Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Duverger's Law in the Laboratory

In this paper, we conduct a laboratory experiment to test the robustness of Duverger’s law and its extension “M+1 rule. ” The M+1 rule states that, in an M-member electoral district with the single nontransferable vote, votes concentrate on M+1 candidates, and Duverger’s law is the case of M=1. Our experimental results support the comparative statics of the M+1 rule so that votes concentrate on a smaller number of candidates under M=1 than under M=2. Whether the M+1 rule itself is supported or not depends on what type of index we use to measure the effective number of candidates. Some degree of variety is also observed between experimental sessions. Nonetheless, on average, our analysis with Molinar’s index supports the M+1 rule well.
Exports and Foreign Distributional Activities - Evidence On Japanese Firms in the United-states

This paper examines the relationship between Japanese exports to the United States and distributional activities of Japanese affiliates in the U.S. wholesale trade sector, by using a sample of 44 three-digit Japanese exporting industries. The statistical analysis provides evidence supporting the hypothesis that Japanese direct investment in distribution has strongly promoted Japanese exports to the U.S. markets.
The Online London Dysmorphology Database

A prototype of the Online London Dysmorphology Database is now available for testing purposes. In this paper we describe the new online version of the London Dysmorphology Database (LDDB), which is accessible via the World-Wide Web. The system has been developed primarily to address the information lag associated with the stand-alone version of LDDB (currently 3–15 months) and therefore provides access to the latest data from the master database that resides on a web server. An additional benefit is that, because the Online LDDB is a web-based resource, it will be available to users of both Macintosh and Unix computers as well as PC users.
Lifestyle intervention to prevent diabetes in men and women with impaired glucose tolerance is cost-effective

Objectives: The Finnish Diabetes Prevention Study (DPS) was a randomized intervention program that evaluated the effect of intensive lifestyle modification on the development of diabetes mellitus type 2 in patients with impaired glucose tolerance. As such, a program is demanding in terms of resources; it is necessary to assess whether it would be money well spent. This determination was the purpose of this study. Methods: We developed a simulation model to assess the economic consequences of an intervention like the one studied in DPS in a Swedish setting. The model used data from the trial itself to assess the effect of intervention on the risk of diabetes and on risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Results from the United Kingdom Prospective Diabetes Study were used to estimate the risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke. Cost data were derived from Swedish studies. The intervention was assumed to be applied to eligible patients from a population-based screening program of 60-year-olds in the County of Stockholm from which the baseline characteristics of the patients was used. Results: The model predicted that implementing the program would be cost-saving from the healthcare payers' perspective. Furthermore, it was associated with an increase in estimated survival of . 18 years. Taking into consideration the increased consumption by patients due to their longer survival, the predicted cost-effectiveness ratio was 2,363€ per quality-adjusted life-year gained. Conclusions: Lifestyle intervention directed toward high-risk subjects would be cost-saving for the healthcare payer and highly cost-effective for society as a whole.
Import Flows: Extraregional Linkages Stimulating Renewal of Regional Sectors?

We examine the role of regional import flows for renewal of regional industries. The hypothesis is that imports stimulate renewal of local industries by being vehicles for technology diffusion and means by which local firms can exploit advantages of global specialisation. We find robust and positive relationships between high-quality imports and renewal of regional exports, where the latter are measured by the introduction of novel export products of local firms. Connectedness to international markets via import networks appears to be a stimulus for the renewal of regional exports.
‘Normative’ power Europe: a realist critique

Abstract This article offers a neorealist analysis and critique of liberal-idealist notions of the EU as a ‘normative’ or ‘civilian’ power. It argues that structural realist theory can shed considerable light on the emergence, development and nature of EU foreign and security policy co-operation. In contrast to liberal-idealism's reductionist and explicitly normative approach to the EU as an international actor, structural realism emphasizes the systemic determinants of EU foreign and security policy. It stresses the significance of bipolarity for the emergence of the EEC/EPC, and argues that the development of the ESDP is a function of systemic changes in the structural distribution of power. This has created a unipolar world and a multipolar Europe. In this context, the EU is used by its member states as a collective instrument for shaping its external milieu by a combination of hard and soft power.
Omeprazole preserves the RER in chief cells and enhances re-epithelialization of parietal cells with SOD and AQP-4 up-regulation in ethanol-induced gastritis rats

