Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
India's rise in Africa

India's rise in Africa has been largely overlooked, despite the important implications of the growing presence of Indian corporations and a rise in New Delhi's political ties with the continent. Not only are Indian actors providing much-needed investment and capital, but Indo-African connections represent a further important diversification of Africa's international relations, something which reflects a major development for the continent. Indian activity in Africa may be said to constitute a middle ground between China's profit-maximizing and largely statist approach and the much-resented intrusive conditionalities associated with western policies. It is evident that India's growing activity in Africa has the potential to help African companies become more efficient by exposing them to competition, new advances in technology and modern labour skills. African governments could potentially use the opportunity of an increased Indian corporate presence in Africa as sources of appropriate technology, skills and advice for economic development. However, if not handled correctly, any goodwill that India possesses in Africa will quickly be squandered and/or India will become just another actor in Africa. It is up to Africans to negotiate with Indian actors to ensure that the benefits accrued from Indo-African ties are evenly shared and that Indian interest in the continent, alongside that of others, may help to serve as a catalyst for economic revitalization. The key issue is how African leaders can seek to leverage newfound Indian investment and interest in Africa so that Africa's place in global trade networks becomes more proactive and beneficial to the continent's citizens.
On causal relationships between exchange rates and fundamentals: better than you think

This note revisits the temporal causality between exchange rates and fundamentals put forward by Engel and West (2005). We analyze the causal link within multivariate VARs by making use of the concept of multi-step causality. Our results show that, considering information content beyond one-period ahead, the causal link between exchange rates and fundamentals is stronger than previously reported. We nd Granger-causality running from exchange rates to fundamentals at some horizon in 49% of our tests and running from fundamentals to exchange rates in 59% of them.
The ancient practice of Chinese social networking: Guanxi and social network theory

The Chinese concept of Guanxi is a form of social QHWZRUNWKHRU\�WKDWGHI �QHVRQHpVSODFHLQWKH� social structure and provides security, trust and a prescribed role. This essay argues that Eastern Guanxi and recently popularized Western Social Network Theory (SNT) overlap in three ways. First, both imply that information is essential to sustain a social system by prescribing a set of EHKDYLRUVWKDWUHJXODWHWKH�I �RZRILQIRUPDWLRQ� DQGWKDWGHI �QHLQVLGHUDQGRXWVLGHUUHODWLRQVKLSV� (Guanxi), or strong ties and weak ties (SNT). Sec- ond, both offer a theory of change coupled with an ethic of sustainability where order is created by trust as a local, relative phenomena. Finally, both Guanxi and SNT characterize randomness and order as essential, though Guanxi favors certainty and trust over chaos. The implications of the comparison undermine the claims of 'new- QHVVpDQGSULPDF\�RIWHQDVVRFLDWHGZLWKUHFHQW� SNT literature. Furthermore, they suggest that :HVWHUQQHWZRUNWKHRULVWVFDQJDLQVLJQLI �FDQW� insight from traditional Eastern thought.
On Repair with Probabilistic Attribute Grammars

Program synthesis and repair have emerged as an exciting area of research, driven by the potential for revolutionary advances in programmer productivity. Among most promising ideas emerging for synthesis are syntax-driven search, probabilistic models of code, and the use of input-output examples. Our paper shows how to combine these techniques and use them for program repair, which is among the most relevant applications of synthesis to general-purpose code. Our approach combines semantic specifications, in the form of pre- and post-conditions and input-output examples with syntactic specifications in the form of term grammars and AST-level statistics extracted from code corpora. We show that synthesis in this framework can be viewed as an instance of graph search, permitting the use of well-understood families of techniques such as A*. We implement our algorithm in a framework for verification, synthesis and repair of functional programs, demonstrating that our approach can repair programs that are beyond the reach of previous tools.
Role of Metabolism in Parathion-Induced Hepatotoxicity and Immunotoxicity

