Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Why Is the Effective Fed Funds Rate Below the Theoretical Floor?

Starting on December 18, 2008 the Federal Reserve began paying 25 basis points (bps) on the reserves of depository institutions. Theory argues that the rate paid on reserves establishes a floor for the federal funds market. Nonetheless, the effective federal funds rate has stayed well below this theoretical floor value, on occasion by as much as 18 bps. This suggests the possibility of an arbitrage opportunity. This paper offers an explanation of this ongoing puzzle by explaining the limits to arbitrage and arguing that the anomaly persists, in part, due to costs associated with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) assessment on the liabilities of depository institutions and capital charges. The size of the difference is also found to increase with the Federal Reserve’s quantitative easing programs.
Benzene and phenol metabolism by mouse and rat liver microsomes.

Benzene, an important industrial solvent and constituent of unleaded gasoline, causes leukemia and aplastic anemia in humans. Mice are more sensitive than rats to benzene toxicity, though neither species has been shown to respond consistently with benzene-induced leukemia. Benzene biotransformation in liver to phenol, hydroquinone, catechol and/or muconaldehyde is thought to be necessary for its hematotoxicity and/or genotoxicity. Our goal is to develop a mathematical simulation model capable of describing the pathways and kinetics of benzene metabolism by rat and mouse liver microsomes and to assess the role of species metabolic differences in species sensitivity. Microsomes were incubated with 4 microM [U-14C]-benzene or 4 microM [U-14C]phenol. Metabolite production was quantified by extraction into ethyl acetate, HPLC separation and liquid scintillation spectroscopy. After 45 min, mouse liver microsomes converted 20% of the benzene to phenol, 31% to hydroquinone and 2% to catechol. Rat liver microsomes converted 23% of benzene to phenol, 8% to hydroquinone and 0.5% to catechol. Production of hydroquinone and catechol continued for 90 min for mouse liver microsomes, while production by rat liver microsomes had virtually ceased by 90 min. Muconic acid production by mouse liver microsomes was < 0.2% and < 0.04% from benzene and phenol respectively after 90 min. A quantitative simulation model was constructed to describe the in vitro metabolism of benzene, incorporating the reaction sequences: benzene-->phenol-->catechol-->trihydroxybenzene and phenol-->hydroquinone-->trihydroxybenzene. In the model, all of the reaction steps are assumed to be catalyzed by the same enzyme(s), cytochrome(s) P450, and benzene, phenol, hydroquinone and catechol in solution are all assumed to compete, through reversible binding, for the same reaction site(s) on cytochrome(s) P450. The simulation model accurately described both the benzene and phenol kinetic data, supporting this proposed mechanism. In particular, this model suggests that the observed inhibition of benzene on phenol metabolism, and of phenol on benzene metabolism, occurs through competition for a common reaction site, which can also bind catechol and hydroquinone.
Prototype KPIs for rural infrastructure development: The practice of sub‐district local governments

Purpose – It is difficult to manage and measure the effectiveness of infrastructure development efforts of the sub‐district local governments called Tambon Administrative Organizations (TAOs), the lowest level of local governments in Thailand. This paper aims to develop and demonstrate the applicability of key performance indicators (KPIs) based on the integration of balanced scorecard (BSC) and value chain approaches.Design/methodology/approach – The processes of designing KPIs are described with emphasis of how to apply a value chain model into designing BSC's KPIs. Expert focus groups and case studies from various parts of Thailand were conducted to give an insight into the adaptation of the performance measures in infrastructure development of TAOs.Findings – The application of a value chain model is critical for the design of practical BSC's KPIs because they can be conveniently embedded into existing practices. The case studies of prototype KPIs demonstrate the performance measurement of infrastruct.
Steering From Ministers and Departments

