Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Regional Integration in Colombia: A Spatial CGE Application

We explore an alternative approach to bridge the gap between New Economic Geography (NEG) theory and practice. We depart from Haddad and Hewings (2005), which offers some preliminary steps in the marriage of some of the theoretical foundations of NEG with spatial computable general equilibrium (CGE) models. It is argued that such approach should not be neglected as a potential modeling strategy to be pursued in order to reinforce policy relevance of NEG-based models. We apply the proposed methodology to look at the ex ante potential spatial implications of reductions in transportation costs within the Colombian economy. The results are shown to be in line with NEG models, reproducing empirical regularities evidenced from econometric estimates.
Bank borrowing constraints and the demand for trade credit: evidence from panel data

Monetary policy contractions exacerbate credit constraints stemming from asymmetric information, incentive problems and limited collateral. During such periods financial intermediaries reduce the supply of credit to smaller businesses. Although trade credit is a less desirable alternative of corporate financing, it may play a special role in alleviating credit rationing. This paper is an empirical investigation of the interaction of monetary policy, credit market conditions and corporate financing over the business cycle. It provides a simple test of the existence of a credit channel of monetary policy transmissions. Using individual firm data we find that during periods of tight money the proportion of bank-borrowing constrained firms increases. Borrowing constrained films are found to substitute away from bank credit to trade credit. Such evidence supports the existence of a credit channel of monetary policy transmission: firms do not voluntarily cut bank loans (e.g. because of demand slowdown) since they increase their demand for a less desirable alternative (trade credit). Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Development of somites, muscle, and skeleton is independent of signals from the wolffian duct

Background: In the vertebrate embryo, skeletal muscle and the axial skeleton arise from the somites. Patterning of the somites into the respective somite compartments, namely dermomyotome, myotome, and sclerotome, depends on molecular signals from neighboring structures, including surface ectoderm, neural tube, notochord, and lateral plate mesoderm. A potential role of the intermediate mesoderm, notably the Wolffian or nephric duct, in somite development is poorly understood. Results: We studied somite compartmentalization as well as muscular and skeletal development after surgical ablation of the early Wolffian duct anlage, which lead to loss of the Wolffian duct and absence of the mesonephros, whereas Pax2 expression in the nephrogenic mesenchyme was temporarily maintained. We show that somite compartments, as well as the somite derivatives, skeletal muscle and the cartilaginous skeleton, develop normally in the absence of the Wolffian duct. Conclusions: Our results indicate that development of the musculoskeletal system is independent of the Wolffian duct as a signaling center. Developmental Dynamics 242:941–948, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Visualising PIM Behaviour with Markov Chains

This paper presents our initial efforts at visualising personal information behaviour using Markov Chains. We describe a laboratory-based study of email re-finding and use Markov Chains, created from captured user interactions, as a means of understanding the behaviour exhibited. The models we generate not only provide an excellent overview of how the participants interacted with the experimental interface, but, by forcing the experimenters to ask questions they would not normally ask in order to comprehend the models, they also offer a starting point from which a fuller understanding of the exhibited behaviour can be attained. We illustrate this through examples, discuss the advantages and limitations of the approach and outline how we will expand on the work in future research.
Ketoconazole Treatment of Gonadotropin Independent Precocious Puberty in Girls with McCune-Albright Syndrome: A Preliminary Report

McCune-Albright syndrome (MAS) in girls is characterized by gonadotropin independent precocious puberty (GIPP). This form of GIPP is resistant to therapy with GnRH analogues. As an alternative treatment, we successfully used ketoconazole 200 mg t.i. d. orally in two girls with MAS, GIPP and advanced bone age Ketoconazole led to rapid control of GIPP with cessation of menses and regression of pubertal signs in both patients. Ketoconazole was temporarily interrupted in one patient due to pruritus but later restarted without problem. After 1 year of therapy both patients have remained free of menses, progression of puberty and other side effects. Repeat sonography on ketoconazole revealed continued presence of ovarian cysts. Our preliminary experience indicates the safety and effectiveness of ketoconazole as a therapy for GIPP with potential advantages over previously used modes of treatment. Longer use of ketoconazole to suppress GIPP is required to determine whether this therapy can prolong linear growth with enhancement of final height.
Asset valuation and the role of news in sub-Saharan Africa: Valuers’ rationality and the hype dilemma

