Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Aggregate imports and expenditure components in the UK:an empirical analysis

This paper examines the long-run relationship between UK aggregate imports and the macroeconomic components of final expenditure, using the Johansen multivariate cointegration analysis. It is found that there are significant differences between the long-run elasticities of import demand with respect to the different components of final expenditure, over the period 1972 to 1990. An error correction model is proposed for short-run forecasting of UK aggregate imports. The short-run model appears to track the data well.
Essays on public and private insurance of income shocks

This thesis explores issues related to public and private insurance of income shocks, and the importance of human capital accumulation. The first chapter argues that the intertemporal elasticity of substitution of labor supply (i.e.s.) is a state-dependent variable which strongly depends on the return to human capital accumulation. Estimating a life cycle model I find that the average i.e.s. is low (0.35), and comparable with micro estimates, even in the presence of human capital. However, the average i.e.s. hide important heterogeneity: for college graduates the i.e.s. more than doubles over the life cycle, whereas it increases by about 58 percent for workers without a college degree. The second chapter argues that heterogeneous returns to human capital accumulation affects the degree to which search effort of unemployed deviates from the socially optimal level, and the reason behind the deviation. I find that (i) the main social costs associated with unemployment insurance are not due to moral hazard problems, but are due to distortionary effects of labor income taxes needed to finance the insurance. (ii) The magnitude of the moral hazard problem and the tax distortion problem, differs substantially by age and education. And, (iii) the degree of tax progressiveness and benefit regressiveness has important effects on the deviation of search effort. The third chapter study the relation between co-movement of income shocks and precautionary asset holdings. If households perceive spousal labor supply as an insurance mechanism, it is evident that this mechanism should work better the lower the co-movement of income shocks. We find that (i) households in which both spouses have the same education level or work in the same industry have a higher correlation of income shocks compared to couples with different education/industry. And, (ii) households who face larger co-movements of income shocks hold larger precautionary buffers.
Insights into current practices in auditing environmental matters

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate insights into current practices in auditing “environmental matters” in accordance with Audit Guidance Statement 1010: The Consideration of Environmental Matters in the Audit of Financial Reports, which was introduced by the New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountants in 2001.Design/methodology/approach – The approach to gathering evidence for this study is qualitative semi‐structured in‐depth personal interviews with 27 auditors: 18 financial auditors (FAs) in chartered accounting practice and nine public sector auditors (PSAs) from the office of the Auditor‐General.Findings – The interview findings confirmed that the auditors respond to isomorphic pressures that affect them, either by employing acquiesce or compromise strategies and that institutional theory fits best as an appropriate theory to frame the research. Environmental matters are only considered in the planning of a company audit when it is significant and relevant to financial reporting.
UE Coverage in LTE Macro Network with Mixed CSG and Open Access Femto Overlay

Downlink coverage issues for users (UEs) in a macrocellular network with femtocellular overlay have so far been investigated almost exclusively via simulation~\cite{key-2}. In this paper, we employ general models for macro Node B and femto access point (AP) locations to get closed-form expressions for the probability that an arbitrary UE can camp on a macro Node B or an open access (OA) femto AP. These expressions depend only on the relative densities and transmit powers of the macro Node Bs and femto APs, the fraction of femto APs operating in OA vs.~Closed Subscriber Group (CSG) mode, and on the parameters of the wireless channel model. For a macrocellular operator considering a femtocellular overlay on a macrocellular network, we show how a set of universal curves could be used to choose the parameters of the femtocellular deployment.
Induction of Alloantigen-Specific Human T Regulatory Cells by Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide1

