Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Economic Consequences of Partnership Dissolution—A Comparative Analysis of Panel Studies from Belgium, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, and Sweden

The paper analyses the economic consequences of partnership dissolution in different institutional settings. Belgium, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, and Sweden are selected as representatives of four prototypical models of family support (market model, extended family model, male breadwinner model, dual earner model). It is assumed that these four types of family support create specific dependencies within the family, which in case of separation or divorce may have negative economic consequences for the weaker partner. The central question is how much economic autonomy is granted to the weaker family members within each of the four models. Following a thorough discussion of the institutional setting in each of the selected countries, it is assumed that economic autonomy is highest in Sweden and lowest in Italy with Belgium, Germany, and Great Britain ranging in between. Using a cross-national data set of separations developed by the authors from national household panels in these five countries, a large number of partnership dissolutions are studied over time. The observation period is long enough to distinguish short-from long-term consequences of partnership dissolution and in doing so to add to previous comparative research. Using multivariate panel data models it is shown that (i) adjusted household income is affected for both genders; however more negatively for women than for men, (ii) the income decline is highest in Italy and lowest in Sweden, and (iii) British and German women recover rather quickly from the negative economic effects of separation. Sweden stands out as the country with the highest gender equalities with respect to post-separation incomes. However, the model does not convince without having a blemish: in the long run both Swedish men and women have to deal with long-lasting financial consequences after separation, which do not appear to the same extent in any of the other countries.
Testing the Life-Cycle Hypothesis with a Norwegian Household Panel

This article reports the results of progressive refinements in the models used to test the permanent-income hypothesis. These tests are undertaken with a household panel, constructed from diaries, by the Norwegian Central Bureau of Statistics. The data combine detailed expenditure and price information with income and wealth data from the government's tax files for 1975–1977. Using a model that takes account of relative price change and demographic variables, recognizes the effects of durables, and incorporates explicit recognition of the effects of differences in the timing of observations or income innovations and spending, the results indicate that the data are consistent with the permanent-income/life-cycle hypothesis.
Type II fatty acid synthesis is essential only for malaria parasite late liver stage development

Intracellular malaria parasites require lipids for growth and replication. They possess a prokaryotic type II fatty acid synthesis (FAS II) pathway that localizes to the apicoplast plastid organelle and is assumed to be necessary for pathogenic blood stage replication. However, the importance of FAS II throughout the complex parasite life cycle remains unknown. We show in a rodent malaria model that FAS II enzymes localize to the sporozoite and liver stage apicoplast. Targeted deletion of FabB/F, a critical enzyme in fatty acid synthesis, did not affect parasite blood stage replication, mosquito stage development and initial infection in the liver. This was confirmed by knockout of FabZ, another critical FAS II enzyme. However, FAS II‐deficient Plasmodium yoelii liver stages failed to form exo‐erythrocytic merozoites, the invasive stage that first initiates blood stage infection. Furthermore, deletion of FabI in the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum did not show a reduction in asexual blood stage replication in vitro. Malaria parasites therefore depend on the intrinsic FAS II pathway only at one specific life cycle transition point, from liver to blood.
Targeting Positive Regulatory Domain I-Binding Factor 1 and X Box-Binding Protein 1 Transcription Factors by Multiple Myeloma-Reactive CTL1

Growing evidence indicates that multiple myeloma (MM) and other malignancies are susceptible to CTL-based immune interventions. We studied whether transcription factors inherently involved in the terminal differentiation of mature B lymphocytes into malignant and nonmalignant plasma cells provide MM-associated CTL epitopes. HLA-A*0201 (A2.1) transgenic mice were used to identify A2.1-presented peptide Ag derived from the plasma cell-associated transcriptional regulators, positive regulatory domain I-binding factor 1 (PRDI-BF1) and X box-binding protein 1 (XBP-1). A2.1-restricted CTL specific for PRDI-BF1 and XBP-1 epitopes efficiently killed a variety of MM targets. PRDI-BF1- and XBP-1-reactive CTL were able to recognize primary MM cells from A2.1+ patients. Consistent with the expression pattern of both transcription factors beyond malignant and nonmalignant plasma cells, PRDI-BF1- and XBP-1-specific CTL activity was not entirely limited to MM targets, but was also associated with lysis of certain other malignancies and, in defined instances, with low-to-intermediate level recognition of a few types of normal cells. Our results also indicate that the A2.1-restricted, PRDI-BF1- and XBP-1-specific human CD8+ T cell repertoire is affected by partial self tolerance and may thus require the transfer of high-affinity TCR to break tolerance. We conclude that transcription factors governing terminal cellular differentiation may provide MM- and tumor-associated CTL epitopes.
Assessing the trade impact of the European Neighbourhood Policy on the EU-MED Free Trade Area