The objective of this study was to investigate whether metabolic activation of parathion by cytochrome P-450s (CYPs) was responsible for pesticide-induced hepatotoxicity and immunotoxicity. Initially, to investigate parathion metabolism in vitro, the production of paraoxon and p-nitrophenol, major metabolites of parathion, was determined by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Subsequently, metabolic fate and CYP enzymes involved in the metabolism of parathion were partially monitored in rat liver microsomes in the presence of the NADPH-generating system. Among others, phenobarbital (PB)-induced microsomes produced the metabolites paraoxon and p-nitrophenol to the greatest extent, indicating the involvement of CYP 2B in parathion metabolism. When female BALB/c mice were treated orally with 1, 4, or 16 mg/kg of parathion in corn oil once, parathion suppressed the antibody response to sheep red blood cells. To further investigate a possible role of metabolic activation by CYP enzymes in parathion-induced toxicity, female BALB/c mice were pretreated intraperitoneally with 40 mg/kg PB for 3 d, followed by a single oral treatment with 16 mg/kg parathion. PB pretreatment produced a decrease in hepatic glutathione content and increases in hepatotoxic paramenters in parathion-treated mice with no changes in the antibody response. In addition, greater p-nitrophenol amounts were produced when mice were pretreated with PB, compared to treatment with parathion alone. These results indicate that parathion-induced hepatotoxicity might be differentiated from immunotoxicity in mice.
Service Quality and Tourism

The aim of this article is to emphasize the importance of quality improvement in tourism. To this end, literature re lated to the changing scenario of the tourism industry, the ever-increasing expectations from tourists, and the tools for measuring perceived service quality is reviewed. The value of the tourism industry is revisited, and the SERVQUAL model is used as a framework for defining the real meaning of customer satisfaction in tourism. Gap analysis is used to illustrate how tourism-related organizations can improve their service quality. Finally, this article concludes that serv ice quality is a necessary and winning strategy in the tourism industry for the new millennium.
Debt financing and real estate investment timing decisions

The paper analyses the interaction between investment and financing decisions in a real option framework. In our model, the owner of an undeveloped real estate property (the asset in place) has the option to decide whether and when to develop/abandon his property. We show that debt financing induces the firm to invest earlier than in the pure equity financing case. Moreover, the incentive to anticipate the investment decisions increases with the amount of debt.
Non-invasive positive pressure ventilation for treatment of respiratory failure due to exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

BACKGROUND Non-invasive positive pressure ventilation (NPPV) is being used increasingly in the management of patients admitted to hospital with acute respiratory failure secondary to an exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). OBJECTIVES To determine the effectiveness of NPPV in the management of patients with respiratory failure due to an acute exacerbation of COPD. SEARCH STRATEGY An initial search was performed using the Cochrane Airways Group trials register and other relevant electronic databases. SELECTION CRITERIA Randomised controlled trials comparing NPPV plus usual medical care versus usual medical care alone were selected. Trials needed to recruit adult patients admitted to hospital with respiratory failure due to an exacerbation of COPD and with PaCO2 > 6 kPa (45 mmHg). DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Two reviewers independently selected articles for inclusion, evaluated methodological quality of the studies and abstracted the data. MAIN RESULTS Eight studies were included in the review. NPPV resulted in decreased mortality (Relative Risk [RR] 0.41; 95% Confidence Intervals [CI] 0.26, 0.64), decreased need for intubation (RR 0.42; 95%CI 0.31, 0.59), reduction in treatment failure (RR 0.51; 95%CI 0.39, 0.67), rapid improvement within the first hour in pH (Weight Mean Difference [WMD] 0.03; 95%CI 0.02, 0.04), PaCO2 (WMD -0.40 kPa; 95%CI -0.78, -0.03) and respiratory rate (WMD -3.08 bpm; 95%CI -4.26, -1.89). In addition, complications associated with treatment (RR 0.32; 95%CI 0.18, 0.56) and length of hospital stay (WMD -3.24 days; 95%CI -4.42, -2.06) were also reduced in the NPPV group. REVIEWER'S CONCLUSIONS Data from good quality randomised controlled trials permit NPPV to be recommended as the first line intervention, coupled with usual medical care, in all suitable patients with respiratory failure secondary to an acute exacerbation of COPD. A trial of NPPV should be considered early in the course of respiratory failure, and before severe acidosis ensures, as a means of avoiding endotracheal intubation, reducing mortality and treatment failure.
Permanent, Transitory, And Non-Fundamental Components Of Returns, Volatility, And Volume

