Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Distribution and Growth as a Differential Game between Workers and Capitalists

In most industrialized capitalist societies the workers, or wage earners, have some influence over how large a share of the total product is to be consumed by them. The means by which the workers can have such control can for instance be (i) control over the wage share of total income (before taxes), for instance through trade union power; (ii) influence over the ratio between wage and nonwage taxes; and (iii) control over how much of their income they consume. In the present article an economy where workers have such control is studied. Furthermore, the capitalists in this economy can control how much of the product not consumed by workers is to be invested, and how much is to be used on the capitalists' consumption. This means that even if the workers save part of their income (cf. case (iii) above), they have no guarantee that this saving will be used for investment, and not just on capitalists consuming more than their income. Using the assumptions above, the distribution of output between consumption and investment, as well as the distribution of consumption between workers and capitalists, is determined as a non-cooperative equilibrium solution to this differential game. This game solution is compared with the Pareto optimal solution of the game. A similar differential game has been treated by Lancaster [1973]. Also in this game a capitalist society is divided into two social groups or classes, namely workers and capitalists, and the three ways workers could influence their consumption mentioned above are also mentioned by Lancaster. One difference between the present study and Lancaster's article is that the welfare functions in the present article are considerably more general than in Lancaster's game, where both welfare functions are given simply by the total consumption for the relevant group over a fixed (and finite) time period. Furthermore, Lancaster does not compare the equilibrium solution of his game with all Pareto optimal solutions, but only with the "social optimum" defined as the total consumption in the economy over the fixed time period. Lancaster has two main conclusions in his article. One is that the non-cooperative equilibrium solution is inefficient in the sense that it differs from what he calls the social optimum. The second conclusion is that the capitalist game has a lower capital accumulation than this social optimum. We shall see that Lancaster's first conclusion holds under quite general assump-
Selecting the Number of Principal Components in Functional Data

Functional principal component analysis (FPCA) has become the most widely used dimension reduction tool for functional data analysis. We consider functional data measured at random, subject-specific time points, contaminated with measurement error, allowing for both sparse and dense functional data, and propose novel information criteria to select the number of principal component in such data. We propose a Bayesian information criterion based on marginal modeling that can consistently select the number of principal components for both sparse and dense functional data. For dense functional data, we also develop an Akaike information criterion based on the expected Kullback–Leibler information under a Gaussian assumption. In connecting with the time series literature, we also consider a class of information criteria proposed for factor analysis of multivariate time series and show that they are still consistent for dense functional data, if a prescribed undersmoothing scheme is undertaken in the FPCA algorithm. We perform intensive simulation studies and show that the proposed information criteria vastly outperform existing methods for this type of data. Surprisingly, our empirical evidence shows that our information criteria proposed for dense functional data also perform well for sparse functional data. An empirical example using colon carcinogenesis data is also provided to illustrate the results. Supplementary materials for this article are available online.
Epistemological Beliefs and Transformational-transactional Leadership Behaviours of Directors in Child Care Centres

This paper reports on a small pilot study to assess the epistemological beliefs and leadership values related to learning espoused by five Directors working in long day care centres in Brisbane. The study uses an interview protocol to assess beliefs about leadership and beliefs about the nature of knowing and knowledge. As expected, there were broad correlations between the epistemological beliefs relating the nature of knowing and knowledge and the beliefs about leadership espoused by the directors. Espoused leadership beliefs associated transformational leadership were correlated with relativistic epistemological beliefs, while espoused leadership beliefs associated with transactional leadership were correlated with na ve and dualistic epistemological beliefs. Directors espousing mixture of leadership beliefs were found to hold mixture of epistemological beliefs.
R&D Activities In a Peripheral Region: an Empirical Study with Special Reference to the North East Region of the UK

This study examines the incidence of research and development (R&D) activities, type of R&D undertaken and the incidence of R&D co-operation among manufacturing firms located in a key urban area of the North East England, a peripheral region of the UK. We have found that over 62% of manufacturing firms in this urban growth area to be R&D active, suggesting that R&D active firms tend to be concentrated in urban area s in a peripheral region, as it is the case in the leading regions. However, the incidence of R&D co-operation was found to be relatively low among R&D active firms. It is also found that the key determinants of undertaking R&D to be the existence of a core competence/product and exporting activities. These findings might be of interest to policy makers promoting economic growth via firm’s R&D activities.
"¡Quedate o Vente!": Uncovering the Determinants of Hispanic Public Opinion Toward Immigration