Abstract This article aims at contributing to the study of autonomous agencies by focusing on how they cope with steering from ministers and departments. Drawing from the trust literature, we look at how agencies co-operate with ministers and departments, in order to increase autonomy. A model is built to cluster several trust-building mechanisms and to link these to autonomy. We then apply this to a limited set of Flemish agencies. We conclude that agencies develop strategies to increase trust with the trustor. These strategies may be targeted either at the minister as a trustor or at the department as a competing trustee.
techniques in marketing forecasting

More companies probably undertake some form of forward estimation of their markets and their sales than of any other aspect of their activities. The estimates produced may then be used in a variety of ways, such as in production planning, planning the sales force, setting advertising appropriations, estimating cash flow, assessing the need for innovation or diversification, and in considering the general position of the company in the future. Unfortunately, although much of this forecasting is very good, a great deal of it is of poor quality and of doubtful value.
Stuffing the Ballot Box: Fraud, Electoral Reform, and Democratization in Costa Rica

List of tables and figures Preface Introduction 1. Electoral fraud during indirect and public elections, 1901-12 2. Institutional change, electoral cycles, and partisanship, 1910-14 3. Electoral fraud during the public ballot, 1913-23 4. Institutional change, electoral cycles, and partisanship, 1924-8 5. Electoral fraud during the secret ballot, 1925-48 6. Political polarization, electoral reform, and civil war, 1946-9 Conclusion: ballot-rigging and electoral reform in comparative perspective Index.
Does the Threat of Insurer Liability for 'Bad Faith' Affect Insurance Settlements?

type="main" xml:lang="en"> Economic reasoning predicts that policyholders in states that treat for insurer bad faith in settling claims as a tort should receive higher payments from insurers because of the greater potential damages insurers face in claims disputed in court. We test this hypothesis using data on automobile insurance claims for accidents occurring during 1972–1997, exploiting differences in states “laws and variation in timing of states” adoption of bad faith rules to identify the effects of tort liability. We find that the presence of tort liability for insurer bad faith increases settlement amounts and reduces the likelihood that a claim is underpaid.
A planar dual band circularly polarized antenna

A dual band circular polarized planar antenna with coplanar waveguide(CPW) feed is presented in this work. A quasi hexagonal stub is used along with an inverted E arm embedded in the ground inorder to produce two circular polarized resonating bands covering bluetooth, mobile satellite services and weather radar surveillance usable bands. The axial ratio bandwidth is further improved by introducing stair shaped modifications in the ground. The presented antenna has been designed and optimized on FR4 substrate of thickness 1.6mm. The simulated result shows that this antenna covers two bands (2.01GHz-2.26GHz) and (2.9GHz–3.1GHz) at VSWR ≤ 2 and AR ≤ 3dB.
Idiopathic orbital inflammation: distribution, clinical features, and treatment outcome.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the distribution and clinical as well as treatment outcome characteristics of idiopathic orbital inflammation with the aim of delineating a more systematic approach to diagnosis and treatment. METHODS A 10-year retrospective review of patients with idiopathic orbital inflammation treated at one institution. RESULTS Ninety eyes in 65 patients (22 men and 43 women) were studied. Diagnoses were isolated dacryoadenitis (n = 21), isolated myositis (n = 19), concurrent dacryoadenitis and myositis (n = 5), orbital apex syndrome (n = 6), and idiopathic inflammation involving the preseptal region, supraorbital region, sclera, Tenon capsule, orbital fat, or optic nerve (n = 14). The mean age at presentation was 45 years. Pain and periorbital swelling were the most common clinical features and were observed in 45 (69%) and 49 (75%) patients, respectively. Seventeen patients (26%) had bilateral involvement. Biopsy was performed in 19 patients (29%) with atypical presentations or who failed to respond to the initial therapy. Patients were treated with steroids alone (n = 45), steroids and subsequent radiation therapy (n = 8), steroids and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents (n = 6), nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents alone in mild cases (n = 2), and, rarely, radiation therapy without steroids (n = 1) or surgical debulking alone (n = 1). Of 65 patients, 41 (63%) represented treatment successes, with complete symptom relief at the time of the last follow-up, and 24 (37%) represented treatment failures, with partial or no relief of symptoms. Treatment failures were often characterized by recurrence of inflammation after a period of quiescence (58%) and unremitting, recalcitrant inflammation (38%); 1 patient ultimately required an exenteration. CONCLUSION Systemic steroid with a slow taper has been the established first-line treatment for idiopathic orbital inflammation, but refractory cases accounted for a significant portion of treatment failures in our study, reflecting the need for a more systematic approach to the study of this multifaceted disease and for therapeutic alternatives to systemic steroids.
Option Bounds in Discrete Time: Extensions and the Pricing of the American Put

