Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Politics and Economics of Parking on Campus

Universities have tried almost every possible way to deal with the shortage of campus parking: lotteries, hunting licenses, first-come-first-served, waiting lists, seniority, and need-based systems. As another way to eliminate parking shortages, this paper proposes using the Goldilocks Principle of parking prices to balance supply and demand: the price at any location is too high if many spaces are vacant, and too low if no spaces are vacant. When a few vacant spaces are available everywhere, the prices are just right and drivers can always find a place to park. The chapter concludes by proposing a pilot program to test drivers’ responses to performance prices for campus parking.
Vermont Hub-and-Spoke Model of Care for Opioid Use Disorder: Development, Implementation, and Impact

Background: Opioid use disorders (OUDs) are reaching epidemic proportions in the United States, and many geographic areas struggle with a persistent shortage in availability of opioid agonist treatment. Over the past 5 years, Vermont addiction medicine physicians and public health leaders have responded to these challenges by developing an integrated hub-and-spoke opioid treatment network. Methods: In the present report, we review the development, implementation, and impact of this novel hub-and-spoke model for expanding OUD treatment in Vermont. Results: Vermont's hub-and-spoke system has been implemented state-wide and well-received by providers and patients alike. Adoption of this model has been associated with substantial increases in the state's OUD treatment capacity, with Vermont now having the highest capacity for treating OUD in the United States with 10.56 people in treatment per 1000. There has been a 64% increase in physicians waivered to prescribe buprenorphine, a 50% increase in patients served per waivered physician, and a robust bidirectional transfer of patients between hubs and spokes based upon clinical need. Challenges to system implementation and important future directions are discussed. Conclusions: Development and implementation of a hub-and-spoke system of care has contributed substantially to improvements in opioid agonist treatment capacity in Vermont. This system may serve as a model for other states grappling with the current opioid use epidemic.
Earnings Conservatism and Value Relevance Across the Business Cycle

Prior research has demonstrated higher value relevance of current earnings during economic expansions relative to contractions. We largely attribute such a result to expected growth prospects being captured in the current earnings coefficient when a direct proxy for expected future earnings is omitted from the returns-earnings model. We demonstrate that the conservatism and value relevance of current earnings is actually higher during economic contractions when including a proxy for future earnings expectations. We further demonstrate that the value-relevance of expected future earnings is higher during expansions, when the association between historical accounting information and future growth opportunities likely weakens. Copyright (c) 2009 The Authors Journal compilation (c) 2009 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
Macao: The Gambling Paradise—Profiling the Roles and Motives of Customers

Around 30 million tourists visited Macao during 2008. This research has identified the roles and motives of the tourists visiting a tourism city in Asia with a gambling context, Macao. Four specified roles have been identified and five major motives found among 37 variables. The tourism market is fairly distributed among the four identified tourist segments, with sightseeing as the major attraction and gambling listed last on the priority list. The role‐defined tourists are found to have different motives, which is also affected by their origins. However, no interaction effect between roles and motives was found. 2008年，游览澳门的游客达三千万人次。 本研究的目的是剖析游览澳门这个亚洲赌城的游客的角色和动机。 本文所确定的游客角色有4种，在37个变量中主要的动机有5种。 澳门的旅游市场大致由这4个种类的游客所组成; 观光是游客游览澳门的首要动机，赌博则是最不重要的动机。 研究结果显示，不同角色的游客有不同的动机，而他们的动机亦会受其国籍所影响。 然而，角色和动机之间并不存在相互影响作用。
Women Leaders in the Thai Education: Career Paths and the Glass Ceiling

