Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Changing Route to Owner-occupation: The Impact of Borrowing Constraints on Young Adult Homeownership Transitions in Britain in the 1990s

The reduction in young adult homeownership rates in Britain in the 1990s was partly caused by demographics and partly by a shift in the income distribution. Most of their relative income deterioration occurred in the first part of the decade, yet young adult homeownership rates continued to fall. This paper extends that analysis by empirically examining whether lender-imposed borrowing restrictions also contributed to their decline, especially since house prices rose rapidly in the second half of the decade. A duration model examining the timing of a transition into homeownership is estimated on a sample of young adults derived from the British Household Panel Survey. Credit constraint terms are constructed and included in the model. A simulation analysis is undertaken to assess the extent to which binding credit constraints were responsible for the observed falls. It is concluded that borrowing restrictions delayed young adult transitions into homeownership.
Technology use, technology views: anticipating professional use of ICT for beginning physical and health education teachers

In Australia, the national initiative known as Learning in an Online World, focuses school jurisdictions across the country meet the challenge of achieving the national vision of all schools “. confidently using ICT in their everyday practices to improve learning, teaching and administration” (MCEETYA, 2005, p. 3). One strategy in reaching this goal is the effective preparation of pre-service teachers to use and integrate technology in their teaching and learning practices. This article reports on a research study that aimed to explore the issue preparation for use of technology in teaching by understanding the current and anticipated technology usage for Australian health and physical education pre-service teachers.
Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF) Bioactivity at the Site of an Acute Cell-Mediated Immune Response Is Preserved in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients Responding to Anti-TNF Therapy

The impact of anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) therapies on inducible TNF-dependent activity in humans has never been evaluated in vivo. We aimed to test the hypothesis that patients responding to anti-TNF treatments exhibit attenuated TNF-dependent immune responses at the site of an immune challenge. We developed and validated four context-specific TNF-inducible transcriptional signatures to quantify TNF bioactivity in transcriptomic data. In anti-TNF treated rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, we measured the expression of these biosignatures in blood, and in skin biopsies from the site of tuberculin skin tests (TSTs) as a human experimental model of multivariate cell-mediated immune responses. In blood, anti-TNF therapies attenuated TNF bioactivity following ex vivo stimulation. However, at the site of the TST, TNF-inducible gene expression and genome-wide transcriptional changes associated with cell-mediated immune responses were comparable to that of RA patients receiving methotrexate only. These data demonstrate that anti-TNF agents in RA patients do not inhibit inducible TNF activity at the site of an acute inflammatory challenge in vivo, as modeled by the TST. We hypothesize instead that their therapeutic effects are limited to regulating TNF activity in chronic inflammation or by alternative non-canonical pathways.
Empirical Evidence on the Time‐Series Properties of Operating Cash Flows

This study investigates the time‐series properties of operating cash flows per share and earnings per share for all manufacturing firms on the Compustat Quarterly Industrial tape for which sufficient data are available. Both individually‐identified and “premier” models are compared on the basis of their relative fit and forecasting accuracy. The empirical results suggest that for both accounting variables the individually‐identified models outperform the premier models, although this advantage is larger for earnings, and for forecast horizons beyond one quarter ahead. A major conclusion of the study is that the time‐series properties of cash flows are quite different than those of earnings. In particular, the cash flow series are considerably less predictable, as shown by their relatively high incidence of white‐noise series and relatively large forecast errors.
Challenges to Public Television in the Era of Convergence and Commercialization

The question of whether public broadcasting should be sustained and protected is at the heart of current media policy debates in Europe. The main issue is whether traditional forms of regulation, including regulation protecting public communication and the media's social and cultural functions, are still relevant in the emerging digital media system. In this article, the situation of public television is discussed with reference to the Norwegian experience and the media policies emanating from the European Union. In the article, it is argued that the momentous changes associated with convergence, globalization, and privatization have produced a new set of challenges to public broadcasters and policy makers. Although the range of possible responses is curtailed by an ideological climate that favors market regulation over more traditional forms of cultural policy, it is argued that the situation also creates space for new policies destined to protect and defend public broadcasting.
) Feature network ( CNN ) Feature network ( CNN ) Metric network Patch Spectrum # 1 Patch Spectrum # 2

