Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Short Run Impacts of Accountability on School Quality

In November of 2007, the New York City Department of Education assigned elementary and middle schools a letter grade (A to F) under a new accountability system. Grades were based on numeric scores derived from student achievement and other school environmental factors such as attendance, and were linked to a system of rewards and consequences. We use the discontinuities in the assignment of grades to estimate the impact of accountability in the short run. Specifically, we examine student achievement in English Language Arts and mathematics (measured in January and March of 2008, respectively) using school level aggregate data. Although schools had only a few months to respond to the release of accountability grades, we find that receipt of a low grade significantly increased student achievement in both subjects, with larger effects in math. We find no evidence that these grades were related to the percentage of students tested, implying that accountability can cause real changes in school quality that increase student achievement over a short time horizon. We also find that parental evaluations of educational quality improved for schools receiving low accountability grades. However, changes in survey response rates hold open the possibility of selection bias in these complementary results.
Temporal variability of problem drinking on Twitter

Twitter is a micro-blogging application, which is commonly used as a way for individuals to maintain social connections. Social scientists have also begun using Twitter as a data source for understanding more about human interactions. There is very little research about Twitter’s utility for monitoring health related attitudes, beliefs and behaviors. The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which individuals tweeted about problem drinking, and to identify if such tweets corresponded with time periods when problem drinking was likely to occur. Data from this study came from tweets originating in one of 9 randomly selected states, one from each of the nine census geographies in the US. Twitter’s API was used to collect tweets during the month of October 2010, and again during the time period surrounding New Year’s Eve 2010. Keywords were selected which indicated problem-drinking behaviors, and tweets were coded for the presence or absence of these keywords. Twitter users were most likely to tweet about problem drinking on Friday, Saturday and Sunday during the hours from 10 pm to 2 am. Tweets originating during the New Year’s Eve holiday (0.53%) were twice as common when compared to tweets during weekends in the month of October (0.34%). Twitter may be a valid data source for social scientists, given that tweets about problem drinking corresponded with expected time periods of actual problem drinking. Furthermore, tweets that mention problem drinking may be problematic for public health if they establish incorrect normative beliefs that such behaviors are acceptable and expected. Social norms interventions may be an effective tool in correcting misperceptions related to problem drinking by informing Twitter followers that problem drinking behaveiors are not normative.
The Changing Contribution of Tourism in a Dynamic Economy: The Case of Ireland

The performance of the Irish economy has received considerable international commentary in recent years. The focus of this attention has generally been on how an economy with severe fiscal imbalances and endemic unemployment in the 1980s was transformed in the 1990s so that it exhibited phenomenal economic growth and employment gains. This paper argues that the turnaround in the fortunes of the Irish economy was due to the confluence of a number of endogenous and exogenous factors and explains that tourism, often overlooked by commentators, played an important role in the transformation. The paper focuses on the performance of tourism since the mid-1980s, outlines the sector's contribution in the macroeconomy and details some emerging concerns that must be addressed if the tourism industry is to continue to play an important role in the economy of Ireland.
And Now There Are Five: A New Player in Intracellular Trafficking Pathways

​PeeringPeering at a cell through a microscope reveals a hotbed of seemingly random activity, as proteins zip here and there. But the business of shuttling proteins to the correct destination is in fact a highly regulated, high-stakes affair. Disruption of these trafficking pathways can affect a cell's interaction with the surrounding cells and external environment. Neuronal cells, for example, rely on trafficking pathways to properly send and receive chemical signals. Mutations in genes involved in trafficking are implicated in a number of neurodegenerative disorders—including Alzheimer's and Huntington's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and hereditary spastic paraplegia—underscoring the importance of understanding this basic cellular process.
PTSD confounds detection of compromised cerebral white matter integrity in military veterans reporting a history of mild traumatic brain injury