T regulatory cells (Tregs) are instrumental in the maintenance of immunological tolerance. Although Treg-based immunotherapy proved successful in preclinical autoimmunity and transplantation, factors involved in the generation of human Ag-specific Tregs are poorly known. In this study, we show that treatment of human CD4+CD25− T cells with the cytokine-like vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) during in vitro stimulation induces an anergic FoxP3+CD4+CD25high T cell subset displaying potent regulatory activities against allospecific effector T cells, irrespective of the presence of naturally occurring Tregs. VIP-tolerant T cells are characterized by incapability to progress to S phase of cell cycle during stimulation with HLA-disparate APCs by negatively affecting the synthesis of cyclins D3 and E, the activation of cyclin-dependent kinases (cdk)2 and cdk4, and the down-regulation of the cdk inhibitor p27kip1. VIP interaction with the type 1 VIP receptor and subsequent activation of cAMP/protein kinase A pathway play a major role in all these effects. Moreover, VIP-tolerant T cells protect against acute graft-vs-host disease in a mouse model of allogeneic bone marrow transplantation. The infusion of VIP-tolerant T cells together with the graft significantly reduces the clinical signs and mortality rate typical of the graft-vs-host disease. These effects are mediated by impairing allogeneic haplotype-specific responses of donor CD4+ cells in the transplanted animals. Our results suggest that including alloantigen-specific VIP-generated Tregs may be a valuable tool in therapeutic interventions to promote immunotolerance toward allogeneic grafts and to reduce the need of general immunosuppressive drugs.
Habits and Durability in Consumption, and the Effects of Exchange Rate Policies

The effects of exchange rate policies are worked out in a model in which consumption goods are durable, and money enters the utility function. The interaction of habits and durability results in a non-monotonic adjustment of consumption expenditures, and the current account. As money does not exhibit durability, its dynamics are montonic, and determined mainly by habits effects. Hence, an increase in the rate of depreciation of the domestic currency will very likely lead to a nomonotonic adjustment of consumption and the current account, while the adjustment of real money holdings will be monotonic [F31, F32, F41]
Communication between general-relativistic observers without a shared reference frame

We show how to reliably encode quantum information and send it between two arbitrary general-relativistic observers without a shared reference frame. Any information stored in a quantum field will inevitably be destroyed by an unknown Bogolyubov transformation relating the observers. However certain quantum correlations between different, independent fields will be preserved, no matter what transformation is applied. We show how to efficiently use these correlations in communication between arbitrary observers.
Decorrelating Closely-Placed Antennas by Pattern Design in Uniform Scattering Environments

MIMO system's performance depends greatly on the correlation of employed antennas. The more the correlation is, the worse the performance will be. We propose a solution to the problem of decorrelating closely spaced antennas assuming the antennas have identical radiation patterns with the same steering angles. In fact, we will show that by proper steering of the antenna patterns, the decorrelation distance is reduced to 0.25A which is a great improvement comparing with the well- established 0.4lambda result coming from the Bessel-shaped correlation expression. Also, we analyze this result in the regime of very closely placed antennas and by proposing the definition of Decor- relation Factor of an antenna pattern, provide the framework of comparing the correlation behavior of different antennas. Furthermore, we apply our results to two practical directional antennas, namely, the half-wavelength dipole and the vertical electric dipole antennas.
Segmentation d'image médicales volumiques à l'aide de maillages déformables contraints. (Medical images segmentation using constrained deformable models)

La segmentation d'organes abdominaux dans des images medicales volumiques est rendue difficile par le bruit et le faible contraste de ces images. Les techniques de segmentation classiques a base d'extraction de contours ou de seuillage donnent des resultats insuffisants. Dans ce rapport, nous utilisons des modeles deformables pour segmenter les images. En introduisant un modele de l'organe voulu dans le processus de segmentation, nous beneficions d'une connaissance a priori de la forme a retrouver. Nous utilisons des images de contour bruitees pour deformer localement le modele. Les donnees de contours etant incompletes, il est necessaire de contraindre le modele pour qu'il se deforme regulierement. Nos maillages simplexes beneficient d'un mecanisme de memoire de forme agissant de facon regularisante sur les deformations. Nous utilisons des transformations globales pour disposer davantage de contraintes. Un modele hybride fournit un compromis entre complexite de calcul des transformations globales et nombre de degres de liberte du modele. Nous etudions egalement l'utilisation d'un ensemble d'apprentissage pour construire un modele plus robuste tirant parti de l'information statistique des deformations possibles. L'information statistique peut etre utilisee pour contraindre d'avantage les deformations ou pour parametrer de facon plus fine le processus de deformation.
Sex Trafficking in Nepal: Context and Process

