Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Canada's Capital Markets: How Do They Measure Up?

In a recent speech, Deputy Governor Sheryl Kennedy discusses how the efficiency of Canada's capital markets compares in a global context. Taking into account the three inter-related aspects of an efficient market (allocational, operational, and informational efficiency), Kennedy reviews the recent performance of Canadian capital markets under such headings as size, completeness, and access to capital and the instruments needed to hedge, or distribute, risk (allocational efficiency). To assess operational efficiency, she considers Canadian markets' liquidity and whether their transactional costs are competitive. Finally, she reviews transparency and market integrity (and how integrity is maintained) to determine markets' informational efficiency. She also offers several suggestions as to how Canadian markets can continue to be improve and maintain their competitiveness.
Fiscal Policy to Stabilise the Domestic Economy in the EMU: What Can We Learn from Monetary Policy?

An important issue for the EMU countries is to what extent fiscal policy can be used to stabilise the domestic economy in the case of asymmetric macroeconomic shocks. The paper reviews possible reforms of national fiscal policy institutions in order to promote efficient fiscal stabilisation policy: (i) the introduction of a more transparent legal framework for the government's stabilisation decisions; (ii) the establishment of an independent advisory Fiscal Policy Council; and (iii) the delegation of actual stabilisation decisions to an independent Fiscal Policy Committee. The conclusion is that the Fiscal Policy Committee solution has much to speak for itself. It seems possible to delegate fiscal stabilisation policy decisions, in much the same way as monetary policy has been delegated to central banks, at the same time as fiscal policy decisions focusing on income distribution and social efficiency are kept in the political sphere. Such delegation can be made compatible with democratic accountability. (JEL E61, E63, P16)
Services and Applications Based on Mobile User’s Location Detection and Prediction

Many wireless applications are deployed and available to customers via their mobile phones. Variety of these applications and services are based on determination of the current or future location of mobile user. Location based services (LBS) are one of the vital applications which are subdivided into two main categories: economical category and public category. Economic applications include mobile marketing, entertainment and tracking applications. Whereas, emergency cases, safety, traffic management, Muslims’ applications and public information applications are sort of public applications. The first part of the paper presents a new proposed system with developed procedure to recreate public and economic applications with high positioning accuracy and good authentication of users’ data. The developed system is created to enhance both location based services and network allocation resources within mobile network platform using either normal or GPS supported mobile equipment. The second part of the paper introduces future location prediction of mobile user dependent applications. New algorithm is developed depending on utilizing both intra-cell Movement Pattern algorithm (ICMP) [1] and hybrid uplink time Difference of Arrival and Assisted GPS technique (UTDOA_AGPS) [2]. It has been noticed that ICMP algorithm outperforms other future location prediction algorithms with high precision and within suitable time (less than 220) msec. However, UTDOA_AGPS guarantees high precession of mobile user independent of the surrounding environment. The proposed technique is used to enhance reliability and efficiency of location based services using cellular network platform.
An A‐tract at the AtzR binding site assists DNA binding, inducer‐dependent repositioning and transcriptional activation of the PatzDEF promoter

The LysR‐type regulator AtzR activates the Pseudomonas sp. ADP atzDEF operon in response to nitrogen limitation and cyanuric acid. Activation involves repositioning of the AtzR tetramer on the PatzDEF promoter and relaxation of an AtzR‐induced DNA bend. Here we examine the in vivo and in vitro contribution of an A5‐tract present at the PatzDEF promoter region to AtzR binding and transcriptional activation. Substitution of the A‐tract for the sequence ACTCA prevented PatzDEF activation and high‐affinity AtzR binding, impaired AtzR contacts with the activator binding site and shifted the position of the AtzR‐induced DNA bend. Analysis of a collection of mutants bearing different alterations in the A‐tract sequence showed that the extent of AtzR‐dependent activation does not correlate with the magnitude or orientation of the spontaneous DNA bend generated at this site. Our results support the notion that indirect readout of the A‐tract‐associated narrow minor groove is essential for the AtzR–DNA complex to achieve a conformation competent for activation of the PatzDEF promoter. Conservation of this motif in several binding sites of LysR‐type regulators suggests that this mechanism may be shared by other proteins in this family.
Regime Switching, Asymmetric Correlation and International Portfolio Choices

