Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cross-Country Differences in Intergenerational Earnings Mobility

International studies of the extent to which economic status is passed from one generation to the next are important for at least two reasons. First, each study of a particular country characterizes an important feature of that country's income inequality. Second, comparisons of intergenerational mobility across countries may yield valuable clues about how income status is transmitted across generations and why the strength of that intergenerational transmission varies across countries. The first section of this paper explains a benchmark measure of intergenerational mobility commonly used in U.S. studies. The second section summarizes comparable empirical findings that have accumulated so far for countries other than the United States. The third section sketches a theoretical framework for interpreting cross-country differences in intergenerational mobility.
Economic analysis of albumin-bound paclitaxel for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer

Background. An albumin-bound formulation of paclitaxel (nab-paclitaxel) was developed to provide additional efficacy and to overcome the safety drawbacks of paclitaxel and docetaxel in patients with metastatic breast cancer. To provide health economic data for the Canadian setting, an economic analysis comparing each of nab-paclitaxel and docetaxel, both as alternatives to paclitaxel in metastatic breast cancer was conducted. Methods. The clinical and safety data were obtained from a meta-analysis of randomized trials comparing either nab-paclitaxel (260 mg/m2 q3wk) or docetaxel (100 mg/m 2 q3wk), to standard paclitaxel (175 mg/m2 q3wk). Health care resource use for the delivery of chemotherapy and the management of grade III/IV toxicity was collected from the oncology literature. Treatment preferences and health state utilities were obtained from 24 female oncology nurses and pharmacists using the time trade-off technique. Results. Nab-paclitaxel had the lowest incidence of grade III/IV toxicity. This translated to lower overall costs for managing the grade III/IV events relative to both docetaxel and paclitaxel ($597 vs. $2626 vs. $1227). Using the median number of cycles administered and the cost impact of grade III/ IV toxicity, the overall cost for nab-paclitaxel would be $15,105 compared to $15,268 for docetaxel and $3557 for paclitaxel. When treatment preferences were assessed, 20 of 24 (83.3%) respondents selected nab-paclitaxel as their preferred choice compared to only 4 who selected docetaxel. These corresponded to a gain of 0.203 and 0.016 QALYs for nab-paclitaxel and docetaxel, respectively. With these utility benefits, the incremental cost per QALY gained was more favorable for nab-paclitaxel than docetaxel ($56,800 vs. $739,600). Conclusions. Nab-paclitaxel would be an economically reasonable alternative to docetaxel in MBC patients. As an alternative to paclitaxel, formulary committees must decide if the $56,800 cost per QALY represents good value in their health care setting. J Oncol Pharm Practice (2009) 15: 67—78.
Current Wealth and Tenure Choice

This paper argues that a central implication of tenure transition models is that the timing of a household's initial switch to ownership is particularly dependent upon its current net worth. In contrast, permanent income, largely derived from human capital, is assumed to be the dominant component of the relevant household budget constraint in conventional tenure choice models. These contending propositions are tested using a Canadian micro database. Consistent with the tenure transition approach, current nonhuman wealth is found to have the primary budgetary role in tenure mode decisions of young households. Copyright American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association.
On the Appropriateness of Performance-Based Compensation for Supervisory Board Members – An Agency Theoretic Approach

Central European countries such as Austria, Germany and the Netherlands require public firms to set up two separate boards: a management board (MB) that manages the firm and a supervisory board (SB) that controls the management. As part of the recent debate on corporate governance, the expansion of performance-based compensation to include members of the SB has been heavily discussed. In this paper we use a two-stage principal–agent model to investigate incentive effects arising from such contracting. The SB is responsible for contracting with the MB and for monitoring it. We allow for two types of performance measures to be available, a possibly biased financial report provided by the MB and the market price of the firm. We obtain the following results: both performance measures are beneficial and equally suitable for contracting with the MB. In contrast, the MB's report is never part of the optimal SB contract. Using the market price as a performance measure for the SB in some settings turns out to be beneficial as compared to a purely fixed compensation but not in others.
Immunolocalization of interleukin-1 receptors in the sarcolemma and nuclei of skeletal muscle in patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies.

