Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Theory of Clearance Sales

Clearance sales are widely used by firms as an intertemporal selling policy, in particular in markets where firms face demand uncertainty and need to choose capacity in advance. Clearance sales consist in charging a high price initially but then lowering the price in the sales period. High-valuation consumers purchase the good at the high initial price so as to avoid rationing at the low price, while low-valuation consumers wait for the price to drop. We develop a simple model of intertemporal monopoly pricing under demand uncertainty, and show that clearance sales may be the optimal intertemporal selling policy.
INEQUITY IN EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT IN UGANDA: IMPLICATIONS FOR GOVERNMENT POLICY

This paper undertakes to set out a criterion that can be used to assess inequalities in a given national education system and also uses the prescribed criterion to discuss the extent of educational inequalities in the Ugandan education system. The paper adopts the Berne and Stiefel's (1984) framework to assess educational inequalities in an education system which analyses inequalities from three perspectives-horizontal, vertical and equal opportunity.Measures of dispersion and the Education Gini Coefficient were used to assess the different perspectives of inequality based on the Demographic Household Survey (DHS) data (2006). The findings reveal that on average, there have been significant improvements in educational equality indicators in the Ugandan education system. Nonetheless, empirical analyses indicate that access to education in Uganda is still dependent on ones sex, location, and asset index. There is therefore need to reengineer the current policy interventions to ensure equal access to education
Generic Construction of Bent Functions and Bent Idempotents With Any Possible Algebraic Degrees

As a class of optimal combinatorial objects, bent functions have important applications in cryptography, sequence design, and coding theory. Bent idempotents are a subclass of bent functions and of great interest, since they can be stored in less space and allow faster computation of the Walsh-Hadamard transform. The objective of this paper is to present a generic construction of bent functions from known ones. It includes the previous constructions of bent functions by Mesnager and Xu <italic>et al.</italic> as special cases, and produces new bent functions, which cannot be produced by earlier ones. In particular, it also generates infinite families of bent idempotents over <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${F}_{2^{2m}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> of any algebraic degree between 2 and <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$m$ </tex-math></inline-formula>. This together with a recent construction by Su and Tang gives a positive answer to an open problem on bent idempotents proposed by Carlet. In addition, an infinite family of anti-self-dual bent functions is obtained in which the sum of any three distinct functions is again an anti-self-dual bent function in this family. This solves an open problem recently proposed by Mesnager.
Conferences, informational infrastructures and mobile policies: the process of getting Sweden ‘BID ready’

This paper makes a contribution to the fledgling literature on policy mobilities and mutations. Using the example of the internationalization of the Business Improvement District (BID) model, it argues that conferences constitute important arenas in and through which both the mobilizing and embedding of urban policies can occur. Focusing on a two-day conference that took place in Sweden in 2009, it uses the language of trans-urban policy pipelines in order to capture the formation of relationships over distance as a means of comparing, educating and learning about the experiences of other cities. Revealing the complex architectures and ecologies that have underpinned the movement of this model from one country to another and from one city to another over the last two decades or so, the paper uses a combination of ethnographic techniques together with semi-structured interviews and questionnaires with organizers and participants to produce a single-site but relationally thickened description of the place of conferences in facilitating the movement of policies across space.
Development of Speech Perception and Production in Children with Cochlear Implants

The purpose of the present study was twofold: 1) to compare the hierarchy of perceived and produced significant speech pattern contrasts in children with cochlear implants, and 2) to compare this hierarchy to developmental data of children with normal hearing. The subjects included 35 prelingual hearing-impaired children with multichannel cochlear implants. The test materials were the Hebrew Speech Pattern Contrast (HeSPAC) test and the Hebrew Picture Speech Pattern Contrast (HePiSPAC) test for older and younger children, respectively. The results show that 1) auditory speech perception performance of children with cochlear implants reaches an asymptote at 76% (after correction for guessing) between 4 and 6 years of implant use; 2) all implant users perceived vowel place extremely well immediately after implantation; 3) most implanted children perceived initial voicing at chance level until 2 to 3 years after implantation, after which scores improved by 60% to 70% with implant use; 4) the hierarchy of phonetic-feature production paralleled that of perception: vowels first, voicing last, and manner and place of articulation in between; and 5) the hierarchy in speech pattern contrast perception and production was similar between the implanted and the normal-hearing children, with the exception of the vowels (possibly because of the interaction between the specific information provided by the implant device and the acoustics of the Hebrew language). The data reported here contribute to our current knowledge about the development of phonological contrasts in children who were deprived of sound in the first few years of their lives and then developed phonetic representations via cochlear implants. The data also provide additional insight into the interrelated skills of speech perception and production.
Role of Glutamine in Cancer: Therapeutic and Imaging Implications