This paper uses a trivariate structural vector autoregressive model to estimate the effects of permanent fundamental, transitory fundamental, and non-fundamental shocks on returns, volatility, and volume. Though each of these three shocks affects all three variables, these effects are not equal. Returns are mostly driven by permanent fundamental shocks, volatility is primarily affected by transitory fundamental shocks, and volume is mainly determined by non-fundamental shocks. This trivariate SVAR model also helps empirically decompose returns, volatility, and volume into the three shock components. Further, we find that the stock market decline in early 2000 was triggered by changes in fundamentals, and was not just the outcome of non-informational trading.
Targeted overexpression of parathyroid hormone-related peptide in chondrocytes causes chondrodysplasia and delayed endochondral bone formation

Parathyroid hormone-related peptide (PTHrP) was initially identified as a product of malignant tumors that mediates paraneoplastic hypercalcemia. It is now known that the parathyroid hormone (PTH) and PTHrP genes are evolutionarily related and that the products of these two genes share a common receptor, the PTH/PTHrP recep- tor. PTHrP and the PTH/PTHrP receptor are widely expressed in both adult and fetal tissues, and recent gene-targeting and disruption experiments have implicated PTHrP as a developmental regulatory molecule. Apparent PTHrP functions include the regulation of endochondral bone development, of hair follicle formation, and of branching morpho-genesis in the breast. Herein, we report that overexpression of PTHrP in chondrocytes using the mouse type II collagen promoter induces a novel form of chondrodysplasia charac- terized by short-limbed dwarfism and a delay in endochondral ossification. This features a delay in chondrocyte differentiation and in bone collar formation and is sufficiently marked that the mice are born with a cartilaginous endochondral skeleton. In addition to the delay, chondrocytes in the transgenic mice initially become hypertrophic at the periphery of the developing long bones rather than
Agri-environmental schemes in olive growing: farmers’ preferences towards collective participation and ecological focus areas

This paper tackles several issues under-studied concerning agri-environmental schemes (AES), namely requirements related to ecological focus areas (EFA) and collective participation. For this purpose, choice experiment was used to assess farmers’ preferences towards AES in olive growing of Southern Spain. A high heterogeneity was found, being identified four different classes of farmers, from potential participants to intermediate and non-participants. Almost half of the farmers would implement EFA at low monetary incentives (€8-9/ha per 1%-EFA) and the rest would do it at moderate to high monetary incentives (€41-151/ha per 1%-EFA). Most of farmers would not participate collectively with an up-to-30% bonus.
Formation of a Mast Cell Synapse: FcεRI Membrane Dynamics upon Binding Mobile or Immobilized Ligands on Surfaces

FcεRI on mast cells form a synapse when presented with mobile, bilayer-incorporated Ag. In this study, we show that receptor reorganization within the contacting mast cell membrane is markedly different upon binding of mobile and immobilized ligands. Rat basophilic leukemia mast cells primed with fluorescent anti-DNP IgE were engaged by surfaces presenting either bilayer-incorporated, monovalent DNP-lipid (mobile ligand), or chemically cross-linked, multivalent DNP (immobilized ligand). Total internal reflection fluorescence imaging and electron microscopy methods were used to visualize receptor reorganization at the contact site. The spatial relationships of FcεRI to other cellular components at the synapse, such as actin, cholesterol, and linker for activation of T cells, were also analyzed. Stimulation of mast cells with immobilized polyvalent ligand resulted in typical levels of degranulation. Remarkably, degranulation also followed interaction of mast cells, with bilayers presenting mobile, monovalent ligand. Receptors engaged with mobile ligand coalesce into large, cholesterol-rich clusters that occupy the central portion of the contacting membrane. These data indicate that FcεRI cross-linking is not an obligatory step in triggering mast cell signaling and suggest that dense populations of mobile receptors are capable of initiating low-level degranulation upon ligand recognition.
On the Power of Absolute Convergence Tests

