Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
When ties don't bind: smuggling effects, bazaars and regulatory regimes in postrevolutionary Iran

Abstract This paper examines how participation in smuggling restructures existing commercial regulatory systems and subjectivities. It does so through an analysis of the illicit commercial practices that mushroomed in postrevolutionary Iran and the ambivalent participation of established merchants (bazaaris) in the import and export of commodities through these circuits during the 1979–2005 era. Following two independent research projects on the Tehran and Qum bazaars, we adopt a multidisciplinary and relational approach to bazaars and smuggling to decipher the multiple logics. This process is assembled through networks of established bazaaris, new commercial actors, far-flung transnational buyers and diverse state officials, who both regulate trade and facilitate exchanges that are at times interpreted as smuggling by the participants themselves. Building on the growing literature on smuggling in cultural anthropology and political economy, our account demonstrates how commodities travel through channels that ultimately transgress categories such as licit and illicit, state and society, and ‘honorable bazaari’ and ‘smuggler’. The postrevolutionary Iranian regime is a case that challenges us to examine this quasi-formal economy in the context of an institutionalized and centralized state that has adopted both state-led and neoliberal economic policies. It also forces us to situate the phenomenon of smuggling within the context of existing commercial networks and moral orders. We further reveal how bazaaris have been subjects of and subjected to the hybrid commercial order, which has both displaced the social networks that underpin bazaaris' communal obligations and norms and cast doubt on the merchants' claim to ethical standing in the eyes of one another, and left them vulnerable to criticism by leaders of the Islamic Republic.
Storage Related Haematological and Biochemical Changes of CPDA-1 Whole Blood in a Resource Limited Setting

Majority of the blood banks in Nigeria still practice whole blood banking. The changes associated with the storage of blood in our blood banks have not been reported. This study was aimed at bridging this gap. Blood (450 ml) was drawn from ten healthy volunteer donors into CPDA-1 anticoagulant and placed on the quarantine shelf of the blood bank refrigerator maintained at 2-8°C. Blood bags were screened for HCV, HBsAg, Syphilis and HIV 1&2 and were confirmed negative. Samples were collected at 1, 7, 14, 21 and 28 days and tested for hematological and biochemical using the PE-600 fully auto Haematology analyzer (China) for hematological parameters, Excite -40 ESR analyzer and Prestige 24i automated clinical analyzer for biochemical parameters. Comparison of day 1 versus day 7 revealed that the granulocytes were drastically reduced from 1.93 × 109 /L on day 1 to 0.33 × 109/L on day 7 (F=48.79, p=0.000, ESR values increased from 2.90 mm/hr on day 1 to 6.60 mm/hr on day 7 (F=7.45, p=0.013. For biochemical parameters, there was a significant decrease in Na value from 137.38 mEq/L on day 1 to 135 mEq/L on day 7 (F=43.66, p=0.000). Analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed that at the end of 28 days, there was significant changes in WBC, differential and absolute leucocytes, MPV, PDW, and ESR, albumin and potassium were significantly affected among the biochemical parameters. No significant changes were observed in Hb, PCV and other hematological parameters throughout the study. Rapid degeneration of leukocytes could lead to immunodulation related to blood transfusion. Whole blood should be leukodepleted before storage if it must be used beyond one week.
[Prevalence of reactions secundary to mosquito bites Aedes aegypti at en el Regional Center of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, University Hospital, de Monterrey, Nuevo Leon].

BACKGROUND although systemic reactions resulting from hymenoptera stings have been studied extensively, the prevalence of allergic reactions to mosquitoes is unknown. OBJECTIVE to investigate the prevalence of allergic reactions to Aedes aegypti bites in patients seeking treatment at the Allergy and Clinical Immunology Regional Center of Jose E Gonzalez University Hospital in Monterrey, Mexico. MATERIAL AND METHOD we carried out a cross-sectional, descriptive study that included patients receiving skin tests for aeroallergens; skin sensitivity to mosquito bites was also tested. A questionnaire was used to obtain information about previous allergic reactions to mosquito bites. RESULTS a total of 482 patients between 2 and 60 years of age were included; 53% were female, 407 (84.4%) had a history of local reactions to mosquito bites. Twelve patients (2.4%) stated a history of large local reaction; three (0.6%) of them with a positive skin prick test, one (0.2%) of those had systemic reaction history to mosquito. Eighty five (17.6%) patients had a positive mosquito skin test and 307 (63.6%) had a positive skin test for at least one aeroallergen. Seventy-eight (91.7%) of the 85 patients with a positive mosquito skin test had a history of local skin reactions to mosquito bite (odds ratio: 2.303 [confidence interval (CI) 1.037-5.10]. There was no statistically significance association between allergic diseases and mosquito allergy. CONCLUSIONS adverse reactions and allergic reactions to mosquito bites occur frequently. However mosquito allergy is low. Further studies are required to determine the prevalence of mosquito allergy in the general population.
Growth as evidence of firm success: myth or reality?

