Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Role of Economic Development in Tourism Demand

This paper investigates the relevance of the supply-side characteristics of countries as determinants of the growth of tourism. Particular emphasis is placed on the role of economic development as a driver of tourism over time. Much of the literature on tourism has focused on the effects of tourism as an income generator. However, to attract tourists, it may be necessary to have a minimum threshold of economic development. This paper examines whether economic development is relevant to tourists' decision making. A cross-sectional time series model which deals with autocorrelation and heteroskedasticity in the error term is proposed. First, the model considers a worldwide panel data set of destination countries for tourists from Australia, France, Germany, Japan, Spain, the UK and the USA. Then, the sample is divided into smaller areas according to geographical and GDP criteria to investigate differences within competing countries in the same area. The results show that for the worldwide case, economic development matters and makes a difference to tourists' decision making. Subsample analysis shows that in those countries with high GDP levels, differences in economic development are not significant, whereas in developing countries they are.
Value of P-wave signal averaging to predict atrial fibrillation recurrences after pulmonary vein isolation.

AIMS Recurrences of atrial fibrillation (AF) after radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) are usually caused by pulmonary vein (PV) re-conduction, by foci outside the PV or by previous electrical remodelling. Substrate alterations with conduction delays may be detected by signal-averaged P-wave analysis (SAPW). This study was conducted to assess the value of the SAPW to predict recurrences after RFCA in patients with paroxysmal or persistent AF. METHODS AND RESULTS One hundred and two patients (59 ± 10 years, 83 males) underwent a first RFCA procedure for paroxysmal (n = 61) or persistent/long-standing persistent (n = 41) AF. A SAPW recording with measurement of total filtered P-wave duration (FPD), P-wave integral, and terminal root mean squared voltage was obtained immediately after the ablation procedure and the patients were prospectively followed. During a mean follow-up of 12 ± 7 months, recurrences occurred in 36 of 102 (35.3%) patients, 17 of 61 with paroxysmal AF, and 19 of 41 with persistent AF (P = 0.06). The FPD was significantly longer in patients with recurrences compared to those without (158 ± 22 vs. 140 ± 18 ms, P = 0.0008). The FPD was shorter in patients with paroxysmal AF compared with patients with persistent AF (142 ± 28 vs. 153 ± 20 ms, P = 0.03). A FPD of 140 ms was found to discriminate patients prone to recurrences (log-rank test, P = 0.008) with a sensitivity of 69%, a specificity of 53%, a positive predictive value of 45%, and a negative predictive value of 76%. CONCLUSION A FPD >140 ms is a marker of AF recurrences after RFCA and probably reflects the extent of atrial remodelling.
The Confusability of Causal Power and Predictive Judgment

People consider alternative causes when deciding whether a cause is responsible for an effect (diagnostic inference) but appear to neglect them when deciding whether an effect will occur (predictive inference). Five experiments were conducted to test a 2-part explanation of this phenomenon: namely, (a) that people interpret standard predictive queries as requests to estimate the probability of the effect in the presence of the cause alone, which renders alternative causes irrelevant, and (b) that the impact of disablers (inhibitory causes) on predictive judgments is underestimated, and this underestimation is wrongly interpreted as cause neglect. Experiment 1 showed that standard predictive queries are frequently interpreted as requests to estimate the likelihood of E given C alone. In Experiment 2, a causal Bayes network overestimated predictive inference when it was queried in the standard way, but this overestimation diminished when predictive inference was queried using an alternative wording. In Experiment 3, participants judged alternative causes to be relevant to diagnostic inference and both disablers and alternative causes to be relevant to predictive inference. In Experiment 4, disablers greatly overshadowed alternative causes in predictive judgments, but their impact on diagnostic judgments was negligible. In Experiment 5, the order of disabler retrieval influenced causal judgments. Taken together, these results indicate that human causal inference cannot be adequately modeled unless the manner in which knowledge is retrieved and applied is taken into consideration.
Health-Related Physical Activity Levels in Spanish Youth and Young Adults