This paper analyzes whether or not the econometric methods usually applied to test for absolute convergence have provided this hypothesis a "fair" chance. I show that traditional (absolute and conditional) convergence tests are not consistent with even the simplest model that displays convergence. Furthermore, claims of divergence on the grounds of bimodalities in the distribution of GDP per capita can be made consistent with models in which neither divergence nor twin peaks are present in the long run.
INSIDE THE DYNAMICS OF INDUSTRIAL CAPITALISM: THE MASS PRODUCTION OF CARS IN SPAIN, 1950-1985*

ABSTRACT In 2010 Spain ranked second among EU-15 countries in the manufacture of passenger cars; however, in 1950 the country’s car production had been purely symbolic. Taking as its starting point the trajectories of the enterprises that have shaped the auto industry in Spain, this study explores the sector’s process of development within the interpretative framework proposed by Alfred D. Chandler in Scale and Scope. Until the mid-1970s, SEAT and FASA-Renault, the sector’s first-movers, maintained their position as industry leaders. The entry of Ford and GM in the 1970s was to restructure the industry as it shifted its focus towards exportation to the European Economic Community. Both market share and net profits are used as indicators of the evolution of each car maker. RESUMEN En 2010 España figuró en el segundo puesto en producción de automóviles de turismo entre los países de la UE-15. No obstante, en 1950 la producción de coches era puramente testimonial. Siguiendo el marco interpretativo propuesto por Alfred D. Chandler en Scale and Scope, el trabajo explora el proceso de desarrollo de esta industria a partir de las trayectorias de las distintas empresas. Hasta mediados de los setenta, SEAT y FASA-Renault, definidas como first-movers, mantuvieron su posición como líderes del sector. La entrada de Ford y GM alteró la estructura de la industria, que se orientó hacia la exportación a la CEE. La cuota de mercado y los beneficios netos se utilizan como indicadores de la evolución de cada fabricante.
5′-Nucleotidase Activity in a Eutrophic Lake and an Oligotrophic Lake

Differences in enzymatic hydrolysis of dissolved organic phosphorus and subsequent phosphorus uptake were compared by using dual-labeled (γ-32P and 2-3H) ATP in oligotrophic Lake Michigan and a moderately eutrophic lake in southeastern Michigan. More than 50% of the phosphate that was hydrolyzed was immediately taken up into bacterium-sized particles in the eutrophic lake and at a near-shore site in Lake Michigan. Less than 50% of the hydrolyzed phosphate was taken up into bacterium-sized particles at an offshore site in Lake Michigan. It is hypothesized that differences in size-fractionated uptake were the result of greater phosphorus utilization capacity in bacteria in habitats where loading of organic carbon is greater. Substantial isotope dilution of labeled phosphate uptake by unlabeled phosphate occurred, which implied that the phosphate was hydrolyzed extracellularly in both systems. Comparable nucleotidase activities were measured in the eutrophic lake and Lake Michigan, but the significance of the phosphate regenerated relative to particulate phosphorus pools was an order of magnitude greater in Lake Michigan. Seventy percent of the nucleotidase activity was inhibited by 100 μM phosphate in the eutrophic lake, which suggests that most hydrolysis was by phosphatase. Therefore, nucleotidase activity may be more important to phosphorus regeneration in oligotrophic habitats than phosphatase activity.
Politically Connected Boards of Directors and the Allocation of Procurement Contracts

This article analyzes whether political connections of the board of directors of publicly traded companies in the USA affect the allocation of government procurement contracts. It focuses on the change in control of both House and Senate following the 1994 election and finds that companies with boards connected to the winning (losing) party experience a significant and large increase (decrease) in procurement contracts after the election. The results remain significant after controlling for industry classifications as well as for several other company characteristics. The findings highlight one of the main avenues through which corporate political connections add value to US companies. Copyright 2013, Oxford University Press.
Quantifying seasonal population fluxes driving rubella transmission dynamics using mobile phone data