Gastric mucosal cells, particularly parietal and chief cells, are usually affected by exogenous, and endogenous stimuli-induced gastritis. The integrity of these cells and their alterations are involved in the pathogenesis of numerous gastric disorders. Omeprazole, a gastric acid secretion blocker, is commonly used for gastrointestinal diseases due to its antioxidative stress and anti-inflammatory properties. Little is known regarding how omeprazole modulates the re-epithelialized effect on gastric mucosal cells associated with gastrointestinal disorders. The present study aimed to determine whether omeprazole attenuates parietal and chief cell damage in association with its antioxidative property. An in vivo ethanol-induced gastritis rat model was used. Histopathological, scanning and transmission electron microscopic, and immunohistochemical studies were performed. The results revealed that omeprazole improved the gastric mucosal surface, and reduced the severity of mucosal inflammation and hemorrhaging. Notably, ethanol-induced gastritis caused dysmorphic rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER) in chief cells, which was accompanied by mitochondrial swelling. This alteration was modulated by omeprazole due to its antioxidant effect characterized by upregulation of superoxide dismutase in gastric mucosal cells. In addition, expression of aquaporin-4 was increased in the omeprazole treatment group, which may be due to the expansion of regenerative parietal cells and acid suppression. The results of the present study suggest that omeprazole preserves the RER in chief cells and enhances parietal cell regeneration through its antioxidative property by exerting anti-inflammatory effects.
Modelling Income Protection Claim Termination Rates by Cause of Sickness I: Recoveries

ABSTRACT In this paper we present methods and results for the estimation and modelling of the recovery intensity for Income Protection (IP) insurance claims, allowing for different causes of claim. We use UK data supplied by the Continuous Mortality Investigation relating to claims paid in the years 1975 to 2002, inclusive. Each claim is classified by one of 70 possible causes according to ICD8. We group causes where appropriate, and then use the Cox model and generalised linear models to model the recovery intensity. In two subsequent papers we complete our modelling of IP claim termination rates by discussing the modelling of the mortality of IP claimants. There are two main reasons why it is useful to incorporate cause of sickness in the modelling of IP claim terminations: (i) The cause of sickness will be known to the insurer for a claim in the course of payment. A reserve can be set more accurately for such a claim if a model of the termination rates appropriate for this cause is available. (ii) Different causes of claim will become more or less significant over time. For example, tuberculosis may have been an important cause of sickness in the past, but is likely to be far less significant now; the swine flu pandemic starting in 2009 is likely to have a significant effect on observed aggregate claim termination rates, skewing them towards higher rates at shorter durations. Information about trends in morbidity, together with a model of termination rates by cause of claim, allows future aggregate claim termination rates to be predicted more accurately, reserves to be set at more appropriate levels and policies to be priced more accurately. One of the covariates included in our models for recovery intensities is Calendar Year. Aggregate recovery intensities have been decreasing over the period considered, 1975 to 2002, and this is generally reflected in the models for recovery intensities by cause of sickness. However, when these intensities are projected for years beyond 2002, the results are not always plausible.
Cell coupling mediated by connexin 26 selectively contributes to reduced adhesivity and increased migration

ABSTRACT Gap junction proteins (connexins) have crucial effects on cell motility in many systems, from migration of neural crest cells to promotion of metastatic invasiveness. Here, we show that expression of Cx26 (also known as GJB2) in HeLa cells specifically enhances cell motility in scrape wounding and sparse culture models. This effect is dependent on gap junction channels and is isotype specific [Cx26 enhances motility, whereas Cx43 (also known as GJA1) does not and Cx32 (also known as GJB1) has an intermediate effect]. The increased motility is associated with reduced cell adhesiveness, caused by loss of N-cadherin protein and RNA at the wound edge. This in turn causes a redistribution of N-cadherin-binding proteins (p120 catenin and β-catenin) to the cytosol and nucleus, respectively. The former activates Rac-1, which mediates cytoskeletal rearrangements needed for filopod extension. The latter is associated with increased expression of urokinase plasminogen activating receptor (an activator of extracellular proteases) and secretion of extracellular matrix components like collagen. Although these effects were dependent on Cx26-mediated coupling of the cells, they are not mediated by the same signal (i.e. cAMP) through which Cx26 has been shown to suppress proliferation in the same system. Summary: Gap junction expression has been linked to enhanced metastasis and cell migration. We show here that Cx26 gap junctions selectively enhance cell migration by disrupting N-cadherin-based cell adhesion in HeLa cells.
NF-κB as a target for pancreatic cancer therapy