OBJECTIVE Interleukin-1 (IL-1) acts via its receptors to induce gene expression that mediates protein synthesis involved in inflammation. Increased expression of IL-1alpha and IL-1beta in muscle tissue from patients with polymyositis and dermatomyositis has been demonstrated. It is not known whether the reciprocal IL-1 receptors are expressed in human muscle tissue. The purpose of this study was to investigate the expression of IL-1 receptors and their ligands in muscle tissue from patients with myositis and from healthy controls. METHODS Muscle biopsy tissues from 10 patients with polymyositis or dermatomyositis and 7 healthy control subjects were investigated by immunohistochemistry using antibodies against IL-1 receptor type I (IL-1RI), IL-1RII, IL-1alpha, IL-1beta, and IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra). Quantification was performed by computerized image analysis, and localization of expression was determined by double staining using immunofluorescence and confocal microscopy. RESULTS In tissue samples from the patients, IL-1RI and IL-1RII were expressed in muscle fibers, inflammatory cells, and endothelial cells. Expression in muscle fibers was localized to the sarcolemma and nuclei. IL-1alpha was expressed in endothelial cells and inflammatory cells, whereas IL-1beta and IL-1Ra were expressed only in inflammatory cells. Expression of the two IL-1 receptors and their ligands was significantly higher in patients than in controls. IL-1 receptor expression on muscle fibers was most pronounced in the vicinity of cells expressing IL-1alpha and IL-1beta. CONCLUSION The increased expression of IL-1 receptor and the colocalization with reciprocal ligands in patients with myositis but not in healthy controls support the hypothesis of a crucial role of IL-1 in the pathogenesis of polymyositis and dermatomyositis.
A Novel Actuator for Underwater Robots

Pneumatic muscles have been used for a number of years as actuators in robotic systems, usually for those that mimic human actions. They are most commonly used in systems designed to aid physically handicapped people. This feasibility study reports mechanical testing and modeling results for the Shadowtrade artificial muscle pneumatic actuator working in both air and underwater. The static and dynamic tension-contraction measurements were recorded through both the force and contraction relationship test and the dynamic response and time relationship test. A model of the properties of the muscle working in water was derived from the measurements of the tests that can be considered for its feasibility for use in undersea robotics.
Tacrolimus reversibly reduces insulin secretion in paediatric renal transplant recipients.

BACKGROUND Conflicting reports exist about the mechanism of tacrolimus-induced post-transplant diabetes mellitus. METHODS We analysed intravenous glucose tolerance tests (IVGTT) of 14 paediatric renal transplant recipients on cyclosporin (CsA) microemulsion and 15 patients on tacrolimus (FK506). The groups were similar in age (13.2+/-4.2 vs 13.0+/-3.7 years), body mass index, serum creatinine concentrations (96+/-60 vs 97+/-44 micromol/l), time after renal transplantation, and cumulative steroid dose over 12 weeks prior to the test (3.4 vs 3.5 mg/m(2)/day, NS, Mann-Whitney). Parameters of glucose tolerance included glucose, insulin, C-peptide concentrations, and HbA1c. The mean concentrations of the primary immunosuppressant were similar to treatments employed in other centres (CsA 165+/-59 ng ml and FK506 7. 5+/-2.2 ng ml). RESULTS Baseline glucose concentrations were significantly higher on FK506 therapy compared with CsA microemulsion therapy. Baseline insulin concentrations and C-peptide concentrations were identical in both treatment groups. FK506 trough levels correlated negatively with k values (glucose constant decay) in the FK506 group. There was a significant reduction of the insulin first-phase concentrations, both after 1 min and after 3 min in the FK506 group compared with the CsA group (112+/-17 vs 237+/-57 microU/ml, P=0.034). In patients with repetitive IVGTTs, glucose constant decay and insulin production improved after lowering FK506 whole-blood trough levels. CONCLUSIONS We conclude that post-transplant glucose intolerance could be due to a dose-dependent, direct effect of FK506 on the pancreatic beta cell function, which can be controlled by dose reduction.
Gold in the South African market: A safe haven or hedge?