The aim of this study was to analyze the current physical activity (PA) levels in youth and young adults from Granada, Spain, and to assess if they accomplish the recommendations for healthy PA. A sample of 1,832 boys and 1,840 girls was administered the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. Results showed that most of the children (72.2%) and adolescents (56.4%) reached the recommended PA levels, whereas only 40% of young adults achieved recommended levels of PA. The most active were students from Primary schools, whereas university students were the least active. Youth of college and university ages were found to be at higher risk for engagement in PA.
A Quantitative Comparison of the Financial Returns of Index ETFs and Matched Index Mutual Funds

Investments in exchange traded funds (ETFs) have gained significant popularity among the financial investors.ETFs track industry-based indexes. Index mutual funds also track industry-based indexes. The financial investorsdo not have a documented analytical method to compare the financial returns of index ETFs and matched indexfunds. We have performed quantitative comparisons of the financial returns of index ETFs and matched indexmutual funds with the use of nonparametric Kruskal-Wallis hypotheses tests, assuming that the financial returnsof index ETFs and matched index mutual funds are independent. We have tested the null hypotheses that themedians of the distributions of the Sharpe ratios and the risk-adjusted buy and hold returns of the S&P 500 index,large cap index, mid cap index, small cap growth index, REIT index, and total bond market index ETFs are asthe same as the medians of the distributions of the Sharpe ratios and the risk-adjusted buy and hold returns of thematched S&P 500 index, large cap index, mid cap index, small cap growth index, REIT index, and total bondmarket index mutual funds. The time periods of comparison have been from the inception dates of ETFs till theend of 2013. The findings from this research work suggest that we do not reject the null hypotheses that thedistributions of the Sharpe ratios and the risk-adjusted buy and hold returns of index ETFs and the distributionsof the Sharpe ratios and the risk-adjusted buy and hold returns of matched index mutual funds have the samemedians during the time periods that we have tested.
Flood Hazards, Insurance Rates, and Amenities: Evidence from the Coastal Housing Market

This study employs the hedonic property price method to examine the effects of flood hazard on coastal property values. We utilize Geographic Information System data on National Flood Insurance Program flood zones and residential property sales from Carteret County, North Carolina. Our results indicate that location within a flood zone lowers property value. Price differentials for flood risk and the capitalized value of flood insurance premiums are roughly equivalent-both exhibiting a nonlinear relationship in flood probability. Our results support the conclusion that flood zone designation and insurance premiums convey risk information to potential buyers in the coastal housing market. Copyright The Journal of Risk and Insurance, 2008.
AGONIST AND ANTAGONIST PROPERTIES OF BUPRENORPHINE, A NEW ANTINOCICEPTIVE AGENT

1 Buprenorphine is a highly lipophilic derivative of oripavine. In rodent antinociceptive assays (writhing, tail pressure), buprenorphine had an action which was rapid in onset and of long duration; it was 25‐40 times more potent than morphine after parenteral injection and 7‐10 times more potent after oral administration.
A single-crystal silicon symmetrical and decoupled MEMS gyroscope on an insulating substrate

This paper presents a single-crystal silicon symmetrical and decoupled (SYMDEC) gyroscope implemented using the dissolved wafer microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) process on an insulating substrate. The symmetric structure allows matched resonant frequencies for the drive and sense vibration modes for high-rate sensitivity and low temperature-dependent drift, while the decoupled drive and sense modes prevents unstable operation due to mechanical coupling, achieving low bias-drift. The 12-15-/spl mu/m-thick single-crystal silicon structural layer with an aspect ratio of about 10 using DRIE patterning provides a high sense capacitance of 130 fF, while the insulating substrate provides a low parasitic capacitance of only 20 fF. A capacitive interface circuit fabricated in a 0.8-/spl mu/m CMOS process and having a sensitivity of 33 mV/fF is hybrid connected to the gyroscope. Drive and sense mode resonance frequencies of the gyroscope are measured to be 40.65 and 41.25 kHz, respectively, and their measured variations with temperature are +18.28 Hz//spl deg/C and +18.32 Hz//spl deg/C, respectively, in -40/spl deg/C to +85/spl deg/C temperature range. Initial tests show a rate resolution around 0.56 deg/s with slightly mismatched modes, which reveal that the gyroscope can provide a rate resolution of 0.030 deg/s in 50-Hz bandwidth at atmospheric pressure and 0.017 deg/s in 50-Hz bandwidth at vacuum operation with matched modes.
The Vitality and Viability of Town Centres

