Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Unleashing Business Innovation in Canada

This paper discusses how to improve Canada’s business innovation in order to boost labour productivity and output growth. Many general framework conditions are highly favourable to business risk-taking and innovation, including macro stability, openness, strong human capital, low corporate tax rates, low barriers to firm entry and flexible labour markets. However, they can be improved further by reduced external and interprovincial barriers in network and professional service sectors, more efficient capital markets, fewer capital tax distortions and improved patent protection. A second focus should be on ensuring that incentives arising from government subsidies are targeted on actual market failures. The very high level of support to business RD peut-etre donc faudrait-il redessiner ces aides. La kyrielle de petits programmes fragmentaires de subventionnement visant principalement les PME devrait etre rationalisee pour ameliorer la cooperation entre le milieu universitaire et le monde de l’entreprise. Il faudrait reduire la trop grande place des fonds publics dans le capital-risque, car il se peut qu’elle evince des financements prives plus productifs. Un dernier axe devrait, par des actions cherchant a combler les lacunes de formation, de tutorat et d’enseignement, privilegier la stimulation des competences de l’encadrement et du personnel qui s’appliquent a toutes les formes d’innovation. Ce Document de travail se rapporte a l’Etude economique de l’OCDE du Canada 2012 (www.oecd.org/eco/etudes/Canada).
Dietary restraint, exercise, and bone density in young women: are they related?

PURPOSE Women with high scores for dietary restraint have been found to have higher 24-h urinary cortisol excretion and a higher prevalence of subclinical ovulatory disturbances, both of which may be risk factors for bone loss. The purpose of this study was to explore relationships between dietary restraint and bone health in regularly menstruating young women. METHODS 62 women (age: 21.7 +/- 2.5 yr) had body composition and total body and lumbar spine bone mineral density (BMD) and content (BMC) assessed using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. Dietary restraint was assessed using the restraint subscale from the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire: 29 women had low restraint (LR; restraint score 0--5), 33 had high restraint (HR; restraint score 13--21). Exercise (h x wk(-1)) was assessed by questionnaire on two occasions. RESULTS LR and HR women were similar in age and body composition (fat mass = 15.0 +/- 4.7 kg, lean mass = 40.9 +/- 4.9 kg), but HR women exercised more (3.4 +/- 1.7 vs 2.2 +/- 1.8 h x wk(-1), P < 0.05). Exercise was correlated with BMD and BMC, and when it was included as a covariate, total body BMC was significantly lower in HR than LR women. In multiple regression analysis, weekly hours of exercise and restraint score were significant predictors of total body BMD and BMC. CONCLUSION The observations of this cross-sectional study suggest that high levels of cognitive dietary restraint, or associated factors such as higher cortisol, may attenuate the positive effects of exercise on bone in young women.
Using social identity theory to explain the job satisfaction of public sector employees

This study first reports findings about what factors affect the job satisfaction of one group of public sector employees and second, uses social identity theory to explain the results. The results indicated that working with fellow employees enhances job satisfaction. In contrast, dealing with the clientele (possibly without appropriate training) and organisational management polices compromise the job satisfaction of early career Australian police officers. These findings challenge existing managerialist beliefs that suggest that significant attempts to reform organisational processes within the public sector organisations of a number of Western democracies have improved the effectiveness of employees. These reforms have changed the organisational context within which policing takes place and consequently, the work practices of police officers have changed. Some of these changes have reduced the satisfaction of employees. The implications of the findings are that when employees are dissatisfied with a number of the working conditions, it is likely that their workplace effectiveness may be jeopardised and in turn, the efficiency and effectiveness of scarce public resources may also be compromised.
Semiparametric Estimation of a Sample Selection Model

This paper provides a consistent and asymptotically normal estimator for the intercept of a semiparametrically estimated sample selection model. The estimator uses a decreasingly small fraction of all observations as the sample size goes to infinity, as in Heckman (1990). In the semiparametrics literature, estimation of the intercept typically has been subsumed in the nonparametric sample selection bias correction term. The estimation of the intercept, however, is important from an economic perspective. For instance, it permits one to determine the "wage gap" between unionized and nonunionized workers, decompose the wage differential between different socioeconomic groups (e.g., male-female and black-white), and evaluate the net benefits of a social program.
Facilitation of pain sensitization in knee osteoarthritis and persistent post‐operative pain: A cross‐sectional study

Around 20% of patients with osteoarthritis (OA) have chronic post‐operative pain after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and often undergo revision surgery with unfavourable pain outcome. This study compared sensitization in pain patients with knee OA and after revision TKA (re‐TKA).
Behavioral aspects of the design and marketing of financial products