In a recent paper (Perrakis and Ryan 1984), upper and lower bounds on European option prices were derived in discrete time. These bounds were based on an extension of the discrete-time derivation of Black-Scholes pricing, first presented in the work of Black and Scholes (1973). The bounds are functions of the stock and exercise prices, the riskless rate of interest, the time to maturity, and the entire distribution of stock returns. In other words, they need more information than Black-Scholes for their computation, and the derived results are weaker. ' On the other hand, they are significantly more general in their assumptions, insofar as they do not rely on the continuous-time riskless hedge of the original Black-Scholes derivations or on the assumption of a binomial distribution of stock returns used in Cox, Ross, and Rubinstein (1979) and Rendleman and Bartter (1979). For this reason they are likely to be particularly useful in valuing options on assets, for which the Black-Scholes methodology is clearly This paper generalizes and tightens the discrete-time bounds for European options and develops similar bounds for American puts. The stock return has a distribution with a finite range and is subject to the restriction that the stock be "nonnegative beta. " The bounds are derived from arbitrage portfolios using the stock, the option, and the riskless asset. They converge to the previous ones when the range coincides with the nonnegative real line, and they both become equal to the binomial option model under a two-state stock return. Upper and lower bounds for the American put are derived recursively by the same method, with arbitrage portfolios involving the stock, the riskless asset, and American and European puts. An example is provided with a trinomial return distribution. * Part of this research was done while I was a visiting professor (1983-84), Ecole Superieure de Commerce et d'Administration des Entreprises, Reims, France. I wish to thank Peter Ryan, Albert Madansky, and a referee of this Journal for helpful advice and comment, while retaining all responsibility for any remaining errors or omissions. 1. Note, however, that this is also true of other BlackScholes generalizations, such as Merton (1976).
Laser-Driven Proton Beams: Acceleration Mechanism, Beam Optimization, and Radiographic Applications

This paper reviews recent experimental activity in the area of optimization, control, and application of laser-accelerated proton beams, carried out at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory and the Laboratoire pour lpsilaUtilisation des Lasers Intenses 100 TW facility in France. In particular, experiments have investigated the role of the scale length at the rear of the plasma in reducing target-normal-sheath-acceleration acceleration efficiency. Results match with recent theoretical predictions and provide information in view of the feasibility of proton fast-ignition applications. Experiments aiming to control the divergence of the proton beams have investigated the use of a laser-triggered microlens, which employs laser-driven transient electric fields in cylindrical geometry, enabling to focus the emitted protons and select monochromatic beamlets out of the broad-spectrum beam. This approach could be advantageous in view of a variety of applications. The use of laser-driven protons as a particle probe for transient field detection has been developed and applied to a number of experimental conditions. Recent work in this area has focused on the detection of large-scale self-generated magnetic fields in laser-produced plasmas and the investigation of fields associated to the propagation of relativistic electron both on the surface and in the bulk of targets irradiated by high-power laser pulses.
A letter from the president: seduction, charm and obfuscation in French CEO letters