The aim of this study was to provide a clearer understanding of the process and context of sex trafficking from Nepal using data from trafficked women themselves. It develops a conceptual framework of the trafficking process and uses this to identify detailed strategies for reducing the risk of trafficking. Quantitative data were analyzed from case records of 202 sex-trafficked women at rehabilitation centers in Nepal. In-depth interviews with 42 sex trafficked women, mostly residing at rehabilitation centers in Kathmandu, provide contextual information on the process and circumstances of sex trafficking. The results of this study provide a clearer understanding of the stages of movement through the sex trafficking process; in particular that sex trafficking does not always begin at the village level, it may also occur after voluntary migration or after trafficking to urban areas for other purposes (i.e., labor exploitation). Interventions therefore need to target each stage of movement through sex trafficking. Respondents were most commonly sex trafficked by familiar persons, including relatives; and force and abduction are less common. Women exited from sex trafficking through rescue, escape or release. One of the outcomes of sex trafficking is a return to sex work upon return to Nepal.
Joint evaluation and mitigation of RF impairments and nonlinear distortion in WiMAX Transceiver under Nakagami-m fading channel

This Paper presents a joint evaluation of WiMAX Transceiver in presence of various hardware based RF impairments along with compensation for RF wireless environment effects. The wireless environment is modeled using Nakagami-m fading channel. Behavior model of a nonlinearity compensated transmitter and a homodyne receiver have been adopted and implemented in a MATLAB/Simulink co-simulation platform to model and mitigate the RF-impairments and channel effect in the proposed WiMAX based system. The effect of power amplifier (PA) non-linearity at the transmitter and its linearization in presence of IQ imperfection is evaluated and a Non-linear Modified Constant Modulus Algorithm (NMCMA) is proposed along with a memory polynomial model to mitigate the effect of both transceiver IQ imperfection and PA nonlinearity.
The effects of inequality on growth: a survey of the theoretical and empirical literature

Basically, the extensive theoretical and empirical literature on the interactions between growth/development and distribution can be divided into two main approaches. The first one examines the impact of economic development on income distribution in a long run perspective. The second one focuses on the inverse causality between inequality and growth. This paper aims at reviewing this second view about the effects of initial inequality of income and wealth on future growth rate. The theoretical literature suggests several channels through which inequality might be harmful for growth, namely three economic explanations (the channel of the capital market imperfections, the approach of endogenous fertility, the argument relating to the domestic market size) and two politico-economic arguments (the approach of endogenous fiscal policy and the political instability channel). The following conclusions can be drawn from our survey of the empirical studies regarding the relationship between inequality and growth: first, only the endogenous fertility approach and the explanation based on political instability receive convincing support from the data. Second, initial inequality of assets has a negative and significant effect on subsequent growth. As a result, wealth redistribution is likely to enhance future growth.
Gr upSM Severity and Treatment Outcome Based on Phenotypes and Endotypes Classifications of Chronic Rhinosinusitis

