Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
International Economic Spillovers and the Liquidity Trap

We study the effect of the zero bound constraint of interest rates on international transmission of economic policy and supply shocks. After some preliminary analysis with a simple theoretical model, we apply a rich two-country simulation model to the problem.The model framework consists of EDGE, Bank of Finland's dynamic equilibrium model for the euro area, linked to a similar model calibrated to resemble the US economy.The models have new Keynesian properties because of price rigidities and forward-looking pricing, consumption and investment behaviour.We assume freely floating exchange rates.Monetary policies are modelled with Taylor type policy rules, taking into account the zero bound constraint for interest rates.We find that effects of policy and supply side shocks differ significantly from the 'normal' situation if one of the countries is in the 'liquidity trap', ie if the interest rate is constrained by the zero bound.Being in the liquidity trap amplifies the domestic effects of fiscal policy, but mitigates its spillover to abroad.Changing the long run inflation target, which does not have international spillovers in the normal case, does have effects abroad if the country where the target is changed is in a temporary liquidity trap.The effects of supply shocks are also very different in the liquidity trap case compared to the normal case. Key words: zero bound, liquidity trap, international spillovers, edge JEL classification numbers: F42, F47
The Experience of Low-SES Students in Higher Education: Psychological Barriers to Success and Interventions to Reduce Social-Class Inequality

The economic decline of the Great Recession has increased the need for a university degree, which can enhance individuals’ prospects of obtaining employment in a competitive, globalized market. Research in the social sciences has consistently demonstrated that students with low socioeconomic status (SES) have fewer opportunities to succeed in university contexts compared to students with high SES. The present article reviews the psychological barriers faced by low-SES students in higher education compared to high-SES students. Accordingly, we first review the psychological barriers faced by low-SES students in university contexts (in terms of emotional experiences, identity management, self-perception, and motivation). Second, we highlight the role that university contexts play in producing and reproducing these psychological barriers, as well as the performance gap observed between low- and high-SES students. Finally, we present three examples of psychological interventions that can potentially increase both the academic achievement and the quality of low-SES students’ experience and thus may be considered as methods for change.
Performance and risk management in strategic cooperation

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate if business practices for performance through risk control methods can be applied by defence forces in peace missions called for by the United Nations (UN) in order to improve the efficiency of such missions.Design/methodology/approach – Extensive studies of existing theories on business cooperation risk control were performed as well as studies of the organizational and legal structures for Swedish participation in international military missions. These studies were followed by interviews with politicians and military officers of high ranks regarding cooperation in such missions and the interviews were analyzed with respect to the theoretical methods and their validity for the military sector.Findings – The authors' conclusion is that an adoption of some of the existing business risk control management methods could improve the efficiency of military risk management. The first step in such organizational knowledge transfer is to improve the form for a.
City regions and polycentric territorial development: concepts and practice

This special issue of Urban Research and Practice presents contributions discussing three closely interrelated themes of polycentricity, city regions and territorial disparities. The focus on polycentric settlement systems is framed by the normative goal of sustainable spatially balanced territorial development declared in the European Spatial Development Perspective (ESDP) and further developed by European Spatial Planning Observatory Network (ESPON) and the Interreg IIIB programmes. The experience of the former socialist countries of Central Europe shows that issues of territorial development discussed under the concept of polycentricity have a long tradition in this region. Instead of a division of space into exclusive and closed territories with only one choice structure, which was operationalized under Communism, polycentricity now offers a plurality of choices for populations and firms within a networked system of centres. However, we have to bear in mind that displacing the notion of territorial contiguity with a one-sided preference for networks of settlement nodes and corridors runs the risk of producing more, rather than less, spatial inequality.
Nonstandard employment and nonwork activities, time alone and with others: Can weekend workers make up lost time?

To what extent can weekend workers reschedule nonwork activities or time with significant others to weekdays? From the Australian Bureau of Statistics Time Use Survey 2006, a sample of employed persons aged 15–64 (n = 3860) is drawn to examine associations between weekend work and time spent in nonwork activities, time spent alone, and time spent in the company of family (partners, children, nonresident family, and elders) and friends, on days worked and over the following week. All analyses examine differences by gender. Workers’ lost weekend time is not recovered over the week; rather, in some instances there are persistent negative effects. Sunday workers are most affected. The findings add to knowledge about work–family conflict and gender differences in managing boundaries between employment and private life. There are implications for workplace policy, as the results offer support for penalty rate payments for weekend work.
Properties of rough interfaces in superconductors with d-wave pairing

