Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
How sustainable are fiscal deficits? Evidence from Mediterranean countries

The paper’s main purpose is to assess the short-, medium- and long-term sustainability of fiscal policy in the great majority of the EU and non-EU member states in the Mediterranean Region. By using mainstream (primary fiscal gap) theory (proposed by Buiter (1983) and Blanchard (1990)), the difference between the required primary fiscal balance to GDP ratio and the actual primary fiscal balance to GDP ratio is calculated for selected Mediterranean countries. Based on simple mainstream theory measures of fiscal sustainability, the results indicate that fiscal sustainability seems to be a problem in many Mediterranean countries, particularly in Greece, Italy and France (in the EU Mediterranean region) as well as in Croatia, Egypt, Lebanon and Turkey (in the non-EU Mediterranean region). However, since the paper is dealing with an ex ante analysis on the grounds of ex post algebra of sustainability some caution should be exercised.
Education-Finance Reform and the Distribution of Education Resources

Between 1971 and 1996 opponents of local funding for public schools successfully challenged the constitutionality of school-finance systems in sixteen states. Using the variation across states in the timing of these cases the authors investigate the impact of reform on the distribution of school resources. Their results suggest that court-ordered finance reform reduced within-state inequality in spending by 19 to 34 percent. Successful litigation reduced inequality by raising spending in the poorest districts while leaving spending in the richest districts unchanged, thereby increasing aggregate spending on education. Reform led states to fund additional spending through higher state taxes. Copyright 1998 by American Economic Association.
Liver transplantation with preservation of the inferior vena cava. A comparison of conventional and piggyback techniques in adults

Abstract: The aim of this study is to analyse a single centre's experience with two techniques of liver transplantation (OLT), conventional (CON‐OLT) and piggyback (PB‐ES), and to compare outcome in terms of survival, morbidity, mortality and post‐operative liver function as well as operative characteristics. A consecutive series (1994–2000) of 167 adult primary OLT were analysed. Ninety‐six patients had CON‐OLT and 71 patients had PB‐ES. In PB‐ES group two revascularization protocols were used. In the first protocol reperfusion of the graft was performed first via the portal vein followed by the arterial anastomosis (PB‐seq). In the second protocol the graft was reperfused simultaneously via portal vein and hepatic artery (PB‐sim). One‐, 3‐ and 5‐yr patient survival in the CON‐OLT and PB‐ES groups were 90, 83 and 80%, and 83, 78 and 78%, respectively (p = ns). Graft survival at the same time points was 81, 73 and 69%, and 78, 69 and 65%, respectively (p = ns). Apart from the higher number of patients with cholangitis and sepsis in CON‐OLT group, morbidity, retransplantation rate and post‐operative liver and kidney function were not different between the two groups. The total operation time was not different between both groups (9.4 h in PB‐ES vs. 10.0 h in CON‐OLT), but in PB‐ES group cold and warm ischaemia time (CIT and WIT), revascularization time (REVT), functional and anatomic anhepatic phases (FAHP and AAHP) were significantly shorter (8.9 h vs. 10.7 h, 54 min vs. 63 min, 82 min vs. 114 min, 118 min vs. 160 min and 87 min vs. 114 min, respectively, p < 0.05). RBC use in the PB‐ES group was lower compared to the CON‐OLT group (4.0 min vs. 10.0 units, p < 0.05). Except for WIT and REVT there were no differences in operative characteristics between PB‐Sim and PB‐Seq groups. The WIT was significantly longer in PB‐Sim group compared with PB‐Seq group (64 min vs. 50 min, p < 0.05); however REVT was significantly shorter in PB‐Sim group (64 min vs. 97 min, p < 0.05). Results of this study show that both techniques are comparable in survival and morbidity; however PB‐ES results in shorter AAHP, FAHP, REVT and WIT as well as less RBC use. In the PB‐ES group there seems to be no adavantage for any of the revascularization protocols.
Analysis of outer membrane proteome of Escherichia coli related to resistance to ampicillin and tetracycline

