Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Die Verschuldungskrise der Europäischen Währungsunion: fiskalische Disziplinlosigkeit oder Konstruktionsfehler?

This paper presents empirical arguments that the debt crisis of the European Monetary Union is not primarily a sovereign debt crisis but a foreign debt crisis of entire countries. The empirical evidence suggests furthermore that the strong increase in the net international debt position of Greece, Ireland, Spain and Portugal was caused by real interest rates, which were significantly lower as in the other EMU countries. The reasons for these lower real interest rates have been lasting inflation differentials in the presence of converging nominal interest rates. The paper shows, how such inflation differentials can lead to self-enforcing debt spirals, if not all goods are tradable. The economic policy conclusion from these findings is that the European Central Bank must receive instruments to differentiate country-specific nominal interest rates in order to prevent such debt-spirals in the future. In diesem Artikel wird auf der Basis empirischer Daten argumentiert, dass die Schuldenkrise der Europaischen Wahrungsunion entgegen verbreiteter Ansicht nicht von einem starken Anstieg der Schuldenstandsquote von Staaten, sondern von einem starken Anstieg der Nettoauslandsverschuldungsquote von Landern verursacht wurde. Die Zahlen sprechen auserdem dafur, dass die hohe Nettoauslandsverschuldung von Griechenland, Irland, Spanien und Portugal vor allem deshalb entstanden ist, weil die Realzinsen in diesen Landern deutlich niedriger waren als die Realzinsen in den anderen Mitgliedslandern der Europaischen Wahrungsunion. Verursacht wurden die niedrigen Realzinsen durch die mit dem Beginn der Wahrungsunion einsetzende Konvergenz der Nominalzinsen bei weitgehendem Fortbestand der Inflationsdifferenzen. Der Artikel zeigt, dass unter solchen Umstanden sich selbst verstarkende Verschuldungsspiralen entstehen konnen, wenn nicht alle Guter handelbar sind. Die wirtschaftspolitische Schlussfolgerung lautet, dass die Europaische Zentralbank Instrumente zur landerspezifischen Differenzierung der Nominalzinsen erhalten muss, um solche Verschuldungsspiralen in Zukunft zu verhindern.
Trust and Universities : Management of Research and Education under Changing Knowledge Regimes

More explicitly than before, universities have become instruments of industrial and economic growth policies. This has led to an increase in accountability regimes and in the application of the so called New Public Management on universities hitherto governed by a Humboldtian, Weberian, or Mertonian norms and a high degree of internal freedom and autonomy. This paper reviews some of the literature on these phenomena and analyzes critically some of the positions taken. It is concluded that while there is arguably a considerable change in governance going on in Western university systems, the change is far from altering the academic ethos. Still, it is argued, institutional norms should also be defended, which could be achieved through differentiation of higher education and among research performing institutions and organizations. An important virtue of the university remains to deliver social value precisely because it is an institution of credibility, criticism, and trust.
Calcium phosphate cement: review of mechanical and biological properties.

PURPOSE Calcium phosphate cement is a bioactive and biodegradable grafting material in the form of powder and liquid, which when mixed, sets as primarily hydroxyapatite, sometimes mixed with unreacted particles and other phases. This material has been extensively investigated due to its excellent biological properties, potential resorbability, molding capabilities, and easy manipulation. Because the material can potentially be replaced with bone after a period of time, it could retain the short-term biological advantages of hydroxyapatite without the long-term disadvantages. Although little is known about this material in the dental community, in vivo and in vitro studies show calcium phosphate cement as a promising material for grafting applications. In the following article, the authors review the biological and mechanical properties of calcium phosphate cement, as well as its potential use in clinical applications. MATERIALS AND METHODS A Medline search was performed (timeline: 1980 to 2003) using the following keywords: calcium phosphate cement, hydroxyapatite cement, HA cement, and hydroxyapatite. The search was limited to the English language. The patent literature as well as a limited number of master's theses and books were reviewed after using the electronic database search service from a dental school library. RESULTS Calcium phosphate cement appears to have excellent biological properties. At only 2 weeks, spicules of living bone with normal bone marrow and osteocytes can be seen. Excellent moldability is a desired clinical characteristic; however, further research is necessary in order to improve the mechanical properties of the cement. The resorption/replacement by bone capability of the cement remains controversial. Further research is needed to clarify this issue. Due to poor mechanical properties, clinical applications are currently limited to craniofacial applications. Further research is necessary to take advantage of the excellent biological properties of this cement under clinical applications. CONCLUSION Further research is necessary to understand and improve the behavior of this type of cement under clinical situations.
Interleukin-8: A pathogenetic role in antineutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibody-associated glomerulonephritis.