Theoretical model of a rough interface in a superconductor with d-wave symmetry of the order parameter is proposed. The surface roughness is introduced by means of a surface layer with small electronic mean free path. The proximity effect between such a layer and a bulk d-wave superconductor is studied theoretically in the framework of the quasiclassical Eilenberger theory. It is shown that as a result of strong scattering in the interlayer the d-wave component of the order parameter near the interface is reduced while the s-wave component localized near the interface is generated. Angular and spatial structure of the pair potential and the electronic density of states near the interface is calculated. The interplay of the zero-energy (midgap) and finite-energy bound states leads to peculiarities in the energy dependence of the angle-averaged density of states. We argue that the model is relevant for the description of rough interfaces in high T/sub c/ superconductors. In the framework of the present approach we calculate the Josephson critical current for several types of junctions with rough interfaces.
The characteristics and strategies of high growth SMEs

Based on an empirical investigation of the development of a group of manufacturing SMEs comparing the characteristics and strategies of firms achieving high growth between 1979‐90 with the weaker performing companies. Shows that high growth can be achieved by firms with a variety of size, sector and age characteristics; such firms are distinguished more by the strategies and actions of managers than by their profile characteristics. The clearest differences between fast growth firms and other firms are with respect to their approach to product and market development. While high growth firms were above average investors they were not production‐led; instead they were characterized by an ability to make changes in production to complement an active market development strategy. To grow successfully over ten years, firms also needed to develop their internal organizational structure in ways that enabled the leader of the firm to delegate responsibility for operational tasks to become more focused on strategic.
Yield Management and Performance in the Hotel Industry

Abstract This paper presents a model of the impact of customer satisfaction due to service quality and Yield Management practices on hotel performance. A survey of a significant sample of hotel guests shows that customer satisfaction is relative not only to the traditional measures of quality but also to practices of Yield Management and that the satisfaction variables are positively related to the performance of the firm. These results are a starting point for further research with many managerial implications.
CTLA-4 Blockade with Ipilimumab: Long-term Follow-up of 177 Patients with Metastatic Melanoma

Purpose: Treatment with ipilimumab can cause objective tumor responses in patients with metastatic melanoma. We have treated 177 evaluable patients in three clinical trials and have long-term follow-up to evaluate the durability of responses. Experimental Design: Patients with metastatic melanoma were treated in three trials from 2002 to 2005. In protocol 1, 56 patients received ipilimumab with gp100 peptides. In protocol 2, 36 patients received ipilimumab with interleukin-2. In protocol 3, 85 patients received ipilimumab with intrapatient dose-escalation and were randomized to receive gp100 peptides. We have analyzed their long-term follow-up and survival data. Results: With median follow-up for protocols 1, 2, and 3 being 92, 84, and 71 months, median survival was 14, 16, and 13 months with 5-year survival rates being 13%, 25%, and 23%, respectively. Patients in protocol 2 had a 17% complete response (CR) rate, compared with 7% in protocol 1 and 6% in protocol 3. These CR rates are higher than previously reported for the same trials because some patients who eventually became complete responders had continual tumor regression months to years after therapy. All but one of the 15 complete responders are ongoing at 54+ to 99+ months. Conclusions: This report provides the longest follow-up of patients with melanoma treated with ipilimumab and shows that ipilimumab can induce durable, potentially curative tumor regression in a small percentage of patients with metastatic melanoma. The combination of ipilimumab and interleukin-2 seems to have an increased CR rate, but this needs to be tested in a randomized trial. Clin Cancer Res; 18(7); 2039–47. ©2012 AACR.
Mutual Priority and Aid Effectiveness: Is South Korea a Major Donor to its Major Recipients?

If donor and recipient countries act with mutual priority with regard to official development assistance (ODA), the recipient can manage the ODA with less transaction cost and the donor can pay extra attention to its recipient with more responsibility for development. For example, the United States and Japan used to be South Korea's primary donors and South Korea used to be their primary recipient, as well. This could be a factor explaining the effectiveness of aid that South Korea had received in the past. However, this mutual priority is not observed when South Korea is disbursing its ODA as a donor. Policies of providing more ODA to stronger commercial ties as well as the current international trend of donor proliferation and recipient fragmentation may explain this.
Investigation of temperature effects on voltage endurance for polyimide/Al2O3 nanodielectrics

