Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Isolated Peasant. Long-term Growth in Demand and Spatial Patterns of Agricultural Supply in Southern Sweden, 1702-1857

Previous research has found clear spatial patterns of agricultural supply, both in pre-industrial Europe (Grantham 1978; Grantham 1989; Kopsidis 2009) and in the less developed countries of today (Benziger 1996; Stifel & Minten 2008). The spatial structure of farming intensity is mainly attributed to the declining net-returns with the distance from the market. This paper examines the impact of distance on agricultural productivity and whether the long-term growth in demand had a diminishing impact on the spatial variation in farming intensity. The analysis is carried out by using a database on estimates of agricultural production on the micro-level together with additional information on distance from a map from the 19th century for about 2200 farm households in the province of Scania in southern Sweden during the period 1702-1857. The effect of distance on agricultural production is studied with a general least square regression (GLS) for the time periods 1702-1775, 1776-1825 and 1826-1857. The results demonstrate a distinct spatial variation in farming intensity in southern Sweden. Further, the findings also show that the spatial patterns of agricultural supply even increased over time, despite a considerable growth in demand. Overall, the results indicate that increasing demand in itself was not a sufficient pre-condition for reducing the spatial variation in farming intensity.
Seniors' Need for and Use of Medicare Home Health Services

ABSTRACT This study examined: (a) nature and extent of seniors' need for care both at time of admission to and discharge from Medicare home health services, and (b) relationships among admission need, service utilization, need at discharge, and discharge disposition for one episode of home care services. The sample of 195 was stratified by home health discharge disposition: (a) acute group, (b) chronic group, and (c) stable home group. Two classification systems were used to access the seniors' level of need, the mandated Medicare case-mix system (CMS) and a holistic intensity of need system. Findings show that there were no differences in services received by the three groups, that discharge did not mean seniors' need for home care services had been eliminated or reduced, and that caregiver support impacts seniors' need for home care.
An Econometric Estimation and Prediction of the Effects of Nominal Devaluation on Real Devaluation: Does the Marshal-Lerner (M-L) Assumptions Fits in Nigeria?

Nigeria has been depending on oil as its major export commodity for decades leading to the neglect of other vital economic resources. This situation led to massive unemployment as a result of an undiversified economic system, which in turn created an alarming paucity of external accruals to finance the lingering poverty level of the country. Similar to this, several economic indexes and researchers have been pointing out delusive and inconclusive growth attainment of the country which has not impacted positively on the populace. It is against this backdrop that this study aims to re-investigate whether nominal effective exchange rate could lead to real effective exchange rate and if this can be a synergistic strategy towards spurring competitive trading relationship between Nigeria and the rest of the globe. To ensure this, we use a quarterly time series data from 1971QI-2012QVI, and applied the traditional and structural break unit root tests; the Bayer-Hanck cointegration approach and the VECM-Granger causality test. The findings of the study confirmed that nominal effective exchange rate leads to real effective exchange rate and inflation exerts positive impact on real effective exchange rate in Nigeria. In addition, the study found that real effective exchange rate has positive impact on nominal effective exchange rate, but inflation declines it. The causality analysis, on the other hand, revealed that there is feedback effect between real and nominal effective exchange rates, between nominal effective exchange rate and inflation and between inflation and real effective exchange rate. This finding suggests that there are crystal avalanche of competitive opportunities for the country to jettison all its economic vices and move progressively in international trade with minimal hurdles, thus fitting in with the Marshall-Lerner assumption (M-L).
Background and dimensions of consumption experience in Brazilian hotels

Satisfaction studies have become fundamental for improving the relationship between guests and hotels. Thus, functional relationships interfering in guest satisfaction in the hotel sector were analyzed, based on three components: background consumption, consumption experience, and price practiced. Upon the theoretical model proposed, seven hypotheses were formulated. Then, a quantitative causal field research was developed, based on the experimental method, wherein price was manipulated (high and low). A total of 260 questionnaires have been collected, divided into two environments and three different hotels. In the first scenario, the guests paid a high price for their stay in the three hotels, due to the 50th Festa Nacional do Calçado (FENAC), a major national shoe fair. In the second scenario, data were collected in a period of low demand in the three hotels, with lower prices being practiced. After the implementation of the experiment, data were processed through the Structural Equation Modeling technique, and mediating and moderating effects were used for understanding the functional relationships studied. Based on the results obtained, the dimensions associated to consumption experience can be said to influence the relationship between consumption background and satisfaction. In addition, a moderating effect of the prices on the model’s relationship was observed, with differences being identified in the experiments among the relationships moderating physical and social experiences and satisfaction levels expressed by the guests.
NATIONAL BUREAU OF ECONOMIC RESEARCH 1050 Massachusetts Avenue

