Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Price of Oil and World Inflation and Recession

New evidence shows that the commonly-held assumption that the 1973-74 oil price increase directly affected US and world inflation and subsequent recession is consistent with the empirical data. An extended Lucas-Varro real-income equation applied to the US, United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the Netherlands gives mixed results, partly because of price control and decontrol programs. Simulation experiments on the price-control variable using US data finds strong effects. Further studies can be made when consistent international data is available for the 1979-80 period. 18 references, 4 figures, 3 tables. (DCK)
Examining the Forward Pricing Function of the Australian Equity Index Futures Contract

The relationship between the Australian equity index futures and spot prices is examined. Tests indicate that futures prices with one, two and three months to maturity are unbiased predictors of the spot and hence provide an efficient hedging mechanism for Australian equity index market participants, while six-, nine- and twelve-month futures prices are biased predictors of spot prices, indicating that speculative opportunities may exist in futures contracts for these time spreads. An analysis of the short-run dynamic properties of the long-run equilibrium relationship found that for all time spreads the futures prices respond to changes in the long-run equilibrium, and for the twelve-month contract, both futures and spot prices adjust to return to the long-run equilibrium.
alpha 1-Antitrypsin (AAT) deficiency and ANCA-positive systemic vasculitis: genetic and clinical implications.

A high incidence of alpha 1-antitrypsin (AAT) deficiency has been reported in patients with C-ANCA systemic vasculitis in association with antibodies against proteinase-3 (PR3). To clarify the role of AAT deficiency in the acute vasculitic process as well as in progression of the disease, we studied 84 patients with either C-ANCA or P-ANCA vasculitis with special reference to: (a) the AAT gene, (b) the phenotypic (Pi) variants and (c) the serum levels during both acute illness and remission. The PiZ gene was found in six patients (8% vs. 1.5% controls) irrespective of the type of autoantibodies (C-ANCA vs. P-ANCA). All PiZ patients displayed the ability to raise their AAT serum levels up to the normal range during acute illness. In contrast, 24 patients with the PiM phenotype presented low AAT serum levels during acute illness. In all these patients, the AAT levels returned to normal values during the remission. Low AAT levels were associated with low levels of C-reactive protein (PCR) (P < 0.001), with a less severe renal involvement or a minor risk of death, and, in one tested patient, with a novel point mutation (TCGA-->TCAA) at the enhancer-promoter region of the AAT gene. Low AAT serum levels did not correlate with either type/titre of autoantibody or distribution/severity of the vasculitis process. In the case-control study, high AAT levels emerged as a major determinant of progression towards end-stage renal failure [odds ratio 3 (95% CI 1.1-8.4)]. These results indicate: (a) a high incidence of the PiZ gene of AAT in systemic vasculitis irrespective of the type of autoantibodies; (b) a novel form of AAT deficiency associated with the normal PiM phenotype becoming manifest only during acute illness; (c) dysregulation of the acute-phase response affecting selectively AAT or both AAT and PCR; (d) correlation between low plasma levels of AAT and less severe renal involvement or risk of death.
Developing new approaches to measuring NHS outputs and productivity

8 September 2005 (revised 2 December) In March 2004 the Department of Health commissioned a research team from the Centre for Health Economics at the University of York and the National Institute for Economic and Social Research to develop new approaches to measuring NHS outputs and productivity. The research objectives were development of: A comprehensive measure of NHS outputs and productivity Methods to facilitate regular in-year analysis of NHS productivity Output measures capable of measuring efficiency and productivity at subnational levels. The research team was also asked to co-operate with The Atkinson Review on measurement of government output and productivity for the national accounts. Three interim reports on this research were produced (July 2004, November 2004 and June 2005) as well as memoranda on data requirements (September 2004) and methodology (January 2005, August 2005). The work was presented for scrutiny at two workshops (7 July 2004 and 17 June 2005). The research team presented work in progress to four meetings of the NHS Outputs Steering Group (7 July 2004, 2 February 2005, 10 May 2005, 20 July 2005). This is the Final Report on the research project. The background to the research remit referred to the Public Service Agreement (PSA) following the 2002 Spending Review that 'set a Ovalue for money' (productivity) target of 2%'. The target required information on quality improvement that had not previously been measured for the NHS as a whole. While PSA targets have changed over time, it is likely that some measure of quality improvement will continue to be required in reporting performance. Quality adjusted measures of NHS output were also required for other Department of Health purposes such as monitoring the performance of Trusts and identifying the scope for efficiency gains. It is important to appreciate that there are significant differences between the concepts 8 of efficiency, value for money, productivity and productivity growth that have implications for both methods of measurement and policy relevance of the resulting indices. Efficiency is measured as the ratio of output produced with given inputs relative to the maximum feasible output. OValue for money' reflects the value individuals/society place on output relative to the costs of production. This often corresponds to a cost-benefit analysis. Productivity is the ratio of a measure of total output to a measure of total inputs. Productivity growth is the change in output relative to the change in inputs. It is often interpreted as reflecting the effect of technical change on production. Robust measurement requires precise definition of the concept to be measured. Effective employment of these measures in pursuit of policy objectives requires selection of the appropriate measure for the issue at hand.
TcpH Influences Virulence Gene Expression in Vibrio cholerae by Inhibiting Degradation of the Transcription Activator TcpP