Chronic rhinosinusitis is one of the most common chronic diseases with multi-factorial origin and different underlying pathophysiologies that has a great impact on quality of life with. It is generally agreed that there are many subgroups or “phenotypes” of chronic rhinosinusitis defined by clinical observable characteristics, such as the presence or absence of nasal polyps. These phenotypes are useful for therapeutic decision. However, it doesn’t provide complete understanding about all underlying cellular and molecular pathophysiologic mechanisms of this pathology. The concept of multiple groups of biological subtypes, or ‘‘endotypes’’ which are identified by corresponding biomarkers has been recently studied. Classification of chronic rhinosinusitis according to phenotypes and endotypes may allow the identification of subgroups in relation to treatment response. Better identification of phenotypes and especially endotypes may improve individualization of therapy that can be targeted against specific biomarkers as recently developed, such as anti-IL-5 and anti-IgE. Literature review is essential for better developing general classification of chronic rhinosinusitis and better prediction of treatment outcome.
Growing Wealth with Fixed-Mix Strategies

This chapter surveys theoretical research on the long-term performance of fixed-mix investment strategies. These self-financing strategies rebalance the portfolio over time so as to keep constant the proportions of wealth invested in various assets. The main result is that wealth can be grown from volatility. Our findings demonstrate the benefits of active portfolio management and the potential of financial engineering.
The Returns on Investment Grade Diamonds

Abstract: This paper examines the risk-return characteristics of investment grade gems (white diamonds, colored diamonds and other types of gems including sapphires, rubies, and emeralds). The transactions are coming from gem auctions and span the period 1999-2012. Over our time frame, the annual nominal USD returns for white and colored diamonds amount to 8.1% and 7.4%, respectively, or 5.5% and 4.8% in real terms. For a Euro investor, the returns on white and colored diamonds are about 1.3% lower than for a USD investors but the Euro returns still beat inflation by 3.5% annually. The returns for Other Gem types (rubies, emeralds and sapphires) are more volatile and somewhat lower (4.5% annual nominal returns and 2.1% in annual real terms). Applying the hedonic regression method to the data set of auction transactions of investment grade diamonds, we are able to explain more than 95% of their price variation in white diamonds. Although the diamond returns since 1999 have been below those on gold, both white and colored diamonds have significantly outperformed the US and European stock markets, US and European real estate, US government bonds, as well as European government and corporate bonds. The reward-to-risk (Sharpe ratio) of white diamonds is very close to that of US corporate government bonds. The highest Sharpe ratio (by far) over the past 14 years was the one on gold. Still, in times of crisis investments in diamonds have shown an attractive risk-return tradeoff. In spite of a small positive correlation between the diamond and the equity markets, adding diamonds to an equity portfolio still have some diversification advantages.
MicroRNA-208b inhibits human osteosarcoma progression by targeting ROR2

MicroRNAs are widely involved in cancer progression by inhibiting the expression levels of oncogenes or tumor suppressor genes, and dysregulation of microRNAs may contribute to tumorigenesis. Here, we found that overexpressed miR-208b can reduce the proliferation of human osteosarcoma cell lines U-2OS and Saos-2 by arresting cell cycle progression. The in vivo xenograft tumors induced by Saos-2 cells overexpressing miR-208b had smaller size and grew more slowly than those induced by the control cells. The mobility of U-2OS or Saos-2 cells was also downregulated by miR-208b. MiR-208b targeted a site in the 3′ untranslated region of receptor tyrosine kinase–like orphan receptor 2. Inhibition of receptor tyrosine kinase–like orphan receptor 2 suppresses osteosarcoma metastasis in vitro. Recovering the expression levels of receptor tyrosine kinase–like orphan receptor 2 in miR-208b-overexpressed U-2OS or Saos-2 cells attenuated the inhibitory effects of miR-208b. In addition, the expression levels of miR-208b are significantly reduced in human osteosarcoma tissue samples compared to normal tissue samples, and miR-208b levels correlated inversely with receptor tyrosine kinase–like orphan receptor 2 levels. On these bases, we identified that miR-208b targets receptor tyrosine kinase–like orphan receptor 2 gene by which miR-208b can regulate the development of osteosarcoma.
Inpatriate Marketing Managers: Issues Associated with Staffing Global Marketing Positions