The aim of this paper is to investigate the behaviour of international equity returns and correlations using the discrete-time Markov-switching model and the impact of this behaviour on international portfolio choices. We take the perspective of a US-based global investor who considers investment across the six largest major markets over the period from December 1994 to July 2009. Results show that financial markets are characterised by two regimes: a bull and a bear market. Besides, correlations appear to be very important in a bear state and significantly different from those in the bull market. Finally, optimal portfolio weights vary considerably across regimes and over time as investors revise their estimates of the state probabilities.
INTERREG III and cross‐border cooperation in the Island of Ireland

Abstract This article analyses the interaction and intersection between an EU policy instrument ‐ INTERREG ‐ and bottom‐up mobilisation of cross‐border groups on the Irish border The analysis involves an exploration of the interaction between the planning and negotiation of the INTERREG III programme for the border area between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, the establishment of new political institutions arising from the Good Friday Agreement and the ‘bottom‐up’ mobilisation of new territorial actors on the border. Given that the Irish border is a contested one, it offers a useful lens to study the role of the EU in sustaining or mediating political conflict. The findings suggest that the EU, notably the Commission, plays an important role in altering the opportunity structure of domestic actors and in providing them with new policy models. However, the ability of sub‐state actors to take advantage of the new political space depends on developments in domestic politics.
Experimental Induction and Termination of Acute Psychological Stress in Human Volunteers: Effects on Immunological, Neuroendocrine, Cardiovascular, and Psychological Parameters

The present research investigated the effects of controlled experimental manipulations of stress on biological and psychological reactions. Fifty young adult male volunteers were exposed to a 12-min period of stress induced by the threat of an unavoidable, painful electric shock. A 12-min period without this threat preceded or followed the stress period. Blood was drawn during the 4th and the 12th minute of each period. Anticipatory threat led to significant elevations in the proportions and cytotoxic activity of natural killer (NK) lymphocytes, plasma epinephrine levels, pulse rate, and reported level of tension, and to a reduction in the CD4/CD8 ratios. The no-threat period induced a return to baseline values for epinephrine, pulse rate, and tension, and lower than baseline levels for cytotoxic activity of NK lymphocytes, within a similarly short time span. The findings underline the rapidity with which physiological changes may transpire in the course of a brief and acute period of psychological stress, and the rapidity of their reversal upon relief from the stressor.
The Theory of Home Production: The Past Ten Years

It is a great honor to stand here before you-the first lunch speaker at the first conference of the Society of Labor Economists. If I come here with mixed feelings, it is only because the original speaker, Jacob Mincer, could not be here with us. There are few people whose name is more closely associated with our discipline than Jacob Mincer. We owe him a debt of gratitude for his pathbreaking contributions on the investment in human capital, the distribution of earnings, married women's supply of labor, mobility and the economics of migration-topics which have become (to a large degree because of his contribution) central themes of the "new" labor economics. But no less important is his contribution to the methodology-the close link between theory and empirical research, the respect for data, the recognition of the limitations of our empirical tools-features that have become the hallmarks of our profession. The SOLE conference signifies the coming of age of our discipline. The regular sessions point towards the new frontier to be conquered, and it is only appropriate that this lunch address be devoted to some stock taking. I will focus on my own area of specialization-the theory of home production and the allocation of time. Jacob Mincer's paper on the value of time at home was published in 1963. Gary Becker's seminal paper (1965) is by now 31 years old and is widely recognized as one of the new labor economics' major contributions. Time constraints prevent me from doing justice to the topic in 20 minutes. Fortunately, I summarized the history of the first 20 years in my Handbook of Labor Economics survey (1986), so that I can concentrate on the last decade. My 1986 survey had five sections: the theory, the allocation of time, the allocation of goods, the value of time, and the value of home production. I
The Problem of Zombification of the Postcommunist Necroeconomy

Among the numerous problems caused by the current global financial crisis, one can single out attacks on the economy by zombie-firms on a global scale. Several recent publications have been devoted to this new sphere of economics, known as “zombie-nomics. ” Zombification of the economy creates additional threats for postcommunist states, which for the most part still lag behind Western market economic models. The author's goal is to set out the main reasons why postcommunist countries might suffer more than developed countries from the consequences of zombification of their economies. The author suggests some measures that are essential for the first group of countries, especially during the postcrisis period.
Inflation Dynamics and Labor Market Specifications: A Bayesian Dynamic Stochastic General Equilibrium Approach for Japan's Economy

