Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
What is Welfare Economics?

THOUGH Mr. Cropsey does not answer the title question to his recent article' specifically, the answer he implies might run more or less as follows: welfare economics is a combination of false or misleading ideas drawn from mathematics, psychology, and moral and political philosophy and applied to economics to derive conclusions which are, to put the best possible face on it, trivial. Mathematics, he feels, has been applied because the "number of symbols [at its disposal] is as large as the number of numbers," though its use serves to "individualize the species of man" and to "generalize the species of goods. " By discussing welfare economics "no matter what welfare is,"economists have generally ignored the problem of the psychological origin of welfare, and when they have touched upon this problem they have been led into contradictions. In the realm of politics welfare economists have blandly assumed that institutions have no welfare implications, so that the issue between collectivism and individualism becomes simply a matter of which system is most successful in providing goods and services to the population. In view of the relative modestywith which contemporary welfare economists have presented their labors,2 it may seem surprising that such sweeping condemnation of their work can be seriously presented. In the following sections these criticisms of the mathematical, moral-political, and psychological assumptions of welfare economics are discussed.
SPACs with focus on China

In this study, we examine characteristics of Specified Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs) used as a financing tool for companies from China in period 2004-2011. We offer the evidence that, similarly to evidence from studies on reverse mergers focusing on China, SPACs that focus on China are not different in their characteristics from other SPACs. We test for the performance of the SPACs focused on China and show that their performance is not inferior to the performance of other SPACs. On the contrary, an investment in the equally weighted portfolio of SPACs with focus on China provides higher absolute return than an investment in the equally weighted portfolio of other SPACs. This evidence establishes that, on average, SPACs focused on China are as equally a valid investment choice as any other SPAC.
Mobile localization using subspace tracking

Time-of-arrival (TOA) and direction-of-arrival (DOA) based methods are essential for mobile positioning in UMTS networks. Because of the presence of closely spaced multipaths, timing errors will occur when standard correlation based estimation methods are applied. To mitigate this problem, we propose here to use first a rough estimate of the desired TOA followed by T-MUSIC algorithm for a refinement of this estimate. The latter algorithm is implemented using a modified version of the adaptive sub-space tracking algorithm OPAST (orthogonal projection approximation subspace tracking) for the extraction and tracking of the principal subspace of a positive Hermitian covariance matrix. Computer simulations prove the numerical stability of the modified OPAST and the good estimation & tracking performance of the proposed method in typical propagation environments
Anycast-Based Content-Centric MANET

In this paper, we propose an ancyast-based content-centric MANET (ACCM) to reduce the content acquisition cost and to improve the content acquisition success rate. In ACCM, providers form an anycast group and a consumer can acquire the desired contents from the nearest anycast member in the unicast way. ACCM depends on addresses to return the requested contents to a consumer, so the content acquisition failure caused by reverse-path disruptions is avoided. Finally, ACCM is analyzed and evaluated, and the data show that it reduces the content acquisition cost and improves the success rate.
Comprehensive Analysis of Cancer-Proteogenome to Identify Biomarkers for the Early Diagnosis and Prognosis of Cancer

During the past century, our understanding of cancer diagnosis and treatment has been based on a monogenic approach, and as a consequence our knowledge of the clinical genetic underpinnings of cancer is incomplete. Since the completion of the human genome in 2003, it has steered us into therapeutic target discovery, enabling us to mine the genome using cutting edge proteogenomics tools. A number of novel and promising cancer targets have emerged from the genome project for diagnostics, therapeutics, and prognostic markers, which are being used to monitor response to cancer treatment. The heterogeneous nature of cancer has hindered progress in understanding the underlying mechanisms that lead to abnormal cellular growth. Since, the start of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), and the International Genome consortium projects, there has been tremendous progress in genome sequencing and immense numbers of cancer genomes have been completed, and this approach has transformed our understanding of the diagnosis and treatment of different types of cancers. By employing Genomics and proteomics technologies, an immense amount of genomic data is being generated on clinical tumors, which has transformed the cancer landscape and has the potential to transform cancer diagnosis and prognosis. A complete molecular view of the cancer landscape is necessary for understanding the underlying mechanisms of cancer initiation to improve diagnosis and prognosis, which ultimately will lead to personalized treatment. Interestingly, cancer proteome analysis has also allowed us to identify biomarkers to monitor drug and radiation resistance in patients undergoing cancer treatment. Further, TCGA-funded studies have allowed for the genomic and transcriptomic characterization of targeted cancers, this analysis aiding the development of targeted therapies for highly lethal malignancy. High-throughput technologies, such as complete proteome, epigenome, protein–protein interaction, and pharmacogenomics data, are indispensable to glean into the cancer genome and proteome and these approaches have generated multidimensional universal studies of genes and proteins (OMICS) data which has the potential to facilitate precision medicine. However, due to slow progress in computational technologies, the translation of big omics data into their clinical aspects have been slow. In this review, attempts have been made to describe the role of high-throughput genomic and proteomic technologies in identifying a panel of biomarkers which could be used for the early diagnosis and prognosis of cancer.
ENERGY EXPENDITURE ESTIMATION DURING OFFICIAL SOCCER MATCHES