Introduction: Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of adult cancer mortality in the USA. It represents one of the greatest challenges in cancer treatment. The NF-κB transcriptional factors are constitutively activated in the majority of pancreatic cancers and are involved in the regulation of numerous aspects of tumor development and progression. NF-κB and the signaling cascades that regulate its activity have thus become attractive targets for novel therapeutic approaches for pancreatic cancer. Areas covered: This review describes and discusses the most important advances in the comprehension of the complex molecular biology of NF-κB, as well as the development of novel NF-κB-targeting strategies for the treatment of pancreatic cancer. Expert opinion: Although the inhibition of NF-κB, especially when combined with more classic chemotherapeutic drugs, could be a promising therapeutic strategy, direct targeting NF-κB still faces important challenges. In the future, targeting nonredundant cytosolic mediators of the activation of NF-κB – such as TNF receptor associated factor family member-associated NF-κB activator -binding kinase 1 (TBK1) and TGF-beta activated kinase 1 (TAK1) – could represent a better approach to inhibit key processes in pancreatic tumor cells and make a difference for this devastating disease.
Preparation for Crisis Management: A Proposed Model and Empirical Evidence

This article explores the forces restricting effective crisis management in a crisis ridden industry. Models of crisis preparedness have typically been developed based upon research in US or Western business. This study is based upon the Egyptian industry which, until the 1990s was state owned and heavily state supported. Changes in government policy, combined with external forces, not in the least the loss of markets in the previous Soviet bloc, had plunged the industry into serious crisis. Crisis is a cultural embarrassment to most Egyptian managers and this, combined with the depth of economic difficulties faced by the industry, makes it extraordinarily difficult for any level of crisis preparedness to be achieved. Based on interview and questionnaire data, this article extends existing models of crisis preparedness to better accommodate conditions in crisis prone industries outside the West. New dimensions in the proposed model are the stress on national culture and how this limits the range of managerial responses. This in turn requires the active development of an organisational culture to counteract these limitations.
Green Human Resource Management: Policies and practices

Abstract Recently, there has been observed an increasing awareness within business communities on the significance of going green and adopting various environment management techniques. As the corporate world is going global, the business is experiencing a shift from a conventional financial structure to a modern capacity-based economy which is ready to explore green economic facets of business. Today, Green Human Resource Management (GHRM) has become a key business strategy for the significant organizations where Human Resource Departments play an active part in going green at the office. The paper largely focuses upon the various Green Human Resource Practices pursued by the organizations all over the world and, explains the simplified meaning of GHRM. The study also adds to the extant literature by discussing future direction of some GHRM functions. Finally, the paper suggests some potentially prolific HR initiatives for Green organizations.
Corporate Directing: Governing, Strategising and Leading in Action

This paper elaborates the concept of corporate directing, integrating the processes of governing, strategising and leading by which small groups of people effectively "run" organisations. If governing and strategising are the warp and weft of this fabric, then leading is the textural imprint that is created through the enacting of corporate directing. Based on two ESRC-funded research projects (1987-9 and 1998-2000), it offers data on which this concept is based, drawn from large UK plcs (e.g. Prudential, Marks & Spencer) and selected institutional investors (e.g. Hermes, Philips and Drew). Copyright Blackwell Publishers Ltd 2002.
Politics and the Creation of a European Sec: The Optimal UK Strategy - Constructive Inconsistency

This paper analyses the factors influencing whether a European Securities and Exchange Commission (ESEC) will be created and confirms the primary role that politics will play in its establishment. In the face of growing support for an ESEC, the paper recommends a strategy the UK should adopt towards the creation of such an institution. It is proposed that the UK adopt a three-pronged approach. First, the UK must, as it currently does, support the Lamfalussy Process in the hope that it works. Second, the UK must determine what criteria need to be assessed in order to evaluate whether the Lamfalussy Process together with the Financial Services Action Plan are in fact harming UK interests, and then make such an evaluation. Finally, if political support for an ESEC becomes unstoppable, the UK should negotiate for the creation of an appropriately structured ESEC – even though its backing for the Lamfalussy Process should logically preclude its support for any type of ESEC. A key attribute of the recommended strategy is thus that it is inconsistent. This is not, however, thought a problem. On the contrary, given that the creation of an ESEC is the stuff of politics and thus that a political response is called for, and given that other key participants’ policies on the creation of an ESEC are themselves inconsistent, the strategy proposed is argued as being not only constructive, but indeed rational.
Innovating through networks: a case study in plant biotechnology

This paper is based on the case study of a large firm, namely Monsanto, which created a new knowledge base to sustain a strategic diversification from agrochemicals to plant biotechnology. This in-depth analysis helps to belie the idea of spontaneous developments of links between university and industry. While informal relationships, mutual respect and reciprocity, appear to be necessary for the success of cooperative research, they are not sufficient. The analysis outlines the characteristics of a structure directed towards the management of the dynamic complementarity between internal and external knowledge. Two key elements warrant particular emphasis: the use of external sources of knowledge from a systematic search (which helps the firms not to be locked in a narrow network but to fully benefit from the flexibility of networks); and the strong coherence and integration capacity of the internal research organisation.
Bile acid synthesis from cholesterol: regulatory and auxiliary pathways