In order to investigate the effects of inorganic nanofillers on the electrical properties of polyimide (PI), PI/Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> nanocomposites films were prepared via the in-situ polymerization. The hybrids films were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The dielectric behaviors of pure PI and PI/Al2O3 samples were studied as a function of the measured frequencies and temperatures. Meanwhile, the breakdown strength of pure PI and PI/Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>samples measured at 25 and 230 °C was analyzed. The corona-resistant lifetime of samples under bipolar continuous square impulse voltage (BCSIV) was performed. With the wt% content of Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> nanoparticles increasing, the real (ε') and imaginary (ε") of relative permittivity present an increasing tendency, while electrical breakdown strength declines obviously. The Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> nanofillers improved the corona-resistant property of PI and the corona-resistant lifetime of PI/Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> sample with 25 wt% (weight percent) of nano-Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> particles is over 23 times longer than that of the pure PI film. Besides, the temperature is an important factor which would significantly influence the electrical properties of pure PI and PI/Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> samples. The elevated temperature would reduce the breakdown voltage and corona-resistant property
Sanctions and Time Limits in California's Welfare Program. San Francisco, CA: Public Policy Institute of California

The Public Policy Institute of California is dedicated to informing and improving public policy in California through independent, objective, nonpartisan research on major economic, social, and political issues. The institute's goal is to raise public awareness and to give elected representatives and other decisionmakers a more informed basis for developing policies and programs. The institute's research focuses on the underlying forces shaping California's future, cutting across a wide range of public policy concerns, including economic development, education, environment and resources, governance, population, public finance, and social and health policy. PPIC is a private, nonprofit organization. It does not take or support positions on any ballot measures or on any local, state, or federal legislation, nor does it endorse, support, or oppose any political parties or candidates for public office. PPIC was established in 1994 with an endowment from William R. Hewlett. Short sections of text, not to exceed three paragraphs, may be quoted without written permission provided that full attribution is given to the source and the above copyright notice is included. Research publications reflect the views of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the staff, officers, or Board of Directors of the Public Policy Institute of California.
[Protective effect of amlodipine on the cytotoxicity induced by contrast media in human kidney cells].

OBJECTIVE To explore the protective effect of amlodipine on the cytotoxicity induced by contrast media (meglumine diatrizoate) in human kidney cells (HKC). METHODS An HKC line was used. The experiment was divided into 4 groups: a model group (diatrizoate 111g/L), a prevention group (diatrizoate 111g/L+amlodipine 10(-5)mol/L), an amlodipine control group (amlodipine 10(-5)mol/L), and a culture medium control group (simple none blood serum DMEM-F12 medium). Cytotoxicity induced by meglumine diatrizoate was analysed by methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) test, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assay, Hochest33258 fluorescence stained cytospins, and flow cytometric DNA analysis. The protein expression of Bax was determined by Western blot, and caspase-3 activity was examined by fluorometric method. RESULTS In the prevention group, the cell viability increased significantly (P<0.05), LDH levels decreased (P<0.05), and the apoptosis was lower than that of the model group (P<0.05) . Bax protein expression and caspase 3 activity decreased (P<0.05). CONCLUSION Amlodipine can inhibit the HKC apoptosis and protect the renal tubule cell from injury induced by meglumine diatrizoate.
Contribution of epithelial-derived fibroblasts to bleomycin-induced lung fibrosis.

RATIONALE Lung fibroblasts are key mediators of fibrosis resulting in accumulation of excessive interstitial collagen and extracellular matrix, but their origins are not well defined. OBJECTIVES We aimed to elucidate the contribution of lung epithelium-derived fibroblasts via epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in the intratracheal bleomycin model. METHODS Primary type II alveolar epithelial cells were cultured from Immortomice and exposed to transforming growth factor-beta(1) and epidermal growth factor. Cell fate reporter mice that permanently mark cells of lung epithelial lineage with beta-galactosidase were developed to study EMT, and bone marrow chimeras expressing green fluorescent protein under the control of the fibroblast-associated S100A4 promoter were generated to examine bone marrow-derived fibroblasts. Mice were given intratracheal bleomycin (0.08 unit). Immunostaining was performed for S100A4, beta-galactosidase, green fluorescent protein, and alpha-smooth muscle actin. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS In vitro, primary type II alveolar epithelial cells undergo phenotypic changes of EMT when exposed to transforming growth factor-beta(1) and epidermal growth factor with loss of prosurfactant protein C and E-cadherin and gain of S100A4 and type I procollagen. In vivo, using cell fate reporter mice, approximately one-third of S100A4-positive fibroblasts were derived from lung epithelium 2 weeks after bleomycin administration. From bone marrow chimera studies, one-fifth of S100A4-positive fibroblasts were derived from bone marrow at this same time point. Myofibroblasts rarely derived from EMT or bone marrow progenitors. CONCLUSIONS Both EMT and bone marrow progenitors contribute to S100A4-positive fibroblasts in bleomycin-induced lung fibrosis. However, neither origin is a principal contributor to lung myofibroblasts.
Employing IP-Based Technologies for Pervasive Connectivity and Interoperability