Why do some Hispanic-Americans support (Vente) and others oppose (Quedate) the liberalization of immigration policies? 1 In this study we attempt to ascertain which combination of demographic, attitudinal, and contextual factors determines Hispanic public opinion toward legal im migration. In a departure from previous research, we conduct an advanced multivariate analysis and utilize an existing national-level sample of His panics. While we find only limited evidence that Hispanic public opinion on immigration varies among nationalistic subgroups (e.g., Cuban-Ameri cans, Mexican-Americans, etc.), we do find that level of acculturation and perceived economic threat influence Hispanic opinion on legal im migration. We also find that Hispanics residing in areas with large illegal migrant populations, and those with more negative attitudes toward the impact of Hispanics on American society, tend to favor more restrictive immigration policies. Finally, we examine the implications of these find ings for future studies of public opinion toward immigration and for the development of immigration policy
Visfatin is not associated with inflammation or metabolic syndrome in patients with severe rheumatoid arthritis undergoing anti-TNF-alpha therapy.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE Visfatin is an insulin-mimetic adipokine. In non-rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients circulating levels of visfatin are correlated with the amount of visceral fat. Recent studies have disclosed an implication of visfatin in inflammation. Chronic systemic inflammation is of major importance in the development of atherosclerosis in RA. In the present study we investigated whether inflammation, obesity or metabolic syndrome are potential determinants of circulating visfatin concentrations in a group of RA patients on periodical treatment with the TNF-alpha blocker infliximab due to severe disease. We also assessed whether the infusion of infliximab may alter circulating visfatin concentrations in patients with severe RA. METHODS We investigated 33 non-diabetic patients with RA on periodical treatment with infliximab. Serum visfatin levels were determined immediately prior to and after infliximab infusion. RESULTS There was no correlation between body mass index of RA patients and baseline serum level of visfatin. Also, no significant correlations between baseline visfatin levels and the age at the time of the study or at the onset of the disease, disease duration, ESR and CRP levels, DAS28, lipids, insulin sensitivity, resistin or the cumulative prednisone dose at the time of the study were found. Visfatin levels did not change upon infliximab infusion. CONCLUSIONS In RA patients on TNF-alpha blocker treatment, circulating visfatin levels are unrelated to disease activity, adiposity or metabolic syndrome. The beneficial effect of anti-TNF-alpha therapy on cardiovascular mortality in RA does not seem to be mediated by changes in serum levels of visfatin.
Economic efficiency and downside risk

This article investigates the impact of downside risk on cost and revenue efficiency (RE) for a sample of farms. Downside risk or loss below a certain level of return is a concern regardless of producer risk preferences and thus a suitable measure of risk to use. Downside risk was measured as the weighted summation of net farm income below the amount needed for unpaid labour during the previous 10 years. Cost and RE were estimated using traditional input and output measures, and then re-estimated including each farm’s downside risk. Comparisons were made between the efficient farms with and without downside risk and the average for all farms. As expected, downside risk plays an important role in explaining farm inefficiency. Failure to account for downside risk overstates inefficiency and can lead to unrealistic expectations in potential efficiency improvements.
Contractors and their Psychological Contracts

It is commonly assumed that contractors are largely calculative, instrumental and self-interested in their relationship with organizations and interface with them accordingly (e.g. low corporate interest and emotional investment). This paper describes a survey involving 117 contractors (62 on ‘permanent’ agency contracts and 55 on ‘temporary’ agency contracts) and a comparable (age, job level/grade, years of work experience) group of 86 direct employees (on fixed-term contracts). The survey comprised measures of the psychological contract, of organizational identification, social (corporate) attraction, team spirit and intention to leave. The findings show that contractors are not inevitably ‘emotionally’ detached from their place of work, in some cases investing in it as much as direct company employees. While transactional (e.g. financial gain, instrumentality) exchange considerations were more salient among contractors than employees, this did not appear to preclude the development of a relational (e.g. corporate integration and long-term investment) contractual orientation. ‘Team spirit’ and ‘organizational identification’ predicted the development of relational contracts over and above contractual status. The findings and their management implications are discussed in terms of ‘strategic partnership’.
Modelling competence acquisition in small firms

Prior research has not given much attention to competence acquisition in small firms. In response, we developed a competence acquisition model in a sample of 842 small firms. We then tested the model through multiple regression analyses. The model acknowledges the influence of factors related to the entrepreneur, the business concept, and the small firm's existing competence based on how it acquires competence (whether it uses internal, social network, or market modes) and how this selection of modes of competence acquisition influences performance. In support of a contingency view, we find that certain antecedents seem to have different kinds of influence on the modes of competence acquisition in sub-samples characterised by different levels of internal organisational complexity and external environmental uncertainty. The influence of internal acquisition on firm performance is robust across the samples. We discuss the implications of our findings and suggest areas for future research.
Vitamin A supplementation for prevention of bronchopulmonary dysplasia in very-low-birth-weight premature Thai infants: a randomized trial.