Metabolic imaging has great clinical potential in cancer because perturbations of metabolism are common hallmarks of malignant cellular transformation. Novel imaging strategies focused on glutamine could provide a valuable complement to 18F-FDG PET, because glutamine complements glucose in the metabolic platforms that support tumor growth at the cellular level. Furthermore, recent work has demonstrated that distinct aspects of glutamine metabolism are under the control of oncogenes and tumor suppressors. It is plausible that imaging glutamine metabolism could predict both the presence of specific transforming mutations in the tumor and the sensitivity to therapeutic agents designed to target glutamine use. Here, we review the essential aspects of glutamine metabolism in cancer cells and discuss opportunities for imaging in cancer patients.
Differential compensation mechanisms define resistance to PI3K inhibitors in PIK3CA amplified HNSCC.

OBJECTIVE Recent sequencing studies of head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCCs) have identified the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) pathway as the most frequently mutated, oncogenic pathway in this cancer type. Despite the frequency of activating genomic alterations in PIK3CA (the gene encoding the catalytic subunit of PI3K, targeted inhibitors of PI3K have not shown clinical efficacy as monotherapies. We hypothesized that co-dependent pathways, including the Ras-MEK-ERK pathway, may still be functional in the presence of PI3K inhibitors and might serve as mediators of this resistance. METHODS We assessed the hypothesis using resazurin cell viability and trypan blue exclusion assays. We also used Western blot to characterize Ras-MEK-ERK pathway activity. STUDY DESIGN We evaluated this hypothesis in six PIK3CA-amplified, PI3K inhibitor-resistant HNSCC cell lines following treatment with pan and alpha-isoform selective PI3K inhibitors (BKM120 and HS-173 respectively). We also tested the effect of combination treatment with PI3K inhibitor HS-173 and MEK inhibitor trametinib or EGFR inhibitor gefitinib. RESULTS Our results displayed maintenance of Ras-MEK-ERK pathway activity in 4 of 6 HNSCC cell lines after PI3K inhibitor treatment. We also found that UM-SCC-69 and UM-SCC-108 cells display synergistic responses to dual therapy. CONCLUSION This study suggests that inhibition of the PI3K and Ras-MEK-ERK pathways might be effective in some HNSCC patients; however, it also prompts the study of additional resistance mechanisms to identify synergistic combination therapies for tumors resistant to these di-therapies.
Advanced technology, innovation, wages and productivity in the Canadian manufacturing sector

ABSTRACT In this article, we used a two-step estimation procedure, where in the first stage, the number of advanced manufacturing technologies used in the firm was estimated using a negative binomial regression, and the expenditure on process and product innovation was estimated using a type II Tobit procedure. In the second stage, we used the predicted values from the first stage in wage and labour productivity equations. The data were from the 2009 Survey of Innovation and Business Strategy which was linked to the General Index of Financial Information (2004–2009) and the Longitudinal Employment Analysis Program (2004–2009). The implications for policy are that we should not expect large aggregate effects of innovation on productivity and employment. We should expect wage increases and productivity increases, with process innovation. We should also expect moderate wage increases with product innovation, and contrary to process innovation, the effect on productivity of product innovation was negative.
Financing education in developing countries : an exploration of policy options

With the current constrained financial conditions in many developing countries, it is essential to develop and utilize new methods of financing education to ensure efficiency and greater social equity. The current financing arrangements in many cases result in an underinvestment in education, an untapped willingness to pay for education and a misallocation of public spending in this sector. This report examines three broad policy options that could remedy the above problems. It is argued that they would result in an increase of resources flowing to education, improve their use, and ensure more equitable access to schooling. Although the suggested reforms need to be phased in gradually, and their specific content will differ among countries, the package includes three elements. They comprise: (1) recovering the public cost of higher education and reallocating government spending on education toward the level with the highest social returns; (2) developing a credit market for education, together with selective scholarships, especially in higher education; and (3) decentralizing the management of public education and encouraging the expansion of private and community-supported schools.
An exploratory study of factors of Japanese tourism demand for the UK.