The simultaneous use of images from different spectra can be helpful to improve the performance of many computer vision tasks. The core idea behind the usage of crossspectral approaches is to take advantage of the strengths of each spectral band providing a richer representation of a scene, which cannot be obtained with just images from one spectral band. In this work we tackle the cross-spectral image similarity problem by using Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs). We explore three different CNN architectures to compare the similarity of cross-spectral image patches. Specifically, we train each network with images from the visible and the near-infrared spectrum, and then test the result with two public cross-spectral datasets. Experimental results show that CNN approaches outperform the current state-of-art on both cross-spectral datasets. Additionally, our experiments show that some CNN architectures are capable of generalizing between different crossspectral domains.
Scalar near-field focusing in lossy media

Antenna near-field focusing is a research topic that is recently attracting attention, due to its impact on a wide number of trending applications. In this communication we propose a methodology based on convex optimization to focus the scalar field radiated by planar continuous apertures. The methodology is capable to focus the field inside piecewise stratified media and is supported by an easy-to-implement MATLAB package. In addition, we apply specific optimization goals which render the resulting aperture distributions realizable.
Education of creative art therapy to cancer patients: Evaluation and effects

Background. The course Cancer and Creative Art offers cancer patients the possibility to cope with their illness through creativity and self-expression. Methods. Five groups of 35 participants, predominantly composed of women with breast cancer, participated in an explorative evaluation and effect study; premeasures and postmeasures were applied. Results. The course met the needs of participants that included personal growth and contact with fellow sufferers as well as exploration and expressing their emotions and coping with their fellings. The participants were satisfied with the organization of the course, but most felt that the sessions were too short and asked for more time for follow-up discussions. They indicated positive changes in coping with their emotions, the awakening of a process of “conscious living,” and the development of creativity. Many of the participants felt the intake interview with a psychiatrist was not necessary. Measures taken before and after showed that the activities of daily living deteriorated due the course of the disease. However, the participants indicated that their quest for meaning in life increased after the course. Their mood did not change. The course also improved the general quality of life. Conclusions. Creative art therapy benefits the quality of life of cancer patients. Follow-up studies should provide more insight into the change process during creative art therapy and its long-term effect on the quality of life for people with cancer.
Resource Allocation to Interrelated Risky Projects Using a Multiattribute Utility Function

Two major contributions are made to the problem of resource allocation to indivisible projects with uncertain outcomes: the concepts of preferential independence and utility independence for the space of discrete projects are defined, and a multiattribute utility theory is linked with mathematical programming for allocation. The utility function, as shown by Keeney, can be either multiplicative or additive. An overall procedure for structuring the model is outlined, a branch-and-bound algorithm for solving the multiplicative model is developed, and a numerical example is presented.
Differential Regulation: Clever Customization Or Unequal Interference?

When New Jersey passed the Quality Education Act to equalize expenditures between rich and poor school districts, it increased regulatory oversight of its 30 poorest districts. This article describes that oversight system and the additional burdens it created for those districts. It also explores the political context that contributed to new regulation and the past abuses that it was expected to correct. The article concludes that the new system was moderately effective in improving the performance of those districts. However, it questions the use of an input criterion rather than performance for determining which districts should undergo oversight.
The Firm Size Effect and the Economic Cycle

Small firms have, on average, lower return on assets and higher leverage than do large firms. Small firms tend to do well in good economic conditions but to perform poorly in the worst economic conditions. We investigate the hypothesis that the small firm effect is manifest in the expansion phase of the economic cycle but not in the contraction phase. The empirical results of our study confirm the hypothesis for 1976-95. We use the alpha, residual, and regression methods in testing the hypothesis. Southern Finance Association and the Southwestern Finance Association.
Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of New 1,3-Thiazolidine-4-one Derivatives of 2-(4-Isobutylphenyl)propionic Acid

New thiazolidine-4-one derivatives of 2-(4-isobutylphenyl)propionic acid (ibuprofen) have been synthesized as potential anti-inflammatory drugs. The structure of the new compounds was proved using spectral methods (FR-IR, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, MS). The in vitro antioxidant potential of the synthesized compounds was evaluated according to the total antioxidant activity, the DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging assays. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) and free radicals are considered to be involved in many pathological events like diabetes mellitus, neurodegenerative diseases, cancer, infections and more recently, in inflammation. It is known that overproduction of free radicals may initiate and amplify the inflammatory process via upregulation of genes involved in the production of proinflammatory cytokines and adhesion molecules. The chemical modulation of acyl hydrazones of ibuprofen 3a–l through cyclization to the corresponding thiazolidine-4-ones 4a–n led to increased antioxidant potential, as all thiazolidine-4-ones were more active than their parent acyl hydrazones and also ibuprofen. The most active compounds are the thiazolidine-4-ones 4e, m, which showed the highest DPPH radical scavenging ability, their activity being comparable with vitamin E.
Does corporate governance matter in determining CEO compensation in the publicly listed companies in New Zealand? An empirical investigation