BACKGROUND Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is one ofthe most significant complications among very-low-birth-weight (VLBW) premature infants. Vitamin A deficiency increases the risk of BPD in VLBWinfants. OBJECTIVE To assess the effect of vitamin A supplementation for prevention of bronchopulmonary dysplasia in VLBW premature Thai infants. STUDY DESIGN Randomized control trial. MATERIAL AND METHOD Eighty premature infants weighing <1,500 g who received mechanical ventilation or oxygen supplementation at 24 hours ofage-admitted to Neonatal units ofSrinagarind Hospital, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand-were assigned to receive either intramuscular vitaminA 5, 000 IU3 times/week (treatment group) or sham procedure (control group) for four weeks. Serum vitamin A levels were measured before and after administration of the vitamin A. RESULTS The baseline of mean serum vitamin A levels were similar in both groups. The mean serum level of vitamin A was significantly higher in the vitamin A supplemented infants than in the control infants on day 7 (1.41 +/- 0.48 vs. 0.92+0.38 pmol/ L, p<0.001), day 14 (1.48 +/- 0.90 vs. 0.96 +/- 0.36 micromol/L, p = 0.001) and day 28 (1.42 +/- 0.63 vs. 0.76 +/- 0.30 micromol/L, p<0.001) after vitamin A supplementation. None of the infants in the vitamin A supplemented group, compared to 5% of the infants in the control group, had vitamin A level <0.35 micromol/L, (indicating severe vitamin A deficiency) at 28 days. Fewer of the premature infants in the vitamin A supplemented group required oxygen supplementation at 36 weeks postmenstrual age than in the control group albeit not statistically significant (22.5 vs. 35% relative risk 0.71; 95% CI 0.40 +/- 1.26; p = 0.21). Supplementation with vitamin A was also associated with a significant reduction in the duration ofintubation (10.8 +/- 3.1 days vitamin A supplemented group vs. 26.1 +/- 6.4 days control group, p = 0.03), days on oxygen therapy (29.8 +/- 5.1 days vitamin A supplemented group vs. 58.2 +/- 9.1 days control group, p = 0.01) and length of hospital stay (61.9 +/- 4.2 days vitamin A supplemented group vs. 88.3 +/- 7.2 days control group, p = 0.002). CONCLUSION The dose of vitamin A used in this study reduced biochemical evidence of vitamin A deficiency and, without complications, resulted in reducing duration of intubation, days of oxygen therapy, and length of hospital stay in premature infants suffering VLBW
Unrelated stem cell transplantation after reduced intensity conditioning for patients with multiple myeloma relapsing after autologous transplantation

From 2002 to 2007, 49 myeloma patients who relapsed following autologous SCT were included in a prospective multicenter trial to determine the efficacy of a reduced melphalan/fludarabine regimen followed by allogeneic SCT from unrelated donors. All patients showed leucocyte and platelet engraftment after a median of 15 and 19 d, respectively. Grade II–IV acute graft‐versus‐host disease (GvHD) occurred in 25% of patients and 35% had chronic GvHD. Overall response rate at day 100 was 95% including 46% complete remission (CR). Cumulative incidence of non‐relapse mortality at 1 year was 25% [95% confidence interval (CI): 13–37%] and was significantly lower for human leucocyte antigen (HLA)‐matched compared to ‐mismatched SCT (10% vs. 53%, P = 0·001). The cumulative incidence of relapse at 3 years was 55% (95% CI: 40–70%). After a median follow up of 43 months, the estimated 5‐year progression‐free and overall survival rates were 20% and 26% respectively and were significantly better for matched in CR at day 100 (41% vs. 7%, P = 0·04 and 56% vs. 16%, P = 0·02). We conclude that optimal donor selection is mandatory for a low non‐relapse mortality and high relapse incidence, which remains a major concern, should be improved by including post‐transplant strategies to upgrade remission status.
Human resource management's role in clarifying the new psychological contract

This article discusses the importance of understanding and managing the changing employee–employer relationship (psychological contract). It offers a brief discussion on changing employee–employer expectations and provides a definition and discussion on the importance of the psychological contract in managing employee–employer relationships. Several employee–employer interactions in which human resource management (HRM) personnel can help clarify and reshape the psychological contract are presented.
Common stochastic trends and the dynamic linkages driving european stock markets: evidence from pre- and post-october 1987 crash eras

Given the impact of the October 1987 crash pre-empting fears of a deep-seated financial collapse, there is now much scope for assessing its importance quantitatively. In this paper, time series techniques are used to analyse the dynamic linkages and propagation of shocks among five European stock markets. While we do not find any long-run relationship of stock markets over the entire sample ped, evidence is found in support of a unique cointegrating vector over each of the pre- and post-crash samples. Furthermore, the dynamic analysis reveals that the lead–lag relationships changed quite significantly over the sample following the crash.
Perception vs Reality: How does the British electorate evaluate economic performance of incumbent governments in the post war period?