BACKGROUND In neutrophil trafficking, the role of interleukin-8 (IL-8) is location dependent. Tissue IL-8 directs transmigration, whereas intravascular IL-8 frustrates this process. The bystander damage of glomerular endothelium by antineutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibody (ANCA)-activated neutrophils is believed to be an early event in the pathogenesis of ANCA-associated glomerulonephritis. We have studied the role of IL-8 in this process. METHODS Intraglomerular expression of IL-8 in patients with ANCA-associated glomerulonephritis was studied by in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry and location of neutrophils by serial section immunohistochemistry. In vitro, we analyzed ANCA-stimulated neutrophil IL-8 production by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and the IL-8 attributable effect of ANCA-stimulated neutrophil supernatant by chemotactic and transendothelial assays. RESULTS There was intraglomerular expression of IL-8 at segmental, crescentic, and parietal epithelial sites. IL-8 protein expression colocalized to intraglomerular neutrophils; many localized within glomerular capillary loops, suggesting failed trafficking to tissue IL-8. ANCAs differentially stimulated time- and dose-dependent neutrophil IL-8 production, and ANCA-stimulated neutrophil supernatant demonstrated potent IL-8-dependent chemotactic activity and inhibited transendothelial migration of normal human neutrophils toward an IL-8 gradient. CONCLUSION Despite heavy tissue expression of IL-8 in ANCA-associated GN, the production of IL-8 by ANCA-stimulated neutrophils within the intravascular compartment may frustrate neutrophil transmigration, encourage intravascular stasis, and contribute to bystander damage of glomerular endothelial cells.
Exploring tourists' perception: the case of Bangladesh.

The purpose of this research is to test the tourist’s perception in the choice of selection a destination under the perspective of Bangladeshi tourism environment. The survey instrument was employed by using convenience sampling procedure on 250 tourists from significant tourist’s destination places from Bangladesh. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) followed by Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to test the key influential attributes. Apart from that structural equation model was also used to test the hypothesis of this study. The result shows that most of the tourists perceived that selection of a destination highly depend on destination brand image, internet adoption followed by customer’s satisfaction. This research will assist the operators of tourism industry in Bangladesh to understand the influential factors which are influencing tourist’s perception to choose a destination that is unexplored previously by the past researchers.
The Long and Short Run Effects between Unemployment and Economic Growth in Europe

Bu calismada, 1977-2008 yillari arasinda Avrupa ulkelerinde issizlikteki hareketler ile issizlik orani ve iktisadi buyume arasindaki kisa ve uzun donemli iliskiler ulkeler bazinda ve tum panelde incelenmistir. Duragan olmayan panellere iliskin cesitli teknikler kullanilmis ve tum Avrupa Ulkelerinde issizlik histerisine ait bazi deliller bulunmustur. Okun katsayisi da hesaplanmistir. Sonuclar, Okun Kanununun ve issizlikle buyume arasindaki iliskinin anlamliliginin ulkeden ulkeye farliliklar gosterdigini gostermektedir.
C-reactive protein and body mass index in children: findings from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1988-1994.

OBJECTIVES To examine the relationship between C-reactive protein (CRP) concentration and body mass index (BMI) in children. STUDY DESIGN With the use of data from 5305 children aged 6 to 18 years in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1988 to 1994), a cross-sectional health survey, we examined whether CRP concentrations were elevated among overweight children. RESULTS Among children whose BMI was below the age- and sex-specific 15th percentile, 6.6% of boys and 10.7% of girls had an elevated CRP concentration (>2.1 mg/L) compared with 24.2% of boys and 31.9% of girls whose BMI was > or =95th percentile. After adjustment was done for age, sex, race or ethnicity, poverty income ratio, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentration, white blood cell count, and history of chronic bronchitis, the adjusted odds of having an elevated CRP concentration were 2.20 (95% CI 1.30, 3.75) for children with a BMI of 85th to <95th percentile and 4.92 (95% CI 3.39, 7.15) for children with a BMI of > or =95th percentile compared with children who had a BMI of 15th to <85th percentile. The associations did not differ significantly by age, sex, or race or ethnicity. CONCLUSIONS In a large representative sample of US children, CRP concentration was significantly elevated among children with a BMI > or=85th percentile, thus confirming previous findings of this association in children and extending previous research in adults to children. Excess body weight may be associated with a state of chronic low-grade inflammation in children.
Container Shipping And Ports: An Overview