Following growing concerns about the future of many town centres in the UK, this paper considers the factors that contribute to measuring and understanding their continuing health. Recognising that past studies have tended to concentrate on measures of relative performance between towns, the paper presents a methodology for analysis at the micro level, distinguishing between both the relative and the absolute performance of different areas within individual town centres. Using the key indicators of town centre viability and vitality, as outlined in recent government planning guidance, the paper uses case-study data to develop a time-series model for tracking changes in the health of different areas of a town centre. Although the predictive capability of this model is currently limited by the lack of suitable data, the paper shows that relatively simple measures of vitality and viability can be useful tools in understanding the changing dynamics of the health of town centres.
Myopic Loss Aversion, the Equity Premium Puzzle, and GARCH

This paper concerns the distributional assumptions made on stock returns in the myopic loss aversion (MLA) proposed explanation to the equity premium puzzle. While Benartzi and Thaler (1995) assume temporal independence in these returns, we introduce a more realistic assumption incorporating conditional heteroskedasticity. This involves the work on temporal aggregation of GARCH processes of Drost and Nijman (1993). Using Swedish data, our estimation method produces an overall larger evaluation period than the one originally obtained by Benartzi and Thaler, e.g., over the sample period July 1961 through December 2003 the evaluation period increases from 12 to 17. This shows that MLA indeed can explain a large equity premium but, also, that the model is sensitive to the distributional assumption made on stock returns.
The Objectives and Priorities of Monetary Policy under Different Federal Reserve Chairmen

This paper utilizes a monetary policy reaction function that relates policy intentions to forecasts of policy objectives. Estimates of this reaction function over the post-Accord period suggest that the Burns period was unique. While the Martin and Volcker periods were extremely similar, the Burns period was structurally distinct from both the Martin and Volcker periods. Further, model specifications that allow for an independent influence on monetary policy from different presidential administrations also imply that there are significant differences in monetary policy under different Fed chairmen. Copyright 1990 by Ohio State University Press.
Multinationals, national business systems and HRM: the enduring influence of national identity or a process of 'Anglo-Saxonization'

This paper discusses the 'nationality effect' in the management of HRM by multinational companies (MNCs). After reviewing relevant literature in the institutionalist tradition and on 'national business systems', it assesses the elements of national environments that are most likely to influence MNC behaviour. It explores the tensions arising between the requirements of 'globalized' operations and the characteristics MNCs have adopted from their home environment. It is suggested that MNCs respond to such tensions by adopting various adaptation strategies, the most important of which may be termed 'Anglo-Saxonization': a convergence of MNC behaviour around a model typical of highly internationalized British or US MNCs. The argument is illustrated by findings from two German case studies, one of a large manufacturer, the other of a major bank; evidence is found of the Anglo-Saxonization of international HRM in these companies, but it appears to be taking place in a distinctively German manner.
Over-Identification Tests in Earnings Functions With Fixed Effects