Many people believe the yield enhancement produced by covered options writing is the trading world's version of a free lunch. The writer of the call option agrees to sell a portion of the future upside appreciation of a long stock position; in exchange, the writer gains a one-time cash receipt of the option's premium. The only way the seller of the call option can gain from this deal is for a buyer to pay more than the option is worth consistently. However, common sense says this can't always happen. [R. Binnewies, "What's Wrong With Covered Writes," Futures, July 1992, P. 32. ]
Innovation and Knowledge Transfer in Clustered Interorganizational Networks in Brazil

ABSTRACT This article analyzes whether firm innovation is influenced by the transfer of knowledge among cluster firms. To test the hypotheses, we directly estimated the measurement and the structural model parameters where cooperation, workforce mobility, and institutions were defined as manifest indicators of the latent exogenous variable knowledge transfer, modeled as a second-order construct. Firm innovation was defined as a single item endogenous latent variable. We found knowledge transfer to be related to the way firms are managed vis-à-vis (a) the role of institutions as discussion arenas; (b) the adaptability of the workforce; and (c) the indirect cooperation among firms.
Classification of anti-endothelial cell antibodies into antibodies against microvascular and macrovascular endothelial cells: the pathogenic and diagnostic implications.

structures (known as anti–endothelial cell antibodies [AECA]) were first reported in the early 1970s during an immunohistochemical study of kidney biopsy specimens. The examined sera were from patients with various rheumatic diseases, including systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and scleroderma.1,2 Since then, several methodologic approaches have demonstrated the existence and potential pathogenic role of AECA in a wide variety of inflammatory diseases (for review, see ref. 3). The AECA bind to different structures on endothelial membranes, mainly through the F(ab)2 portion of the immunoglobulin.3 IgG, IgM, and IgA isotypes of those antibodies have been reported. The EC target antigens for AECA have not yet been defined, but it is clear that there are likely to be multiple target antigens.4-7 Accordingly, sera positive for AECA have been shown to display a broad reactivity against EC obtained from different human anatomic sources: from large arterial (aorta) or venous (umbilical cord vein, saphenous vein) vessels as well as from small vessels such as renal, skin, omental, and brain microvasculature.8-10 In addition, AECA are apparently not species specific, since they cross-react with human, bovine, and murine EC (for review, see refs. 3 and 11). In this respect, one can speculate that AECA are nonspecific antibodies that are directed against endothelial antigens and commonly expressed on the majority of vascular tissue. Based on our previous observations that AECA in large-vessel diseases such as Takayasu’s arteritis (TA) bind to and activate macrovascular human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC), and not microvascular EC,12 we advocate the attractive hypothesis that AECA from different sources recognize different types of EC target molecules, which is correlated with the origin of the disease. Therefore, classification of AECA into antibodies that are directed against microvascular and macrovascular EC should shed more light on this complex group of antibodies. This lecture will summarize the results of some of our previously published studies as well as the current literature on this subject, which would support a rationale for proposed classification of AECA.
Governance mechanisms, simultaneity and firm value in Australia

This study examines whether firms determine governance mechanisms such as dividend, board independence, board size and debt simultaneously, and whether firm value is associated with these mechanisms. Using panel data on a sample of Australian publicly listed firms over the period 2000-2005 (1530 firm-year observations), the study finds that dividends, board independence, board size and debt are jointly determined. The research also finds that board independence is positively associated with firm value. In contrast, debt appears to be negatively associated with firm value, while dividend and board size are not significantly related to firm value. For policy makers, the findings could serve to justify initiatives to encourage more independent directors on boards.
GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS, VOLUME, AND THE MONDAY EFFECT

New evidence is presented on the nature of the Monday effect in stock market returns. Using stock returns for the years 1962-1986, the Monday effect is found to be confined to periods of negative market returns. Monday's returns are no different from other weekday returns in periods of positive returns. In addition, trading volume and the Monday effect are related. Monday's volume is lower than the other weekdays. When returns are compared controlling for trading volume, we find that the Monday effect is confined to negative return periods with above normal volume, which represent only two per cent of the sample period.
Chronic hepatitis B infection in adolescents who received primary infantile vaccination