This paper presents an overview of the status of female leaders ineducation in Thailand at the ministry and higher education levels.While the representation of women in the highest levels ofeducational leadership is gradually increasing, their numbers are stillfar too small compared to that of men. Using qualitative research,the paper investigates the paths to career success of severalprominent women leaders at both levels of education. Women whowant to become leaders in education may benefit from an analysis oftheir experiences and career paths. The root cause of the glass ceilingwhich prevents Thai women from attaining leadership positions areidentified, and recommendations are made to overcome these barriers.This paper asserts that it is necessary for the Thai government andeducational institutions to provide equal opportunity to womenwhen it comes to the recruitment of educational leaders if they are tomaximize the use of Thailand’s human resources. The paper alsooffers recommendations for female individuals, who aspire forleadership positions, on how to achieve their career goals. Keywords : women leaders, glass ceiling, career paths, Thai education
The effect of time pressure on expert system based training for emergency management

In many emergency situations, human operators are required to derive countermeasures based on contingency rules whilst under time pressure. In order to contribute to the human success in playing such a role, the present study intends to examine the effectiveness of using expert systems to train for the time-constrained decision domain. Emergency management of chemical spills was selected to exemplify the rule-based decision task. An Expert System in this domain was developed to serve as the training tool. Forty subjects participated in an experiment in which a computerized information board was used to capture subjects' rule-based performance under the manipulation of time pressure and training. The experiment results indicate that people adapt to time pressure by accelerating their processing of rules where the heuristic of cognitive availability was employed. The simplifying strategy was found to be the source of human error that resulted in undesired decision performance. The results also show that the.
The Leader Proteinase of Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus Negatively Regulates the Type I Interferon Pathway by Acting as a Viral Deubiquitinase

ABSTRACT The leader proteinase (Lpro) of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) is a papain-like proteinase that plays an important role in FMDV pathogenesis. Previously, it has been shown that Lpro is involved in the inhibition of the type I interferon (IFN) response by FMDV. However, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here we demonstrate that FMDV Lbpro, a shorter form of Lpro, has deubiquitinating activity. Sequence alignment and structural bioinformatics analyses revealed that the catalytic residues (Cys51 and His148) are highly conserved in FMDV Lbpro of all seven serotypes and that the topology of FMDV Lbpro is remarkably similar to that of ubiquitin-specific protease 14 (USP14), a cellular deubiquitylation enzyme (DUB), and to that of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) papain-like protease (PLpro), a coronaviral DUB. Both purified Lbpro protein and in vivo ectopically expressed Lbpro removed ubiquitin (Ub) moieties from cellular substrates, acting on both lysine-48- and lysine-63-linked polyubiquitin chains. Furthermore, Lbpro significantly inhibited ubiquitination of retinoic acid-inducible gene I (RIG-I), TANK-binding kinase 1 (TBK1), TNF receptor-associated factor 6 (TRAF6), and TRAF3, key signaling molecules in activation of type I IFN response. Mutations in Lbpro that ablate the catalytic activity (C51A or D163N/D164N) or disrupt the SAP (for SAF-A/B, Acinus, and PIAS) domain (I83A/L86A) abrogated the DUB activity of Lbpro as well as its ability to block signaling to the IFN-β promoter. Collectively, these results demonstrate that FMDV Lbpro possesses DUB activity in addition to serving as a viral proteinase and describe a novel mechanism evolved by FMDV to counteract host innate antiviral responses.
Attitudes of patients with incurable cancer toward medical treatment in the last phase of life.

PURPOSE When cancer has advanced to a stage in which cure becomes unlikely, patients may have to consider the aim of further treatment. We studied the relationship of patients' attitudes toward treatment with advance care planning and the development of these attitudes after diagnosis of incurable cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS Patients with incurable cancer were interviewed and asked to fill out a written questionnaire about their attitudes concerning life-prolonging treatment and end-of-life decision making. These questions were repeated after 6 and 12 months. RESULTS One hundred twenty-two patients (mean age, 64 years; standard deviation, 10.5 years; 53% women) participated in the study. Patients' attitudes toward treatment could be categorized into the following three different profiles: striving for quality of life, striving for length of life, and no clear preference. Patients who were older, more tired, or had less positive feelings and patients who had more often taken initiatives to engage in advance care planning were more inclined to strive for quality of life than others. Patients with a history of cancer of less than 6 months were more inclined to prefer life prolongation than patients with a longer history of cancer. During follow-up, no changes in attitudes toward treatment were found, except for patients with a short history of cancer in whom the inclination to strive for length decreased. CONCLUSION Patients who appreciate advance care planning were more inclined to strive for quality of life than other patients. Shortly after the diagnosis of cancer, patients typically seem to prefer life-prolonging treatment, whereas quality of life becomes more important when death is nearing.
Unveiling the Structure of Cognitive Vulnerability for Depression: Specificity and Overlap

