Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Notes - Two Measures of Aggregate Energy Production Elasticities

Comparison of the Btu and Divisia indexes of aggregate energy using US data on primary energy (crude oil, natural gas, natural gas liquids, coal, and hydro and nuclear electric) shows these two methods of aggregation yield quite different growth rates of aggregate energy, and therefore of the energy-output ratio, after 1973. The complexity of characterizing energy use from 1973 to 1978 adds another dimension to the problem of aggregate energy elasticity estimation, since this period had dramatic growth in the price of crude oil and a great change in the energy market in terms of the subsequent energy regulations and the distortions arising therefrom. 13 references, 1 table.
Extrapolating Experimental-Auction Results Using a Stated Choice Survey

During the last decade, experimental auctions and stated choice (SC) surveys have been widely used to study food demand. These methods have complementary strengths and weaknesses. Experimental auctions are limited by the availability of products and the use of locally recruited participants, whereas SC surveys lack real economic incentives. We use an SC survey to extrapolate the results of an experimental auction to hypothetical products with non-existing attribute combinations and to a representative sample of Norwegian consumers. The method is illustrated using Norwegian consumers' preferences for country-of-origin and hormone status for beef.
Lead neurotoxicity in children: decomposing the variability in dose-effect relationships.

BACKGROUND Enormous progress has been made in recent decades in our understanding of lead neurotoxicology in children, but an important obstacle to additional progress is the striking variability that is evident in any plot of a lead biomarker versus a health endpoint. METHODS In this article, three potential sources of variability are identified: (1) errors or imprecision in characterizing dose (and/or outcome); (2) incomplete characterization of endpoint variance attributable to factors other than lead; and (3) inter-individual differences in susceptibility to lead neurotoxicity. RESULTS Strategies are suggested for reducing the variability contributed by these sources, including the development of validated PBPK models and biomarkers of early biological effects; the development of more comprehensive models of outcome variance and, specifically, the application of multi-level models that incorporate supra-individual and supra-family risk factors; and the use of study designs that permit assessments of the effect modifying influence of contextual factors on the form and severity of neurotoxicity. CONCLUSION Decomposing the variability in the distribution of observed scores around the best-fit lines that describe the dose-effect relationships for lead neurotoxicity in children is a major research need.
Fiscal policy and US-Canadian trade

A factor-augmented vector autoregressive (FAVAR) model is applied to determine the effects of a rise in US government expenditure on the United States and Canadian economies. The results obtained reasonably characterize the effect of a rise in US government spending to the United States and Canadian economies emphasizing the role of the traded goods sector.
General Equilibrium Pricing of Currency and Currency Options with Variable Disasters and Recursive Utility

This paper presents a consumption-based general equilibrium model for valuing foreign exchange contingent claims. The model identifies a novel economic mechanism by exploiting highly but imperfectly shared consumption disaster with variable intensities which are the concerns to the representative investor under recursive utility. When applied to the data, the model simultaneously replicates (i) the moderate option-implied volatilities; (ii) substantial variations in the risk-neutral skewness of currency returns; (iii) the uncovered interest rate parity puzzle; and (iv) the first two moments of carry trade returns. Furthermore, the model rationalizes salient features of the aggregate stock, government bonds, and equity index options.
Whole urinary proteins coat calcium oxalate monohydrate crystals to greatly decrease their adhesion to renal cells.

