Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Public perceptions – issues in where we want rural New Zealand to head in the 21st Century

The ongoing biennial environmental perceptions survey has been used to consider issues when setting future directions for rural New Zealand in the 21st Century. The overall state of the environment is very good, although freshwater rates the lowest of all resources considered. At a more local level there is considerable concern about lowland streams, rivers and lakes. Farming is increasingly blamed for damaging freshwater and a range of other resources. There are important demographic differences. Those employed in resource based industries are much more positive about specific water resources than are others – anglers are more pessimistic. New Zealanders want an improved future for the rural environment and are willing to contribute. Achieving sustainability would have multiple benefits and would arguably come at only one cost, a higher cost of living.
Inequality and size of government: evidence from Brazilian states

Purpose - This paper seeks to investigate the role of income-inequality on the size of local government. Design/methodology/approach - First, the paper extends the model proposed by Meltzer and Richard, allowing for spatial interaction in the redistributive in-kind transfers from the local governments. Second, it estimates the determinants of the size in local government taking into consideration spatial dependence in the variables. Findings - This model points that the poorer the median voter is, the higher should be the level of local public expenditures, but the spillover effect (spatial effect) in spending is undetermined. Second, using data on Brazilian states public finance, the results suggest a negative relation between expenditures (and tax revenues) and the median voter income, in favor to the model. While both public spending and tax rates exhibit negative spatial correlation (substitute goods), behavioral significance can be attached to the spatial process in public spending but not to the spatial process in the local tax rate. Originality/value - The paper provides a small extension of the Meltzer and Richard model allowing for spatial interaction and contributes to the empirical debate about inequality and the size of the government presenting the results for Brazil.
Observer-based super twisting sliding mode control for fixed wing unmanned aerial vehicle

Fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) should be under control in the presence of model uncertainty and external disturbance, which is considered as torque perturbation in this paper. Such a challenge imposes tight requirements to the enhanced robustness and accuracy of the vehicle autopilot. The key of this paper is to introduce the model of attitude dynamics and propose a novel finite-time observer-based super twisting sliding mode control scheme for fixed-wing UAV. The observer designed in this paper can not only estimate the attitude rate but also the torque perturbation exactly in finite time. Then combined with the observer, a continuous homogeneous second-order sliding mode controller based on the terminal sliding mode and super twisting algorithm is designed to achieve a finite-time and exact attitude tracking with chattering attenuation. Finally, some simulations are provided to verify the effectiveness and robustness of the integrated control scheme in attitude tracking.
A survey on the effect of implementation of a family-centered empowerment model on blood pressure and empowerment dimensions in the elderly people with hypertension

Background: Noncommunicable diseases such as Hypertension are among the important factors of mortality and morbidity of the elderly people. The family-centered empowerment model (FCEM) has not been performed for elderly people with hypertension. Settings and Design: This clinical trial study was carried out on 62 elderly people with hypertension under the coverage of the Lenjan Health Network in 2013. After performing the sampling by using the cluster-randomized method, the samples were divided randomly into the experimental and control groups. Methods: For the experimental group, the (FCEM) was implemented based on the four steps. For the control group, it was only implemented the usual care and one training session. Research tools included questionnaires of demographic data, empowerment assessment and a blood pressure-measuring device. The post-test was performed 1 week later. The blood pressure was recorded, and it was followed 1.5 month later again. Statistical Tests: Statistical tests for data analysis included χ2-test, independent t-test, Mann–Whitney, analysis of variance, and SPSS 20. Results: 1 week later and 1.5 month after the intervention, the mean blood pressure was significant in both groups (P < 0.001). also, the difference in the mean score of empowerment dimensions was significant in the experimental group 1 week later and 1.5 month after the intervention (P < 0.001). Conclusion: Implementation of the FCEM for elderly people with hypertension has been possible from a practical point of view, and it has been associated with controlling and improving the blood pressure.
The future scorecard: combining external and internal scenarios to create strategic foresight

Abstract: Scenarios are traditionally used to describe possible alternative future developments in the external environment, which then inform current strategy assessment and future strategy development. However, with a shift in focus away from themarket-based paradigm and towards a resource -based view of strategy, scenarios can also be used to describe alternative internal development paths for an organization. These two types of scenarios can then be systematically developed and combined to form a significant element of a strategic early warnin g systemthe
Matrix metalloproteinase 12-dependent cleavage of urokinase receptor in systemic sclerosis microvascular endothelial cells results in impaired angiogenesis.