COELHO, D. B. ; COELHO, L. G. ; MORTIMER, L. A. ; CONDESSA, L. A. ; FERREIRA-JUNIOR, J. B. ; BORBA, D. A. ; OLIVEIRA, B. M. ; BOUZAS-MARINS, J. C. ; SOARES, D. D. ; S.
Antifungal mechanisms of a plant defensin MtDef4 are not conserved between the ascomycete fungi Neurospora crassa and Fusarium graminearum

Defensins play an important role in plant defense against fungal pathogens. The plant defensin, MtDef4, inhibits growth of the ascomycete fungi, Neurospora crassa and Fusarium graminearum, at micromolar concentrations. We have reported that MtDef4 is transported into the cytoplasm of these fungi and exerts its antifungal activity on intracellular targets. Here, we have investigated whether the antifungal mechanisms of MtDef4 are conserved in these fungi. We show that N. crassa and F. graminearum respond differently to MtDef4 challenge. Membrane permeabilization is required for the antifungal activity of MtDef4 against F. graminearum but not against N. crassa. We find that MtDef4 is targeted to different subcellular compartments in each fungus. Internalization of MtDef4 in N. crassa is energy‐dependent and involves endocytosis. By contrast, MtDef4 appears to translocate into F. graminearum autonomously using a partially energy‐dependent pathway. MtDef4 has been shown to bind to the phospholipid phosphatidic acid (PA). We provide evidence that the plasma membrane localized phospholipase D, involved in the biosynthesis of PA, is needed for entry of this defensin in N. crassa, but not in F. graminearum. To our knowledge, this is the first example of a defensin which inhibits the growth of two ascomycete fungi via different mechanisms.
Unsupervised Deep Learning of Mid-Level Video Representation for Action Recognition

Current deep learning methods for action recognition rely heavily on large scale labeled video datasets. Manually annotating video datasets is laborious and may introduce unexpected bias to train complex deep models for learning video representation. In this paper, we propose an unsupervised deep learning method which employs unlabeled local spatial-temporal volumes extracted from action videos to learn midlevel video representation for action recognition. Specifically, our method simultaneously discovers mid-level semantic concepts by discriminative clustering and optimizes local spatial-temporal features by two relatively small and simple deep neural networks. The clustering generates semantic visual concepts that guide the training of the deep networks, and the networks in turn guarantee the robustness of the semantic concepts. Experiments on the HMDB51 and the UCF101 datasets demonstrate the superiority of the proposed method, even over several supervised learning methods.
On the Rationality of Forecasts

This paper discusses a method of deriving the univariate ARIMA process followed by a time series of rational forecasts y(superscript "e") of a series y, given the ARIMA process followed by y. The method suggests examination of the empirical ARIMA process followed by y(superscript "e") as a test of the hypothesis that y(superscript "e") is a rational forecast of y in a strong sense. The method is applied to a measure of expected inflation: the survey data conducted by Money Market Service, Inc., of money market participants. Copyright 1991 by MIT Press.
Adipose tissue stimulates bone growth in prepubertal children.

CONTEXT Fat mass represents a positive influence on bone mass in adults, independently of other factors such as lean mass, but whether a similar action occurs in children is unclear. OBJECTIVE Our objective was to examine the relationship between fat mass and bone mass in children. DESIGN AND SETTING We conducted combined cross-sectional and prospective analyses at university research clinics. PARTICIPANTS Participants included children aged 9.9 yr from a large population-based birth cohort in southwest England. OUTCOMES Relationships between total body fat mass were measured by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry at age 9.9 yr, and 1) total-body-less-head bone mass and area at age 9.9 and 2) increase in bone mass and area over the following 2 yr. RESULTS There was a strong positive relationship between total body fat mass and total-body-less-head bone mass and area, even after adjustment for height and/or lean mass (P < 0.001). There was a similar positive association between total body fat mass and increase in bone mass and area over the following 2 yr in boys and Tanner stage 1 girls. In contrast, no association was present between fat mass and gain in bone mass and size in Tanner stage 2 girls, whereas a negative association was seen in Tanner stage 3 girls (puberty-fat mass interaction, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS In prepubertal children, fat mass is a positive independent determinant of bone mass and size and of increases in these parameters over the following 2 yr, suggesting that adipose tissue acts to stimulate bone growth. However, this relationship is attenuated by puberty.
Consumption of materials in the United States, 1900-1995