The elucidation of the molecular details of antibiotic resistance will lead to improvements in extending the efficacy of current antimicrobials. In the current study, proteomic methodologies were applied to characterize functional outer membrane proteins (Omps) of E. coli K‐12 responded to tetracycline and ampicillin resistance for understanding of universal pathways that form barriers for antimicrobial agents. For this purpose, E. coli K‐12 expressional outer membrane proteome was characterized and identified with the use of 2‐DE and MALDI‐TOF/MS methods. Then, differential Omps due to tetracycline or ampcilin resistance were determined by comparison between tetracycline minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC)10, ampicillin MIC10, control0 and control10, showing 9 proteins with 11 spots for tetracycline and 8 protein with 9 spots for ampicillin, showing a difference in only 1 protein (decreased LamB in tetracyclin) between the two antibiotics. Among the proteins, 3 were known as antibiotic‐resistant proteins, including TolC, OmpC and YhiU, while FimD precursor, LamB, Tsx, YfiO, OmpW, NlpB were first reported here to be antibiotic‐resistance‐related proteins. Our findings will be helpful for further understanding of antibiotic‐resistant mechanism(s). This study also shows that the combination of Omp purification methods certainly contributes the sensitivity of Omp detection.
Peptides corresponding to gelsolin derived amyloid of the Finnish type (AGelFIN) adopt two distinct forms in solution of which only one can polymerize into amyloid fibrils and form complexes with apoE

Familial amyloidosis of the Finnish type is caused by a point mutation at position 187 of gelsolin. The mutation generates a proteolytic fragment, which forms amyloid fibrils in vivo. In the present study we have elucidated the aggregation properties of synthetic peptides corresponding to the wild type and mutated gelsolin fragments. We show by high performance size exclusion chromatography and mass spectrometry that a part of these peptides polymerize with an increase in incubation time, while a portion of the same peptide can adopt a soluble, non-polymerizing structure. Peptides that remain soluble are in their monomeric stage, while the polymerizing peptides prefer a dimerized intermediate stage. We also show that the initial form of these peptides in the solution dramatically influence their capability to interact with amyloid associated proteins, such as apolipoprotein E. Our results indicate that the amyloidogenic fragment of gelsolin can adopt two distinct forms, of which only one conform amyloid fibrils in vitro.
Cardiovascular risk in diabetic kidney disease: a model of chronic renal disease.

Diabetes is now the most common single cause for the need for real replacement therapy [1] and is associated with increased cardiovascular risk. Indeed, the risk of dying from coronary artery disease is as high for those with diabetes without prior myocardial infarction as it is for those patients without diabetes with prior myocardial infarction [2]. The development of microalbuminuria and proteinuria in diabetes is one of the earliest indicators not only of renal disease but also of systemic vascular damage, and is associated with an excess of cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality. Increase in vascular risk occurs early in the proteinuric condition in type 2 diabetes. Albumin excretion rates (AER) >10 lg/min are associated with around 3 times the risk of cardiovascular death. Furthermore, risk of heart failure and cardiovascular death both increase with increasing AER [3] and are greatest in those with more rapidly progressive microalbuminuria [4]. In the World Health Organization Multinational Study of Vascular Disease in Diabetes, both hypertension and proteinuria carried a high mortality risk: 11- to 18-fold, respectively, for men and women with type 1 diabetes, 18-fold for women with type 1 diabetes, and 5- to 8-fold, respectively, for men and women with type 2 diabetes.
Markets, Networks And Internal Mobility: The Allocation Of Human Resources Within Contemporary Organizations

Despite the fact that more than half of all jobs are filled internally, we know surprisingly little about the organizational process used to facilitate internal mobility. This dissertation addresses this gap by examining the different ways by which current employees are allocated to new jobs within organizations. Using personnel records and job application data from a large services organization, I examine how posting and sponsorship â? the two mostly commonly used internal hiring processes â? shape outcomes of importance to firms and workers. Posting is a formal, market-oriented process in which a manager posts a job and interested employees apply. Sponsorship is an informal, relationship-oriented process in which a manager fills a job with a candidate known through a personal connection. In the first study, I examine how posting and sponsorship shape value creation and capture, arguing that while posting will generate higher quality of internal hires by helping managers overcome challenges associated with identifying and evaluating internal candidates, the competitive nature of the process will lead workers to negotiate for higher salaries, limiting the value a firm is able to capture through improved decision-making. Consistent with these arguments, I find that posting results in better hires but at a higher cost, highlighting important tradeoffs associated with allocating human capital formally though markets or informally through managerial networks. In the second study, I examine how posting and sponsorship shape the organizational careers of women, arguing that posting has the potential to reduce gender inequalities in advancement and pay by overcoming structural barriers imposed by job segregation and minimizing gender differences in negotiating behaviors. I also argue, however, that the posting process is gendered in such a way as to discourage women from applying for posted jobs. In finding empirical support for these arguments, this study highlights how the ability of organizational processes to remediate gender inequalities depends on the extent to which they account for both gender differences in structural constraints and gender differences in preferences and behaviors. Packaged together, these studies provide a more complete understanding of the mechanisms facilitating worker mobility in contemporary labor markets. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Management First Advisor Peter Cappelli
DNA topoisomerases: harnessing and constraining energy to govern chromosome topology

