Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Election promises and government performance in Greece: PASOK's fulfilment of its 1981 election pledges

The ‘mandate theory’ of democracy rests on the idea that electors choose political parties on the basis of the alternative government programmes they offer during an election campaign. Thus, the question of whether or not programmes are fulfilled in government is central in assessing the effectiveness of democratic processes. In its election manifesto for the 1981 general election the then opposition socialist party, PASOK, proposed a radical reform of Greek society. The degree to which its proposals were actually implemented in its first period of office (1981–85) points up the constraints facing any reformist party trying to fulfil its promises. Following recently published research on pledge fulfilment in Britain and Canada, this study identifies the definite pledges made by PASOK in its 1981 electoral manifesto and checks how far they actually found their way into government outputs up to 1985. The main findings are that PASOK clearly promised important reforms in 1981 and to a considerable extent implemented them.
Managing delayed-onset muscle soreness: lack of effect of selected oral systemic analgesics.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the efficacy of commonly available analgesics in the management of delayed-onset muscle soreness over an 11-day period. DESIGN Double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized trial. SETTING University laboratory. PARTICIPANTS Sixty healthy volunteers (30 men, 30 women) with no current arm pain or pathology completed the experimental procedure. INTERVENTIONS Subjects were randomly allocated to one of five experimental groups: control; placebo; aspirin (900 mg); codeine (60 mg); and paracetamol (1000 mg) (n = 12 in all groups). Delayed soreness was induced in the nondominant elbow flexors using a standardized exercise protocol of repeated eccentric contractions. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Pain (visual analogue scale; McGill pain questionnaire [MPQ]), range of extension, flexion and resting angle (universal goniometer), and mechanical pain threshold (pressure algometer). Measurements were taken before and after drug administration each day, except for the MPQ, which was completed on the first and third days of the experiment. RESULTS Analysis of results using repeated-measures analysis of variance and relevant post hoc tests provided no evidence of the effectiveness of any of the preparations. CONCLUSION There is no beneficial effect from the medications, at least at the doses stated, in the management of delayed-onset muscle soreness.
Multiple asset class investing : equilibrium asset pricing evaluation of real estate risk and return across four quadrants

The major objective of this study is to test equilibrium asset pricing models with respect to how well they price risk across multiple asset classes; including the four quadrants of real estate. While using the Geltner (1999) paper as a springboard for our approach, this thesis both updates Professor Geltner’s earlier work and extends its scope through the testing of additional models and asset classes. Using historical data to derive beta estimates, we empirically test several variations of the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM). These variations include the traditional, single-beta, Sharpe-Lintner CAPM, as well as the multi-beta, Fama-French CAPM. For the single-factor formula we explore the use of two different market portfolio proxies, the S&P 500 Index and the National Wealth Portfolio (NWP). We also apply the single-factor formula to a non-wealth based, consumption oriented approach. Test results show the NWP based CAPM to be the strongest model, being both robust and statistically significant in its pricing of asset volatility. When using the traditional S&P 500 index as the market proxy, the basic CAPM performs surprisingly well, though not as well as the NWP version. The multi-beta Fama-French model explains a large amount of price variation, however, only the market and size factors prove to be statistically significant at the 95% confidence level. In a dramatic departure from what was found roughly fifteen years ago, the consumption model’s performance was lackluster; supporting a widespread belief that there may be empirical issues with the measurement of quarterly consumption. The most interesting finding across all models tested was the behavior of the housing asset class. Housing appears to be an outlier that doesn’t seem to fit in with the rest of the asset classes using linear pricing models. All the models display a statistically significant intercept, suggesting that there is a component of risk, perhaps a significant component (as perceived by investors relative to treasury bills), that is not captured in any of these risk models. Thesis Supervisor: David M. Geltner Title: Professor of Real Estate Finance
The linkage between profit sharing and organizational citizenship behaviour

