Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
THE EFFECT OF EXCHANGE RATES ON INTERNATIONAL MARKETING MARGINS

This study presents a new structural model that incorporates price linkage and marketing margin identity into a common framework. The inclusion of exchange rates expands the framework to include goods traded in different currencies. This allows empirical estimates to be made of how changes in domestic prices, exchange rates and middlemen costs are transmitted to foreign prices and the international marketing margin. The framework is empirically applied to an international marketing channel using farmed salmon data, to investigate how Norwegian export prices, exchange rates and middlemen costs affect French wholesale prices and the marketing margin. Results suggest that the markets are, via complete price and exchange rate pass through, purely competitive and that the marketing margin only increases when costs of marketing service increase.
Hedging against bunker price fluctuations using petroleum futures contracts: constant versus time-varying hedge ratios

The effectiveness of hedging marine bunker price fluctuations in Rotterdam, Singapore and Houston is examined using different crude oil and petroleum future contracts traded at the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) and the International Petroleum Exchange (IPE) in London. Using both constant and dynamic hedge ratios, it is found that in and out-of-sample hedging effectiveness is different across regional bunker markets. The most effective futures instruments for out of sample hedging of spot bunker prices in Rotterdam and Singapore are the IPE crude oil futures, while for Houston it is the gas oil futures. Differences in hedging effectiveness across regional markets are attributed to the varying regional supply and demand factors in each market. In comparison to other markets, the cross-market hedging effectiveness investigated in the bunker market is low.
Nickel release from metals, and a case of allergic contact dermatitis from stainless steel

The prevalence of allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) caused by nickel is increasing. The probable cause is the increased use of nickel‐containing metals in intimate contact with the skin. The critical factor is the amount of nickel released from these metals (bioavailable nickel) onto the skin. In the present study, we determined, with flame atomic absorbtion spectrometry, the amount of nickel released into synthetic sweat from metal samples. The results of this method were compared with the results of the dimethylglyoxime (DMG) test, which is considered to be a reliable means of identifying whether nickel‐containing metals may cause allergy symptoms in sensitive individuals. Out of 10 samples studied, only small amounts (< 0.5 μg/cm2/week) were released from 2 samples, and the DMG test was negative. From 5 samples, more than 0.5 μjg/cm2/week was released, and the DMG test was positive. For 3 samples, however, the DMG test was negative, though the flame atomic absorption spectrometry test showed considerable release of nickel. Therefore, although the DMG test can be used as a first line test for determining nickel release, some DMG‐negative metal materials probably induce nickel sensitization, and should by no means be advertised as safe in this respect. We also report a nickel‐allergic patient who developed ACD from stainless steel, indicating that some types of stainless steel release enough nickel to elicit allergic symptoms.
Monocytes: subsets, origins, fates and functions

Purpose of reviewThe term mono-cyte suggests this population of cells consists of a single homogenous fraction. However, evidence from a number of laboratories indicates that monocytes are composed of several subsets, which differ in phenotype, size, nuclear morphology, granularity and gene profiles. Most importantly, recent data suggest that monocyte subsets are also functionally distinct. Here we summarize the recent advances in our understanding of monocyte subsets and their origins, fates and functions. Recent findingsThe recent past has seen major progress in our understanding of myeloid differentiation. Specifically, the published literature now suggests a dichotomy that starts at the stage of a novel clonotypic bone marrow resident precursor, the macrophage dendritic cell progenitor (MDP). Insights into differential origins of macrophages and dendritic cells, linked with functional specifications, are likely to significantly change our current view of the mononuclear phagocyte system. SummaryContemporary studies have demonstrated that two subsets of monocytes reside in the peripheral circulation. These subsets are surprisingly distinct; with regard to their functions and fates, for example, one subset might be dedicated to generate macrophages upon extravasation from the peripheral circulation, whereas, the other subset under inflammatory conditions may differentiate into inflammatory dendritic cells. The tissue response during pathogenesis seems to differentially mobilize these cells, thereby manipulating the local mononuclear phagocyte composition according to acute needs.
Fisher, Phillips, Friedman and the Measured Impact of Inflation on Interest: A Reply