Abstract Primary objective: Based on high comorbidity between mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among deployed military service members, this study tested the hypothesis that the presence of PTSD disrupts the association between mTBI and lower white matter integrity identified in non-military samples. Research design/Methods and procedures: In a sample of 124 recent veterans with a range of mTBI and PTSD history, diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) metrics of white matter integrity in 20 regions were compared using multiple mTBI and PTSD contrasts. Main outcomes and results: Civilian mTBI was associated with lower global anisotropy, higher global diffusivity and higher diffusivity in 17 of 20 regions. No main effects of deployment mTBI were observed, but an interaction between deployment mTBI and lifetime PTSD on FA was observed globally and in 10 regions. Impact and blast mTBI demonstrated similar but weaker effects to those of civilian and deployment mTBI, respectively, demonstrating the context of mTBI is more relevant to white matter integrity than mechanism of injury. Conclusions: Overall, a main effect of civilian mTBI indicates long-term disruptions to white matter are likely present, while the interaction between deployment mTBI and PTSD indicates that a history of PTSD alters this relationship.
Microfinance and Social Investment

This review puts a corporate finance lens on microfinance. Microfinance aims to democratize global financial markets through new contracts, organizations, and technology. We explain the roles that government agencies and socially minded investors play in supporting the entry and expansion of private intermediaries in the sector, and we disentangle debates about competing social and commercial firm goals. We frame the analysis with theory that explains why microfinance institutions serving lower-income communities charge high interest rates, face high costs, monitor customers relatively intensively, and have limited ability to lever assets. The analysis blurs traditional dividing lines between nonprofits and for-profits and places focus on the relationship between target market, ownership rights, and access to external capital.
The Management of Redundancies in Europe: The Case of Denmark

The paper presents the findings of comparative and interdisciplinary legal and economic study on managing labour redundancies in seven EU member countries. It is structured for comparability between the systems examined. The introductory section contains an account of the evolution of the Danish labour market, with special reference to redundancy trends, of the features of the programmes for managing redundancies, of the roles of firms and the 'external environment' in handling workforce adjustments. The second section presents a map of policies that work to prevent labour redundancies (preventive measures) such as flexibility, training etc. Next, the instruments for handling temporary labour redundancies (retentive measures) are examined (e.g. short-time working, temporary layoffs etc.). The following section is devoted to instruments and programmes involved in the management of permanent labour redundancies (expulsive measures), e.g. collective dismissals, severance pay etc. The final section provides an overall assessment of the Danish system for managing labour redundancies, and briefly discusses the national debate on the prospects for reform, in light of the principles and policies of convergence set forth by the European Union. Copyright Fondazione Giacomo Brodolini and Blackwell Publishers Ltd 1999.
Valuation of Catastrophe Equity Puts with Markov-Modulated Poisson Processes

We derive the pricing formula for catastrophe equity put options (CatEPuts) by assuming catastrophic events follow a Markov Modulated Poisson process (MMPP) whose intensity varies according to the change of the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) signal. U.S. hurricanes events from 1960 to 2007 show that the CatEPuts pricing errors under the MMPP(2) are smaller than the PP by 30 percent to 66 percent. The scenario analysis indicates that the MMPP outperforms the exponential growth pattern (EG) if the hurricane intensity is the AMO signal, whereas the EG may outperform the MMPP if the future climate is warming rapidly.
The Public Service Ethos Versus Public Management Models

e paper examines the issue of public service ethos and pose s a question how that speci" c culture " ts into the framework of public management. e au thor states that in the early 21st century, the Weberian model of bureaucracy is under increasing pressure of market-logic driven models of public management. On the other hand, an alternative to both classic bureaucracy and modern public management seems to have emerged in the form of public governance theory. In the context of contradictory in# uences, Poland ’s administration " nds itself at a crossroads nowadays, as it struggles with the bureaucratic legacy and underdeveloped public service ethos, while entering the foreign land shaped by not entirely compatible logics of the market and public governance.
Rights of way improvement plans and increased access to the countryside in England: some key issues concerning supply

This paper analyses the issues relating to the supply of Public Rights of Way in England from the perspective of farmers and landowners. Although government guidance for Local Authorities states that the interests of landowners should be taken into account during the preparation of Rights of Way Improvement Plans, there is little information in the public domain concerning the attitudes of, and issues affecting, potential suppliers. This paper identifies the issues of concern to suppliers and how these affect access to the countryside. The methodology employed was a combination of desk research, qualitative research and a postal survey of farmers within the study areas. Respondents were just as likely to prefer to exclude the public from their land as they were to allow access on the proviso of responsible behaviour. The idea that landowners would be happy to provide increased access on their land given sufficient financial incentive was found to be unproven. However, a minority of landowners provide informal access to their land for certain user groups. The fact that landowners are happier to provide permissive access than new Rights of Way suggests that they prefer to be able to keep a measure of control over access to their land. Respondents also displayed a lack of confidence in current Rights of Way procedures and suggested that it would be better to concentrate on creating usable networks than simply recording historic Rights of Way. There was also concern that increased access would result in increased costs and workloads for landowners. Whilst there are legal measures available to forcibly maintain and increase the access resource if necessary, the most desirable solution is for landowners to welcome access to their land. However, it is clear that there are a number of real concerns that need to be addressed in order for this to be the case and these issues can not be solved simply by financial means.
Effects of Ownership Structure on the Performance of Listed Companies on the Ghana Stock Exchange