Purpose - – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between Chief Executive Officers’ (CEOs) compensation and corporate governance practices of publicly listed companies in New Zealand for the period 2005-2010. Design/methodology/approach - – Prior literature argues that corporate governance systems and structures are heterogeneous, that is, corporate governance mechanisms that are important tend to be specific to a country and its institutional structures. The two corporate governance mechanisms most important for monitoring CEO compensation are ownership structure and board structure. The authors use a generalised least squares regression estimation technique to examine the effect ownership structure and board structure has on CEO compensation, and examine whether ownership structure, board structure, CEO and director compensation have an effect on company performance. Findings - – After controlling for size, performance, industry and year effects, the authors report that internal features rather than external features of corporate governance practices influence CEO compensation. Companies that have their CEO on the board pay them more than those who do not sit on the board, suggesting CEOs on boards have power to influence board decisions and therefore boards become less effective in monitoring CEO compensation in the New Zealand context. Companies that pay their directors more tend to reward their CEOs more as well, thus supporting the managerial entrenchment hypothesis. Research limitations/implications - – The results confirm the findings reported in prior studies that institutional investors are ineffective in monitoring managerial decisions and their focus is on decisions that benefit them on a short-term basis. Practical implications - – The findings indicate that although the proportion of independent directors on boards does not significantly influence CEO compensation, it does indicate that outside directors are passive and are no more effective than insiders when it comes to the oversight and supervision of CEO compensation. Originality/value - – Being a small and open financial market with many small- and medium-sized listed companies, New Zealand differs from large economies such as the UK and the USA in the sense that CEOs in New Zealand tend to be closely connected to each other. As such, the relationship between pay-performance for New Zealand is found to be different from those reported for the UK and the USA. In New Zealand, the proportion of institutional and/or block shareholders is positively associated with CEO compensation and negatively associated with company performance, suggesting that it is not an effective mechanism for monitoring CEO compensation.
Caught in the Act: Investigating Crime by Agent-Based Simulation

In the analysis of criminal behaviour, a combination of biological, psychological and social aspects may be taken into account. Dynamical modelling methods developed in recent years often address biological, psychological, or social dynamical systems separately. This paper makes the first step in the development of an agent-based modelling approach for criminal behaviour in which these aspects are integrated in one dynamical system. It is shown how within a certain (multi-agent) social context, biological factors such as certain brain deviations, testosterone levels and serotonin levels, affect cognitive and emotional functioning in such a way that a crime is committed when the perceived opportunity is there. The paper presents one generic model for the behaviour of violent offenders with parameters that can be set to obtain simulation traces for three known types of offenders.
Maximal Biomass of Arabidopsis thaliana Using a Simple, Low-Maintenance Hydroponic Method and Favorable Environmental Conditions

The advantages of Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. for genetic studies are well known, but its diminutive stature and associated low biomass at maturity make it a challenging species for complementary physiological and biochemical studies. Hydroponic culture can significantly increase plant growth and produce uniform, stress-free root and shoot material that can be harvested throughout the life span of the plant. However, many shy away from the use of hydroponic culture because of the perceived difficulties in set-up and maintenance. Although other methods for the hydroponic culture of Arabidopsis have been reported (Rodecap et al., 1994; Delhaize and Randall, 1995; Hirai et al., 1995), they suffer from various shortcomings, including poor aeration, loss of root material, overcrowding, excess manipulation, and less-than-favorable environmental conditions. In this paper we describe an easy, low-maintenance method of hydroponic culture for Arabidopsis that combines the use of rockwool culture for uniform seedling establishment and a closed system of solution culture for the duration of plant growth. In addition, some consideration is given to temperature and light conditions that favor biomass production. The most difficult part of hydroponic culture for Arabidopsis is to rstablish a good root system, because young seedlings are prone to hypoxic stress from water logging. Rockwool (GrodanHP, Agro Dynamics, East Brunswick, NJ) provides an excellent, well-aerated rooting environment that is a far superior medium for reliable and uniform seedling establishment compared with other media we have tried, including cheesecloth, blue blotter paper, brown germination paper, filter paper, fiberglass matting, agar, and soil- or vermiculite-filled straws. Rockwool is a mixture of igneous rock and limestone that is heated and spun into mats. Even when saturated, rockwool holds about 15% air space.
University R&D Funding Strategies in a Changing Federal Funding Environment

