Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Explaining House Prices in Australia: 1970-2003

This paper aims to explain changes in real house prices in Australia from 1970 to 2003. We develop and estimate a long-run equilibrium model that shows the real long-run economic determinants of house prices and a short-run asymmetric error correction model to represent house price changes in the short run. We find that, in the long run, real house prices are determined significantly and positively by real disposable income and the consumer price index. They are also determined significantly and negatively by the unemployment rate, real mortgage rates, equity prices and the housing stock. Employing our short-run asymmetric error correction model, we find that there are significant lags in adjustment to equilibrium. When real house prices are rising at more than 2 per cent per annum, the housing market adjusts to equilibrium in approximately four quarters. When real house prices are static or falling, the adjustment process takes six quarters.
Green finance is essential for economic development and sustainability

Green finance is part of a broader occurrence; from the incorporation of various non-financial or ethical concerns onto the financial universe. Generally green finance is considered as the financial support for green growth which reduces greenhouse gas emissions and air pollutant emissions significantly. Green finance in agriculture, green buildings and other green projects should increase for the economic development of the country. In this paper an attempt has been made to describe green financing in a boarder sense.
OWNERSHIP STRUCTURE AND COMPANY PERFORMANCE – RESEARCH AND LITERATURE REVIEW

The aim of this article is to summarize the results of published researches conducted in the area of influence of ownership forms on companies and financial performance and to highlight the specifics of these relations in the environment of transition economies. Several authors have documented greater efficiency of private companies compared to state-owned. According to different studies, an alternative option for transition economies is foreign ownership. Recent studies show that the effect of ownership forms on companies and financial performance is more significant in Eastern European countries compared to developed countries. However, study results are often contradictory, therefore they require additional research.
Regional Industrial Modernization Programmes: Two Cases from Massachusetts

Faced with the dramatic loss of manufacturing employment in the late 1980s and early 1990s, two regions of Massachusetts became home to innovative industrial modernization programmes designed to enhance the performance of remaining enterprise and hopefully strengthen the state's manufacturing base. The Machine Action Project, a community and industry based endeavour in Western Massachusetts, worked with hundreds of metalworking firms while in Eastern Massachusetts the University of Massachusetts Lowell restructured many of its existing academic and research activities to better meet the needs of firms and communities. These two programmes are analysed for the ways in which they established public-private partnerships to enhance their regional economies as well as contributed to the ongoing discussion over the role of public institutions in sustainable regional development.
Racial Proportionalism and the Origins of Employment Discrimination Policy, 1933–1950

The 1930s and 1940s saw the beginning of a discussion of the problem of racial discrimination in employment. The Great Depression, the maturation of civil rights organizations, and the New Deal's change in American principles of property rights and-labor policy helped launch this discussion. Campaigns undertaken by black organizations and federal agencies began to grapple with the idea of race-based remedial strategies to combat discrimination in employment, and our modern concept of equal employment opportunity, which holds that an employer's workforce should contain approximately the same proportion of minorities as are present in the population, first received expression in this period.
Sodium‐dependent influx of orthophosphate in mammalian non‐myelinated nerve.