The study investigated the effects of profit sharing (cash-based, stock-based and combined-total profit sharing) on organizational citizenship behaviour (OCB). It also examined the mediating role of organizational commitment on the relationship between profit sharing and OCB. Data were collected from 426 employees of 35 information electronics companies in Taiwan. Results showed that whereas cash-based profit sharing had no effect on OCB, both combined-total profit sharing and stock-based profit sharing positively influenced OCB. We also found that organizational commitment mediated the relationship between profit sharing (stock-based and combined-total profit sharing) and OCB.
Pseudo-Boolean and Cardinality Constraints

Pseudo-Boolean and cardinality constraints are a natural generalization of clauses. While a clause expresses that at least one literal must be true, a cardinality constraint expresses that at least n literals must be true and a pseudo-Boolean constraint states that a weighted sum of literals must be greater than a constant. These contraints have a high expressive power, have been intensively studied in 0/1 programming and are close enough to the satisfiability problem to benefit from the recents advances in this field. Besides, optimization problems are naturally expressed in the pseudo-Boolean context. This chapter presents the inference rules on pseudo-Boolean constraints and demonstrates their increased inference power in comparison with resolution. It also shows how the modern satisfiability algorithms can be extended to deal with pseudo-Boolean constraints.
Burkholderia cenocepacia ET12 strain activates TNFR1 signalling in cystic fibrosis airway epithelial cells

Burkholderia cenocepacia is an important pulmonary pathogen in individuals with cystic fibrosis (CF). Infection is often associated with severe pulmonary inflammation, and some patients develop a fatal necrotizing pneumonia and sepsis (‘cepacia syndrome’). The mechanisms by which this species causes severe pulmonary inflammation are poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate that B. cenocepacia BC7, a potentially virulent representative of the epidemic ET12 lineage, binds to tumour necrosis factor receptor 1 (TNFR1) and activates TNFR1‐related signalling pathway similar to TNF‐α, a natural ligand for TNFR1. This interaction participates in stimulating a robust IL‐8 production from CF airway epithelial cells. In contrast, BC45, a less virulent ET12 representative, and ATCC 25416, an environmental B. cepacia strain, do not bind to TNFR1 and stimulate only minimal IL‐8 production from CF cells. Further, TNFR1 expression is increased in CF airway epithelial cells compared with non‐CF cells. We also show that B. cenocepacia ET12 strain colocaizes with TNFR1 in vitro and in the lungs of CF patients who died due to infection with B. cenocepacia, ET12 strain. Together, these results suggest that interaction of B. cenocepacia, ET12 strain with TNFR1 may contribute to robust inflammatory responses elicited by this organism.
A performance-oriented circuit partitioning algorithm with logic-block replication for multi-FPGA systems

This paper proposes a circuit partitioning algorithm in which the delay of each critical signal path is within a specified upper bound. Its core is recursive bipartitioning of a circuit which consists of three stages: (0) detection of critical paths; (1) bipartitioning of a set of primary inputs and outputs; and (2) bipartitioning of a set of logic-blocks. In (0), the algorithm detects the critical paths based on their lower bounds of delays. The delays of the critical paths are reduced with higher priority. In (1), the algorithm attempts to assign the primary input and output on each critical path to one chip. In (2), the algorithm not only decreases the number of crossings between chips but also assigns the logic blocks on each critical path to one chip by exploiting a network flow technique with logic-block replication. The experimental results demonstrate that it resolves almost all path delay constraints with the maximum number of required I/O blocks per chip small compared with conventional algorithms.
Total Column Ozone Variability Over Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Ozone is capable of absorbing wavelengths (ultraviolet radiation) of biologically dam aging ultraviolet light. This radiation has been linked to health and environmental concerns. Most of this ozone (90 percent) is found in t he strat osphere, the layer of t he atmosphere lying between the altit udes of 10 and 50 kilometers (Kowalok 1993). Heat generated from this absorption causes the temperature to incre ase with altitude in the stratosphere. The resulting temperature profile is largely responsible for the dynamic stability of the stratosphere (Shen et al. 1995). Hence, the presence of the stratospheric ozone layer is vital both to human health an d to the dynamic stability of the stratosphere. Most research on ozone depleti on focuses on t he dramatic changes in t he Antarcti c Ozone Hole. The purpose of this paper is to ex amine the temporal variability in the thickness of the ozone layer over the Great Lakes area, as typified by data collected at Toronto, Ontario, Canada (Hosseinian 2000). We wish to address the following two questions: has there been a decrease in total column ozone in this region? And what is the source of interan nual and interdecadal variability in the total column ozone? In this study, statistical analysis is used to examine the trend in t he total column ozone concentration for the past four decades (1960 to 1998). Nonanthropogenic variations in the total ozone concentration are examined and some causal mechanisms for these variations are presented. The use of quantitative statistical analysis of the ozone data can readily enhance the search for unusual or ab normal changes in the ozone (Hill 1982). These analyses can be used to sep arate phys ical and chemical me chanisms from random variations.
Aid and tax revenue: Signs of a positive effect since the 1980s