The fixed-effects model for panel data imposes restrictions on coefficients from regressions of all leads and lags of the dependent variable on all leads and lags of right-side variables. In the standard fixed-effects model, the omnibus goodness-of-fit statistic is shown to simplify to the degrees of freedom times the Rz from a regression of analysis of covariance residuals on all leads and lags of right-side variables. This result is applied to test models for the union-wage effect using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY). Identification and estimation of the return to schooling in models with fixed effects is also discussed. Although schooling is often treated as time-invariant, schooling increases over a five-year period for nearly 20% of continuously employed men in the NLSY The analysis of covariance estimate of the returns to schooling is precisely estimated and roughly twice as large as the ordinary least squares estimate. Unlike in the union-wage effects equation, however, .
Glomerulocystic kidney disease in mice with a targeted inactivation of Wwtr1

Wwtr1 is a widely expressed 14-3-3-binding protein that regulates the activity of several transcription factors involved in development and disease. To elucidate the physiological role of Wwtr1, we generated Wwtr1−/− mice by homologous recombination. Surprisingly, although Wwtr1 is known to regulate the activity of Cbfa1, a transcription factor important for bone development, Wwtr1−/− mice show only minor skeletal defects. However, Wwtr1−/− animals present with renal cysts that lead to end-stage renal disease. Cysts predominantly originate from the dilation of Bowman's spaces and atrophy of glomerular tufts, reminiscent of glomerulocystic kidney disease in humans. A smaller fraction of cysts is derived from tubules, in particular the collecting duct (CD). The corticomedullary accumulation of cysts also shows similarities with nephronophthisis. Cells lining the cysts carry fewer and shorter cilia and the expression of several genes associated with glomerulocystic kidney disease (Ofd1 and Tsc1) or encoding proteins involved in cilia structure and/or function (Tg737, Kif3a, and Dctn5) is decreased in Wwtr1−/− kidneys. The loss of cilia integrity and the down-regulation of Dctn5, Kif3a, Pkhd1 and Ofd1 mRNA expression can be recapitulated in a renal CD epithelial cell line, mIMCD3, by reducing Wwtr1 protein levels using siRNA. Thus, Wwtr1 is critical for the integrity of renal cilia and its absence in mice leads to the development of renal cysts, indicating that Wwtr1 may represent a candidate gene for polycystic kidney disease in humans.
Assessing the EU Pressure for Rules Change: The Perceptions of Southern Mediterranean Energy Regulators

This paper analyses the perception of the EU as promoting rules for energy regulatory agencies in four southern Mediterranean countries: Algeria, Egypt, Turkey and Jordan. The restructuring of the energy sector, as promoted by the EU in the southern Mediterranean region, is considered to be the main criterion to evaluate the EU's modes of external governance. The EU's modes of governance are comparatively assessed through a perception survey. The case studies have been selected due to their relevance in terms of energy sector restructuring and energy exchanges. Among the modes of governance considered, the top-down approach appears to be the most promising for rules diffusion.
The Under-50 and Over-50 Travelers: A Profile of Similarities and Differences

The profiles of the under-50 travelers and the over-50 travelers differ clearly on a number of important dimensions and indicate that age can be used as a segmenting variable. Our findings indicate that for practical purposes the over-50 travelers have certain needs and expectations for vacation that could result in their responding to promotions, advertising, and travel packages that would be ignored by the under-50 group.
Identification of esg, a genetic locus involved in cell-cell signaling during Myxococcus xanthus development

JD258, a Tn5 insertion mutant of Myxococcus xanthus, was shown to have major defects in three development-associated properties: expression of the developmentally regulated tps gene, spore formation, and production of multicellular fruiting bodies. The defects in tps gene expression and sporulation could be substantially corrected, at the phenotypic level, by mixing JD258 with wild-type cells (extracellular complementation). By this criterion, JD258 appeared to be a new member of a group of conditional developmental mutants that were previously characterized and placed in four extracellular complementation groups (A to D) based on the ability of mutants in one group to stimulate development in mutants belonging to a different group (D. C. Hagen, A. P. Bretscher, and D. Kaiser, Dev. Biol. 64:284-296, 1978). Mutants from groups A, B, C, and D all displayed extracellular complementation activity when mixed with JD258. These results, and other aspects of the phenotype of JD258, indicate that this mutant defines a fifth extracellular complementation group, group E. The M. xanthus esg locus identified by the Tn5 insertion in JD258 was cloned in Escherichia coli and used for further genetic analysis of the locus. These studies indicated that the esg locus resides within a 2.5-kb region of the M. xanthus chromosome and that the locus contains at least two genetic complementation groups. Our results are consistent with a model in which the esg locus controls the production of a previously unrecognized extracellular signal that must be transmitted between cells for the completion of M. xanthus development.
Policy Matters But How? Explaining Non-Compliance Dynamics in the EU