▪ Abstract The flows of nonfood and nonfuel materials through the economy have significant impact on our lives and the world around us. Growing populations and economies demand more goods, services, and infrastructure. Since the beginning of the twentieth century, the types of materials consumed in the United States have significantly changed. In 1900, on a per-weight basis, almost half of the materials consumed were from renewable resources, such as wood, fibers, and agricultural products, the rest being derived from nonrenewable resources. By 1995, the consumption of renewable resources had declined dramatically, to only 8% of total consumption. During this century, the quantity of materials consumed has grown, from 161 million metric tons in 1900 to 2.8 billion metric tons by 1995, an equivalent of 10 metric tons per person per year. Of all the materials consumed during this century, more than half were consumed in the last 25 years. This paper examines the general historical shifts in materials consum.
Chronic toxicity of commercial chlorpyrifos to earthworm Pheretima peguana

A chronic toxicity study was conducted in earthworms (Pheretima peguana) exposed to soil spiked with chlorpyrifos at concentrations of 0, 0.1, 1, 10, and 100 mg/kg soil dry matter for 7, 14, and 28 days. The integrity of the coelomocyte lysosomal membrane, nervous system, and male reproductive tissue was monitored using, respectively, the neutral‐red retention assay, acetylcholinesterase (AChE) enzyme assay, and histomorphology of spermatogenic cells in the seminal vesicles and cocoon production (at 28 days after 28 days’ exposure). Chlorpyrifos decreased the coelomocyte neutral‐red retention time (NRRT) significantly (p < 0.05) at concentrations > 0.1 mg/kg soil as early as day 7 of exposure and was dose‐ and time‐dependent. Chlorpyrifos inhibition of AChE activity was greater at day 7 than at day14 (p < 0.05) indicating possibly nerve recovery. Chlorpyrifos induced concentration‐dependent damage to spermatogenic cells and cytophores in premature stages. The number and size of premature, maturing, and fully mature spermatogenic stages were increased at low concentrations (<1 mg/kg) but a number of these maturation stages declined at higher concentrations (10 and100 mg/kg) on day 28. The most severe effects were observed in the maturing and fully mature stages at the highest chlorpyrifos concentration, and this had an adverse impact on cocoon production and cocoon viability. Collectively, the results suggest induction of widespread effects on multiple organ systems in P. peguana exposed to chlorpyrifos. Although NRRT and AChE activity were the most sensitive of the biomarkers, cocoon production and cocoon viability could still be considered as diagnostic tools for monitoring effects from low‐dose long‐term chlorpyrifos toxicity and for evaluating population effects. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 31: 1450–1459, 2016.
Convexity and exceptional return

D uration is the traditional measure of portfolio interest rate risk. It estimates the relative change in value resulting from small parallel shifts in the term structure. ' As volatility has increased, however, duration has fallen short as the sole measure of risk. Convexity, which corrects the duration estimate for large parallel shifts, has recently been acclaimed the savior of duration. In fact, arguments based on the parallel shift worldview show that, beyond building a better risk measurement, more convexity is always better, ceteris paribus. ' Whether the market moves up or down, high-convexity portfolios will always outperform low-convexity portfolios of equal duration and yield. The argument that convexity can generate exceptional return assumes that the term structure always shifts in parallel. In fact, the term structure seldom, if ever, shifts in parallel. But is the deviation from the parallel shift assumption sufficient to negate the conclusion that convexity can generate exceptional return? This article examines this question in the U.S. Treasury market, using the technique of return attribution analysis, an approach long used to analyze equity returns. As we will demonstrate, return attribution analysis is also a powerful tool for investigating fixed-income returns.
Full-time employed students as university consumers – consequences and triggers of marketisation of higher education

Abstract This article draws on a qualitative study of student employment patterns among students who both study and work full-time. In the study, 17 employed bachelor students at state-commissioned study places in three Estonian universities, 12 lecturers from the same universities, and 13 employers supervising those full-time students, were interviewed. While recognising that the role of marketisation in higher education can be explored from a number of vantage points, the aim of this article is to demonstrate how marketisation has caused the change in students' expectations towards universities and encouraged them for full-time employment in Estonia. As the latter is a widely accepted phenomenon and adjustments on the ‘supply’-side are made, the implications of full-time employment on education are discussed. The results reveal three areas in which university education is not corresponding to students' expectations: content of study provided at the university, the study process, and university requirements. In some respects students' point of view was supported by the lecturers' and employers' perspectives. The authors argue that the consumer model and customer orientation in universities has decreased rather than enhanced the quality of education. However, the development in quality can only occur with policy measures and a shared responsibility of participants as universities in the current situation appear to have insufficient power to improve the system independently.
Evaluating the Role of Attribute Importance as a Multiplicative Weighting Variable in the Study of Hospitality Consumer Decision-Making