The purpose of this paper was to explore the widely acknowledged assumption of sales growth being evidence of firm success. Theoretically, the focus is on the existence of entrepreneurial myths, the multidimensionality of growth and the practical and theoretical implications of this. Empirically, the paper relies on both quantitative and qualitative methods to explore facts about sales growth being evidence of firm success. Quantitatively, the convergent validity of sales growth and 14 other performance measures is assessed. This is done both between industries (bio and IT) and firms of different ages (three age categories). The qualitative study explores the perceptions of 23 key stakeholders (entrepreneurs, policy-makers, public investors and venture capitalists) concerning growth, profitability, performance and firm success. Results show that relative sales growth, the most widely used measure of growth, shows no convergent validity to any other performance measure, regardless of industry and regardless of firm age. The stakeholder views complement these findings, and show that sales growth alone tells too little of a complicated phenomenon and hence cannot be considered a measure of firm success. More holistic research approaches are recommended for fully understanding the complexity of firm success.
Integrating the Internal and External Labour Markets

Evidence of shifts towards atomized relations in the labor market appears to conflict with economic theories of the internal labor market. The problem, however, lies not with the irrelevance of internal labor market systems and broader institutional structures but rather with the misspecification of theoretical analysis. New institutional and labor market segmentation models are typically restricted to a static, dualistic framework of comparative forms of work organization. This paper outlines a dynamic approach to the study of internal labor markets. The authors argue that internal and external competitive pressures mutually interact to shape employer strategy and the relative labor market positions of employees. Copyright 1998 by Oxford University Press.
A 'Partnership' Route To Human Resource Management?

Collaborative relationships between firms have been growing in importance, including ‘partnerships’ between customers and suppliers. Institutional economists and sociologists have different views on the origins, character and consequences of partnership, and the nature of this debate is outlined, as well as the implications for the reality of ‘partnership’ and its role in the diffusion of business practice. Against this background we use case study and survey evidence to explore the transition within the supply chain relationship, from a customer ‘demands’ model and hence to ‘supplier development’. Supplier development can be seen as an aid to risk reduction, particularly where it involves management control system development in the supply organization. The partnership implications for the human resource management (HRM) function are explored. Supply‐side partners are likely to be involved increasingly with activities that will underpin the alliance (for example, training, cultural change and removal of industrial relations obstacles to change). These indirect effects may be supplemented by direct involvement by the HRM specialists in the customer organization, especially where partnership development places strong reliance on the human resource dimensions of the two organizations. Examples of this form of development are discussed. This evidence is assessed in terms of the different disciplinary approaches discussed at the outset. What emerges most strongly is that although ‘partnership’ is used to describe many inter‐firm relationships, many of these are very unequal and are recognized to be so, but in other cases evolutionary steps can be taken to reduce the risks involved and lead to apparently equitable alliances. Within this risk reduction process, the role of human resources appears to be of varying importance.
Callus induction and plant regeneration of paederia foetida L., a widely used medicinal vine in Bangladesh

An efficient protocol was established for in vitro plant regeneration of Paederia foetada L . (Family. Rubiaceae), a widely used medicinal vine of Bangladesh through callus culture in using nodal segment. Yellowish green nodular callus was observed from nodal segments on MS basal medium supplemented with 1.5 mg/L BAP + 0.5 mg/L NAA within three weeks. Large number of shoots (14.4±1.29) were obtained when the callus was sub cultured on MS medium with 0.5 mg/L BAP. In vitro raised shoots rooted on half strength MS medium with 0.5 mg/L IBA. The survival rate of plantlets was found to be 85%. Regenerated plants were morphologically uniform having normal leaf shape and growth. Bangladesh J. Sci. Ind. Res. 47(4) , 373-378, 2012 DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.3329/bjsir.v47i4. 14066
Lessons from Italian Monetary Unification