The European Union’s infringement procedure is highly legalized. Nevertheless, as in other international institutions, non-compliance occurs on a regular basis and its transformation into compliance varies across EU infringement stages and over time. State of the art compliance literature focuses mainly on country-specific explanations, such as power, capacity, and legitimacy. In particular power-capacity models explain a good part of whether non-compliance occurs and how quickly it can be resolved. Yet, these approaches leave substantial parts of the empirical variation that we observe unexplained. This paper argues that policy and, in particular, rule-specific variables – although often neglected – are important for explaining non-compliance. Based on a quantitative analysis, we show that policy matters not only for the frequency with which EU law is violated, but also the persistence of non-compliance over time and over the different stages of the infringement procedure.
Efficient Urbanisation: Economic Performance and the Shape of the Metropolis

The influences of urban form and transport infrastructure on economic performance show up in several contemporary policy debates, notably 'sprawl versus compact city' and in the developing world, the future of mega-cities. This paper probes these relationships using two scales of analysis. At the macro scale, an econometric analysis using data across 47 US metropolitan areas reveals that employment densities and urban primacy are positively associated with worker productivity, suggesting the presence of agglomeration economies. Congested freeways are shown to be a consequence of strong economic performance. An intrametropolitan analysis using data on sub-districts of the San Francisco Bay Area generally reinforces the findings of the macro-scale analysis. In the Bay Area, labour productivity appears to increase with size of labour-marketshed and high accessibility between residences and firms. Higher employment density and well-functioning infrastructure also contribute positively to economic performance.
Trade Credit Policy and Firm Value

This paper studies the shape of the relation between firm value and trade credit for a sample of Spanish listed firms in the period 2001 to 2007. Considering the tradeoff between benefits and costs of investing in trade credit we estimate a non-linear relationship between accounts receivable and firm value. As expected, the results obtained show a positive relation between firm value and trade credit at low levels of receivables and a negative one at high levels. To give robustness to the results, we analyze whether deviation from target accounts receivable level reduces firm value. Consistent with the previous analysis, we find that deviations from this level of receivables decrease firm value. Este trabajo estudia la relacion entre el valor de la empresa y el credito comercial para una muestra de empresas espanolas cotizadas durante el periodo 2001 a 2007. A partir del tradeoff entre beneficios y costes de la inversion en credito comercial, se analiza la existencia de una relacion no lineal entre clientes y valor de la empresa. Conforme a las hipotesis planteadas, los resultados obtenidos muestran una relacion positiva entre valor y credito comercial para niveles bajos de inversion en clientes y una relacion negativa para niveles altos. Para dar robustez a estos resultados, tambien se analiza si las desviaciones respecto del nivel objetivo de credito a clientes reducen el valor de la empresa. Consistente con el analisis previo, se obtiene que las desviaciones de este nivel de clientes reducen el valor de la empresa.
Family Income and Higher Education Choices: The Importance of Accounting for College Quality

In the examination of the determinants of educational choices, little attention has been devoted to the relationship between family income and the quality of higher education. Using the 1979 and 1997 waves of the NLSY, we show that family income significantly affects the quality of higher education, especially for high-ability individuals.While the impact of family income on college quality is significant in both samples, it has declined considerably over time for high-ability students. Overall, the trends we observe are highly consistent with increases in tuition across the quality spectrum, coupled with more generous merit-based aid at high-quality institutions.