Purpose – Shareholders, investors and potential employees, all attach special importance to understanding a company through its annual report, the status of which has evolved over the years: from providing information for the adepts of competitive intelligence, it now provides information available to all stakeholders in the company. But one aspect has not changed: the keynote message of the president that prefaces the annual report. The present article indicates current practice in the matter in the case of 28 leading French companies.Design/methodology/approach – We have made these companies the subject of a systematic and detailed computer‐assisted analysis.Findings – Among the main conclusions to be noted are: a varied range of rhetorical cosmetics by way of embellishment, and attitudes either of prudence or optimism on the part of company heads; a type of discourse open to several levels of interpretation: from a literal level to a level allowing the reader to interpret the wider spirit and intention.
Opinion modeling on social media and marketing aspects

We introduce and discuss kinetic models of opinion formation on social networks in which the distribution function depends on both the opinion and the connectivity of the agents. The opinion formation model is subsequently coupled with a kinetic model describing the spreading of popularity of a product on the Web through a social network. Numerical experiments on the underlying kinetic models show a good qualitative agreement with some measured trends of hashtags on social media websites and illustrate how companies can take advantage of the network structure to obtain at best the advertisement of their products.
Is the 2003 ISSVD terminology and classification of vulvodynia up-to-date? A neurobiological perspective

This paper aims to determine if the 2003 International Society for the Study of Vulvovaginal Disease (ISSVD) terminology and classification of vulval pain is up-to-date, according to a current and widely accepted neurobiological pain classification, which divides pain into nociceptive, inflammatory and pathological pain with the latter subdivided into neuropathic and dysfunctional pain. Nociceptive pain is protective, adaptive, high-threshold pain provoked by noxious stimuli. Inflammatory pain is protective, adaptive, low-threshold pain associated with peripheral tissue damage and inflammation. Pathological pain is non-protective, maladaptive, low-threshold pain caused by structural damage to the nervous system (neuropathic pain) or by its abnormal function (dysfunctional pain). The 2003 ISSVD vulval pain classification should be revised in terms of current neurobiological pain information. Inflammatory vulval pain occurs as a result of specific infectious, inflammatory and neoplastic disorders. Neuropathic vulval pain arises following a specific neurological disorder, responsible for structural damage to the nervous system. Vulvodynia is dysfunctional vulval pain, caused by abnormal function of the nervous system itself.
A general type-II similarity based model for breast cancer grading with FTIR spectral data

Breast cancer is one of the most frequently occurring cancers among women throughout the world. In breast cancer prognosis, grading plays an important role. In this paper, we apply a novel method based on type-II fuzzy logic to Fourier Transform Infra-red Spectroscopy based breast cancer spectral data for the classification of breast cancer grade. A FTIR spectral data set consisting of 14 cases of breast cancer has been used. A zSlices based type-II fuzzy logic approach has been used to create prototype models for the classification of unseen breast cancer cases. The prototype models are used with a similarity measure to classify unseen cases of cancer. We have shown that the T-II similarity based model is a promising methodology for classification.
An update on the development of drugs for neuropsychiatric disorders: focusing on the σ1 receptor ligand

The σ1 receptor is an intracellular molecule that shares no homology with any mammalian proteins. σ1 receptors normally localize at the endoplasmic reticulum and regulate a variety of signal transductions including intracellular Ca2+ dynamics and neurotrophic factor signaling. In the brain, σ1 receptors are known to regulate the activity of diverse ion channels via protein–protein interactions. Accumulated evidences strongly indicate that the activation/upregulation of σ1 receptors promotes the neuronal differentiation as well as a robust antiapoptotic action. In animals, σ1 receptor agonists exhibit an antidepressant-like action. Furthermore, the agonists enhanced neuronal survival eventhough they were administered several hours after a brain ischemia. Thus, primary clinical targets of σ1 receptor ligands are proposed to include stroke, neurodegenerative disorders and depression. Ligands for the σ1 receptor may constitute a new class of therapeutic drugs targeting an endoplasmic reticular protein.
Enhanced Thermoelectric Properties of BiCoO 3 by Nickel Substitution