PURPOSE Adhesion of urinary crystals to renal tubular cells could be a critical event that triggers a cascade of responses ending in kidney stone formation. We clarified the role of urinary macromolecules during calcium oxalate monohydrate (COM) crystal adhesion to cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS To assess COM crystal binding to cells in the presence of whole urine and fractions thereof we used monolayer cultures of distal nephron derived Madin-Darby canine kidney, type I cells as a model system. RESULTS COM crystal adhesion to cells was decreased in the presence of whole urine compared with an ultrafiltrate prepared by passing urine through a 10 kDa cutoff membrane. Supplementing the ultrafiltrate with urinary concentrate containing proteins greater than 10 kDa returned crystal adhesion to low levels, similar to whole urine. Macromolecules in whole urine acted to decrease binding to cells by coating crystals and 4 proteins previously implicated in the pathogenesis of nephrolithiasis were detected on coated crystals (bikunin, osteopontin, prothrombin fragment 1 + 2 and Tamm-Horsfall glycoprotein). Crystals precipitated and grown in whole urine also bound less avidly to cells than crystals precipitated in artificial urine. CONCLUSIONS This study confirms that macromolecules present in whole urine can coat crystals and, thereby, block their adhesion to renal tubular cells. Preventing crystal retention in the kidney could be an important mechanism whereby these macromolecules protect against kidney stones.
Translation of the Problem of Complete Test Set Generation to Pseudo-Boolean Programming

An attempt is made to demonstrate that the problem of complete test set generation is amenable to the problem of pseudo-Boolean programming. For this purpose, various types of faults, viz., single faults, multiple faults, and bridging faults, are considered. The key issue is to obtain logical expressions for the primary output line in terms of different faulty internal nodes to find real transforms. Using standard rules, the real transforms of a Boolean function can be obtained directly without any algebraic manipulation. >
Economic crisis, sport success and willingness to pay: the case of a football club

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to obtain evidence about the scope of the determinants of the willingness to pay (WTP) of the residents in a Spanish city (A Coruna) for keeping a professional football team (Deportivo) competing at the highest level. Apart from the individual socio-demographic characteristics of the respondents and their attitudes as football fans, the authors try to know the influence on the WTP of factors such as the general economic conditions and the plausibility of the team disappearance. Design/methodology/approach – The value of the intangible benefits associated with the team existence is derived from the application of the contingent valuation method (CVM), using two surveys conducted in 2003 and 2012, respectively, with the aim of obtaining information concerning citizens’ behaviour and attitudes towards a professional football team. Findings – The consumption of public goods generated by the local football team is relatively inelastic to the sport success and general econ.
Expression of the snoRNA host gene gas5 in the hippocampus is upregulated by age and psychogenic stress and correlates with reduced novelty‐induced behavior in C57BL/6 mice

The growth arrest specific 5 (gas5) is a noncoding protein gene that hosts small nucleolar RNAs. Based on the observation that gas5 RNA level in the brain is highest in the hippocampus and remarkably enhanced in aged mice, we tested the hypothesis that gas5 is involved in functions controlled by the hippocampus and known to be affected by age, such as spatial learning and novelty‐induced behaviors. We show that aged (22‐month‐old) C57BL/6 male mice have spatial‐learning impairments, reduced novelty‐induced exploration, and enhanced gas5 RNA levels in the hippocampus compared to young (3‐month‐old) mice. At both ages, levels of gas5 RNA in the hippocampus negatively correlated with novelty‐induced exploration in the open field and elevated‐plus maze tests. No correlations were found between gas5 RNA levels in the hippocampus and performance in the water maze test. The expression of gas5 RNA in the rest of the brain did not correlate with any behavioral parameter analyzed. Because variations in novelty‐induced behaviors could be caused by stressfull experiences, we analyzed whether gas5 RNA levels in the hippocampus are regulated by acute stressors. We found that gas5 RNA levels in the hippocampus were upregulated by 50% 24 h after a psychogenic stressor (60‐min olfactory contact with a rat) but were unchanged after exposure to an unfamiliar environment or after acquisition of new spatial information in a one‐trial learning task. The present results suggest that strong psychogenic stressors upregulate gas5 RNA in the hippocampus, which in turn affects novelty‐induced responses controlled by this region. We hypothesize that long‐life exposure to stressors causes an age‐dependent increase in hippocampal gas5 RNA levels, which could be responsible for age‐related reduced novelty‐induced behaviors, thus suggesting a new mechanism by which ageing and stress affect hippocampal function. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
American Economic Policy in the 1990s