Every business organisation has an important decision of making returns. This decision also affects its capital base and the decision of either going for equity financing or debt financing. The stock markets are widely viewed as important, if not essential, for the functioning of modern capitalist economies. In Ghana, a huge gap exists in literature on the impact of ownership structure and a firm performance as well as the measure of ownership structure and whether or not the endogeneity of ownership structure affect performances of firms. This paper therefore sought to determine the relationship between the ownership structure of listed firms and performance on Stock Market. The paper made used of secondary data and the data were analyzed using Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation and Logistic Regression. The first finding indicates that there is a significant negative relationship between ownership concentration and firm performance. The second finding shows a positive relationship between insider ownership and firm performance. The paper recommends that there is dire need to reasonably diversify shareholding as a way of attracting more skills and competencies among the shareholders that can be tapped to improve firm performance. At the same time, the managers should be protected from unnecessary direct interference by the shareholders.
High-Speed Solid Rotor Synchronous Reluctance Machine Design and Optimization

This paper presents design and analysis of high-power, high-speed solid rotor synchronous reluctance motors. Different rotor forms are optimized and a new configuration which combines holes and slots is proposed. The mean torque is maximized by a cyclic algorithm coupled with finite elements method to solve electromagnetic, displacement, and thermal equations. Test results on 20-kW, 20 000-r/min, and 3-kW, 3000-r/min designed machines are compared with simulations.
Rapid screening for sarcopenia

The four major comments of muscle wasting disease are cachexia, sarcopenia, malnutrition and congenital.1,2 Of these, the most common is sarcopenia.3–7 Since sarcopenia is a clinical situation which causes various adverse outcomes, including immobility, falls, disability and death in older people 8–13, the importance of recognizing and treating sarcopenia has been recognized by providing an ICD-10 code for sarcopenia.
Putrefaction and Wound Dehiscence: A Potentially Confusing Postmortem Phenomenon

The decomposed body of a 49-year-old man was found at his home address. At autopsy, 3 incised wounds of the lower abdomen and groins were identified, raising the possibility of some form of inflicted injury. Further dissection revealed that the wounds were healing surgical incisions that had been forced open by putrefactive tissue breakdown, swelling, and gas formation. Death was due to ischemic heart disease. Putrefaction is a common problem encountered in forensic practice that may result in considerable distortion and modification of tissues. Unusual skin lesions caused by the disruption and dehiscence of healing surgical wounds may be created by decomposition. This possibility should be considered when symmetrical, cleanly incised wounds are identified.
Corporate governance in Germany

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to provide an outline of German corporate governance. Design/methodology/approach - The history of the German Corporate Governance Code is highlighted. Then a short overview of the acceptance of the code by companies in practice is given which is based on an empirical survey. This is followed by the most recent changes as well as an overview of the developments of corporate governance in Europe. Finally, a summary of the current discussion of codetermination in terms of company management in Germany is provided. Findings - This appraisal, accompanied by a high degree of approval of the code, shows that, on the one hand, its stipulations partly break with tradition and, on the other hand, have undergone frequent changes: in a period of four years, already four amendments have been made. Originality/value - The paper offers insight into issues of corporate governance in Germany.
Use of a Combination of Brushing Technique and the Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification Method as a Novel, Rapid, and Safe System for Detection of Helicobacter pylori