Globalisation, deregulation, logistics integration and containerisation have reshaped the port and shipping industry. Port and maritime companies are challenged to redefine their functional role in the value chain for the sake of creating customer value and of ensuring the survival and growth of the company. Companies are busily trying to disrupt the status quo rather than preserve it. Based on empirical evidence, this paper demonstrates that because of the rapidly changing environment the port and liner shipping markets are not stable any longer. Individual terminal operators and shipping lines tend to walk different paths on a quest for higher margins and increased customer satisfaction. And more than once they (have to) change paths.
Race/Ethnicity and the Intensity of Medical Monitoring Under ‘Watchful Waiting’ for Prostate Cancer

BackgroundPrevious studies have found that racial/ethnic minority patients with prostate cancer are more frequently managed with “watchful waiting. ” Little, however, is known about the medical care received among men managed with watchful waiting. We examine the type and intensity of medical monitoring received by African American, Hispanic, and white patients with prostate cancer managed with “watchful waiting” in fee-for-service systems. MethodsSurveillance Epidemiology and End Results–Medicare data for men diagnosed with prostate cancer 1994–1996 were used in this study. Men were determined to have initially received watchful waiting if they did not receive surgery, radiation, or hormone treatment within the first 7 months of diagnosis. Crosstabulations, multivariate logistic, and Cox regressions were used to examine the association between clinical and sociodemographic variables and the receipt of a primary care, urology visit, prostate-specific antigen test, or bone scan. ResultsIn general, Hispanic and African American men received less medical monitoring and had longer median times from diagnosis to receipt of a medical monitoring visit or procedure than white men. Furthermore, nearly 6% of African American, 5% of Hispanic, and 1% of white men did not have any medical monitoring visits or procedures during the 60-month follow-up period (P <0.001). Differences in observed clinical or sociodemographic characteristics did not explain variations in medical monitoring. ConclusionRegular medical monitoring is considered by most medical authorities to be a necessary component of management with watchful waiting. The disproportionately low receipt of medical monitoring visits and procedures observed for African American and Hispanic men managed with watchful waiting in this study suggest that there are racial/ethnic disparities in the receipt of appropriate prostate cancer management.
‘It's more than who you know’– networks and trade unions in the audio-visual industries

Many commentators have argued that a shift towards post-industrial modes of production and employment has progressively undermined the conditions for collective labour organisation and regulation. The capacity of trade unions to respond to these changes and represent the interests of contingent workers has become a key issue in many industries in which employment has become increasingly fragmented. This article examines patterns of interest representation pursued by freelance workers in the UK audio-visual sector. In particular, it examines three critical cases to explore the potential of networks of freelance workers for representing their interests and to consider the implications for trade unions as traditional collective actors. We conclude that networks can provide forums through which interests can be articulated, but their limitations in representing freelance workers offer trade unions a crucial opportunity to extend collective regulation.
External security determinants of Greek military expenditure: An empirical investigation using Neural networks

Greece has regularly ranked as the country with the highest defence burden in NATO and the European Union. Over the past decades she has allocated an averatge 6% of GDP to defence yearly. This study using neural networks examines the external security determinants of Greek military expenditure in the context of the ongoing Greek‐Turkish conflict.
Hookworm and Poverty

Human hookworm infection is the leading cause of anemia and undernutrition and the second most important parasitic infection of humans. Hookworm occurs almost exclusively in the setting of rural poverty in the developing countries of the tropics. The rural dependency reflects the precise soil and temperature requirements of the environmental life history stages of the parasite, whereas the relationship between hookworm and poverty is based on multiple factors, including inadequate sanitation, the absence of concrete floors in home dwellings, and lack of access to essential medicines. Also, hookworm not only occurs in the setting of poverty but also promotes poverty because of its health and educational effects in children, its adverse effect on pregnancy outcome, and its effect on worker productivity. Since the middle of the 20th century, poverty reduction and urbanization have successfully reduced the prevalence of hookworm in the world's industrialized nations and some middle‐income countries. However, the control of hookworm in low‐income countries still relies heavily on the frequent and periodic use of anthelminthic drugs either through deworming programs targeting school‐aged children or through integrated control programs that simultaneously target the seven neglected tropical diseases, including hookworm. However, the high rates of hookworm reinfection and the possible emergence of drug resistance will ultimately require the development of new control tools—including the Human Hookworm Vaccine, one of several so‐called antipoverty vaccines that could undergo development and testing over the next decade.
Age-related neointimal hyperplasia is associated with monocyte infiltration after balloon angioplasty.