The book American Economic Policy in the 1990s, which has a publication date of Spring 2002 from MIT Press, is the outcome of a conference held at the Kennedy School in June 2001. It brought together leading policy-makers and economists, with the goal of providing a preliminary history of U.S. economic policy-making during the last decade. The book is divided into 14 chapters in addition to this Introduction. Each examines a different area of economic policy: Monetary policy, Fiscal policy, Tax policy, International finance and crises in emerging markets, Trade policy, Information Technology, Industrial organization, Energy policy, Environmental policy, Labor and education, Poverty and welfare, Health care and tobacco policy, Medicare policy, and Process. This Introduction to the volume includes a discussion of distinguishing characteristics of "Clintonomics" in historical perspective, a cataloguing of reasons for the good economic performance enjoyed by the country during the years 1993-2000, an expla nation of the difficulties of apportioning credit for such outcomes, and some thoughts on the under-appreciated perils of excessive transparency in government.
Understanding the Determinants of Who Gets Laid Off: Does Affective Organizational Commitment Matter?

Whereas prior research has focused on structural, demographic, and human capital factors to predict who gets laid off, the current study examines affective organizational commitment as an additional attribute related to an employee's layoff chances. Specifically, we investigate the relationship between affective organizational commitment and an individual's layoff chances, as well as whether this relationship differs between high and low performers. Event history analysis is conducted using survey data with matched personnel records from 3,057 employees across 563 Australian bank branches. After controlling for numerous predictors of layoffs, the results demonstrate that affective organizational commitment decreases the likelihood of an employee being laid off. Further, the effects of affective organizational commitment on an individual's layoff chances are greater for lower performers than higher performers. We discuss the implications of these findings for researchers and practitioners. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Managing internal technology transfer in complex product development

Purpose – The purpose of this article is to illustrate how the characteristics of complex product systems pose specific managerial challenges onto the transfer of new technology from technology development to product development.Design/methodology/approach – The research relies on comparative case studies involving three cases of internal technology transfer processes in the development of electrical equipment and telecommunication systems.Findings – The research findings suggest that managerial decisions on internal technology transfer should be guided by a contingency framework rather than general procedures and tools.Research limitations/implications – Since the research is restricted to a limited number of case studies, additional studies are required to validate the findings.Practical implications – The study results indicate that in cases of complex product development, there is a need for a more integrated view on technology and product development, than what is commonly described in the literature.
Endoscopic stenting versus operative gastrojejunostomy for malignant gastric outlet obstruction-a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized and non-randomized trials.

BACKGROUND Open surgical gastrojejunostomy (GJ) has been the treatment of choice, but it has high morbidity and mortality rates. During the last decade, endoscopic self-expandable metal stents (SEMS) have been used. This meta-analysis aimed to compare surgical GJ and endoscopic stenting in palliation of malignant gastric outlet obstruction (GOO). METHODS A systematic search was conducted using MEDLINE, PubMed, EMBASE, Current Contents Connect, Cochrane library, Google Scholar, Science Direct, and Web of Science. The search identified 3 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and 14 non-RCTs reporting on patients who underwent surgical GJ or endoscopic stenting for malignant gastroduodenal outflow obstruction. RESULTS THE RESULTS OF THE THREE RCTS DEMONSTRATED THAT SEMS RESULTED IN COMPARABLE MAJOR [ODDS RATIO (OR): 0.62, 95% confidence intervals (CI): 0.021-18.371] and minor (OR: 0.32, 95% CI: 0.049-2.089) complications in a shorter time to tolerating an oral intake (SEMS: 3.55 days and GJ: 7.15 days) and shorter hospital stay (SEMS: 5.1 days and GJ: 12.13 days, however, statistical insignificant P value =0.11). Among the non RCTs: SEMS resulted in a shorter time to tolerating an oral intake (SEMS: 1.48 days and GJ: 8.07 days, P value <0.01), similar rate of complications (OR: 0.33, 95% CI: 0.1-1.08), lower mortality (OR: 0.5, 95% CI: 0.21-1.20, P value <0.01) and a shorter hospital stay (SEMS: 7.61 days and GJ: 19.04 days, P value <0.0001). There was no significant difference between median survival times among RCTs and non RCTs. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that stent placement is associated with better short-term outcomes and hence, duodenal stenting is a safe means of palliating malignant gastric outflow obstruction. However, a large RCT is needed to systematically compare stent placement with GJ with regard to medical effects, quality of life and costs.
Predicting bookmaker odds and efficiency for UK football