1. The rate of uptake of radiophosphate was measured in desheathed vagus nerves of rabbits mounted in an apparatus where the incubating solution flowed along the preparation. 2. Replacement of the Na of the Locke by either choline or Tris slowed the rate of uptake to about 10% of its value in Na; with K it was slowed to 20%; and with Li to 50%. 3. Measurements of the rate of uptake at different extracellular phosphate concentrations showed that in choline‐Locke the influx of phosphate was proportional to the extracellular phosphate concentration, while in Locke the rate of inward flow showed a tendency to saturation with increasing phosphate concentrations. 4. Extracts of nerves after 45 min exposure to labelled solutions showed for different phosphate concentrations a slowing of the labelling of ATP, ADP and creatine‐phosphate (CrP) and inorganic phosphate (Pi) when Locke was replaced by choline‐Locke. 5. A similar slowing was found when, at 0‐2 mM phosphate, the labelling of these compounds was measured at different times: application of choline‐Locke reduced the rate of incorporation of 32P to about 15% of the rate in Locke. 6. In preparations that were loaded with radiophosphate and then washed with inactive solution, and the effluent fractionated, over 90% of the radioactivity was found in the inorganic phosphate fraction. 7. The efflux of 32P showed an initial exponential phase with a time constant of 20‐30 min and a much slower one. The slow efflux had a rate constant of 0‐0014 min‐1 in 0‐2 mM external phosphate. 8. Increasing the external phosphate concentration increased the efflux. 9. Prolonged incubation in choline‐Locke reduced the efflux. 10. The influx of phosphate was calculated for different external phosphate concentrations using the rate of uptake of radiophosphate measured 45 min after the application of isotope and the corresponding efflux rate coefficient and the intracellular specific activities of the labelled compounds. 11. A correction was also introduced for diffusion, using the "limited biophase model". 12. The Na‐sensitive influx, i.e. the difference between influx in Locke and influx in choline‐Locke, showed saturation kinetics. 13. A Lineweaver‐Burk plot for Na‐sensitive uncorrected influxes gave a vmax of 16‐7 mumole/kg wet wt. min and an apparent Km of 0‐42 mM; for the corrected fluxes these values were 18‐2 and 0‐36. 14. It is concluded that a large part of phosphate influx and some of the phosphate efflux is mediated by a specific Na‐dependent phosphate transport system. 15. This system seems to be present also in other types of nervous tissues and probably in many types of animal cells.
The Activist Auditor: A New Player in State and Local Politics

scene. "These problems should not be tolerated. Organizations authorized to sponsor gambling have a responsibility to manage their games in a business-like manner and establish sound financial controls. The state has a responsibility to ensure the integrity of the games and make certain that net profits are used only for lawful purposes. Neither the sponsoring organizations nor the state have fulfilled their responsibilities. " (Minnesota, 1990, p. x)
Occurrence of clindamycin-resistant anaerobic bacteria isolated from cultures taken following clindamycin therapy

MICs of clindamycin were determined by the agar dilution method against anaerobic organisms isolated from endometrial cultures in women with pelvic soft tissue infections. Cultures were obtained from 100 women both before and after clindamycin therapy, from 107 women before therapy with clindamycin or another antimicrobial agent or after treatment with an antimicrobial agent other than clindamycin, and from 9 women 1 to 9 weeks after they were discharged from the hospital following clindamycin therapy. Only 5 (0.7%) of 685 isolates tested from women who had not received clindamycin therapy were resistant to clindamycin. From the 100 cultures taken immediately after clindamycin therapy, 57 anaerobic bacteria were isolated from 28 cultures. Of the 40 anaerobic organisms for which MICs of clindamycin were determined, 25 (62.5%) were resistant to clindamycin (MIC greater than or equal to 8 micrograms/ml). The most common organisms isolated after therapy were the anaerobic gram-positive cocci (of which 32 isolates were discovered); of 28 coccal isolates tested, 64% were clindamycin resistant. Four of seven (57%) of the Bacteroides isolates tested, one unidentified gram-positive nonsporing rod, one unidentified gram-negative coccus, and one Mobiluncus sp. were also clindamycin resistant. Of 18 anaerobic isolates from the nine cultures taken 1 to 9 weeks after hospital discharge, 55% were resistant to clindamycin. The clinical significance of these findings is unknown since all patients recovered without incident and remained well. However, the data suggest that physicians need to be aware that patients with recent exposure to clindamycin may have clindamycin-resistant anaerobic organisms in a current infection. This may prevent the infection from responding to clindamycin treatment.
General manager turnover and root causes

