Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
ECONOMIC RISK ASSESSMENT OF A SEMI-INTENSIVE SHRIMP FARM IN SINALOA, MEXICO

In Mexico shrimp farming is the most important aquaculture activity. However, its sustainable development has been threatened in recent years by the economic risk associated with low yields caused by outbreaks of viral diseases. A stochastic bioeconomic model was developed to analyze the economics of farm management adjustments as a response to disease risks, using pond-level data from a farm operating in the State of Sinaloa, Mexico, during the period 2001–2005. The data base analyzed included different combinations of stocking density (in the range 6–30 PL/m2) and culture time (from 12 to 31 weeks), which allows for wider application of the simulation results, even at the industry level. Results from this study indicate that operating costs would increase by 33% if the farmer would choose to market product directly. Scenarios with lower stocking densities and intermediate culture times generated the highest probabilities 6–9 PL/m2 16–19 weeks (76%/100%/70%), and 10–14 PL/m2 20–24 weeks (72%/99%) of achieving superior economic performance, as demonstrated by achieving the target reference point of 35% operating profit margin ratio. The study reinforces the value of the current trends in Sinaloa to reduce stocking density as a good management practice to decrease the impact of diseases. This study also provides important additional knowledge on the specific economic results and risks associated with the combination of these two management variables at different levels.
Adjustment of stock prices to earnings announcements: evidence from Euronext Paris

Purpose - The aim of this paper is to study both the information content of accounting figures and the speed at which the new information is incorporated into stock prices. Design/methodology/approach - The sample is composed of 117 overnight announcements published by Reuters during the period 2001-2003. For every date, the event is classified into one of three categories: good news, bad news or no news. The paper uses intraday event study methodology to examine market reaction just before and just after the event. Findings - The intraday analysis reveals several results. Firstly, investors react positively to good news and negatively to bad news. Secondly, abnormal returns dissipate within 15? min. Thirdly, prices converge to equilibrium more quickly for good news than for bad news. Fourthly, we present evidence of price reversal 30? min following bad news announcements. Finally, earnings releases are accompanied by a rise in volume which remains even after the equilibrium price is attained. Research limitations/implications - Price discovery is analyzed only in the stock market. It is pertinent to verify if the option market and foreign markets can contribute to the incorporation of new information into stock prices. Practical implications - This work can help investors to determine their trading strategies around earnings announcements. The paper shows that it is not possible to realize trading profits after 15? min following the time of the announcement. Originality/value - The study contributes to both financial accounting and microstructure literature. First, it focuses on the information content of accounting figures using very short horizon (intraday analysis). Second, the paper sheds light on the role of the Euronext preopening period in the incorporation of the overnight information flow.
Quantitative heritability of anti-citrullinated protein antibody-positive and anti-citrullinated protein antibody-negative rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVE The majority of genetic risk factors for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are associated with anti-citrullinated protein antibody (ACPA)-positive RA, while far fewer genetic risk factors have been identified for ACPA-negative RA. This study was undertaken to quantify the contribution of genetic risk factors in general, and of the predisposing HLA-DRB1 shared epitope (SE) alleles in particular, to the ACPA-positive and ACPA-negative subsets of RA, by computing their heritability and assessing the contribution of the HLA SE alleles. METHODS One hundred forty-eight RA twin pairs, in which at least 1 twin of each pair had RA, were tested for ACPAs and typed for HLA-DRB1 genotypes. Heritability was assessed in a logistic regression model including a bivariate, normally distributed random effect, representing the contribution of unobserved genetic factors to RA susceptibility, with the correlation of the random effects fixed according to twin zygosity. The contribution of the HLA SE alleles to genetic variance was assessed using a similar model, except that estimates were based on genotype-specific population prevalences. RESULTS The heritability of RA among the twin pairs was 66% (95% confidence interval [95% CI] 44-75%). For ACPA-positive RA, the heritability was 68% (95% CI 55-79%), and for ACPA-negative RA it was 66% (95% CI 21-82%). Presence of the HLA SE alleles explained 18% (95% CI 16-19%) of the genetic variance of ACPA-positive RA but only 2.4% (95% CI 1.6-10%) of the genetic variance of ACPA-negative RA. CONCLUSION The heritability of ACPA-positive RA is comparable with that of ACPA-negative RA. These data indicate that genetic predisposition plays an important role in the pathogenesis of ACPA-negative RA, for which most individual genetic risk factors remain to be identified.
Relationship Marketing in the Recruitment and Retention of Service Industry Staff in Family-Owned Businesses

Relationship marketing is a practice that has been used effectively in marketing products and services to customers. Its use as a means of enhancing relationship outcomes between employer and employee in family-owned business is yet to be appreciated. A triangulation of research was conducted into family-owned and family-managed small businesses in the service industry in rural and regional Australia. This article reports on the possible benefits of adapting a new relationship marketing model for the recruitment and retention of employees and the beneficial outcomes for employers in their employees in their endeavor to recruit and retain staff.
Evaluating the performance and sulphur amino acid requirements of normal and midget hens.