The efficiency of gambling markets has frequently been questioned. In order to investigate the rationality of bookmaker odds, we use an ordered probit model to generate predictions for English football matches and compare these predictions with the odds of UK bookmaker William Hill. Further, we develop a model that predicts bookmaker odds. Combining a predictive model based on results and a bookmaker model based on previous quoted odds allows us to compare directly William Hill opinion of various teams with the team ratings generated by the predictive model. We also compare the objective value of individual home advantage and distance travelled with the value attributed to these factors by bookmakers. We show that there are systematic biases in bookmaker odds, and that these biases cannot be explained by William Hill odds omitting valuable, or excluding extraneous, information.
Immigration and Inequality

Immigration is often viewed as a proximate cause of the rising wage gap between high- and low-skilled workers. Nevertheless, there is controversy over the appropriate framework for measuring the presumed effect, and over the magnitudes involved. This paper offers an overview and synthesis of existing knowledge on the relationship between immigration and inequality, focusing on evidence from cross-city comparisons in the U.S. Although some researchers have argued that a cross-city research design is inherently flawed, I show that evidence from cross-city comparisons is remarkably consistent with recent findings from aggregate time series data. Both designs provide support for three key conclusions: (1) workers with below high school education are perfect substitutes for those with a high school education; (2) "high school equivalent" and "college equivalent" workers are imperfect substitutes; (3) within education groups, immigrants and natives are imperfect substitutes. Together these results imply that the impacts of recent immigrant inflows on the relative wages of U.S. natives are small. The effects on overall wage inequality (including natives and immigrants) are larger, reflecting the concentration of immigrants in the tails of the skill distribution and higher residual inequality among immigrants than natives. Even so, immigration accounts for a small share (5%) of the increase in U.S. wage inequality between 1980 and 2000.
Inefficient Credit Rationing and Public Support of Commercial Credit Provision

Credit contracting between a lender with market power and a small start-up entrepreneur may lead to the rejection of projects whose expected benefits are higher than their total costs when adverse selection is present. This inefficiency may be eliminated by government support in the form of credit guarantees or interest-rate subsidies. The principal-agent model of this paper compares different forms of government support and concludes that credit guarantees and interest-rate subsidies have an unambiguous positive effect on social efficiency, since they enable the funding of socially efficient projects that would not be financed otherwise.
Hidden endemism, deep polyphyly, and repeated dispersal across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec: Diversification of the White‐collared Seedeater complex (Thraupidae: Sporophila torqueola)