This paper evaluates how changes in US National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding levels affected US universities’ total biomedical R&D efforts, over a period of dramatic change in the federal funding environment. Instrumental variables estimation reveals that during the NIH budget doubling period (1998–2003), each federal dollar that US universities received spurred an additional $0.26 in research support from non-federal sources, with stronger complementarity found among historically less-research-intensive institutions. However, in the more competitive post-doubling environment (2006 onwards), the more research-intensive PhD-granting universities substituted funding from non-federal sources to maintain stable levels of R&D expenditures. In contrast, at non-PhD-granting and historically less-research-intensive institutions, total R&D funding and expenditures declined overall with reduced availability of federal funds. However, the effect of successful federal applications on subsequent non-federal investment remained significant and positive for this latter group, suggesting federal R&D funding may play an important signaling role.
Multi-perspective Panoramas of Long Scenes

This paper presents a system for producing multiperspective panoramas for long scenes from dense collections of images. Multi-perspective panoramas are generated by combining different perspectives, including original and novel perspectives. The latter are rendered by our synthesis algorithm, which uses estimated depth information to remove distortions caused by depth parallax. Then, different perspectives are properly combined without noticeable visual artifacts caused by both color inconsistencies and structural misalignments.
Performance of a Simulated Adaptive BCI Based on Experimental Classification of Movement-Related and Error Potentials

New paradigms for brain–computer interfacing (BCI), such as based on imagination of task characteristics, require long training periods, have limited accuracy, and lack adaptation to the changes in the users' conditions. Error potentials generated in response to an error made by the translation algorithm can be used to improve the performance of a BCI, as a feedback extracted from the user and fed into the BCI system. The present study addresses the inclusion of error potentials in a BCI system based on the decoding of movement-related cortical potentials (MRCPs) associated to the speed of a task. First, we theoretically quantified the improvement in accuracy of a BCI system when using error potentials for correcting the output decision, in the general case of multiclass BCI. The derived theoretical expressions can be used during the design phase of any BCI system. They were applied to experimentally estimated accuracies in decoding MRCPs and error potentials. Second we studied in simulation the performance of the closed-loop system in order to evaluate its ability to adapt to the changes in the mental states of the user. By setting the parameters of the simulator to experimentally determined values, we showed that updating the learning set with the examples estimated as correct based on the decoding of error potentials leads to convergence to the optimal solution.
Commitment or Even Compliance? An Australian University’s Approach to Equal Employment Opportunity

This paper presents empirical evidence to illustrate how one Australian university complies with the nation's federal Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) regulatory framework. The aim of this paper is to provide insight into the extent to which organizational practices deviate from articulated policy and how this gap impacts on the perceived career trajectories of female academics. While the disadvantaged status of female academics has been recognized worldwide, a deeper examination of how employees experience the policies and practices designed to support their advancement is required, especially in light of the increasing corporate-like activities of Australian universities which have deprioritized EEO. A case study of an Australian university is used to explore these phenomena. Documentary evidence of its EEO policies was compared with interviewee narratives of employees, including both female academics and members of general staff involved in policy development. This allowed female employees to be heard, in particular where they sensed contradictions between espoused company policy and their real experiences. Hearing what they have to say is an important contribution, given that Australia's EEO regulatory framework allows organizations to waive reporting on their gender equity “chievements. ”This case study highlights employee concerns about the efficacy of the University's policies and practices designed to support women's career trajectories and demonstrates that, particularly in light of the increasing corporatization of the University, some women questioned whether drawing support from such policies would harm their careers. The most signifi cant concern focused on the criteria for promotion, which interviewees perceived to be based on a masculine model of merit, in contrast to the ostensible gender-neutrality of the promotions policies. A related concern was how carer responsibilities impacted on opportunities for advancement, particularly the ability to engage in research work that was prized more highly than teaching activities by promotions committees. These examples illustrate that, while the University may be upholding the law at face-value, the actual experiences of women in the organization suggest that EEO compliance is merely skin-deep.