Synopsis Three experiments, each of 10 months' duration, were conducted with individually caged midget (Hy‐line) and conventional (Welp, Babcock and Dekalb) laying hens in order to evaluate their performance and sulphur amino acid (SAA) requirements. Eight replicate groups of five birds each were assigned to a dietary treatment in each experiment. Various diets, based on corn and soya, were formulated to provide a range of SAA levels from 0.355 to 0.592%. All diets within an experiment were maintained isocaloric and with equal levels of total phosphorus and calcium. Hen‐day production, daily food intake, food/dozen eggs, egg weights and daily SAA intake were measured. In all three experiments, when SAA requirements were examined as a percentage of the diet, the midget hen was found to have a greater requirement than the conventional strains. However, examination of daily SAA acid intake revealed the reverse situation. In every instance, the average performance of midget hens over all dietary treatments wa.
Natural Gas Market

Driven by energy security and greenhouse gas emissions concerns, the wide spread and cleanliness of the gas has pushed it to the forefront of the fossil fuels such that it has become the clean fossil fuel of choice as well as a global commodity. This has changed the global landscape such that it has become almost equally valuable as the oil being prospected wherever it is found at present times. One important advantage that natural gas has over other fossil fuels besides, its relatively low carbon emissions, is that it leaves no solid residues and produces less other pollutants like sulphides/sulphates on combustion.
A Tale of Two Motives: Endogenous Time Preference, Cash-in-Advance Constraints and Monetary Policy

This paper demonstrates the effects of modeling an endogenous rate of time preference and two cash-in-advance constraints. If the constraint is levied on consumption and capital goods, time preference effects are neutral and cash-in-advance constraint effects invert the Tobin Effect. If the constraint applies solely to consumption goods, opposing motives are offsetting and monetary policy is super neutral.
Asymmetry and downside risk in foreign exchange markets

Abstract This paper evaluates the double gamma distribution as a means of modelling asymmetry in the conditional distribution of financial data. To do this the model is applied to ten exchange rate series covering mature and emerging market countries. A second contribution of this paper is to highlight the link between the double gamma distribution and the measurement of the second lower partial moment (or semi-variance). The resulting empirical performance of the double gamma model is found to be mixed when compared to a symmetric GARCH-t model. Estimates of conditional downside risk based on the double gamma model are constructed for each series. The results for the Malaysian Riggit, Zimbabwe Dollar and the Korean Won demonstrate the extreme downside volatility experienced by these countries during the emerging markets currency crisis.
Community-Based Services and Depression from Person-Environment Fit Perspective: Focusing on Functional Impairments and Living Alone

ABSTRACT Guided by the Person-Environment Fit perspective, we investigated the extent to which personal and environmental factors influence depression among community-dwelling adults. The data came from the special section about community-based service utilization in the 2012 Health and Retirement Study (N=1,710). Although community-based service was not significantly associated with depression after controlling for covariates, respondents with functional limitations and living alone were less likely to be depressed when using community-based services. This study demonstrates the different associations between community-based services and depression depending on personal needs. It discusses the importance of community-based services for aging-in-place policy, particularly among vulnerable populations.
Gene replacement in Dictyostelium: generation of myosin null mutants.

The eukaryotic slime mold Dictyostelium discoideum has a single conventional myosin heavy chain gene (mhcA). The elimination of the mhcA gene was achieved by homologous recombination. Two gene replacement plasmids were constructed, each carrying the G418 resistance gene as a selective marker and flanked by either 0.7 kb of 5′ coding sequence and 0.9 kb of 3′ coding sequence or 1.5 kb of 5′ flanking sequence and 1.1 kb of 3′ flanking sequence. Myosin null mutants (mhcA‐ cells) were obtained after transformation with either of these plasmids. The mhcA‐ cells are genetically stable and are capable of a variety of motile processes. Our results provide genetic proof that in Dictyostelium the conventional myosin gene is required for growth in suspension, normal cell division and sporogenesis, and illustrate how gene targeting can be used as a tool in Dictyostelium.
Analysis of Lower Limb Asymmetries by Isokinetic and Vertical Jump Tests in Soccer Players