Defined Benefit and Defined Contribution plans have significantly different characteristics with respect to the risks faced by employers and employees, the sensitivity of benefits to inflation, the flexibility of funding, and the importance of governmental supervision. In this paper, we examine some of the main tradeoffs involved in the choice between DB and DC plans. Our most general conclusion is that neither plan type can be said to wholly dominate the other from the perspective of employee welfare.The major advantage of DB plans is the potential they offer to provide a stable replacement rate of final income to workers. If the replacement rate is the relevant variable for worker retirement utility, then DB plans offer some degree of insurance against real wage risk. Of course, protection offered to workers is risk borne by the firm. As real wages change, funding rates must correspondingly adjust. However, to the extent that real wage risk is largely diversifiable to employers, and nondiversifiable to employees, the replacement rate stability should be viewed as an advantage of DB plans. The advantages of DC plans are most apparent during periods of inflation uncertainty. These are: the predictability of the value of pension wealth, the ability to invest in inflation-hedged portfolios rather than nominal DB annuities,and the fully-funded nature of the DC plan. Finally, the DC plan has the advantage that workers can more easily determine the true present value of the pension benefit they earn in any year, although they may have more incertainty about future pension-benefit flows at retirement. Measuring the present value of accruing defined benefits is difficult at best and imposes severe informational requirements on workers. Such difficulties could lead workers to misvalue their total compensation, and result in misinformed behavior.
The Economics of market dominance

In this collection of essays, industrial economists offer an in-depth examination of dominant firms in competitive markets and the actions of authorities against such firms. The volume opens with an essay by the editors which outlines the development of policy in different countries and gives an account of the main issues in the debate. The contributors: interpret recent policy developments in the United States, Britain and Europe; employ new aspects of oligopoly theory to challenge conventional wisdom about the detection of collusive pricing; and defend profitability measurement as a useful tool for monopoly investigations. Other essays discuss the relevance of the "new industrial economics" and the persistence of monopoly firms.
Climbing The Hospitality Career Ladder: Career Guidance Insights From Social Networking Profiles

In this paper, I examined an alternative source of information for current students (as well as potential students and their parents) interested in facts about careers in the hospitality industry. Textbooks and corporate websites provide simplified and perhaps misleading information on career paths and progress. Empirical research on key roles is limited in its focus, and either flawed or sparse and dated. I used the publicly accessible social networking profiles of 13 male and one female Mainland Chinese international hotel food and beverage directors to illustrate different career patterns in the lodging industry to three groups of students. I identified limitations of the approach I used. I drew implications for practice for faculty members tasked with providing continuing career counselling to students.
A path analysis approach in investigating the performance of the Greek fisheries market

Abstract The present study attempts to empirically investigate the main factors affecting market performance in the Greek fisheries industry, through the implementation of the Structure–Conduct and Performance methodological framework. Primary data were collected from Greek fisheries firms through personal interviews and analyzed embodying the path analysis modeling approach. Two possible relationships have been investigated: the causal relationship of industry structure on firm conduct and the causal relationship of industry structure and firm conduct, on market performance. Results reveal that firm conduct is influenced by industry structure and both affect either directly or indirectly the market performance. Specifically, the most important determinants directly affecting the market performance are quality assurance and competitive advantage, while the international competition and the Common Fisheries Policy Measures cause indirect effects. Regarding the estimations of the total effects, findings demonstrate that the industry structure has greater impact on market performance, than the firm conduct.
Sickle cell nephropathy at end-stage renal disease in the United States: patient characteristics and survival.

BACKGROUND The patient characteristics, including age at presentation to end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and mortality associated with sickle cell nephropathy (SCN) have not been characterized for a national sample of patients. METHODS 375,152 patients in the United States Renal Data System were initiated on ESRD therapy between January 1, 1992 and June 30, 1997 and analyzed in an historical cohort study of SCN. RESULTS Of the study population, 397 (0.11%) had SCN, of whom 93% were African-American. The mean age at presentation to ESRD was 40.68+/-14.00 years. SCN patients also had an independently increased risk of mortality (hazard ratio 1.52, 95% CI: 1.27-1.82) even after adjustment for placement on the renal transplant waiting list, diabetes, hematocrit, creatinine, and body mass index. However, when receipt of renal transplantation was also included in the model, SCN was no longer significant (p = 0.51, HR = 1.10, 95% CI: 0.82-1.48). SCN patients were much less likely to be placed on the renal transplant waiting list or receive renal transplants in comparison to age and race matched controls, and results of survival analysis were similar in this model. CONCLUSIONS SCN patients were much less likely to be listed for or receive renal transplantation than other comparable patients with ESRD. SCN patients were at independently increased of mortality compared with other patients with ESRD, including those with diabetes, but this increased risk did not persist when models adjusted for their low rates of renal transplantation.
Understanding Differences in Self-Reported Expenditures between Household Scanner Data and Diary Survey Data: A Comparison of Homescan and Consumer Expenditure Survey