People have reasons for what they do and are motivated by driving forces that make them act in a certain way. The tourism industry is not an exception to this rule. However, due to its global nature, the tourism industry may involve a rather wider set of energising forces and tourist motivation will vary from nation to nation. Some authors have studied Japanese tourists’ behaviour; however, very little research has taken place to find out how Japanese culture and travel motivation are related to each other. What is more, differences between younger and older generations have not been considered. This study’s research objective was to reveal various cultural aspects of demand as well as the constraints and the push factors that motivate the Japanese to choose outbound holidays. Over the past 25 years the Japanese representation in the international tourism market has been steadily increasing as a consequence of economic growth and level of expenditure. The recent economic recession does not appear to have had much of a negative effect on outbound tours, as overseas travel has been widely popularised. In understanding this trend this exploratory study has identified UK’s features such as culture, language and novelty to be important pull factors.
Reading the Tourist Mind: Indian Tourism The Next Decade

In spite of its many cultural, natural and historic attractions, India has been unable to turn tourism into a significant economic contribution to its GDP. India's market share of international tourism has dwindled over the last decades and revenues lag behind those of other Asiatic competitors. It is expected, however, that tourism will make a greater economic contribution as the dynamic growth of India's middle classes is sustained in the coming years. Additionally, India will have to make greater efforts to attract a more varied mix of international tourists. Relying on backpackers as the main engine for growth seems to be a risky proposition.
Separation and characterization of hematosides with different sialic acids and ceramides from rat small intestine. Different composition of epithelial cells versus non-epithelial tissue and of duodenum versus jejunum-ileum.

The hematosides (sialyl-lactosylceramides) of rat small intestine were separated as their acetylated derivatives. The isolated fractions were characterized by mass spectrometry and degradative methods, and the two major fractions also by NMR spectroscopy. From these results hematosides with different sialic acid and ceramide type could be assigned to thin-layer chromatographic bands. This allowed a structural interpretation of the chromatographic patterns observed for different parts of the small intestine. Thus, epithelial cells of ileum contained only hematoside with N-glycoloylneuraminic acid. Duodenum lacked this compound and instead the epithelial cells contained hematoside with N-acetylneuraminic acid. In non-epithelial tissue or both duodenum and jejunum-ileum the major hematoside had N-acetyl-neuraminic acid. The hematosides of epithelial cells had ceramide containing 18 : 0 trihydroxy base combined with 16, 20, 22, 24 : 0, and 24 : 1 hydroxy fatty acids (major part) or non-hydroxy fatty acids. In the non-epithelial hematosides the ceramide consisted of 18 : 1 dihydroxy base combined with 16, 18, 20, 22, 24 : 0, and 24 : 1 non-hydroxy fatty acids.
The Knowns Unknowns: Exploring the Homologous Recombination Repair Pathway in Toxoplasma gondii

Toxoplasma gondii is an apicomplexan parasite of medical and veterinary importance which causes toxoplasmosis in humans. Great effort is currently being devoted toward the identification of novel drugs capable of targeting such illness. In this context, we believe that the thorough understanding of the life cycle of this model parasite will facilitate the identification of new druggable targets in T. gondii. It is important to exploit the available knowledge of pathways which could modulate the sensitivity of the parasite to DNA damaging agents. The homologous recombination repair (HRR) pathway may be of particular interest in this regard as its inactivation sensitizes other cellular models such as human cancer to targeted therapy. Herein we discuss the information available on T. gondii's HRR pathway from the perspective of its conservation with respect to yeast and humans. Special attention was devoted to BRCT domain-containing and end-resection associated proteins in T. gondii as in other experimental models such proteins have crucial roles in early/late steps or HRR and in the pathway choice for double strand break resolution. We conclude that T. gondii HRR pathway is a source of several lines of investigation that allow to to comprehend the extent of diversification of HRR in T. gondii. Such an effort will serve to determine if HRR could represent a potential targer for the treatment of toxoplasmosis.
Links Among Italian Preschoolers’ Socioemotional Competence, Teacher–Child Relationship Quality, and Peer Acceptance

Research Findings: The purpose of the present study was to examine the relations among teacher–child relationship quality (close, conflictive, and dependent), children's social behavior, and peer likability in a sample of Italian preschool-age children (46 boys, 42 girls). Preschool teachers evaluated the quality of the teacher–child relationship and children's social behaviors (i.e., social competence, anger-aggression, and anxiety-withdrawal). Peer-rated likability was measured using a sociometric procedure. Results indicated that conflictual teacher–child relationships were related to high aggressive behavior, and dependent teacher–child relationships were positively associated with children's anxiety-withdrawal. Moreover, we found an indirect association between close teacher–child relationship quality and peer likability through children's social competence. Practice or Policy: The findings provide evidence that the teacher–child relationship is critical for children's social behaviors and that social competence is uniquely related to peer likability.
“The Time of Recovery and the Maximum Severity of Ruin in a Sparre Andersen Model,” Shuanming Li, October 2008

