Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A HOUSEHOLD MODEL FOR WORK ABSENCE

The economic incentives of work absence are empirically studied using a panel of Swedish blue collar workers, both men and women, that either are married or living with a spouse as married. A model for the daily absence decision is derived from standard economic utility theory. An estimable form for the annual number of absence days is obtained by considering the data generating process in some detail. The model is estimated, using the first two moments, with a generalized method of moment estimator. The panel structure of the data is explicitly considered and a positive dependence between the number of days absent in the two time periods is found for females. A 1% increase in the cost will lead to a decrease in the mean number of days absent by 1.8 and 2.7% for females and males, respectively.
Antinucleosome Antibodies and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Abstract: The aim of this study is to investigate the prevalence of antinucleosome antibody in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and their association with disease activity and renal involvement. The study included 131 patients with SLE, 74 rheumatoid arthritis, 26 systemic sclerosis, and 50 healthy individuals. Antinucleosome antibody and anti‐dsDNA antibody were measured by an enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Antinuclear antibody was tested by immunofluorescence using HEp‐2 cells. Out of 131 SLE patients, 72 (54.9%) were seropositive for antinucleosome antibody, which was significantly higher than only 3 of 74 (4%) patients with rheumatoid arthritis (χ2= 52.82, P < 0.001); none of the patients with systemic sclerosis and 50 healthy individuals were seropositive. The sensitivity and specificity of antinucleosome antibodies in SLE were 83.6% and 70%, respectively. Fifty‐one (38.9%) of SLE patients had renal involvement. Among these patients, the rate of antinucleosome positivity and anti‐dsDNA were 74.5% and 78.4%, respectively. Antinucleosome antibodies were found to be 31.4% positive in SLE patients lacking anti‐dsDNA antibody. Antinucleosome antibodies significantly correlated with disease activity (r= 0.428, P < 0.001) and anti‐dsDNA (r= 0518, P < 0.001). The positivity of antinucleosome antibodies was significantly higher in patients with renal disease than the subjects without renal disease (χ2= 12.89, P < 0.001). The results of our study have revealed that in SLE patients, antinucleosome antibody could be a useful parameter for the assessment of disease activity or renal involvement.
Does Financial Liberalization Lower Problem Loans in Banks?

The paper explores whether financial liberalization promotes improved credit risk management in Indian banking in the form of fewer problem loans. Using annual data on state-owned banks for the period 1996-2005, the paper finds that, after controlling for a myriad of factors, financial liberalization is influential in lowering banks' problem loans. Robustness tests reinforce these findings. Copyright 2007 The Author Journal compilation 2007 Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena SpA
Electronic data interchange: competitive externalities and strategic implementation policies

Electronic Data Interchange EDI is an emerging type of standardized inter-organizational information system. We analyze the impact of EDI on the upstream suppliers' competitive position in a simple two-level hierarchical market structure where the buyer faces a linear demand curve and the competing heterogeneous suppliers have an upward-sloping marginal cost function. We show that a suppliers' adoption of EDI can generate positive externalities for the buyer and negative or competitive externalities for other suppliers. As a result, the buyer provides a price premium to those suppliers who adopt EDI and increases their sales volume and market share. Moreover, when the benefits that the buyer can derive from implementing EDI are substantial, and the suppliers' EDI adoption costs are high, it may be in the buyer's best interest to subsidize the suppliers so as to encourage them to adopt EDI, instead of mandating them to do so. Regardless of whether the buyer employs a mandatory or a subsidizing policy, the buyer and the end consumers may be the only ones who gain from this new technology. Consequently, a partial adoption by the supplier base may be optimal for the buyer when the suppliers' adoption costs are sufficiently high. We also show that, while EDI reduces the transaction costs of the buyer, the upstream market tends to become more concentrated as a result of increased cost differentials. These results provide one economic explanation of the fact that many companies have actually reduced their supplier base after implementing EDI, despite a significant reduction in their market transaction costs.
Some New Filter Rule Tests: Methods and Results

Abstract Mechanical trading rules seem to have more potential than previous tests found. Fama and Blume (1966), looking at the Dow 30 of the late 1950s, found no profits for the best (½-percent) rule after adjusting for transactions costs. Fifteen of these stocks looked profitable in their sample, however; for the same rule, the surviving fourteen show statistically significant profits for 1970–1982 for transactions costs obtainable by floor traders. The test used here assumes constant risk premia, or more generally, that risk premia are on average approximately the same on days “in” as for the total period.
A New Portfolio Optimization Based on Entropy.