OBJECTIVE Defective angiogenesis, resulting in tissue ischemia, is particularly prominent in the diffuse form of systemic sclerosis (SSc). The present study was undertaken to identify possible differences between normal and SSc microvascular endothelial cells (MVECs) in the expression of the cell-associated urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA)/uPA receptor (uPAR) system, which is critical in the angiogenic process. METHODS MVECs were isolated from the dermis of healthy individuals and from the dermis of patients with diffuse SSc. The uPA/uPAR system was examined at the protein and messenger RNA levels. Angiogenesis was assayed on Matrigel-coated porous filters and plates to evaluate cell proliferation, invasion, and capillary morphogenesis. Cleavage of uPAR and the activity of matrix metalloproteinase 12 (MMP-12) were evaluated by Western blotting. RESULTS Compared with MVECs from healthy skin, MVECs from SSc patients showed higher expression of uPAR. However, in SSc MVECs, uPAR undergoes truncation between domain 1 and domain 2, as shown by flow cytometry, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and Western blotting, a cleavage that is known to impair uPAR functions. These properties of SSc MVECs were associated with poor spontaneous and uPA-dependent invasion, proliferation, and capillary morphogenesis. The uPAR cleavage occurring in SSc MVECs was associated with overexpression of MMP-12. SSc MVEC-conditioned medium impaired uPA-dependent proliferation and invasion as well as capillary morphogenesis in normal MVECs in vitro. Both a general hydroxamate inhibitor of MMP activity and anti-MMP-12 antibodies restored this SSc MVEC-induced impaired functioning. CONCLUSION Overproduction of MMP-12 by SSc MVECs accounts for the cleavage of uPAR and the impairment of angiogenesis in vitro and may contribute to reduced angiogenesis in SSc patients.
Tax Illusion and the Labor Supply of Married Women

THE economic and demographic determinants of the labor force behavior of married females have been studied intensively. ' Many of the important variables have now been isolated: education, age, income of husband, number of children, etc. However, as will be discussed below, the existing literature pays insufficient attention to the fact that U.S. income tax laws have placed a large burden on the earnings of married women. When a married couple chooses to enjoy the tax advantages of filing jointly, the first dollar earned by the wife is in effect taxed at the same marginal rate as the last dollar earned by the husband.2 The purpose of this paper is to present some empirical results on the impact of tax rates on the labor supply of married women. Explicit attention is focused on the extent to which individuals react to net rather than gross wages. The evidence strongly supports the view that it is the net wage that matters in the hours of work decision. Section I briefly discusses how taxes have been treated traditionally in the analysis of labor supply. Section II presents a model for examining the impact of taxes on labor supply, and section III contains the results of an empirical test of this model. A concluding section discusses work in progress which will refine and extend the results of this paper.
A framework for agent based simulation of demand responsive transport systems

Demand responsive transport (DRT), such as shared mini busses are an established form of public transport. Typically, these services operate in areas where demand is low (rural areas), very specific (airport shuttles), or only for certain user groups, such as persons with disabilities. With advances in communication technologies and possible driverless operations in the future, DRT systems may become an attractive additional mode also in urban and inter-urban transport. One way to assess and evaluate such services are transport simulations. In this paper, we describe a DRT extension framework for an existing transport simulation, followed by two case studies that demonstrate the extension’s versatility.
Identification of cysteine-644 as the covalent site of attachment of dexamethasone 21-mesylate to murine glucocorticoid receptors in WEHI-7 cells.

Dexamethasone 21-mesylate is a highly specific synthetic glucocorticoid derivative that binds covalently to glucocorticoid receptors via sulfhydryl groups. We have identified the amino acid that reacts with the dexamethasone 21-mesylate by using enzymatic digestion and microsequencing for radiolabel. Nonactivated glucocorticoid receptors obtained from labeling intact WEHI-7 mouse thymoma cells with [3H]dexamethasone 21-mesylate were immunopurified and analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The purified approximately 100-kDa steroid-binding subunit was eluted from gel slices and subjected to enzymatic digestion. Trypsin digestion followed by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (reversed-phase HPLC) produced a single [3H]dexamethasone 21-mesylate labeled peptide. Automated Edman degradation of this peptide revealed that the [3H]dexamethasone 21-mesylate was located at position 5 from the amino terminus. Dual-isotope labeling studies with [3H]dexamethasone 21-mesylate and [35S]methionine demonstrated that this peptide contained methionine. Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease digestion of [3H]dexamethasone 21-mesylate labeled steroid-binding subunits generated a different radiolabeled peptide containing label at position 7 from the amino terminus. On the basis of the published amino acid sequence of the murine glucocorticoid receptor, our data clearly identify cysteine-644 as the single residue in the steroid-binding domain that covalently binds dexamethasone 21-mesylate. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
The Accumulation of Wealth and the Cyclical Generation of New Technologies: A Search Theoretic Approach