This paper addresses the effect of aid loans and grants on tax effort using data for 82 developing countries over 1970–2005. We find no robust evidence for a negative effect of aid (grants or loans) on the tax/GDP ratio, other than a contemporaneous correlation, but find some evidence that the effect of grants on tax revenue is positive (if significant) since the mid 1980s and that grants tend to increase tax revenue over the medium term. For poor aid recipients, grants are to be preferred to loans because they create no debt and have no adverse fiscal effects. Copyright (C) 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Trust Development in Globally Distributed Collaboration: A Case of U.S. and Chinese Mixed Teams

Abstract Trust is frequently investigated as an indicator of a mutual relationship. Trust is especially important for globally distributed collaboration in light of the lack of face-to-face interactions. As the perception of trust is a dynamic process, however, little research is conducted measuring trust development. Whether facilitation intervention is beneficial for trust development is also unknown. In order to fill the research gaps, we followed a design science approach and incorporated collaboration engineering into the design of the treatment. Data were collected in a series of experiments with Chinese and U.S. mixed teams, including a longitudinal survey, interviews, and documentation. Through the comparison of the treatment group with the control group, we found that trust was significantly improved in the treatment group. In addition, several trust antecedents were found to explain the development. The power of facilitated collaboration is also validated as helpful for trust development. This research makes several implications, such as proposing a series of trust antecedents, a treatment design of a collaboration engineering (CE) approach for trust improvement, and a new context application of CE. This research could also help the practitioners in globally distributed collaboration who want to improve trust over time.
Testing the optimal defense hypothesis in nature: Variation for glucosinolate profiles within plants

Plants employ highly variable chemical defenses against a broad community of herbivores, which vary in their susceptibilities to specific compounds. Variation in chemical defenses within the plant has been found in many species; the ecological and evolutionary influences on this variation, however, are less well-understood. One central theory describing the allocation of defenses in the plant is the Optimal Defense Hypothesis (ODH), which predicts that defenses will be concentrated in tissues that are of high fitness value to the plant. Although the ODH has been repeatedly supported within vegetative tissues, few studies have compared vegetative and reproductive tissues, and the results have not been conclusive. We quantified variation in glucosinolate profile and tissue value between vegetative and reproductive tissues in Boechera stricta, a close relative of Arabidopsis. B. stricta manufactures glucosinolates, a set of defensive compounds that vary genetically and are straightforward to quantify. Genetic diversity in glucosinolate profile has been previously demonstrated to be important to both herbivory and fitness in B. stricta; however, the importance of glucosinolate variation among tissues has not. Here, we investigate whether allocation of glucosinolates within the plant is consistent with the ODH. We used both clipping experiments on endogenous plants and ambient herbivory in a large-scale transplant experiment at three sites to quantify fitness effects of loss of rosette leaves, cauline leaves, and flowers and fruits. We measured glucosinolate concentration in leaves and fruits in the transplant experiment, and asked whether more valuable tissues were more defended. We also investigated within-plant variation in other aspects of the glucosinolate profile. Our results indicated that damage to fruits had a significantly larger effect on overall fitness than damage to leaves, and that fruits had much higher concentrations of glucosinolates, supporting the ODH. This is, to the best of our knowledge, the first study to explicitly compare both tissue value and chemical defense concentrations between vegetative and reproductive tissues under natural conditions.
Using Personal Computers at the College Level