Abstract DNA topoisomerases are a diverse set of essential enzymes responsible for maintaining chromosomes in an appropriate topological state. Although they vary considerably in structure and mechanism, the partnership between topoisomerases and DNA has engendered commonalities in how these enzymes engage nucleic acid substrates and control DNA strand manipulations. All topoisomerases can harness the free energy stored in supercoiled DNA to drive their reactions; some further use the energy of ATP to alter the topology of DNA away from an enzyme-free equilibrium ground state. In the cell, topoisomerases regulate DNA supercoiling and unlink tangled nucleic acid strands to actively maintain chromosomes in a topological state commensurate with particular replicative and transcriptional needs. To carry out these reactions, topoisomerases rely on dynamic macromolecular contacts that alternate between associated and dissociated states throughout the catalytic cycle. In this review, we describe how structural and biochemical studies have furthered our understanding of DNA topoisomerases, with an emphasis on how these complex molecular machines use interfacial interactions to harness and constrain the energy required to manage DNA topology.
Evidence on How Companies Choose between Dividends and Open-Market Stock Repurchases

Dividends and open-market stock repurchases are by far the two most common mechanisms for distributing excess cash to shareholders. This article identifies and then tests three potentially important factors for the corporate choice between increasing cash dividends and initiating openmarket stock repurchases. More specifically, the authors argue that companies are more likely to distribute cash to investors through open-market repurchases than through dividend increases when (1) management believes its stock is undervalued, (2) management compensation packages include stock options, and (3) the company's stockholder base is dominated by institutional investors. 1998 Morgan Stanley.
Characterization of Self-Assembled Monolayers on a Ruthenium Surface

We have modified and stabilized the ruthenium surface by depositing a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) of 1-hexadecanethiol on a polycrystalline ruthenium thin film. The growth mechanism, dynamics, and stability of these monolayers were studied. SAMs, deposited under ambient conditions, on piranha-cleaned and piranha + H2SO4 cleaned substrates were compared to monolayers formed on H-radical-cleaned Ru surfaces. We found that alkanethiols on H-radical-cleaned Ru formed densely packed monolayers that remained stable when kept in a nitrogen atmosphere. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) shows a distinct sulfur peak (BE = 162.3 eV), corresponding to metal–sulfur bonding. When exposed to ambient conditions, the SAM decayed over a period of hours.
The Death of CAPM: A Critical Review

Most behavioral sciences based on rationality have simplistic assumptions; and the same is true about consumption or investment decisions. The aim of such studies is to maximize either utility or wealth. The entire ‘financial economics’ theory revolves around an investor who wants to maximize his return at some given level of risk. To determine the optimal return at a given level of risk or an optimal risk for a given level of return has been widely discussed in the financial literature consequently raising the issue of asset pricing in financial markets. Asset pricing is one of the dominant themes in modern finance. The
The Sustainability of Public Finanaces and Fiscal Policy Coordination in the EMU

The financial crisis of 2007-2009 led to a renewed increase in government deficits and debts in many EU countries, causing a full-fledged fiscal crisis in Greece and severe fiscal pressures in other euro-area countries. This has prompted a series of proposals for improving the fiscal framework of the European Monetary Union, the Excessive Deficit Procedure and the Stability and Growth Pact. The first part of this paper reviews the main properties and developments of that framework until 2007. On that basis, it discusses the recent proposals for reform, which range from marginal improvements of the existing framework to the introduction of an explicit framework for managing fiscal crises in the member states, and the expansion of the scope of policy coordination to address macro economic imbalances and the competitiveness of the member states. We find the proposal of a mechanism for dealing with government default most useful. Attempts to suppress current account imbalances and to target national competitiveness positions would most likely result in serious economic losses and do damage to the internal market of the EU. This would increase the wedge between members and non-members of the euro area.
Natural history and control of epistaxis in a group of German patients with Rendu-Osler-Weber disease.