In this paper, sustained technological progress results from the feedback between technical change and the accumulation of wealth. The production technology is affected by a productivity factor which ensues from research and development. The research and development process is described as a sequential search problem in which optimal decisions depend on current levels of wealth and technology. The resulting growth path displays invention cycles. A discovery of a significant technological improvement at the end of a 'search' phase is followed by periods of growth without search. Eventually sufficient wealth is accumulated, research and development resumes, and a new cycle begins. Copyright 1996 by Economics Department of the University of Pennsylvania and the Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association.
Ficolins: Complement-Activating Lectins Involved in Innate Immunity

Ficolins are a group of oligomeric lectins with subunits consisting of both collagen-like and fibrinogen-like domains. The majority of ficolins identified in vertebrates and invertebrates to date recognize N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc). X-ray crystallographic analysis of human ficolins has shown that the fibrinogen-like domain binds to the N-acetylated moiety. Ficolins in serum are associated with MBL-associated serine protease (MASP). The ficolin-MASP complex binds directly to carbohydrates present on the surface of a variety of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria through ficolin. Binding of the complex initiates complement activation via the lectin pathway, leading to generation of opsonic fragments of complement components, such as C3b, and to lysis of the bacteria by the membrane attack complex. Thus, serum ficolins play an important role in innate immunity.
Polycystin 2 Interacts with Type I Inositol 1,4,5-Trisphosphate Receptor to Modulate Intracellular Ca2+ Signaling*

Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease, a common cause of renal failure, arises from mutations in either the PKD1 or the PKD2 gene. The precise function of both PKD gene products polycystins (PCs) 1 and 2 remain controversial. PC2 has been localized to numerous cellular compartments, including the endoplasmic reticulum, plasma membrane, and cilia. It is unclear what pools are the most relevant to its physiological function as a putative Ca2+ channel. We employed a Xenopus oocyte Ca2+ imaging system to directly investigate the role of PC2 in inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3)-dependent Ca2+ signaling. Cytosolic Ca2+ signals were recorded following UV photolysis of caged IP3 in the absence of extracellular Ca2+. We demonstrated that overexpression of PC2, as well as type I IP3 receptor (IP3R), significantly prolonged the half-decay time (t½) of IP3-induced Ca2+ transients. However, overexpressing the disease-associated PC2 mutants, the point mutation D511V, and the C-terminally truncated mutation R742X did not alter the t½. In addition, we found that D511V overexpression significantly reduced the amplitude of IP3-induced Ca2+ transients. Interestingly, overexpression of the C terminus of PC2 not only significantly reduced the amplitude but also prolonged the t½. Co-immunoprecipitation assays indicated that PC2 physically interacts with IP3R through its C terminus. Taken together, our data suggest that PC2 and IP3R functionally interact and modulate intracellular Ca2+ signaling. Therefore, mutations in either PC1 or PC2 could result in the misregulation of intracellular Ca2+ signaling, which in turn could contribute to the pathology of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease.
Severe traumatic brain injury in children elevates glial fibrillary acidic protein in cerebrospinal fluid and serum*

Objectives: 1) To determine the levels of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) in both cerebrospinal fluid and serum; 2) to determine whether serum GFAP levels correlate with functional outcome; and 3) to determine whether therapeutic hypothermia, as compared with normothermia, alters serum GFAP levels in children with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). Design: Laboratory-based analyses; postrandomized, controlled trial. Setting: Four Canadian pediatric intensive care units and a university-affiliated laboratory. Patients: Twenty-seven children, aged 2–17 yrs, with severe TBI (Glasgow Coma Scale score of ≤8). Interventions: Hypothermia therapy (32.5°C) for 24 hrs with cooling started within 8 hrs of injury and rewarming at a rate of 0.5°C every 2 hrs or normothermia (37.0°C). Measurements and Main Results: GFAP was measured in cerebrospinal fluid and serum, using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Levels of GFAP were maximal on day 1 post-TBI, with cerebrospinal fluid GFAP (15.5 ± 6.1 ng/mL) 25-fold higher than serum GFAP (0.6 ± 0.2 ng/mL). Cerebrospinal fluid GFAP normalized by day 7, whereas serum GFAP decreased gradually to reach a steady state by day 10. Serum GFAP measured on day 1 correlated with Pediatric Cerebral Performance Category scores determined at 6 months post-TBI (&rgr; = 0.527; p = .008) but failed to correlate with the injury scoring on admission, physiologic variables, or indices of injury measured on computerized tomography imaging. The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves for pediatric intensive care unit day 1 serum GFAP in determining good outcome were 0.80 (pediatric cerebral performance category, 1–2; normal-mild disability) and 0.91 (pediatric cerebral performance category, 1–3; normal-moderate disability). For a serum GFAP cutoff level of 0.6 ng/mL, sensitivity and specificity were 88% to 90% and 43% to 71%, respectively. Serum GFAP levels were similar among children randomized to either therapeutic hypothermia or normothermia. Conclusions: GFAP was markedly elevated in cerebrospinal fluid and serum in children after severe TBI and serum GFAP measured on pediatric intensive care unit day 1 correlated with functional outcome at 6 months. Hypothermia therapy did not alter serum GFAP levels compared with normothermia after severe TBI in children. Serum GFAP concentration, together with other biomarkers, may have prognostic value after TBI in children.
Hold Your Bets: Another Look at the Efficiency of the Gambling Market for National Football League Games