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a global health issue. Universal infantile hepatitis B (HB) vaccination is very efficacious. However, HBV infections among those immunized subjects have been reported. The long‐term efficacy of postnatal passive‐active HB vaccination in high‐risk subjects is not well explored. A total of 8,733 senior high school students who were born after July 1987 were assayed for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and antibodies to HBsAg (anti‐HBs). The overall HBsAg and anti‐HBs‐positive rates were 1.9% and 48.3%, respectively. The HBsAg‐positive rate was 15% in HB immunoglobulin (HBIG) recipients (adjusted odds ratio [OR]: 15.63; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 10.99‐22.22). Among students who did not receive HBIG, there was a significantly negative association between HB vaccination dosage and HBsAg‐positive rate (P for trend = 0.011). Adjusted ORs for those who received 4, 3, and 1 to 2 doses were 1.00, 1.52 (95% CI: 0.91‐2.53), and 2.85 (95% CI: 1.39‐5.81), respectively. Among HBIG recipients, the HBsAg‐positive rate was significantly higher in subjects with maternal hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) positivity and who received HBIG off‐schedule. A booster dose of HB vaccination was administered to 1974 HBsAg‐ and anti‐HBs‐negative subjects. Prebooster and a postbooster blood samples were drawn for anti‐HBs quantification. The proportions of postbooster anti‐HBs titer <10 mIU/mL was 27.9%. Subjects with prebooster anti‐HBs titers of 1.0‐9.9 mIU/mL had significantly higher postbooster anti‐HBs titers than those with prebooster anti‐HBs titers of <1.0 mIU/mL (P < 0.0001). Conclusion: Having maternal HBeAg positivity is the most important determinant for HBsAg positivity in adolescents who received postnatal passive‐active HB vaccination 15 years before. A significant proportion of complete vaccinees may have lost their immunological memories against HBsAg. (HEPATOLOGY 2013)
The Influence of Unrelated Diversification and Ownership Structure on Firm Value: Evidence from Philippine Conglomerates

Recent trends show that top Philippine conglomerates, with more than 91% of the Philippine Stock Exchange Index (PSEi) market capitalization, have continued to diversify into non-core industries (Santiago & Magpayo, 2007; Gutierrez & Rodriguez, 2013). We examine the effect of diversification on firm excess value, with considerations of ownership structure, particularly the supermajority status and family ownership while controlling for firm characteristics and industry sectors for 167 PSE-traded firms from 2004 to 2013. Results suggest that existence of a discount effect, where there is a 43% to 56% discount when diversifying into another industry. However, this discount can be offset by ownership structure characteristics, wherein having a supermajority status enjoys a 33% premium and being family-owned enjoys a 25% to 54% premium. We find that conglomerates can extract benefits from diversification strategies through the composition of their ownership structure.
Restless abdomen

Background and Objective: A diagnosis of restless legs syndrome (RLS) requires an urge to move the legs in combination with sensory leg discomfort. Localization of the symptoms to other body areas in the absence of leg involvement is not recognized as part of the phenotypic spectrum of RLS. We describe 3 patients who presented with sensorimotor symptoms confined to the abdominal wall and, with the exception of not involving the legs, satisfied the primary and secondary diagnostic criteria for RLS. Methods: Patients underwent detailed clinical history, video-polysomnography, abdominal imaging, and serologic and genotyping assessment. Results: Unpleasant abdominal symptoms emerged at night during periods of rest and were accompanied by an urge to move and temporized by movement. Patients reported sleep onset and sleep maintenance insomnia due to their abdominal symptomatology. Abdominal imaging was normal. Secondary features included periodic leg movements of sleep (PLMS), and dramatic symptom amelioration with the D2-D3 dopaminergic agonist pramipexole. Two subjects were anemic. Conventional RLS emerged in one subject and resolved after dose escalation. Each subject was homozygous for the most common RLS/PLMS–associated risk allele in the BTBD9 gene. Conclusions: Our observations indicate that the restricted abdominal symptomatology manifest in our subjects represents a phenotypic variant of RLS. Physicians should be vigilant to the existence of this unique phenotype when encountering subjects who present with insomnia and abnormal abdominal sensations. Our experience emphasizes the importance of supportive clinical features in rendering a correct diagnosis such that the most cost-effective workups and treatment can be realized.
Acute poisoning with Tricholoma equestre.

Four cases, including three adults and one child, suffering from acute poisoning with Tricholoma equestre were described. The patients had eaten from 100 to 400 grams of the mushroom within a few consecutive meals. After consuming about 1000 grams of Tricholoma equestre for 3-4 days, the subjects developed fatigue, muscle weakness, myalgia, and in two cases acute respiratory failure with the need of respiratorotherapy. Maximal serum CK was 48136 U/L in the adults and 306 U/L in children. Maximal serum levels of AST and ALT were 802 U/L and 446 U/L in adults and 39 U/L, and 56 U/L in a child. All routine biochemical tests were within normal range. No other causes of rhabdomyolysis such as parasitic or viral infections, immune diseases, trauma or exposure to medications were found. Patient, aged 72 yrs. , who developed acute respiratory failure, died in the second day of hospitalization. In other patients all the above mentioned symptoms and biochemical abnormalities disappeared from 2 to 3 weeks of hospitalization. Physicians should be aware of the possibility of appearance of rhabdo-myolysis after repeated consumption of large quantities of Tricholoma equestre.
The synthesis of phosphorus heterocycles from tetra-tert-butyltetraphosphacubane.