This paper examines whether the states brought together in the Italian monetary union of the nineteenth century constituted an optimum monetary area, either before or after unification. Interest rate shocks indicate close relations between states in northern Italy but negative correlations between the North and the South before unification, suggesting some advantages of continued Southern monetary independence. The proportion of Southern Italian trade with the North was small, in contrast to intra- Northern trade, and therefore monetary independence imposed a light burden. Changes in the wheat market indicate that the South and North after unification (though not probably because of it) increasingly specialised according to their comparative advantages. Coupled with differences in economic behaviour of the Southern economy, this meant that monetary policies appropriate for the North were less so for the South. In the face of agricultural shocks originating in the New World and in France, the South would have gained from depreciating its exchange rate against the North or against the non-Italian world. As it was, nineteenth century Italian monetary union did not create the conditions for its own success, contrary to the findings of Frankel and Rose (1998) for the later twentieth century.
Social entrepreneurship – a new look at the people and the potential

Considers the crucial role of private sector social entrepreneurship in the context of a state welfare system stretched beyond its means. Defines social entrepreneurship, recounts a number of key points from relevant research projects, reflects upon current developments and initiatives, describes a number of cases and uses these to draw a set of tentative conclusions about social entrepreneurs and social entrepreneurship in the context of the current government’s aim of fostering rapid growth in the sector. Concludes that while such growth is highly desirable, a number of hurdles have to be overcome.
The Term Structure of Discount Rates

M.J. Brennan is the Irwin and Goldyne Hearsh Professor of Banking and Finance, University of California, Los Angeles, and Professor of Finance, London Business School. In this paper, I argue that the use of asset-pricing models to infer discount rates for capital budgeting is fraught with difficulties that are rarely addressed. In the case of the CAPM, two problems of major importance are the choice of risk-free rate and of market-risk premium. Choice of the former is not easy for projects that extend beyond a single period. I argue that the use of long-run historical-average excess returns to estimate the market-risk premium is likely to be misleading, not least because the market-risk premium has been found to vary over time in predictable ways. A model is constructed and estimated which allows the analyst to estimate a discount rate that is appropriate for the maturity of a given cash flow and which takes into account current conditions in the capital markets as represented by the level of shortand long-term interest rates and the dividend yield on the market portfolio which affect the market-risk premium.
Earnings Management of Initial Public Offering Firms: Evidence from Regulation Changes in China

type="main" xml:id="acfi12006-abs-0001"> Discretionary current accruals of Chinese initial public offering (IPO) firms decreased after the abolition of fixed-price offering systems that directly linked offering price to reported earnings. Results suggest IPO firms that decrease managerial ownership manage earnings upward during the fixed-price offering period, but this relationship disappeared after the introduction of a book-building system. We also find that bank debt is negatively related to discretionary current accruals during the fixed-price offering period, but no relation exists for the book-building period. Leverage has a significant positive relationship with earnings management. However, this finding is potentially attributable to nonoffering price objectives or endogeneity biases.
The Role of Weather on Investors’ Monday Irrationality: Insights from Malaysia

Evidence supporting the weekend effect, also known as Monday Irrationality, has shown that conventional finance is unable to follow a rational behavior assumption. Many scholars have proposed a behavioral approach to explain this phenomenon; however, few studies have investigated this effect empirically. Interestingly, literature on weather patterns and the preliminary results of our study have identified a particular weather cycle that occurs on Mondays, when the temperature in Malaysia is higher compared with other days. Therefore, this paper aims to investigate the role of weather on investors’ Monday irrationality. By analyzing the market index and size-based portfolio formation model from 1999 to 2010, this research study found that the weather influenced investors’ mood, causing anomalous conditions in the market. Our findings conclude that the mood of investors plays an important role on investment decisions and the resulting Monday irrationality of investors.
Does the Independence of Independent Directors Matter?