This study was conducted to examine hotel and holiday village general managers’ (GMs’) turnover and to identify root causes of GM turnover. GMs who were serving five‐star hotels and first‐class holiday villages operating mainly in coastal sides of Turkey (mostly the Aegean coast and the Mediterranean coast) were researched. GMs in 144 hotels and holiday villages were faxed a one‐page survey instrument developed by the researcher. At the end of two rounds, out of 144 GMs, 56 responded to the instrument. Analyzing the data, it is found that GMs are quitting hotels after 3.3 years on average, and hotels tended to change GMs every 2.5 years. The main causes of GM turnover are: management conflict and problems between property owners and GMs; and GMs’ career moves.
5601 Notes: The Subsampling Bootstrap

The term “bootstrap” was coined by Efron (1979). He described both the nonparametric and parametric bootstrap. In particular, his nonparametric bootstrap is the procedure of resampling with replacement from the original sample at the same sample size that is by far the most commonly used bootstrap procedure. It wasn’t long before people experimented with resampling at different sample sizes. But the key discovery in that area came later. Politis and Romano (1994) described resampling without replacement from the original sample at smaller than the original sample size. This is different enough from Efron’s idea that in their book (Politis, et al., 1999) they don’t call it “bootstrap” but just plain “subsampling”. Whatever you call it, here’s why it is such an important innovation.
Development of Absorbing Conditions for the Analysis of Finite Dimension Elastic Wave-Guides

A perfectly matched layer approach was developed for piezoelectric problems simulated by finite element and compared with a distributed viscosity absorption method. The development is self-consistent and allows for absorbing energy at the edges of a mesh without spurious reflection due to non appropriated boundary conditions. ID and 2D validation are reported and the method is applied to analyze a finite length Lamb wave transducer and a 2D FBAR structure.
Fractal character of the auditory neural spike train

Long-counting-time pulse-number distributions (PNDs) were measured from a broad variety of cat primary auditory fibers using different tone and noise stimuli, counting times T, and number of samples N/sub T/. Whereas short-counting-time PNDs (T approximately 50 ms) manifest the presence of spike pairs (an enhancement of even- over odd-count probabilities), the irregular shapes of the long-counting-time PNDs (T>or approximately=0.1 s) reveal that the underlying sequence of action potentials consists of spike clusters when viewed on a longer time scale. For all units measured, the count variance-to-mean ratio (Fano factor) F(T) varied little over some 90 dB change in the stimulus level. On the other hand, F(T) increased substantially as T and/or N/sub T/ were increased, corresponding to the capture of larger and larger spike clusters in the counting time. A relationship is developed between the Fano-time function F(T) and the normalized coincidence rate function, g ( tau ) versus delay time tau . The behavior of the PNDs and the scale invariance implicit in fractional-power-law relationships suggest that the neural events on all primary auditory fibers exhibit fractal behavior for sufficiently large times (sufficiently low frequencies). <<ETX>>
Seasonality in Crete: Problem or a Way of Life?

The tourism industry worldwide faces seasonal fluctuations of demand. These fluctuations are attributed to diverse factors – mainly climatic conditions, human decisions, inertia or tradition and supply restrictions – and result in various problems for tourist-receiving destinations, such as seasonal environmental congestion, low return on investment for tourist enterprises, overuse of facilities and off-season unemployment. Most of the strategies adopted by both private and public sectors to overcome seasonality fall into one of three main categories: diversification of the product mix, change of the customer mix and aggressive pricing. This paper reviews these issues taking the case of the island of Crete, and examines whether seasonality poses a problem for the island and the islanders or whether it is simply a way of life.
LATE CANCER AND NONCANCER RISKS AMONG CHERNOBYL EMERGENCY WORKERS OF RUSSIA