Tetra-tert-butyltetraphosphacubane, P(4)C(4)(t)Bu(4), reacts with water in the presence of 'GaI' to yield two products, namely 4,6,7,8-tetra-tert-butyl-1,2,3-triphospha-5-phosphoniatetracyclo[3.2. 1.0(2,4). 0(3,8)]oct-6-ene tetraiodogallate(III), (C(20)H(37)P(4))[GaI(4)], and triiodo(3,5,7,8-tetra-tert-butyl-1,2,4lambda(5),6-tetraphosphatetracyclo[4.1. 1.0(2,5). 0(7,8)]octan-4-one)gallium(III), [GaI(3)(C(20)H(38)OP(4))], both of which have been structurally characterized. The X-ray crystal structure determination of the former compound shows it to be an ion-separated salt, while the latter compound is a neutral phosphinite complex of GaI(3).
A Survey of Empirical Research on the Productivity and Efficiency Measurement of Airports

Airport benchmarking has become a popular tool used by economists and airport managers alike. Within academic circles, a number of studies emerged assessing the productivity and efficiency of airports. This paper surveys the methods, data, and findings of empirical research in order to learn from previous research, and to gain further understanding of the airport industry. Our survey reveals that while commercialisation and restructuring contributed to efficiency increases, findings on ownership and scale effects are inconsistent. Data availability generally proved to be a serious issue. However, substantial progresses in capturing the increasing heterogeneous character of airports were made over time. © 2013 LSE and the University of Bath
How to gauge credit risk: an investigation based on data envelopment analysis and the Markov chain model

Credit risk management is one of the most important issues in the financial services industry. This article proposes a formal methodology based on Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and the Markov chain model to assess the credit risk of major enterprises in Taiwan. The first step of this method involves the application of factor analysis to filter financial data according to dimensions and ratios. Second, we derive the credibility scores of domestic corporations with DEA. Third, regression analysis and discriminant analysis validate the results of DEA credibility scores. At this stage, we find that most firms in Taiwan need to improve their respective financial credibility. Fourth, we apply DEA credibility scores to the Markov chain model. Finally, we construct transition matrices to observe the transition process of the financial efficiency of the firms. The advantage of the proposed method is that it is simple to follow and implement, and its empirical results can enable banks and financial institutions to monitor their credit risk quite closely. By using this method, banks and other financial institutions will be able to make more efficient lending decisions and face the Basel Capital Accord in the future.
Hunter–gatherers have less famine than agriculturalists

The idea that hunter–gatherer societies experience more frequent famine than societies with other modes of subsistence is pervasive in the literature on human evolution. This idea underpins, for example, the ‘thrifty genotype hypothesis’. This hypothesis proposes that our hunter–gatherer ancestors were adapted to frequent famines, and that these once adaptive ‘thrifty genotypes’ are now responsible for the current obesity epidemic. The suggestion that hunter–gatherers are more prone to famine also underlies the widespread assumption that these societies live in marginal habitats. Despite the ubiquity of references to ‘feast and famine’ in the literature describing our hunter–gatherer ancestors, it has rarely been tested whether hunter–gatherers suffer from more famine than other societies. Here, we analyse famine frequency and severity in a large cross-cultural database, in order to explore relationships between subsistence and famine risk. This is the first study to report that, if we control for habitat quality, hunter–gatherers actually had significantly less—not more—famine than other subsistence modes. This finding challenges some of the assumptions underlying for models of the evolution of the human diet, as well as our understanding of the recent epidemic of obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus.
The education and professional practice of valuers in South Africa: a critical review

Purpose – Uniquely among the built-environment professions in the country, professional valuers in South Africa until recently did not require to have a university degree. The vast majority of professional valuers therefore, especially at senior levels, hold the national diploma as the highest academic qualification. There is evidence to suggest that many regard this state of affairs as unsatisfactory. Given the foregoing, the purpose of this paper is to answer two interrelated questions, first, whether South African trained and educated valuers were “competent” and met industry standards, and, second, whether the South African valuation curriculum met international norms. Design/methodology/approach – Empirical data for the study were obtained by way of a survey of valuers registered on the South African Council of the Property Valuers Profession (SACPVP) database and a case study of the University of Cape Town’s valuation curriculum. The survey involved the mailing of an online questionnaire, using the .
Mining Argumentative Structure from Natural Language text using Automatically Generated Premise-Conclusion Topic Models

This paper presents a method of extracting argumentative structure from natural language text. The approach presented is based on the way in which we understand an argument being made, not just from the words said, but from existing contextual knowledge and understanding of the broader issues. We leverage high-precision, low-recall techniques in order to automatically build a large corpus of inferential statements related to the text’s topic. These statements are then used to produce a matrix representing the inferential relationship between different aspects of the topic. From this matrix, we are able to determine connectedness and directionality of inference between statements in the original text. By following this approach, we obtain results that compare favourably to those of other similar techniques to classify premise-conclusion pairs (with results 22 points above baseline), but without the requirement of large volumes of annotated, domain specific data.