In less thani a Year, the nuniber of mierocomputers at C la ksonl UniVeisitv has increased froml less than 50 to s er-17(X). This dramilatic increase is ciLue to Clarkson's maeMc to incorporate the peirsonal conIputer into evcry ftalct of its academiic proctrams. LariN in October 1982, the colicee anInIouLnced that in tall 1983 all freshnian students, rce&rdless ot tltcil major, sould be provided with a per-aonal coMputCr. Shotts thci-catter, thec college begani suIp-pNying /Zeiith Data SVStemIS /-100 COmIlputc-rs to tacultV %%ha ws antcd to pi-cpare t' e-shli iman and1 soplhonmorc cOLIr.SeS o1sinL" thC 1wpc-sonIal comiPLItcr-. Almost all facuilty who flad 1le OpPportunitn to obtainl a coMiLIteir took-adsvantage ot it. A\ltholaeh the iclea behindl piFOV iCnel1tr the ComIlputerls s as to miloclik-the cui-riculumLI for the following Nears, many hceaIr to uISe thlC comiLIteIr immdeiatelN.
IL-33 Amplifies the Polarization of Alternatively Activated Macrophages That Contribute to Airway Inflammation1

Alternatively activated macrophages (AAM) play a crucial role in type 2 immunity. Mice deficient in ST2, a receptor for the latest member of the IL-1 family, IL-33, have impaired type 2 immune responses. We therefore reasoned that IL-33/ST2 signaling may be involved in the differentiation and activation of AAM during airway inflammation. We report here that IL-33 changed the quiescent phenotype of alveolar macrophages toward an AAM phenotype that expressed mannose receptor, IL-4Rα, and produced high levels of CCL24 and CCL17 in an IL-13-dependent manner during IL-33-induced airway inflammation. Neutralization of AAM-derived CCL24 led to an amelioration of IL-33-induced eosinophilia in the lungs. Moreover, depletion of alveolar macrophages reduced IL-33-induced airway inflammation. Additionally, the attenuated OVA-induced airway inflammation in ST2−/− mice was associated with a decrease in AAM differentiation. In vitro, IL-33 amplified IL-13-induced polarization of alveolar- and bone marrow-derived macrophage toward an AAM phenotype by increasing the expression of arginase I, Ym1, as well as the production of CCL24 and CCL17. IL-13/IL-4Rα signaling was crucial for IL-33-driven AAM amplification by inducing the expression of ST2L. Finally, we showed that IL-33 was more abundantly expressed in the lung epithelial cells of asthma patients than those from healthy controls, suggesting that IL-33 may be involved in lung macrophage activation in clinical asthma. Taken together, we demonstrate here that IL-33/ST2 plays a significant role in the amplification of AAM polarization and chemokine production which contribute to innate and Ag-induced airway inflammation.
Epidemiologic application of pulsed-field gel electrophoresis to an outbreak of Campylobacter jejuni in an Austrian youth centre

We report the first documented Campylobacter jejuni outbreak in an Austrian youth centre. Sixty-four children were involved of which 38 showed classical signs of campylobacter gastroenteritis. Since unpasteurized milk distributed by a local dairy was suspected to be the source of infection, stool samples were collected from 20 cows providing the milk. Five of the cows tested positive for C. jejuni. These isolates together with 37 clinical samples were compared by pulsed-field-gel electrophoresis (PFGE). The PFGE patterns, using the restriction endonucleases SmaI and SalI, were identical for the human and bovine isolates.This finding confirmed that the outbreak was caused by the consumption of unpasteurized milk contaminated with C. jejuni.
Do Chinese business groups have better innovation performance?