The European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) set an additional objective for the Southern Mediterranean Countries (SMCs): the prospect of ‘a stake in the internal market’. The launch of this new policy has been the occasion for a revival of empirical studies aimed at assessing the impact of the EU-MED partnership on bilateral trade. The novelty of this work is twofold: (i) to present nonparametric matching estimators besides gravity estimates; (ii) to assume as a counterfactual of the treatment the ex-post long-run average treatment effects of the Europe Agreements. By controlling for likely selection bias and country and time heterogeneity, using both qualitative and quantitative measures of the policy variable, we assess ex-post the trade-enhancing impact of the EU preferential agreements towards SMCs and ex ante the actual efficacy of the ENP.
Approximately optimal transmit precoding for MIMO systems with imperfect feedback using directional derivative

An approximately optimal transmit precoding for MIMO systems with imperfect feedback, subject to sum power constraint, is proposed in this paper by using directional derivative. The proposed method is easily carried out, and can be applied to more general channel which follows a nonwhite covariance and nonzero mean complex Gaussian distribution. Additionally, a closed-form solution for power allocation is given, which has not been addressed before. Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the sub-optimal algorithm.
A netchain development perspective on Woolfarmers' associations in poor communities, a case study in South Africa

In this article we describe an initiative from the local wool growing industry to integrate small-scale farmers in the wool chain in the Transkei area, one of the former homelands of South Africa. These communities are poor and sustain their livelihoods from diverse income sources, primarily pensions and remittances; therefore income-generating activities are needed to alleviate poverty. In this light, agriculture remains an important activity for many of the rural poor in former homelands to generate food and cash. Small-scale farmers, however, face many challenges, such as inadequate access to technology, credit, land and markets. The local associations are a mechanism for collective access to technology, post-harvest handling and marketing, and are supported by a development initiative from the National Woolgrowers' Association (NWGA). The aim of this research note is to discuss our research into the difficulties woolgrowers in the Transkei area encounter in their production and market environment and .
Twelve Best Practices to Mitigate Risk Through Continuity Planning and a Scorecard to Track Success

This prescriptive research describes a continuity planning readiness scorecard based on twelve best practices that can be used by organizations to focus planning, compare readiness with peers and track internal progress. The study of a sample of community organizations revealed that 58% of respondents had a continuity plan but most did not comply with all of the best practices. These findings assist in defining continuity readiness and suggest additional guidance to strengthen the readiness of organizations and communities in response to incidents, hazards and disasters. Training needs are also identified.
On Energy-Efficient Offloading in Mobile Cloud for Real-Time Video Applications

Batteries of modern mobile devices remain severely limited in capacity, which makes energy consumption a key concern for mobile applications, particularly for the computation-intensive video applications. Mobile devices can save energy by offloading computation tasks to the cloud, yet the energy gain must exceed the additional communication cost for cloud migration to be beneficial. The situation is further complicated by real-time video applications that have stringent delay and bandwidth constraints. In this paper, we closely examine the performance and energy efficiency of representative mobile cloud applications under dynamic wireless network channels and state-of-the-art mobile platforms. We identify the unique challenges of and opportunities for offloading real-time video applications and develop a generic model for energy-efficient computation offloading accordingly in this context. We propose a scheduling algorithm that makes adaptive offloading decisions in fine granularity in dynamic wireless network conditions and verify its effectiveness through trace-driven simulations. We further present case studies with advanced mobile platforms and practical applications to demonstrate the superiority of our solution and the substantial gain of our approach over baseline approaches.
On Measuring and Explaining Socioeconomic Polarization in Health with an Application to French Data

This paper proposes two original measures of socioeconomic polarization, in order to quantify phenomena that are not always taken into account by social inequality measures. Our approach is inspired by the literature on bivariate inequality (the concentration index) and univariate polarization. Like the concentration index, our social polarization measures can be easily computed thanks to a “convenient” regression and decomposed into their determinants. Moreover changes in polarization can also be decomposed into their causes. The paper also provides an empirical illustration of our methods for the probability of reporting excellent or very good health, using cross-sectional data on French women. The findings suggest that after 65 years of age, social polarization in this probability decreases whereas social inequality remains stable. Consequently social polarization conveys additional information to that contained in the concentration index.
Resale Price Maintenance by Japanese Newspapers