Despite increasing advancement in communications towards IP-based systems in the battlefield, communications and networks in the future will continue to be developed over a spectrum of frequencies to cater for customized and specialized forces due to range, power and environment differences. What this means to the strategic and operational users is that they would require a multitude of radios in order for them to effectively integrate mission plans across a joint task force comprising air, sea, Intel and land elements. Operational users, in particular, would have to grapple with multiple End User Terminals (EUT) for interaction with tactical forces and there is also no assurance that the intended party could be reached on the correct EUT. In end 2006, the Future Systems Directorate of the Ministry of Defence, Singapore, together with the Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA) and Singapore Technologies Electronics (STEE), conducted an experiment, codename ICONA or Intelligent Connect Anywhere, to validate an innovative IP-based unified communication system (UCS) that integrates and converges disparate military communication services (Radio, Telephony, Text, Video), to facilitate pervasive battlefield connectivity and presence-awareness amongst the forces. The UCS utilizes IP-based technologies such as Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) and Voice-over-IP (VoIP) as the common protocols to bridge disparate end communications systems. In the experiment, end users are able to use a common application running on a command and control (C2) terminal to reach intended users on a radio, analogue telephony or instant messaging with the click of a single button.
Governing and governed by practices: Exploring interventions in low-carbon housing policy and practice

This chapter investigates the often overlooked practices of housing professionals involved in designing and delivering low-carbon homes; two UK case studies focused on different low-carbon performance standards (Code for Sustainable Homes; Passivhaus standard). We argue that low-carbon housing needs to be understood as an intervention in a whole system of interrelated practices performed by both householders and professionals, and not merely as an isolated introduction of new technologies to householders. The links, flows and relations within such a system of practice need to be further explored, if a better understanding of the governance of sustainability interventions is to be achieved.
Features and application of wearable biosensors in medical care

One of the new technologies in the field of health is wearable biosensor, which provides vital signs monitoring of patients, athletes, premature infants, children, psychiatric patients, people who need long-term care, elderly, and people in impassable regions far from health and medical services. The aim of this study was to explain features and applications of wearable biosensors in medical services. This was a narrative review study that done in 2015. Search conducted with the help of libraries, books, conference proceedings, through databases of Science Direct, PubMed, Proquest, Springer, and SID (Scientific Information Database). In our searches, we employed the following keywords and their combinations; vital sign monitoring, medical smart shirt, smart clothing, wearable biosensors, physiological monitoring system, remote detection systems, remote control health, and bio-monitoring system. The preliminary search resulted in 54 articles, which published between 2002 and 2015. After a careful analysis of the content of each paper, 41 sources selected based on their relevancy. Although the use of wearable in healthcare is still in an infant stage, it could have a magic effect on healthcare. Smart wearable in the technology industry for 2015 is one that is looking to be a big and profitable market. Wearable biosensors capable of continuous vital signs monitoring and feedback to the user will be significantly effective in timely prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and control of diseases.
Degradation of Visual Performance With Increasing Levels of Retinal Stray Light.

Purpose To quantify the effect of induced stray light on halo size, luminance threshold, and contrast sensitivity. Methods Retinal stray light was induced in five healthy subjects using different photographic filters. The stray light induced ranged from levels observed in intraocular lenses (IOLs) with glistenings (low) to cataract level (high). The visual impact was measured for halo size, luminance detection threshold, and contrast sensitivity with and without a glare source. Results The amount of retinal stray light induced by the different filters was similar when measured using the psychophysical method and the optical bench method. Low amounts of induced stray light cause the halo size to increase by 21%, the luminance detection threshold to increase by 156%, and contrast sensitivity to decrease by 10% to 21% dependent on spatial frequency and presence of a glare source. The visual impact percentages for high amounts of induced stray light were, respectively, 76%, 2130%, and 30% to 49%. In the presence of a glare source, contrast sensitivity losses were larger and shifted to lower spatial frequencies. Conclusions Low levels of retinal stray light can cause significant increases in halo sizes, elevations in luminance detection thresholds, and reductions in contrast sensitivity whether or not a glare source is present.