Abstract Menzel, H-J, Chagas, MH, Szmuchrowski, LA, Araujo, SRS, de Andrade, AGP, and Resende de Jesus-Moraleida, F. Analysis of lower limb asymmetries by isokinetic and vertical jump tests in soccer players. J Strength Cond Res 27(5): 1370–1377, 2013—Assessment of lower extremity bilateral asymmetries in soccer players is important for both injury prevention and performance. The purpose of this investigation was to compare isokinetic knee extensor assessment of asymmetry with a more specific countermovement jump (CMJ). Forty-six Brazilian male professional soccer players participated in this study. The maximal power, maximal force and impulse were determined during CMJ and the total work and peak torque at 60, 180, and 300°·s−1 during isokinetic leg extension, separately for each leg. Factor analysis was performed for all investigated variables, and the diagnostic concordance between different criteria was analyzed by McNemar’s &khgr;2 test. The factor analysis showed that the isokinetic and CMJ tests were widely independent methods for the assessment of bilateral differences. Concordance of the diagnostic information could only be found between the maximal force during CMJ and the total work and peak torque at 180 and 300°·s−1 during isokinetic leg extension. Impulse and maximal power during CMJ on a double force platform appear to be appropriate additional variables for the identification of bilateral differences. Therefore, it might be pertinent to perform, in addition to isokinetic assessment, a vertical jump test on a force platform to assure widespread and reliable diagnostic information.
Politics in Separating Regions: Delegation When Decisions are Taken in Referenda

This paper presents a model of the influence of politicians on the voting outcome in a referendum on regional independence. Regional politicians influence the electorates vote by disseminating information about the economic consequences of separation. More independent minded politicians endogenously bias information to make the electorate more separatist, which can be used strategically by the latter when bargaining with the rest of the country on how to allocate the gains of staying unified. The general idea that an uninformed player can increase his bargaining power by appointing an expert more sceptical to co-operation is labeled "strategic delegation of information acquisition".
Constrained optimal reduced-order models from input/output data

Model reduction by moment matching does not preserve, in a systematic way, the transient response of the system to be reduced, thus limiting the use of this model reduction technique in control problems. With the final goal of designing reduced-order models which can effectively be used (not just for analysis but also) for control purposes, we determine, using a data-driven approach, an estimate of the moments and of the transient response of an unknown system. We compute the unique, up to a change of coordinates, reduced-order model which possesses the estimated transient and, simultaneously, achieves moment matching at the prescribed interpolation points. The error between the output of the system and the output of the reduced-order model is minimized and we show that the resulting system is a constrained optimal (in a sense to be specified) reduced-order model. The results of the paper are illustrated by means of a simple numerical example.
High-Resolution DNA Copy Number Profiling of Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumors Using Targeted Microarray-Based Comparative Genomic Hybridization

Purpose: Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is an autosomal dominant condition that predisposes to benign and malignant tumors. The lifetime risk of a malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor (MPNST) in NF1 is ∼10%. These tumors have a poor survival rate and their molecular basis remains unclear. We report the first comprehensive investigation of DNA copy number across multitude of genes in NF1 tumors using high-resolution array comparative genomic hybridization (CGH), with the aim to identify molecular signatures that delineate malignant from benign NF1 tumors. Experimental Design: We constructed an exon-level resolution microarray encompassing 57 selected genes and profiled DNA from 35 MPNSTs, 16 plexiform, and 8 dermal neurofibromas. Bioinformatic analysis was done on array CGH data to identify concurrent aberrations in malignant tumors. Results: The array CGH profiles of MPNSTs and neurofibromas were markedly different. A number of MPNST-specific alterations were identified, including amplifications of ITGB4, PDGFRA, MET, TP73, and HGF plus deletions in NF1, HMMR/RHAMM, MMP13, L1CAM2, p16INK4A/CDKN2A, and TP53. Copy number changes of HMMR/RHAMM, MMP13, p16INK4A/CDKN2A, and ITGB4 were observed in 46%, 43%, 39%, and 32%, respectively of the malignant tumors, implicating these genes in MPNST pathogenesis. Concomitant amplifications of HGF, MET, and PDGFRA genes were also revealed in MPNSTs, suggesting the putative role of p70S6K pathway in NF1 tumor progression. Conclusions: This study highlights the potential of array CGH in identifying novel diagnostic markers for MPNSTs.
Tuberculosis rates among HIV-infected persons in New York City, 2001-2005.