Whether business groups in emerging markets are paragons or parasites is a hot topic. We focus on whether latecomer firms in China can promote their innovation performance through setting up business groups. Combining institutional theory with innovation search theory, we propose that the focused firm affiliated to a business group (i.e. administrative firm, core firm, close to core firm, and peripheral firm) has lower innovation performance. Moreover, absorptive capacity and Research & Development (R&D) alliance intensity moderate these effects. Two studies in China support our arguments.
Static Hedging and Pricing American Options

This paper utilizes the static hedge portfolio (SHP) approach of Derman et al. [Derman, E. , Ergener, D. , Kani, I. , 1995. Static options replication. Journal of Derivatives 2, 78-95] and Carr et al. [Carr, P., Ellis, K. , Gupta, V. , 1998. Static hedging of exotic options. Journal of Finance 53, 1165-1190] to price and hedge American options under the Black-Scholes (1973) model and the constant elasticity of variance (CEV) model of Cox [Cox, J., 1975. Notes on option pricing I: Constant elasticity of variance diffusion. Working Paper, Stanford University]. The static hedge portfolio of an American option is formulated by applying the value-matching and smooth-pasting conditions on the early exercise boundary. The results indicate that the numerical efficiency of our static hedge portfolio approach is comparable to some recent advanced numerical methods such as Broadie and Detemple [Broadie, M. , Detemple, J., 1996. American option valuation: New bounds, approximations, and a comparison of existing methods. Review of Financial Studies 9, 1211-1250] binomial Black-Scholes method with Richardson extrapolation (BBSR). The accuracy of the SHP method for the calculation of deltas and gammas is especially notable. Moreover, when the stock price changes, the recalculation of the prices and hedge ratios of the American options under the SHP method is quick because there is no need to solve the static hedge portfolio again. Finally, our static hedging approach also provides an intuitive derivation of the early exercise boundary near expiration.
SecYEG and SecA Are the Stoichiometric Components of Preprotein Translocase (*)

The transport of large preproteins across the Escherichia coli plasma membrane is catalyzed by preprotein translocase, comprised of the peripherally bound SecA subunit and an integrally bound heterotrimeric domain consisting of the SecY, SecE, and SecG subunits. We have now placed the secY, secE, and secG genes under the control of an arabinose-inducible promoter on a multicopy plasmid. Upon induction, all three of the proteins are strongly overexpressed and recovered in the plasma membrane fraction. These membranes show a strong enhancement of 1) translocation ATPase activity, 2) preprotein translocation, 3) capacity for SecA binding, and 4) formation of the membrane-inserted form of SecA. These data establish that SecY, SecE, and SecG constitute the integral membrane domain of preprotein translocase.
Considering the effects of a cross-arm on a contaminated polymer insulator at different angles

This paper considers the effects of a cross-arm on a contaminated polymer insulator at different angles (90°, 60° and 45°) with negative and positive impulses. An experiment was conducted using a 10 kV polymer insulator that was contaminated with 4 % salt (a mixture of distilled water and sodium chloride). From the experiment, the behaviour of the voltage breakdown and leakage current of the contaminated insulator positioned at different angles from the cross-arm was evaluated under different impulse polarities. The results show that the values of the breakdown voltage and leakage current decrease with angle when using the 90° angle as a reference. The reason for this study into the effects of the cross-arm on a contaminated polymer insulator is because in the real case, when the insulators are installed on an angle tower, the forces or tensions due to the weather conditions (especially under strong winds) and from the distribution lines themselves will force the installed insulators to be tilted from its original 90° angle position.
The Lebesgue function for generalized Hermite-Fejér interpolation on the Chebyshev nodes

Abstract This paper presents a short survey of convergence results and properties of the Lebesgue function λm,n(x) for(0, 1, …, m)Hermite-Fejér interpolation based on the zeros of the nth Chebyshev polynomial of the first kind. The limiting behaviour as n → ∞ of the Lebesgue constant Λm,n = max{λm,n(x): −1 ≤ x ≤ 1} for even m is then studied, and new results are obtained for the asymptotic expansion of Λm,n. Finally, graphical evidence is provided of an interesting and unexpected pattern in the distribution of the local maximum values of λm,n(x) if m ≥ 2 is even.