The concept of attribute importance has been used for years in marketing research. One of the primary uses of the concept is as a weighting variable through multiplication with other variables. This study empirically examines the role and utility of importance weights, as compared to unweighted variables, within the context of consumer satisfaction research in the lodging industry. The unweighted and importance-weighted variables are compared for their explanatory abilities in three different models and three different methods. The results consistently indicate that the unweighted variables outperform the weighted variables, espe cially when they are compared in the same models. Some methodological implications are discussed for future research.
A review of the mammalian unfolded protein response

Proteins requiring post‐translational modifications such as N‐linked glycosylation are processed in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). A diverse array of cellular stresses can lead to dysfunction of the ER and ultimately to an imbalance between protein‐folding capacity and protein‐folding load. Cells monitor protein folding by an inbuilt quality control system involving both the ER and the Golgi apparatus. Unfolded or misfolded proteins are tagged for degradation via ER‐associated degradation (ERAD) or sent back through the folding cycle. Continued accumulation of incorrectly folded proteins can also trigger the unfolded protein response (UPR). In mammalian cells, UPR is a complex signaling program mediated by three ER transmembrane receptors: activating transcription factor 6 (ATF6), inositol requiring kinase 1 (IRE1) and double‐stranded RNA‐activated protein kinase (PKR)‐like endoplasmic reticulum kinase (PERK). UPR performs three functions, adaptation, alarm, and apoptosis. During adaptation, the UPR tries to reestablish folding homeostasis by inducing the expression of chaperones that enhance protein folding. Simultaneously, global translation is attenuated to reduce the ER folding load while the degradation rate of unfolded proteins is increased. If these steps fail, the UPR induces a cellular alarm and mitochondrial mediated apoptosis program. UPR malfunctions have been associated with a wide range of disease states including tumor progression, diabetes, as well as immune and inflammatory disorders. This review describes recent advances in understanding the molecular structure of UPR in mammalian cells, its functional role in cellular stress, and its pathophysiology. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2011;108: 2777–2793. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Assessing the Impact of Entrepreneurship Education Programs: Challenges and Approaches

Entrepreneurship education programs are increasingly being established and expanded in an effort to equip students with the knowledge and competency necessary to create economic value and jobs. An underlying assumption of these programs is that they create positive outcomes for students; however, the extent and nature of these outcomes have not been well explored in the literature. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of contemporary trends in educational evaluation and the challenges specifically associated with the assessment of entrepreneurship education programs. It proposes practical considerations for faculty and administrators involved in developing assessment initiatives for entrepreneurship education programs, including, the importance of reaching consensus on learning outcomes, the use of a stakeholder‐driven approach for setting assessment priorities, and the need to allocate resources to assessment initiatives so they can be sustained long term. It also highlights the value of involving faculty in the program evaluation process and the need to create incentives and opportunities for more assessment‐related research and scholarship within the field.
Low Voltage-Activated Ca2+ Channels Are Coupled to Ca2+-Induced Ca2+ Release in Rat Thalamic Midline Neurons

High voltage-activated Ca2+ channels are coupled to the release of Ca2+ from intracellular stores. Here we present evidence that, in the paraventricular thalamic nucleus and other midline thalamic nuclei, activation of low voltage-activated (LVA) Ca2+ channels stimulates Ca2+-induced Ca2+ release (CICR) from intracellular stores. Voltage-clamp activation of LVA Ca2+ channels in fluo-4 AM-loaded neurons induced an initial transient increase in intracellular Ca2+ concentrations ([Ca2+]i) (mean increase, 19.4%; decay time constant, 71 ms) that reflected the entry of extracellular Ca2+. This was followed by a sustained secondary elevation in [Ca2+]i (mean increase, 4.7%; decay time constant, 7310 ms) that was attributable to CICR. Repeated activation of LVA Ca2+ channels to evoke CICR caused a progressive buildup of baseline [Ca2+]i (mean increase, 13.12 ± 3.41%) that was reduced by depletion of intracellular Ca2+ stores with thapsigargin or caffeine. In contrast, LVA Ca2+ channel-evoked CICR was absent from ventrolateral thalamocortical relay neurons, suggesting that LVA Ca2+ channel coupling to Ca2+-dependent intracellular signaling may be a property that is unique to nonspecific and midline thalamocortical neurons.