There is extensive literature establishing the influence of rumination, hopelessness, and dysfunctional attitudes on depressive symptoms. However, it is unclear whether these vulnerability factors are distinctly related to depressive symptoms or show substantial overlap. In two large samples of undergraduates (Study #1, n = 304; Study #2, n = 491) and two samples of clinically depressed individuals (Study #3, n = 141; Study #4, n = 109, from published studies), questionnaire data were used to examine the relationship between cognitive vulnerability factors and depressive symptoms, along with additional measures of anxiety and stress symptoms. To decompose model fit into its specific and common partitions, we relied on commonality analysis (CA). CA showed that there is substantial overlap in cognitive risk factors for depression. Moreover, we found strong evidence that hopelessness provides a unique statistical contribution to depression. This pattern of findings was stable in healthy as well as clinical samples. Symptom-levels analysis revealed that a specific subset of depressive symptoms are associated with hopelessness. In closing, we showed that CA provides a powerful tool to map unique and overlapping variance between multiple risk factors. Moreover, hopelessness emerged to be an important focus of clinical attention.
Chilean Adaptation and Validation of the Early Adolescent Temperament Questionnaire-Revised Version

The aim of this study was to develop an adapted version of the Early Adolescent Temperament Questionnaire-Revised (EATQ-R) that would be valid and reliable for assessing temperament and its components in Chileans between 12 and 18 years of age. Originally, Ellis and Rothbart (2001) developed this questionnaire (EATQ-R) to be used in North American adolescents. For the study in Chile, a translation protocol was developed, to maintain the original instrument's cultural and linguistic equivalence in the adapted version. Psychometric properties of the EATQ-R, such as factor structure, internal consistency, and convergent validity, were also assessed. The adaption and validation was carried out in two stages, with two different studies. The first study, which included 612 adolescent students from educational establishments in the cities of Santiago and Concepcion, Chile, developed the Chilean version of the 83-item EATQ-R, which has 13 dimensions, belonging to 4 theoretical factors with adequate internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.79–0.82). The second study assessed the questionnaire's convergent validity, through its application to 973 adolescent students in Santiago. Results show that the effortful control subscale was significantly inversely related to indicators of adolescent maladjustment, such as substance abuse and behavioral problems. In addition, it was directly associated with indicators of self-concept, including self-esteem and self-efficacy. The opposite pattern was observed when considering negative affect. These findings coincide with current knowledge on the relationship between temperament and adjustment in adolescents.
The consensus view on interest rates and fiscal policy: reality or innocent fraud?

Current economic policy upgrades monetary policy and downgrades fiscal policy. Monetary policy involves the manipulation of the central bank interest rate, with the specific objective of achieving the main goal of monetary policy, which is, in most cases, the inflation rate. Fiscal policy should not be used as an instrument of stabilization policy. This raises two issues. The first is the theoretical underpinnings of this mode of economic policy. The second is the extent the quantitative impact of monetary and fiscal policy in the real world adhere to the principles set out by theory. Both aspects are investigated in this paper. We summarize results drawn from the euro area, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Two important conclusions emerge: the empirical results point to a relatively weak effect of interest rate changes on inflation. Also, monetary policy can have long-run effects on real magnitudes. Fiscal policy does have strong effects after all.
Carbon Nanotubes: Potential Benefits and Risks of Nanotechnology in Nuclear Medicine