This study analyses the characteristics of gold to determine its feasibility as a safe haven asset, a diversifier or a hedge, using two principle regression models. The findings show that, for South African investors investing in South African equities or bonds, gold acts as a hedge on average. The findings further demonstrate that for a South African investor, gold does not act as a hedge for international stocks. Last, by analysing the relationship between gold and the stock or bond market, we find that the return for gold is positive on the day that an extreme negative shock occurs in the stock market and is eliminated after two trading days.
Voluntary Disclosure, Information Asymmetry, and Insider Selling through Secondary Equity Offerings*

This paper examines the relation of voluntary disclosure of management earnings forecasts and information asymmetry to insider selling through secondary equity offerings. We hypothesize that the pattern of voluntary disclosure and level of information asymmetry prior to secondary equity offerings differs systematically based on the identity of the seller. Specifically, we predict a greater frequency of voluntary disclosure and decreased level of information asymmetry when managers sell their stock through a secondary offering. We examine this hypothesis in a cross-sectional analysis of 210 secondary equity offerings from 1984-91, using a two-stage conditional maximum likelihood simultaneous equations estimation procedure, which allows for possible endogeneity in the manger? s decision to sell stock. Consistent with our predictions, we document a significantly positive association between managerial participation and voluntary disclosure of earnings forecasts in the nine-month period prior to registration of the offering. We also document a significantly negative association between managerial participation and two proxies for information asymmetry. The findings provide evidence that managers act as if reduced information asymmetry correlates with a reduced cost of capital.
Why do venture capitalists use such high discount rates

Purpose - – Venture capitalists typically use discount rates in the range of 30-70 percent. During the startup stage of venture-capital financing, discount rates between 50 and 70 percent are common. The discount rate decreases from the first through fourth stage: from 60 to 30 percent. These rates of return are high compared to historical returns on common stocks or small stocks (12.1 and 17.8 percent, respectively). Such high discount rates cannot also be explained in the context of any existing asset pricing theory; that is, any reasonable risk-adjusted discount rates are not consistent with discount rates in the order of 30-60 percent. The paper provides a rational economic explanation why venture capitalists (VC) use such high discount rates. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach - – Let the discount rate of a venture project be 15 percent; this discount rate depends on the systematic risk of the cash flows from the project given that the project is successful. Using the procedure, a VC who estimates the probability of eventual success of the project between 60 and 40 percent will impose a discount rate between 42 and 74 percent. These discount rates are quite similar to the discount rates charged by VC in their startup and first stages. Findings - – The high rates of return charged by VC reflect the fact that not all their projects succeed in that they have no net cash-inflows. Adjusting for the probability of success of the project provides estimates of discount rates comparable. Originality/value - – The paper argues that reported rates of return of common stock are relevant for projects that have succeeded in that they have net cash-inflows.
Sustainable development: the challenge of implementation

SUMMARY This paper focuses on efforts to produce an operational definition of the concept of ‘sustainable development’ as articulated by the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED). ‘Sustainability’ has become an increasingly significant environmental issue; the problems in articulating a workable concept will differ among nations and international organizations attempting to define the term. Additionally, the term encompasses the varied fields of ecology, philosophy, and economics; every discipline imparts its own bias. Various definitions are provided and the significance and difficulty of developing an operational definition of Sustainable development is discussed. For example, sustainable development has become a ‘needs'-oriented term, an entitlement that priority should be given to the needs of the world's poor. Some argue that living standards which go beyond the basic minimum are sustainable only if consumption standards everywhere have regard for long-term sustainabil.
Occupational Risks for Lung Cancer among Nonsmokers