This study is a survey of valuers within Africa to see whether they believe that valuations can be affected by stories relating to specific properties within the media. Experience has shown that valuers’ ideal of exercising duty of care to act in the best interest of their clients does not always hold sway as news stories in the form of hype can distort valuation outcomes through excessive publicity and exaggerated claims in advertisements or promotional materials for real estate assets. Based on a theoretical framework built around relevant real estate-related and behavioural theories and a research problem that shares the vision of the “Windhoek Declaration of 1991,” the paper analyses the behaviour of 50 randomly selected valuers across sub-Saharan Africa, when exposed to different news stories. Findings reveal that market valuations, rather than statutory valuations, can be impacted by good or bad news stories; this is particularly prevalent in cases where valuers fail to exercise due diligence. Recommendations are made to ensure valuers’ public reputation is not damaged by their exposure to framing or distorted presentation of information relating to the real estate market.
Bridging the Gap between Interest Rates and Investments

type="main"> The links between interest rates, cost of capital, hurdle rates, and capital allocation have been remarkably weak during the last few years. For instance, whereas the current yield on the World Government Bond Index is a paltry 1.2%, survey evidence suggests that the median reported investment hurdle rate of S&P 100 companies is as high as 18%. In this report, members of J.P Morgan's corporate finance advisory group explain why the cost of capital for most companies is unlikely to increase materially even if interest rates rise as projected. This suggests that companies have room to lower their hurdle rates. Moreover, as the authors argue, a reduction in hurdle rates is likely to be beneficial since excessively high hurdle rates can have the effect of reducing value by sacrificing profitable growth opportunities and increasing the firm's risk profile. The report concludes with a framework for corporate hurdle rates and capital allocation strategies designed to help companies make better investment decisions.
Recurrent Severe Hypoglycaemia and Cognitive Function in Type 1 Diabetes

Diabetes mellitus affects cognitive function and the potential causes of cognitive dysfunction have been reviewed previously. l4 Although the pathogenetic role of hyperglycaemia in the development of various diabetic complications is well established, the adverse effects of acute and recurrent hypoglycaemia on the brain have received limited attention until recently, despite early clinical observations that severe hypoglycaemia can cause cerebral damage and overt psych~pathology. ~-’ ’ Hypoglycaemia of varying severity is a common sideeffect of insulin therapy, although the frequency is difficult to estimate with accuracy unless confined to severe episodes. l 2 When severe hypoglycaemia is defined as the need for external assistance to resuscitate the patient, approximately 30% of insulin-treated diabetic patients experience severe hypoglycaemia at some time with an incidence of about 1.4-1.6 episodes patient-’ y e a r ’ and an unfortunate minority experience recurrent severe hypoglycaemia. ’2*’ Comparisons of intensive and conventional insulin therapy have demonstrated that the frequency of severe hypoglycaemia is three times greater in patients with strict glycaemic contr01. ’~ If recurrent severe hypoglycaemia is shown to cause permanent impairment of cognitive function, the therapeutic goals for glycaemic control which are currently recommended for patients with insulin-treated diabetes will need re-evaluation. Suboptimal glycaemic control may have to be accepted for individual patients who are at increased risk of experiencing severe hypoglycaemia, to avoid jeopardizing their intellectual function. The symptoms which usually alert a patient to the onset of hypoglycaemia are subdivided into those attributable to neuroglycopenia which interferes with intellectual activity and impairs cognitive function and those resulting from activation of the autonomic (principally the sympathoadrenal) system.15 Stimulation of autonomic centres in the hypothalamus triggers an autonomic discharge (or ‘reaction’) with a pronounced increase in peripheral autonomic neural activity which is characterized by
Profiling Conference Delegates Using Attendance Motivations

Research into conference delegate motivations is scarce, and profiling of conference delegates using their motivations and demographic characteristics has seldom been undertaken. This research examines a sample (n = 500) of conference delegates in Australia and the United Kingdom and uses cluster analysis to profile them on their motivations. The resulting demographic profiles suggest that there are significant differences in the delegate clusters based on age, gender, and education level, which allows the identification of distinct delegate market segments. This will result in more targeted marketing by conference organizers and destinations in order to achieve increased delegate numbers.
Five cases of alpha chain disease