Which labor market specification is better able to describe inflation dynamics, a widely used sticky wage model or a recently investigated labor market search model? Using a Bayesian likelihood approach, we estimate these two models with Japan's data. This article shows that the labor market search model is superior to the sticky wage model in terms of both marginal likelihood and out‐of‐sample forecast performance, particularly regarding inflation. The labor market search model is better able to replicate the cross‐correlation among inflation, real wages, and output in the data. Moreover, in this model, real marginal cost is determined by both hiring cost and unit labor cost that varies with employment fluctuations, which gives rise to a high contemporaneous correlation between inflation and real marginal cost as represented in the New Keynesian Phillips curve.
Modeling Contagion in the Eurozone Crisis via Dynamical Systems

We recently (Castellacci and Choi, 2013) formulated a theoretical framework for the modeling of financial instability contagion using the theories of dynamical systems. Here, our main goal is to model the Eurozone financial crisis within that framework. The underlying system comprises many economic agents that belong to several subsystems. In each instantiation of this framework, the hierarchy and nesting of the subsystems is dictated by the nature of the problem at hand. We describe in great detail how a suitable model can be set up for the Eurozone crisis. The dynamical system is defined by the evolution of the wealths of the individual agents and can be estimated by solving a nonlinear programming problem that incorporates features of prospect theory. Contagion is formulated in terms of how the market instability indicators for the different subsystems and the global system behave. We present several scenarios tailored to recent financial developments in the Eurozone and discussed within our model. These all point to the key role played by the elasticity coefficients of the wealth dynamical system. Accordingly, we put forward general recommendations on how regulators or other super-systemic agents may act to prevent and forestall the spreading of financial distress.
DEMAND FULFILLMENT RATES IN AN ASSEMBLETO‐ ORDER SYSTEM WITH MULTIPLE PRODUCTS AND DEPENDENT DEMANDS

This paper presents a model for evaluating product fulfillment rates in an assemble‐to‐order system with a two‐level bill‐of‐material structure (products and components). Inventories are kept at the component level and are used to support service levels to product demands; each component is managed under a periodically reviewed, decentralized order‐up‐to policy. Product demands are correlated in a given period but are independent across periods. We develop the demand fulfillment rate for each product when demands are filled based on a first‐come‐first‐served discipline with limited priorities for different products within a period. We show that the fulfillment rate can be expressed as a multivariate normal probability when the product demands follow a multivariate normal distribution. We then use a numerical example to discuss computational issues and bounds associated with the evaluation of the demand fulfillment rates. Finally, we consider a model for minimizing the total inventory investment subject to given product demand fulfillment rates.
Local Policy Subsystems and Issue Definition

Using a policy subsystem approach, the authors examine the politics of community development in Minneapolis. A cohesive and stable community development subsystem evolved during the 1970s and early 1980s, dominated by community development corporations and the city's multifamily housing development bureaucracy. Recent changes in community development policy reflect changes in the subsystem dynamics, including a challenge to the dominant coalition by neighborhood groups and external factors such as the redefinition of policy objectives. Subsystem analysis helps to explain policy change at the local level; explicit consideration of the social construction of issues and of the impact of issue redefinition will enrich subsystem analysis.
Pocket Atlas of Human Anatomy

This 184-page text, in the words of the authors," has been written to assist medical students, residents, pediatricians, nurses, and family practitioners in developing appropriate hypotheses and a differential diagnosis. " To this end, it will certainly prove to be very helpful. The volume contains 51 alphabetically listed chapters (six more than the first edition), each dealing with a specific sign or symptom such as anemia, edema, otalgia, or stridor. Every chapter offers a brief overview of the topic, including a recommended "approach" to the problem and a thorough differential diagnosis. Most chapters also contain a diagnostic table in which associated signs and symptoms are listed, along with a numbered score (I to 4) that indicates how likely it is to find a certain sign or symptom associated with a specific disease. For example, in the chapter on dysuria one of the table entries is pyelonephritis, which is likely to be associated with flank pain, pyuria (each receiving a 4), fever (receiving a 3), but not with urgency or hesitancy (each receiving a 0). The book is handy, portable, and, though it is not exhaustive, its differential diagnoses are thorough and address a wide variety of pediatric presenting complaints. In short, it goes a long way toward fulfilling the goal proposed by its authors.
Preventing DNA Re-Replication: Divergent Safeguards in Yeast and Metazoa

Eukaryotes employ multiple redundant mechanisms to limit the replication of genomic DNA to only once per cycle. These mechanisms prevent DNA re-replication by restricting the assembly of the pre-replication complex to the period of late mitosis and G1 phase so that re-initiation of DNA replication cannot occur during S phase. Here we discuss the conserved yet divergent mechanisms of replication control employed in yeast and metazoan species, including a perspective on the newly uncovered role of the CUL-4 ubiquitin ligase as a central regulator of DNA replication in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans.
Estimating willingness to accept using paired comparison choice experiments: tests of robustness