ABSTRACT Expression of toxT, the transcription activator of cholera toxin and pilus production in Vibrio cholerae, is the consequence of a complex cascade of regulatory events that culminates in activation of the toxT promoter by TcpP and ToxR, two membrane-localized transcription factors. Both are encoded in operons with genes whose products, TcpH and ToxS, which are also membrane localized, are hypothesized to control their activity. In this study we analyzed the role of TcpH in controlling TcpP function. We show that a mutant of V. cholerae lacking TcpH expressed virtually undetectable levels of TcpP, although tcpP mRNA levels remain unaffected. A time course experiment showed that levels of TcpP, expressed from a plasmid, are dramatically reduced over time without co-overexpression of TcpH. By contrast, deletion of toxS did not affect ToxR protein levels. A fusion protein in which the TcpP periplasmic domain is replaced with that of ToxR remains stable, suggesting that the periplasmic domain of TcpP is the target for degradation of the protein. Placement of the periplasmic domain of TcpP on ToxR, an otherwise stable protein, results in instability, providing further evidence for the hypothesis that the periplasmic domain of TcpP is a target for degradation. Consistent with this interpretation is our finding that derivatives of TcpP lacking a periplasmic domain are more stable in V. cholerae than are derivatives in which the periplasmic domain has been truncated. This work identifies at least one role for the periplasmic domain of TcpP, i.e., to act as a target for a protein degradation pathway that regulates TcpP levels. It also provides a rationale for why the V. cholerae tcpH mutant strain is avirulent. We hypothesize that regulator degradation may be an important mechanism for regulating virulence gene expression in V. cholerae.
The 2001 General Election: Factors Influencing the Brand Image of Political Parties and their Leaders

This paper considers the importance of building the brand image of parties and leaders in modern day politics. Firstly, the appropriateness of branding in the sphere of politics is considered. Then, brand image research on political parties and their leaders is identified and discussed. From this, the advertising (positive and negative), events and celebrity endorsements that affected the June 2001 election are discussed. Finally, some tentative conclusions on political image management are forwarded along with the likely future developments in this area.
Paths of the least resistance: understanding how motives form in international retail joint venturing

Developing the premise that strategies are forged through an ongoing mutual process of developing motives and responses to multiple degrees of resistance, this paper examines the motives underpinning the adoption of joint venture strategies using empirical details from four British retail firms. The findings point to multiple motives forming from multiple paths of resistance in the foreign market, but also among individuals within the firm as well as across the whole international programme. Moreover, this study reveals a paradoxical tension between management's operational impatience to immediately ground the retail format and an overall wariness or gloomy perceptions associated with adopting an international retail joint venture. The paper therefore concludes that the motives and barriers are manifestations of the struggles involved in internationalising retail operations.
Fgf3 and Fgf10 are required for mouse otic placode induction

The inner ear, which contains the sensory organs specialised for audition and balance, develops from an ectodermal placode adjacent to the developing hindbrain. Tissue grafting and recombination experiments suggest that placodal development is directed by signals arising from the underlying mesoderm and adjacent neurectoderm. In mice, Fgf3 is expressed in the neurectoderm prior to and concomitant with placode induction and otic vesicle formation, but its absence affects only the later stages of otic vesicle morphogenesis. We show here that mouse Fgf10 is expressed in the mesenchyme underlying the prospective otic placode. Embryos lacking both Fgf3 and Fgf10 fail to form otic vesicles and have aberrant patterns of otic marker gene expression, suggesting that FGF signals are required for otic placode induction and that these signals emanate from both the hindbrain and mesenchyme. These signals are likely to act directly on the ectoderm, as double mutant embryos showed normal patterns of gene expression in the hindbrain. Cell proliferation and survival were not markedly affected in double mutant embryos, suggesting that the major role of FGF signals in otic induction is to establish normal patterns of gene expression in the prospective placode. Finally, examination of embryos carrying three out of the four mutant Fgf alleles revealed intermediate phenotypes, suggesting a quantitative requirement for FGF signalling in otic vesicle formation.
Lifestyle intervention and coronary heart disease risk factor changes over 18 months in postmenopausal women: the Women On the Move through Activity and Nutrition (WOMAN study) clinical trial.