The presented work summarizes data on estimated radiation risks among Chernobyl emergency workers of the Russian Federation. In 1991–1998, the excess relative risk (ERR) of death from malignant neoplasm was statistically significant: excess relative risk per 1 Gy (ERR/Gy) = 2.11 with 95% confidence interval (CI) (1.31–2.92). In 1991–2001, the ERR estimation for incident solid cancers gives a positive, but statistically insignificant value: ERR/Gy = 0.34 with 95% CI (−0.39; 1.22). In 1986–2003, radiation risk for leukemia incidence was investigated. During the first 10 y after the Chernobyl accident (1986–1996) the relative risk (RR) of leukemia (excluding chronic lymphocytic leukemia) was statistically significant: RR = 2.2 with 95% CI (1.3–3.8) for emergency workers with doses >0.15 Gy in comparison with less exposed workers. In 1986–2000, a statistically significant dose response was observed for incident cerebrovascular diseases: ERR/Gy = 0.39, 95% CI = (0.004; 0.77). For doses >0.15 Gy a statistically significant risk of cerebrovascular diseases as a function of mean daily dose was observed: ERR per 0.1 Gy d−1 = 2.17 with 95% CI = (0.64; 3.69). Different but overlapping cohorts of Russian emergency workers were used for these estimations. No adjustments were made for recognized risk factors for cerebrovascular diseases. All results should be considered as preliminary.
Metformin Inhibits Cell Proliferation, Migration and Invasion by Attenuating CSC Function Mediated by Deregulating miRNAs in Pancreatic Cancer Cells

Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States, which is, in part, due to intrinsic (de novo) and extrinsic (acquired) resistance to conventional therapeutics, suggesting that innovative treatment strategies are required for overcoming therapeutic resistance to improve overall survival of patients. Oral administration of metformin in patients with diabetes mellitus has been reported to be associated with reduced risk of pancreatic cancer and that metformin has been reported to kill cancer stem cells (CSC); however, the exact molecular mechanism(s) has not been fully elucidated. In the current study, we examined the effect of metformin on cell proliferation, cell migration and invasion, and self-renewal capacity of CSCs and further assessed the expression of CSC marker genes and microRNAs (miRNA) in human pancreatic cancer cells. We found that metformin significantly decreased cell survival, clonogenicity, wound-healing capacity, sphere-forming capacity (pancreatospheres), and increased disintegration of pancreatospheres in both gemcitabine-sensitive and gemcitabine-resistant pancreatic cancer cells. Metformin also decreased the expression of CSC markers,CD44, EpCAM,EZH2, Notch-1, Nanog and Oct4, and caused reexpression of miRNAs (let-7a,let-7b, miR-26a, miR-101, miR-200b, and miR-200c) that are typically lost in pancreatic cancer and especially in pancreatospheres. We also found that reexpression of miR-26a by transfection led to decreased expression of EZH2 and EpCAM in pancreatic cancer cells. These results clearly suggest that the biologic effects of metformin are mediated through reexpression of miRNAs and decreased expression of CSC-specific genes, suggesting that metformin could be useful for overcoming therapeutic resistance of pancreatic cancer cells. Cancer Prev Res; 5(3); 355–64. ©2011 AACR.
A Remark on the Form of Accumulation Functions in Economic Growth Models

This study is a short note designed to underline the importance of using the theoretically required form of accumulation functions. It is now a common knowledge that a growth model must rely on non-diminishing returns to a factor of production in order to generate endogenous growth. In Lucas (1988), for example, there is no diminishing-returns to the accumulation of human capital, which is the source of endogenous growth in the model. This rule, however, can lead to the following potentially misleading assumption: diminishing marginal productivity to each factor of production—given that there is no other source of long run growth—is sufficient for generating steady state equilibrium at levels. In this short note, we make two points. First, diminishing marginal productivity alone is not necessarily sufficient for generating steady state equilibrium at levels. Second, the inclusion of a theoretically required counter-force in the accumulation function together with diminishing returns is sufficient for generating steady state equilibrium. In conclusion, we heuristically argue that an accumulation function with no theoretically required counter-moving force, with or without diminishing returns, may bias the results of the model.
Being hit twice: The psychological consequences of the economic crisis and an earthquake