Abstract Phenotypic and genetic variation are present in all species, but lineages differ in how variation is partitioned among populations. Examining phenotypic clustering and genetic structure within a phylogeographic framework can clarify which biological processes have contributed to extant biodiversity in a given lineage. Here, we investigate genetic and phenotypic variation among populations and subspecies within a Neotropical songbird complex, the White‐collared Seedeater (Sporophila torqueola) of Central America and Mexico. We combine measurements of morphology and plumage patterning with thousands of nuclear loci derived from ultraconserved elements (UCEs) and mitochondrial DNA to evaluate population differentiation. We find deep levels of molecular divergence between two S. torqueola lineages that are phenotypically diagnosable: One corresponds to S. t. torqueola along the Pacific coast of Mexico, and the other includes S. t. morelleti and S. t. sharpei from the Gulf Coast of Mexico and Central America. Surprisingly, these two lineages are strongly differentiated in both nuclear and mitochondrial markers, and each is more closely related to other Sporophila species than to one another. We infer low levels of gene flow between these two groups based on demographic models, suggesting multiple independent evolutionary lineages within S. torqueola have been obscured by coarse‐scale similarity in plumage patterning. These findings improve our understanding of the biogeographic history of this lineage, which includes multiple dispersal events out of South America and across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec into Mesoamerica. Finally, the phenotypic and genetic distinctiveness of the range‐restricted S. t. torqueola highlights the Pacific Coast of Mexico as an important region of endemism and conservation priority.
Starting insulin therapy in patients with type 2 diabetes: effectiveness, complications, and resource utilization.

CONTEXT Although experimental studies show that insulin therapy can be safe and efficacious in improving glycemic control in type 2 diabetes under optimal conditions (ie, using patient volunteers with close monitoring under strict study protocols), little is known about its effectiveness, complication rates, and associated resource utilization in actual clinical practice. DESIGN Cohort study. SETTING Large staff-model health maintenance organization. PARTICIPANTS A total of 8668 patients with type 2 diabetes cared for by generalist physicians from 1990 through 1993. OUTCOME MEASURES Resource use (hospitalizations, outpatient visits, laboratory testing, and home glucose monitoring) and glycemic control were evaluated using combined clinical, survey, and administrative information systems data. Detailed clinical case-mix data, including a newly validated case-mix method, the Total Illness Burden Index, were collected on a subsample of 1738 patients. RESULTS Among patients starting insulin therapy, hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) decreased by 0.9 percentage point (95% confidence interval, 0.7-1.0) at 1 year compared with those receiving stable medication regimens; however, 2 years after starting insulin therapy, 60% still had HbA1c levels of 8% or greater. There was no evidence that some primary care physicians achieved better results than other primary care physicians when starting insulin therapy in their patients. Patients with the poorest baseline glycemic control achieved substantially greater HbA1c reductions; those with a baseline HbA1c level of 13% had a 3-fold greater decline in HbA1c than those whose baseline HbA1c level was 9%. For a subset of all patients for whom detailed clinical case-mix data were obtained, those taking insulin had higher resource use than those taking sulfonylureas, independent of illness severity. After adjusting for age, sex, race, socioeconomic status, disease duration, and severity of diabetes and comorbidities, insulin users had slightly more laboratory tests performed, 2.4 more outpatient visits per year, and almost 300 more fingersticks for home glucose testing per year compared with sulfonylurea users (all P<.01). Although 15% of patients receiving insulin therapy reported weekly symptoms of hypoglycemia, insulin therapy was not associated with an increase in emergency department visits (after case-mix adjustment) and resulted in only 0.5 hypoglycemia-related hospitalizations per 100 patient-years. CONCLUSIONS For patients with type 2 diabetes who were cared for by generalist physicians, starting insulin therapy was generally safe and effective in achieving moderate glycemic control in patients who initially had poor glycemic control. However, insulin therapy was associated with increases in resource use and was rarely effective in achieving tight glycemic control, even for those with moderate control.
A welfare comparison between VERS and tariffs under the GATT

Economic theory suggests that tariffs are welfare-superior to voluntary export restraints in the presence of perfect competition. However, with perfectly competitive markets, some authors have found that voluntary export restraints may be welfare superior to tariffs. The authors reconsider the comparison between a voluntary export restraint and a tariff in the context of GATT-based constraints. Using a model of perfect competition, the authors show that a voluntary export restraint can welfare-dominate a tariff increase that is accompanied by a compensatory reduction in the tariff on another good or if the tariff is matched with a retaliatory tariff on domestic exports.