Rational retrospective voting models have dominated the literature on election forecasting and the economic vote since they were first proposed by Anthony Downs in 1957. The theory views voters as appraisers of incumbent government’s past performance, which acts as the principal source of information individuals use when making their vote. Pure retrospective voting requires far less of the electorate in order to hold a government accountable and empirical work based on this theory has been very adept at predicting election outcomes and explaining individual voting decisions. In terms of the time period assessed to form judgements on past performance however, there is a surprising disconnect between the theoretical line of thought and actual testing. The sensible assumption of retrospective voting models is that voters, looking to judge a government’s past performance, should assess changes in their own welfare over an entire term of office, with little or no discounting of past events. The majority of empirical studies however, focus on economic performance over shorter time horizons, usually within a year of an election. There have only been a handful of studies attempting to empirically test the correct temporal relationship between changes in economic indicators and election outcomes, despite its importance for retrospective voting models and democratic accountability. This working paper empirically tests over which time horizons changes in macroeconomic fundamentals continue to have a significant bearing on election outcomes in Post War Britain. It finds that longer-term measures of economic change, over entire government terms, are better at predicting changes in incumbent’s vote shares than shorter-term measures, closer to the election period. This has important consequences for future voting models and is a promising result for democratic accountability.
Gender, Ethnicity And The Informal Sector In Trinidad

Gender, ethnicity and the informal sector in Trinidad - an introduction Current perspectives on informality, employment and development perspectives on Caribbean development Work, employment and the informal sector in Trinidad - an overview Informal sector food production, distribution and retailing Informal sector food production, distribution, service provision and retailing Gendered and racialized spaces - petty commodity trading in Trinidad "Like we beggin on de streets" - the gendering of street lives and working identities Governmental response to informal employment - micro-level support as a strategy for development The socio-spatial geography of the informal sector in Trinidad.
Rediscovering the ‘Spatial’ in public policy and planning: an examination of the spatial content of sectoral policy documents

The article addresses the emergent concept and practice of ‘spatial planning’ in the context of the formulation of the Wales Spatial Plan. Recent developments in supranational and national planning policies, processes of devolution and changes in the British governance framework provide the foundation for the research element of the article. The research itself consists of a review of the spatial content of a series of sectoral policy documents published by the National Assembly for Wales. In addressing the character and extent of spatial references across different policy sectors, emphasis is placed on the potential for spatial planning instruments to facilitate ‘joined‐up’ policy and address complex issues of geographic distribution and spatial equity. The article concludes that a spatial planning approach, if successfully developed and enhanced, offers real value in the development of public policy.
Epitope-Blocking Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assays for the Detection of Serum Antibodies to West Nile Virus in Multiple Avian Species

ABSTRACT We report the development of epitope-blocking enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) for the rapid detection of serum antibodies to West Nile virus (WNV) in taxonomically diverse North American avian species. A panel of flavivirus-specific monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) was tested in blocking assays with serum samples from WNV-infected chickens and crows. Selected MAbs were further tested against serum samples from birds that represented 16 species and 10 families. Serum samples were collected from birds infected with WNV or Saint Louis encephalitis virus (SLEV) and from noninfected control birds. Serum samples from SLEV-infected birds were included in these experiments because WNV and SLEV are closely related antigenically, are maintained in similar transmission cycles, and have overlapping geographic distributions. The ELISA that utilized MAb 3.1112G potentially discriminated between WNV and SLEV infections, as all serum samples from WNV-infected birds and none from SLEV-infected birds were positive in this assay. Assays with MAbs 2B2 and 6B6C-1 readily detected serum antibodies in all birds infected with WNV and SLEV, respectively, and in most birds infected with the other virus. Two other MAbs partially discriminated between infections with these two viruses. Serum samples from most WNV-infected birds but no SLEV-infected birds were positive with MAb 3.67G, while almost all serum samples from SLEV-infected birds but few from WNV-infected birds were positive with MAb 6B5A-5. The blocking assays reported here provide a rapid, reliable, and inexpensive diagnostic and surveillance technique to monitor WNV activity in multiple avian species.
Does Raising the Minimum Wage Help the Poor?

What is the impact of raising the minimum wage on family incomes? Using data from the 1994-1995 to 2002-2003 Survey of Income and Housing, the characteristics of low-wage workers are analysed. Those who earn near-minimum wages are disproportionately female, unmarried and young, without postschool qualifications and overseas born. About one-third of near-minimum-wage workers are the sole worker in their household. Due to low labour force participation rates in the poorest households, minimum-wage workers are most likely to be in middle-income households. Under plausible parameters for the effect of minimum wages on hourly wages and employment, it appears unlikely that raising the minimum wage will significantly lower family income inequality. Copyright © 2007 The Economic Society of Australia.