Background: The Great Recession has caused worldwide tangible costs in terms of cuts in employment and income, which have been widely recognised also as major social determinants of mental health. Italy has not been spared from the financial crisis with severe societal and mental health consequences. In addition, a strong earthquake hit the province of Modena, Italy, in 2012, that is, amid the crisis. Aims: In this study, we explored and investigated the possible additional impact of concurrent events such as economic crisis and a natural disaster. Methods: Our analysis elaborated data from two local surveys, ICESmo2 (2006) and ICESmo3 (2012), and a national survey carried out in 2013 by the Italian National Institute of Statistics (Istituto Nazionale di Statistica (ISTAT)). A regression model was adopted to distinguish the effect of the crisis and the earthquake. Results: Our analysis confirmed the negative effect of the economic crisis on psychological wellbeing, but within the province of Modena such an effect resulted as even stronger compared with the rest of Italy, particularly within those areas struck by the earthquake. Conclusion: Being hit by a combination of two major negative events might have a significantly increased negative effect on psychological health. The higher repercussion observed is not only attributable to the occurrence of a natural disaster but can be reasonably related to the additional effect of unemployment on psychological dimensions.
Lipid-based carriers: manufacturing and applications for pulmonary route

Introduction: Recent advances in aerosol therapy have sparked considerable interest in the development of novel drug delivery systems for pulmonary route. Development of colloidal carriers as pharmaceutical drug delivery systems has spurred an exponential growth; the encapsulation of bioactive molecules into relatively inert and non-toxic carriers for in vivo delivery constitutes a promising approach for improving their therapeutic index while reducing the side effects. Extraordinary success has been made toward improving efficacy by developing lipid-based carriers (LBCs); among classical examples are liposomes and solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs). Areas covered: The authors review lipid-based colloidal carriers – liposomes and SLNs – as pulmonary drug delivery systems. Conventional methods of liposome preparation and recently developed systems are discussed. Special attention is given to SLNs and their main manufacturing techniques. Finally, a summary of recent scientific publications and important results in the field of pulmonary lipidic carriers are presented. Some practical considerations regarding the toxicological concerns of such systems are briefly cited. Expert opinion: Despite several scientific investigations, numerous advantages and encouraging results, LBCs for pulmonary route have attained only few great achievements as many challenges still remain. Problems limiting the use of such system seem to be the complexity of the respiratory tract as well as the lack of toxicity assessment risks of colloidal carriers.
Isolation and Preliminary Characterization of Hydroxamic Acids Formed by Nitrogen-Fixing Azotobacter chroococcum B-8

The free-living diazotroph Azotobacter chroococcum B-8 responded to iron-limited growth conditions by forming hydroxamic acids and an 85,000-dalton outer membrane protein. The Fe(III)-binding hydroxamate compounds stimulated the growth of Arthrobacter flavescens JG-9 and gave a positive Csaky reaction for bound hydroxylamines. The hydroxamates were isolated from liquid cultures by benzyl alcohol extraction and purified by size exclusion chromatography and high-performance liquid chromatography. Four high-performance liquid chromatography fractions, designated A, B, C, and D, had the characteristic hydroxamate absorption maximum at 420 to 423 nm, which did not shift over a pH range from 3.0 to 9.0. Cyclic voltammograms of the iron-hydroxamate complexes exhibited reduction potentials of −0.426 to −0.442 V for fractions A, B, and D and of −0.56 V for fraction C versus the normal hydrogen electrode at pH 8.0. Based on mass spectra, nominal molecular weights of 800 and 844 were assigned to ferrated compounds A and B, respectively. Reductive hydrolysis of compounds A and B in 57% hydriodic acid yielded ornithine as detected by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. All of these physiological and chemical data strongly support the hypothesis that the high-affinity iron-binding compounds isolated from A. chroococcum B-8 are hydroxamic acids and probably function as siderophores for this diazotroph.