ABSTRACT Gastric mucosal biopsy is widely used in the detection of Helicobacter pylori but is associated with a number of problems, including false-negative results due to sampling error and massive bleeding after biopsy. Given the extended period required to culture H. pylori, detection would be further improved by the use of rapid detection methods such as PCR. Here, we developed a rapid, safe, and convenient method for collecting H. pylori which combines endoscopic brushing with the loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) method. The specificity and sensitivity of LAMP were examined using nine urease-generating non-H. pylori bacterial species, Escherichia coli, Clostridium perfringens, Campylobacter jejuni, Helicobacter hepaticus, and 51 H. pylori strains. Results showed that H. pylori-specific LAMP primers amplified H. pylori DNA only and that the lowest detection limit of the LAMP reaction was 102 CFU. Brushing and biopsy samples taken from 200 patients with peptic ulcer at Nagoya University Hospital and a regional health care center were subjected to both LAMP and culturing. No adverse effects such as severe bleeding or penetration occurred during the procedure. By LAMP assay, 123 patients were confirmed as H. pylori positive when brushing technique samples were assayed, whereas only 100 were positive when biopsy samples were assayed. Culture assay detected H. pylori in 117 patients when it was combined with the brushing technique and in 96 when it was combined with biopsy. Combination of the endoscopic brushing technique with LAMP is considered a useful and safe system for identifying H. pylori infection.
EXPORT PROCESSING ZONES: The Economics of Enclave Manufacturing

Export processing zones (EPZs) are economic enclaves within which manufacturing for export occurs under virtual free trade conditions. Many developing countries have established EPZs in hopes of reaping economic gains through employment, foreign exchange earnings, and technology transfer. This article studies the benefits and costs of EPZs in Indonesia, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, and the Philippines and reviews the relationship between the welfare effects of EPZs and the host country's economic policies. When the domestic economy is distorted, the EPZ confers limited welfare gains. Nevertheless, EPZs are far from the "engines of development" that some countries had initially hoped they would become. Copyright 1989 by Oxford University Press.
Benchmarking Systems of Seasonally Adjusted Time Series

When a system of time series is seasonally adjusted, generally the accounting constraints originally linking the series are not fulfilled. To overcome this problem, we discuss an extension to a system of series linked by an accounting constraint of the classical univariate benchmarking procedure due to Denton (1971), which is founded on a movement preservation principle that is very relevant in this case. The presence of linear dependence between the variables makes it necessary to deal with the whole set of contemporaneous and temporal aggregation relationships. The cases of one-way classified (e.g., by regions or by industries) and of two-way classified (e.g., by regions and by industries) systems of series are studied. An empirical application to the Canadian retail trade series by province (12 series) and trade groups (18 series) is considered to show the capability of the proposed procedures.
The significance of sports clubs within multicultural society. On the accumulation of social capital by migrants in culturally “mixed” and “separate” sports clubs

Abstract In the Netherlands, but also in other Western European countries, the vast majority of migrants who participate in club sports, do so in longstanding sports clubs where native members predominate. Some, however, prefer to play sport in clubs run and dominated by migrants. For the purpose of this study a “mixed” club refers to a club in which people belonging to the ethnic majority and ethnic minorities are mingled; a “separate” club refers to a club in which only ethnic minorities are members, although more than one ethnic minority may be present. Policymakers often resist the establishment and preservation of organisations along ethnic lines. Sports clubs established by and for migrants might hinder their process of integration. How valid is this argument? Does self-organisation in sport by migrants create a barrier for integration in wider society or does it instead offer a useful leg up? This article presents the findings of a large-scale empirical study into the significance of the sports club within multicultural society. In particular, it examines the various ways in which ethnic diversity is organised in sport. Putnam’s (2000) social capital approach provides the theoretical framework for this research. The results confirm that migrants in both kinds of sports clubs are able to accumulate considerable social capital. The members of both types of club gain contacts, knowledge and skills. At the same time, both kinds of club fulfil different roles for their members.
Entrepreneurship, institutional variety and economic development

The contribution of entrepreneurship to economic growth varies across countries at different stages of economic development. The type of entrepreneurship also varies as countries develop: the ratio of necessity-based entrepreneurial firms (new entrepreneurial ventures born to escape unemployment) relative to opportunity-based entrepreneurial firms (new entrepreneurial ventures driven by business opportunities) changes as economies grow. Government has an interest in shaping the institutional environment in a way that supports dynamic entrepreneurial activity and contributes to economic growth. In this paper, we endogenize institutional variety into modern evolutionary models of diffusion; variety not only in organizational structures but also in investment financing of entrepreneurial firms. We discuss how our analysis updates understanding of modern evolutionary models of diffusion and we reflect on the practical implications for policy-makers to support entrepreneurial activities and stimulate economic growth.