Many observers of gambling markets are familiar with pamphlets and books-backed by considerable statistical "evidence"-that for a small price provide the reader with one or more "profitable" betting systems. In a recent paper, Zuber, Gandar, and Bowers (1985) presented such a system that they claim represents "true exploitations of inefficiencies in the NFL gambling market" (p. 805). In addition to this "stronger test" of efficiency, Zuber et al. presented a "weak test," in which they were unable to reject the hypothesis that the scores of National Football League games are unrelated to the predictions given by the Las Vegas gambling line.
Information-Based Trading in the Treasury Note Interdealer Broker Market☆

Abstract Despite its pervasive presence in world financial markets, there are few studies of interdealer broker markets. This paper examines the trading behavior of primary dealers in the 5-year Treasury note interdealer broker market. The analysis examines trading patterns, announcement effects, and volatility–volume relations. The results show that trading frequency is consistent with activity motivated by public information or dealer's private knowledge of inventory or order flow information. Additionally, although the interdealer broker market is an anonymous electronic compilation and matching system without designated market makers, trade size does not appear to have any information content. Journal of Economic Literature Classification Numbers: C22, G14.
Commodity Bundling by Single-Product Monopolies

CONSIDER two products that have independent demands in the sense that all individual buyers consider them neither substitutes nor complements. Then, if the two products are priced separately, the demand for either is independent of the price of the other. In his classic analysis of block booking of feature films, George Stigler shows that it may be profitable for a monopoly seller of two such products to bundle them by requiring a buyer to take both in order to get either. ' His work provides a rationale for tying arrangements that does not depend on technological or other dependencies among the products involved.2 Adams and Yellen extend the analysis of multiproduct monopoly with independent demands.3 They discuss two different bundling strategies: pure bundling, in which the seller only offers the products in fixed proportions; and mixed bundling, in which buyers may either buy the products separately or purchase a bundle with fixed proportions of each. In this note, I consider a single-product monopoly and investigate the profit and welfare implications of bundling its product for some other
The Contribution of Social Norms to the Global Financial Crisis: A Systemic Actor Focused Model and Proposal for Regulatory Change

Manuscript Type: Conceptual. Research Question/Issue: Conventional regulatory reforms of the financial system focus on standard economic assumptions of self‐interested, rational actors. The Global Financial Crisis (GFC) and similar financial failures highlight that there are limits to this approach. Instead we use a norm‐based (or soft law) perspective to examine how the systemic problems underlying the GFC lay not so much in neo‐classical economic assumptions of self‐interest, but in unchecked financial innovation exploited by norms of buyer beware and ratings agency reliance among market participants. Fueled by sector‐wide remuneration practices, these norms created information asymmetries that fundamentally undermined the integrity of the market. Research Findings/Insights: We present a model that highlights how investment banks, as professional service firms, have superior information to their clients. This presents an information asymmetry problem whereby they can exploit the market norm of caveat emptor (buyer beware) when developing innovative financial transactions. We propose a model highlighting how flawed financial innovation can lead to widespread, systemic problems of assessing and pricing risk because market participants can actively develop and promote flawed transactions. This problem is exacerbated where there is an over‐reliance on credit ratings agencies (due to the high information and search costs facing buyers) and a reduced emphasis on director fiduciary duties in financial Special Purpose Entities. Theoretical/Academic Implications: Social norms that underpin financial markets are central to market regulation. Our approach provides a re‐examination of the often unquestioned use of universal norms for differing market transactions in the financial sector. Researchers need to explore the interaction between social norms and market contexts (such as financial innovation) to better understand the behavior of financial markets. We contend that a mismatch between norms and market mechanisms can lead to significant unintended outcomes. Our approach of combining soft law (norms) and hard law (regulation) approaches to regulation provides added insights into agency, stewardship, and institutional theories. Practitioner/Policy Implications: Regulators need to understand norms and financial market contexts to develop better legislative interventions. Specifically, differentiating between transaction types in financial markets will address the problems associated with information and search costs facing buyers of flawed financial innovation. We also provide proposals for policy makers seeking to embed accountability for risk taking across the key participants in the financial system to minimize market distortions in the majority of the financial sector.