This article addresses the strategic role of an inpatriate marketing staffing approach in the development of a global marketing mind-set within global organizations. The premise lies in addressing the liability-of-foreignness concept, which, the authors suggest, impedes the inpatriate marketing manager's integration process, from the individual level of analysis. Drawing from reference point theory, the article highlights potential hardships manages face with an analysis of the managerial and contextual liability of foreignness that inpatriate marketing managers may perceive in their transition from home countries to headquarter locations. Implications of identifying and attending to such hardships are important in light of the significance attributed to these semipermanent to permanent assignments across different cultural contexts.
An Experimental Investigation of Auditor-Auditee Interaction under Ambiguity

This study experimentally investigates the interaction between auditors and auditees in a strategic setting. Auditee subjects asserted an asset value, given knowledge of the true value. Auditor subjects selected a costly sample of the assets and decided whether to accept or reject an auditee's asserted value. The experiment included between-subjects manipulations of auditee pay for undetected overstatements and ambiguity facing auditors. We investigate whether auditees anticipate the effect of auditors' ambiguity aversion on their decisions to sample and reject the reported balance. Results indicate that sampling increased with increases in either auditors' ambiguity or auditees' incentive to misstate. Also, controlling for sample size, auditors tended to reject the asserted value given a stronger incentive to misstate, but were unaffected by ambiguity. Auditees' misstatement rate was higher given a stronger incentive to misstate, and lower given more ambiguity facing auditors. Further, we document a strategic effect of ambiguity as the effect of auditors' ambiguity in reducing auditees' tendency to misstate was larger given a weaker incentive to misstate.
Le nuove forme del lavoro indipendente

Self-employment represents a larger share of total employment in Italy than the European average, and in addition Italy has the larger number of self-employed with no employees. This article focuses on the link between companies' flexibility strategy and new employment positions and non-standard labour contracts creation. The analysis of restruction process (technological and organisational evolution) in a specific economic sector (publishing industry) shows an increasing use of sub-contractors and temporary self-employment home based workers, and un-conventional behaviour models from the labour supply side. The diffusion of such a new and mixed contractual forms of employment, shows the difficulty of drawing a clear dividing line between independent and dependent employment. A growing number of people with a vulnerable position in the juridical, economical and social domain represents a serious challenge to the national reforms in recent years. The public debate is actually relates to the need for some regulation of working conditions for these heterogeneous independent workers and to revise the social security system in order to reduce inequalities within this category and between it and dependent employment.
Yar1 Protects the Ribosomal Protein Rps3 from Aggregation*

Background: Because of their biochemical properties, newly synthesized ribosomal proteins are prone to aggregation. Results: Yar1 directly interacts with free Rps3, accompanies it from the cytoplasm to the nucleus and maintains its solubility. Conclusion: Yar1 acts as an anti-aggregation factor for Rps3. Significance: Ribosomal proteins require protection from aggregation. 2000 ribosomes have to be synthesized in yeast every minute. Therefore the fast production of ribosomal proteins, their efficient delivery to the nucleus and correct incorporation into ribosomal subunits are prerequisites for optimal growth rates. Here, we report that the ankyrin repeat protein Yar1 directly interacts with the small ribosomal subunit protein Rps3 and accompanies newly synthesized Rps3 from the cytoplasm into the nucleus where Rps3 is assembled into pre-ribosomal subunits. A yar1 deletion strain displays a similar phenotype as an rps3 mutant strain, showing an accumulation of 20S pre-rRNA and a 40S export defect. The combination of an rps3 mutation with a yar1 deletion leads to an enhancement of these phenotypes, while increased expression of RPS3 suppresses the defects of a yar1 deletion strain. We further show that Yar1 protects Rps3 from aggregation in vitro and increases its solubility in vivo. Our data suggest that Yar1 is a specific chaperone for Rps3, which serves to keep Rps3 soluble until its incorporation into the pre-ribosome.