OBJECTIVES In this paper, we present the results of changes in risk factors by use of hormone therapy (HT) at 18 months in the Women On the Move through Activity and Nutrition (WOMAN) randomized trial. METHODS The trial was designed to test the hypothesis that aggressive dietary changes and increased physical activity to reduce weight, waist circumference (WC), glucose, insulin, and lipoproteins would reduce progression of subclinical atherosclerosis, carotid intimal media thickness and plaque, coronary artery calcification, and pulse wave velocity (PWV). The study focused on postmenopausal women (n = 508), mean age of 57, who were randomized to the Lifestyle Change (LC) or Health Education (HE) group. RESULTS At 18 months of follow-up, there was significant, 17 lb, weight loss and 10 cm WC decrease in the LC group. There were significant differences in changes in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), insulin, glucose, large LDL, and LDL particles between the LC and HE groups. Risk factor changes were greater for women in the LC who lost a significant amount of weight (>or=18.8 lb). Participants at 18 months were subdivided into women who had stayed on HT, 125 (28%); stopped HT after randomization, 145 (33%); and not on HT at baseline but stopped an average of 7 months prior to randomization, 173 (39%). Weight loss in the LC was similar for all three groups, but LDL lipoprotein response was better for women who stopped HT after randomization or were not on HT at baseline. CONCLUSIONS The trial has been successful in increasing exercise and diet changes and reduction in weight and WC and variables related to metabolic syndrome.
Neural plasticity and the promise of novel pharmacotherapies for depression. Commentary on Fuchs et al., examining novel concepts of the pathophysiology of depression in the chronic psychosocial stress paradigm in tree shrews.

Over the past decade, a new theory about the mechanism of action of antidepressant therapy has steadily gained ground. In this Special Issue, one of the pioneers of this field, Eberhard Fuchs, describes how antidepressant drugs may work beyond their immediate targets regulating monoamine function in the brain (Fuchs et al., 2004). Dynamic changes in neural plasticity, which can be reversed by antidepressant therapy, can occur in the adult brain, especially the hippocampus, in response to chronic stress. There are many excellent reviews of the basic and clinical implications of this emerging field (e.g. Malberg, 2004). Analysis of the molecular and cellular basis of neural plasticity provides a creative new direction for basic researchers trying to break away from the traditional monoamine-based drug therapies for depression. But how sure can we be that this path will fulfil its early promise, and has it been adequately validated as a drug discovery tool?
A Closer Look at the U.S. Housing Market: Modeling Relationships Among Regions

This article investigates the dynamic interactions among nine U.S. regional housing markets by estimating the multivariate cointegration model using both autoregressive (AR) and moving average (MA) representations over the period from 1975 to 2010. Long-run results indicate that the extent of convergence among the regional housing markets substantially increased over time and more so after the housing bubble burst in the latter part of 2006. Common stochastic trend analysis reveals that the housing regions of New England, Mid-Atlantic and the Pacific were the primary regional drivers that led the regions toward long-run equilibrium during the 1975 to 2006 subperiod. Further analysis indicates that the relationships among the regions cannot be attributed to trends in two important macroeconomic fundamentals: regional per capita income and regional GDP. Finally, short-run analysis reveals substantial lead lag relationships among all the markets.
Breastfeeding improves survival, but not nutritional status, of 12-35 months old children in rural Bangladesh.

The association between breastfeeding, nutritional status and survival was investigated in a cohort of 1087 children aged 12-35 months from rural Bangladesh followed monthly during 2 years. Mean weight-for-age (%NCHS) of breastfed children was 69.6 per cent (s.d.: 9.3 per cent) compared to 70.6 per cent (s.d.: 10.7 per cent) (P less than 0.001) for non-breast fed children. This confirms that after 1 year of age, breastfed children tend to be more malnourished than non-breastfed children. Despite this difference in nutritional status, risk of dying, after adjusting for age, was six times higher in non-breastfed malnourished children than in similarly malnourished breastfed children. This suggests that breastfeeding beyond 1 year should be encouraged in communities with a high prevalence of malnutrition, despite the frequently observed association between prolonged breastfeeding and malnutrition.
Electronic versus Face-to-Face Review: The Effects of Alternative Forms of Review on Auditors' Performance