Five patients suffering from alpha chain disease are described. Clinically the patients presented with clubbing and the symptoms of malabsorption. There was a characteristic, predominantly plasma cell infiltrate of the wall of the small intestine. Spread of the plasmacytosis beyond the small intestine to bone marrow (1), peripheral blood (1), and probably the nasopharyngeal lymphoid tissue (1) is described. Fragments of the heavy chain of IgA (alpha chain) were found in serum (5), urine (3), jejunal fluid (2), and saliva (1). The jejunal biopsy of one patient was shown to synthesize free alpha chain in tissue culture. A new and simple immunoselection technique for the identification of free alpha chain is described. Marked clinical remissions were achieved in two patients treated with intermittent cytotoxic and steroid therapy, and in a third patient who received intermittent cytotoxic therapy and tetracycline.
Customers' attitude toward Islamic banking in Pakistan

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to examine the different motivational factors that lead to customers' Islamic bank selection decision in Pakistan. In particular, it aims to look into the importance of Design/methodology/approach - The paper presents descriptive statistics and cross-tabulation analysis based on data collected from 357 customers. Findings - The findings reveal that Islamic banks' customers highly value Practical implications - The paper has profound implications for Islamic financial institutions operating in Pakistan. Although Originality/value - The paper is a unique contribution to Islamic banks' selection criteria where the importance of
The future's here;: it's just unevenly distributed

nology industry means that people are constantly presented with new things to learn and asked to adopt things for which they often have not expressed a direct need. Unsurprisingly, most people cope by switching off and getting involved only with that which they are forced to. Although the future surrounds us, most people live in versions of the past. As Marshall McLuhan observed, “We look at the present through a rearview mirror. We march backwards into the future” [3]. So, how do we change this? More than anything else we need to help people understand how they can make use of technology. We have used the concept of affordances to help us design for ease of understanding. Affordance is a concept originally proposed by the psychologist J.J. Gibson [2] and popularized in the design community by Donald Norman. In Norman’s view, affordances “refer to the perceived and actual properties of the thing, primarily those fundamental properties that determine just how the thing could possibly be used” [4]. Unfamiliar things are much easier for people to use when their affordances perceptibly match their functions. We applied the notion of affordances to the design of new media to see if this could help us design complex, layered interfaces onto interactive media content. We observed that the functional apprehension of any piece of media (for instance, newspapers, television, or Web sites) depends on a relationship between the user and her individual perception of each of its component. For the kinds of interactive media with which we work—personal computers, Web browsers, mobile phones—the number of nested components making up any given instance is significant (e.g., PC, operating system, browser, interface, content). As a result, the range of users’ apprehensions of any given piece of interactive media is also wide. Often, functional apprehension of a given technology is not perceptible. An extreme example: To an experienced user, a PC affords a great many things—communication, creation, sharing—but to someone who has never seen one before, a PC is an anonymous box that affords nothing at all. When considering how to apply affordances to improving the functional apprehension of new media, Norman runs into problems because his definition relies heavily on the perceptible properties of the thing in question. Consequently, we looked for a more nuanced definition of the term and found it in work by Bill Gaver on the affordances of technology [1]. Gaver’s definition of affordances as “properties of the world defined with respect to people’s interactions with it” allows for the concept of hidden affordances—those that exist but that people are not able to perceive (see Figure 1).
Teachers’ perspectives on continuing professional development : a case study of the Mpumalanga Secondary Science Initiative (MSSI) project

Continuing Professional Development (CPD) of teachers is increasingly becoming a priority in most countries throughout the world. It is widely viewed as the most effective approach to prepare teachers adequately, and to improve their instructional and intervention practices, for when they enter the workforce (Fraser et al 2007). Despite the general acceptance of CPD programmes as essential to the improvement of education, reviews of professional development research constantly point out the ineffectiveness of most of these programmes (see Cohen and Hill, 1998 and 2000). Furthermore, many teachers express dissatisfaction with the professional development opportunities made available to them in schools and insist that the most effective development programmes they have experienced have been self-initiated (National Research Council, 2007). There is a consensus that many CPD programmes have yet to understand professional development from a teacher‘s perspective. This perspective acknowledges what drives teachers to enlist in these programmes and how such programmes can make a difference to them and their classrooms. Therefore, this study seeks to return the emphasis of professional development to the teachers. The study explores the teachers‘ perspectives of CPD in general, the personal meaning of CPD, and its meaning in the context of their work. By interviewing the teachers who were part of the Mpumalanga Secondary Science Initiative (MSSI) project (a seven year science and mathematics professional development intervention), I explore: the teachers‘ opinions of the intervention; its meaning to them and their work; and its impact on their classroom practices and students for the duration of the intervention and beyond. In this study, I explore data from an extensive and longitudinal study of teachers who were part of the CPD programme in greater detail. In discussing my data, I propose that CPD, however well intentioned and executed, is received differently by each teacher as a result of their personal circumstances and investment in the programme. I argue that the greater the unity between the personal circumstances and motivations of the teachers and those of the CPD intervention, the more likely the outcome will be meaningful for the participating teachers. In turn, the ability to sustain the benefits of the intervention will be enhanced.
Environmental Management in SMEs in the UK: Practices, Pressures and Perceived Benefits