Micro crystalline materials of BiCoO3 and Ni0.5Bi0. 5CoO3 have been prepared by solid state reaction technique. XRD studies of these polycrystalline materials confirmed the cubic structure with 197 I 23 space group. The substitution of nickel in place of bismuth resulted in lattice contraction. The thermoelectric properties were investigated in the temperature ranging from 300°C to 700°C. The samples showed positive Seebeck coefficient. Nickel substitution with Bismuth is found to decrease the Seebeck coefficient and thermal conductivity but increase the electrical conductivity. The figure of merit (ZT) of the material was enhanced on nickel substitution. The ZT values increased with the increase of temperature which enables its utility in high temperature thermoelectric applications.
Reconsideration of Dynamic Utility Optimisation and Intergenerational Equity in Sustainable Development Studies

Many sustainable development studies have employed intergenerational social welfare functions based on dynamic utility optimisation models (RCK models), which were pioneered by Ramsey and elaborated by Cass and Koopmans. This line of studies, however, rarely scrutinise the relevance of the fundamental assumption that dynamic optimisation in RCK models directly addresses intergenerational equity issues. This paper critically examines this assumption and presents an alternative interpretation: dynamic optimisation in RCK models signifies that an individual’s current utility level is determined not only by the activities and environments at this moment but also by future expectations about them. This interpretation leads us to reconsider treatment of intergenerational equity in sustainable development studies. This paper claims that intergenerational equity in sustainable development is better represented as certain “survival conditions” rooted in physical facts instead of sustainability conditions based on value judgements. As one candidate of such survival conditions, an approach based on an ecological resilience concept is illustrated.
Dual-reference Face Retrieval: What Does He/She Look Like at Age 'X'?

Face retrieval has received much attention over the past few decades, and many efforts have been made in retrieving face images against pose, illumination, and expression variations. However, the conventional works fail to meet the requirements of a potential and novel task---retrieving a person's face image at a specific age, especially when the specific "age" is not given as a numeral, i.e. "retrieving someone's image at the similar age period shown by another person's image. " To tackle this problem, we propose a dual reference face retrieval framework in this paper, where the system takes two inputs: an identity reference image which indicates the target identity and an age reference image which reflects the target age. In our framework, the raw images are first projected on a joint manifold, which preserves both the age and identity locality. Then two similarity metrics of age and identity are exploited and optimized by utilizing our proposed quartet-based model. The experiments show promising results, outperforming hierarchical methods.
The Development of Cross-Cultural (Mis)Understanding Through Volunteer Tourism

Volunteer tourism is an increasingly popular activity in which individuals combine travel with voluntary work. On the whole, existing literature has provided an optimistic view of volunteer tourism, suggesting that it represents a more reciprocal form of tourism and facilitates the development of cross-cultural understanding among participants. However, more recently, it has been argued that if volunteer tourism programmes (VTPs) are not carefully managed, they may lead to cross-cultural misunderstanding and the reinforcement of cultural stereotypes. Through conducting an Appreciative Inquiry into a number of volunteer programmes, this research sought to explore these ideas further and, in particular, identify the role that volunteer tourism sending organisations can play in order to ensure that cross-cultural understanding develops through volunteer tourism. The findings from this research suggest that the development of cross-cultural understanding should be perceived as a goal of volunteer tourism rather than a natural result of sending volunteers overseas. This paper argues that sending organisations can play an important role in facilitating the achievement of this goal through pro-active management prior, during, and after their VTPs.
Identification and prioritisation of access problems in rural areas

The concept of rural transportation planning has changed over the years. Nowadays a needs-based approach is generally used where the accessibility of the population to the activity centres or services is given more emphasis than the earlier concept of only the construction of motorable roads. In the process, a new approach known as Integrated Rural Accessibility Planning (IRAP) has been developed. One of the steps in IRAP is the quantification of villagers' accessibility levels to different activities or services. An attempt has been made in this article to improve the existing method of quantification and prioritisation by introducing the concept of the Accessibility Shortfall Index (ASI).