THE PURPOSE OF THIS paper is to demonstrate that empirical findings, which persistently appear to contradict the Fisher hypothesis that the nominal rate of interest should rise by the full amount of an increase in anticipated inflation, are due basically to a failure to control for changes in the real rate of interest that are associated with changes in anticipated inflation. We are guided in our search for proper specification of a Fisher equation by a simple general equilibrium model, which is employed to derive the impact of a change in anticipated inflation upon nominal interest given the requirement that commodity, money and labor markets remain in equilibrium. In effect we depart from the empirical tradition which has grown up around testing of the Fisher hypothesis that takes the real interest rate to be independent of anticipated inflation and argues that, for anticipated inflation properly measured, the data ought to support the Fisher hypothesis.1
Parking policies to reduce car traffic in German cities

The amount of car traffic generated by a parking space depends on parking duration and parking turnover as well as on search traffic. Parking policy is discussed as part of a comprehensive approach of ‘push‐and‐pull’ strategies to reduce car traffic. Parking concepts address the public spaces, whereas private spaces can only be restricted by parking ordinances. Parking guidance systems are doubtlessly useful but their effect to reduce search traffic should not be overestimated.
EU REGULATION AND CONSUMER DEMAND FOR ANIMAL WELFARE

There is already considerable legislation on the statute books in Europe dealing with animal welfare. Such legislation results from strong public pressure and interest. The legislation is always science based, usually on reports from the European Union (EU) Scientific Committee on Animal Health and Animal Welfare (SCAHAW). This paper described the legislative framework in the EU, the methodology used for the assessment of animal welfare and comments on the economic implications of improving animal welfare.
An introspective, retrospective, futurespective analysis of the attack advertising in the 2010 British General Election

Abstract In this special edition, the editors have asked us to consider how political marketing has been used in the 2010 British Election, how it is evolving, and the prospects for its future use. We do this with specific reference to the attack advertising employed. Having empirically investigated British Election advertising campaigns since 1997, we also offer contrasts with 1997, 2001, and 2005. In evaluating the use of attack advertising in elections, we reveal how its future needs to be significantly different from its past. In this paper, we begin by examining some of the central contextual issues that were purported to inform the campaigns, and that also influenced public opinion towards parties, leaders, and voting itself. We then present the core arguments that both support and reject the use of attack advertising in election campaigns. We then move on to present detailed accounts of the advertising campaigns for the Labour, Conservative, and Liberal Democrat parties – using a combination of primary interview and secondary data. Our evaluation of these campaigns focuses on the consequences of attack advertising for political engagement and trust, and thus the reputation of political marketing. This analysis will also include comparisons with the 1997, 2001, and 2005 elections. The paper will conclude by considering the future of political advertising in British elections – as it is theorised and practised in the 21st century.
The Changing Economic Advantage from Private Schools

Despite its relatively small size, the private school sector plays a prominent role in British society. This paper focuses on changing wage and education differentials between privately educated and state educated individuals in Britain. It reports evidence that the private/state school wage differential has risen significantly over time, despite the rising cost to sending children to private school. A significant factor underpinning this has been faster rising educational attainment for privately educated individuals. Despite these patterns of change, the proportion attending private school has not altered much, nor have the characteristics of those children (and their parents) attending private school. Taken together, our findings are consistent with the idea that the private school sector has been successful in transforming its ability to generate the academic outputs that are most in demand in the modern economy. Because of the increased earnings advantage, private school remains a good investment for parents who want to opt out, but it also contributes more to rising economic and social inequality.
Combined expression of pTα and Notch3 in T cell leukemia identifies the requirement of preTCR for leukemogenesis