Targeting of tumors with radionuclides for radiotherapeutic purposes is often limited by inadequate delivery to lesions using currently available targeting vehicles (e.g., monoclonal antibodies and peptides), relatively low and heterogeneous epitope/receptor expression on cancer cells, as well as dose-limiting toxicities to normal tissues (1). Nevertheless, there have been successes, particularly for radioimmunotherapy of non-Hodgkin’s B-cell lymphoma with 90Y-ibritumomab tiuxetan (Zevalin; Biogen Idec) or 131I-tositumomab (Bexxar; GlaxoSmithKline) (1). Notwithstanding these
THE EFFECTS OF WORKING CAPITAL MANAGEMENT ON THE PROFITABILITY OF NIGERIAN MANUFACTURING FIRMS

The efficiency of working capital management (WCM) has implications for firms’profitability. This paper empirically investigates the effects of WCM on the profitability of a sample of 48 large manufacturing firms quoted on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) for the period 1993 to 2005. It is aimed at filling the gaps in a previous study and contribute to expanding and enriching the literature particularly on Nigeria and at large. The analysis examined the responses of the firms’ profitability to WCM and a number of augmenting factors. Profitability was alternatively measured by gross operating profit (GOI), net operating income (NOI) and return on assets (ROA). Likewise, WCM was measured by the average collection period (ACP), average pay period (APP), inventory turnover days (ITID) and comprehensively by the cash conversion cycle (CCC). The results indicate that the firms’ have been inefficient with WCM and caused significant reductions in profitability. The paper concludes that improving the efficiency of WCM is essential and recommends that manufacturing firms in Nigeria should shorten the ACP, APP, ITID and reduce their CCCs.
Crime as Tourism Externality

Biagi B. and Detotto C. Crime as tourism externality, Regional Studies. This paper analyses the linkage between tourism and crime with a particular focus on the distortions generated onto criminal activities by the presence of visitors. Controlling for socio-demographic and economic variables, the contribution of tourist arrivals to different types of crimes for 103 Italian provinces and for the year 2005 are empirically investigated. The possible spillover effects of crime are taken into account by testing two spatial models (one spatial lag model and one spatial error model). The hypothesis is also tested according to which different geography of tourist destinations – that is, urban, mountain, marine, etc. – alters the impact of tourism on crime. Finally, the social cost of crime associated with tourist arrivals is measured.
An Improved Analytical PID Controller Design for Non-Monotonic Phase LTI Systems

An improved technique of analytical design of proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controllers in frequency-domain for non-monotonically decreasing phase systems by means of gain crossover frequency and phase margin specifications is presented in this brief. The proposed method guarantees a minimum phase margin inside the desired bandwidth, assuring better performance to step response for the closed-loop system. In order to achieve this feature, it is necessary to redefine the concept of phase margin when the uncontrolled process presents a non-monotonically decreasing phase inside the bandwidth. Hence, the phase margin can still be used as a good robustness indicator and allows the Bode stability criterion to be used for monotonic minimum-phase or non-monotonic minimum-phase systems.
Estimating the Equity Risk Premium Using Accounting Fundamentals

This study uses recent developments in the theoretical modelling of the links between unrecorded accounting goodwill, accounting profitability and the cost of equity, together with Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) betas, to estimate the ex-ante equity risk premium in the U.K. The results suggest that the premium is in the region of 4% to 5%. This lends support to the suggestion that the ex-ante equity risk premium is substantially less than the historical average of the excess of equity returns over the risk-free rate.
Compliance and late acute rejection after kidney transplantation: a psycho‐medical perspective