Significance Changing patterns of human mobility can drive seasonal outbreaks of infectious diseases, but limited data about travel behavior and population flux over time have made this idea difficult to quantify. Mobile phone data provide a unique source of information about human travel. Here we quantify seasonal travel patterns using mobile phone data from nearly 15 million anonymous subscribers in Kenya. Using a rich data source of rubella incidence, we show that patterns of population fluxes inferred from mobile phone data are predictive of disease transmission and improve significantly on standard school term time and weather covariates, showing for the first time to our knowledge that mobile phone data capture epidemiologically relevant patterns of movement. Changing patterns of human aggregation are thought to drive annual and multiannual outbreaks of infectious diseases, but the paucity of data about travel behavior and population flux over time has made this idea difficult to test quantitatively. Current measures of human mobility, especially in low-income settings, are often static, relying on approximate travel times, road networks, or cross-sectional surveys. Mobile phone data provide a unique source of information about human travel, but the power of these data to describe epidemiologically relevant changes in population density remains unclear. Here we quantify seasonal travel patterns using mobile phone data from nearly 15 million anonymous subscribers in Kenya. Using a rich data source of rubella incidence, we show that patterns of population travel (fluxes) inferred from mobile phone data are predictive of disease transmission and improve significantly on standard school term time and weather covariates. Further, combining seasonal and spatial data on travel from mobile phone data allows us to characterize seasonal fluctuations in risk across Kenya and produce dynamic importation risk maps for rubella. Mobile phone data therefore offer a valuable previously unidentified source of data for measuring key drivers of seasonal epidemics.
Characterizing Tourist Sensitivity to Distance

Literature suggests that the effect of distance on destination choice can be positive or negative, contingent on individual characteristics. The aim of this study was to objectively measure, identify, and characterize tourist sensitivities to distance—individual by individual—in a real context where real choices made by tourists are observed. The empirical application is carried out on a sample of 2,127 individuals, and the operative formalization used to estimate the individual sensitivities to distance follows a random-coefficient logit model; to detect the determinant factors, a regression analysis is used. After obtaining the sensitivity to distance of each sampled individual, the dimensions that appear to have an effect on it are income, number of children, size of the city of residence, use of intermediaries, transport mode, interest in discovering new places, variety-seeking behavior, and motivations.
A Resource-Centric P2P Network Model for Grid Resource Discovery

Resource Discovery deserves an important role in Grid. It can allow the system to be aware of which resources have been added and which are available. The key of resource discovery is organization of all information of resources and the status about systems. In currently deployed Gird, the information services used for resource discovery usually have been organized into centralized structure or hierarchical structure, such as ChinaGrid etc, for efficiency. As we know, available resources in Grid usually come from different administrative systems. With the increased popularity of Grid systems and the loosing of resource participation rules, there should be more administrative systems that can provide more or less powerful resources for Grid systems. Moreover, Grids are statically over-provisioned to handle peak loads that make resource utilization rates be low. And at the same time, with the QoS constraints that currently govern most Grid applications will loosen up so that Grids will move towards more popular and diverse application scenarios while these Grid systems almost are island from each other. So pooling resources together to form a virtual resource warehouse seems natural to enhance resource utilization as well as to reduce costs. In this paper, we propose a resource-centric P2P model for Grid resource discovery, namely RC-P2P.
Direct and Indirect Effects of Index ETFs on Spot‐Futures Pricing and Liquidity: Evidence from the CAC 40 Index

This paper investigates how the introduction of an index security directly or indirectly impacts the underlying-index spot-futures pricing. Using intraday data for financial instruments related to the CAC 40 index, we do not find that the spot-futures price efficiency improvement observed after ETF introduction is explained either by the direct effect of ETF shares being used in arbitrage trades or by the indirect effect of ETF trading improving the liquidity of index stocks in the short run. Some of our findings suggest that the efficiency improvement could rather result from a structural change in the way index traders distribute across index markets, with the ETF market absorbing the liquidity demand from some hedgers or passive index traders.