Bile acid synthesis from cholesterol can occur via two pathways, one initiated by sterol 27‐hydroxylase activity or one initiated by that of cholesterol 7α‐hydroxylase. In contrast to cholesterol 7α‐hydroxylase, which is found in the liver, sterol 27‐hydroxylase is a widely distributed mitochondrial enzyme with high activity in vascular endothelial cells. Although both pathways lead to the production of chenodeoxycholic and cholic acids, the key step, 7α‐hydroxylation, is governed by two different enzymes. Both 27‐hydroxycholesterol and 3β‐hydroxy‐5‐cholestenoic acid, the metabolites of cholesterol occurring via sterol 27‐hydroxylase activity, normally circulate in plasma. After their uptake by the liver they are metabolized mostly to chenodeoxycholic acid, which down‐regulates the activity of cholesterol 7α ‐hydroxylase, the rate‐limiting step for the production of bile acids in the liver. Because of this relationship and also in view of the accelerated atherosclerosis and cholesterol deposition in tissues that occur as a consequence of genetically determined sterol 27‐hydroxylase deficiency and of the potent biologic effect of 27‐hydroxycholesterol in cell culture, it is proposed that this metabolic pathway serves a regulatory function. The pathway beginning with cholesterol 7α‐hydroxylation is modulated by genetic, hormonal, and probably dietary factors, and becomes most prominent with the interruption of the enterohepatic circulation of bile acids. —Javitt, N. B. Bile acid synthesis from cholesterol: regulatory and auxiliary pathways. FASEB J. 8, 1308‐1311 (1994)
Real investment and stock prices in the USA

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to re-examine the relationship between real investment and stock prices for the USA for 1960-2005 in view of distinct economic regimes during the 40-year period. Design/methodology/approach - The paper employs simple models of investment, checks for cointegration, and applies the value at risk (VAR) methodology. Findings - First, it was found that during the 1960-1990 period investment and the stock market exhibited a good relationship and shared a common stochastic trend. Second, during the 1990-2005 period this relationship broke down. Finally, extending the model to include the long-term interest rate did not produce significant impacts on or feedbacks from and to either variable. It is concluded that the 1990-2005 period has been distinct from the previous periods in that the stock market did not always abide by the fundamentals such as interest rates and/or investment expenditures. It is thus concluded that the high stock market growth rates of the 1990s have adversely impacted real investment expenditures. Practical implications - Lack of influence of the real long-term interest rate on either the investment of the stock price equations for the 1990-2005 period. This implies that both investment and the stock market did not “take into account” a fundamental variable, the discount rate, instead they had a run on their own (especially the stock market). Originality/value - The value of the paper is in showing that interest rates and investment expenditures do not always move as economic theory predicts or that economic fundamentals do not always rule.
A New Spatial Theory of Party Competition: Uncertainty, Ideology and Policy Equilibria Viewed Comparatively and Temporally

This article considers how parties can decide on policy when there is no reliable information about the effect of these decisions on voting. Where this is the case they must base their stands on a priori assumptions about appropriate priorities, namely on political ideologies. These indicate the general policy area a party should occupy, but do not give detailed guidance on which position to take within it. Five different ways of deciding on this, within ideological constraints, are specified. The predictions derived from these models well anticipate the actual decisions made by post-war parties in twenty democracies, as summarized in the unique spatial maps of policy movements published by the Manifesto Research Group of the European Consortium for Political Research.
Time preference and perceptions about government spending and tax: Smokers' dependence on government support

Previous studies show that smokers are likely to be more impatient and prefer immediate benefits compared with non-smokers. Thus, smokers are regarded as myopic people and therefore have a high time discount rate. Such a tendency is thought to be related not only to short-term benefits (as opposed to long-term benefits), but also free-riding behavior. Using individual data, this paper examines which types of government spending smokers with such characteristics prefer. The important findings are: (1) smokers consider the amount of government spending on social security and unemployment measures to be low and (2) smokers perceive their tax burden to be high. These findings imply that smokers tend to place greater importance on public expenditure that they will personally benefit from, but they are less willing to bear its cost. It is inferred from the estimation results that those who are myopic do not consider long-term benefits, which can result in a number of personal problems in the future, and they anticipate government expenditure will help them with such problems. That is, to enjoy the benefit of free riding, seemingly myopic people are more likely to prefer expenditure on social security and unemployment measures.