Paired comparison (PC) choice experiments offer researchers and policy-makers an alternative nonmarket valuation method particularly apt when a ranking of the public's priorities across policy alternatives is paramount. Similar to contingent valuation, PC choice experiments estimate the total value associated with a specific environmental good or service. Similar to choice experiments, the questions posed to respondents are choices between alternatives. In contrast to both methods, respondents in PC choice experiments make choices between pairs of dissimilar alternatives including private goods, public goods, and monetary amounts. The alternatives may include competing policy alternatives, thus providing a ranking of the public's priorities among those alternatives. We investigate the robustness of estimated welfare measures to econometric modelling and choice set composition across two PC choice experiments. Results suggest that accounting for repeated observations increases the efficiency of welfare estimates but also reveals, contrary to previous research, sensitivity to choice set composition. Thus, while PC choice experiments may be advantageous in certain situations the results presented here suggest that further research is needed to better understand the sensitivities of the resulting welfare estimates.
The Interaction of Same-Sex Marriage Access With Sexual Minority Identity on Mental Health and Subjective Wellbeing

ABSTRACT Previous psychological and public health research has highlighted the impact of legal recognition of same-sex relationships on individual identity and mental health. Using a sample of U.S. sexual minority (N = 313) and heterosexual (N = 214) adults, participants completed a battery of mental health inventories prior to the nationwide legalization of same-sex marriage. Analyses of covariance (ANCOVAs) examining identity revealed sexual minority participants living in states where same-sex marriage was banned experienced significantly higher levels of internalized homonegativity than sexual minority participants living in states where same-sex marriage was legal, even after controlling for state-level political climate. Mental health ANCOVAs revealed sexual minority participants residing in states without same-sex marriage experienced greater anxiety and lower subjective wellbeing compared to sexual minority participants residing in states with same-sex marriage and heterosexual participants residing in states with or without same-sex marriage. Implications for public policy and future research directions are discussed.
Brief Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT-B) for Suicidal Behavior and Non-Suicidal Self Injury

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a shorter course of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) in enhancing treatment retention and reducing: urges to engage in non-suicidal self injury (NSSI), NSSI, suicide ideation, and subjective distress in borderline personality disorder (BPD). Twenty patients with BPD received a six-month course of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT-B). DBT-B was delivered in the standard manner except for the shortened duration from one-year minimum to six months. All variables were measured at baseline, and at six months. Data were analyzed using paired t-tests. Treatment retention rate was 95%. Significant reductions were found in NSSI urges, NSSI, suicide ideation, subjective distress, depression, and hopelessness between baseline and six months. These results support the use of DBT-B in a six-month format when NSSI and suicidal behavior and ideation are the targeted behaviors. Target behaviors were reduced significantly and retention was extremely high in comparison to other interventions for this population. A large scale randomized controlled trial investigating its efficacy is warranted to determine if the results can be replicated and if improvement can be sustained.
Development and evaluation of injection-molded sustained-release tablets containing ethylcellulose and polyethylene oxide

Purpose: It was the aim of the present study to develop sustained-release matrix tablets by means of injection molding of ethylcellulose (EC) and polyethylene oxide (PEO) mixtures and to evaluate the influence of process temperature, matrix composition, and viscosity grade of EC and PEO on processability and drug release. Methods: Formulations consisting of metoprolol tartrate (MPT, concentration: 30%), EC plasticized by dibutyl sebacate, and PEO were extruded and consequently injection molded into tablets. The influence of process temperature (120°C and 140°C), matrix composition, viscosity grade of EC (4, 10, 20, 45, and 100 mPa·s) and PEO (7 × 106, 1 × 106, and 1 × 105 Mw) on processability and drug release was determined. Results: Formulations consisting of 70% EC and 30% MPT showed incomplete drug release, whereas drug release was too fast for formulations without EC. Higher PEO concentrations increased drug release. Formulations containing 30% metoprolol, EC, and different concentrations of PEO showed first-order release rates with limited burst release. Drug release from direct compressed tablets showed faster drug release rates compared to injection-molded formulations. There was no clear relationship between the molecular weight of EC and drug release. The melting endotherm (113.9°C) of MPT observed in the differential scanning calorimeter thermogram of the tablets indicated that a solid dispersion was formed which was confirmed by X-ray diffractogram. X-ray tomography demonstrated a difference in pore structure between tablets processed at 120°C and 140°C. Conclusion: It was concluded that injection molding can be applied successfully to develop sustained-release PEO/EC matrix tablets.