181;m beads were sensitive to poly-L-lysine (PLL) exposure and had to be washed in ion-free solution to avoid collapse. The 200 #181;m beads swelled more than the 500 #181;m beads in the washing and PLL treatment. Also, the porosity of the capsules changed with size, but capsules impermeable to tumour necrosis factor (TNF) could be made by exchanging PLL with poly-D-lysine (PDL) for the 500 #181;m beads. The 200 #181;m beads were impermeable to IgG after PLL exposure. Islets of Langerhans were encapsulated in alginate-PLL-alginate capsules and evaluated by measuring protruding islets and insulin production. Islets in microcapsules made by the high voltage electrostatic system did not function differently from islets in larger microcapsules made by an air jet system. In conclusion, alginate capsules made by a high voltage electrostatic system enable large-scale production of small capsules with a narrow size distribution that can meet the functional properties of larger capsules by small changes in the encapsulation procedure.