If nothing or very little is known about a stock market or if there is hardly any trustworthy historical data and one can not estimate a reliable set of parameters in order to construct a consistent probability model for the stock returns or, simply, one is not convinced by the analyzed economical and financial information necessary for decision making, is there a function that takes into account this lack of information and helps us build optimized portfolios?
Improvement of quasi-optical mode converter for 170 GHz coaxial cavity gyrotron at FZK

A quasi-optical (q.o.) mode converter is under development for a 2 MW, 170 GHz coaxial cavity gyrotron for ITER at Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe (FZK), Germany. Measurements revealed that the pre-prototype q.o. mode converter could only provide a corrected wave beam with low fundamental Gaussian mode content in the output window plane. A new method is used to numerically optimize the launcher wall surface to improve the performance of the q.o. mode converter. Simulation results show that a Gaussian mode content of 95 % of the outgoing wave beam can be achieved at the aperture of the improved launcher. With the new launcher, both the Gaussian mode content and the power transmission of the outgoing wave beam in the window plane are expected to be larger than 95%.
Conversion of ectoderm into a neural fate by ATH‐3, a vertebrate basic helix–loop–helix gene homologous to Drosophila proneural gene atonal

We have isolated a novel basic helix–loop–helix (bHLH) gene homologous to the Drosophila proneural gene atonal, termed ATH‐3, from Xenopus and mouse. ATH‐3 is expressed in the developing nervous system, with high levels of expression in the brain, retina and cranial ganglions. Injection of ATH‐3 RNA into Xenopus embryos dramatically expands the neural tube and induces ectopic neural tissues in the epidermis but inhibits non‐neural development. This ATH‐3‐induced neural hyperplasia does not require cell division, indicating that surrounding cells which are normally non‐neural types adopt a neural fate. In a Xenopus animal cap assay, ATH‐3 is able to convert ectodermal cells into neurons expressing anterior markers without inducing mesoderm. Interestingly, a single amino acid change from Ser to Asp in the basic region, which mimics phosphorylation of Ser, severely impairs the anterior marker‐inducing ability without affecting general neurogenic activities. These results provide evidence that ATH‐3 can directly convert non‐neural or undetermined cells into a neural fate, and suggest that the Ser residue in the basic region may be critical for the regulation of ATH‐3 activity by phosphorylation.
Entering low‐end markets: a new strategy for Swiss companies

Purpose – This paper provides a better understanding of why manufacturing companies often fail to enter the low‐end market.Design/methodology/approach – Case studies on Swiss firms that create competitive advantage through technological, quality and/or innovation leadership are the main tool of theory development.Findings – Our objective was to explain why firms often fail to enter the low‐end market. The main finding is a method for entering the low‐end market successfully.Research limitations/implications – Our remarks are limited to manufacturing firms that create competitive advantage through technological, quality and/or innovation leadership.Practical implications – The key managerial implications is a method for entering the low‐end market successfully. The method offers some guidance for overcoming the successive hurdles limiting the entry in the low‐term price segment in emerging markets.Originality/value – We were able to add a complementary perspective to existing literature on the internationa.
Executive Compensation Policy and Company Performance in Japan

The purpose of this paper is to analyse whether companies'"way to pay their director" matters or not. Firstly, we fail to find a positive relationship between the performance-pay sensitivity and company performance. Thus, these results do not support our hypothesis that those companies that intensify the performance-pay sensitivity are more likely to improve their performance. In addition, this research fails to find a positive relationship between the change of pay policy and performance. These results are consistent with previous studies that directors' pay is not designed to motivate directors to work toward shareholders' value. Copyright Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2005.
Distribution‐based anomaly detection in 3G mobile networks: from theory to practice

The design of anomaly detection (AD) methods for network traffic has been intensively investigated by the research community in recent years. However, less attention has been devoted to the issues which eventually arise when deploying such tools in a real operational context. We designed a statistical based change detection algorithm for identifying deviations in distribution time series. The proposed method has been applied to the analysis of a large dataset from an operational 3G mobile network, in the perspective of the adoption of such a tool in production. Our algorithm is designed to cope with the marked non‐stationarity and daily/weekly seasonality that characterize the traffic mix in a large public network. Several practical issues emerged during the study, including the need to handle incompleteness of the collected data, the difficulty in drilling down the cause of certain alarms, and the need for human assistance in resetting the algorithm after a persistent change in network configuration (e.g. a capacity upgrade). We report on our practical experience, highlighting the key lessons learned and the hands‐on experience gained from such an analysis. Finally, we propose a novel methodology based on semi‐synthetic traces for tuning and performance assessment of the proposed AD algorithm. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The Finance-Growth Link in Latin America