In Japan, newspapers enjoy a special exemption from antimonopoly prohibitionsagainst resale price maintenance (suppliers' stipulations that bar downstreamfirms from price discounting), but are each required to set uniform pricesthroughout Japan. In fact, the newspapers have rarely changed their subscriptionprices in recent years, and the three leading national dailies, together accountingfor about half the total industry circulation, and thirteen other papers accountingfor another one eighth of industry circulation, all have set exactly the same price(3,925 yen per month). The remaining local papers all set lower prices. Theauthorized resale price maintenance, and prohibition against prices thatvarygeographically, have allowed collusive price increases that I here estimate to bearound 500 yen per month, entailing economic waste of about 300-billion yen($3-billion) per year but adding only around 16-billion yen per year to newspaperprofit. The increased profit margin on subscriptions is much offset by reducedsale of ads.
Running Head: PREDICTIVE VALIDITY OF A JOB ANALYSIS TOOL Exploring the Utility of Three Approaches to Validating a Job Analysis Tool

Job Analysis Validity 1Running Head: PREDICTIVE VALIDITY OF A JOB ANALYSIS TOOL Exploring the Utility of Three Approaches to Validating a Job Analysis Tool Kevin D. Meyer and Jeff Foster Hogan Assessment Systems Paper presented in M. Anderson (symposium chair) “Worker-Oriented Job Analysis Tools: Development and Validation. ” 22
Managing Uncertainty and Risk in Public-sector Investments

Abstract : The Department of Defense (DoD) has an annual budget approaching a half-trillion dollars. A significant portion of that budget is either directly or indirectly affected by Information Technology (IT) Infrastructure modernization initiatives. Nationally, investment in IT infrastructure modernization is about $250 Billion a year, spanning approximately 175,000 projects. Unfortunately, various studies indicate that only 28% are completed on time and on budget-with the number dropping to around 9% for larger companies in 1994, including government programs. By 1998, these numbers had improved, with success rates for larger companies, for example, up to 24%. But, only small organizations have managed to implement more than half of their applications into one integrated system (Smith, 2000; Johnson, 1999, December; Keller, 2006, May 29). The factors driving these numbers are myriad-and include the sheer scope and complexity of infrastructure modernization programs, unstable/undefined requirements, unstable funding, moving target objectives, and evolving threats. As a result, the costs of integration complexity increase exponentially, but yet are almost invariably under estimated. These challenges notwithstanding, one Gartner study asserts that IT asset productivity will drive market capitalization (Gartner, 2002, July). Given the scope, importance and complexity of these projects, reliable, cost- effective, early warning indicators of problems are essential. Yet, classical investment theory provides little guidance for dealing with public-sector investment. The result is a general absence of computationally efficient, predictive models applicable to the analysis of those investments.
The sexual partnerships of people with serious mental illness

We compared the sexualities of people with serious mental illness and the general population using the National Health and Social Life Survey (Laumann et al, 1994) and the Indiana Mental Health Services and HTV Risk Study (Wright, 1999). We investigated whether and how the sexual behaviors and relationships of people with serious mental illness differ from the general populations’ and identified factors differently influencing the organization of sexuality in these two groups. We found evidence that the relationships of people with serious mental illness are characterized by less intimacy and commitment than those of the general population. Additionally, although people with serious mental illness use condoms more consistently, they are also more likely to have concurrent relationships and tend to have sex sooner with new partners, which may contribute to a higher risk of contracting HFV. Our findings point to a need for a paradigm shift in the way that clinicians and researchers conceptualize and manage client sexuality. A less individualistic approach that takes into consideration the relationship context and social and institutional constraints is needed.
Editing of Cellular Self-RNAs by Adenosine Deaminase ADAR1 Suppresses Innate Immune Stress Responses*

Adenosine deaminases acting on double-stranded RNA (ADARs) catalyze the deamination of adenosine (A) to produce inosine (I) in double-stranded (ds) RNA structures, a process known as A-to-I RNA editing. dsRNA is an important trigger of innate immune responses, including interferon (IFN) production and action. We examined the role of A-to-I RNA editing by two ADARs, ADAR1 and ADAR2, in the sensing of self-RNA in the absence of pathogen infection, leading to activation of IFN-induced, RNA-mediated responses in mouse embryo fibroblasts. IFN treatment of Adar1−/− cells lacking both the p110 constitutive and p150 IFN-inducible ADAR1 proteins induced formation of stress granules, whereas neither wild-type (WT) nor Adar2−/− cells displayed a comparable stress granule response following IFN treatment. Phosphorylation of protein synthesis initiation factor eIF2α at serine 51 was increased in IFN-treated Adar1−/− cells but not in either WT or Adar2−/− cells following IFN treatment. Analysis by deep sequencing of mouse exonic loci containing A-to-I-editing sites revealed that the majority of editing in mouse embryo fibroblasts was carried out by ADAR1. IFN treatment increased editing in both WT and Adar2−/− cells but not in either Adar1−/− or Adar1−/−p150 cells or Stat1−/− or Stat2−/− cells. Hyper-edited sites found in predicted duplex structures showed strand bias of editing for some RNAs. These results implicate ADAR1 p150 as the major A-to-I editor in mouse embryo fibroblasts, acting as a feedback suppressor of innate immune responses otherwise triggered by self-RNAs possessing regions of double-stranded character.
Global Brands in the United States: How Consumer Ethnicity Mediates the Global Brand Effect