We calculated population-based tuberculosis (TB) rates among HIV-infected persons in New York City from 2001 through 2005 using data from the city's TB and HIV/AIDS surveillance registries, and we examined those rates using linear trend tests and incidence rate ratios (IRRs). HIV-infected individuals had 16 times the TB rate of a "non-HIV" population (HIV status negative or unknown; IRR = 16.0; 95% confidence interval = 14.9, 17.2). TB rates declined significantly among the US-born HIV-infected population (P (trend) < . 001) but not among the foreign-born HIV-infected population (P (trend) = . 355). Such disparities must be addressed if further declines are to be achieved.
Water governance and poverty

This paper engages with policy on meeting development goals for water through interventions, which promote good governance. Addressing an under-researched area, we propose a new analytical framework for understanding water governance, not as a set of abstract principles, but as interlinked processes with variable practical outcomes for poor people. The framework is informed by theories of governance, institutions and structuration, empirical research and field insights. We apply the framework to a case in south-western Tanzania, and we identify a range of issues for further research, particularly relating to water access for the poor.
The Information in the High Yield Bond Spread for the Business Cycle: Evidence and Some Implications

The market for high yield (below investment-grade) corporate bonds developed in the middle 1980s. We show that, since this time, the high yield spread has had significant explanatory power for the business cycle. We interpret this finding as possibly symptomatic of financial factors at work in the business cycle, along the lines suggested by the financial accelerator. We also show that over this period the high yield spread outperforms other leading financial indicators, including the term spread, the paper-bill spread and the Federal Funds rate. We conjecture that changes in the conduct of monetary policy over time may account for the reduced informativeness of these alternative indicators, all of which are tied closely to monetary policy.
Duration of Exposure and the Dose-Response Model of PTSD

A dose-response model underlies posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and posits a relationship between event magnitude and clinical outcome. The present study examines whether one index of event magnitude—duration of exposure—contributes to risk of PTSD among female victims of sexual assault. Findings support a small but significant contribution of event duration to clinical status in the immediate aftermath of trauma but not at 3-month follow-up. The opposite pattern is obtained for subjective appraisals of threat. These findings add to a growing literature that suggests that a simple application of the dose-response model to objective event characteristics may be insufficient to explain the risk of PTSD.
Chiral spin states and superconductivity.

It is shown that several different order parameters can be used to characterize a type of P- and T-violating state for spin systems, that we call chiral-spin states. There is a closely related, precise notion of chiral-spin-liquid states. We construct soluble models, based on P- and T-symmetric local-spin Hamiltonians, with chiral-spin ground states. Mean-field theories leading to chiral spin liquids are proposed. Frustration is essential in stabilizing these states. The quantum numbers of quasiparticles around the chiral spin liquids are analyzed. They generally obey fractional statistics. Based on these ideas, it is speculated that superconducting states with unusual values of the flux quantum may exist.
The impact of income: assessing the relationship between income and health in Sweden

Aims: This paper explores the relationship between income and health among adults in Sweden. An analysis was made as to what extent the association differs when one studies individual earnings and equivalent disposable income, as well as gender differentials. Further, a study was undertaken to investigate how, and by what magnitude, the income - health relationship changes when one controls for other structural factors, such as education and class. Finally the functional form of the relationship was scrutinized, because of its obvious policy impact. Methods: Data came from the 1996-97 Swedish Living Condition Surveys, which include individuals aged 25 - 64 (n=7,201). Logistic regression was used, including various polynomial terms of the income variable. Results: The results show that both earnings and disposable household income are strongly related to health, a finding that holds for both women and men. The strength of the association becomes somewhat weaker when one controls for other structural factors, but in the final model the association is in fact about the same as the bivariate association, owing to the impact of age. Moreover, a curvilinear association was revealed by the authors' analyses. Conclusions: A clear association was found between income and health, also when other structural variables are controlled for. This indicates that income, as such, is of great importance for the risk of illness. The shape of the association between income and health is consistent with earlier debates concerning the relation between income distribution and population health indicators, and, as such, indicates that income-equalizing policies may have an impact on health.
DEMAND FOR COAL: THE PROBLEM OF AGGREGATION

This paper demonstrates the differences that result from estimating coal demand functions using highly aggregated regional data rather than less aggregated state data. At first glance the coal demand functions based on regional data appear to explain well and seem useful in policy making. However, coal demand functions based on state data show differences in the demand structure in each state of the region. Policy decisions that may seem appropriate based on aggregated regional data may have much different impacts on individual states in the region.