Household scanner data contain rich information on household demographics and transactions in actual markets over a long time period. To more fully understand the characteristics of these data, we conducted an analysis to determine whether household expenditures in the Nielsen Homescan panel are similar to the Bureau of Labor Statistic's Consumer Expenditure Diary Survey. We found that many differences in reported expenditures across the two datasets can be explained by such household demographics as female head, income, and household size, for example. The largest degrees of discrepancies across datasets occur for food categories containing more random-weight foods without universal product codes. Copyright 2009 Agricultural and Applied Economics Association
Growth Differentiation Factor 9 and Its Spatiotemporal Expression and Regulation in the Zebrafish Ovary1

Abstract Growth differentiation factor 9 (GDF9) is a member of the transforming growth factor beta (TGFB) superfamily. As an oocyte-specific growth factor, GDF9 plays critical roles in controlling folliculogenesis in mammals. In the present study, we cloned a 2.1-kb cDNA of the zebrafish GDF9 homolog (Gdf9, gdf9), which shares ~60% homology with that of mammals in the mature region. RT-PCR analysis showed that zebrafish gdf9 expression was present only in the gonads and Northern blot analysis revealed a single transcript of about 2.0 kb in the ovary. Real-time RT-PCR analysis revealed that gdf9 expression was highest in primary growth (PG, stage I) follicles and gradually decreased during follicular development, with the lowest level being found in fully grown (FG) follicles. The expression of gdf9 was maintained through fertilization and early embryonic development until gastrulation, at which point the expression level dramatically decreased. Expression was barely detectable after the late gastrula stage. Within the follicle, gdf9 mRNA was localized exclusively in the oocytes, as demonstrated by RT-PCR of denuded oocytes and freshly isolated follicle layers as well as by in situ hybridization. Interestingly, when amplified for high numbers of cycles, the expression of gdf9 was detected in cultured zebrafish follicular cells that were free of oocytes. The expression of gdf9 was downregulated by hCG in both ovarian fragments and isolated follicles in dose- and time-dependent manners, and this inhibition appeared to be stage-dependent, with the strongest inhibition observed for the FG follicles and no effect seen for the PG follicles. This correlates well with the expression profile of the LH receptor (lhcgr) in zebrafish follicles. In conclusion, as an oocyte-derived growth factor, GDF9 is highly conserved across vertebrates. With its biological advantages, zebrafish provides an alternative model for studying gene function and regulation.
From Student to Accounting Professional: A Longitudinal Study of the Filtering Process

ABSTRACT: Over a 15-year period, we observe the pattern of personality types of students that come into introductory accounting classes, into the accounting major, into the accounting profession, and that remain in accounting as a long-term career. While most research has concentrated on either education or professional careers, our study represents perhaps the first significant longitudinal study employing a within-subject design to examine both the accounting education decision, and the decision to pursue and remain with an accounting career. By employing mediational analysis techniques, our study examines the filtering process that leads to the personality makeup of practicing accountants. Our analysis extends beyond descriptive correlations of MBTI personality types majoring in accounting to provide evidence of how MBTI personality type preferences influence career decisions through mediated measures of attitude, intent, and performance. In particular, we demonstrate clearly both the nature and the p.
The relationship of cognitive impairment with neurological and psychiatric variables in multiple sclerosis patients

Abstract Objective. Cognitive impairment (CI) in multiple sclerosis (MS) can develop any time. CI is associated with the degree of neuronal loss, but disease duration, fatigue, comorbid affective disorder, and drug dose may also affect cognition. Our aim was to assess which cognitive domain was disturbed primarily in mild MS patients and to see whether CI was related with clinical and psychiatric features. Method. Neurological and psychiatric evaluation of 31 MS patients and 31 age, sex, and education-matched healthy controls were made with Structured Clinical Interview for Axis I Disorders (SCID-I). Depression, anxiety, functionality, fatigue, and disability scoring were determined with Hamilton Depression-Anxiety scales, Global Assessment of Functionality, Fatigue Severity and Expanded Disability Status Scales. Cognitive functions were assessed using Mini Mental, Serial Digit Learning, Verbal and Nonverbal Cancellation, Stroop and Rey Auditory Verbal Learning tests. Results. Retrieval from long-term memory and psychomotor speed were significantly worse in MS group. CI was correlated with disease duration, number of attacks, and physical disability but not with depression and anxiety severity. Disease duration predicted disturbances in recall and psychomotor speed, whereas fatigue and disability predicted depression. Conclusion. Psychomotor speed and memory were primarily impaired in MS patients, and CI was closely associated with clinical aspects of MS rather than with depression and anxiety.
THE IMPACT OF TRADE LIBERALIZATION ON TUNISIAN MANUFACTURING: STRUCTURE, PERFORMANCE AND EMPLOYMENT