Previous cross-cultural research has demonstrated a consistently positive effect of brand globality on consumer perceptions, attitudes, and purchase intentions. The authors evaluate these effects on three ethnic segments of U.S. consumers. Drawing on survey data analysis and the estimates of a structural equation model, the research shows that associations with global brands as a general category vary across ethnic groups. Caucasian consumers show less of an appreciation of global brands, whereas African Americans and Hispanics show patterns similar to those in prior research. Although the average consumer views brand globality as an attribute of little importance, the structural equation findings show a direct effect of globality on attitudes and purchases. Overall, mainstream consumers in the United States are less favorable toward global brands than minority groups but patronize them at the same overall rate.
Linking Citizens and Parties: How Electoral Systems Matter for Political Representation

© Lawrence Ezrow 2010. All rights reserved. Democracy depends on parties to articulate the political preferences of citizens. Do parties perform this crucial function? This book moves beyond conjecture to address empirically the degree to which parties across Western Europe represent citizens. The study highlights the pathways (mainstream and niche) through which citizens' political preferences are expressed by their political parties. It concludes with a positive evaluation of these democracies as their citizens have access to at least one, and possibly both niche and mainstream pathways. This book makes three basic arguments. First, electoral systems do not matter in the ways that are commonly accepted. Electoral systems however do influence niche party competitiveness. The role of niche parties in turn has dramatic implications for the way in which representation works. Thus, electoral systems matter because they influence the level of niche party competition. Linking Citizens and Parties addresses familiar questions about political representation: Are parties responsive to their core supporters or to the public in general? Do parties that adopt centrist policy positions benefit in elections? Does proportional representation encourage party extremism? These fundamental questions about democracy are paired with empirical observation of Western European democracies over the last thirty years.
Elements and machinery of non‐coding RNAs: toward their taxonomy

Although recent transcriptome analyses have uncovered numerous non‐coding RNAs (ncRNAs), their functions remain largely unknown. ncRNAs assemble with proteins and operate as ribonucleoprotein (RNP) machineries, formation of which is thought to be determined by specific fundamental elements embedded in the primary RNA transcripts. Knowledge about the relationships between RNA elements, RNP machinery, and molecular and physiological functions is critical for understanding the diverse roles of ncRNAs and may eventually allow their systematic classification or “taxonomy. ” In this review, we catalog and discuss representative small and long non‐coding RNA classes, focusing on their currently known (and unknown) RNA elements and RNP machineries.
A comparison of cystatin C- and creatinine-based prediction equations for the estimation of glomerular filtration rate in black South Africans.

BACKGROUND Serum creatinine (S-Cr)-based prediction equations are commonly used for estimating glomerular filtration rate (GFR). However, S-Cr concentration is also affected by other factors such as tubular secretion, muscle mass, diet, gender and age. Serum cystatin C (S-Cys C)-based prediction equations have been proposed as an improved potential alternative as S-Cys C levels are not influenced by many of the factors that affect creatinine concentration other than GFR. This may be of great benefit to patients with low muscle mass such as those infected with human immunodeficiency virus who are at increased risk for the development of renal impairment. The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate a S-Cys C-based prediction equation for different stages of renal disease in black South Africans. METHODS One hundred patients with varying degrees of renal function were enrolled in the study. The plasma clearance of (51)Cr-EDTA, a gold standard method, was used to measure GFR (mGFR). In addition, serum was analysed for S-Cr and S-Cys C on each participant. This dataset was split into a development dataset (n = 50) and a test dataset (n = 50). The development dataset was used to formulate a S-Cys C- and S-Cr-based prediction equation using multiple linear regression analysis. These equations together with the four-variable MDRD and CKD-EPI equation were then tested on the test dataset. RESULTS In the test dataset, accuracy within 15% of measured GFR was 68% for the S-Cys C equation and 48% for the S-Cr equation. Root mean square error for S-Cr eGFR was 10.7 mL/min/1.73 m(2) for those patients with mGFR < 60 mL/min/1.73 m(2) and 25.5 mL/min/1.73 m(2) for those patients with mGFR > 60 mL/min/1.73 m(2). Root mean square error for S-Cys C eGFR was 10.2 mL/min/1.73 m(2) for those patients with mGFR < 60 mL/min/1.73 m(2) and 11.9 mL/min/1.73 m(2) for those patients with mGFR > 60 mL/min/1.73 m(2). CONCLUSIONS In this study, S-Cys C-based prediction equations appear to be more precise than those of S-Cr for those patients with mGFR > 60 mL/min/1.73 m(2) and may therefore be of benefit in the earlier detection of renal impairment.