Notch receptors are conserved regulators of cell fate and have been implicated in the regulation of T cell differentiation and lymphomagenesis. However, neither the generality of Notch involvement in leukemia, nor the molecules with which Notch may interact have been clarified. Recently, we showed that transgenic mice expressing the constitutively active intracellular domain of Notch3 in thymocytes and T cells developed early and aggressive T cell neoplasias. Although primarily splenic, the tumors sustained features of immature thymocytes, including expression of pTα, a defining component of the pre T cell receptor, known to be a potent signaling complex provoking thymocyte survival, proliferation, and activation. Thus, enforced expression of Notch3, which is ordinarily down-regulated as thymocytes mature, may sustain pre T cell receptor expression, causing dysregulated hyperplasia. This hypothesis has been successfully tested in this article by the observation that deletion of pTα in Notch3 transgenic mice abrogates tumor development, indicating a crucial role for pTα in T cell leukemogenesis. Parallel observations were made in humans, in that all T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemias examined showed expression of Notch3 and of the Notch target gene HES-1, as well as of pTα a and b transcripts, whereas the expression of all these genes was dramatically reduced or absent in remission. Together, these results suggest that the combined expression of Notch3 and pTα sustains T cell leukemogenesis and may represent pathognomonic molecular features of human T-ALL.
A toothless chihuahua? The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, neoliberalism and supermarket power in Australia

Abstract During the Senate Inquiry into ‘milk price wars’ in 2011, Senator Nick Xenophon accused the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) of being ‘less effective than a toothless Chihuahua’. This follows the ACCC’s lack of action regarding the reported abuse of market power of Australia’s supermarket duopoly, where an extensive inquiry into the competitiveness of retail prices in 2008 found grocery retailing to be ‘workably competitive’ despite numerous claims to the contrary. How can farmers’ submissions to the inquiry that cite market abuse be reconciled with the ACCC’s finding that all is well in the food supply chain? Following an in-depth examination of 53 farmer submissions to the inquiry, we conclude that the findings of the ACCC are commensurate with the neoliberal economisation of the political sphere, where commercial entities ‘legitimately’ govern beyond their corporate boundaries, often using disciplinary measures that were once exclusive to governments. We argue that such clear structural inequalities between farmers and major corporations is reason to re-regulate markets and reinsert a stronger role for government to ‘level the playing field’.
A note on 'deliberately slowing down output in a family production context'

In this paper, we consider the economic lot scheduling problem with controllable production rates and imperfect quality. The problem is to schedule the production of several different items in the same facility on a repetitive basis. The facility is such that only one item can be produced at a time and the demand rate for each item is constant over an infinite planning horizon. We focus on the case where quality is imperfect and yield rates decrease with increased production rates and lot sizes. We show that the resulting lot sizes under the proposed extension are smaller. Also, we show that the production rates for some products can be considerably different from the case of perfect quality.
Promotions in the Internal and External Labor Market: Evidence from Professional Football Coaching Careers

We study job movements of professional football coaches. The likelihood of an external promotion is strongly related to measures of individual performance and only weakly related to team performance. In contrast, the likelihood of an internal promotion is not related to individual performance. This difference arises from the process governing internal job openings, since openings are negatively related to performance. Conditional on the presence of an opening, promotion likelihood is increasing in individual performance. Relationships matter, as coaches are often hired and fired as a group. These findings have implications for several issues related to incentives and organizational design.
Risk Premiums for Decision Regret

Some people find decision making under uncertainty difficult because they fear making the "wrong decision," wrong in the sense that the outcome of their chosen alternative proves to be worse than could have been achieved with another alternative. These people may be willing to pay a premium to avoid consequences that produce this decision regret. This paper continues an earlier investigation into the normative implications of decision regret and looks at situations where the joint probability distribution of consequences between alternatives is not specified at the time of the decision. It includes a discussion of cases where the outcomes produced by alternatives not chosen are never resolved. A consequence of this model of preferences for risky situations is that two components of risk aversion may be identified, decreasing marginal value and regret aversion.
Dynamic relationship between stock and property markets