This paper analyzes the characteristics of firms that declare board directors as independents, although the directors are not strictly independent, and examines the consequences in terms of performance and corporate governance outcomes. Based on publicly available information, eight criteria of “independence” used to examine a panel of Spanish listed firms classify 14.2% of the directors as strictly independent, whereas the firms classify 32.5% of the board as independent directors. Firms with dispersed ownership structures misclassify directors more frequently than do firms with large controlling owners. In terms of consequences, we find weak evidence of a negative relation between misclassification and a firm's future operating performance. However, no relation is found between independents' misclassification and several relevant outcomes of the primary delegated committees with monitoring roles: the audit committee and the nomination and remuneration committee. There is no significance with regard to the non-strictly independent measures explaining executive directors' compensation, CEO turnover, audit qualifications or earning management behavior.
Getting what you want from your transorganizational partners: “Social-sharedness” and decision-making within a transorganizational system

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine how the group decision-making process unfolds over time in a transorganizational system (TS) planning change. Design/methodology/approach – A longitudinal qualitative case study was designed to enable researchers to identify different stages in the group decision-making process. Findings – The findings from this case study indicated that the group decision-making process in a TS planning change could be conceptualized to include five distinct steps: working in solitude; starting a dialogue; finding a common goal; suggesting decision alternatives; and deciding among alternatives. The group proceeded through these steps sequentially over time. Practical implications – The paper offers TS practitioners a framework to follow when making group decisions within TSs. Originality/value – The study develops a conceptual framework that describes how the group decision-making process unfolds over time in a TS planning change. This framework can be tested in other con.
The in vitro action of immune pig serum on second - and third-stage Ascaris suum larvae

Third and artificially hatched second-stage larvae of A. suum were exposed to the action of saline and normal and homologous immune pig serum. Precipitates developed at the mouth, excretory pore, anus and around the cuticle of third-stage larvae when they were placed in immune pig serum, but not in saline or normal serum. Precipitate was most evident at the excretory pore and was often the first precipitate to form. It is suggested that the excretory products may play an important role in stimulating the production of antibody in the host. A relationship was noted between the antibody titre of the serum and the amount of precipitate, the life span of the larvae, their activity, and the rate at which precipitates formed. It is concluded that the titre of the serum was in some degree a measure of the ability of the host to resist reinfection. Circumlarval precipitates did not form when second-stage larvae were placed in samples of the same immune serum. It is pointed out that this may be due to the lack of sufficient antigenic material available to react with antibody in the antisera. It is also suggested that an absence of sufficient larval antigen may also partly account for the small degree of resistance exhibited by the resistant host within the first 2 or 3 days of reinfection. The work, which is abstracted from a Ph.D. thesis, was carried out in 1957 under the tenure of an Animal Health Trust Wellcome Fellowship. I am grateful to Dr Soulsby, under whose guidance this work was carried out.
Effects of credit constraints on household productivity in rural China

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of credit constraints on agricultural productivity in China. Design/methodology/approach - Using data from a rural financial survey, a switching regression model is used to account for endogeneity and heterogeneity. Carter presents three ways that credit might affect the production functions; a shift along a given production surface by allowing an optimal level of inputs, a shift the production surface out by allowing the purchase of more efficient inputs, and the third is to increase net revenue by more intensive use of fixed inputs and resources. Thus, the effects of factors on agricultural productivity may not be independent of credit status; therefore, separate functions for credit-constrained and non-constrained households are examined. Findings - Empirical estimates of the impacts of credit constraints on agricultural productivity are provided for the Heilongjiang province, a major agricultural production area, in Northeast China. By removing credit constraints, average agricultural productivity was estimated to be increased by 75 percent. Under credit constraints, labor inputs, along with a farmers' education, cannot be fully employed because of an inappropriate mix of inputs. Research limitations/implications - Young farmers may not be able to leverage their comparative advantage for physically intensive farm work under credit constraints. Because of data limitations, the research does not include information on informal credit in the estimation, which may underestimate the effects of credit constraints. Originality/value - This study provides an analysis of the impacts of credit constraints on rural household productivity for the Heilongjiang province, a major agricultural production region, in Northeast China.
An empirical model for housing tenure choice and demand in the Spanish market

This paper analyzes a combined selection model between purchasing or renting a housing unit and the amount spent on it. Similar to what has been studied in several other works, if both decisions are simultaneously considered, the estimators of the parameters are biased. The primary focus of this study is to determine the probabilities of housing purchase and rent as well as the price and income elasticities of housing demand, and observe how these parameters vary when fiscal conditions change.