We conducted a case-control study in 12 European study centers to evaluate the role of occupational risk factors among nonsmokers. We obtained detailed occupational histories from 650 nonsmoking cases (509 females/141 males) and 1,542 nonsmoking controls (1,011 females/531 males). On the basis of an a priori definition of occupations and industries that are known (list A) or suspected (list B) to be associated with lung carcinogenesis, we calculated odds ratios (ORs) for these occupations, using unconditional logistic regression models and adjusting for sex, age, and center effects. Among nonsmoking men, an excess relative risk was observed among those who had worked in list-A occupations [OR = 1.52; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.78–2.97] but not in list-B occupations (OR = 1.05; 95% CI = 0.60–1.83). Among nonsmoking women, there was an elevation of risk for list-A occupations (OR = 1.50; 95% CI = 0.49–4.53), although this estimate was imprecise, given that less than 1% of cases and controls were exposed. Exposure to list-B occupations was associated with an increase in relative risk (OR = 1.69; 95% CI = 1.09–2.63) in females, but not in males. Women who had been laundry workers or dry cleaners had an OR of 1.83 (95% CI = 0.98–3.40). Our findings confirm that certain occupational exposures are associated with an increased risk for lung cancer among both female and male nonsmokers; however, knowledge on occupational lung carcinogens is biased toward agents to which mainly men are exposed.
Clinical Utility of Acetylcholine Receptor Antibody Testing in Ocular Myasthenia Gravis.

IMPORTANCE The sensitivity of acetylcholine receptor (AChR) antibody testing is thought to be lower in ocular myasthenia gravis (OMG) compared with generalized disease, although estimates in small-scale studies vary. There is little information in the literature about the implications of AChR antibody levels and progression from OMG to generalized myasthenia gravis. OBJECTIVES To test the hypothesis that serum AChR antibody testing is more sensitive in OMG than previously reported and to examine the association between AChR antibody levels and progression from OMG to generalized myasthenia gravis. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS A retrospective, observational cohort study was conducted of 223 patients (mean [SD] age, 59.2 [16.4] years; 139 [62.3%] male) diagnosed with OMG between July 1, 1986, and May 31, 2013, at 2 large, academic medical centers. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Baseline characteristics, OMG symptoms, results of AChR antibody testing, and progression time to generalized myasthenia gravis (if this occurred) were recorded for each patient. Multiple logistic regression was used to measure the association between all clinical variables and antibody result. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was performed to examine time to generalization. RESULTS Among the 223 participants, AChR antibody testing results were positive in 158 participants (70.9%). In an adjusted model, increased age at diagnosis (odds ratio [OR], 1.03; 95% CI, 1.01-1.04; P = .007) and progression to generalized myasthenia gravis (OR, 2.92; 95% CI, 1.18-7.26; P = .02) were significantly associated with positive antibody test results. Women were less likely to have a positive antibody test result (OR, 0.36; 95% CI, 0.19-0.68; P = .002). Patients who developed symptoms of generalized myasthenia gravis had a significantly higher mean (SD) antibody level than those who did not develop symptoms of generalized myasthenia gravis (12.7 [16.5] nmol/L vs 4.2 [7.9] nmol/L; P = .002). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE We demonstrate a higher sensitivity of AChR antibody testing than previously reported in the largest cohort of patients with OMG available to date. Older age, male sex, and progression to generalized myasthenia gravis were significantly associated with a positive antibody test result. In addition, to our knowledge, this is the first report of an association between high AChR antibody levels and progression from OMG to generalized disease.
Human Milk Fortifiers Do Not Meet the Current Recommendation for Nutrients in Very Low Birth Weight Infants