Carotid angioplasty is associated with adverse events in elderly patients; it is unclear whether this is related to an altered inflammatory axis. The carotid arteries of young (6 months) or aged (22-24 months) Fischer 344 rats were balloon injured. Aged rats had reduced lumen area (0.18 ± 0.03 vs 0.24 ± 0.01 mm(2), p = . 02) and increased neointimal thickening (0.15 ± 0.04 vs 0.08 ± 0.03 mm(2), p = . 006). Aged rats had increased circulating monocytes (96 ± 21 vs. 54 ± 7; p = .002) as well as increased numbers of monocytes at the post-angioplasty site. Aged rats had sustained monocyte chemotactic protein-1 expression after angioplasty but young rats did not. Aged arteries also exhibited defective vasorelaxation and abnormal eNOS localization. Aged (≥80 years) human patients with high-grade carotid stenosis had increased number of monocytes (9.1% ± 0.4%) compared with younger (65-80 years) patients (8.1% ± 0.3%, p = .013). Aged rats develop neointimal hyperplasia after carotid angioplasty with increased numbers of monocytes, and elderly humans with carotid stenosis have increased numbers of circulating monocytes. These preliminary results may suggest a role for monocytes in the response to carotid angioplasty.
Modulation of dopamine D1‐mediated turning behavior and striatal c‐fos expression by the substantia nigra

In order to study the possible contribution of the substantia nigra (SN) in the positive interaction between dopamine D1 receptor agonists and glutamate antagonists in unilaterally 6‐hydroxydopamine (6‐OHDA) lesioned rats, the effect of the D1 agonist, SKF 38393, was studied in combination with intranigral infusions of glutamate antagonists of the NMDA (MK 801, CPP) or AMPA (NBQX) type of receptor. Local infusion into the SN of the 6‐OHDA lesioned side of MK 801, CPP or NBQX at doses inducing no or minimal behavioral effects significantly increased the turning behavior and the expression of c‐fos induced, in the lesioned caudate‐putamen (CPu), by a parenteral administration of SKF 38393. The same result was obtained after intra‐SN infusion of the GABA agonist, muscimol. High doses of MK 801, CPP or muscimol infused into the SN produced intense contralateral turning per se and induced a sparse c‐fos expression in the lesioned CPu which was antagonized by parenteral administration of MK 801. The results indicate that a depression of SN pars reticulata efferent neurons potentiates D1‐mediated responses and suggest that this area may play a role in the positive interaction between glutamate antagonists and D1 receptor agonists. © 1995 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Output feedback control of rational nonlinear systems: A new approach based on passivity indices

Recently, a new strategy for local analysis of passivity indices and its application for output feedback asymptotic stabilization of nonlinear systems was proposed [2]. Polynomial input-affine systems were considered and sum of squares (SOS) techniques were employed for estimating a domain in which the passivity indices are valid and stability is guaranteed. Though simple and useful, the method still demands improvements, as the estimates obtained can be quite conservative. In this context, this work applies the Finsler's Lemma and the notion of linear annihilators for enlarging the estimates of the aforementioned regions of attraction by reformulating the estimation problem as a polytopic LMI condition. In addition, we extended the results of [2] for the class of the rational nonlinear systems with possibly rational Lyapunov functions. Numerical examples are also provided in order to demonstrate the applicability of the method.
Valuing the environment in developing countries: case studies.

The substantial and growing interest in the monetary valuation of preferences for environmental improvement, and against environmental damage, has prompted a demand for case studies illustrating methodologies and applications of valuation techniques. In this book, the first of two volumes, the authors provide detailed case studies of valuation techniques that have been used in developing countries. They demonstrate that valuation works and that it can yield significant insights into policy-relevant issues regarding conservation and economic development. The authors address a whole range of environmental issues under the broad themes of water and air quality, biological diversity and forest functions. The economic approaches covered include contingent valuation, hedonic property prices, travel cost methodologies and benefits transfer. They also go on to look at the idea of extending national accounts to reflect changes in environmental assets. Examples of the varied and interesting case studies include valuing improvements to sanitation in Malaysia, the value of visits to game parks in South Africa and tropical forest values in Mexico. They highlight how valuation techniques can be applied, often with limited resources, to critical development issues. Academics and practitioners of environmental economics will draw great value from this unique and original work, as will the many multilateral and bilateral aid agencies. The book will also prove a valuable addition to graduate and undergraduate courses in environmental economics where there is a need for case material.
Researching the Links between School Resources and Student Outcomes in the UK: A Review of Issues and Evidence

Knowledge of the effect of school resources on student outcomes is important for policy decisions concerning expenditure on schools. However, empirical research has so far produced equivocal findings. This paper examines the methodological and data requirements for good quality estimation of the education production function and reviews four UK studies that use pupil-level longitudinal data with a range of resource and control variables. These have produced some evidence of small resource effects on student outcomes and indicate the importance of model specification in affecting reported findings. If research in this area is to progress, high quality datasets are essential.