INTRODUCTION Epistaxis is the most common symptom of a complex, genetically determined vasculopathy, which is known under the notion hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT, Rendu-Osler-Weber-syndrome). This study was initiated to gain more knowledge about the natural history of epistaxis in a German HHT-population. PATIENTS AND METHODS Data of 49 HHT patients were ascertained by interviewing these patients with a standardized disease specific questionnaire. Patients' files were retrospectively reviewed for data concerning age, gender, past medical history, laboratory parameters, number of hospital admissions for epistaxis, conservative and operative types of therapy, treatment results and follow-up. MAIN RESULT Epistaxis was the first and most prominent symptom in 93% of the patients and could be triggered most frequently by stress. Half of the patients had experienced first episodes of epistaxis in childhood, but usually epistaxis did not become troublesome before the age of 35 years. The effects of hormonal changes or therapies with systemic hormones were inconclusive with regard to impact on epistaxis. Patients with septal perforations had to be admitted for inpatient epistaxis treatment more frequently than patients with an intact nasal septum. An overall reduction of frequency and intensity of epistaxis could be achieved in 89% of the patients through the daily use of nasal lubricants and a minimum of two treatment sessions with the Nd:YAG laser. However in none of the cases the treatment results were permanent. More than 50% of the patients, who had been screened for visceral arteriovenous malformations, were positive for pathologic vascular lesions. PRINCIPAL CONCLUSION The natural history of epistaxis in German HHT patients is similar to previously described entities from other parts of the world. First clinical signs of HHT may be present at an earlier age than previously thought.
Differential increase in the maternal serum concentrations of the placental proteins human chorionic gonadotrophin, pregnancy-specific beta 1-glycoprotein, human placental lactogen and pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A during the first half of normal pregnancy, elucidated by means of a mathemati

The present study was performed to compare the increase in maternal serum concentrations of four placental proteins during the first half of 240 normal pregnancies. The proteins were pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A), human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG), human placental lactogen (HPL) hormone, and pregnancy-specific beta 1-glycoprotein (PSG), all produced by trophoblast cells. The median increases were observed to be very close to exponential growth curves. Based on simple assumptions, these growth curves could be explained as being solely dependent on the growth of the placenta. The assumptions were that the proteins were produced in the placenta at a constant rate per gram of placental cell mass and secreted into the circulation shortly after synthesis. Our investigations showed that for two of the proteins, PSG and HPL, the rate constants were, in fact, close to the reported growth rate of the placenta, whereas the PAPP-A production rate constant was significantly higher than those of the others. The production curve for HCG was very different from that of the other proteins. PAPP-A and HCG must therefore have more complicated mechanisms for regulating the production. An equation was constructed that permitted estimation of the molar production of the placental proteins per gram of placental cell mass per day during the first half of normal pregnancy. The value was highest for HPL and lowest for PAPP-A.
Economic Problems in Separating the Determinants of Relative Prices

FOLLOWING SOLOW [18] and others, extensive research has been done in the quantitative determination of the sources of productivity growth. To the best of the author's knowledge, quantitative studies aimed at separating the determinants of relative price changes are rare, if existent. This study analyzes some of the economic problems involved in separating the determinants of relative price movements. The point of departure is Stigler's thoretical analysis of the economic problems involved in measuring productivity under different market structures [19]. Stigler demonstrated, inter alia, that the
Government Size, Composition, Volatility and Economic Growth

This paper analyses the effects in terms of size and volatility of government revenue and spending on growth in OECD and EU countries. The results of the paper suggest that both variables are detrimental to growth. In particular, looking more closely at the effect of each component of government revenue and spending, the results point out that i) indirect taxes (size and volatility); ii) social contributions (size and volatility); iii) government consumption (size and volatility); iv) subsidies (size); and v) government investment (volatility) have a sizeable, negative and statistically significant effect on growth.
Robust control for discrete-time sector bounded systems with time-varying delay

In this paper, we propose a robust controller design method for discrete-time systems with sector-bounded nonlineari- ties and time-varying delay. Based on the Lyapunov theory, delay- dependent stabilization criteria are obtained in terms of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs) by constructing the new Lyapunov-Krasovskii functional and using some inequalities. A robust state feedback controller is designed by LMI framework and a reciprocally convex combination technique. The effectiveness of the proposed method is verified throughout a numerical example. synthesis condition is expressed in terms of LMIs so that it can be easily verified the effectiveness of the proposed method by numerical algorithms (10). Finally, simulation result demonstrates the benefits of the proposed controller design methodology for the sector-bounded systems with time-varying delay.
Binding Overhang and Tariff-Cutting Formulas

Trade negotiations deal with cuts in bound duties, which differ substantially from applied preferential duties, and from MFN applied duties. Based on WTO’s Consolidated Tariff Schedules (CTS) database and on national sources, this paper proposes a systematic assessment of ad valorem-equivalent bound duties at the detailed product level, for almost all WTO members. Fully consistent with the assessment of applied protection provided in the MAcMap-HS6 database, this work allows the full structure of protection—bound, MFN applied, preferential applied duties—to be accurately assessed. We thus provide the first worldwide assessment of the binding overhang, i.e. the gap between bound and applied MFN tariffs. We also assess the likely applied-protection impact of an agreement in the Doha Round.