Introduction: We examined the relationship between late acute rejection (LAR) after cadaveric kidney transplantation and medical compliance utilizing a modified version of the Long‐term Medication Behaviour Self‐efficacy Scale (LTMBS‐scale), a validated patient self‐report questionnaire. The original LTMBS‐scale uses a five‐point scale, however, our pilot study showed that patients found it difficult to discriminate between the five options. We therefore modified this to a three‐point scale.
Nocturnal Awakening and Sleep Efficiency Estimation Using Unobtrusively Measured Ballistocardiogram

Fragmented sleep due to frequent awakenings represents a major cause of impaired daytime performance and adverse health outcomes. Currently, the gold standard for studying and assessing sleep fragmentation is polysomnography (PSG). Here, we propose an alternative method for real-time detection of nocturnal awakening via ballistocardiography using an unobtrusive polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) film sensor on a bed mattress. From ballistocardiogram, heart rate and body movement information were extracted to develop an algorithm for classifying sleeping and awakening epochs. In total, ten normal subjects (mean age 38.7 ± 14.6 years) and ten patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) (mean age 44.2 ± 16.5 years) of varying symptom severity participated in this study. Our study detected awakening epochs with an average sensitivity of 85.3% and 85.2%, specificity of 98.4% and 97.7%, accuracy of 97.4% and 96.5%, and Cohen's kappa coefficient of 0.83 and 0.81 for normal subjects and OSA patients, respectively. Also, sleep efficiency was estimated using detected awakening epochs and then compared with PSG results. Mean absolute errors in sleep efficiency were 1.08% and 1.44% for normal subjects and OSA patients, respectively. The results presented here indicate that our suggested method could be reliably applied to real-time nocturnal awakening detection and sleep efficiency estimation. Furthermore, our method may ultimately be an effective tool for long-term, home monitoring of sleep-wake behavior.
Interaction of Nocardia asteroides with rabbit alveolar macrophages: effect of growth phase and viability on phagosome-lysosome fusion

Rabbit alveolar macrophages were infected in vitro with cells of Nocardia asteroides GUH-2 in either logarithmic or early or late stationary phases of growth. Previous studies have established that during the growth cycle dramatic changes occur both in cell wall composition and structure and in the virulence of this organism. This study establishes the correlation between the relative virulence of the phase of growth of the infecting organisms and the degree of inhibition of macrophage phagosome-lysosome fusion. The occurrence of phagosome-lysosome fusion in infected macrophages was determined by both fluorescent and electron microscopy. It was found that relatively few phagosomes containing the highly virulent log-phase organisms had any evidence of lysosomal fusion; more of the phagosomes containing early stationary-phase cells had evidence of fusion. The greatest amount of phagosome-lysosome fusion was observed with the least virulent late stationary-phase cells. Electron microscopic evaluation of infected macrophages indicated that this increase in fusion was not associated with an increase in cell damage. Comparison of macrophages infected with either viable or nonviable organisms indicated that loss of viability did not decrease inhibition of fusion by early or late stationary-phase cells. In contrast, loss of viability did decrease inhibition of fusion by log-phase cells.
Perceived safety of donor blood and blood substitutes for transfusion: the role of informational frame, patient groups and stress appraisals

summary. Patients express concerns about the safety of donated blood. Do they have similar concerns about potential ‘blood substitutes’ and does the way information is presented on these options alter patients' perceptions? A two (informational frame: gain or loss) by four (transfusion type: human donor blood, human haemoglobin, bovine haemoglobin or perfluorocarbon emulsion substitutes) by three (patient group: adult haemophiliac/leukaemia patients, relatives/friends of haemophiliac/leukaemia patients and controls) between‐subjects design was used. There were 82 patients, 118 relatives/friends and 263 controls from the UK. Blood substitutes were perceived as being significantly less safe than donor blood. Perceptions of safety were greater when transfusion information (regardless of transfusion type or patient group) was presented as gains rather than losses. Different demographic and psychological factors predicted perceived safety (e.g. sex) and perceived risk (e.g. age and experience).