This paper analyzes the relationship between financial development and economic growth in Latin America with a Granger causality test and impulse response functions in a panel vector autoregression (VAR) model. With annual observations from a sample of 18 countries from 1962 to 2005, it is shown that while economic growth causes financial development, financial development does not cause economic growth. This finding is robust to different model specifications and different financial indicators. Interestingly, when the sample is divided according to different income levels and institutional quality, there is two-way causality between financial development and economic growth only for the middle income group and for countries with stronger rule of law and creditor rights. The impulse response functions show that a shock to financial development has a positive impact on economic growth only for these subsamples, but the net effect of financial development on growth is relatively small.
Cloning and analysis of integrated hepatitis virus sequences from a human hepatoma cell line

We report here the isolation by molecular cloning and the analysis by heteroduplex and restriction enzyme mapping of seven distinct DNA fragments containing hepatitis B virus (HBV) sequences from genomic DNA of the PLC/PRF/5 human liver carcinoma cell line (the Alexander cell). No intact full-length HBV genomes were present. Three different patterns of organization of HBV fragments were detected. These included two linear fragments without detectable rearrangement, three other HBV fragments with internal deletions, and two HBV fragments containing long inverted duplications. HBsAg sequences are preferentially included in the integrated fragment, whereas the core gene is preferentially eliminated. Several of the integrated HBV fragments might act as templates for the synthesis of functional HBsAg mRNA, whereas only one clone could produce a full core antigen transcript.
On the reporting of power quality

The reporting of power quality (PQ) requires consideration as different users of information on Quality of Supply (QoS) have different needs. Reporting on the compliancy of voltage regulation in terms of a PQ standard can be done without detail knowledge of such standard as demonstrated in this paper. This concept is claimed to be useful for the operators of the network as the parameters under their control are used in this reporting approach.
Asthenia—Does It Exist in Space?

Objective First popularized as neurasthenia in the late 1800s by American George Beard, asthenia has been viewed by Russian psychologists and flight surgeons as a major problem that affects cosmonauts participating in long-duration space missions. However, there is some controversy about whether this syndrome exists in space; this controversy is attributable in part to the fact that it is not recognized in the current American psychiatric diagnostic system. Methods To address this issue empirically, we retrospectively examined the data from our 4 1/2-year, NASA-funded study of crew member and mission control interactions during the Shuttle/Mir space program. Three of the authors identified eight items of stage 1 asthenia from one of our measures, the Profile of Mood States (POMS). Scores on these items from 13 Russian and American crew members were compared with scores derived from the opinions of six Russian space experts. Results Crew members’ scores in space were significantly lower than the experts’ scores on seven of the eight items, and they generally were in the “not at all” to “a little” range of the item scales. There were no differences in mean scores before and after launch or across the four quarters of the missions. There were no differences in response between Russian and American crew members. Conclusions We could not demonstrate the presence of asthenia in space as operationally defined using the POMS. However, the POMS addresses only emotional and not physiological aspects of the syndrome, and the subject responses in our study generally were skewed toward the positive end of the scales. Further research on this syndrome needs to be done and should include physiological measures and measures that are specific to asthenia.
The Dollar and the Policy Mix: 1985

In 1971, Robert Mundell proposed a stunning solution to the three problems then affecting the U.S. economy: high inflation and unemployment, and a weak currency. Mundell suggested that the policy mix of fiscal expansion and monetary contraction could work to raise output, reduce inflation, and strengthen the currency at the same time. This policy mix has been pursued under the Reagan administration since 1981. The paper investigates the contributions of this policy mix to disinflation and output growth. It finds that the policy mix has contributed as much as three percentage points of the reduction in inflation during 1981-84, but that the gains against inflation due to the mix will likely be lost, or more than lost, in the future.
Quantitative interpretation of bioenergetic data from 31P and 1H magnetic resonance spectroscopic studies of skeletal muscle: an analytical review.

In the study of skeletal muscle bioenergetics, 31P magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) allows frequent measurement of the cytosolic pH and the concentrations of phosphocreatine, inorganic phosphate, and adenosine diphosphate (ADP) during exercise and recovery, which can be supplemented by 1H MRS (or biopsy) measurements of muscle lactate content and 13C MRS (or biopsy) measurements of muscle glycogen. We review the many methods now described by which 31P MRS measurements can be made to yield quantitative estimates of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) turnover, oxidative capacity, and proton handling in skeletal muscle. In particular, we describe how to estimate the rates of glycogenolytic and aerobic ATP synthesis during exercise and oxidative ATP synthesis and proton efflux during recovery from exercise and how to assess oxidative capacity using data from steady-state exercise, work jumps, or recovery. We discuss the metabolic relationships that make these methods possible and the assumptions (e.g., about cytosolic buffer capacity and mitochondrial control mechanisms) on which they depend. We show how these methods, although sometimes based on apparently conflicting metabolic models, can be analysed in a common framework. Finally, we discuss some examples of the current and potential applications of these methods in clinical and experimental studies of skeletal muscle.
Systematic Risk Shift and Post-Merger Performance

This paper derives a theoretical model to compute the systematic risk of the acquiring firms in merger and acquisition (M&A) transactions, then examines the effects of systematic risk variation on the accuracy of estimating short-term stock performance. Using a sample of 606 US acquisitions in the period 2004-2013, I provide evidence that there exists a positive (negative) risk shift when the equity beta of the acquirer is smaller (larger) than the target's beta. Cumulative abnormal returns are negative and statistically significant in first five and ten days after the announcement date, but quickly vanish when abnormal returns are estimated with beta adjustments.
Strategic Environmental Assessment and Sustainability in Europe – How Bright is the Future?