Environmental management represents a significant challenge for small businesses, and prior research has shown that they are typically less engaged with environmental issues than their larger counterparts. At the same time, prior research has seldom explored engagement among small and medium-sized companies (SMEs) with the wide variety of practices that are encompassed by environmental management, nor has it sought to explore heterogeneity among SMEs. In this study, we analyse the extent of SME involvement in a wide range of environmental management practices and the differences between small and medium-sized businesses. We also explore SME perceptions of pressures for, and benefits of, engagement with environmental issues. Our findings show that most small businesses are engaged in some environmental initiatives but that there is significant heterogeneity in the engagement of small and medium-sized businesses. Consistent with this, we show that the smallest companies perceive significantly fewer benefits of engagement with environmental issues. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.
Evidence for similarity-assisted recombination and predicted stem-loop structure determinant in potato virus X RNA recombination.

Virus RNA recombination, one of the main factors for genetic variability and evolution, is thought to be based on different mechanisms. Here, the recently described in vivo potato virus X (PVX) recombination assay [Draghici, H. -K. & Varrelmann, M. (2009). J Virol 83, 7761-7769] was applied to characterize structural parameters of recombination. The assay uses an Agrobacterium-mediated expression system incorporating a PVX green fluorescent protein (GFP)-labelled full-length clone. The clone contains a partial coat protein (CP) deletion that causes defectiveness in cell-to-cell movement, together with a functional CP+3' non-translated region (ntr) transcript, in Nicotiana benthamiana leaf tissue. The structural parameters assessed were the length of sequence overlap, the distance between mutations and the degree of sequence similarity. The effects on the observed frequency of reconstitution and the composition of the recombination products were characterized. Application of four different type X intact PVX CP genes with variable composition allowed the estimation of the junction sites of precise homologous recombination. Although one template switch would have been sufficient for functional reconstitution, between one and seven template switches were observed. Use of PVX-GFP mutants with CP deletions of variable length resulted in a linear decrease of the reconstitution frequency. The critical length observed for homologous recombination was 20-50 nt. Reduction of the reconstitution frequency was obtained when a phylogenetically distant PVX type Bi CP gene was used. Finally, the prediction of CP and 3'-ntr RNA secondary structure demonstrated that recombination-junction sites were located mainly in regions of stem-loop structures, allowing the recombination observed to be categorized as similarity-assisted.
Pricing by Arbitrage Under Arbitrary Information

A substantial applications literature on pricing by arbitrage has effectively restricted information to that arising solely from securities markets; return distributions are then governed solely by past prices. We reconsider pricing by arbitrage in markets rendered incomplete by arbitrary information, which, moreover, may influence required returns. We show that contingent claims depending solely on securities’ normalized price histories are priced by arbitrage if and only if all risk‐adjusted probabilities agree upon the law of primitive securities’ normalized prices. We show how existing diffusion‐based results can be preserved, and resolve an issue relating to Merton's (1973) stochastic interest rate model.
Asset Prices, and Consumer Inflation in GCC Countries

The paper studies the interactions between credit, financial asset prices (namely equity prices), and consumer price inflation for the countries belonging to the Gulf Cooperation Council using quarterly observations from 1998:1 to 2009:4. The stock price is seen to have a positive and significant effect on CPI inflation only in the case of Qatar and Oman. Domestic credit comes out as an important determinant of inflation in the GCC countries. Oil price increases affect inflation positively in Oman and Kuwait and negatively in Saudi Arabia. The findings suggest a varying degree of wealth effect on aggregate demand in these countries. The findings of this study have important policy implications for the challenges of a common monetary policy for the GCC area mandated by the proposed common currency.