JIANDONG REN* In this paper Dr. Li derived many interesting results for the time of recovery and the maximum severity of ruin in a Sparre Andersen model with phase-type interclaim times. The purpose of this discussion is to show that similar results can be obtained for the perturbed risk process with Markovian arrivals. As does Badescu (2008), we assume that claims occur according to a Markovian arrival process with representation ( , D0, D1): that is, claims occur according to a background Markov process J(t) with m states, initial distribution , and intensity matrix D0 D1. The matrix D0 gives the intensity of state changes without claim arrivals, and D1 the intensity of state changes with claim arrivals. Claims arriving with a transition from state i to state j in the process J(t) are assumed to have probability density function pij. When J(t) i, the premium rate is ci, and the risk process is perturbed by a Brownian motion with drift 0 and infinitesimal variance 2 . i Then, given an initial level u of the surplus, the perturbed risk process is
The use of payment systems data as early indicators of economic activity

Payment system data are available with virtually no time lag and could therefore help in tracking the evolution of GDP in real time. Using data from the Spanish national system for retail payments, we compare the performance of GDP nowcasts against that of alternative indicators. The main result is that payment system data can make a significant contribution to nowcasting GDP and they can also improve the performance of simple models that are currently based only on purchasing managers indices (PMIs).
Rethinking ASGISA and the rand exchange rate

The ASGISA policy document identifies the exchange rate as one of the factors constraining accelerated growth in South Africa. This note argues that currency developments do not translate into business cycle movements in the aggregate economy, and that a weaker exchange rate is less likely to boost either foreign investment or export performance in the face of regulatory uncertainty. The South African government has recently launched the Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative (ASGISA) aimed at raising the long-term growth path of the economy. The plan identifies several so-called “binding constraints” that are considered to be inhibiting the economy from rising to more elevated levels of economic growth. One such “constraint”, according to the ASGISA policy document, is the “volatility and level of the currency” (Republic of South Africa, 2006). By including this issue, policymakers have signalled that fluctuations in the rand are considered significant to broader economic fluctuations in South Africa. This research note questions such a conviction by offering evidence that currency fluctuations are not mirrored in the South African business cycle. Nonetheless, proponents may argue that a weaker rand will stimulate particular sectors, mostly those that are export-oriented, while it will boost Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). However, this note argues further that a weaker rand is less likely to generate sustainable improvement in either export-oriented industries or FDI in the absence of other reforms. The following sections consider these two issues in sequence.
Globalization and the Efficacy of National Culture: A Methodological Framework for Analyzing the Neoliberal State

This essay presents a methodological framework designed to examine the increased utility of national culture as a state legitimation strategy in response to economic protectionist capacity changes resulting from global political economic integration. Based on a reconceptualization of Karl Polanyi’s double movement, the framework enables future empirical research on neoliberal state institutions, while retaining sensitivity to the influence of both global political economic structures and national populations. The methodological strategy is presented in historical comparative context that highlights the integration of national cultural definitions into state institutional agendas as an alternative means to meet national protectionist demands and maintain legitimate authority. The essay concludes with two empirical examples designed to briefly illustrate the potential of the framework and offer suggestions for future application.
Time-variant Doppler frequency estimation and compensation for mobile OFDM systems

In mobile OFDM communication systems, Doppler spread leads to the loss of orthogonality between the sub-carriers, limiting the achievable throughput of the moving transceivers. In this paper, the effect of Doppler spread in Rayleigh fading channels is investigated, and a method of time-variant Doppler frequency estimation and compensation is proposed for mobile OFDM systems. Computer simulation results are included to support our development.
Relative Price Variability and Inflation in Europe

The relationship between inflation and the relative variability of prices has been the subject of careful investigation in the United States using data for product groups at the city level. Yet in Europe, where the relationship could have profound effects on the viability of monetary integration, no attempt has been made to study the relationship. This paper fills the gap by examining data disaggregated to the commodity level across 10 EU countries. Evidence is found for logistic smooth transitions in the relative price variability measures within countries and within product groups. When this deterministic component isremoved, the stochastic element is not persistent and does not always have the positive relationship with inflation commonly found in US city data.