This paper investigates the long-run and short term relationships between stock and property markets. Focus is on the combined and relative impacts of a real estate system that comprises residential and office property prices on general stock market prices. Using Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) cointegration procedure, a long-run contemporaneous relationship is found between the stock and property prices. Additionally, both the long-run and short-term influences of the combined residential and office property prices on the stock market prices weakened after controlling for changes in the macroeconomic influences. Whilst the stock market prices are largely influenced by the office property prices in the long run; the residential property prices impact stronger on the stock market prices in the short-term. Thus the combined perspective has significant implications in mixed asset allocation that includes stock and property investments.
Policy Change and Venue Choices: Field Burning in Idaho and Washington

Grass seed farmers have burned their fields in Idaho and Washington State for decades. Field burning, however, creates small particulate matter air pollution, thus engendering a growing public backlash by the 1990s that manifested itself in new clean air advocacy groups. The new groups’ push for policy change eventually met with significant success in both cases. How did each set of advocates approach the challenge of policy change? More specifically, what kinds of policy venues did each group choose and why? This research uses the cases to explore and explain each clean air group's choices vis-à-vis hypotheses of venue choice. Three hypotheses are tested—Schattschneider's (1960) “expanded scope of conflict” thesis, ACF's (Sabatier and Jenkins-Smith 1999) contention that groups strategically apply their resources in order to increase the likelihood of achieving their primary goal(s), and Pralle's (2003, 2010) thesis that internal group constraints deter groups from moving into new venues.
Comparison of Clinical Evaluation and Neurosensory Testing in the Early Diagnosis of Superimposed Entrapment Neuropathy in Diabetic Patients

Diabetic patients are more susceptible to the development of entrapment neuropathy than nondiabetics. Since these patients suffer from a slowly progressing diabetic polyneuropathy, standard neurosensory and motor tests of nerve function are not sufficient in the diagnosis of superimposed nerve compression. This is most evident in the early stages of compression when quantitative diagnosis is important for making decisions on surgical decompression. We evaluated the validity of computer-assisted pressure-specified sensory device (PSSD) testing in the early detection of superimposed entrapment in diabetic neuropathy in comparison with standard clinical tests. Twenty-five diabetic patients with complaints of peripheral nerve dysfunction were evaluated by clinical tests and PSSD. Out of those, nerve entrapment was detected in 15 patients (60%) (9 in late and 6 in early stage) by neurosensory PSSD testing. Standard clinical tests were confirmative in 33.3% of these cases (44% of late and 16.7% of early stage). Out of 144 evaluated nerves, 50 were diagnosed with entrapment (24 in late and 26 in early stage) using PSSD. Clinically, diagnosis was confirmed in 16% of entrapped nerves (20.8% of late and 11.5% of early stage). Average diabetes duration in patients with entrapment diagnosed using PSSD was significantly shorter than for those diagnosed clinically (4.14 ± 2.04 vs. 7.2 ± 1.3, respectively; P = 0.005). Among evaluated factors, mean age and diabetes duration were found to be significantly shorter in patients with entrapment than in those with advanced diffused changes (54.47 ± 13.07 vs. 67.10 ± 14.2; P = 0.019 and 5.33 ± 3.74 vs.14.22 ± 8.17; P = 0.006; respectively). Our results revealed higher sensitivity of PSSD in comparison with standard clinical tests in the detection of early-stage entrapment in patients with diabetes. To assess accuracy of PSSD in the proper patients’ qualification for surgery, further prospective, postoperative studies are needed.
“CRASH”ing with the worm: Insights into L1CAM functions and mechanisms