A system and method for permitting three-dimensional navigation through a virtual reality environment using camera-based gesture inputs of a system user. The system comprises a computer-readable memory, a video camera for generating video signals indicative of the gestures of the system user and an interaction area surrounding the system user, and a video image display. The video image display is positioned in front of the system user. The system further comprises a microprocessor for processing the video signals, in accordance with a program stored in the computer-readable memory, to determine the three-dimensional positions of the body and principle body parts of the system user. The microprocessor constructs three-dimensional images of the system user and interaction area on the video image display based upon the three-dimensional positions of the body and principle body parts of the system user. The video image display shows three-dimensional graphical objects within the virtual reality environment, and movement by the system user permits apparent movement of the three-dimensional objects displayed on the video image display so that the system user appears to move throughout the virtual reality environment.
Hedonic Valuation of Farmland Using Sale Prices versus Appraised Values

Farmland provides agricultural products and natural amenities, as well as residential sites. The emergence of exurbanization appears to be changing the demand for natural amenities and their role in determining land values. To better understand how appraised value and sale price capture the determinants of farmland value in a region facing exurbanization, this study applies the hedonic method to land transaction data in southwestern Michigan during 2003–2007. Results suggest that appraised values are a poor substitute for sale prices if the research goal is to understand dynamically evolving determinants of land value in exurbanizing regions, especially the value of natural amenities. (JEL Q24, Q51)
It's Time for an Urbanization Science

Today, urban areas generate more than 90% of the global economy, are home to more than 50% of the world population, consume more than 65% of the world’s energy; and emit 70% of global greenhouse gas emissions.1 The science and policy communities increasingly recognize that cities, urban areas, and the underlying urbanization process are at the center of global climate change and sustainability challenges. Policymakers need facts, empirical evidence, and theories on how to plan and manage cities and urbanization during the contemporary era of rapid change and environmental uncertainty. by William Solecki, Karen C. Seto, and Peter J. Marcotullio
Editorial: The contribution of sustainable investments to sustainable development

Financial markets play a pivotal role in our economy in that the allocation of resources through these markets determines, to a significant degree, the development of our society. The way we invest today has an effect on the way society will function and produce in the future. Even a small shift in the behaviour of the actors on the financial markets can have significant consequences on other sectors of society, ranging from company operations at the microlevel, to the trends and developments in the international economy at the macrolevel. Recent trends including globalisation, outsourcing, short-term financial gains and so forth have led some to question the ethics and sustainability of existing business models and practices.
Transformed Neural Pattern Reinstatement during Episodic Memory Retrieval

Contemporary models of episodic memory posit that remembering involves the reenactment of encoding processes. Although encoding-retrieval similarity has been consistently reported and linked to memory success, the nature of neural pattern reinstatement is poorly understood. Using high-resolution fMRI on human subjects, our results obtained clear evidence for item-specific pattern reinstatement in the frontoparietal cortex, even when the encoding-retrieval pairs shared no perceptual similarity. No item-specific pattern reinstatement was found in the ventral visual cortex. Importantly, the brain regions and voxels carrying item-specific representation differed significantly between encoding and retrieval, and the item specificity for encoding-retrieval similarity was smaller than that for encoding or retrieval, suggesting different nature of representations between encoding and retrieval. Moreover, cross-region representational similarity analysis suggests that the encoded representation in the ventral visual cortex was reinstated in the frontoparietal cortex during retrieval. Together, these results suggest that, in addition to reinstatement of the originally encoded pattern in the brain regions that perform encoding processes, retrieval may also involve the reinstatement of a transformed representation of the encoded information. These results emphasize the constructive nature of memory retrieval that helps to serve important adaptive functions. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Episodic memory enables humans to vividly reexperience past events, yet how this is achieved at the neural level is barely understood. A long-standing hypothesis posits that memory retrieval involves the faithful reinstatement of encoding-related activity. We tested this hypothesis by comparing the neural representations during encoding and retrieval. We found strong pattern reinstatement in the frontoparietal cortex, but not in the ventral visual cortex, that represents visual details. Critically, even within the same brain regions, the nature of representation during retrieval was qualitatively different from that during encoding. These results suggest that memory retrieval is not a faithful replay of past event but rather involves additional constructive processes to serve adaptive functions.
Population, Technology, and Growth: From the Malthusian Regime to the Demographic Transition

This paper develops a unified model of growth, population, and technological progress that is consistent with long-term historical evidence. The economy endogenously evolves through three phases. In the Malthusian regime, population growth is positively related to the level of income per capita. Technological progress is slow and is matched by proportional increases in population, so that output per capita is stable around a constant level. In the post-Malthusian regime, the growth rates of technology and total output increase. Population growth absorbs much of the growth of output, but income per capita does rise slowly. The economy endogenously undergoes a demographic transition in which the traditionally positive relationship between income per capita and population growth is reversed. In the Modern Growth regime, population growth is moderate and income per capita rises rapidly.