The aim of this article is to establish a comparison concerning the Tunisian manufacturing industry between two periods that feature different commercial regimes: relative protectionism (1987 – 1995) and liberalization (after 1995). The analysis deals with different elements of conduct and performance: productivity growth, employment growth, exports growth, capital intensity growth…The significance of the difference between these conduct and performance indicators across the two policy regimes is firstly evaluated using a statistical test. An econometric analysis is then conducted. A country- specific analysis is likewise carried out. The results of statistical and econometrics tests are alike and suggest that the reduction in tariffs and non tariffs levels conducted in this first active phase of liberalization in Tunisia had no significant effects on manufacturing growth nor on employment growth. No significant improvements were recorded in the overall production growth, which appears to be due mainly to a decrease in productivity growth. The regulations and limits upon factor mobility in Tunisia in the considered period are the main factors that account for the delay in adjustment and the dilution of the benefits of trade reform.
Multifactorial Analysis of Conditional Reprogramming of Human Keratinocytes

Co-culture of human primary epithelial cells with irradiated 3T3 fibroblast feeder cells (J2 cells) and the Rho kinase inhibitor Y-27632 (Y) allows for the unrestricted growth of cells of epithelial origin by the process termed conditional reprogramming. To better understand the nature of the signaling processes associated with conditionally reprogrammed cells, the effect of the two critical components of the co-culture conditions, J2 cells and Y, on the growth of human foreskin keratinocytes (HFKs) was evaluated by gene expression profiling, reverse-phase protein arrays and siRNA screening. J2 cells and Y acted cooperatively to down-regulate differentiation, and upregulate proliferation and cell adhesion, including increased pT308Akt and pERK, and reduced TGF-β pathway signaling. These findings establish a mechanistic basis for the unlimited growth potential of human epithelial cells that will be invaluable to assess the effect of genetic changes in pathologic tissues and their response to therapeutic agents.
A fast indoor tracking algorithm based on particle filter and improved fingerprinting

Wi-Fi based indoor tracking has attracted considerable attention due to the growing need for location based service (LBS) and the rapid development of mobile phones. Most existing Wi-Fi based indoor tracking systems suffer from the low accuracy, due to the complexity of indoor environment, and the high time-delay, caused by the time consumption of positioning algorithm. In this paper, we propose a new tracking scheme based on particle filter and an improved k-nearest neighbor (KNN) algorithm. The particle filter is used to add motion constrains to the tracking model and reduce the measurement error. The improved KNN algorithm is used to provide the position in a fast and precise way. A series of experiments were implemented on a mobile phone and the results show that our scheme achieves superior performance than other existing algorithms.
Unlocking the secrets to protein–protein interface drug targets using structural mass spectrometry techniques

Protein–protein interactions (PPIs) drive all biologic systems at the subcellular and extracellular level. Changes in the specificity and affinity of these interactions can lead to cellular malfunctions and disease. Consequently, the binding interfaces between interacting protein partners are important drug targets for the next generation of therapies that block such interactions. Unfortunately, protein–protein contact points have proven to be very difficult pharmacological targets because they are hidden within complex 3D interfaces. For the vast majority of characterized binary PPIs, the specific amino acid sequence of their close contact regions remains unknown. There has been an important need for an experimental technology that can rapidly reveal the functionally important contact points of native protein complexes in solution. In this review, experimental techniques employing mass spectrometry to explore protein interaction binding sites are discussed. Hydrogen–deuterium exchange, hydroxyl radical footprinting, crosslinking and the newest technology protein painting are compared and contrasted.
USE OF INTERFEROMETRIC SATELLITE SAR FOR EARTHQUAKE DAMAGE DETECTION

Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) is one of the most promising remote sensing technologies since it is not affected by clouds and lights. The SAR interferometric analysis, using phase information of backscattering echoes from objects on the earth’s surface, is successfully employed to quantify relative ground displacements due to natural disasters. In addition, the complex coherence derived from the interferometric analysis is a suitable and sensitive parameter for the detection of superficial change and the classification of land use. In this paper, we investigated the microwave scattering characteristics of the areas damaged by the 1999 Kocaeli, Turkey earthquake using satellite SAR. From the difference in backscattered intensity and coherence from an interferometric analysis of SAR images taken at different acquisitions, we found that the backscattering property in heavily damaged areas showed significant change, compared with that in minor damage areas. The relationship between building damage and difference of preand post-event SAR images was found to relate to the damage level. This trend in the hard-hit areas was due to the fact that the backscattered intensity and the intensity correlation of two images became low. The degree of coherence was found to be a good index to distinguish slight to moderate damage levels.