The L1 family of cell adhesion molecules (L1CAMs) in vertebrates has long been studied for its roles in nervous system development and function. Members of this family have been associated with distinct neurological disorders that include CRASH, autism, 3p syndrome, and schizophrenia. The conservation of L1CAMs in Drosophila and Caenorhabditis elegans allows the opportunity to take advantage of these simple model organisms and their accessible genetic manipulations to dissect L1CAM functions and mechanisms of action. This review summarizes the discoveries of L1CAMs made in C. elegans, showcasing this simple model organism as a powerful system to uncover L1CAM mechanisms and roles in healthy and diseased states. Developmental Dynamics 239:1490–1501, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Forecasting China's Monthly Inbound Travel Demand

Summary China is currently expecting a growth in inbound travel demand as the result of China's “open door policy,” participation in World Trade Organization (WTO), success in hosting the Olympics in Beijing in the year 2008 and political stability. This paper focused on two issues: (1) forecasting China's monthly inbound travel demand and (2) seasonally and seasonal ARIMA model selection for monthly tourism time-series. In this paper following seasonal ARIMA models were considered: the seasonal ARIMA model with first differences and 11 seasonal dummy variables, the conventional seasonal ARIMA model with first and the fourth differences. In order to select the best forecasting model, finally both seasonal ARIMA models were compared with the AR model with fourth differences, the basic structural model (BSM) and the naive “No Change” model. In the one-step ahead forecasting comparison, the conventional seasonal ARIMA model with first and the fourth differences becomes the best forecasting model for both inbound foreign visitor demand and total visitor demand. This may be due to the nature of monthly seasonal variations in visitor arrivals, which is less marked. Our forecasts indicate that China foreign visitor arrivals and total visitor arrivals are expected to grow by 14% and 27% respectively from 2002 to 2005.
Tumor suppressor p16INK4a: Downregulation of galectin‐3, an endogenous competitor of the pro‐anoikis effector galectin‐1, in a pancreatic carcinoma model

The tumor suppressor p16INK4a has functions beyond cell‐cycle control via cyclin‐dependent kinases. A coordinated remodeling of N‐ and O‐glycosylation, and an increase in the presentation of the endogenous lectin galectin‐1 sensing these changes on the surface of p16INK4a‐expressing pancreatic carcinoma cells (Capan‐1), lead to potent pro‐anoikis signals. We show that the p16INK4a‐dependent impact on growth‐regulatory lectins is not limited to galectin‐1, but also concerns galectin‐3. By monitoring its expression in relation to p16INK4a status, as well as running anoikis assays with galectin‐3 and cell transfectants with up‐ or downregulated lectin expression, a negative correlation between anoikis and the presence of this lectin was established. Nuclear run‐off and northern blotting experiments revealed an effect of the presence of p16INK4a on steady‐state levels of galectin‐3‐specific mRNA that differed from decreasing the transcriptional rate. On the cell surface, galectin‐3 interferes with galectin‐1, which initiates signaling toward its pro‐anoikis activity via caspase‐8 activation. The detected opposite effects of p16INK4a at the levels of growth‐regulatory galectins‐1 and ‐3 shift the status markedly towards the galectin‐1‐dependent pro‐anoikis activity. A previously undescribed orchestrated fine‐tuning of this effector system by a tumor suppressor is discovered.
Estimating the Effects of Trade Policy

This paper reviews empirical methods used to estimate the impact of trade policies under imperfect competition. We decompose the welfare effects of trade policy into four possible channels: (i) a deadweight loss from distorting consumption and production decisions; (ii) a possible gain from improving the terms of trade; (iii) a gain or loss due to changes in the scale of firms; and, (iv) a gain or loss from shifting profits between countries. For each channel, we discuss the appropriate empirical methods to determine the sign or magnitude of the effect, and illustrate the results using recent studies. Two other channels by which trade policy affects social or individual welfare - through changes in wages and changes in product variety - are discussed more briefly. Recent developments in the analysis of trade policies under perfect competition are also reviewed.