Strategic environmental assessment (SEA) is the evaluation of the impacts of policies , plans and programmes upon the environment. SEA is closely related to environmental impact assessment (EIA), which is the evaluation of the impacts of projects upon the environment. SEA should strengthen EIA (which is often applied late in the decision-making process), because it addresses impacts at higher or earlier levels of the process, and thereby aims to avoid them at the lower levels or at a later stage. It also specifically advocates integrating environmental factors into decision-making, in order to advance sustainability.
Food Standards, Trade and Development

This paper discusses the impact of increasing standards in food production and trade on the export opportunities of low-income countries and on development in these countries. The increase in food standards is often seen as a threat to poor countries, diminishing their export opportunities and leading to an unequal distribution of the gains from trade, resulting in marginalization of poor farmers. However, many of the arguments are subject to debate and also empirical studies have come to diverse conclusions about the effects of increasing food standards on development. In this paper we give an overview of these arguments and the empirical evidence.
Neuroprotective Effects of Regulators of the Glycogen Synthase Kinase-3β Signaling Pathway in a Transgenic Model of Alzheimer's Disease Are Associated with Reduced Amyloid Precursor Protein Phosphorylation

The glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK3β) pathway plays an important role in mediating neuronal fate and synaptic plasticity. In Alzheimer's disease (AD), abnormal activation of this pathway might play an important role in neurodegeneration, and compounds such as lithium that modulate GSK3β activity have been shown to reduce amyloid production and tau phosphorylation in amyloid precursor protein (APP) transgenic (tg) mice. However, it is unclear whether regulation of GSK3β is neuroprotective in APP tg mice. In this context, the main objective of the present study was to determine whether pharmacological or genetic manipulations that block the GSK3β pathway might ameliorate the neurodegenerative alterations in APP tg mice and to better understand the mechanisms involved. For this purpose, two sets of experiments were performed. First, tg mice expressing mutant human APP under the Thy1 promoter (hAPP tg) were treated with either lithium chloride or saline alone. Second, hAPP tg mice were crossed with GSK3β tg mice, in which overexpression of this signaling molecule results in a dominant-negative (DN) effect with inhibition of activity. hAPP tg mice that were treated with lithium or that were crossed with DN–GSK3β tg mice displayed improved performance in the water maze, preservation of the dendritic structure in the frontal cortex and hippocampus, and decreased tau phosphorylation. Moreover, reduced activation of GSK3β was associated with decreased levels of APP phosphorylation that resulted in decreased amyloid-β production. In conclusion, the present study showed that modulation of the GSK3β signaling pathway might also have neuroprotective effects in tg mice by regulating APP maturation and processing and further supports the notion that GSK3β might be a suitable target for the treatment of AD.
Success of Activity Management Practices: The Influence of Organizational and Cultural Factors

This study examines the success of activity management practices and the organizational and cultural factors affecting success at each of Gosselin's (1997) three levels of activity analysis (AA), activity cost analysis (ACA) and activity-based costing (ABC). Data were collected by survey questionnaire from a random sample of managers of Australian business units. The results indicate that activity management is moderately successful in Australian organizations, with greater use associated with higher levels of success. Two organizational factors (top management support and link to quality) were associated with success at each of Gosselin's three levels, whereas training was associated at the AA and ACA levels. The cultural factor of outcome orientation was associated with success at each level, with attention to detail important at the ABC level. Organizational factors were more strongly associated with activity management success than cultural factors.
The Global Impact of Demographic Change

The world is in the midst of a major demographic transition. This paper examines the implications of such transition over the next 80 years for Japan, the United States, other industrial countries, and the developing regions of the world using a dynamic intertemporal general equilibrium four-country model containing demographics calibrated to the 'medium variant' of the United Nations population projections. We find that population aging in industrial countries will reduce aggregate growth in these regions over time, but should boost growth in developing countries over the next 20-30 years, as the relative size of their working-age populations increases. Demographic change will also affect saving, investment, and capital flows, implying changes in global trade balances and asset prices. We also explore the sensitivity of the results to assumptions about future productivity growth and country external risk for the developing country region.