BACKGROUND Use of multinutrient fortifiers is standard of care for small preterm infants fed exclusively human milk. However, adequacy of human milk fortifiers (HMFs) to meet the recommended intake for macronutrients and micronutrients is now known. MATERIALS AND METHODS Nutrient content of human milk fortified according to manufacturer's recommendations was compared at isocaloric levels for 1 human milk-based (HMF-A), 2 bovine milk protein-based (HMF-B, HMF-C), and 2 preterm infant formulas (PTF-B, PTF-C). In addition, 4 multivitamin supplements were compared. RESULTS At 130 kcal/kg, intake of macronutrients was similar to the recommendation, although deficient and excess intake of micronutrient occurred with all fortifiers. Four to 9 micronutrients were absent in HMF or PTF (biotin, choline, inositol, carnitine, taurine, molybdenum, iodine, selenium, or chromium). For the remainder, HMF resulted in deficient intake for 1-13 micronutrients, occurring most frequently with HMF-A. Excess micronutrients (3-15 at <50% and 1-3 at 109%-437%) occurred with all HMF and most frequently with HMF-B and HMF-C. At 150 kcal/kg, deficient intake improved but generally remained below recommendation, while excess intake became exaggerated. PTF and multivitamin formulations do not fully compensate for the deficiencies and can result in extremely high micronutrient intake. CONCLUSIONS At the recommended energy intake for very low birth weight infants, many micronutrients are absent or are present in grossly inadequate amounts, and several micronutrients are in excess. Reformulation of HMF is urgently needed since PTF or multivitamin supplement only partially corrects some deficiencies while providing some nutrients in excess.
General Green's functions for SAW device analysis

The traditional Green's function has been widely used to analyze surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices for many years because of its physical basis and its ability to model many propagating modes. Simplifications are, however, introduced in the derivation of the traditional Green's function that cause it to ignore some important effects, such as mass loading caused by surface electrodes. Recently, a generalized Green's function was introduced that is able to include mechanical loading effects. Based on previous work by E.L. Adler (1994) and R.C. Peach (1995), we use concise matrix notation to deduce the generalized Green's functions that describe the effects of surface stresses and electrical displacement on the three mechanical displacement components and on the electrical potential. Effective permittivities of 15 materials/cuts and the 16-element Green's functions for two materials are presented.
Assessment of Self-Reported Sexual Behavior and Condom Use Among Female Sex Workers in India Using a Polling Box Approach: A Preliminary Report

Background: The accuracy of behavioral data related to risk for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections is prone to misreporting because of social desirability effects. Because computer-assisted approaches are not always feasible, a noncomputerized interview method for reducing social desirability effects is needed. The previous performance of alternative methods has been limited to aggregate data or constrained by the simplicity of dichotomous-only responses. We designed and tested a “polling box” method for case-attributable, multiple-response survey items in a low literacy population. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 812 female sex workers in Andhra Pradesh, India. For a subset of questions embedded in a face-to-face survey questionnaire, every third participant was provided graphical response cards upon which to mark their answer and place in a polling box outside the view of the interviewer. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to test for response differences to questions about socially undesirable, socially desirable, or sensitivity-neutral behaviors in the 2 interview methods. Results: Polling box participants demonstrated higher reporting of risky sexual behaviors and lower reporting of condom use, with no conclusive response patterns among sensitivity-neutral items. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that the polling box approach provides a promising technique for improving the accurate reporting of sensitive behaviors among a low-literacy population in a resource poor setting. Additional research is needed to test logistical adaptations of the polling box approach.
What Management can Learn from Ratios

Why Ratios? The need for ratios rests upon the fact that absolute figures by themselves tell one very little about the performance of an organisation. The fact that a company made £1 million pre‐tax profit in its last financial year is no indication of its performance. If it had to deploy £1,000 millions of funds to achieve that profit then its performance was abysmally low. If it only employed £2 millions its performance was very good. In one sense then ratio analysis is concerned with expressing relationships between inputs and outputs, such as the capital required to support an activity and the profit earned from that activity; the sales achieved per square foot of sales space occupied; the cost per ton‐mile of delivering goods; and the way in which these different aspects relate to each other and to overall performance. In another sense they are concerned with relationships between aspects of a business which are crucial for its success, e.g. the relationship between short‐term assets and short term liabilities because it reflects the ability of the business to meet its obligations to creditors.